Last Tang Standing

 This debut novel by Lauren Ho was a great read.  While light and breezy at times there is definitely depth to the characters, especially Andrea.  Her struggles to decide the direction of her life both professionally and personally feel real and probable.  She has spent her entire life trying to make her mother and employers happy as she reaches her 30s she is starting to question what it is she wants in life.  She finds herself torn between what she thinks she wants and what she believes others what.  Last Tang Standing is a deeper book than it first appears.  It is especially appealing if you have ever spent time in Singapore or around high-achieving Asians.  Tiger moms have a reputation for a reason.  

Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

funny but thought provoking read

Well on one hand this is a light hearted story with many laugh out loud moments it is also a reflection on what makes us happy in life Andrea is so driven to do the things that make her mother happy that she often forgets about her own happiness. I’m sure many people pleasers can relate. The internal struggle is well presented in the epistolary style of diary writing and the reader can tell how troubled Andrea is with her decisions. I really liked it after she had taken control of her life how she was able to find ways to be successful. My only regret is not knowing how her relationship work out

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Goodreads and Reading by the Numbers #ReadingByNumbers2023 Book #  23
2. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #   19
3. Literary Escapes  #LiteraryEscapes Singapore
4. AtoZ   #2023AtoZReadingChallenge  #AlphabetSoupChallenge L
5. Alphabet Soup Author Edition #AlphabetSoupAuthorChallenge  L
6. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2023   Book #21
7. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #17
8. 52 Book Club  #the52bookclub2023  #42 Time in the Title
9. Around the Year in 52 Books #10. A book related to one of the Spice Girls' "personalities"  -  Posh
10. Bookworm #42 A book set in Asia or an Asian-inspired culture
11. BooklistQueen  #booklistqueenreadingchallenge2023  # 7. Character with a Disability
12. Beat the Backlist #BTB2023  #47 epistolatory or an unusual writing style
13. HP Quidditch 23 #31 Ravenclaw: Related to Ravenclaw house/traits
14. Nerdy Bookworm  #NerdyBookwormChallengeXO #37. Read an author's debut book
15. Nerd Daily #thenerddaily #nerdreading2023 #21. BETWEEN 380-430 PAGES
16. PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge #36 A book you think your best friend would like
17. Pick your Poison  # 76 A book with a cover that matches your shirt (on the day your start it)
18. RAD Challenge #aradreadingchallenge #5 Disability Represented (Author or Character)
19. Read with Allison #26 Debut Author
20. Sci and Nature # 37 With a Disabled Character:
21. Uncorked Reader #UncorkedReading2023 10 Hotels
22. Unruly Reader Bingo  #20 Drama Club
23. Diversify your reading #DYRC23 February: Romance
24. Read Your Bookshelf Feb
25. TBRChallenge  #TBRChallenge Feb Getaway