Imagine sending an honest letter to those who have wronged you so that after your death, everyone knows how you really felt. Now imagine those heartfelt, very frank letters being sent accidentally before your death. In “One Last Word,” author Suzanne Park imagines that happening to Sara Chae, who has been working on an app she thinks has great potential. But when her honest emails go out to her former employers, her former landlord, her parents, and even a former high school crush, she has a lot to worry about.

Right after losing her job, moving into her younger sister’s apartment and sleeping in the large closet, Sara learns that she is accepted into a venture capital mentorship program. That’s great news, but when she finds out that her mentor is Harry, the one who received the sappy “final” email she had written to him, she is mortified, having never expected that he would actually read it.

There’s humor to spare in this novel but also some emotional truths as Sara deals with her domineering Korean parents, former bosses from hell, a friend who ghosted her years before, and an old crush she must work with while realizing that those feelings never disappeared. We are rooting for Sara to make it in the tech world, where gender and skin color have a lot to do with success. As we learn, little VC (venture capital) money goes to women who are starting out, and much of it goes to men who benefit from the “old boys” network.

You will be enchanted with Sara’s grit and determination to make it. The first person narration makes us admire her when she admits to her faults, and there are plenty of faults that she shares. But in spite of the faults, her honesty, her integrity, and her intelligence, combined with the support of family and friends, make Sara a winner. The book’s a winner, too, for anyone looking for a beach read or an uplifting novel about a character who grows and succeeds; and a little romance thrown in to boot.

Please note: This review is based on the final paperback book provided by Avon Books, the publisher, for review purposes.