Last Tang Standing: The most hilarious, feel-good debut romcom you’ll read all year!

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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. 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. 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. 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. After a promising beginning focused on family strife, Last Tang Standing turns its attention to Andrea’s love life, and that’s where it fails to deliver.

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.

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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." 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? In the end, The Last Tang Standing is a relatable, fun, sassy, and witty read. It is essentially a cozy comfortable feel-good read that brings to you an ideal mix of romance, drama, and humour. Eric was offering to free me from being a slave to the system, but was what he was offering real freedom? And how could I consider myself a feminist if I did that? But was being a feminist as important as being free to live the life I’ve always aspired to have, i.e., quit a job I hate and have enough money to buy whatever I wanted?

Andrea’s tired of disastrous dates when she meets Eric “dad bod” Deng at a fancy party. She mistakes him for the staff because of his rumpled clothing, and willingness to listen to her make fun of rich people. Surprise, he’s a billionaire! They mutually pursue one another around their busy schedules, with things getting more serious once she meets his six-year old daughter. He’s thoughtful and the sex is great, but Andrea isn’t sure she likes how easily he throws his money around, even if it makes her life easier. The depiction of Andrea and Eric’s romance felt flat, but I couldn’t tell if that was just because Andrea didn’t know how to be happy, or if we were supposed to be rooting for Suresh.

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 and restaurants. All she has to do is make partner at her law firm and she will have achieved everything she (and her mother) has ever worked for. So what if she’s poised to be the last unmarried member of her generation of the Tang clan? She doesn’t need a man to feel fulfilled, no matter what her meddling relatives have to say about it. 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.

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. 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. The trope of an office romance that is essentially a hate-to-love relationship is also quite interesting and works well for the book.

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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. 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! 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. 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 diary entries are sharply written, witty, and offers a glimpse in to Singapore working life, and as someone who lived and worked in Singapore, the author's depiction of the gruelling life, obligation to "show face" and put in face time, and the office politics is accurate. In Ho's book, there's an interesting emphasis on her work life, apart from the romcom stuff, and I won't spoil it, but it adds another dimension to the book, because the work is almost like a secondary character. 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. In Andrea’s challenges we see the challenge of being a woman. No matter how successful you are in your career, you are still found wanting if that life doesn’t come with a husband and family. Being married is still a huge part of our social worth, and Andrea finds herself worried about it constantly because she is told that she should be married and churning out kids at her age. So Andrea throws herself into the dating world, be it through dating apps, high society book clubs and even enduring a blind date, all in an attempt to find someone suitable enough. The One is a fantasy, maybe someone good enough will do. 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.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) 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. 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. 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. 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.