A lot of books claim to be 'the next Bridget Jones' but I'm pleased to say Last Tang Standing actually IS! After something lightweight to read, I was delighted to find LTS and I haven't smiled and laughed at a book in such a long time. The author is such a brilliant and natural writer and I fell in love with the main characters of Andrea. She was so honest, funny and relatable. And even though she was clearly amongst the more privileged members of society, it didn't matter. I really enjoyed the addition of the footnotes (they were so interesting!) and the insight into Chinese culture, especially Andrea's 'tiger mom' and aunties was fascinating. I also really liked being able to discover more about Andrea's career in law as this is always something I've been curious about. I thought the addition of the comic strips were also a great touch too. As a love story, it was pretty obvious where the story was heading but it was still an enjoyable journey nonetheless.

I would absolutely love to read a sequel to Last Tang Standing and discover what Andrea gets up to next!

This was so much fun! A brilliant read and I would recommend for anyone who loves contemporary and it’s so relatable for anyone who is in their 20’s/30’s and working things out still. The writing is so much fun and the format was brilliant in a diary style. You really get a feel for Andrea and her personality through this format and I really enjoyed it.

Super cute and funny! Loved the cultural references. Similar setting as Crazy Rich Asians and the plot reminded me of The Hating Game, yet this story feels completely original.

I would like to thank Netgalley for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

This book can only be described as a combination of Crazy Rich Asians and Bridget Jones Diary, This book is such a good read if you just want to get your teeth into something fun and wholesome. I found myself chuckling from the start of this book and knew I would be in for a good read!
The way in which Lauren Ho writes is one of the main reasons why I enjoyed this book so much! The way in which she covers serious issues such as the still present pressure surrounding social expectations many younger people feel and can probably relate to, this then easily switched to humour and I think the way in which this was seamlessly done made the book a brilliant read.

Piqued my interest when I heard great things from other bookworms. Then my request for an ARC came through and I was hopeful that I’d like it.

In the beginning it was the societal/peer pressure of being still single and everything that came with, I emphatise and relate to the protagonist. Then it ends there.

Some of her monologue and diary entries were downright childish and offensive to me. Were this a YA novel, I wouldn’t mind. Despite all the stereotypical characterisation, was there going to be a point for it? Would the characters redeem themselves in the end?

Perhaps cliché is the whole point of the book? In the heels of Crazy Rich Asians.

DNF at 10%

1 star

It was originally billed as Crazy Rich Asians meets Bridget Jones's Diary — and I definitely think that’s the perfect description for it.

A feel good romantic comedy with a heroine that is all-too-relatable, this is definitely going to be one of the books-to-read for summer 2020.

The only thing I wish is that there'd been a little more about the love story -- it felt the tiniest bit rushed at the very end of it all.

"Last Tang Standing" is a funny romantic novel about Andrea Tang thirty something Chinese-Malaysian who is a lawyer (and almost partner!) in a prestigious law firm. But it doesn't matter much to her family, as she is literally the last single, unmarried woman from her generation and to her horror Andrea realises that her family expects her to fulfil her filial duties - get married and produce a grandchild.. Pronto. What comes after is a laugh out loud story of Andrea trying to navigate her life as she parties with her friends, dates unsuitable men and plots against her new handsome work colleague who is after the same promotion. Presented as Andrea's diary entries (hence Bridget Jones connection!), "The Last Tang Standing" is an enjoyable, in places truly hilarious story of a woman in search for love and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

I could have finished my review here, however, reading reviews of the book by Asian and Chinese reviewers, i realised that I would have done this book a disservice. There are cultural and family pressures that Andrea (and other members of her family, ie her sister) has to face, including interracial marriage, being a woman in a high-powered job etc. and presence of these themes changes the tone of the book. Sure, I was really annoyed by Andrea's obsession with alcohol and designer handbags, but I really liked the tone of the book (I have just recently learned that Lauren Ho did the stand up comedy after working as a lawyer) . but Andrea learning how to let go of other people's expectations and learn about what she wants to do with her life makes "The Last Tang Standing" something more then just a rom-com.

Last Tang Standing is a fantastic read that is full of characters that feel so real that you feel like you could go out for dinner or drinks with them and have a fantastic time.

This rom-com read is really enjoyable, with a love interest that bubbles away slowly which makes it really believable. The story is about a Chinese lawyer, juggling with pressures of work and family, and how she finds love with an unexpected source. It was eye opening into the Chinese culture in the modern world. Would definitely recommend to any romance readers as it is sparky and humorous but is a great workplace romance novel.

A fun read full of interesting characters - looking forward to reading more from this author.

I liked the style of the book, as diary entries too.

I loved every second of reading this book, honestly couldn't put it down. This was just the kind of entertaining read I needed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read and review it.

I loved the concept, the romance and the cultural references in this book but it was nothing like TCRA or something it was unique in it's own way. I loved the plot, the drama, the characters and the writing . It was all in one a good read and I definitely recommend it.

Thanks and happy reading!

Last Tang Standing clubs the typical yet prevalent expectations of an Asian family, especially parents, around the success & settlement of a young (but gradually ageing) woman and the pressure that a woman of thirty-four inevitably finds on herself, even enforced by herself at times, to find the perfect partner & live the best romantic life.

Malaysian born-and-raised Andrea Tang is a successful lawyer and has broken up with a boyfriend who had been tagged as an approved can-be-a-husband by the Asian family. So now, living and working in Singapore, she's slightly desperate—influenced by the relatives as well as the twenties that are slowly growing more and more distant in the past—to find an eligible bachelor.

Featuring a blooming workplace romance, starring a handsome Indian man yes, yes, my own interests are being projected through this appreciation, and the constant depictions of accurate Asian assumptions through family & friends greatly weave a story full of humor and happiness that can delight anyone who is looking for an fun adult romance that adorns multiracial characters and representation.

This was such a fun, quick read. The comparison to Bridget Jones and Crazy Rich Asians was surprisingly accurate.

Full review to follow.

This book has a lot of potential, and I can completely see why it has been compared to Bridget Jones. This is a sweet and entertaining read which manages to also explore the complex relationships, animosities and happiness of an Asian lawyer. Yet for me, somehow, this never quite stepped up a gear and fully hooked me, several of the tropes just weren't ones I enjoy and I couldn't connect with Andrea's weird inability to at least acknowledge she needed sleep.

As mentioned in the description, this book definitely has the flavor of Bridget Jones Diary and Crazy Rich Asians.

I would generalize this as a women’s fiction rather than a romance novel. If you want to read something like crazy rich Asians then this definitely is the one to look out for.

Andrea works at a law firm who is in her early thirties and pressure to get married is getting to her as all her cousins (around her age) have either gotten married or are getting married sooon. But she has broken with her boyfriend.

Suresh works with Andrea; they are both very competitive and dislike each other. However, once they have started talking to each other they become “friends”. Andrea also meets a guy Eric at a book club and the guy asks if they could meet again.

I was rooting for Eric all the way as I wasn’t convinced with Suresh and Andrea’s romance at all. I didn’t feel it was romantic. Nonetheless the story was quite good except I think many events in the office could Have not been included. I felt it was too long and some parts were unnecessary.

Anyway, I would love to see this as a movie, maybe then I could like Suresh and Andrea when I see them visually.

Last Tang Standing was billed as Crazy Rich Asians meets Bridget Jones's Diary. The comparison alone made me excited to read this book. It centers on Andrea Tang, a career-driven woman who was also looking for love. The book touches on familial expectation and culture as she navigates the world of dating and work. I like that the novel is supported with a lot of vibrant characters, and that Andrea doesn't compromise her principles. It was a fun read. I would have loved some kind of epilogue, as one of the factors being drilled to Andrea was marriage and kids - not necessarily that they be married or have kids, but more of an update after the couple get together. Maybe the next Chinese New Year's event at Auntie Wei-wei's house?

Last Tang Standing is a romance novel defined as a mix between The Journal of Bridget Jones and Crazy Rich Asians and it is exactly that - and more.

This book follows Andrea, a successful lawyer living in Singapore who is now in her thirties and without a husband or children which is sacrilegious according to her mum. Finding a man and getting on the whole family track should seem easy enough for someone so put together like Andrea, right? Well, wrong. And so Andrea embarks on a dating journey filled with unexpected feelings for unexpected guys, the confusion and frustration of dating apps and the pressure of trying to make partner in her law firm at the same time.

This book was funny in a literal laughing out loud kind of way and was really easy to fly through. Lauren Ho has a gripping writing that will keep you turning the pages hour after hour.

I did have my little issues with this book but there were all personal preferences like the ending not being satisfying enough for me or the way Andrea and/or her friend Linda would react towards certain things.

But on the whole, Last Tang Standing was a really enjoyable rom-com novel that will definitely appeal to romance lovers.

If you are on the lookout for a romance novel not based in the usual US or UK locations, then you should pick something like this up. It has an intelligent, high achiever who is torn between what she feels her 'duty' is and what her heart wants, even if the goals sometimes overlap.
We are thrown right into the mix with our leading lady, Andrea Tang gearing up to face her extended family and the barrage of questions that might follow. This provides a very accurate picture of the various ways that families( especially the Tang clan) maintain a semblance of interconnections even while moving with the times. Andrea may not like ‘having’ to be married with kids on the way at her age but secretly admits (multiple times) that personally, she likes the idea of that image and the stability and companionship that the thought provides. This might be just her year when it comes out that she might actually be the last of her generation to be unmarried, everyone pitches in to help her move on. Although the word ironically is used once too often, or the narrative leans towards that style more than is comfortable, the entire picture feels very realistic. The struggles at work, the constant self-doubt as well as the varying degrees of relationships with close friends all are pretty vividly described. At its heart, it is a romance novel, so we should be geared for the inevitable happily ever after but Andrea has to work hard to reach that, both for herself and for us. The writing was light while not belittling the overarching ties of some Asian flavour when it comes to family and more.

I would recommend this to those on the lookout for something different. Not having read or watched Crazy Rich Asians, I cannot comment on the likeness ( as touted in many places online). Given that they are based in the same country, there might be some similarity.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience as well as the fact that I am Indian ( you will understand this once you read about the conversations about exams, rankings etc.)

This was such a fun read, loved it. If you liked Crazy Rich Asians, you'll definitely like this.

Escapist, entertaining and lovely characters with a good plot.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.