Tittle: The Last Tang Standing
Author: Lauren Ho
Personal Ratings: 4.5/5🌟
Format : Paperback
Pages: 416
Publications: Putnam Books
Source: Bookalicious Malaysia (Signed Copy)
(Link to buy : https://bookaliciousmy.easy.co/products/last-tang-standing-signed-edition-)Last Tang Standing is her debut novel and also a fellow Malaysian! Really looking forward to her future works from now :)Synopsis
(Taken for Google)
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's worked for. 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, who needs a husband, anyway?
Yet being the Last Tang Standing sends Andrea into a tailspin she wasn't expecting--and, for the first time, she begins to question the life she thought she wanted. When a chance encounter with handsome, wealthy entrepreneur Eric Deng offers her a glimpse of a future more lavish than she could have imagined, Andrea decides that giving Mr. Right-for-her-family a chance might not be so bad after all. So why can't she stop thinking about Suresh Aditparan, her annoyingly attractive office rival and the last man her relatives would approve of? With a battle waging between her head and her heart, 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?"You don't have to be the brightest star in the sky, but you are the one I looked to when I needed direction. My North Star."
My Thoughts on the book
The first word that came to mind when I finished this book was this.
HILARIOUS!
The book tells the story about Andrea, and she’s from a clan called the Tang’s and being the last person in her generation to not get married at 33, she’s pressured to get the “perfect” husband as her partner.
When I first started the book, it took me awhile to really warm up to Andrea’s character. After a few chapters, her character is so relatable, that I sometimes find myself wondering if it could actually happen to me.
Andrea is a high-powered lawyer. She’s unapologetically herself. Some may even say she’s a bit snarky, but I love that part about her. She’s witty, smart, sassy and not to mention she’s very loyal to her friends and family.
Since the story is set in Singapore and Andrea is a Malaysian, I relate to her ways of thinking sometimes. What really warmed up to me was how she’s not afraid to show when she’s vulnerable. She cries when she fails, she makes a lot of mistakes but she also knows when to get back up instead of moping around. That is when I really warmed up to her character, because for all of the snarky attitude that she puts out, she’s not cold as she appears to be.
What I also like about the book was how real the author had potrayed the scenes of Singapore and the high-elite life. The truths behind the glam, the loneliness that surrounds you even if you’re in a job that everyone looks up to you. The social pressure that she talks about the book is so real. Society indicts you that, having a “perfect” partner is the “ideal solution in life”. Get a good job, marry a good man and you will definitely be set in life.
There was one scene about her friend’s niece having tiger parents, her life being monitored every waking second, and when she gets the slice of freedom, she became somewhat uncontrollable. Even though this book is a contemporary romance book, the issues that were highlighted are something that everyone especially the Asian community can relate to. Myself being a Malay living in Malaysia, the expectations to succeed is relatively high, especially when I’m the eldest sister for my family and what Andrea had experienced resonated with me so much. The part where her ex-fiancee scrutinized her made me want to give a very big hug. I can’t blame Andrea for being hard-headed at times, as she’s a female working in a world filled with male presence which picks on you when you make the smallest mistakes. The feminist that I didn’t know I had in me, was so pissed off at one scene where one of the male clients specifically told her that the mistakes that she did was because she’s a female.
The other thing that made me really intrigued about the book is how the author talked about interracial marriage and the reactions of society towards it. One who does not understand may say that the issue may be racist, but somehow it goes deeper than that. The fear that every parent has for their children is something that we cannot brush off either. One of the phrases from the book that I liked was this
“Young people are always so ruled by their passion that they forget the realities of life. You can’t live in a couple bubble forever. We grow, we age, and sometimes we grow apart. Don’t forget that I was one of those young people, too, once upon a time, believing that love was all I needed.”The cultural differences was what parents fears when their child marries another race. As someone that has seen it first hand, its actually not easy for one to assimilate with the other culture. You have to be prepared to be accepting and it true that love does not overcome all things. For me, marriage takes a lot of work, and it also about responsibility and how you’re willing to sacrifice for your partner and that’s something that our parents ponder about.
The issues that the author had brought up in this book was raw, underlying, but when you look deep enough, you can see that she does not only highlight the romance part (WHICH IS SUPER CUTE I LOVED IT SO MUCH), but also she talks about the social pressure that one has to face in our society and family nowadays, sexism at work and also the issue of racism that is so engraved in our society that it’s considered a norm when it’s actually something that we seriously need to address.
The importance of family was also what the author highlighted in the book. Andrea had worked so hard in life but she hated her job. Comparing to the situation in real life now, one is lucky to land a job that you actually like and has good pay. In Andrea’s case, she was provided with good pay, but she’s not necessarily happy with her life, and that’s the dilemma that we all face in real life. The dilemma to put food on the table while slaving to make ends meet and struggling with your mental health. I love how the author went with the story with Andrea, how she finally chooses her own happiness instead of letting societal pressure decide her life. It shows to readers that one can actually achieve happiness when you’re brave enough to take a leap of faith for yourself.
All in all, this was somewhat a light, but also a very eye-opening read. Taking a chance on happiness, getting out of that comfort zone but also giving your dreams another go is something not everyone can do, but its okay to prioritize your happiness first. Our society has been hard enough on us, its best that we actually stop being hard on ourselves too.
Do what makes you happy. Break down when you need. It’s okay not to be okay at times. Spend time with your loved ones and care for those who cares for you. Chase your own happiness, because at the end, the world is short and you only have one life to live. Live it the best you can be.
Till the next one lovelies.
from all the Stars and Galaxies, have a wonderful day ahead
xoxo, Afi