This book had a really interesting premise - that Millie has been writing draft emails to everyone basically in her life, but not sending them. As a way to vent, or spill her heart out without any consequences. But unfortunately they all get sent at the same time. I think where the book takes a turn, and ultimately why it doesn’t work for me, is that it felt super repetitive and overdone. Millie goes on for pages and pages on how awful it is, how embarrassed she feels, but she hides from the reality for as long as she can. I think if maybe it wasn’t such a large breadth of people she had emailed, it wouldn’t have felt so repetitive. Because of this, the book unfortunately really drags. The romance felt like an afterthought, which is fine, but it didn’t pull the story along at all either. Unfortunately this was a miss for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

this was bad. who would write a story like this? what adult, fictitious or real, would draft emails (from a work email!!!) to get the feelings out and leave them to possibly be sent out sometime?

Two years ago, thirty-year-old receptionist Millie Chandler had her heart spectacularly broken in public. Ever since, she has been a closed book, vowing to keep everything to herself—her feelings, her truths, even her dreams—in an effort to protect herself from getting hurt again.
But Millie does write emails—sarcastic replies to her rude boss, hard truths to her friends, and of course, that one-thousand-word love declaration to her ex who is now engaged to someone else. The emails live safely in her drafts, but after a server outage at work, Millie wakes up to discover that all her emails have been sent. Every. Single. One.
First time reading from this author, and I loved it! A fun lighthearted workplace romance that had me laughing. I loved the characters and the friendships along with Millie and Jacks Banter. I did at times feel like the book dragged at times and sometimes felt repetitive. Still an enjoyable book and worth the read.

3.5 stars rounded down.

I’m really on the fence with this one. On the one hand, it’s everything you expect from Lia Louis. It’s full of heart, with lovely characters, breezy romance, deep friendships, and family ties. It’s set in quaint Leigh-on-Sea, which I had never heard of but looks absolutely delightful.

On the other hand, I really struggled with the basic premise of the story. Millie’s been using her work email as a journal of sorts, word vomiting everything she’s afraid to say out loud in email drafts. She doesn’t hold back. When her drafts somehow get sent out one night, all hell breaks loose. The emails reveal a lie lurking between her parents and lead to her ex-boyfriend splitting up with his fiance, her best friend breaking up with her boyfriend, her other best friend blocking her in anger, and many strained work relationships after unkind and unprofessional emails flooded colleagues’ inboxes.

I just cannot get past this. I would never even draft a normal/kind/professional email with anyone’s email address in the recipient field, just in case it accidentally got sent before I was ready — it’s easy to accidentally hit the send button! To not only put down her deepest secrets on her work email account but to do so in email drafts that have the recipients’ address in them?! It’s beyond unbelievable for anyone with two pennies of common sense.

Ok, rant over. Except for this admittedly major part of the story, I really enjoyed the book. It was obvious where it was headed and I guessed the reveal from the beginning, but the journey was still engaging. I loved seeing their little town and learning about forced rhubarb. I loved seeing Millie learn to handle her problems head on rather than ducking from them. I loved Millie’s roommates — their goofiness and their sincere affection for her.

I literally squealed when I received a copy of Lia Louis’s latest book, Better Left Unsent. I first read The Key to my Heart over the holidays and LOVED it!

Her new book tells the story of thirty-year-old receptionist, Millie Chandler who falls victim to a major IT issue after hundreds of draft emails addressed to friends, family, an ex boyfriend and colleagues are delivered in error. Used as somewhat of a diary, the emails describe her secret feelings towards each email recipient - some good, some bad. Millie must now face these people whether she would like to or not. If you like wit and charm with a side of romance, you’ll want to pick up Better Left Unsent!

Thank you Atria Books for the ARC. This was one of my most anticipated releases not only because I loved Eight Perfect Hours, but the premise is so unique. I enjoy Lia Louis' writing style (very Lindsey Kelk adjacent) and there was some funny moments in here, but it was a bit of a drag and melodramatic at times. I would LOVE to see this as a movie. Fabulous cover. Can't wait for her next book.

Better Left Unsent is the new book by Lia Louis and every single time, I’m never disappointed. Louis is my favorite author and being able read another one of her books is a gift.

This book follows Millie, she’s interesting and lovable, and experiences the worst thing that can happen to a person. Everything she’s ever written about someone gets leaked … and it’s stuff that you shouldn’t say outloud sometimes.
So what happens when your thoughts get leaked? Well, you have this book. You have to read it to find out.

The comedy and romance are so fun! There’s also realistic and quiet moments. And of course Millie is someone you want to root for. As always, Lia Louis creates amazing female characters and each of them unique. There’s always a magical atmosphere when you pick up her books and this one is no different. Better Left Unsent is a fun and entertaining novel full of heart and love

Since I read, "Dear Emma Blue" by this author I've been hooked. That is my absolute favourite one of hers. I've also enjoyed, "The key to my heart" and "Eight perfect hours." This premise sounded very interesting.

Millie's e-mail draft folder at work is like a therapeutic diary that she keeps all her private thoughts in. She writes e-mails to people with things she'd "like" to say but never would say. They are her private true thoughts and one day a glitch happens at work and all her e-mails have been sent out. Yes, those ones in her draft folder that she never wanted anyone to see! Wow, now that's a promising premise!

I really was invested in finding out what did actually happen with the e-mails. That kept me reading. There were some funny and cute moments with her love interest Jack but for the most part I didn't feel a strong love connection and emotion with these characters. I also found the pacing was a bit too slow for my liking. For me this one was not up to par with her other books but I'd certainly read another Lia Louis book again.

This was a buddy read with my dear friend Darla. I really enjoyed discussing the book with her. Please be sure to check out her wonderful review. Did we feel the same way? Have a look to find out.

I'd like to kindly thank NetGalley and Atria books for granting me access to this Advanced Reader Copy.

Better Left Unsent is absolute perfection! I delighted in every word from start to finish. It is more of a finding-oneself story with a bit of romantic comedy added to the mix. The story begins the day after Millie’s unsent, diary-like emails to unkind, obtuse co-workers, friends and family are mysteriously sent from her work email’s draft folder. Millie who is unsure of her worth as a daughter, girlfriend, etc., goes from feeling invisible to feeling the laughing stock of the office.

Millie spends much of the book either trying to make amends to or avoiding the email recipients. Additionally, she passively searches for answers as to how this mass email sending—from only her computer—could possibly have happened. Along the way there are some touching moments, some swoon-worth scenes and some absolutely hilarious scenes. Best of all is the slow-burn office romance between Millie and Jack. Their chemistry is obvious, and the relationship is positive as Jack clearly accepts and appreciates Millie as she is. Other positive characters are Millie’s delightful roommates and friends, Cate and Richard.

While the plot was occasionally slow due to Millie’s seemingly constant debate as to who undid her by sending her secret emails, the overall arc of the story is great. Author Lia Louis’ writing is solid, and I appreciated the meaningful messages about friendship, family, and self worth. I was happy to be with Millie on her sometimes angsty journey from a mouse to a confident woman. Better Left Unsent is a lighthearted, humorous read that left me with a happy heart.

4.5⭐️ for this cute cozy romance that has a lot of great different relationship and friendship dynamics we get to explore. I loved the setting of Leigh-by-the-Sea this stormy seaside village in England where our protagonist Millie, her love interest, Jack, and her ex, Owen work at a sports television studio.

All of Millie’s email drafts get sent out one night of a server outage and Millie’s friends, family, and colleagues receive emails that never should have been sent! This puts Millie in full damage control and she copes in pretty interesting ways (like just shutting her phone off for a few days). While one of Millie’s drafts was an email professing she still had feelings for her ex (in a reply all to the entire company), she also sent emails about hating her best friend’s boyfriend and thinking her boss is hot. ::facepalm::

The book covers a lot of ground with exploring unresolved issues with her ex, Owen, some troubles in her parents marriage where her Mom is lying to her Dad, her best friend being in an emotionally manipulative relationship, her other friend acting out and flaking, and lastly her feelings for her hot boss Jack. But I have to say I really enjoyed it all! The parents dilemma had a lot of quotes about lying and trust that I really resonated with:

“That’s what I can’t get past. That’s what hurts. The intention of it. The lie. Something she carried around and didn’t tell me.”

“I think lies hurt more than any truth ever could,” Dad says. “Because it turns the person into something else. You start to wonder what else they’ve been concealing, even if it’s nothing at all. It’s like someone turned the lights on, and for the first time you can see something you never knew was there. And you have to trust again. Trust that there is nothing else concealed, to see. That’s the hard bit.”

“the truth always matters the most. Even when it’s hard or painful. Especially when it’s painful.”

And I loved her friendships with roommate Ralph and best friend Cate. They were both really sweet aspects of the book that elevated and supported Millie’s character without taking away from the main story.

And of course, Jack Sherlock was such a gem of a leading man. I mean I could really see and picture him in almost every scene and that’s credit to Lia Louis for her descriptions and scene setting. I loved getting to see Millie and Jack slowly fall in love from one small encounter to another that all seemed so realistic like you could see this happening to you in an office setting, too. I liked that he constantly pushed Millie to think beyond what she’s used to doing like being small since her breakup with Owen and closing herself off and instead to say ‘so what’ and do whatever you want. He wasn’t pushing her to be someone she wasn’t just a better version of herself, a version he knew was in there but had been so diminished by Owen she was having trouble finding her way out of the dark.

“So what? As Jack would say. So what?”

“I haven’t rescued you, Millie. You do a decent job of rescuing yourself.”

“I can’t just be like you,” I say.
“I’m not asking you to be me, Millie,” he says. “I’m asking you to be you.”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for access to the ARC!

Solid romcom, definitely a crazy ride for our FMC. Anyway, I love the romance. Jack is a great male lead, he is fun and kind. Millie is great! She deals with a ton of fallout from friends and family and coworkers, it’s a mess, and it’s interesting to see how she processes all of the problems this caused. Cate and Ralph are fantastic, they were probably my favorite part. It’s a great one to read if you like a romcom with lots of twists!

I was very excited to read Better Left Unsent by Lia Louis. This book has such a great premise! There are some people that find writing down their thoughts and feelings about people who have hurt, embarrassed, offended them, etc. in order to deal with their feelings instead of actually sending the email or confronting them. But what happens if those draft emails accidentally get SENT?! Well, Millie, our main character has just that scenario happen...and boy does this story deliver!

I will say, the early part of the book was slow for me. I think it had to do with the number of characters that we were dealing with in that part of the book. There was a lot to keep up with and a lot of people to keep straight. Once I got to a certain point in the story, it started to move more quickly and I was in for the duration.

I absolutely felt for Millie as she navigated the fallout from the emails being sent. This was a very different read for me from what I typically read, but that was fantastic. It was entertaining, well written, and just a really good change of pace!

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

“For the last couple of years, my email drafts have become—my diary. A confessional. A haunted crypt of unsaid things; things I wish I could say, things I really, really want to say but don’t, in pursuit of a peaceful life.”

Better Left Unsent is the first Lia Louis book I’ve read where there isn’t a gone-too-soon premise and I’m glad. I still cried but not from missing someone I love who has passed. In this novel, Millie is a receptionist who has gone a bit off track in life after an awful breakup with a coworker. Then one day, life hands her even more lemons when her entire draft box is emailed out in one fell swoop. These are not just rude replies to rude requests from coworkers, but humiliatingly enough, one is an email telling her ex, who has become engaged to another coworker, that she still miss him.

“I think lies hurt more than any truth ever could,” Dad says. “Because it turns the person into something else. You start to wonder what else they’ve been concealing, even if it’s nothing at all. It’s like someone turned the lights on, and for the first time you can see something you never knew was there. And you have to trust again. Trust that there is nothing else concealed, to see. That’s the hard bit.”

And that email to her ex about how much she missed him, still? She replied all. She immediately has an entire posse of people who think she’s trying to break the couple up. And then rumor has it they have broken up. Millie tries to show a bigger commitment to her job at a sports TV network, so she starts volunteering to do more work, and her ex starts finding excuses to talk to her. The guilt is eating her alive.

“And I sort of realized . . . we all have these unsaid things. All of us. Everyone. I drove away from there and thought, nobody is exactly who they tell you they are. Are they? I spend my life holding myself to everyone else’s standards. Comparing myself to everyone else, what they’re doing, what they’re posting online, what they’re saying at brunches or announcing on Facebook. But what I’m comparing myself to a lot of the time isn’t even real, anyway.”

There’s a love interest and two subplots involving Millie’s parents and one of her best friends, respectively. But the heart of the book is Millie’s crush Jack, who is much beloved at work even though he works for a while to save up and then quits again to travel. It’s hard to potentially start a romance when one party believes the other just feels sorry for her.

3.75 rounded up!

Lia Louis stole my heart with Dear Emmie Blue and I’ve been a fan of everything she’s written since. So I was excited to pick up Better Left Unsent, her next romance, and I was hooked from the start, loving Millie AND her friends.

Who hasn’t sent an email or text to the wrong person? What about something you wrote and never intended for anyone to read? It’s something anyone can sympathize with, and I felt every ounce of Millie’s distress when her folder of email drafts—thoughts she wrote out like a diary with no intention of ever sending—were mysteriously sent from her work computer. All her private thoughts and gripes were sent to their sources: co-workers, friends, and family.

And the fall-out is not surprising. Secrets revealed, feelings hurt, and friendships strained.

I was thoroughly enjoying this one…. until we got more time with Jack, Millie’s co-worker and crush. Sometimes he was kind and sweet but other times I didn’t feel like he could be trusted, which skewed my reading experience. There were a few times I felt like he came across as uncharacteristically selfish. I think I needed more of Jack’s backstory and more time with Millie and Jack together to get a more complete picture of who Jack was.

But I did enjoy the side characters and stories of Millie’s best friend Cate, Millie’s roommate Ralph, and Millie’s parents and how they were incorporated into Millie’s story. There was even a surprising twist in the story involving a side character that I didn’t expect, and I was happy to discover I didn’t mind it.

Better Left Unsent seemed to be lighter than Louis’ previous three books, which was fun, but I do think I prefer her more layered stories. This one is still well-written, I would have just liked a bit more depth. The ending also wrapped up a little too nicely and quickly for me; I wanted a little more time with Millie in a good place.

I had fun with Better Left Unsent and would recommend it to other romance readers. It’s a heartwarming story with a relatable plot that kept me turning pages, eager for Millie to find her happiness.

I really liked the way this book was written. Although I didn't think this book was amazing by any means but I still enjoyed it and will pick up more from this author.,

Millie has been processing her various emotions over the years by drafting emails that she never actually sends. Some of these are sarcastic responses to her rude boss, truths she wouldn’t want to say to her friends in person, telling a guy in the office she thinks he’s cute, and even declarations of love to her ex who is getting married to another coworker. All things she would never actually say out loud, until a glitch causes all of the emails in her drafts folder to get sent. Suddenly she’s faced to deal with everyone in the office knowing her private thoughts.

While this book wasn’t quite as much of an emotional journey as Lia Louis’s previous works, it had many of the heartwarming aspects I have come to love from her writing. I loved this storyline and how Millie found her voice in the process of her private thoughts coming out. Her relationships with her friends were very special and I loved the side characters and all the fun they added to the story. This was a cute read!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I'm a fan of Lia Louis and was very excited for this book.
I greatly enjoyed two of her previous titles, Eight Perfect Hours and The Key to My Heart.
In Better Left Unsent, Louis writes about a receptionist named Millie Chandler who has secretly been saving all of her no-holds-barred thoughts about her friends, family and coworkers as 'drafts' in her email. When the drafts are mysteriously sent out, she's forced to confront the truth of her perspectives and opinions.
I loved the premise, but felt the author didn't quite live up to/lean into how greatly it could affect Millie's life. There are supporting characters who support/coddle/shelter her from making the big changes her life desperately needs. For most of the story I just wanted to shake her!
The biggest thing missing is probably the element of tension from the story --- how each plot line will unfold is almost immediately clear. Her work crush clearly likes her, her ex is clearly a bad dude, her family is clearly hiding something, etc. But Millie has almost no impetus throughout the book. She's encouraged to 'find herself' but even at the end as she lives her 'dream,' it feels forced. As a character, there wasn't much of her to find.
I will read Louis' next book, as I'm sure it will be top notch! This book will be great for a lot of people, it just wasn't for me.

I absolutely loved the concept of this book. It's the modern day equivalent of a bully making copies of your diary and posting them all around school. How would you cope if all your inner most thoughts that you never planned to share were suddenly blasted to not only your coworkers, but the most important people in your life?

I truly enjoyed this story, the romance was cute but honestly I preferred the character growth and overall cast of characters to the love plot. Every book needs a Ralph. For that matter every human needs a Ralph.

There are so many things I loved about this book! I loved watching the FMC fall apart and find herself again. I loved how she searched for her soul, and I love how the MMC never made her feel less than! This is my first Lia Louis book but it definitely wont be my last!. I normally dont love a closed door romance, but when its done this well I don't miss the spice one bit.

I thought the idea of sending out every email you've typed out and saved as a draft is terrifying. I would simply curl up and die.
This book was cute, funny and my first Lia Louis novel. I look forward to more!