I appreciated how many intricate emotional components were able to be unpacked in a plot surrounding a really unfortunate series of events. I felt like the storyline was relatively realistic and I enjoyed the character development that allowed the reader to journey with the main character as the complexities unfolded.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.


I found this book to be a fun quirky book and enjoyed reading.

It is an easy quick read if you are looking for something to read by the pool or beach.

What a funny premise! Can you IMAGINE if all of your rage emails got sent out by mistake?! The secondhand embarrassment from Millie’s email snafu was so cringe. Over time, I was hoping she would take Jack’s advice and just move on, but sadly, Millie just kept harping on her mistakes (and pining for her douche ex, Owen). I felt minimal chemistry between Millie and Jack, although they had some great moments, like the fancy dress party and the treehouse! Unfortunately, they were too slow moving for my liking. I was rooting more for Cate and Ralph! Those two side characters were phenomenal.

Overall, an interesting premise, but much like a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode, the schtick went on for too long and I just wanted to be done with it.

Better Left Unsent had a premise that I found intriguing due to the awkwardness and embarrassment I was sure would ensue. When Millie’s draft emails, which she uses as a way to release her true thoughts, are sent to the people she is venting about, she has to deal with the consequences of those thoughts being out in the open. I am a fan of Lia Louis’s previous books, but I never felt fully connected with this one. The embarrassment around the emails felt juvenile and brought me back to middle school. I didn’t really buy into the connection between Millie and Jack, and honestly was the most invested in her friend Kate and Roger. Overall, this was just okay for me, but I will check out Louis’ work in the future. Thank you Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed reading this contemporary romance by Lia Louis! I’ve read Eight Perfect Hours by her last year in December with my book club and everyone enjoyed it, so I’m happy I got an eARC for her new release! I loved this one more, I liked getting more of out of the characters and the interactions between the two main characters with this story.

I felt swooned whenever Millie and Jack bumped into each other - it was just super cute throughout the book! I enjoyed the pacing, I was invested the whole way through. I thought the writing of Owen was very on point. I could envision the character as a real person, and the author did a great job integrating his character flaws and personality in to make it believable to the reader. I’m sure many readers could relate to Millie (the main character) and her bad relationship. I enjoyed the book I think in part too because I’m the same age as Millie. I thought the author did a good job making her characters act their ages so I was immersed in the book.

I will say there is some parts that didn’t make sense that I had to look past. For example, how could they know that there would be one email about that subject that would benefit them? Another thing was the website that was created and that was merely a book mention - it didn’t need to be in the story and it didn’t make sense logistically in how the characters were wanting it to be used. Because if you are sending an anonymous email to someone, you’ll probably want to say something specific that will expose who you are to that person anyways, making it not anonymous. The speech at the Christmas party was so long and intimate that it felt awkward to do it so publicly considering planned to do it without person there.

All in all I enjoyed the story. I liked the two main characters and believed in their romance. It was SO CUTE! I loved the ending it was SO SWEET! It gave it kinda a shift to male POV through that choice and I thought it was the perfect end to the story. The title fits the story so wonderfully. Would definitely recommend this book to others! Also would be a perfect intro romance book to teens as well.

Thank you Atria Books (Atria/Emily Bestler Books) and NetGalley for an eARC!

This book was just okay for me. I liked the idea of the story. Having all the emails you never meant to send, send out? It’s a very eventful idea that many possible things could come from.

However the main character I don’t think was for me. It’s not a critique on her as a whole just her for me as a reader. Her “voice” was annoying but I still liked the story well enough.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was a fun book!

Really enjoyed this cute read! Very funny, engaging, and I wanted to keep reading. It's set in autumn and winter and is very British! Recommend for a light, cozy read under a blanket.

This was my first Lia Louis novel, and I'm sad to say it wasn't a hit for me. I couldn't really connect with the story very well and the writing felt a little "off" to me. That being said, I do think we will have some patrons who will still like it, so we will add a copy to the collection. Thank you.

I love Lia Louis' other work but this one was a bit of a drag for me :( I DNFed at like 40%. I will try her next one as I have loved many of her books!

Okay, I loved how relatable, albeit really insecure Millie is, and I thought the book was laugh out loud funny at points… I love Jack and Cate and seeing their relationships grow deeper. But all that to say… it was slowwww. I’m talking, I’m 75% in and there’s been a lot of build up, and I know how much the characters like each other because we’re talking about it all the time, but nothings happened. A few kisses, a sweet date, and that’s been it. It’s just not what I was expecting

I’ve loved two of Louis’ books and enjoyed a third, so I went into BETTER LEFT UNSENT expecting another win. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I had a rough start with this read and never recovered. The premise is that the heroine’s email drafts are (accidentally?) sent out, revealing a multitude of secrets to her family, friends, and co-workers. Why, you might ask, would emails contain secrets? Well, this heroine finds it cathartic to take all the things she doesn’t say out loud and type them up in emails… with the recipients’ email address in the To line, I’m afraid. I just honestly could not get past this idiocy. And that’s not the least of it. She refuses to be honest with the people in her life, even when she has legitimate concerns or issues with them. She’s been in love with a guy who treated her horribly, and SHE apologizes to him for reasons that make no sense at all. Her character didn’t make sense at all — contradictory in ways that really bothered me. She’s obsessed with HOW the emails got out, but like… the fact is, they did. So, just own what you wrote and move on. And that’s just how I felt in the first 20%, which is when I realized it wasn’t in my best interest to continue. Hopefully, this was just a blip on the Lia Louis radar and the next will remind me of all the reasons I’ve loved her writing in the past.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are mine.

Imagine your worst drafts -picture your sarcastic response to your boss ,your sparky comments to your best friend being 'mistakenly ' sent out to the actual recipients. It would be a nightmare right!? This is what happens to Millie Chandler and she has to face the music when they come out. A clever plot, great characters and intriguing ending.

Liked:
*The plot- fix relationships after venting emails were accidentally sent
*Great characters- loved the banter between Millie & Jack
*Cute,clean romance

Didn’t care for:
*Too much swearing to make reading enjoyable

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. Below are my own thoughts and opinions.

I really loved the premise of this book! This was my second book by Lia Louis. I read Eight Perfect Hours and absolutely loved it, so I was hopeful about this story, and I am glad to say, I was not disappointed.

Millie's character was very relatable to me as I tend to bottle everything up inside and have a hard time expressing my emotions. The second-hand embarrassment I felt was poignant. If I were Millie and all of my email drafts had unknowingly been sent, I would have quit my job and moved away. She handled it so well and it was amazing to watch her grow and find herself throughout the story. She finally started to realize that not everyone has it all together even though it may appear that way from the outside. She developed the understanding that it is important to speak your truth even when it feels uncomfortable. The side characters were wonderful and added more depth to the story. I enjoyed the mystery of trying to figure out how her draft emails got sent out. I wish there had been a little bit more romance between Millie and Jack, but I did find myself swooning over what was there.

Read if you enjoy:
Workplace romance
Quirky side-characters
Family dynamics
Friendship drama

Lia Louis does it again! A story around a situation that is basically everyone’s worst nightmare, Better Left Unsent is full of quirky fun and heartwarming moments as our MC Millie must come to terms with how her life got to the point it has.

Read if you like:
•character driven stories
•relatable characters
•mixed media format
•heartwarming reads

Thank you Atria Books and Simon Audio for the gifted copies.

This was such a fun and actually very poignant romcom! Great character arcs, a swoony love interest, and a very gasp-worthy premise that doesn't disappoint. The MC really goes on a journey in this story, and it's filled with all the bumps and bruises and nail-biting cringe moments you would expect. The writing is so voicey and delicious!

(Note to my Prudies -- No sex, but overzealous F-bombs and a very "inclusive" cast.)

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback!

I was very excited to be approved for an eARC but it took me a long time to finish this one. I liked the concept and the ending was cute but the story kind of dragged on for me and I didn't love any of the characters. I did like the idea behind living without holding things back and how these emails that were never meant to be sent were the catalyst for change in many of the characters, not just the MC. There are some funny moments and highlighted scenes for sure but overall this one just wasn't for me.

Thank you Atria for the eARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Atria Books for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a hot mess, funny, and swoony. So first I have to say... the emails. It is a fun idea and premise to use your draft emails as your own digital vent session journal to say all the things you can't say to people, but who in their right mind would ever fill out the "to" section if you never intended on having them sent out?! When they server glitched and they all got sent out, I would have literally been writing my own obit to fake my own death and move to another town. Millie trying to navigate this and learn to stand up for herself was great. She's braver than I would have been in this situation.

Millie and Jack have so much chemistry. I loved any scene they had together. And their rhubarb date?! Get out... Jack knocked it out of the park. And when he drove to her at the cabin because she was alone in a storm.

Owen can go kick rocks. I could not stand him. Every time he spoke, I just wanted him to go away.

This book was light, charming, entertaining, and left me smiling.

I confess myself a bit let down. After falling head over heels for Lia Louis's other books, I expected the same here but it fell flat a little bit. Despite me not normally liking the soulmate trope, I love that her books always had a little bit of this mystical, meant to be, element in the love story. In comparison, the plot, setting, and trope of this one felt mundane.

SO, the good: Jack! Loved him! Ralph!! I adore you! Cate! You are divine. Petra, boss. These side characters were so lovable and amazing.

The not so good: Millie went on an on about missing Alexis, someone we never even MET until she showed up right at the very end?! The weird tension with her parents. All of the miscellaneous characters at the office who I did not care about at all? It was just too much clutter and it took away from the main story.

I'm still not out on Lia Louis, I loved her other books enough that I will try again, but this one was not a slam dunk for me. Obviously she's a good enough writer that it pulled out a 3 star from me, but I was just expecting a lot more.