Review by Booklist Review
If you died, are there things that you would want to say to that ex-boss you despised, or to that one crush that you never revealed your feelings to? Sara Chae developed an app that lets you do just that--get in one last word after you die. Except, when another Sara Chae happens to die, the app releases Sara's drafted messages. Her meddling parents, her ex-best friend, and her high school crush, Harry Shim, all receive messages that Sara never meant them to see--while she was alive at least. Sara had been developing her app for a venture capitalist mentorship program, and low and behold, her first assigned mentor is none other than Harry. In this smart and breezy read, Sara learns that speaking up and putting herself first actually is more rewarding than holding it all in. Park's (The Do-Over, 2023) fans will enjoy the witty banter between friends and family, the depiction of the struggles of women in the tech world, and of course, the romance between Sara and Harry.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Tired of her thankless career in mid-level management, Sara Chae makes an epic exit and quits her old tech firm to build her own company and make her app, One Last Word, which delivers messages to family, friends, and frenemies upon death and is intended to be validating and empowering. Sara enters a competition to get funding and mentorship for her app. She's selected for the program, but things become complicated when a test of One Last Word sends out romantic lyrics to Sara's old high school crush and now venture capital mentor, Harry Shim, alongside emotional letters to her nagging parents and her ex-best friend. Sara is an engaging and realistic protagonist, and readers will be as invested as she is in her app's success, especially as Harry guides and encourages her. Their romance sweetens as they reminisce on their high school bond, although the novel's romantic conflict relies on tense surprise revelations and bad timing. VERDICT Witty lines, touching reconciliation moments, and compelling career and romantic breakthroughs make Park's (The Do-Over) latest novel a satisfying read. Fans of her previous books will enjoy the well-paced plot and the various personalities in the cast, as well as Sara and Harry's strong compatibility and chemistry.--Hazel Ureta
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
When a woman accidentally sends overly honest emails to the people she cares for most, chaos ensues. Putting it bluntly, Sara Chae is exhausted. Though she's overworked and undervalued at her job, she knows she can bring something new and exciting to the tech world. If only her sexist bosses would listen to her pitch for One Last Word, an app that will send out your final messages to the most important people in your life after you die. When Sara doesn't get the support she's hoping for, she decides to take her idea elsewhere, working on the finishing details for One Last Word from her cramped living space in her sister's walk-in closet. One drunken night, she drafts her own messages to the people she hasn't been fully honest with--her parents, her estranged best friend, her biggest crush from high school--and is horrified when the app accidentally sends them out. Now, she has to deal with the fallout that comes from finally speaking the truth to the people who have mattered most throughout her life. The timing couldn't be worse; she's also been accepted into a venture capital mentorship program, and that aforementioned high school crush, Harry Shim, is now the VC bigwig assigned to be her mentor. Not only does Sara have to fine-tune her app to get the necessary funding, but she also has to navigate around Harry, since they're supposed to be working together, not rekindling old feelings. Park has always been good at telling stories about women who find themselves at a nadir in their professional lives, and Sara's struggles in her industry are deeply relatable. Although the book's romantic dilemma could have used a more thorough resolution, there are plenty of laughs as we follow Sara's journey toward achieving her biggest career goals. A fresh, modern story about learning to be honest. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
