In Better Left Unsent, all of Millie's email drafts get sent without her knowledge. Unfortunately, she's been using her drafts as a diary where she vents about people she knows at work and in real life. Oops. Everything blows up in her face, but it also forces her to be honest with herself for the first time in years. It doesn't hurt that co-worker Jack is absolute perfection in book form and that he likes Millie.

Overall, this was a fun read.

Trust Lia Louis to come up with such a plot and build a beautiful story out of it!
The subject matter is quite an embarrassing one. Draft emails that were never supposed to see the day get sent after a server outage, and Millie has to face the consequences. I had second-hand anxiety from everything that Millie had going on, it was written so well. I don't know if that's why I felt that the first part of the story was a bit slow (I wanted to get over my discomfort).
Jack, though. The minute he came into picture, I was a goner. He was one of the safe spaces for Millie, along with her roommates and best friends (loved them!). Jack made Millie feel grounded, and more herself. I loved both of them together.
This is a sweet story that I will probably revisit over the years.
Oh, and the last chapter and the epilogue? A beautiful ending to the story!

Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book! I was rooting for Jack and Millie the whole time and it finally happened! Thank you for allowing me to read and review this ARC!

This was the fun, light hearted read that I needed! I enjoyed it and will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

I'd hoped for some Lara Jean energy with this one. In a way, I did get that, but I was also sorely disappointed.

I love that there was a bit of a mystery to this. Did the the emails get sent because the servers went down? Did someone manually send them? Going on that journey of answers was kinda fun. I can also see how it helped the conflict in the plot and romance. I also liked how there were emails at the beginning of the chapters. It was a fun break to the plot and sometimes added to the humor.

The romance was pretty mid. There were some cute-ish moments, but then they'd end too quickly or turn not as romantic. Also, it took a while to get into it. It was alluded to in the beginning, but we didn't really get into it until about 35%. That's too long for me.

There were a good amount of side characters that I think were supposed to contribute to the humor, but mostly just bogged things down. A couple of things received emails so they were supposed to contribute in that way, but once that plot point was done, they were a hindrance.

Overall, this isn't one to write home about. I finished it, and I didn't absolutely loathe it, but...yeah. Unfortunately, I don't recommend.

Ah, I adore Lia Louis! As much as I cherish her heart-wrenching stories, I equalled loved this more lighthearted romantic comedy from her. I genuinely laughed multiple times! Whatever she writes, I'm guaranteed to read it.

The premise of this one is absolutely mortifying to imagine happening! For years Millie Chandler has used her email as a diary — spilling out her inner frustrations in a drafted email with zero expectations of them ever being seen. But thanks to a supposed server glitch in the workplace, Millie wakes up to discover the entirety of her drafted email list has been sent. Gah!

I loved the way this took a seriously terrible situation and pulled the good from it. It was a blessing in disguise for Millie, truly. Seeing Millie own her truths, owning who she is in the process was so lovely. On top of that, the background mystery regarding exactly how the emails got sent was a fun time!

The romance with a certain coworker was delightful. The sweet, deeply romantic gestures (the rhubarb farm! the treehouse!) made my heart giddy. His "so what?" mentality was exactly the support Millie needed in embracing an authentic life. A man that loved her exactly as she is!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in return for my honest review.

This book started off a bit slow for me, but about halfway through the book and on I was hooked. I love the way everything turned out and the lessons that come out of this story. It was something that could happen in real life, but gives an awesome reminder to keep living your life for YOU and tell your truths.

This book was a cute, typical romance story! I think the plot is everyone's worst nightmare, but it was a little hard for me to believe that she was brave enough to write all those emails and just leave them in her inbox?

Better Left Unsent was a quick enjoyable read. It’s filled with a full cast of friends and villains who are there for Millie after her draft emails accidentally get sent out after an IT glitch at work.

Why is this such a big deal to Millie? Because she writes exactly what she really wants to say to friends, family, coworkers and exes but never really sends them, sorta her diary of sorts.

Her emails start to cause riffs immediately. Her Dad starts questioning her Mom, friends stop returning texts and phone calls, one email even threatens to break up her exes engagement. But it isn’t all bad, Millie finds out what and who really matters in life.

Better Left Unsent
Lia Louise
Pub: 5/21/24
3.5☆

Better Left Unsent was a light, fun, and overall entertaining read. I was drawn into the premise because omg could you image if your entire draft folder of rants was accidentally sent out. While it wasn’t my favorite of Louises, it was a solid story that a lot will enjoy. I adore Lia’s writing and look forward to more books by her.

If you’re in the mood for a cute, quirky, drama filled romance, this one just might be for you, so check it out.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Lia Louis writes light hearted romance with charm and tenderness, this may be my least favourite of her books but it was still satisfying and had the Louis touch.

I wanted a bit more character development from this one over all but an enjoyable quick read.

This was a cute story but not my favorite book by this author. I loved The Key to My Heart and Eight Perfect Hours but this book didn't do it for me. I loved the story concept. It's so relatable in the world we live in. We've all had that fear of sending an email/text/DM to the wrong person or something getting out that shouldn't. Millie was also a very relatable main female character and developed so well. I loved the supporting characters too. Ralph and Cate were great. However, I felt that there was too much emphasis on the ex and not enough on the love interest. I didn't feel like Jack's character was fully developed, so I didn't grow to love his character like I tend to in a romcom. Overall, it was an enjoyable read although a little flat. But I'll still look forward to more books by Lia Louis. Thank you!

🫣 OUTLIER REVIEW?

Millie Chandler has kept her feelings locked up tightly inside of her-after a very public break up at work with Owen-now engaged to Chloe, another woman they work with.

Ouch!

But, she does write emails—107 of them to be precise-ranging from sarcastic replies to her rude boss, to hard truths to her close friends, and unfortunately a one-thousand-word love declaration to Owen.

The emails are like a journal of sorts-never meant to be shared -until one day, they have suddenly all been sent- “Every. Single. One.”

Oops!

Apparently there was a server outage at work which caused the “glitch”.

It’s been really hard to face everyone since, but at least the email professing her crush on Jack (one of the bosses) didn’t reach him since his email address had recently changed.

That would’ve been really humiliating!

After the emails are read, Millie goes about her days trying to repair the damage-with baked goods and by volunteering to help out wherever she can.

Sounds like a cute premise right?

Yet, I struggled to finish this book!

So what went wrong? The book’s dialogue did not resonate with me- it wasn’t witty, and it didn’t sound authentic. Conversations about Rhubarb and Vortexes just didn’t ring true.

And, although I appreciate a “closed door” romance-I didn’t feel ANY chemistry between Millie and Jack-which is a MUST in a ROM COM!!

The second half was better-as we find out how the “truths” in those emails changed the lives of the recipients-

But it wasn’t enough to push my rating above a (generous) 3 stars.

Humor is so subjective-so hopefully it will resonate more with you!

Thank You to Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book by this author and likely will not be my last! Being that I am from the US and this was written in British English, some of the wording was difficult to understand. I struggled with the first half of the book not keeping my attention at times, but the second half of the book was fantastic! I am such a mood reader that I think my attention span is more a me issue than the book itself. I love how the author showed the FMC building her self up from rock bottom and the dynamic she had with the MMC. I love that she emphasized how much he made her feel safe. I think we need that more in books. The ending and the epilogue were written perfectly!

Better Left Unsent has a great premise. I was laughing and cringing all at the same time. There were a lot of emails sent and initially I felt bombarded. I would have liked to see some of them play out a little more. It was hard to be fully interested in the outcomes, I needed more details! Overall I did enjoy this read that has a mixture of comedy and romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5-4 stars. I’ll start off my review of Better Left Unsent by saying that its premise justifies my paranoia about removing email addresses in my drafts because I am afraid they will accidentally send before I am ready. I don’t know if that could actually happen but why risk it???? Poor Millie didn’t do that and instead decided to utilize email drafts as a form of catharsis, by saying what she really wanted to say but never intending to send anything to anyone. Then there was a server outage at work and suddenly all of those drafts were sent into the world. The premise is truly fodder for my nightmares!

Poor Millie, this situation created drama for her in multiple settings - work, romantic and platonic relationships, family - and because of that, there is a lot more going on in this story than the romance between Jack and Millie. I liked all of this but really wanted more Jack and Millie scenes (such as, but not limited to, the cloakroom scene, iykyk). Even scattered texts would have been good. It was a definitely a slow burn, so much so that at times I forgot there was a romance at all until closer to the end. In addition to Millie and Jack, I adored the dynamics between Millie, Cat (who made me laugh several times), and Ralph (the mushroom wine completely sent me). I also loved Petra and Vince. The drama over a key event (which I cannot name without spoiling), the big reveal over that, and how it contributed to conflict at the end of the book really took me out of the story which was disappointing. If that storyline had not been as prevalent, or less convoluted, I think it would have greatly improved the story. But then the last 5 percent wrecked me in a good way. Overall, this was a very cute book.

Thanks very much to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Better Left Unsent by Lia Louis is story on the surface that might appear to be light hearted and without much depth but that is not the case.

Better Left Unsent presents an interesting concept. What if instead of telling everyone how you feel about them and their behavior, you just compose an email instead and don't send it to those people.
But what if those unsent emails all get sent to those people. So now, everyone knows how you actually feel about them.

Would this be a good thing in the end and help your relationships or will it cause irreparable damage?

Lia Louis gives the reader something to think about. I enjoyed the concept and the story. I will be watching for more releases from this author after reading this book.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Atria books and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

I have enjoyed Lia Louis's previous books, but Better Left was very underwhelming, and moved slowly. The premise had a lot of promise. Our protagonist, Millie, follows all the rules and avoids confrontation. Her secret vice is writing up email drafts to people where she is brutally honest with them. She doesn't send them, but the act is cathartic. Unfortunately, somehow all of the drafts in her folder get sent...colleagues, exes, friends, family, crushes...

She freaks out and attempts damage control, but some things are beyond repair, like her relationship with a close friend. But, maybe she will learn from this and be ready to open up to people?

I never really got a sense of Millie, and in the end she was hard to root for. Not because she was a bad person, there just was no there, there.

Oops!

Better Left Unsent is a light, fun, rom-com that had some fun moments, some interesting emails, some embarrassment, and some cute relationships. For some individuals it helps them to write down what is on their mind without giving the note/letter/email to the individual who they are writing. It's a tool to process feelings and emotions. For Millie Chandler, writing emails helps her to get things off her chest. She has no intention of sending them, she is just processing. But one day, after a power outage at work, those emails that have been sitting in her drafts folder, get sent to EVERYONE!!!! How mortifying!!!!!!

I felt for Millie as everyone, and their brother got to read those emails. Image having to face everyone after that! UGH! Talk about uncomfortable. I felt for Millie as she tried to navigate her life and relationships post email scandal. There are a nice number of characters in this book and there were some that were more likeable than others. Then there was one that was a complete and utter jerk! I had fun trying to figure out how the emails got sent. I also enjoyed the multiple relationships in this book.

I found this book to be a fun, light, charming, entertaining, well written, read which left me smiling. This was a nice change of pace from what I typically read.


Thank you to Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steam Level: 🔥 (kissing only)
Trigger Warning: psychological abuse recounted

Millie Chandler's life is over. For months she's been drafting emails to vent her frustrations without ever intending to send them. Until she comes to work and finds they've all been sent without her knowledge. Now her inner thoughts have been made known to her friends, family, colleagues, and more. As she deals with the fallout, she finds safety and friendship with the handsome Jack Shurlock at work. Could the worst day of her life have a silver lining and lead to actual happiness?

This was another enjoyable read from Lia Louis! While I felt major secondhand embarrassment for Millie, I was also curious to see what would come from her messages being sent. I loved how several of the emails were included in the book, along with several responses. As you might guess, some characters did not appreciate what Millie had to say, but in other instances the emails actually did some good. I loved Millie's friends Cate and Ralph and how they supported her throughout the book. I also liked how several characters were able to get out of abusive relationships because of Millie's honesty. Owen was the absolute worst, and I was groaning every time he entered a scene. He deserved every bad thing that happened to him. And Jack? He started out a bit too aloof for me but absolutely won me over in the second half. I loved how he saw Millie and brought her back from a dark place. I can't wait to see what Lia Louis writes next!

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.