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.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Millie Chandler, a receptionist with a penchant for keeping her feelings under lock and key, finds herself in a whirlwind of chaos when a server outage at work sends all her carefully crafted emails—filled with sarcasm, hard truths, and a lingering love declaration—to their unintended recipients.
Louis deftly navigates Millie's predicament with wit and charm, bringing to life a relatable protagonist whose struggles with vulnerability and authenticity will resonate with readers. As Millie grapples with the fallout of her unintentional confessions, she must confront the truths, lies, and secrets she's been hiding from herself and others.
While the premise may seem lighthearted, Louis skillfully delves into the complexities of human relationships and the consequences of keeping secrets, delivering a story that is both entertaining and deeply moving.

Thanks to #NetGalley and SIMON & SCHUSTER for the #ARC! While slightly similar to To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, yet I don’t think I’ve read a story quite like this one before. Kudos to the author for thinking it up: The FMC treats her work email account like a journal, and over the years gets her feelings out in emails that were never meant to be sent. Until one day, they mysteriously were. While that’s supposed to be the A story line, in morphs into the B or even C story line as she goes on a journey from people-pleaser to a more fleshed out a person (not giving away any spoilers here since most main characters evolve over the course of a story). In the midst of all this, relationships with side characters, including the MMC, change and grow.

Honest review: I had a hard time staying interested in the book at the beginning, but I’m glad I stuck it out. One of the romantic scenes in the book involving a rhubarb might be my favorite of all time. I loved how the FMC character evolved in the book, and how it wasn’t exactly because of romance, and maybe in spite of it. And of course, loved that there’s a HEA. I thought the characters and scenarios were based on reality, and not totally implausible. It’s not rom-com, but it’s definitely rom. Overall, I recommend for a good beach read.

Lia Louis is one of my very favorite British romance authors. I absolutely loved this love story! It’s funny, heartfelt, angsty, life-affirming, and absolutely relatable in an “oh my gosh, I hope this never happens to me” sort of way. Millie makes a colossal mistake, which isn’t quite her fault, and she has to deal with the fallout time and time again. Along the way she finds out who her friends really are, and even makes some new ones. One very special new friend has the potential to become more, and their romance is a delight. I highly recommend Better Left Unsent and hope you love it as much as I do.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Not quite a 4-star, more like a 3.75. And probably my least favorite Lia Louis to date.

That said, I still had such a fun time with it.

Lia Louis is so good at MCs, friendship groups, and witty banter. I swooned over the romance quite a bit. The MC went on quite the journey after all of her emails got sent out, and she grew a lot. I just didn't connect with this one quite as much as some of Lia Louis's other books. Absolutely love this author, though!

This book is basically perfect. The only thing that could have made it better was a butt dial on the ancient phone. <3

The story is completely relatable, the characters are real and multi-layered, and I loved the way everything came together. This was exactly the book I needed.

DNF @ 25%

Better Left Unsent follows thirty-year-old Millie, a receptionist who uses her email drafts as a diary. When a power outage sends all of her drafts out, Mille must work to resolve all of the chaos brought on by her messages being sent.

I had a huge disconnect with the main character Millie, and could not find myself rooting for her. Ultimately, because of how much I adamantly disliked her, I could not finish this book. I am truly disappointed by this as I previously loved Lia Louis's book, Eight Perfect Hours. Better Left Unsent unfortunately did not have any of the charm I found in her previous work. This is not necessarily a case of bad writing or an uninteresting plot- the book had a nice flow to it and I enjoyed the idea of an adult "To All the Boy's I've Loved Before". I genuinely just could not sympathize with Millie and found her to be extremely immature, and I did not want to read 300+ pages about her character.

If you are interested in this one based on the plot, I'd give it a shot. I'd avoid it if you dislike quirky main characters.

I wanted to love this book but it ended up being just ok for me. While, the story hooked me at the beginning things lagged in the middle and the plot didn’t develop as much as I was hoping. I love Lia's writing and have adored her other books but there were just too many little things that kept this from being a winner for me.

It’s still a solid story that I know many will love digging into.


Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨 ♡
•accidentally sent emails
•maxi pad bouquet
•mushroom wine
•backdonald’s
•the treehouse
•“I’m down with you.”
•Millie dot Chandler
•forced rhubarb
•Big bananas. Edward Cullen. Rhubarb farms.
•“I swayed you.” — “You swayed me.”
•hibernating adventurer
•2010 Nokia

“𝙃𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙨; 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙚, 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙨𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨.”

I think this is my new favorite Lia Louis book. I loved absolutely everything about it. The character growth is immaculate. The romance is so soft yet divine. Lia has a way of making you feel so uncomfortable as the reader, but putting everything together perfectly for an amazing read.

“𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙, 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙪𝙥 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙮𝙚, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙. 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚, 𝙈𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙚.”

Millie faces some hard things in this book, but she does it with grace. She learns and grows exponentially — it was perfect. Her love interest is an absolute dreamboat. Their romance made my heart absolutely flutter with butterflies. There is a moment in this book when you just know that he is gone for her. It took my breath away and gave me happy tears. I loved Millie’s friends and the adorable side romance. The ending was so satisfying and I loved the way things turned out. Better Left Unsent is easily a new favorite.

“𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮,” 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙮𝙨. “𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩. 𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚. 𝙐𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮, 𝙈𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙚. 𝙉𝙤𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”

Content: closed door, some language

Thank you to Atria for the gifted copy. My thoughts are my own.

This book was so cute and enjoyable. It was very reminiscent of a Sophie Kinsella book without the bumbling main character she typically writes.

I loved the relationships between Millie and her friends they were so supportive of her but still had their own stories as well. I loved the character of Ralph and his developing romance with Cate. Ralph was so comfortable.

Jack Shurlock is up there as one of my favorite male love interests I’ve recently read. I loved the banter between him and Millie. On the opposite spectrum I disliked Owen as much as I like Jack. I liked how Owen started out as a nice guy who was maybe wronged by Millie and ended up being the villain and how as the reader you realized it along with Millie.

This book was great.

This was a refreshing take on the workplace romance trope with a really funny main character who cracked me up more than once with her one-liners. I adored her roommates and their banter and related to the struggle with some of the female friendships. The toxicity of certain relationships was extremely relatable and the jitters and anxious energy of new love was so invigorating throughout the book. The mystery of the emails kept me guessing and unlike many romance novels, I couldn't perfectly predict how it would all flesh out. This was a pretty unputdownable read for me.

Who wouldn’t be interested in a book where the premise of the story is your draft folder (where you keep your inner most thoughts) accidentally getting sent out?! Grabbing my attention from the start, this charming novel soon faded into a slow, dragging storyline. 🫠 The humor didn’t quite work for me, and the FMC was often cringey and immature.

Romance took a backseat to the true story of Millie finding herself and her voice. Definitely should be categorized as a women’s lit/fiction about life with some romantic elements rather than a romance novel.

While it wasn’t the right book for me, I do think it’s a solid fiction story that some will enjoy. 😊

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria Books for the opportunity to read this digital ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

I received an arc of this from NetGalley and Atria books. This was a super cute romance book with a lot of drama! It was what I needed to get out of a reading slump! I absolutely loved Millie, Cate and Jack. I hated Owen, Chloe and at some parts Alexis. This book had me in tears at the end! I loved the writing style. I highly recommend this book!! Thanks again for the arc!!

This was my first time reading the author, so I went into this one blind without expectations.

I enjoyed -
*the concept of the story - I mean, it’s a highly appealing prospect at some junctures in life
*the writing
*the humor was excellent
*characters are very fleshed out and realistic

The not so great (for me) -
*it definitely grabbed my attention in the beginning, but as things progressed I found it slow moving
*Millie often came across as highly immature
*while it certainly may work for other readers, I had hoped for more on the romance aspect of this story
*the ending

All told, I enjoyed this far more than not and I will be reading more of the author’s work.



Thank you to Atria / Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for the DRC

Millie Chandler is a thirty-two year old with a lot of emotions. After a humiliating breakup, she decides to keep all of those emotions inside - well at least inside her email drafts folder. She says everything she wants to say, knowing her thoughts will never be seen.

At least that is what she thought. After a server outage at her office, ALL of her drafts are sent. Now her friends, coworkers, boss, her family, and even the ex who publicly broke her heart know her private thoughts. It is all too much.

One by one, Millie sets out to deal with the fallout from her emails. Sometimes the truth hurts, but is it really “Better Left Unsent”?

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for sharing my honest opinion.

This one was just fine for me. Honestly, the story hooked me right at the beginning but things just lagged in the middle. I love Lia's writing, but I don't think the storyline was strong enough.

The premise of this book is something that actually happened to me in real life, so I was eager to read this one. It did not disappoint. The panic and dread the main character felt was so authentic and real. I loved the friendships depicted here, and I found this to be a really comforting read.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

*Spoilers*

Thank you to the author for the ARC!

I enjoyed the book quite a bit, though it was slow for me to get into. Would recommend!

I’ll start my review off by saying that as an administrative professional, I’m outraged by the premise of this novel. I’d say the first rule of work email is not to put anything in your there that you wouldn’t want someone to see- I’d suggest a journal, lol.

Nothing but truths dropping from the accidentally sent emails. I was waiting
The whole novel for Millie just to own her the things she said in her drafts, regardless of how embarrassing it might have felt. I found Millie hard to deal with for the majority of the story. She doesn’t trust herself at all, second guesses literally everything and worries about what everyone thinks way too much. For gods sake, to think that a one sided email could split up an engagement? If that were the case I would say there were other many red flags in that relationship. I thought it was very teenager behaviour when she denied liking Jack at the party- it reminded me of a teenager not wanting to be embarrassed if a boy doesn’t like them back.

It wasn’t until the last quarter of the book I realized that Millie became this way because of Owen, the master manipulator, had ruined her, and left her not trusting herself or who she is. When Petra says “He blew out your fire” it really opened my eyes and broke my heart.

We all deserve friends like Petra, Cate and Ralph. People who support you and understand you, even when we might not feel like we know ourselves.

Now let’s talk about Jack. *Sigh* this beautiful man. The man with the c-shaped dimple and all the candles. The man with the strong, safe, supportive behaviour who helps Millie find herself again and brings her back to life. If Jack wasn’t end game, this review would have been scathing! (Kidding not kidding!)

The ending was a huge surprise, I did not see that coming! Recommend this book :)

Kiss the boy, trust yourself and live your truth, girl 👊