Lia Louis does it again, creates a book that makes me stay up late into the evening reading. As I read this book I felt the frustration of the main character. Lia Louis creates characters that tend to be very relatable, the friend group was good a breath of fresh air. I can't wait to bring this in the store for readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC copy from one of my favorite authors, Lia Louis. This book is filled with her signature combination of angsty and affectionate. The emotional and nuanced details she includes for how our protagonist, Millie, is dealing with the outcome of a situation that at times feels like it’s of her own making and at other moments feels forced upon her feels realistic and true to character.

It’s part of what I love most about her book Dear Emmie Blue, and at times it felt like these characters could have been interchangeable with Emmie and Eliot. So if you’re craving that soft sell love story, this might scratch that itch.

Unlike Dear Emmie Blue, though, at times this book felt like it had too many characters worked into the plot that seemed to be side stories. The character of Alexis, for instance, didn’t seem to drive the plot or spend much time on the page. It felt like maybe she had a larger presence in an earlier draft that had to be trimmed down for space or time. I found myself wishing there were less focus on the side characters and stories and more time getting a deeper look at the budding relationship and feelings Millie is developing as she continues on her journey of personal growth. For instance, the parents’ relationship provides some context and insight for how Millie has reached some of these feelings about herself and her situation, but I found myself skimming over those sections of the story because I was eager to get back to our main characters.

At times this reads more like women’s fiction than a hard and fast romance, but the grand gestures are classic romance catnip for true HEA fans. If you’re looking for a tender and relatable story, this book delivers it with beautifully descriptive prose.

As someone who never adds a recipient to an email until I’m ready to send, the whole basis of the conflict in this book is baffling to me. You want to write an email draft? Fine. Just don’t put yourself in a position where you can accidentally send it let alone someone else…

While I didn’t mind the main character, I felt the love story in this was really lacking. I wish we had more of the friendship storyline (that isn’t really resolved until the end). It was a fine book but a bit too long and underwhelming as a romance.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m sure most of us have been there in some point of our lives. Someone says that “one thing” and “has to go there” or someone chooses to act like a selfish entitled snob and you JUST. CAN’T. TAKE. IT. ANYMORE… you must vent and fast!
Well, meet our main character, Millie Chandler, who feels like writing the cold, hard truth replies to emails of her friends, coworkers, family and even companies of crappy products and leaving them unsent is rightfully satisfying and ohhh boy how wrong she is. Like have we not learned ANYTHING from Mean Girls?! The truth will set you free my friend, but just not in an email format. Now raise your hand if you have been personally victimized by Millie Chandler and her emails? Because we soon find out all of Millie’s unsent email 🪄magically 🪄 appears in people’s inboxes and our story takes off!
Now my two biggest things from this story is how we find out the truth of emails and how that particular culprit gets the equivalent of sad face emoji 😢 and walks away with their job and dignity. FOR REAL?! All while Millie is baking cakes and justifying her mental gymnastics of trying to make up for the people she sent those emails to. [Insert Joe Biden’s Come on man! Gif]
Second the writing felt like a constant stream of conscience. There were time where I was ready to write an email about this book, because Lia Louis has some really good books out there, especially Eight Perfect Hours, swoon material right there! But one must walk away, put the phone down and take advice from my kid’s bestie, Daniel Tiger 🎵“take a deep breath and count to four.” 🎶
I did like Jack and his friendship with Millie but I wish his character was fleshed out more.
Definitely a 2.5 ⭐️ but will round up to 3 because of our boy Jack.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Millie Chandler does what every person dreams of -- she writes snarky draft responses to friends and coworkers emails, that she never sends...until that dreaded day where there was a network glitch, and every single one of those emails was sent. Mortifying, right? Or maybe not. I really enjoyed this book as Millie learned things not only about herself, but with the people she surrounds herself.

Dear Emmie Blue remains my favorite book, but Lia Louis has easily become an auto read author for me.

Heartwarming! I adore Lia Louis’ stories of somewhat quirky, always relatable characters trying to make their way in the world. At times witty, at times heartbreaking, and oozing charm, Better Left Unsent is delightfully entertaining. This novel isn’t perfect - The pacing is a bit uneven and for me, the tale would have been more impactful had some of the details not serving the story well been trimmed away. That said, I much enjoyed reading this book!

Recommended to fans of Lia Louis’ prior novels.

Many thanks to Atria / Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for a complimentary ARC. Opinions are my own.

Oh my goodness, what a read! At first, I was just totally mortified for Millie and her emails. I was also sitting here thinking how could that happen in accident… haha. Jack, all the heart eyes for Jack. I love that he doesn’t hold back and he listens to everything Millie has to say. So perfect. I also am so happy with the growth Millie experienced during the entire book. At first, I didn’t really care for her character at all and I really grew to love her as she grew to love herself. The book itself really started off slow and kind of overdone, but the story developed in a way that I loved and ended up not being able to put it down for the last 40%.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the eARC copy!

4.25 stars. I will preface this review by saying that I am a huge Lia Louis fan and have read all her other books. I have been looking forward to this one and I'm grateful to Netgalley for allowing me to review this book pre-publication.
While this book didn't knock "Dear Emmy Blue" off the pedestal of my favorite of her books, I really enjoyed it. Like many authors, Louis has a formula that she tends to stick with which in Romance most readers appreciate. Hers lands in the category of British Growmance, a genre that is one of my favorites. Protagonists tend to be a bit messy with a lot of things they can improve in their lives. I was really excited about the premise of the emails, it made an interesting start to the book and a way she could fix a lot of issues in her life that she wasn't confronting. It did make the beginning pretty abrupt though, but I didn't mind it too much. As the book went on I definitely enjoyed it more.
One thing that I realized while reading this book is how appealing and romantic the love interests are in her books. Another British romance author I love is Mhairi McFarlane and as much as I love her books, I can take or leave the MMC's most of the time. Louis's though, are so swoony and incredibly romantic. Banter in her books is on point. Perhaps it's how she writes the scenes but when I think back to her other books, the ending of Dear Emmy Blue and Key to My Heart, the flower arranging scene in Eight Perfect Hours... Totally swoon city. Not every romance book has scenes like this but hers definitely do. This book was no exception. I won't spoil it but the MMC definitely won me over with how he bantered and how he romanced the protagonist.
I'm taking half a star off for the part that I didn't totally enjoy and that was the ending. The last chapter and the resolution of the story was pretty formulaic and the grand gesture was a bit 😬. It just didn't hit like all her other books. Obviously the resolution I wanted (it's a romance of course) but it could have been better. And the epilogue definitely made me roll my eyes. It probably would have been better written in a different style.
Still, she remains a 100% insta buy ( or put on hold asap at the library) author for me. This book overall did not disappoint.

I enjoyed this story a lot. All of the characters were full of personality which made the story fun and emotional. Jack and Millie were so great as a couple. Their relationship developed in a natural way were nothing seemed to rushed or didn’t make sense. All of the side characters and their dramas were nicely done and didn’t overwhelm the plot but added to it. I liked that the email fiasco actually had good effects to those that received them. Millie was put through the wringer and at times was a little too stressed over it. There were definitely moments where I wanted her to read the room more and move on from it. That kind of felt drawn out. I did like really love the ending of the story. The epilogue really helped tie everything up nicely. The only thing I wish this had was Jacks point of view. Many not the whole book but a few chapters here and there would have been nice to have his perspective. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fast read that’s full of cute banter and a cute HEA!

Quirky funny and so sweet.
I found myself giggling quite often through the book.
I really enjoyed the humor.
And the author writes such relatable characters and scenarios that feel quite realistic.

I adored Jack and he is definitely an MMC that had me swooning.
I do wish we got more of Millie and Jack though. I loved their love story but there was so much surrounding drama distracting from it. And I often found myself wanting more of them and wanting to skip other bits.
And the end seemed so rushed and quick. I would have loved a little more of their togetherness. I finally got what I wanted and then it was over. Which, you really psyched me out Lia, I thought I wasn’t about to get them together and my anxiety was triggered 😂. But phew. It worked out.

If it had less of all the surrounding chaos it would have been much higher for me.
Between the multiple friends drama, ex bf, ex boyfriends ex fiancé, workplace issues, parental drama… it was just a lot and I guess in a simple lady.

But I did love the message and I really resonated with it. That we get stuck in our daily lives, routines, doing what we think we are supposed to. That we don’t truly experience life, the world. It’s something that hit me personally a few years ago when I decided to up and backpack Europe for 2 months. And it was the best decision I have ever made. So that part of the story really touched me.


I thought it was very cute and very sweet. And I look toward to future books by the author :)

Better Left Unsent, by Lia Louis: This was a little slow, but grew on me over time. Millie is a 30 year old receptionist who had her heart broken by a coworker, Owen, two years ago. She’s been struggling to get over him, when one day, all of her draft emails get sent to the entire company. Problem is, Millie uses her drafts to write things to people she’d never say to their faces – like a snarky note that someone’s breath was bad, or an angry diatribe that they made a racist remark in a meeting, or… missives telling Owen she’s still in love with him. The premise was cute, but I thought the fallout lasted way too long, with Millie obsessing over them for weeks after everyone else had seemingly moved on. Millie’s immaturity was a bit frustrating at times, and while there was romance in this, it was much more of a coming of age novel as she learns to get comfortable in her own skin.

Better Left Unsent is a fun and charming read! While it wasn't emotional like the authors previous novels I did find myself really enjoying the story!

I've given every Lia Louis book I've read 5 stars...I think literally all of them could easily be made into instantly succesful movies, and Better Left Unsent was no different. While it took me a little bit longer to get into than her others, in the end, it did not disappoint. You've got a quirky and realistic main character who you're rooting for, a swoon-worthy love interest, and plenty of romantic tension. I loved the fun banter and dynamic between Millie and Jack. I think maybe my only criticism is that there were a lot of things going on (which is very much how real life is, and I can see why Louis included all of these little sub-plot issues), and I don't think all of them were completely developed. Millie's friendship with Alexis in particular while completely believable just seemed like a bit of an add-on here and there.

This was my first Lia Louis book, but the premise sounded interesting and something I hadn’t read before so I gave her a chance. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. I found the main character, Millie to be incredibly frustrating. She was fixated on the emails and continued to apologize (despite it not being her fault, who hasn’t written an email out of anger/sadness) without doing anything more than baking bread. I honestly didn’t believe that Jack would be interested in her, as she was. I did really enjoy the side characters and the writing was well done. I’ve heard really good things about the authors previous work so this book won’t stop me from checking those out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the opportunity to review the eARC.

What happens when all your personal gravels with people, written down signed sealed and (not) delivered are sent out to the world? That’s what happened to Millie Chandler. Whenever Millie dealt with an irate coworker, or had a bad experience with a friend, she coped with her day by writing out her feelings addressed to the people responsible and saved them to her email drafts. But when those emails she never expected to get sent are released to the world, Millie has to find a way to adapt to her new normal and try to fix relationships she has hurt along the way.

I really really enjoyed this book. The concept was so interesting and I really liked that the plot opened up immediately into the book rather than having a few chapters of world building. It was perfectly paced to see how the emails changed Millie’s life in real time. Millie and Jack had a genuine connection that built up chemistry over time. I wouldn’t consider this a romance book, but rather more towards fiction with some romantic elements. The story fully follows Millie and her quest to heal both herself and the world around her from the emails she never meant to get out.

Really enjoyed this one even though it made me double check my email drafts folder! Ever have the nightmare that your for your eyes only, unfiltered thoughts will get shared with everyone and your life will get changed in unknown ways? Yeah, me too! Lia Louis takes us on that journey in Better Left Unsent - this book will draw you in and make you think about how to live your life as your authentic self (and probably make you check your email drafts folder). Highly recommend!

Millie is at a low point in her life. She survived a break up that, quite literally, broke her. Trying to cope with her feelings, she writes emails to EVERYONE about her true feelings (including her ex that she still loves, whew). When these emails spontaneously get sent, she has major damage control and Jack, a coworker who is much higher up in the company, swoops in to help her.

Lia Louis writes a fun and engaging story that I did not want to put down! I loooove a slow burn romance, and this hit me in all the feels.

Not only are Millie and Jack amazing characters with so much character development, but all the side characters were entertaining as well! Their chemistry had me staying up late to find out WHEN will they finally give in to each other!

I was expecting a light, romcom feel to this book but it actually addressed (and overcame) emotional abuse in a relationship and the adverse effects it has on you. I was rooting for Millie to gain confidence and overcome what her ex put her through. And wow, did this book have a surprising twist!

If you’re looking for captivating slow burn romance that cute, funny, and deep - then read this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Instead of telling people what she really thinks, Millie writes them an email and saves the draft. Bet you can guess what happens...somehow they end up being sent. Naturally, this forces Millie to deal with the fallout and learn how to be true to herself. There are good characters and friendships (looking at you, Cate and Ralph), and I enjoyed the story.

Lia Louis continues to be an auto-read author for me and I am so glad I was able to read the arc of Better Left Unsent. This was a cute and funny story that also had a lot of emotions and I really liked Millie the main character, and could only imagine how embarrassed she must have felt when the emails were sent. There were a lot of side characters and work colleagues that did get confusing at times but for the most part I enjoyed the side characters and especially Millie's friendship with her roommate Ralph and her best friend Cate. This was a quick read for me rating it 4 stars and would absolutely recommend to read and I will continue to look forward to more books from Lia Louis. I want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book so much! This was my first Lia Louis book and it didnt disappoint. From the moment the emails got sent out and Millie had to do damage control i was hooked, it did kind of lack luster for a bit but did pick up again. This is a good book to get you out of a slump, a nice, cozy read.