3.5 Thank you Atria Books for the gifted eARC

Milie Chandler’s life is turned upside down when all of her draft emails get sent out en masse. Not one for confrontation, Millie would use these unsent emails as a way to express the things she could never actually say. So when everything is out in the open, she is left scrambling to get her work life and personal life back in control.

Lia Louis is one of my very favorite contemporary authors. I adore her witty dialogue, secondary characters, complicated relationships, and the women learning to become the main characters of their own lives (à la one of my all time favorites - Iris Simpkins). All of these things can be found in Better Left Unsent, but this book didn’t quite grab me in the way her previous books have.

I find it’s a vicious cycle when a book doesn’t grab me early on - I end up reading it distractedly in little chunks, which usually then makes me lose more focus and the process worsens. Better Left Unsent got this treatment, so please know this may have been a victim of those circumstances.

The premise of this book made me a bit nervous going in, because it sounds like my worst nightmare come true!! But it actually played out very well and was not overdone. There were some great secondary characters in this book, but they were a little more one dimensional than some of Louis’ other novels. For me, the biggest downfall was the romance. I never found myself all that interested in the MMC and the romantic pacing didn’t create a slow burn that I think was intended for this book. There was also a secondary conflict happening in the story that didn’t weave in very naturally.

Although this was not a big win for me, I will be anxiously awaiting whatever story we get next from Lia Louis. Also, let me take this opportunity to please please please ask you to read Dear Emmie Blue if you have not yet done so!!!

💌 Better Left Unsent by Lia Louis
Genre: Women's Fiction, Romance
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

First Lia Louis, and definitely not my last 🥹

I couldn't imagine if what happened to Millie happened to me. All my secrets and private thoughts exposed? All the things I wish I could say but couldn't for some reason sent to the world... without my permission? I'd probably be so embarrassed. 😳

But it will also gave me a sense of freedom, just like it did Millie. Make me want to be more open and brave enough to tell the world what I really think. To be true to myself and not conform to what others think I should be.

This was so heartwarming! Although there were some sad and difficult events to deal with, overall it was hopeful and encouraging.

I love love Millie, and was glad to see her growth throughout the book. I love her amazing friends who supported her through her rough patch, even while going through their own rough patches.

And the romance is oh-so-sweet and swoony too. I just love how straightforward he is to Millie, and pushed her to be more open and adventurous. They are a really good match, they balance each other out. (Hero's name retracted, find out for yourselves 👀)

This book is just so... human. It's beautiful.

P.S. I love that Millie got the grand gesture!! Awww 🥹

Read if you like:
💖 Heartwarming stories
🥰 Solid and supportive friend groups
👫 Family and relationship drama
✨ Cute banter and chemistry
📽️ Quirky costumes

Other details and mild spoilers:
Closed door, kissing only
Single first-person POV
CW: emotional manipulation, cheating, alcoholism

4.5 stars! I received this book as an ARC for review. I have to say I really enjoyed this book. The main characters were likable. Millie seems to be finding herself, but also dealing with a whole load of baggage from the emails sent. The MMC was supportive of her and I loved their flirtation. Their connection felt natural. It was closed door, and I think adding some spice would have sealed the deal for me. The Friendship with Cate and Petra, as well as Ralph were well written and developed. I even appreciated the mature conversations that developed with the other female characters and coworkers as a result to this email. I thought this book had a unique premise, and I was not disappointed. I will give it 4.5 for lack of spice, which always enhances the relationship for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this read. This was okay but a bit unrealistic in the way that it was started. I understand it had to happen somewhere but I do not think this could ever happen. draft remain drafts and...I am an IT person and this made it hard for me to read but it was funny if you remove your belief.

I am such a big Lia Louis fan! I fell in love with Dear Emmie Blue (was already feeling a reread and this clinched it) and then read everything else she's published, so I was very excited I got an ARC for her newest book.

Something goes terribly awry and all of the ranty, venting, never supposed to be seen by anyone, get it off her chest messages in her work email drafts folder get sent out to colleagues, friends, and family. Including her ex and his fiance, both of whom she works with. One email that didn't go through was to Hot Jack, a manager in the office she had a pleasant drunken evening conversing with at an office party and wondered if there was a moment that they almost kissed. Thankfully, she has her best friend, roommate, her boss, and apparently Jack in her corner while she navigates life A.E. (after emails).

I really enjoyed this book right from the jump, as Louis did a wonderful job with Millie like she has with so many of her MCs. Millie is chaotic, sarcastic, dramatic, kind of a mess, and so so relatable. I adored her POV from the first page on. I mean, who hasn't had conversations in their head or typed out a message and then never sent it? Two options you can learn from from Millie: don't put in the recipient's address while you're in drafting mode OR just learn to speak and own your truth, you never know who you could affect positively.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy!

PUB DAY REVIEW

Thank you #partners #emilybestlerbooks @atriabooks @librofm & @simon.audio for my #gifted copies 💕

Better Left Unsent
Lia Louis

4.5 rounded up

In February of last year I saw @lialouisauthor post a reel about the book she was writing, and it immediately jumped to the top of my "OMG I NEED TO READ THIS BOOK" list. 🎉

Here's the premise: A woman named Millie writes emails to the people in her life, spilling her innermost thoughts and feelings in a draft that she never actually sends. It's a way for the closed-off Millie to vent — to get things off her chest without actually harming anyone. But one night, a server outage occurs, and in the process every single one of Millie's email drafts gets sent to the recipient! 😱 From coworkers to friends to family to her now-engaged ex — everyone now knows Millie's true feelings. 😫 Though even as her life comes crumbling down around her, some good may actually come into Millie's life as a result of this cringeworthy fiasco.

Better Left Unsent is a gem! It was everything I'd hoped it would be and more! Humorous and heartwarming, with a charming, loveable protagonist who readers can't help but root for; a tender, slow burn romance; and a moving exploration of honesty in relationships, Better Left Unsent checked all of my romcom boxes!

🎧 Narrator Ashley Tucker is spectacular! Though this was my first time hearing her, her voice has a familiarity and warmth that I just love! She made this such a wonderful listening experience and I look forward to seeking out other books she's narrated.

📌 Available now!

° ° ° ° °

⭐️rating: 4.5/5

Loved it! From the first couple chapters, I was immediately hooked. The writing flows so well and is hilarious. Such a joy to read!

Millie was a great FMC and so relatable. She’s dealing with a major fiasco, but you really feel for her. And it’s so satisfying to see how everything works out amid this chaos. It’s full of drama and realizations, but everything gets answered and resolved in such satisfying ways!

And Jack😍, can’t forget Jack! He’s such a perfect match for Millie, and I love him so much. He’s just what she needs and, while there’s no spice, I love their sweet romance. Screw Owen. But all the other side characters are wonderful! Everyone needs a Cate as their best friend💙

I’d definitely recommend this if it sounds interesting to you! A great rom-com with delicious drama, personal growth, and an ending that leaves you all warm and fuzzy inside.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was totally captivated by this non-traditional romcom story! Millie is at a job that was supposed to be temporary, continuing to nurse her broken heart when her manipulative boyfriend, Owen, left her 2 years ago, and harbors feelings of inadequacies in her parents eyes. She does not feel like she has lived up to the expectations of others, instead of living up to her own. I felt Millie was very relateable with her real albeit self-imposed insecurities. Jack was such a sweet, caring, swoon-worthy hero who helped remind Millie to be her authentic self. "I'm asking you to be you". Something she has forgotten over the last 5 years. I just loved Millie and Jack together.

I also enjoyed watching Cate and Ralph get to know each other. Maybe they could end up having their own story?

The beginning fell a little flat for me. Millie has been keeping a diary, so to speak, in the form of unsent email drafts. One day she wakes up to find that they ALL have been sent. Some of them are angry and bitter, others are overtly embarrassing. For Millie, it is a lot of 'whoa is me', 'what can I do to fix this?',' how does this makes me look?' But, once Millie and Jack started becoming friends and went out to 'Backdonald's' I was HOOKED! Their interaction and growing relationship was cute, funny, and made my heart soar.

I won't give away the ending, but suffice it to say it kept me guessing and hoping through it all This is one of the best books I have read in awhile!

**Thankyou to Netgalley, the published, and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review**

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**