Better left unsent by Lia Louis was a quick rom-com read. The story follows Millie, a 29 year woman who has her (truthful, somewhat unkind) draft emails sent to everyone at work. Oopsie! No one was supposed to read those! We see how she copes with the fallout of that. Millie comes across as very immature at the beginning of the book but shows character growth throughout. The MMC is swooony. The romance is definitely secondary to the storyline. Ended up loving this book and will continue to recommend all of her books!

Thanks Net Galley for the arc and a chance to read early.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing the ARC.

Normally, I am a huge fan of Lia Louis Books. I absolutely loved Eight Perfect Hours and I was so excited to get my hands on this book. However, I just felt that this book came off a little flat.

Mostly, it was because I was so aggravated with Millie. She came off as a caricature of a people pleaser and incredibly naive for someone who was in their 30s. The fact that she still held a candle for Owen despite the numerous red flags really turned me away from her character as a whole and the situation with the emails where she tried to "win" everyone over after the fact even though they were people she didn't really want to be around seemed incredibly over the top to me.

I also really wanted to like Jack, but this free-spirited, "time is a construct" mentality that he had was good for someone in their 20s trying to explore life for the first time, not someone in their 30s who apparently has never really been happy by the lack of confines in their life or their ability to settle down in one place. His view on life aggravated me so much, and while I can understand that his character was supposed to be the "who cares" to Millie's "I care too much" it came across as very disingenuous.

Not my favorite book, but it still has that Lia Louis charm that she is so well known for. I still love her as an author even if this book wasn't for me.

The concept for this book sounded so fun but I unfortunately did not love this book. I definitely liked a lot of parts of the story and the characters, but overall this dragged. U also almost DNFed it at 96% because of Millie’s speech at the end. It was so cringey and missed the mark for me. I felt like there was a lot of random drama thrown in that didn’t propel the plot and it was a very slow read for how short of a book this was. Overall, not for me.

This one just didn’t work for me, I found it to be slow and felt like it meandered but never really found a lane that worked. I expected a really emotional read from the author but overall I was bored.

I always enjoy Lia Louis’ stories, and this was no exception. It starts with an email mishap - young Millie works at a tv station and likes to put all her inner thoughts into email drafts that never get sent. Until one night a server glitch sends all her private thoughts out to the world. The worst layer in this sh!t sandwich is the email to her ex Owen - who is now engaged to a fellow coworker - about how she still misses and loves him. Humiliating. The one bright spot seems to be Jack, the operations director who she had written a smitten email draft after a flirtation at a holiday party - an email that miraculously never got send. She finally feels seen and respected by Jack, despite all the drama that’s been heaped upon her. As the pair get closer, she’s faced with a choice - continue to dwell upon the email fallout she’s found herself in, or let it all fall away for a chance of happiness. Equal parts humor and heart, Better Left Unsent was a joy to read.

This book has such promise for me! A unique premise and extremely likable and relatable characters. There were definitely times where I felt like things were moving a little slow so I think it could've been reduced in length, but I loved the addition of Millie's leaked emails interspersed throughout the book.

My one note is that the drama with Millie's parents felt unnecessary, random, and slightly underdeveloped. Other than how it tied together at the end with the funding of her holiday, I felt like it didn't really add anything to the book and oftentimes I found myself forgetting that they even had a storyline at all!

I found this book BEGGING to be adapted into a movie and could perfectly envision some of my favorite actors in the roles - Jonathan Bailey as Jack, Sydney Sweeney as Millie (she'd have to work on her accent obviously), Timothee Chalamet as Ralph, Sophie Turner as Cate, Anya Taylor-Joy as Chloe, Austin Butler as Owen - if Netflix is reading this, get to work!

Giving this a solid 3.5 stars - it was light, fun, interesting, and just the right fluff to get me out of a slump of bad books!

4.25/5⭐️

I enjoyed this funny, sweet and at times, moving book.

Millie Chandler, a 30-year-old receptionist, had her heart broken in a public way by a cheating co-worker boyfriend. She’s also dealt with and witnessed bad behavior/hurt feelings from other co-workers, family and friends. She decides to get her true feelings out about these moments through drafting emails that were never sent…until they were.

This is the premise of the story. How does Millie, a self-professed people-pleaser who wants to be liked, fix things with basically everyone in her life? We follow her as she tries a little bit of everything to make amends.

While I understood Millie’s motivations (I too tend to be a people-pleaser), there was a bit too much self-flagellation in my opinion which in turn became a bit repetitive. However, she does grow and realize that she needs to be more of her authentic self and be accepted for who she is and how she feels/thinks. I really liked Millie but at times felt her apology period was just too drawn out.

Jack, also a co-worker and a live-in-the-present, be-true-to-yourself and the-heck-with-what-others-think kind of guy, becomes a friend/counselor, helping her navigate her new reality. He was great and really what she needed at that moment in her life.

Millie’s friends, Petra, Cate and Ralph, were the shining lights here, however. Loving, supportive straight-shooters who were there for Millie through thick and thin no matter what. Louis did an exceptional job with those characters.

All-in-all, a good book…perhaps a bit too long and repetitive in spots…but with a nice growth arc. Oh, and a wonderfully romantic and sweet denouement.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books for providing the free early arc of Better Left Unsent for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

3.5 stars

If I was judging this book by the last half, I would say it was a home run. Unfortunately, that’s not the case and the first half of this book was a slog. The concept was interesting and I loved the little snippets of emails that would come at the beginning and/or end of the chapters. And though this book is classified as Women’s Fiction on NetGalley, it is also classified as Romance. Which it is…for the last half. There is a lot of set-up that is done and, quite honestly, I had no idea who the love interest would be for sure until after halfway through, and for the first third of the book there were even three people I felt it could be. Plus, the first kiss doesn’t happen until 2/3 of the way in. I know for those of you who don’t read Romance regularly, you don’t care. But I expect the romance to be a central theme in a Romance book and that just wasn’t the case here. Regardless of whether you read this book for the Romance, for the women’s fiction aspect, or both, the beginning is still very slow.

That being said, Millie is a very sympathetic character and has some amazing friends. It’s interesting to see how different people in her life respond to getting her previously unsent emails. Some cut her out of their lives instead of having an adult conversation. There is turmoil caused in her family which ultimately leads to her parents understanding her on a level they never have before. Some don’t want her to back down from what she said in the missives because they feel it is important for her to speak her mind and stand up for herself. Millie has a lot to learn about herself and the person she has become over the last few years, and this catastrophe helps her to do the work that needs to be done. Sometimes it’s painful, sometimes it’s humorous, often it’s both.

Millie’s obsession with how the emails came to be sent takes over her life and causes problems with her potential happiness. It gives her tunnel vision and she sometimes cannot see the hurt she is causing with her tenaciousness. Although the story started slow, the last half was wonderful. From the romance that gave me butterflies to Millie learning to be brave again.

It’s only fair for me to rate this story as a whole. Since the first half was about 2 stars and the last half was 5 stars, we’ll go ahead with a 3.5 to average it out.

Better Left Unsent had me questioning if I was reading the same author of Eight Perfect Hours and The Key to my Heart. This novel lacked the emotional, heartbreakingly sad, raw story like she's previously written. The story dragged, and incredibly unbelievable. The main character was immature, desperate and a bit unlikable.

Better Left Unsent was not enjoyable, and questioned why I wasn't DNF this book.

Thank you, Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books

This book was the absolute cutest. I absolutely adored Eight Perfect Hours so I knew when I saw another Lia Louis book available to read, I had to have it.

Better left unsent will have you smiling at your kindle or iPad throughout the entire book. I’m pretty sure I was giggling at certain times too. I was completely in my feels. I laughed. I cried. I squealed in delight. Jack is exceptionally swoon worthy during the entire book.

This book had the best slow burn. If you are a fan of slow burns, you need to check it out!

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this; I really did. I think Lia Louis is a phenomenal author. Her books are the equivalent of a warm cup of tea on a rainy day; comfort food for my brain. Her stories always feature fun, imperfect characters and have a depth to them that elevates them over the “usual” romance. She is an auto-buy author me at this point.

Better Left Unsent has a great plot. I thought it was so unique! I felt a little uncomfortable during a lot of the book but I think that was honestly because I am a people pleaser like Millie and it was hard to see how that played out for her. It was frustrating to see her making the same mistakes over and over but I get what it’s like to want people to like you even though it shouldn’t matter. I think this will resonate with a lot of women. It was great to watch her and her friend, Cate, grow throughout the book. And I loved Ralph! Yay for a platonic, supportive male friend!

Jack is an enlightened male lead who is very supportive of Millie even when he wishes she would stand up for herself. I really liked that they compromised so well at the end.

This wasn’t my favorite Louis book but it was a wonderful story and I think it will find a wide audience.

Have you ever accidentally overshared with someone you shouldn’t? The shame spiral afterwards makes me cringe just thinking about it! In Lia Louis’s Better Left Unsent, a woman accidentally spills all of her deepest thoughts to her coworkers. Fun and charming!

Thirty year-old receptionist Millie Chandler feels differently. Two years ago, she had her heart spectacularly broken (in public, no less). Now, Millie takes out her feelings and frustrations with others by drafting an email to them saying what she wishes she had said or telling them bluntly how she really feels. She then files those too-honest emails right into her drafts folder and writes up a proper email, feeling the catharsis of getting her feelings out in a professional way.

Until one morning Millie arrives at work and sees that all of her emails have been sent. It’s as awful as if your entire office received a copy of your diary. I experienced secondhand horror just imagining what Millie was going through! The book opens straight away with Millie being called into the boardroom where a stack of every email she “sent” printed out and sitting on the table. Emails she wrote to colleagues informing them of how rude they are, emails she wrote to her family about secrets she has been keeping for them, and emails she wrote to the man who broke her heart.

I found this book funny and heartfelt. Millie may be in a terrible spot to try and sort out, but her emails are hilarious. The emails are peppered throughout the book, and they make for fun reading in between the horrifying chapters chronicling the aftermath of the email disaster. It’s easy to relate to Millie. She’s absolutely mortified, but she also was someone who was often discarded by those who felt more important than her. Don’t we all wish we could email back some pretentious jerk from work and tell him to say please and thank you if he wants a favor?

The emails to the man who broke her heart, Owen, were raw and emotional. They are the kind of things we all wish we could say but know we can’t. In particular in the aftermath when Millie is broken hearted and has to learn about his engagement to another woman who he just told her two weeks ago was “nothing serious”. The relationship with Owen was toxic, but haven’t we all dated our share of men who were wrong for us? I certainly have.

Don’t worry, Millie finds growth through this mortifying experience. There’s a power in being honest with others and with ourselves. Millie is able to see everything that was rotten about her relationship with Owen, and she may not have if it weren’t for the emails getting released. Perhaps there is even a new love interest in her future!

Funny, charming, heartfelt, and uplifting!

Thank you to Atria Books for my copy. Opinions are my own.

LOVES:
- The bad day/bad town analogy
- Ralph, coolest mushroom guy/flat mate 🥰 and Petra, best work friend 💖 so many great side characters!
- Cate’s situation - too real. Plus, what a sweet, wonderful friend. She deserves so much better.
- The Sims reference 💚
- The self-examination, thinking about what you truly want, having real conversations with your friends and family. Dealing with toxic people and parental pressure. Lots of great themes here.
- Some truly hilarious moments 😂
- The mystery is painful, but you just wanna know! And I really thought I knew the answer, but I definitely did not.
- Saw the side romance coming and loved every freaking second of it
- The epilogue was a little strange, but I liked it and the ending before that was so cute

CRITIQUES:
- “Food being fuel and not joy”????? Gah, absolute rubbish!
- Sometimes I wanted to shake her and say, “wake up! You aren’t noticing the important things!” 🤦🏼‍♀️
- There were time where it felt a little slow moving, but it kept my interest. I think part of that was me wanting more of the romance, but I also appreciated the focus on her other relationships, including with herself.

Thanks to @netgalley for the eARC.

3.5 stars

I loved the premise of this novel and couldn't wait to read it. Haven't we all said or sent something that we wish we hadn't? Millie's journey was an emotional one at times and though there is a very sweet romance sub plot, it's Millie's character arc that is the heart of the story. I'm a huge fan of Lia Louis and her writing is so relatable and wonderful. Sadly, Better Left Unsent didn't hit all the right notes for me.

What I enjoyed:
- The friendships and found family. Lia Louis writes THE BEST friendships! These men and women are compassionate, hilarious, and are 100% ride or die. Cate and Ralph added comic relief to balance the story, but they also added so much love and understanding. Every moment they were on the page was a treat!
- The overall message of facing hard truths and being your most authentic self (versus the palatable version you think you need to be/others want you to be). We see the full spectrum of characters struggling with this, from characters who are 100% faking and manipulating their way through, to those who literally have zero F's left to give about what others think. The story also explores the weight and the toll of expectations we set for others and others set for us.
- The playful and witty banter between Millie and Jack. Their moments were so sweet and easy and had me grinning ear to ear (BackDonald's! Summer-Ween and the costumes!) I loved that Jack saw and accepted Millie exactly as she was.
- Jack. I admit that the fly by the seat of your pants lifestyle isn't for me, but I loved how playful and sweet Jack was. He was just an all around good guy and it showed in all of his interactions. The rhubarb *heart eyes*
- The epilogue. It was perfect for Millie and Jack and felt true to their characters.

Sadly, the pacing of the story was inconsistent and Millie's continued attempts to "right her wrongs" made the story feel too repetitive. Her family drama was a lot and though it contributed to her healing and growth, it also pulled the focus of the story in too many different directions. The mystery plotline about the emails also didn't make the most sense (I'm still confused about the why) and felt anticlimactic once the truth was revealed. The lack of communication was also annoying (though I can understand a lot of that was Millie learning to trust herself again) and the Owen drama dragged on for way too long.

*** SPOILER***

I felt like Jack chose and showed up for Millie over and over again and it really bothered me that she didn't do the same/chose someone's needs over his. I really needed more grovel than her public declaration to make up for the way she hurt him.

***END SPOILER***

Overall, this was still a solid read, but it's not my favorite from the author.

CW: toxic & manipulative relationship, gaslighting, cheating ex, grief, parental emotional infidelity, mentions of hospice care/terminal illness (secondary character), gallstones

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

Imagine the conceit of To All the Boys I've Loved Before except it's draft emails to everyone and not just your past crushes. It includes your best friends, your coworkers (the ones you like and the ones you hate), your parents, random companies, exes, and maybe also your entire company which includes said ex and the ex's current fiance.

This is a big deal for Millie because she never tells anyone how she feels - she wants everything to always be pleasant and no one to ever hate her and never be confrontational or controversial and she's made herself so small that it makes you want to tear your hair out. It's also tragically easy to sympathize with that perspective - it's an experience so many women can identify with whether it's just life or a crap ex that got you into that mentality. It makes Millie relatable in that sense, even when you're screaming at her to step up and step back into her life.

She's also surrounded by an excellent cast of supporting characters - her lovely roommate Ralph, her best friend Cate who finds her own freedom after receiving one of Millie's emails, her boss Petra who is just delightful and deserves her own book about her own love story, and of course, love interest Jack Shurlock who is at times, very annoying, but also goes through his own emotional growth. There's a side plot with Millie's family that was shocking and frustrating, and ongoing drama with her ex and total knob Owen and his fiance Chloe. I'm normally a girl's girl but eff you, Chloe. You don't deserve friends.

What brought this down a star for me was that this was way too long. We have a character who is talked about but not seen until the end and it felt kind of...pointless? The character didn't feel relevant to the story. Also things were drawn out much longer than they needed to be, including Millie making any changes in her life and taking any responsibility for her own feelings. However, there's also a quietness to her that I enjoyed because I feel like it made her semi-quirky persona feel real.

Overall, the humor in this was worth reading, and her friendships and relationships with other women were also great. The romance was swoony and respectful, which is adorable.

This book has a really cute premise about emails in your draft folder accidentally being sent out. Unfortunately, I found this to be really slow. I liked Millie and Jack a lot but there just wasn’t enough of them in the book. The romance was not the main plot and instead it focuses a lot on Millie’s development and her relationships with friends and family members. So I’d say this is more Women’s Fiction than a Romance book.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC!

Unfortunately this book did not work for me. DEAR EMMIE BLUE is one of my favorite books and KEY TO MY HEART was another favorite but BETTWER LEFT UNSENT really did not work for me. The main character was unreliable with her changing opinions and not being able to stand by what she said so the premise felt a little pointless. I will absolutely still be reading future Lia Louis books this one sadly was a miss for me.

3.5 Stars

This was my first book by Lia Louis but it won’t be my last. I really enjoyed her writing style.

Our girl Millie writes replies to emails and never sends them as a way of coping & a way to journal her thoughts and feelings. But what happens when they get sent out? Honest but at times harsh messages to her parents, friends, coworkers & the worst of all a reply to her ex’s wedding invite!

Better Left Unsent had so many layers to the story. I loved the romance aspect to it. The banter & chemistry was so good— by far my favorite part of the story. I also enjoyed the parts with her ex and trying to figure out why her messages were sent!

Some of the other parts dragged a bit for me, specifically the parent storyline & her fallout with her friend over the emails she received. I found myself skimming a lot of those parts because I was just bored. I also found a few parts really cheesy and convenient.

Overall, the things that worked made it worth sticking around for and I found myself not wanting to put it down! I’ll definitely be checking out more from Lia Louis!

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for the ARC of Better Left Unsent in exchange for an honest review.

BETTER LEFT UNSENT by Lia Louis was the charming, unpredictable, and illuminating story of a young woman who drafts the things she dares not say directly to the professionals in her work world, romantic partners, and friends, family, everyone she knows. When two years of such drafts are suddenly released to the world in an unforeseeable, unfortunate technical glitch, Millie is suddenly on the spot, accountable for what she has said and has not said, how she has presented herself and what she truly thinks and feels. That accountability and the aftermath is fun to watch from the safe reader distance in an ultimate delight of escaping into a world that we can imagine doing ourselves and enjoying the banter with her "hot guy" who now knows what she truly thinks of him. Loved the read, inhaled the book in one luscious day. I received a copy of this book and these thoughts are my own, unbiased opinions.

I’m grateful to have received an ARC of this novel. I really enjoyed the concept and the way the plot was carried out. It certainly wasn’t as predictable as it appeared.

I found Millie to be a bit unbearable in the beginning but I realised it was necessary to see her grow throughout the story. The banter between her and Jack was also fun to read and heartwarming, and I love the dynamic between her and her friends.

It really was a great story which shed light on the importance of not being afraid to say what you mean and not letting anyone dim the spark of who you are.