Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. I think the description of Crazy Rich Asians meets Bridget Jones’ Diary is spot on.

I did get a bit frustrated with Andrea’s decisions and stubbornness, seemingly being aware she was making the wrong choice but doing it anyway and her refusal to acknowledge her true feelings at times. But I think it demonstrated how your head can want one thing and your heart another!

I predicted the romance from the outset but this did not deter me from reading, I really enjoyed how the love story progressed throughout the book and the will it happen/wont it happen relationship.

I also loved the relationship between Andrea and her cousin/best friend. I love seeing female friendships in books and as someone who is very close with my cousins, I completely understand the dynamic and that sometimes family can get away with being brutally honest in a way that perhaps a friend would not get away with.

Overall, would definitely recommend this book as an easy read.

If you loved Crazy Rich Asians, then you'll like this one! Much thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC.

👩🏻‍💼Andrea Tang is a high flying, hard working lawyer concentrating on making partner, pitted against the new hotshot in the firm, who also just happens to be gorgeous!😍 She's trying to manage her career whilst trying to fend off her interfearing mother, who is ever hopeful of Andrea producing a perfect husband and babies. Life isn't easy when you're the Last Tang Standing!😀

4⭐- This is what I like to consider a 'palate cleansing read'-something to enjoy in between reading crime and psychological thrillers. It's a fab romantic story, both fun and funny, I really liked losing myself in this book. A great summer read 😎

Such a great light and easy read, perfect to take your mind off the current worldwide situation! I love Bridget Jones and didn't know Crazy Rich Asians, so I just watched the film before starting this book and yes, Last Tang Standing is a great mix of both indeed.

I am unfortunately not familiar with the Singaporean culture so I loved getting a little glimpse at the family at the beginning, it really made me understand better the pressure on Andrea's life. I found Andrea very likeable, not perfect, making wrong decisions, it all happened to many of us and I liked that I could really relate to her. I also enjoyed that the story wasn't all about her romantic life but mixed with family, friends and work like in real life. She has a brain and uses it, she isn't dependant on the man/men she meets.
However, I think there wasn't enough focus on the main love interest, he sounded very nice but a bit bland because I didn't really get to know him. I would have loved to see more of that relationship and I found the ending was a bit rushed.

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fun and entertaining! While I could not help but draw parallels between Last Tang Standing and Crazy Rich Asians, this book fully deserves to stand on its own.

The story is written very well and I truly enjoyed it.

4.5 stars, rounded down!

This book was so much fun! I started on this intending to flip through a couple of pages, just to get a feel of the writing style and the general plot, but Lauren Ho had me laughing to myself within the first chapter and I knew I had to continue reading. Very, very smart, Lauren, to open with a CNY scene that every Chinese can relate to. The imaginary boyfriends, Auntie Side-Eye, interrogations by Older Chinese Relatives ("Why are you not married?") albeit slightly exaggerated for entertainment purposes but are still very real.

Our protagonist Andrea is smart, hilarious and extremely relatable. Coming from a Singaporean-Chinese family, I understood her career choice and how she ended up slogging in a job she didn't really like. Every thought and reaction Andrea had about her job - competing with work rivals on who bills more hours, going into the office on weekends, seeing other people win at life on social media and thus begin a downward spiral of questioning her own career choice - I've experienced all of them while working in a previous job. I feel that this helped to make Andrea more realistic and I could relate to her better, as if she were a real person working in Singapore as opposed to just a character in a book.

I really liked Lauren Ho's writing style. It's very fluid and she is able to switch seamlessly between the funny moments and the serious parts. Most importantly, I like that she's able to "show, not tell" in Andrea's diary entries. I think this played a very big part in keeping me engrossed in the story as it made me feel more connected with the plot and the characters.

The pacing of the story was good - I didn't feel like it really dragged at any point. However, I wish there was more development in the romantic relationships of the characters as I did not feel particularly connected with this aspect of the story ): That aside, I liked that the book had some focus on Andrea's work and career because, let's face it, work really is life in Singapore, especially if you're a hot-shot lawyer working in the CBD.

Towards the end of the book, Lauren Ho delves into more serious topics such as managing family and societal expectations. In Singapore (and maybe in most Asian cultures? I'm not sure, so I dare not speak for them), it's ingrained in us from a young age to go to a good school, a good University, get a good job, get married and have kids. A "good job" is usually defined as any of the following professions: Lawyer, Accountant, Doctor, Engineer, Dentist etc. Any deviation from The Path could lead to judgment from relatives or society. As a result, I think many people in Singapore let The Path dictate their life and career decisions instead of really reflecting on what they truly want in life.

Through Last Tang Standing, Lauren Ho very nicely brought across the message that we should all be the decision-makers of our own lives. And rightly so. While the intentions of our relatives and members of society may be good, at the end of the day, we are the ones who have to live with the choices we make. Whether it is about that "shitty, life-sucking job" or "marrying the right kind of person", we should not let other people's opinions and decisions dictate our lives.

All in all, this was a really enjoyable read. It was fun and entertaining but it also had an important underlying message that is so relevant to today. I'm really looking forward to what this author writes next!

This review was also posted on my Goodreads account, with minor edits :)

I found this book to be hilarious! One of the funniest books of 2020 for me! It really is Crazy Rich Asians meets Bridget Jones Diary. The family drama side of things is probably more interesting than the romance but overall I think the book was perfectly paced with a rich arrange of characters to love/loath! Great book!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for this ARC. Like others I found that the description of Bridget Jones meets Crazy Rich Asians was fitting.

I liked how the author developed the characters, and I really liked that Andrea’s career and work place were featured so prominently. Moving between her social life and work life worked well.

Last Tang Standing was a funny, easy read that I’d recommend to friends.

The tag line 'Bridget Jones meets Crazy Rich Asians' is relatively accurate for this book, though in very specific ways. For location and characters, you've got 'Crazy Rich Asians'; for style and the main character, you've got 'Bridget Jones'.

Funny, frank and a twist on a familiar tale, 'Last Tang Standing' follows Andrea, an ambitious lawyer who can't seem to make her romantic life work. It's a relatively tame romantic comedy - there's no explicit sex scenes or anything hugely steamy, but if you like grand romantic gestures and expensive gifts, you'll love this.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The writing is fast paced and the characters are immensely readable, It's fun without the intensity or mushiness of your standard romantic comedy. I really loved the main character Andrea, who, despite being something of a mess, wasn't a complete trainwreck. She was successful and smart and the conclusion of the story wasn't built completely around her getting a man, but getting out a situation that was becoming toxic.

Why did I leave a star off? Because I feel like I've read this book before. I really appreciate that it's in a brand new setting and it wasn't another romance of white people falling in love, but the tropes utilised and the way the story progressed felt very familiar. Enemies to lovers, the whole 'Hugh Grant vs Colin Firth' scenario that you see in Bridget Jones, the mad dash to the airport - it all felt lifted from other books and movies. It didn't feel 100% original to me.

Nevertheless, this is an excellent escapist read for the summer. I'm excited to read Lauren Ho's further novels - whether they take place in this universe or not.

Contemporary, quirky and fun; "Last Tang Standing" is a wild ride of a book, heart-warming and relatable. Although I was not really rooting for the endgame couple, being completely indifferent to the romance aspect of the novel, family drama is always near and dear to my heart and Lauren Ho made it hilarious.

Crazy Rich Asians meets Bridget Jones indeed!! I loved the Singapore setting and the glimpse into Chinese culture the novel provided. Andrea was a smart, likeable and relateable heroine. The novel was so much fun. Loved the opening scene. Family drama is always entertaing and Lauren Ho made it hilarious. The romance was a bit meh for me. Suresh, the love interest, was nice enough but the romance wasn't written in a way that had me rooting for them as a couple.

Overall, it was a light and fun novel that I really enjoyed. I look forward to reading more by Lauren Ho.

This book was a lot of fun to read - and the description of Crazy Rich Asians meets Bridget Jones' Diary is absolutely perfect. Andrea is a rising star in the lawyer world. She's aiming to make partner at her firm this year. Unfortunately, she's Chinese, 33, and not married, having split up with her boyfriend of 8 years.

I liked that the book had a good split between Andrea's work and private life. There's a paragraph about her having nightmare's about telling her mother about getting Bs on exams that I related to considerably.

The book focuses on Andrea's desire to progress in her career, the fact she hates her job and felt like she didn't have a choice outside of law and medicine. There's also her love life, where she's torn between Eric, a Chinese billionaire who her mother would approve of, and her colleague Suresh, who she thinks she's competing with for partner, and is the creator of a comic. She knows her mother would definitely not approve of Suresh.

There is lots of humour, particularly in the excerpts from Andrea's diary that definitely do sound a bit Bridget Jones. I really liked the structure of the book. And the romance was adorable!! The plot did drag a little bit in places, but nothing major.

Can't wait to see what Lauren writes next.

I received a ARC from Netgalley and HarperCollins UK.

Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Good things first. I liked the story, a lot. It did strike a chord, what with societal/parental pressure to get married before a certain age and procreate etc. I thought the opening was funny and I LOL'd in quite number of places.

However, I found the writing a bit inconsistent. The first part was peppered with a lot of funny anecdotes/phrases (trying a little too hard to be funny imo), lots of brand name dropping (to establish the idea of wealth I know, but a little too many for my taste). Then in the later section, it lost steam, there was too much explanation and unnecessary ramblings that felt like someone was explaining a joke to me. The diary sections felt amateurish, but that is ok. It is a diary after all. Who goes all eloquent prose in their diaries?
I wish there was more face time/tension building with the main love interest. I find it exasperating when the main characters get together practically on the last page.

Also, let me address the love scenes. A lot is alluded to, but then nada. It felt like how I would have written a lovestory when I was a teenager knowing that I'll have to show it to my mother/grandmother. I am not saying it should have been raunchy/smutty at all, but just a little more spice could be added (in words) given that it does allude to quite entusiastic sex between the characters. Or get rid of it altogether, I don't know.

I understand that this is an unedited arc, and I can't wait to see how the final version comes out as I think the story has so much potential.
(3/5)

As it was stated in the synopsis, this book is exactly like Crazy Rich Asians meet Bridget Jones Diary. Its set in the glamorous side of Singapore, living in the limelight of blitz and upper side but still has elements of the everyday middle class struggles. The format of the book is written as Andrea's diary and it was very entertaining from beginning to end.

Andrea Tang comes from an upcoming and upscale family who were born and raised in Malaysia but later on studied abroad and eventually settles in Singapore to be a very successful lawyer. As an Asian myself, this book conforms the truth of Asian households. Family will always come first especially the expectations of parents, that a slight mistake may just make you a disappointment and you truly have to fight for what you love.

Family will also always want what's best for you and that is to eventually settle down with marriage and having offsprings later on. For Andrea who is turning thirty four, she's bound to feel the pressure to find love and a relationship for a lifetime. And that sometimes the person you've been waiting for may just be the one that is right in front of you.

This book was all in all a very interesting and fun book full of filial presumptions but most importantly striving for happiness. The representations of the multiracial people of Singapore and Malaysia were definitely there but unfortunately there was something that I couldn't look pass and hope it were changed. But all all, this was still a read that you shouldn't miss out on and recommended to be on your radar once it comes out soon.

‘Last Tang Standing’ is about Andrea Tang, a successful lawyer living in Singapore, whose family will never truly be happy for her until she is married to the perfect man. Unfortunately, Andrea has just broken up with her long term boyfriend and is resorting to made up partners to keep her family off her back.
This is a fun, diverting read. I enjoyed Ho’s writing, and the comparisons to ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ and ‘Bridget Jones’ are certainly not far off the mark. Which leads me to my main criticism of the story, which is just that I didn’t find it very original. The Singapore setting adds a bit of an exotic touch and I liked the examination of Chinese family culture and the attitude to marriage, but unfortunately this wasn’t quite enough for me. I would certainly try something else by Lauren Ho, as I liked her writing style.
Thank you to Netgallery and Harper Collins for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

I enjoyed this novel tremendously. A worthy opponent to Crazy Rich Asians! The plot was well crafted and the characters were people I could relate to and empathize with. Definitely recommended.

Sometimes we all just need the book equivalent of the rom-com and this is it: a cute heroine who is also a high-flying lawyer, hilariously pushy relatives, delicious food, and a sweet guy in the office. No surprises here but an adorable comfort-blanket of a read.