This is the first book I have read by the author. I have heard great things about her other books. However, Better Left Unsent just fell short for me. That being said, I did enjoy the book but it went by so slow for me. Millie is a 32 year old receptionist and while she has been left heartbroken by the company that they both work for, Flye golden boy Owen - 2 years ago. She seemed very immature for her age. As someone in the administrative field I did feel for Millie but I didn't connect with her character. Her poor me attitude all the time became a drag to read. I chose to pick up this book because I felt like it would be an interesting read. Who doesn't want to read about someone's emails being sent? I was hoping for a read filled with gossip, and chaos. Instead it was more like something that could have been said at face value if the character had any type of back bone.

I think it painted receptionists and administrative professionals in a bad light with how Millie just lets people walk all over her.

For instance Alexis - She just forgave her for everything! That is such bullshit. That is a bad friend. You don't trash your friend and things that happened to her on tiktok and ghost her then just show up in the last chapter. All the while Millie is begging her to come to the treehouse?! That would be an automatic un-invite.

AND OWEN? I was holding out for a whole Screw you scene where Millie makes him feel less than small. Instead she's waiting in the rain for him having a conversation with him while he's drunk. He probably won't even remember in the morning. Missed opportunity I think. Especially with Chloe.

I did enjoy the scenes centered around Millies friends Cate, and Ralph. I think she had a great support system, including her parents. I wish the author had gone more into the backs of the mother seeing another man.

For what little "romance" this book had I did enjoy the scenes with Jack and Millie the most but they also lacked luster, and Chemistry I felt. I don't think that Jack ever really came out of his shell and even at the end of the book It just didn't make sense to me that they were in love over a couple dates and kisses. It would have been better had it been given more time to be developed.

I rated it three stars because there were things I did enjoy about the book but I wouldn't recommend it to someone.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Atria Books for early access.

Honestly, this was not for me. As someone who works in IT, I absolutely loved the idea of this book. But getting into it, it just felt too chaotic, too "all over the place". Millie as a character was just "too quirky" for me, and therefore I couldn't find myself like her.

I can definitely see where others would like this book, it just didn't grab me, it wasn't for me.

Have you ever drafted an email for the sake of getting something off your chest? Well, Millie’s been doing just that. She just has no intention of sending said emails. Until one day there’s a glitch in the system and all her drafts get sent out. All 107 of her very honest unfiltered emails. The emails range from being about who she has the hots for in the office, being a jilted lover, hating on her friend’s boyfriend, and telling people off for bad behavior. Millie’s life has been turned upside down and has to face the consequences of her very real inner most thoughts. Millie might just find that there’s freedom and excitement to be had in being more open and honest. But some honestly might come at a cost. Don’t worry there is romance too!

God - this romcom made me instantly go through and delete my drafts at work. It’s kind of far fetched that she would actually address the emails… because let’s be real whose anxiety can actually survive addressing emails until they’re perfected… certainly not mine! But despite that one flaw I found this book to be incredibly charming, face paced, and hilarious. The drama of each email kept me on the edge of my seat! With a great lesson on the importance of honesty.

If you enjoy face paced, humorous books, with loads of awkwardness and drama you’ll love this one. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Better Left Unsent was my first Lia Louis book, and it certainly won’t be my last! It had humor, heart, depth, great characters, and a fun plot…what more could you ask for?!

Millie has a method for dealing with her frustration when she doesn’t want to get involved in a conflict- she writes an email and leaves it in her unsent folder. When something happens at work and all of her unsent emails suddenly get sent, her life is thrown into utter chaos. Issues with her ex, her best friends, her parents, and her co-workers are brought front and center in her life, and Millie slowly comes to realize that maybe it would be better if we all just said what we were feeling.

I adored this book. The synopsis reminded me a bit of Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella, a book I absolutely loved years ago, and it made me immediately grab this book. I felt for Millie through all the embarrassing moments she went through. Her character has a kind heart and truly wants good things for other people, and I was charmed watching her character growth from someone who didn’t feel like she deserved good things to someone who knew she did. Her love interest is absolutely charming, and their first date swoon worthy and meaningful.

We also get a friendship story that is deep and heartfelt, as Millie’s emails to her besties help them face hard truths about things in their own lives. I loved seeing their unbreakable bond as they helped each other find themselves!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own,

We all have things we think or feel about people or certain situations but that we never say out loud.  Well Millie is no different.  But, she finds an outlet for all of her emotions/feelings/thoughts in drafting emails where she give her honest replies to everyone…coworkers, family, friends, her ex, and even her new crush, with the plan of never actually sending them out.  Think of it as a digital diary of sorts.  However, her life gets turned upside down, when all of those email drafts get accidentally sent out to everyone…all 102 drafts.  Now she must deal with the after math of everyone reading the thoughts she never meant anyone to see ever.

Because of this accident, this book was full of both funny and embarrassing moments and interactions for Millie.  I felt for Millie as she felt that her life was falling apart, however, since she just couldn’t let it go, it started to become a detriment to other areas of her life, and I felt like the story became more about her finding out the ‘how’ behind the accidental send and it wouldn’t release its hold on her until she found out all the answers.  On the flip side, I liked learning about Millie and those in her life and their relationships through these accidentally sent emails, and the writing made these characters feel very relatable.  I mean, I know I can relate to someone hearing or learning about something I didn’t want them to know, so I could feel and understand her cringe in dealing with this.  I just wish she would have seen the supportive people around her a little more and a little earlier, as they were in her corner, trying to help her deal.

Overall, another fun read from Lia Louis to add to the collection.

Better Left Unsent publishes on May 21st!

Thanks to Lia Louis, Atria Books, and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I am a fan of Lia Louis & this one was a cute story with some depth. I love that her characters feel very human and not perfectly crafted, And I firmly believe that Lia Louis can write inner dialogue like nobody else. I was laughing out loud multiple times during this book.

Thank you to Netgalley & Atria Books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

⭐️: 3
🌶️: 0
Pub Date: 05/21/2024

✨ workplace romance
✨ recently single
✨ second hand embarassment
✨ British chick lit

I genuinely struggled with the first 40% of this book solely because the premise just didn’t make any sense to me. No corporate girlie would write scathing emails, save them in their drafts like a diary, and keep the “to” field populated! The entire debacle could have been entirely avoided, but alas it was not. This book is also British Chick Lit, so if you aren’t into that type of writing, this book may not be for you.

I did find the remainder of the book enjoyable. And the twist when we find out how the emails got sent kept me flipping the pages to find out more! This one was light on the romance, but heavy on the drama and friendship. All around an easy read.

📚Thank you NetGalley, Atria books and Lia Louis for the ARC of Better Left Unsent.

For the publisher & editor - I found the internal monologue quite confusing to discern from actual monologue. It was a fun addition, but should perhaps just be italicized instead of inside quotations. I found myself rereading multiple lines, entirely unsure it was actually said or not.

****Publishing May 21, 2024****

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Imagine your worst nightmare happens when your draft emails are sent by a glitch in the system at work. Millie wrote draft emails to vent, not ever intending to send them. Now that all 105 emails have been sent, she will have to face the consequences. It brings out all kinds of drama as truths are revealed. Ralph, her roommate and friend, is the one who she goes to as she can lean on him for advice. Is her life over? Will people understand or will they be offended? Will they seek revenge? This book will have you turning the pages to find out Millie’s fate!

This light-hearted book will have you laughing from the start and rolling your eyes at the sane time! It’s a clever, highly entertaining story that is hard to put down! A great book to take on vacation!

Thanks to Atria Books(Atria/Emily Bestler Books), I was provided an ARC of Better Left Unsent by Lia Louis via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved everything that Lia Louis has written, and this is exception.

Millie.chandler is such a quirky character, and so relatable at the same time. Who hadn't wanted to respond to emails with some zingers?! I will say I have been more cautious about deleting my drafts because I would be so embarrassed if they got sent (mostly blank, half thoughts- but still)

Jack Sherlock is *chefs kiss*. I wish we had more of Jack and millie.

Every character was well thought out and each one was so individual, and I loved that.

AND THE RHUBARB FARM. SWOON.

I'm gonna need a Sequel with Ralph and Cate.

Fun, created a new fear for me... slightly unbelievable aspects (who writes the "to section" of a draft email they AREN'T sending??) but the ending was quite cute and Cate and Ralph seemed like good friends.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC

I really enjoy romcoms that have a unique sense of place (in this case, England) and make you laugh out loud with witty humour. Better Left Unsent ticked those boxes.

In this story, main character, Millie, experiences the worst horrifying moment when she realizes all of her draft emails are released from her work account after a server glitch. The emails were her cathartic release of writing out frustrations of others to get them off her chest, but not actually sending them. Unfortunately, that plan backfired.
In the aftermath, Millie tries to make things right. She’s dealing with her ex-boyfriend and his fiancé who works at the same company, her co-workers, her work crush Jack, and her dear friends and parents. It seems no one in Millie’s life went unscathed from this mishap.

Millie also has low self-esteem, and has never felt like she measures up to her parent’s expectations, and the success of her brother who lives in the USA. As Millie works through the email crisis and coming of age problems in her early thirties, it’s handled with many laugh out loud moments. Also moments that are truly cringeworthy.

At times I felt the story was a little angsty, repetitive, and the miscommunication between characters a bit cringy. The story got into a few scenes which were preachy; “telling” instead of “showing”. But I could relate to a lot of the life lessons in the story, and I loved how Millie’s true friends supported her and each other. If you enjoy a coming of age rom-com with a sweet buttercream icing finish, this will be a good summer book for your beach bag.

3.5 stars.

Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and Netgalley for the electronic advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I wanted to love this one. But I found that the repetitiveness really got to me. It just kept dragging on. Millie continuing to try to make up for the emails being sent even though it wasn't her fault... I just wanted her to grow a backbone sooner. In the end I couldn't stick it out.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

Have you ever wrote something down when your having strong feelings with out the intention of ever sending it? Well imagine that writing tons of emotional emails to friends, co-workers and exes over the years and those private thought accidently getting sent out. That's exactly what happens to Millie in Better Left Unsent. She wakes up to find all her emotional thought and pains were sent out for everyone to read. Millie has to find a way to navigate through the biggest scandal of her life while making amends for the drama she has caused. I enjoyed Better Left Unsent but it did give me second hand embarrassment.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

Such a cute concept for a book! The HORROR of your work email drafts being sent and the roller coaster of dealing with the aftermath!

Millie had a great support system in the book to be her sounding board and help her navigate the turmoil.

Some very funny moments in the book and the banter was cute! Slower-pace read for me, but built up at appropriate times and wrapped up all the loose ends at the end nicely.

Would recommend this book to friends!

I loved the premise for this one, so was really excited to give it a read. All manner of crazy and unpredictable things can happen when your email drafts accidentally get sent out to everyone, including your family, friends, ex-boyfriend who is now planning his wedding, and the cute guy at work that you had that great conversation with at a work party.. Open the door for so many funny interactions and embarrassing mishaps. To be honest, I found myself a bit disgruntled and annoyed as I felt that Millie's rant about her emails being sent out went on a bit too long in the beginning, and I was tired of hearing her complain about it, so much as interested in the aftermath, but I kept reading. Then before I knew it I was quickly halfway through the book. It definitely snuck up on me, and I became more invested as the story evolved. Would have liked to get into it more quickly, so for that I would give it 3.5 stars. However, it's a cute story, witty moments and banter, relatable characters, classic rom-com, and a really interesting premise. Thanks so much to Lia Louis, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this e-arc.

I am a huge fan of Lia Louis, and I have always recommended her books to anyone looking for a good book! While Better Left Unsent was good, it likely won't be the first Lia Louis book I would recommend for someone to read. The book was slow to read at times, but it really picked up in the last hundred pages. Nevertheless, it is still a great read with a unique storyline and well-developed characters! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I cringed and chuckled my way through this book. It was fun and witty, yet emotional. The book surrounds one little {big} mistake but one that allows the main character to find her true self and flourish. This was a heartwarming read!

This book was an easy read, but it was just too slow and a little too quirky for me. If you like lighthearted romance books, you may enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this free ARC.

Who knew forced rhubarb was romantic!? This was a good quick read, I loved how sweet Jack was. I feel like some of the book dragged but overall the story was cute. Read this book if you love workplace romance!