better left unsent – GoodeyReads

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fiction + Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Lia Louis
Publisher: Atria
Release Date: May 21st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

So many ways to torpedo your career and your love life…So little time.A woman accidentally reveals all her secrets in this witty and charming novel from the author of Eight Perfect Hours.Two years ago, thirty-year-old receptionist Millie Chandler had her heart spectacularly broken in public. Ever since, she has been a closed book, vowing to keep everything to herself—her feelings, her truths, even her dreams—in an effort to protect herself from getting hurt again.But Millie does write emails—sarcastic replies to her rude boss, hard truths to her friends, and of course, that one-thousand-word love declaration to her ex who is now engaged to someone else. The emails live safely in her drafts, but after a server outage at work, Millie wakes up to discover that all her emails have been sent. Every. Single. One.As every truth, lie, and secret she’s worked so hard to keep only to herself are catapulted out into the open, Millie must fix the chaos her words have caused, and face everything she’s ever swept under the carpet.

Thank you to Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook.

I LIKED IT.

I did like this book, but I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite by this author. I’ve read books with this plot line before and I liked how it played out for the most part. There’s a lot of good self reflection for Millie and I did love seeing her growth and finding where her true identity was.

The sub-plot romance was sweeet. I thought they had good chemistry. It’s a nice slow build with lots of good moments between them. I think the drama contrasted well to the story and the emotionally journey felt very honest and raw which I always appreciate.

I didn’t love one of the reveals. And while the explanation is absolutely there, something was missing from that for me.

Still, in the end, I love the clever writing from Louis. I enjoy the plot and main characters. The themes of owning your truth and turning a terrible situation into a chance to change and grow was really powerful to read.

Overall audience notes: