Last Tang Standing

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.

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 out of 5 stars

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.

I came across The Last Tang Standing from a bookstagram post and was so curious about it. I haven't read the Crazy Rich Asians series but have seen many a positive review so when I saw comparisons between the two and that of Bridget Jones diary I knew I needed to check it out. Added bonus is being able to buddy read it so we can discuss it all!I loved this book and the lifestyles of the rich (and sometimes) famous in Singapore theme. Andrea, our main character, was such a relatable and likable character who you can't help root for. Whether its getting a leg up on her Aunties, figuring out what she really wants from her life or the man she wants to share it with - Andrea was up for the challenge with all kinds of adventures to get there. I also adored her wild cousin and crazy friends - they definitely added such entertaining elements to the story.If you are looking for a fun and addictive read for the beach I recommend you pick this book up!

The pitch for this couldn't be better, it really is Crazy Rich Asians meets Bridget Jones' Diary. I so enjoyed this book. It was funny to the point I actually guffawed on the regular. I took screenshots of my favourite paragraphs because, as an Asian, this book made me feel so seen. Andrea is such a likeable protagonist, both incredibly hardworking and accomplished but also so human. I loved all the characters in this book, but especially the character Andrea ends up with ;);) A total joy, this is a romcom to look out for this summer. I will be eagerly awaiting more from Lauren Ho. She is fantastic.

Baffled by the good reviews. I loved the over the topness of crazy rich Asians but this nowhere near that calibre. The main character is a vapid self absorbed alcoholic who could not carry on as a lawyer. She’s always drinking, drunk or hungover. She could never afford all the designer gear she has.Sex is referred to constantly…I’m not against that per se but this was neither erotic or substantive to the little plot there is.I wouldn’t waste money

Easy and funny read. I loved that it had so many references to Malaysian/Singaporean/Chinese way of life and cultural nuances. I see why it has had parallels drawn to Crazy Rich Asians. Finally, a storyline that isn’t Western-centric! Love that Andrea is totally capable of standing on her own two feet, and that she actually wants to make something of herself instead of just being a tai tai. Positive message and very suited to current times. Would recommend.

This book didn't grip me straight away, as the first half of the book was very slow and painted the main character as quite unlikeable but the second half was almost like a completely different book. Glad I persevered as a little romance was comforting and put the protagonist in situations that were more comical and light hearted.

Bit of a disappointing read as it is not as witty or as fast paced as the Crazy Rich Asians series, or as funny as Bridget Jones. And I'm a bit bored by the very good at my job but insecure/drink too much female protagonist.