Last Tang Standing

My partner loves Beth O'Leary and we've been waiting to get this since she recommended it on IG LIVE. I read it and am so glad I did. I think Goodreads reviewers who say it's Crazy Rich Asians meets Bridget Jones’ Diary are spot on.The heroine is HILARIOUS. That voice! And what I liked about Andrea is how flawed but how endearingly so she is. She's smart and tough, even as she's unsure of herself at times. That's believable I'm Asian and I can 100% identify with her struggles to please her family, even though I'm a man and British.The diary entries are sharply written, witty, and offers a glimpse in to Singapore working life, and as someone who lived and worked in Singapore, the author's depiction of the gruelling life, obligation to "show face" and put in face time, and the office politics is accurate. In Ho's book, there's an interesting emphasis on her work life, apart from the romcom stuff, and I won't spoil it, but it adds another dimension to the book, because the work is almost like a secondary character.As for the romance-there are two love interests, and I was rooting for one, but the writing is so strong even if you're not so invested in the love story you will 100% enjoy reading this gem.Overall, I would give this a solid 4.5/5 stars. One mood-lifting, escapist read!

33-year-old Andrea is a successful lawyer striving to make partner. She also has a nice condo and rich friends, but life isn’t perfect for her: She works too much, sleeps too little, and feels the crushing family pressure to find a man to marry so she isn’t the last single Tang of her generation.Last Tang Standing was so entertaining that I had a hard time putting it down. Lauren Ho has written a sharp satire of Asian culture that’s both funny and scorching. This book explores the massive pressure to succeed along narrow definitions, the expectation to yield to familial demands, and the guilt that is inherent in Asian children who feel forever indebted to their parents/grandparents/various family members for the sacrifices they have made. Furthermore, Lauren Ho was able to take the raw subject of complex family dynamics within the Malaysian-Chinese culture and turn them into laughable moments.Sure the characters are flawed, spoiled, materialistic, and dramatic. They are also likable and multi-dimensional. I really enjoyed Andrea and Linda: Their closeness, messiness, no-bullshit approach to friendship, and their individual growth. I cheered for them, I hoped for better for them, even when they spiraled and made some not-so-great decisions. I’m sure many of us have spiraled when feeling exhausted of trying to be good enough for others and for ourselves.The reasons I took a star off are because the pacing was a little off and the ending felt a bit abrupt considering this book was 400+ pages long. I feel like some of the middle could have been shortened to give us more at the end, but that’s just my opinion. I obviously still highly recommend reading Last Tang Standing for a fun book that’s both a lavish ride and a smart look at Chinese-Malaysian cultural expectations.

I loved the morose humor in this book and the realistic insecurities of the main character. The role of the friends in this book could have been simplified more to create less confusion. Overall, an interesting journey through someone’s mind, and experiences, who is trying to figure out what they really want!

Within the first few chapters, I was laughing constantly at the dry wit and sarcasm. But all of a sudden, the main character's viscious competitive nature, constant drunkenness, and stupid life choices made her dry wit and sarcasm fall flat. I started to hate her. I felt like I was reading a book about a soulless, shallow, mean-girl who didn't even bother to hide her extreme racism. But I kept reading and started to realize I wasn't being treated to a up-close and personal view of a mean girl, I was just seeing a very realistic and well-written character. She was writing in her diary about the way SHE saw herself, which was flaws-first. Throughout the book she did very kind things for people and showed impressive loyalty to family/friends but didn't dwell on those positive aspects of herself because she was SUPER hard on herself. So, I realized that despite her outward successes her inner turmoil made her an underdog and I started to root for her. Lauren Ho is a master when it comes to presenting readers with realistic main characters.

Well on one hand this is a light hearted story with many laugh out loud moments it is also a reflection on what makes us happy in life Andrea is so driven to do the things that make her mother happy that she often forgets about her own happiness. I’m sure many people pleasers can relate. The internal struggle is well presented in the epistolary style of diary writing and the reader can tell how troubled Andrea is with her decisions. I really liked it after she had taken control of her life how she was able to find ways to be successful. My only regret is not knowing how her relationship work out

I picked this book because it had 5 star reviews and looked like a good break from the more serious novels I've been reading lately. It did not disappoint!! I was literally LOLing from the first page! I started this book after breakfast, only took a break to make dinner, and finished by bedtime. I did NOT want to put this down. It is a pretty typical "rom-com/chick lit" style of book - but it is so witty and well written, that I enjoyed every minute I spent with these characters. I can not wait for Ms. Ho's next book!!!

I loved this book, it was great holiday reading. I lived in Singapore for 3 years and this book brought back happy memories.

I loved it! Excellent read for any occasion or time of life! I would highly recommended to others. Similar to CRA yet very intriguing and unique in it’s own ways.

I'm positively surprised by the condition of this used-book, it said the condition is "acceptable", which would also be ok for me, but what I have in my hand is pretty good, I see that there's a little scratched spot on the cover, but that does not bother me in the least. Very happy with this purchase :) Keep it up!

Fun, insightful book! Asian Bridget Jones in crazy rich Asia. A fantastic debut.

Perfect beach read! So much fun!I’ve enjoyed it a lot, it remind me of Crazy Rich Asians. Is a must read if you like Kevin Kwan’s style of books.Also you get to know more about the Chinese culture in a funny approach.