What do you think?
Rate this book
Last Tang Standing
Crazy Rich Asians meets Bridget Jones’s Diary in this funny and irresistible debut novel about the pursuit of happiness, surviving one’s thirties intact, and opening oneself up to love.
At thirty-three, Andrea Tang is living the dream: She has a successful career as a lawyer, a posh condo, and a clutch of fun-loving friends who are always in the know about Singapore’s hottest clubs. All she has to do is make law partner, and her life will be perfect. And if she’s about to become the lone unmarried member of her generation in the Tang clan–a disappointment her meddling Chinese-Malaysian family won’t let her forget–well, she doesn’t need a man to complete her.
Yet when a chance encounter with charming, wealthy entrepreneur Eric Deng offers her a glimpse of an exciting, limitless future, Andrea decides to give Mr. Right-for-her-family a chance. Too bad Suresh Aditparan, her office rival and the last man her family would approve of, keeps throwing a wrench in her plans. Now Andrea can’t help but wonder: In the endless tug-of-war between pleasing others and pleasing herself, is there room for everyone to win?
At thirty-three, Andrea Tang is living the dream: She has a successful career as a lawyer, a posh condo, and a clutch of fun-loving friends who are always in the know about Singapore’s hottest clubs. All she has to do is make law partner, and her life will be perfect. And if she’s about to become the lone unmarried member of her generation in the Tang clan–a disappointment her meddling Chinese-Malaysian family won’t let her forget–well, she doesn’t need a man to complete her.
Yet when a chance encounter with charming, wealthy entrepreneur Eric Deng offers her a glimpse of an exciting, limitless future, Andrea decides to give Mr. Right-for-her-family a chance. Too bad Suresh Aditparan, her office rival and the last man her family would approve of, keeps throwing a wrench in her plans. Now Andrea can’t help but wonder: In the endless tug-of-war between pleasing others and pleasing herself, is there room for everyone to win?
403 pages, Paperback
First published June 9, 2020
About the author
Lauren Ho
3 books696 followersLauren Ho is a reformed legal counsel who now writes for pleasure. Hailing from sunny Malaysia, she is currently based in Singapore.
She is the author of bestselling romcoms LAST TANG STANDING (2020) and more recently, LUCIE YI IS NOT A ROMANTIC (2022). BITE ME, ROYCE TASLIM is her first YA novel.
When she isn't writing, Lauren enjoys watching and occasionally performing stand-up comedy, karaoke and wine "tasting".
You can reach Lauren on Twitter, IG, and TikTok at @HelloLaurenHo
She is the author of bestselling romcoms LAST TANG STANDING (2020) and more recently, LUCIE YI IS NOT A ROMANTIC (2022). BITE ME, ROYCE TASLIM is her first YA novel.
When she isn't writing, Lauren enjoys watching and occasionally performing stand-up comedy, karaoke and wine "tasting".
You can reach Lauren on Twitter, IG, and TikTok at @HelloLaurenHo
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,397 reviews
January 21, 2021
I normally don't write reviews but damn this book deserves it.
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).
The plot at first is slow pacing for those who DNF'd a little earlier just wait until after chapter 7 (You won't regret it) and then is so fast pacing you won't stop reading. I loved the way the author shows how society, culture and family can influence in every decision you make, how Andrea struggles so much with herself and everything she had been taught just to be herself and doing what she thought was right.
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.
The romance between the characters is so slow burn it will make you pull your hair sometimes but is so damn realistic and cute, you either wish this to happen to you or just wait until he appear in front of you.
There are many reasons to read this book but the first reason is this just shows you how to be truly yourself and do everything you want besides you will laugh until you pee, believe me.
So yeah... You should read this book. You will thank me later.
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).
The plot at first is slow pacing for those who DNF'd a little earlier just wait until after chapter 7 (You won't regret it) and then is so fast pacing you won't stop reading. I loved the way the author shows how society, culture and family can influence in every decision you make, how Andrea struggles so much with herself and everything she had been taught just to be herself and doing what she thought was right.
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.
The romance between the characters is so slow burn it will make you pull your hair sometimes but is so damn realistic and cute, you either wish this to happen to you or just wait until he appear in front of you.
There are many reasons to read this book but the first reason is this just shows you how to be truly yourself and do everything you want besides you will laugh until you pee, believe me.
“On a more serious note, the more time I spent with you, the more convinced I was that you were the person I wanted to end up with, because you challenge me, you keep me on my toes, and you make me miss you when you’re not around. You’re my North Star.”
So yeah... You should read this book. You will thank me later.
July 19, 2021
I enjoyed this book a lot!
This was a fun read about thirty-three year old Andrea Tang, a Chinese- Malaysian living in Singapore as a successful lawyer. A recent break-up with her boyfriend leaves her as the last In her Tang clan to be married and that is highly disappointing for her family.
With a hilarious take on single life, and the dating scene as a 30 something successful professional this was romp full of fun. The hilarious scenes will have you laughing out loud, and turning those pages - I found it hard to put down.
I really enjoyed Lauren Ho’s writing - it was refreshing, open, very modern and sexy!
With a completely relatable motley crew of characters, your heart will endear with each one. I promise!
I recommend this read and look forward to reading more about Andrea and the rest of the gang!
This was a fun read about thirty-three year old Andrea Tang, a Chinese- Malaysian living in Singapore as a successful lawyer. A recent break-up with her boyfriend leaves her as the last In her Tang clan to be married and that is highly disappointing for her family.
With a hilarious take on single life, and the dating scene as a 30 something successful professional this was romp full of fun. The hilarious scenes will have you laughing out loud, and turning those pages - I found it hard to put down.
I really enjoyed Lauren Ho’s writing - it was refreshing, open, very modern and sexy!
With a completely relatable motley crew of characters, your heart will endear with each one. I promise!
I recommend this read and look forward to reading more about Andrea and the rest of the gang!
February 17, 2020
The tagline of "Crazy Rich Asians" meets "Bridget Jones's Diary" perfectly captures the essence of this book. I picked it up on a whim and I couldn't put it down. Andrea Tang is in her early 30s living the dream; she is working her way towards partner in the law firm she works for, has an amazing condo (that she owns) and knows where all the best restaurants and clubs are located in Singapore thanks to great friends. What she doesn't have is the man that will make her "perfect" life more perfect. When she begins the process of trying to find said man she doesn't expect the craziness or all the dick pics that ensue with dating apps. Andrea also doesn't expect to find herself laughing and hanging out with her office mate, Suresh, who is her top rival for the position of partner and enjoying it more than every date the apps have matched her with.
Lauren Ho writes with humor and heart; I finished this in one sitting and found myself going back to re-read some of the more funny and touching parts!
Thanks Penguin for the ARC!
Lauren Ho writes with humor and heart; I finished this in one sitting and found myself going back to re-read some of the more funny and touching parts!
Thanks Penguin for the ARC!
September 23, 2020
DNF @ 28%
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.
So that coupled with the fat shaming of a *literal child* (which wasn’t challenged), said child clearly growing up in an abusive household (which wasn’t even acknowledged/discussed), and the racist mother (whose racism isn’t outright condemned in what I read; Andrea, instead, casually says she doesn’t condone her “casually racist” mother) just left me slow-blinking a lot and lacking motivation to continue.
Then we get to the depiction of queer characters. I get that in certain cultures queer people aren’t always out out of necessity for their safety. But having your two queer characters both be closeted, and for their queerness and situations to actually be about straight people, is pretty fucking gross to me. (ETA for clarification: I don't necessarily think not being out in all the places automatically means you're closeted. But I do consider the cousin(?) closeted due to the fact she can't be fully out to her family and marries a man as a result of that. It's all very complicated and nuance does come into it, but that's my thinking here.) There’s a moment where Andrea talks about her friend catching her husband giving another man a blowjob, takes pictures, and then because she’s “heartbroken but not stupid” she uses those pics as leverage in her divorce. What a ghoul. And, may I add, this was something else that wasn’t challenged or even acknowledged as being fucking abhorrent. *gestures wildly at everything*
I obviously didn’t read much, and it’s entirely possible Andrea comes to realise so much stuff/people isn't/aren't okay, but... I don’t know. There was nothing to really suggest that would happen. *punts book into the abyss* Do not recommend.
***
ETA 1: Pretty sure this blog post was written in response to my review and I have some thoughts.
-This was an unprofessional thing for an author to do.
-I stand by my review.
-I thought I was clear that these were things that *bothered me*.
-I *was* clear about the fact I hadn’t read the whole book and that it was possible the things & people I had issues with would get better (I just saw nothing to back that up).
-It's okay to not read the whole book.
-It's okay to form opinions based on what you have read.
-You're not obligated to read a whole book to see if your opinions change.
-Authors are allowed to write whatever they like in the name of realism or what might be lived experiences but it doesn’t automatically mean readers won’t be troubled or hurt by it.
-If a reader is troubled or hurt by what they’ve read then they should be able to say so without an author writing a whole goddamn blog post in response.
-I’m of the feeling that if you’re compelled to write a whole goddamn blog post in response to a review that attempts to... gawd, I’m not sure what this was, then I think you’re actually saying a lot more about the state of your book than you were probably intending.
Despite not getting on with LTS, I was pretty happy to try this author again because of how much I initially loved the idea of the book. But now? I’m one and done.
***
ETA 2: I want to add some more to this because I’m still wildly irritated by everything.
In regards to the queer characters... I think what made me the most angry was they could easily have been straight and it wouldn’t have affected the story as far as I could tell. Andrea’s cousin(?) could have been straight, married a man she wanted to marry, and Andrea still would have been the last Tang standing. The queer husband could have been straight, cheated on his wife with a woman, got caught in the act, had pics taken, and blackmailed in the divorce. (And yeah, blackmail as a tactic still isn’t massively great just because someone is straight. But it at least isn’t an act of violence like it is on a closeted queer person.)
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.
Re: the casual racism. Look. To me, racism is racism is racism. A different culture, diaspora, etc., *may* (if you squint hard enough) give some context as to why someone holds the beliefs they do — but it doesn’t excuse it.
***
ETA 3: Please be aware that if you happen to dislike this book and you choose to leave a critical review, there’s a good chance you will be trolled by this person. And despite nobody mentioning or even subtly implying the author as being the one behind the account, they are very quick to reassure they are definitely, absolutely NOT Lauren Ho and they, like Mariah, don't know her.
(I’m spared any attempts at trolling — or maybe I should say they’re spared me dragging the shit out of them? — due to enabling the setting that stops comments on my reviews from folks I’m not friends with.)
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.
So that coupled with the fat shaming of a *literal child* (which wasn’t challenged), said child clearly growing up in an abusive household (which wasn’t even acknowledged/discussed), and the racist mother (whose racism isn’t outright condemned in what I read; Andrea, instead, casually says she doesn’t condone her “casually racist” mother) just left me slow-blinking a lot and lacking motivation to continue.
Then we get to the depiction of queer characters. I get that in certain cultures queer people aren’t always out out of necessity for their safety. But having your two queer characters both be closeted, and for their queerness and situations to actually be about straight people, is pretty fucking gross to me. (ETA for clarification: I don't necessarily think not being out in all the places automatically means you're closeted. But I do consider the cousin(?) closeted due to the fact she can't be fully out to her family and marries a man as a result of that. It's all very complicated and nuance does come into it, but that's my thinking here.) There’s a moment where Andrea talks about her friend catching her husband giving another man a blowjob, takes pictures, and then because she’s “heartbroken but not stupid” she uses those pics as leverage in her divorce. What a ghoul. And, may I add, this was something else that wasn’t challenged or even acknowledged as being fucking abhorrent. *gestures wildly at everything*
I obviously didn’t read much, and it’s entirely possible Andrea comes to realise so much stuff/people isn't/aren't okay, but... I don’t know. There was nothing to really suggest that would happen. *punts book into the abyss* Do not recommend.
***
ETA 1: Pretty sure this blog post was written in response to my review and I have some thoughts.
-This was an unprofessional thing for an author to do.
-I stand by my review.
-I thought I was clear that these were things that *bothered me*.
-I *was* clear about the fact I hadn’t read the whole book and that it was possible the things & people I had issues with would get better (I just saw nothing to back that up).
-It's okay to not read the whole book.
-It's okay to form opinions based on what you have read.
-You're not obligated to read a whole book to see if your opinions change.
-Authors are allowed to write whatever they like in the name of realism or what might be lived experiences but it doesn’t automatically mean readers won’t be troubled or hurt by it.
-If a reader is troubled or hurt by what they’ve read then they should be able to say so without an author writing a whole goddamn blog post in response.
-I’m of the feeling that if you’re compelled to write a whole goddamn blog post in response to a review that attempts to... gawd, I’m not sure what this was, then I think you’re actually saying a lot more about the state of your book than you were probably intending.
Despite not getting on with LTS, I was pretty happy to try this author again because of how much I initially loved the idea of the book. But now? I’m one and done.
***
ETA 2: I want to add some more to this because I’m still wildly irritated by everything.
In regards to the queer characters... I think what made me the most angry was they could easily have been straight and it wouldn’t have affected the story as far as I could tell. Andrea’s cousin(?) could have been straight, married a man she wanted to marry, and Andrea still would have been the last Tang standing. The queer husband could have been straight, cheated on his wife with a woman, got caught in the act, had pics taken, and blackmailed in the divorce. (And yeah, blackmail as a tactic still isn’t massively great just because someone is straight. But it at least isn’t an act of violence like it is on a closeted queer person.)
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.
Re: the casual racism. Look. To me, racism is racism is racism. A different culture, diaspora, etc., *may* (if you squint hard enough) give some context as to why someone holds the beliefs they do — but it doesn’t excuse it.
***
ETA 3: Please be aware that if you happen to dislike this book and you choose to leave a critical review, there’s a good chance you will be trolled by this person. And despite nobody mentioning or even subtly implying the author as being the one behind the account, they are very quick to reassure they are definitely, absolutely NOT Lauren Ho and they, like Mariah, don't know her.
(I’m spared any attempts at trolling — or maybe I should say they’re spared me dragging the shit out of them? — due to enabling the setting that stops comments on my reviews from folks I’m not friends with.)
April 27, 2021
Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Amazon || Pinterest
Usually I hate those X meets Y-type blurbs but CRAZY RICH ASIANS meets BRIDGET JONES is pretty on the mark for LAST TANG STANDING. LTS is about Andrea Tang, a lawyer who's gunning for partner and basically has it all made... except for a boyfriend. Painfully single and well into her 30s, she's officially the last woman in her family to be in a long-term relationship and man is she feeling the family pressure.
First, I want to say that even though I liked this book, at both 6% and 7% in I appeared to be missing a page. In the breaks, the next "page" started mid-sentence, so I was clearly missing text. That was annoying because this is a traditionally published book and it is not an ARC, so you expect a certain level of quality from books of this nature.
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's a large cast of characters, many of them tastelessly (or tastefully) rich. And this book is set in Singapore, so that's probably where the CRAZY RICH ASIANS comparison comes in. It's also written in epistolary journal format, like BRIDGET JONES, and like Bridget, the heroine is unlucky in love and very insecure and has some habits she would like to break but can't (in her case, it's drinking instead of smoking). Some reviewers thought the heroine was too bitter and cynical but her personality is actually a lot like mine (bitter, cynical, hard-working and ambitious), so I actually really related to her sense of humor. If you like that sort of acerbic writing style, you probably will, too.
I do agree with the nay-sayers that the book went on for a bit too long but I loved the love interest (he was the BEST) and the journey actually caused me some hardcore nerves as the will they/won't they vibes increased, so even though the execution was a little shaky, I still ended up liking this a lot.
Just fix the formatting, PLEASE.
3.5 stars
July 20, 2020
A solid 5 stars from me! If you want a light but equally inspiring story to read during summer, give Last Tang Standing a go. It is a book that you don't want to miss out for any reason!
"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."
So here we go the story of Andrea, age 33, the lone unmarried member of her generation in the Tang Clan being labeled by her relatives as a lost girl (敗犬) despite her successful career as a corporate lawyer. If you think this is just a pretty much cliché story about discovering true love, then you are wrong. This book explores many contemporary issues in our modern society and I believe it will offer readers more than just a summer rom-com.
Before I begin, I just want to say that since many friends here have already given their amazing thoughts on the Asian culture, particularly on how the elders of southeast Asian Chinese interfere with the marriage and career of their children, I will not elaborate any further here. Here are my main reasons why this book deserves 5 stars:-
1) Likable (and REALISTIC) main character
The main character, Andrea has a spirit that I personally admire very much. I'm glad that Lauren gives her a strong character instead of the typical messed-up, deeply troubled, or 'don't understand what is going on in her life' personality. Andrea is ambitious, mature, smart, hardworking, encouraging as well as goal-driven. However, I am not suggesting that Andrea was given an artificially perfect and well-rounded personality. There were crackhead moments in her life that made her regret but her capability to move on and correct her mistakes was commendable. I like to see the character's growth because it is inspiring. To put it simply, people who are constantly learning are charismatic. She is a real fighter!
2) The connections that grow naturally between all the characters
There are many characters in the story hence the last thing you want is a complex and sophisticated cross-over between each of them. I love how Lauren unfolds the story and introduces each of the characters smoothly into Andrea's life. Each of them was given a clear personality and contributes significantly to their own categories, for example in love-life & relationship, we have Suresh, Eric, Orson, Alvin, friendship (Linda, Val, Jason and Ben), and family (Andrea's sister, her mother and Helen), colleagues (Suresh, Genevieve, Kai and Mr. Mong).
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.
3) Heartfelt and Interesting conversations between characters
Andrea is such a badass! The conversations are engaging and enriching. Several fiery comebacks that Andrea made to her office rivals and difficult sexist male colleagues are super satisfying! Additionally, I've learned a lot from the heart-to-heart talks between Andrea and her closed ones when she decided to break free from family restraints and job pressure. It makes me reflect on the way I approach challenges in life.
Also, there are many regional slang and local references in the book that you will find it amusing.
4) A sharp observation on society and relationship
Lauren has a sharp observation of the concerns and norms about relationships in these modern days, including the challenges facing interracial couples, cradle-snatcher love (姐弟恋), blind dates (相亲) and online dating. Also, Lauren is familiar with the issue of how workplace discrimination works against married or female employees. She particularly explores the questionable job promotion criteria where performance was measured primarily based on the long billable hours. This can be seen through Andrea's choice in maintaining a single life since her last breakup in order to make herself available to work 24/7.
5) Pleasantly slow-burn story
The introduction has dictated clearly where the story will head, so you can sit back, relax and enjoy the journey. As mentioned, Andrea is such a likable character with so many interesting events taking place around her and I clearly don't want to miss that out. I am glad that Lauren decides to not narrow down the story to merely talking about relationships.
Instead, she gives her readers a full glimpse of Andrea's life from diversified angles, ranging from career goals, the concept of feminism, friendship, dreams and soul-searching. There were heartfelt moments where I actually shed some tears, especially when the characters started to show their supports to one another.
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)
Lastly, you may think that Last Tang Standing already sounds fun here, but isn't it Crazy Rich Asians all over again since it talks about family interference on the relationship?
Well, this book was described to me as Crazy Rich Asians (CRA) meets Bridget Jones's Diary.
Just my two cents here: Generally speaking, yes. There are some overlaps between CRA and Last Tang in terms of family pressure experienced by the main characters in both novels.
I've watched CRA movie before so I will make my analysis based on the movie.
From what I can see, the family pressure in CRA is based on Nick mom's disapproval which solely stemmed from social class differences between two Chineses, i.e. Nick from a wealthy tycoon family and Rachel being the daughter of a US immigrant.
While it is also amusing to see Lauren discovers the issue of social status and class differences, she also explores a wider concept, i.e. on how easily people are to disregard a female's achievement if she is unmarried by certain ages and conveniently labeled them as a loser. Also, her attempt to reflect the challenges in an interracial relationship and how narrow-minded people are to accept and trust one another's beliefs or culture is very much praisable.
Thank you Times Reads, a member of Times Distribution for sending me an ARC of this book.
"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."
So here we go the story of Andrea, age 33, the lone unmarried member of her generation in the Tang Clan being labeled by her relatives as a lost girl (敗犬) despite her successful career as a corporate lawyer. If you think this is just a pretty much cliché story about discovering true love, then you are wrong. This book explores many contemporary issues in our modern society and I believe it will offer readers more than just a summer rom-com.
Before I begin, I just want to say that since many friends here have already given their amazing thoughts on the Asian culture, particularly on how the elders of southeast Asian Chinese interfere with the marriage and career of their children, I will not elaborate any further here. Here are my main reasons why this book deserves 5 stars:-
1) Likable (and REALISTIC) main character
The main character, Andrea has a spirit that I personally admire very much. I'm glad that Lauren gives her a strong character instead of the typical messed-up, deeply troubled, or 'don't understand what is going on in her life' personality. Andrea is ambitious, mature, smart, hardworking, encouraging as well as goal-driven. However, I am not suggesting that Andrea was given an artificially perfect and well-rounded personality. There were crackhead moments in her life that made her regret but her capability to move on and correct her mistakes was commendable. I like to see the character's growth because it is inspiring. To put it simply, people who are constantly learning are charismatic. She is a real fighter!
2) The connections that grow naturally between all the characters
There are many characters in the story hence the last thing you want is a complex and sophisticated cross-over between each of them. I love how Lauren unfolds the story and introduces each of the characters smoothly into Andrea's life. Each of them was given a clear personality and contributes significantly to their own categories, for example in love-life & relationship, we have Suresh, Eric, Orson, Alvin, friendship (Linda, Val, Jason and Ben), and family (Andrea's sister, her mother and Helen), colleagues (Suresh, Genevieve, Kai and Mr. Mong).
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.
3) Heartfelt and Interesting conversations between characters
Andrea is such a badass! The conversations are engaging and enriching. Several fiery comebacks that Andrea made to her office rivals and difficult sexist male colleagues are super satisfying! Additionally, I've learned a lot from the heart-to-heart talks between Andrea and her closed ones when she decided to break free from family restraints and job pressure. It makes me reflect on the way I approach challenges in life.
Also, there are many regional slang and local references in the book that you will find it amusing.
4) A sharp observation on society and relationship
Lauren has a sharp observation of the concerns and norms about relationships in these modern days, including the challenges facing interracial couples, cradle-snatcher love (姐弟恋), blind dates (相亲) and online dating. Also, Lauren is familiar with the issue of how workplace discrimination works against married or female employees. She particularly explores the questionable job promotion criteria where performance was measured primarily based on the long billable hours. This can be seen through Andrea's choice in maintaining a single life since her last breakup in order to make herself available to work 24/7.
5) Pleasantly slow-burn story
The introduction has dictated clearly where the story will head, so you can sit back, relax and enjoy the journey. As mentioned, Andrea is such a likable character with so many interesting events taking place around her and I clearly don't want to miss that out. I am glad that Lauren decides to not narrow down the story to merely talking about relationships.
Instead, she gives her readers a full glimpse of Andrea's life from diversified angles, ranging from career goals, the concept of feminism, friendship, dreams and soul-searching. There were heartfelt moments where I actually shed some tears, especially when the characters started to show their supports to one another.
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)
Lastly, you may think that Last Tang Standing already sounds fun here, but isn't it Crazy Rich Asians all over again since it talks about family interference on the relationship?
Well, this book was described to me as Crazy Rich Asians (CRA) meets Bridget Jones's Diary.
Just my two cents here: Generally speaking, yes. There are some overlaps between CRA and Last Tang in terms of family pressure experienced by the main characters in both novels.
I've watched CRA movie before so I will make my analysis based on the movie.
From what I can see, the family pressure in CRA is based on Nick mom's disapproval which solely stemmed from social class differences between two Chineses, i.e. Nick from a wealthy tycoon family and Rachel being the daughter of a US immigrant.
While it is also amusing to see Lauren discovers the issue of social status and class differences, she also explores a wider concept, i.e. on how easily people are to disregard a female's achievement if she is unmarried by certain ages and conveniently labeled them as a loser. Also, her attempt to reflect the challenges in an interracial relationship and how narrow-minded people are to accept and trust one another's beliefs or culture is very much praisable.
Thank you Times Reads, a member of Times Distribution for sending me an ARC of this book.
June 30, 2020
June 30, 2020: 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 manyes, 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.
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.
May 3, 2020: I'm so ready to be taken into all the Singaporean wealth and shine through this book since it's compared to Crazy Rich Asians and of course I want to read a Southeast Asian character. The living up to familial expectations while looking for love kinda theme get right to my heart. I received a digital copy of this via Netgalley so thank you, Harper Collins for the approval!
April 16, 2020: I just want to laugh and love, and seems like this one can help me experience both.
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
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.
May 3, 2020: I'm so ready to be taken into all the Singaporean wealth and shine through this book since it's compared to Crazy Rich Asians and of course I want to read a Southeast Asian character. The living up to familial expectations while looking for love kinda theme get right to my heart. I received a digital copy of this via Netgalley so thank you, Harper Collins for the approval!
April 16, 2020: I just want to laugh and love, and seems like this one can help me experience both.
February 28, 2022
Momentami to był prawdziwy festiwal krindżu. Marne żarty, naśmiewanie się ze wszystkiego i wszystkich, a w dodatku główna bohaterka ma mentalność nastolatki, przy czym ciągle jest albo pijana, albo na kacu. Myślałam, że będzie to lekka i przyjemna książka, a ledwo ją zmęczyłam.
May 4, 2020
Woah! This book is filled with so much energy it gave me reader's whiplash--in a good way. The voice! The voice! The voice! Although the book comps compare this story to Bridget Jones meets Crazy Rich Asians (true--in a way-- through journal entries and, well, crazy rich Asians), Lauren Ho has created a truly new vibe with her unique (and perfectly in tune/ on point/ relatable/ full of laughable snark) writing style. This book was fun, thoroughly entertaining, eye-opening, and full of real-life wisdom any woman can relate to. LOVED LTS!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-Arc. Opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-Arc. Opinions are my own.
July 2, 2020
This was pitched as Bridget Jones Diary meets Crazy Rich Asians and I would definitely have to agree with that sentiment. It was fast paced, funny and taught me alot about the Chinese-Malaysian culture and how pressured women feel that they have to get married young or by their thirties or their families will disown them and cut them out.
Andrea was funny and brash and the romance in this is a mixture of hate to love and the definition of slowwww burn. Overall funny, thoughtful and insightful.
Andrea was funny and brash and the romance in this is a mixture of hate to love and the definition of slowwww burn. Overall funny, thoughtful and insightful.
January 23, 2022
Last Tang Standing is a literary train wreck where all the passengers are bigoted in one way or another. I hate to break it to the author, but despite her author's note, you can't throw in heaping amounts of unchallenged -isms and -phobias and explain them away with "But it's part of the culture! 🥺".
I get that bigotry (including racism towards other Asian ethnicities) remains prevalent in Asia. Even in the Philippines (where I'm from), there's still a lot of work to be done. So, my problem isn't that racism (whether "casual" or outright) is depicted in Last Tang Standing. My issue is that none of it is challenged at all - not in the text and not by any of the characters. Despite her qualms of not condoning her family's racist beliefs/remarks (especially towards other Asians), Andrea Tang wasn't progressive either. In fact, when her mother confessed that she disapproved of Andrea's sister's Muslim partner out of fear that he would take multiple wives after their marriage, Andrea's reaction was basically: "Oh yeah, that makes sense."
Aside from the racism and Islamophobia, this book also delightfully provides fat-shaming/body-shaming, internalized misogyny (feat. shaming women who get plastic surgery), age-shaming (did not know that was a thing prior to reading this book lmao), and distasteful jokes about grooming/pedophilia and even labor camps. Again, none of it is challenged. And even worse, much of these quips/remarks/what-have-you are intended as humor. I have to say: it is a glaring red flag that the author thinks humor is required to be politically incorrect at best, outright offensive at worst.
Also, as a Filipino, the following passage about MC's rich half-Filipino cousin is not cute at all:
- Whether this is meant to be a lighthearted jab at her cousin's wealth or not, this is disgusting all around. The Marcoses are a political family of plunderers who stole billions from Filipinos. In addition, under the dictatorship of the late Ferdinand Marcos, political dissenters were brutally tortured, raped, and killed. Like I said, not cute at all.
Believe it or not, I still have plenty to say about this terrible, terrible novel. Full review to follow.
Not recommended.
[ Trigger/Content warnings: adultery; self-harm / threat to commit suicide; outing of queer people (unchallenged); excessive drinking / alcoholism; sexual harassment; portrayal of loved one getting a heart attack ]
🌻🍃 More bookish content on Shut up, Shealea 🍃🌻
instagram • pinterest • twitter • ko-fi
I get that bigotry (including racism towards other Asian ethnicities) remains prevalent in Asia. Even in the Philippines (where I'm from), there's still a lot of work to be done. So, my problem isn't that racism (whether "casual" or outright) is depicted in Last Tang Standing. My issue is that none of it is challenged at all - not in the text and not by any of the characters. Despite her qualms of not condoning her family's racist beliefs/remarks (especially towards other Asians), Andrea Tang wasn't progressive either. In fact, when her mother confessed that she disapproved of Andrea's sister's Muslim partner out of fear that he would take multiple wives after their marriage, Andrea's reaction was basically: "Oh yeah, that makes sense."
Aside from the racism and Islamophobia, this book also delightfully provides fat-shaming/body-shaming, internalized misogyny (feat. shaming women who get plastic surgery), age-shaming (did not know that was a thing prior to reading this book lmao), and distasteful jokes about grooming/pedophilia and even labor camps. Again, none of it is challenged. And even worse, much of these quips/remarks/what-have-you are intended as humor. I have to say: it is a glaring red flag that the author thinks humor is required to be politically incorrect at best, outright offensive at worst.
Also, as a Filipino, the following passage about MC's rich half-Filipino cousin is not cute at all:
Linda’s paternal family tree was an off-brand Marcos (or so it was rumored); the family had substantial interests in several mining and timber companies, with land to burn in Borneo.
- Whether this is meant to be a lighthearted jab at her cousin's wealth or not, this is disgusting all around. The Marcoses are a political family of plunderers who stole billions from Filipinos. In addition, under the dictatorship of the late Ferdinand Marcos, political dissenters were brutally tortured, raped, and killed. Like I said, not cute at all.
Believe it or not, I still have plenty to say about this terrible, terrible novel. Full review to follow.
Not recommended.
[ Trigger/Content warnings: adultery; self-harm / threat to commit suicide; outing of queer people (unchallenged); excessive drinking / alcoholism; sexual harassment; portrayal of loved one getting a heart attack ]
🌻🍃 More bookish content on Shut up, Shealea 🍃🌻
instagram • pinterest • twitter • ko-fi
July 26, 2020
4 STARS
This was a fun, sweet and heartwarming read. I really enjoyed it from the beginning!It was refreshing and I couldn't put it down!I love the writing and I would like to see more books like this one!
Andrea Tang is a Chinese- Malaysian successful lawyer.She is thirty-three year old and she broke up with her boyfriend.We follow her life!I liked Andrea a lot and I could feel her.Her romance life was funny and sweet!
I would definitely recommend it, to everyone who is looking for a sweet read with great humor !
This was a fun, sweet and heartwarming read. I really enjoyed it from the beginning!It was refreshing and I couldn't put it down!I love the writing and I would like to see more books like this one!
Andrea Tang is a Chinese- Malaysian successful lawyer.She is thirty-three year old and she broke up with her boyfriend.We follow her life!I liked Andrea a lot and I could feel her.Her romance life was funny and sweet!
I would definitely recommend it, to everyone who is looking for a sweet read with great humor !
July 8, 2020
Lauren Ho's Last Tang Standing is marketed as Crazy Rich Asians meets Bridget Jones's Diary, and that is in fact correct, dear readers!
Lord knows we could all use some moments of escapism, and Ho's debut novel was the perfect way to unwind. Her protagonist Andrea Tang is a complex woman; she's funny and self-deprecatingly awkward while also prideful and aloof. There were times when I really didn't like her, and at other moments, I found her utterly relatable and charming. It was a bit of a rollercoaster, but a fun one nonetheless.
That said, it definitely took me roughly a quarter or even a third of the book to really sink my teeth into it; a good chunk of this novel was spent setting up a lot of characters and situations without a ton of plot (so it's around 2.5ish stars for me for that reason), and I know some people will get frustrated with that. However, the pace really picks up in the second half, and I really enjoyed it from then on—and was sad when I got to the last page.
Content warning: There are some racist and classist comments made by characters.
Lord knows we could all use some moments of escapism, and Ho's debut novel was the perfect way to unwind. Her protagonist Andrea Tang is a complex woman; she's funny and self-deprecatingly awkward while also prideful and aloof. There were times when I really didn't like her, and at other moments, I found her utterly relatable and charming. It was a bit of a rollercoaster, but a fun one nonetheless.
That said, it definitely took me roughly a quarter or even a third of the book to really sink my teeth into it; a good chunk of this novel was spent setting up a lot of characters and situations without a ton of plot (so it's around 2.5ish stars for me for that reason), and I know some people will get frustrated with that. However, the pace really picks up in the second half, and I really enjoyed it from then on—and was sad when I got to the last page.
Content warning: There are some racist and classist comments made by characters.
August 28, 2020
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway (Kindle version) and I thank the publishing company and the author for a chance to read and review this delightful book.
Many books claim to be humorous - this one really is in places, especially at the beginning when the reader is introduced to the main character's family, especially her mother, at a celebration.
Andrea Tang is 33 years old - not ancient by any means, and a hard working lawyer hoping to make partner soon - but none of this matters to the hard-core traditional Chinese-Malaysian family she has. She must get married and soon! How will it look if she never produces grandchildren - and soon? She lost all the fat and now she's thin - why doesn't she have a husband - she best get one - AND SOON.
Andrea is quite content, thank you very much - or at least she believes she is, and she doesn't need a man to make her happy!
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.
Into her life comes the older, rich-beyond-your-wildest-dreams Eric, who falls in love with her. She tries to convince herself that she loves him in the same way, but deep down, it's evident she is deceiving herself.
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.
I truly liked Andrea - actually I liked about 90% of the characters. There are a few, of course, that you just want to see stabbed in the heart, but that kept things interesting too.
Many books claim to be humorous - this one really is in places, especially at the beginning when the reader is introduced to the main character's family, especially her mother, at a celebration.
Andrea Tang is 33 years old - not ancient by any means, and a hard working lawyer hoping to make partner soon - but none of this matters to the hard-core traditional Chinese-Malaysian family she has. She must get married and soon! How will it look if she never produces grandchildren - and soon? She lost all the fat and now she's thin - why doesn't she have a husband - she best get one - AND SOON.
Andrea is quite content, thank you very much - or at least she believes she is, and she doesn't need a man to make her happy!
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.
Into her life comes the older, rich-beyond-your-wildest-dreams Eric, who falls in love with her. She tries to convince herself that she loves him in the same way, but deep down, it's evident she is deceiving herself.
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.
I truly liked Andrea - actually I liked about 90% of the characters. There are a few, of course, that you just want to see stabbed in the heart, but that kept things interesting too.
June 5, 2020
Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Ahana Rao
When I picked up Last Tang Standing, I was carrying the weight of a week long reading slump and I had absolutely no idea what I was stepping into; however, I certainly had not expected to step straight into what I had.
Andrea Tang was one of the single most relatable characters I had read! The fact that she was so open and fearless about the thoughts she had in her head makes all the things she says and does so relatable and not hurtful in the least.
Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily
When I picked up Last Tang Standing, I was carrying the weight of a week long reading slump and I had absolutely no idea what I was stepping into; however, I certainly had not expected to step straight into what I had.
Andrea Tang was one of the single most relatable characters I had read! The fact that she was so open and fearless about the thoughts she had in her head makes all the things she says and does so relatable and not hurtful in the least.
Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily
April 28, 2021
This book was entertaining, but it made me tired. I think the problem is - it went on too long. 400+ pages of jokes wore me out. There is a reason why comedies work better in shorter forms.
Other than that, it was an okay time - Crazy Rich Asians, Bridget Jones's Diary plus Sex and the City all in one package.
Other than that, it was an okay time - Crazy Rich Asians, Bridget Jones's Diary plus Sex and the City all in one package.
April 30, 2020
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.
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.
April 7, 2021
Once again I find myself rapidly falling behind when it comes to posting timely reviews. That being said, here’s a little bit of nothing regarding Last Tang Standing. The blurb says “Crazy Rich Asians meets Bridget Jones’ Diary . . . . .
Told in humorous/mostly drunken journal entry style narration this is sure to call to mind everyone’s favorite spinster. However . . . .
I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again – I’m really not a fan of the fraternization at work enemies to lovers trope. And getting emotionally involved when there’s a fiancé involved? Dealbreaker. I also choose to read fluffy fiction to escape my reality and when the two leads work in M&A at a big law firm, well . . . .
I’ll definitely pick up this author’s next release.
Told in humorous/mostly drunken journal entry style narration this is sure to call to mind everyone’s favorite spinster. However . . . .
I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again – I’m really not a fan of the fraternization at work enemies to lovers trope. And getting emotionally involved when there’s a fiancé involved? Dealbreaker. I also choose to read fluffy fiction to escape my reality and when the two leads work in M&A at a big law firm, well . . . .
I’ll definitely pick up this author’s next release.
April 25, 2020
I really liked this book! Though I wouldn’t classify it as a true romance, it was a solid story about Andrea Tang - a lawyer in Singapore who thus far is ticking all the boxes on her mother’s list of achievements... apart from marriage and kids. Told in diary form, we see Andrea’s at times self-destructive life as she attempts to balance work and her love life. It’s more of a story about her growth personally, with a little bit of romance. While I could have done with a bit more romance, it was still an entertaining read.
April 12, 2021
I’ve been sitting here for hours wondering whether I’d rate this book one or two stars and I decided that there are too many things I would have to let slide to give it two stars. I did not like Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho but I wish that I did. I’ll get straight to it since I don’t want to spend time talking too much about what I don’t like. There are many books about Asian protagonists who are women and scrambling to find an impressive guy for their family with high standards. The plot is exactly what the synopsis says so I don’t want to rewrite it. The book is predictable, but I don’t need contemporary romance books to blow me away with plot twists. I read them because of their predictability.
Things that I enjoyed:
1. The sarcastic tone of the book was a lot of fun. I appreciate Lauren Ho’s use of style here because Andrea seems self-aware about the fact that her family is ridiculous. She understands the culture of her crowd in Singapore is a bit of a hot mess—full of materialistic, vain, and narcissistic individuals. It was funny, I’ll say that.
2. 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.
Beyond that, there were some unforgivable bits that sucked away all the enjoyment that I had for this.
1. The unchallenged racism is the biggest factor for me. Again, I’m no stranger to contemporary Asian romances and this fact that Asian families, particularly East Asian families do not want racial mixing, especially with Muslim people. Andrea is half-Malaysian, but the Tangs are a Singaporean family of Chinese descent. To my understanding, Chinese people are the most well-off ethnicity in Singapore and a lot of politics are pro-Chinese while minority groups are treated unfairly. There are instances in this book where Andrea and the author explains away the “casual racism” here and for the most part it goes unchallenged. Many Asian authors seem content, they’ll mention that racism is bad and use over the top racism to show that the MC isn’t like their families but there are rarely consequences for it. Andrea even makes comments and looks down on Indian, Indonesian, Malaysian, and other minority women along with her family but pursues wealthy men of those ethnicities—using them for personal gain and status. It’s disgusting to me. It’s like white women hating Black women while hooking up with rich Black men.
The author says this book is anti-racist because of the interracial relationships but casual racism is still racism to me. I am simply sick of reading about contemporary Asian characters who are racist while excusing it as cultural. That's pure bigotry.
2. There is Islamophobia here where the MC’s mother lists being Muslim as a negative. The MC has a sister who is with a Muslim man and the mother is ignoring her child because she disagrees with his lifestyle. What stands out to me is at the end of the book when the MC questions her mother about this, she says that her child would have to convert and possibly must tolerate her husband marrying multiple other women. For one, that’s inaccurate. Secondly, if that were the case then why would she ignore her child and cut her off? She’s a racist Islamophobe and the MC is just like “oh that makes sense…” It doesn’t at all.
3. The homophobia and threats to out queer characters to blackmail them into a divorce settlement. The treatment of queer characters here is abhorrent and the main character’s friend took photos of her husband performing oral sex on another man to use it in court so she can extort him and there is nothing that admonishes this disgusting act.
4. The fat-shaming, especially fat shaming a child. I think that speaks for itself.
On top of those things, the author posted a passive aggressive blog post in response to this by claiming that she wanted to showcase these issues to provide an “authentic” look on life for families like this in Singapore—however, when things like that are accepted as normal even from the main character who is meant to be a vessel into this world, it makes me wonder whether that’s truthful.
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!
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.
Maybe this isn’t the book for me. I’m sure if someone is of East Asian descent living in Singapore, they’d enjoy it, but I have a difficult time relating to or feeling sorry for this character.
Finally, the romance isn't until the last act of the book. Most of this is meandering situations where the MC finds herself in "quirky" situations where she judges the people around her.
Some other gross things: casual sexual harassment, pedophilia jokes, and excessive drinking.
Things that I enjoyed:
1. The sarcastic tone of the book was a lot of fun. I appreciate Lauren Ho’s use of style here because Andrea seems self-aware about the fact that her family is ridiculous. She understands the culture of her crowd in Singapore is a bit of a hot mess—full of materialistic, vain, and narcissistic individuals. It was funny, I’ll say that.
2. 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.
Beyond that, there were some unforgivable bits that sucked away all the enjoyment that I had for this.
1. The unchallenged racism is the biggest factor for me. Again, I’m no stranger to contemporary Asian romances and this fact that Asian families, particularly East Asian families do not want racial mixing, especially with Muslim people. Andrea is half-Malaysian, but the Tangs are a Singaporean family of Chinese descent. To my understanding, Chinese people are the most well-off ethnicity in Singapore and a lot of politics are pro-Chinese while minority groups are treated unfairly. There are instances in this book where Andrea and the author explains away the “casual racism” here and for the most part it goes unchallenged. Many Asian authors seem content, they’ll mention that racism is bad and use over the top racism to show that the MC isn’t like their families but there are rarely consequences for it. Andrea even makes comments and looks down on Indian, Indonesian, Malaysian, and other minority women along with her family but pursues wealthy men of those ethnicities—using them for personal gain and status. It’s disgusting to me. It’s like white women hating Black women while hooking up with rich Black men.
The author says this book is anti-racist because of the interracial relationships but casual racism is still racism to me. I am simply sick of reading about contemporary Asian characters who are racist while excusing it as cultural. That's pure bigotry.
2. There is Islamophobia here where the MC’s mother lists being Muslim as a negative. The MC has a sister who is with a Muslim man and the mother is ignoring her child because she disagrees with his lifestyle. What stands out to me is at the end of the book when the MC questions her mother about this, she says that her child would have to convert and possibly must tolerate her husband marrying multiple other women. For one, that’s inaccurate. Secondly, if that were the case then why would she ignore her child and cut her off? She’s a racist Islamophobe and the MC is just like “oh that makes sense…” It doesn’t at all.
3. The homophobia and threats to out queer characters to blackmail them into a divorce settlement. The treatment of queer characters here is abhorrent and the main character’s friend took photos of her husband performing oral sex on another man to use it in court so she can extort him and there is nothing that admonishes this disgusting act.
4. The fat-shaming, especially fat shaming a child. I think that speaks for itself.
On top of those things, the author posted a passive aggressive blog post in response to this by claiming that she wanted to showcase these issues to provide an “authentic” look on life for families like this in Singapore—however, when things like that are accepted as normal even from the main character who is meant to be a vessel into this world, it makes me wonder whether that’s truthful.
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!
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.
Maybe this isn’t the book for me. I’m sure if someone is of East Asian descent living in Singapore, they’d enjoy it, but I have a difficult time relating to or feeling sorry for this character.
Finally, the romance isn't until the last act of the book. Most of this is meandering situations where the MC finds herself in "quirky" situations where she judges the people around her.
Some other gross things: casual sexual harassment, pedophilia jokes, and excessive drinking.
May 13, 2020
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I have to admit at the start I was a little sceptical. I felt like the 'Bridget Jones' type character might be too obvious and maybe a little cringe, but I quickly changed my mind. I fell in love with Andrea and all her wonderful friends. I loved them and the story so much that I only took one break (to sleep) before quickly picking it up again and finishing it.
I loved this book so much, so so much. I actually said 'nooooo!' out loud when I finished because I just wanted more. My only critique is that it had to end. 'Last Tang Standing' is such a lovely, funny, charming and wonderful book - the perfect romcom.
I have to admit at the start I was a little sceptical. I felt like the 'Bridget Jones' type character might be too obvious and maybe a little cringe, but I quickly changed my mind. I fell in love with Andrea and all her wonderful friends. I loved them and the story so much that I only took one break (to sleep) before quickly picking it up again and finishing it.
I loved this book so much, so so much. I actually said 'nooooo!' out loud when I finished because I just wanted more. My only critique is that it had to end. 'Last Tang Standing' is such a lovely, funny, charming and wonderful book - the perfect romcom.
February 22, 2021
Now I understand that the phrase "crazy rich Asians" is not without basis. Andrea narrates in her diary entries how silly and irreverent some of her Chinese relatives and friends could be just so they wouldn't be disowned or disinherited. I couldn't blame them. The impossible demands of their folks with their "tiger parenting", they had to find ways to tweak tradition and use them in their personal favor.
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.
“Don’t ‘hello’ me. I don’t want ‘hello’. I want grandchildren.”
“You see, most Asian countries are not welfare states; we basically need the little moppets that come after us to be successful so they can in turn feed us. That’s why family is so important in most traditional Asian cultures. I am oversimplifying, of course.”
I couldn't imagine having to put yourself out there in the dating scene at age 33, so I am in great awe of Andrea and her willingness to meet men both online (it's the post-millenium after all) and conventionally for a prospective partner. She says it herself, dating is tough and that is one big understatement. I remember at 25 when I already thought dating was just purely exhausting. Good thing my husband showed up at just the right time.
The unfiltered diary entries are extremely funny sometimes bordering on offensive if you're the kind or reader who takes things too personally. It's obscenely honest, adorably messy, and just absolutely hilarious.
“After all, we’ve survived dial-up internet, ’90 s television, and the days when shoulder pads were acceptable. We can overcome anything.”
“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.”
Andrea is one extraordinary character not only for her self-deprecating (sometimes deprecating others as well) humor but also for her charm, intelligence, and feministic attitude and it's such a pleasure reading how she genuinely opens herself up (ironically with the help of family) to the prospect of true love without money, ambition, or culture clouding her decision.
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.
“Don’t ‘hello’ me. I don’t want ‘hello’. I want grandchildren.”
“You see, most Asian countries are not welfare states; we basically need the little moppets that come after us to be successful so they can in turn feed us. That’s why family is so important in most traditional Asian cultures. I am oversimplifying, of course.”
I couldn't imagine having to put yourself out there in the dating scene at age 33, so I am in great awe of Andrea and her willingness to meet men both online (it's the post-millenium after all) and conventionally for a prospective partner. She says it herself, dating is tough and that is one big understatement. I remember at 25 when I already thought dating was just purely exhausting. Good thing my husband showed up at just the right time.
The unfiltered diary entries are extremely funny sometimes bordering on offensive if you're the kind or reader who takes things too personally. It's obscenely honest, adorably messy, and just absolutely hilarious.
“After all, we’ve survived dial-up internet, ’90 s television, and the days when shoulder pads were acceptable. We can overcome anything.”
“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.”
Andrea is one extraordinary character not only for her self-deprecating (sometimes deprecating others as well) humor but also for her charm, intelligence, and feministic attitude and it's such a pleasure reading how she genuinely opens herself up (ironically with the help of family) to the prospect of true love without money, ambition, or culture clouding her decision.
November 27, 2020
A humorous book about family, ambition and love. The book is really about Andrea's quest to "have it all" in career and love, and how she ultimately discovers what she wants in life. The writing is witty, the humour quirky, irreverent, and sometimes dark, but always funny. Like laugh out loud.
Coupled with the escapist setting of cosmopolitan Singapore, this would be a perfect "beach" or summer read, with a serious message about being true to yourself.
Coupled with the escapist setting of cosmopolitan Singapore, this would be a perfect "beach" or summer read, with a serious message about being true to yourself.
January 16, 2022
i've been on the hunt for stories that do not position or define BIPOC experiences in relation to whiteness - that is, stories featuring 1) mostly or only BIPOC characters, 2) nuances (e.g., jokes) that are unquestionably rooted in BIPOC culture, and/or 3) non-western settings.
this book hit that spot!
i wish i'd had last tang standing to read when i was younger, alongside the meg cabots and sophie kinsellas (whose hilarious rom-com lit i undoubtedly enjoyed, but never felt like i could relate to).
if you're in the mood for joke/pun/sarcasm-filled narration; a story set in singapore's glittery upper echelons featuring characters of varying asian ethnicities; and a self-deprecating protagonist who's navigating cultural pressures, family, friendship, existential career crises, and (ofc!) romance, i would definitely recommend this novel.
this book hit that spot!
i wish i'd had last tang standing to read when i was younger, alongside the meg cabots and sophie kinsellas (whose hilarious rom-com lit i undoubtedly enjoyed, but never felt like i could relate to).
if you're in the mood for joke/pun/sarcasm-filled narration; a story set in singapore's glittery upper echelons featuring characters of varying asian ethnicities; and a self-deprecating protagonist who's navigating cultural pressures, family, friendship, existential career crises, and (ofc!) romance, i would definitely recommend this novel.
May 7, 2020
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
I definitely recommend reading Last Tang Standing to anyone who wants to spend a good time with a book.
Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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
I definitely recommend reading Last Tang Standing to anyone who wants to spend a good time with a book.
Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 18, 2020
They promote this book under the tag line Bridget Jones meets Crazy Rich Asians and I think that is A PERFECT description of this book. It is a fun chick-lit novel, perfect for a beach/vacation read.
I loved a glimpse into similar struggles with dating but in a unique setting and cultural background that I know very little about. I definitely recommend this book as I already mentioned a great light beach read. Also, the audio was excellent.
I also need to point out that this is a debut novel.
I am excited about this author's future work.
I loved a glimpse into similar struggles with dating but in a unique setting and cultural background that I know very little about. I definitely recommend this book as I already mentioned a great light beach read. Also, the audio was excellent.
I also need to point out that this is a debut novel.
I am excited about this author's future work.
May 27, 2020
4.5 stars.
The fact that Andrea is still finding what she wants at the later age just proves that we are all humans who constantly finding what we want in life.
The fact that Andrea is still finding what she wants at the later age just proves that we are all humans who constantly finding what we want in life.
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
July 18, 2020Abandoning a second book in a row because the main character is an awful person to read about and I can’t deal with her judgmental comments passed off as “snark” for another 200 pages.
April 25, 2020
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.
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.
May 27, 2020
5 stars
This was an absolute treat. It was uproariously funny and I was thoroughly entertained from page one!
Full review to come.
This was an absolute treat. It was uproariously funny and I was thoroughly entertained from page one!
Full review to come.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,397 reviews