Sharing her office, and also vying to make partner, is Suresh Aditparan. A very handsome, sweet man that her family would definitely NOT approve of (he's not Chinese, lawyer or not). At first they are most definitely rivals, each of them staying at the office until the wee hours of the morning to have the billable hours that will help push them toward partnership, and to prove their dedication to the company. I would almost prefer if the book were like the CRA film which focused solely on the Chinese Singaporean characters because there was representation and diversity but at what cost? I felt bad for Suresh! And so 33 year-old, corporate lawyer vying for partnership, Andrea, MUST find a man and MUST give her mom a grandchild soon, lest she might be the Last (single lady) Tang Standing and risk possible disownment.

Most Chinese parents, no matter where they are in the world, want their kids to bring home a mate of: 1. Chinese ethnicity (trade-offs are tolerated in some families, but rare – however, likelihood of acceptance increases inversely the longer the errant offspring in question remains single). Also, Andrea's relationship with Suresh is sweet, mutually admirable, but most importantly, not overly cheesy. On the other hand, Andrea's relationship with the very much mature Eric is often formal and one-sided. The focus given to each of them is on point. I'm glad that the way the chemistry grows between them is well-explained and logical. Also, as a Filipino, the following passage about MC's rich half-Filipino cousin is not cute at all: You don’t know how to compromise!” said the woman who once told me to drop a boyfriend in college because he was “only a biology undergrad.” I absolutely adored it. It is the funniest rom-com I've read in a very long time ... Andrea stole my heart ... I cannot wait to get my hands on whatever Lauren Ho writes next'-Beth O'Leary, author of The FlatshareThere 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. So instead of offering insight or showing empathy about what life might be like for Southeast Asian queer folks (closeted or otherwise), what we get is the book basically saying: "look how much the straights are impacted/inconvenienced by the choices these two queer people are *forced* to make." I’m just never going to be okay about that. The lush extravagance. I appreciate the designer name dropping and the descriptions of food culture in Singapore. Like Crazy Rich Asians (2018) the luxury of Singapore played a main character in this book and it was one of my favorite aspects of both that film and this book. People are ridiculously wealthy, and the wealth chasing is part of the experience that I signed up for. June 30, 2020: Last Tang St I don’t tend to 1-star books I can’t finish. But this one? Good grief. In hindsight, I should have listened to the alarm bells that went off at the paedophile joke in chapter one.

The book is written in an easy language but the setting and the new woke English might prove a little challenging to some readers. However, this is only applicable to a few readers who are just beginning to read English novels. This book is a clearly representation of how many societies acts towards different cultures and interracial couples with dark, quirky and sarcastic humour. I couldn't stop laughing in many chapters. Crazy Rich Asiansmeets Bridget Jones’s Diaryin this funny and irresistible debut novel about the pursuit of happiness, surviving one’s thirties intact, and opening oneself up to love. 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.

June 21, 2020: This was such a good adult romance. Like, YES to more books (especially by and for BIPOC) that bring forward all the adult issues and problems and responsibilities and insecurities and then manages to create a genuine & realistic love story. She was supposed to be my fail-safe, the Last Tang Standing. Now there would be no one else to share the burden of deflecting criticism on being single from my relatives."

Last Tang Standing was such an unique read I totally recommend it for those who loved Crazy Rich Asians (even though they are so different) and The Hating Game (you will love the slow burn and jokes).

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Throw in some crazy friends, some alcohol, more meddling by family, and you have a woman who's on the brink of either alcoholism or insanity. A woman in her 30s contends with her family's expectations as she navigates career and romance in Singapore.

I’m also just deciding that Bridget Jones Diarytype of content just isn’t for me. Every book I’ve read that references Bridget Jones is full of insufferable adult children who behave like they’re 14 years old. I can tolerate it from young adult books, but not things meant to showcase women in their 30s. There is also some low-key alcoholism here that was uncomfortable to read.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. Moving on from Formatting 101, let's talk about the book itself. I really liked the fact that the heroine is an older millennial with a career. As fun as college stories are (and they are fun), I am an older millennial with A Career and I occasionally like reading about people like me. I also like that the heroine had relationships with several different men over the course of the novel while trying to figure herself out. Even though there's a lot of people who are like "THE HEROINE AND HERO MUST BE EACH OTHER'S ONE AND ONLY" I'm okay with them not being that way, necessarily, as long as it feels organic and isn't done for cheating drama (I HATE pointless cheating drama, FYI). There was also a short but impactful heartbreaking scene where I let out a gesture of sympathy to that particular character: "aiyo...sad..He is such a gentleman but it is what it is .." (I don't want to spoil the story) My first piece of advice to pre-millenials in my position is this: don’t date anyone who does not remember VHS. Don’t even look in the vicinity of anyone who has mouthed the lyrics from anything by One Direction. Because if you do, if you are lured by their flat bellies and full hairlines, you will live to regret it.”