I’ve been a huge fan of Lia Louis’s previous books, but there was something lacking from Better Left Unsent. The premise was unusual and had a lot of promise: Millie writes down her thoughts, the ones she would never say out loud, in draft emails as a way of releasing them. One day, she finds that all her drafts were delivered. Millie is left to pick up the pieces of her life when her deepest thoughts have been shared with the exact people who were never supposed to see them.

Louis always writes wonderfully quirky and loveable characters, and this was no exception. Millie and her friends seem realistic in their quirks and I loved spending time with them. Although the romance was on the back burner for much of the book, I really enjoyed Jack and Millie’s chemistry. It was clear that they complemented each other wonderfully and I was so rooting for them.

The premise definitely did not feel deep enough to sustain the whole book. Millie’s constant need to clean up after herself/the emails got old pretty quickly and there wasn’t much else plot-wise to keep me hooked.

The loveable characters and promise of romance kept me reading, but the charm I expect from Louis’s books wasn’t sustained throughout.

Cute heartfelt romance with definite Bridget Jones vibes! Louis is one of my favorite authors and I’ll always read everything she writes!

3.5 stars!

There are so many things we say every day to the people in our lives, our coworkers, our loved ones, our frenemies, but then there are the things that we don't say...the thoughts we have that are our innermost feelings, not always fit for other ears. No one knows this better than Millie, who finds herself writing all those thoughts as email drafts...that one day get sent out to everyone, upending her life and relationships as she knows it!!

This kicks off a great reckoning for Millie as she figures out who she is, what's really important to her, and helps her understand more about the people around her. She's got her best friend, Cate, whose boyfriend she REALLY didn't like. She's got her newly engaged ex and his fiancee who both happen to work with her. She's got the man, Jack, who she's had a crush on forever and thought she lost her chance with when he moved away. She's got her parents, dealing with some trickier aspects of life. And then, there's Millie herself- lost, unsure, stuck in a people pleasing rut- but the thing that might have ruined her life, actually saved it!

This was a sweet, simple story of a girl finding herself. The romantic connection wasn't that deep, but was quite adorable. The friendships were not too involved, but still supportive and loving. I enjoyed this book- and would have enjoyed it even more if I was reading it poolside!

Thank you so much to Lia Louis and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

Have you ever wanted to be able to speak your mind and just be honest with yourself and others? Well in Lia Louis’s Better Left Unsent Millie Chandler gets that opportunity when all of her email drafts are sent out to everyone. We’re talking drafts of things she wished she could say to her co-workers, ex, besties, parents, and even someone she has a teeny tiny crush on. Although completely devastating at the time, what unfurls is Millie discovering herself and what it’s like to truly be yourself and who she is when she stops hiding and starts trying to live her life. This book is definitely for people who love slow burn, romance novels with touches of epistolary correspondence, and strong friendships (I’m looking at you Cate and Ralph!). I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one, and would say it is a tad slow at the beginning, but definitely worth the read if you stick with it. Watching Millie gain her confidence, discover self-love, and then finally true love was *chef’s kiss* Also, who knew rhubarb could be so sexy?!? IYKYK ;)

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Lia Louis and Atria for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

Millie types email drafts like they're a journal. When all of her unfiltered thoughts get sent out, she is rightfully panicked and suspicious even though the company has assured her that it was all due to a server surge. In the chaos, she finds an ally in Jack, her boss, who offers advice and reassurance regarding Millie's regretful words.

This story moved a bit slower than I had hoped. I enjoyed the chemistry and creativity in Millie and Jack's dates, but I felt like all of the other relationships were toxic. Jack's godmother's marriage that was barely part of the story was the only example of lasting love. Millie's parents, Cate's relationship, Millie's previous relationship, Millie's ex's new relationship... Millie recognizing that she had been emotionally abused seemed to take an exceptionally long time, considering she had been out of the relationship for a couple of years and was witnessing Cate deteriorating in her relationship. I wish the prologue had showed Millie as a young adult who was in her head dreaming so that her stunted emotions and dreaming was really apparent.

Overall, I felt like the email aspect was handled differently than I anticipated, but in a good way. Millie gets drunk but then she faces the repercussions of her words and tries to make amends. In several cases, her (somewhat brutal) honesty brings positive change for her and for the email recipients.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I loved Dear Emmie Blue, so I had high-expectations for this one, but it fell a bit flat for me. I felt like 25% in all that they had talked about were the emails and there was no other real plot developing. However, Lia's writing is fantastic! Her word choices and metaphors are brilliant.

Millie’s discretion and/or lack of self-confidence kept her from sharing hard truths with her friends, coworkers and former and future lovers. Instead, she composed emails containing those truths and stored them in her email drafts folder. When she discovered that those drafts had all been unexpectedly sent, she was mortified, horrified, humiliated and all the other emotions you’d apply to such a predicament. This novel is a delight. There’s great dialog, wonderful characters and relatable situations, all handled with wit, humor and sensitivity. I thought at first that being in Millie’s head was going to wear me out. I’m not sure if the narration changed or I just got into it, but I continued reading Better Left Unsent finding so much pleasure as I did. The last part may have hammered a little hard on the life lessons, though not enough color my over all positive experience with this book.

I don’t know if any review has ever made me as sad to write. I LOVE Lia Louis books. She’s one of my favourite authors. She typically writes contemporary romance with so much heart and incredibly likeable characters. For me, this was not that.

Better Left Unsent is about Millie, who for some reason thinks it’s a good idea to write draft emails to friends and colleagues about issues she has with them, but never intends to send. Not only does she write these drafts, she puts their email address in the “to” line. Nothing bad can come from that!

So obliviously these emails end up getting sent, and she must deal with the fall out. There are emails to coworkers about issues she has with them both small and big, rants to her friends about their relationships, an email to her ex who is about to be married, telling him she still loves him and an email to her work crush.

The premise could have been ok even with how ridiculous it was, but it dragged and dragged. Millie acted incredibly annoying about the whole thing and the drama felt so forced it made me cringe at times.

There was also added drama with her parents which also wanted to seem so much more dramatic than it was, which again just annoyed me. The whole thing seemed silly to me.

The description of Millie also was so inconsistent. She was supposed to be this strong, dances to the beat of her own drum, free spirit, but came across as a needy girl with low self esteem and no personality. She dreamed of travelling the world, but broke down in tears spending the night in a treehouse hotel room because she was by herself and it was raining.

At the 50% mark, I couldn’t begin to understand how I was only half way through. It was so incredibly clear where everything was going and felt painful waiting. The reveal of how the emails had been sent felt complete ridiculous to me.

All of the things I loved about Lia’s previous books felt like they were missing from this one. It was incredibly predictable, I thought the premise was weak, and the MC come across as very annoying in my opinion.

I also thought the love interest Jack was very judgemental in the end, after acting like this carefree, non judgemental perfect man just took a strange turn and after that I didn’t care at all if they got together.

I didn’t see any true depth or humour in this book, which I need. This felt like the romance books that don’t work for me. This was absolutely a not for me book which makes me so sad as Lia is usually a can’t miss author for me

The premise of the book sounded interesting. It didn’t quite live up to what I was hoping for. I thought there would be more backlash from emails. Her friends and Jack were supportive of her faux pas . I thought Jack’s answer to the issue to run away and see where life takes you was immature . A true case of Peter Pan syndrome. I will say it was an entertaining read. Thank you to NetGalley for this free advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

4/5 stars! Loved it, super cute story with some friends to lovers romance, a bit of mystery, and finding yourself along the way.

Millie's email drafts were mysteriously sent out but these aren't typical drafts. Her drafts contain her most raw thoughts to and about these people they're addressed to. On a quest to find out how this happened and redeem herself, she finds love and herself along the way. It kept me guessing on how the emails got sent and I didn't guess the correct answer!

Loved the romance aspect, super cute. Jack was like a knight in shining Armour always being extremely thoughtful and keeping her safe. The rest of the characters were also fun! Some parts I wish it got into a little deeper, especially within the main characters family. But overall I enjoyed this book!

Thank you to Atria Books, Lia Louis, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After Millie's heart was broken a couple of years ago, she became a closed door. She is a pro at holding in all her feelings except for the emails she writes and leaves in her drafts. It is a great way to get all the feelings out without confrontation or someone getting hurt. When one evening all of her email drafts are inexplicably sent, the bottom falls out of her carefully protected life. With the help of some wonderful friends, she picks herself up again and faces her true feelings. From her relationship with her parents to her friends, co-workers, and the ex that broke her heart, it seems no one was spared from an email draft.

I enjoyed spending time with Millie on her journey to living her best life. She is contrite about having her truths out in the world but despite the unfortunate way they were communicated, her words seem to bring positive change. I like how the author turns the rotten situation into a growth experience. The sweet romance that develops is lovely to read as well. While there is miscommunication in the romance, it is not over the top and the ending is rewarding.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

this was a pretty good book! unfortunately i liked the concept better than the actual book. i think it was a great idea but just not executed the best. the characters were fun tho

A good way to deal with heartbreak or hurt feelings is to write letters to those people but not to send them. Millie, however, goes one better. She drafts emails to everyone, declaring all her secrets and feelings. However, she discovers the next morning that all the draft emails have been sent. Apparently a power outage occurred and messed everything up. Chaos!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“Better Left Unsent” by Lia Louis
A Thought Provoking Read
Trauma for Millie and via the story some possibly very worthy therapy for the right reader. If they are ready to be open to the possibility of making changes in their life. But no matter how you slice it… This is a worthy, fun, entertaining, read which I thoroughly loved. Happy Reading ! !
Note: This review expresses my honest opinion.

The idea of my draft emails being sent out is pretty scary… although I’m not sure I would even do draft emails because of my fear of this happening 😜 but leave it to Lia Louis to turn this into a funny, sweet romcom.

Although not sure I would classify this completely of the romance genre. More of a women’s lit, or a beach read.

It was cute. Fans of the author will love it. My heart still belongs with Emmie Blue which holds top spot of hers.

The premise of Better Left Unsent was really unique. Millie’s draft emails she keeps as a diary full of truths and sometimes harsh realities are accidentally sent out to everyone in her life. She is forced to sit in this uncomfortable reality ,and begins to reevaluate her life choices after the unfortunate event. Millie being 29 years old and feeling like she lost herself after a bad break up ,and the temp job that she took has become a five year job was so relatable. I went in thinking this book was a rom-com, but it’s more women’s fiction with a sprinkle of romance. I loved MIllie & Jack, I was smiling and laughing during their scenes, but there weren’t enough in my opinion. They were giving Jim and Pam from The Office. I felt as if the book was dragging on a bit towards the end and the chapters were really long ,but overall I enjoyed this read and most the characters (not Owen he was terrible.) This was my first Lia Louis read and I will definitely be checking out more of her books.

✨Thanks to NetGalley & Atria Books for this ARC

🗓️Pub Date: 5/21/2024

3.25⭐️

Imagínense que un día alguien envía los emails en donde escribieron todos sus pensamientos, descontentos, críticas sobre sus amigos y compañero de trabajo, esos emails que eran privados y sólo eran un método para sacar todo lo negativo. Pues eso le pasó a Millie y la pobre ahora tiene que vivir con las consecuencias. ¿Perderá su trabajo? ¿Sus amistades entenderán? ¿La relación con su madre se rompera?



Pequeños Spoilers ⚠️

Millie no tenia que hablar y decirle disculpas a Chloe.

El responsable de los emails debió haber recibido su merecido, no me importa la razón por la que lo hizo, casi le destruye la vida a Millie.





Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for and honest review.

This captivating story unfolds with a whirlwind of unexpected events from the start. Initially, it feels like a nightmare, with the protagonist inadvertently sending emails they never intended to their coworkers. The initial panic and embarrassment pave the way for what evolves into a delightful rollercoaster of emotions and experiences.

As the plot progresses, each twist and turn draws me deeper into the narrative. Despite the chaos caused by the accidental emails, the story gradually reveals layers of complexity and depth. What begins as a seemingly disastrous mishap transforms into a series of events that bring unexpected joy and fulfillment.

The seamless blend of humor with heartfelt moments throughout the story keeps the reader engaged from start to finish. The comedic mishaps of the protagonist evoke laughter, while moments of genuine connection and growth add depth to the storyline. It's a perfect balance that enhances the overall enjoyment of the narrative.

The characters are exceptionally well-developed, each with their own quirks and complexities. From the protagonist's endearing yet bumbling antics to the supportive camaraderie of the coworkers, every character feels authentic and relatable. Their successes and struggles evoke empathy, creating a sense of emotional investment that keeps the reader hooked.

This story offers valuable insights into resilience and the importance of embracing unexpected circumstances. Through the protagonist's journey of navigating unforeseen challenges, the reader is reminded of the resilience of the human spirit and the potential for growth within adversity. It's a refreshing reminder that even in the face of setbacks, there is always room for redemption.

This book provides a captivating and thoroughly enjoyable experience. With its clever storytelling, lovable characters, and meaningful themes, it leaves a lasting impression that lingers long after the final page. It's a testament to the transformative power of laughter, friendship, and embracing life's unpredictable twists and turns.

The premise of this book was unique and fun. I found the concept relatable, the emails being Millie's version of her inner most thoughts and having those released into the world all at once. I despised her loser ex and loved her friends, especially Petra and Cate. This story had a wonderful balance of relationships with friends, co-workers, and family. Millie experiences a lot of growth and I found her relationship with Jack refreshing. He was a great guy who wasn't perfect, but was a perfect match for Millie. I loved that he wanted to support her through the drama, but I also love that it wasn't an insta-love, all sunshine and rainbows, situation.
The book had a few slow parts, and the self-doubt did get a little repetitive (especially around Owen). This didn't take away from the overall experience and I will definitely recommend this one.

Have you ever imagined your deepest thoughts and feelings accidentally shared with the world? “Better Left Unsent” by Lia Louis plunges readers into the whirlwind life of Millie Chandler, a receptionist whose world turns upside down when her private emails are mistakenly sent out.

In this captivating narrative, Louis masterfully weaves together humour, romance, and the unwavering support of loved ones. Millie’s journey of self-discovery and resilience resonates deeply, as she navigates the aftermath of her intimate revelations being laid bare.

From the outset, I found myself drawn to Millie’s character, rooting for her every step of the way. Her strength, compassion, and unwavering determination in the face of adversity are truly inspiring. Louis crafts a protagonist who is not only relatable but also emblematic of the power of forgiveness and personal growth.

What sets “Better Left Unsent” apart is its ability to evoke a range of emotions, from laughter to tears, in a single sitting. Louis’s narrative effortlessly captures the complexities of human relationships, reminding us of the importance of trust and the healing power of love. Millie’s resilience serves as a poignant reminder that even in our darkest moments, there is always hope for redemption.

Final Thoughts:

Lia Louis has once again delivered a masterpiece that is sure to captivate readers from start to finish. “Better Left Unsent” is a testament to the enduring power of love, friendship, and the indomitable human spirit. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone in search of a heartwarming story that will stay with them long after the final page.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher, but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.