THE CHAOS. This book transported me to the mundanity of corporate office culture all while tugging at your heart-strings with emotional characters.

In this story, we follow Jolene, a introverted, non-social office worker as she ~accidentally~ gets access to all company emails and is able to foresee company layoffs, office drama and interpersonal dynamics. What ensues is an emotional journey as Jolene tries to avoid company layoffs, complete mandated harassment, and develop relationships with her co-workers. Not this book making me CRY and also make me LAUGH out loud.

T/Y to William Morrow, Harper Collins Publishing and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Fans of The Office, Eleanor Oliphant, and Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting are NOT going to want to miss this one. This heartwarming tale explores grief, relationships with others, and vulnerability while being funny and relatable. Anyone who has worked in an office setting where they claim to be a “family” will find this uncannily familiar.

I love books that make me feel things, and this one did just that. I cringed from secondhand embarrassment the majority of the book, I laughed out loud several times, and I felt warm fuzzies throughout. With all those emotions, it was no wonder this book grabbed my heart and still hasn’t let go.

The characters were so well developed and exactly who I’d expect to work in an office. The main character, Jolene, was quirky but extremely human. Cliff, the HR rep, was goofy and the perfect counterpart to Jolene. The side character relationships were so creative and added so much depth to the story.

While I’m not sure how realistic the email/access situation was, I can say this was one of the most human books I’ve read in a long time. Put this on your list now!

What a lovely book! I chuckled a few times especially when Jolene's mom was involved. Great beach read or light-hearted book club pick that would result in some self-reflection and deep discussions. Because what Sue does well here is highlight the ugliness of the world in a funny manner. You felt Jolene's hurt and saw the disaster she was creating for herself but you will root for her every step of the way. Enjoyed it!

If you suffer from second-hand embarrassment, this is not the book for you -- though it does all end up nicely (maybe a little too nice). I really appreciated the points this book made without beating readers over the head too much, and the character dynamics it laid out are the kind that absolutely everyone has come across in an office at some point...unfortunately.

I HOPE THIS FINDS YOU WELL is an absolute delight and absolutely adored everything about this book (not exaggerating whatsoever). It felt refreshing, honest, relatable, genuine in such a specific yet universal way. I'm in awe of how the author made something so wholesome, entertaining and charming while adding such depth, poignancy (and even suspense!) to the characters and story. So many secrets and shenanigans that keeps you flipping the pages faster than you want because you don't want the story to end (ever).

Jolene suddenly finds herself with so much power at her office job, when due to an IT error, she has access to all of her coworkers and boss's emails and messages... realizing what people say behind her back and what they really think of her. Though Jolene knows she's not a victim, for she hasn't made the effort to get to know anyone or given them a reason to befriend her. With the possibility of layoffs in the near future, Jolene must do everything she can to protect this job she's had for almost a decade, as it is the only thing she can call her own in life. This even includes to get the new sweet and good-looking HR guy to like her. I was a sucker for Jolene and Cliff's banter and couldn't get enough of it!!

This book is about seeing all the many layers to your coworkers you thought you already knew from working next to them everyday for years. It's about social anxieties, the desire to want to be liked by others and trying to fit in, wanting to one up coworkers (especially the ones that get on our nerves), loneliness and keeping to yourself, the fear of of people seeing the darker parts of us that were ashamed of.

I greatly appreciated the reminders to not live like you have "grounded" yourself and keeping yourself from doing anything, that we can save ourselves, and that we don't know what others are going through. An unexpected gem to have come across to read and felt like a privilege to witness Jolene's world. I am an instant fan of this author's and will try to patiently wait (keyword try) to read whatever the author decides to grants us with next.

Many, many (many) thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve been excited about this book since I first heard about it, and was SO hyped to get an ARC via NetGalley and William Morrow! This book feels like it was written for me, a thirty-something that knows well the trials and tribulations of working in an office setting (though I’m thankful to have something better than the Supershops experience). I related a lot to Jolene, painfully introverted and always feeling out of place. This book was a great reminder of what can happen when you try to really “see” the people you’re forced to spend so much of your life with.

In short, I loved this one. I laughed, I cringed, and it touched my heart.

Also, as the wife of an avid Warhammer player I was pleasantly surprised to see it feature as a plot point 😂

This book was a charmer!

Jolene is a lower level employee at a company she loathes. She’s skating on thin ice when she accidentally composes an email she never meant for anyone to see that is widely distributed to the office. HR decides to “monitor” her computer usage and instead opens access to her seeing everyone’s emails and DMs. Simultaneously, Jolene is sent to sensitivity training led by nice new HR guy, Cliff. Meeting Cliff opens Jolene up to the possibility that not everyone at work is so bad. Jolene deals with past traumas, works on herself, gets to know her co workers and gains confidence to do more with her life.
I really enjoyed this book. There’s lightness to it even when dealing with tougher subjects. I saw a reviewer say it’s like Fleabag meets Office Space and I’d say that’s a good way to put it. Jolene is a bit sad to start but you see her personality shine through. She’s been so isolated for so long her relations with people are so strained and she overthinks all her interactions. There was something so compelling here and I just wanted to see Jolene relax and find her footing. I really enjoyed the plot line around her reading the company emails and DMs as well. It made for some really funny plot lines. Overall a really delightful read that I think will hit home even for those that don’t work in an office environment.

I loved the book I HOPE THIS FINDS YOU WELL by Natalie Sue so much — it’s a gem of a novel.

Due to a mixup, Jolene who is considered the office ‘weirdo’, is given access to her coworkers email and chat messages. Reading their unvarnished thoughts is eye opening and with layoffs coming, she uses this inside info to her advantage.

But the novel is about so much more. It’s about loneliness, regret, and being stuck in a life you didn’t want. It’s about the selves we show the world and how you never really know what’s going on below the surface.

It’s heartbreaking and poignant and a reminder that kindness can make all the difference in someone’s life.

While I’ve never specifically worked in a corporate setting, I know all too well how much your workplace can impact every other sphere of your life.

Jolene finding herself to be “invisible” at work and finding an (albeit unethical) way around that feels like a conundrum that relates to so many of us. While you’re stuck in the daily grind with them, they’re people with flaws and issues and joys and hopes. Jolene has to navigate the path between invisible and too involved in a stumbling and uneasy way.

I do think that there’s no way in real life that Jolene would’ve gotten away with her “spying” as long as she did. It was also a little clunky and lacked nuance with a few of the relationships until the very end, and I think a little more fine tuning would’ve made the ending pack a little more punch.

Over all, this was a great take on a dry comedy about corporate culture that kept me invested in the inevitable demise of the MC. (3.5 rounded up)

A book about all that this young woman has to endure at work, some funny things but mostly not. While I realize that she brought some things Then she does something surprising and ends up being the one in trouble. I thought the way she wrote her emails and then added what we would really want to say to the person in white ink, so the person didn't see it was genius. Not only did she have to deal with a bunch of terrible, rude coworkers but her mother and "aunts" were always harassing her about work and life. This girl couldn't catch a break.

I found this book slow and really fairly boring with a laugh or three thrown in. I don't care for books that have a large part of emails or texts that you have to read and this one does.

If you have a dry sense of humor you might like this book. It just was not for me.

I heard about this book from a publisher who was reading it at the time. I went in mostly blind and was so pleasantly surprised by this The Office meets Attachments story. Jolene is miserable not only in work but in life. When she accidentally gets access to everyone in her office's emails, she decides to work with the info that she suddenly has to keep her job. What she doesn't realize is how much she will learn about herself and her coworkers in the process.

Its a story of growth - which I LOVE. It's a very light romance. But it's also a story about finding happiness within yourself and giving yourself permission to be happy in life. I was instantly hooked on these characters and their antics and uncovering what exactly was going on behind the scenes. I am so glad that I picked this up.

Maybe it's because I've not worked in a corporate office environment, but I didn't find this story particularly relatable (or really funny, for that matter, since it's been said to be a workplace comedy). It's character-driven, but I found myself mostly aggravated with them, particularly the main character, Jolene, and her choices. Also, I wasn't thrilled with the way that everything was tied up with a nice little bow at the end. Otherwise, it was a quick and easy read that did try to include some emotional aspects relating to anxiety and trauma. It's a decent debut.

This book was the most delightful surprise! As a huge fan of The Office, this captured my attention instantly and held it captive throughout the entire read. I have never before read a story that takes place almost entirely in an office/corporate setting, and I was amazed at how lively and rich this place became by the end. It felt as if the setting/Superstacks itself was its own character, and I appreciated how my own opinion of the company shifted with Jolene's.

Speaking of characters... I LOVED the cast of this! Not only was the narrator's voice so perfect, but I cared for and empathized with each of the side characters equally as much. Each and every one had a story I became invested in, and I loved how we unraveled their lives alongside Jolene. There is so much depth to this story, and it really reminded me of Backman’s Anxious People with the way it touches on the way we as humans interact with and impact one another. I cared for and empathized with almost every character and loved their interactions between one another. It added such a rich depth and heartwarming element to the story.

As for Jolene herself, I adored her as a main character. She has such a distinct and HILARIOUS voice. She is honest, self-deprecating, and humorous, and it is the perfect blend of narration. She also is able to share very real struggles of anxiety (social and otherwise) and unhealthy coping mechanisms but in a palatable and understandable way. I felt like I could see myself in her and her personal journey was a deeply relatable and admirable one.

Finally- I initially thought this would be a typical romance with the love story taking precedence (my own preconceived notion, of course), and I was so pleasantly surprised to see that the love story was only part of the narrative, not the core story. This book was about so many types of relationships, and that was the heart and gem of it all for me... Though, I will say that I really enjoyed the romance and felt that it was so perfectly kind, supportive, and healthy (hallelujah!). I need a Cliff in my own life!

Thank you, Natalie Sue and Net Galley for the chance to read this book! It was such a thoroughly enjoyable read. What a debut!

As someone stuck in the corporate america world, i was both intrigued by this novel but afraid. i read to escape and was scared this would be triggering, but this ended up being a lot more than just about the office.

we follow Jolene, who is a depressed administrator stuck in an HR improvement course while her company is deciding who to lay off. she finds herself in a position where she has access to her entire teams emails, calendars, messages, and personal life.

i was so surprised this was a debut novel, i feel like the depth and development of the entire lot of characters was so well done and something that is not easily accomplished. i found myself invested in these people's lives, and at some points it felt like i knew them which kept this novel moving incredibly fast.

in the background, we watch as Jolene struggles with the grief of losing her childhood friend. although not the main plot, it really speaks to why Jolene makes decisions the way she does.

i cringed every chapter in the best way, i laughed out loud, and even let out one lone tear towards the end. check trigger warnings as this was a bit heavier than i expected but I loved!

thank you netgalley and the william morrow team for the arc!

Thank you, Netgalley for allowing me to review this title. Natalie's writing had me rolling in laughter, angst and anxiety; I'm not even mad about it! At times, I wanted to tell Jolene she was crazy and ridiculous, but I also felt her pain. If you enjoy a good workplace drama fest full of lies, passive aggressive sarcastic commentary and a little forbidden office romance, this should satisfy! I gave just under 5 stars only because I wish the romance was a little more hot for the slow burn I endured.

I knew I would enjoy this book being a corporate girly myself but I really truly wasn't expecting the story or characters to have so much depth. The synopsis does not do this book enough justice. Not only is it funny and witty but it is hopeful and warmhearted with the perfect balance of comedic entertainment and tough topics.

Jolene is complex, dealing with a lot more than just her seemingly unapproachable colleagues. But then again, so are her colleagues. I really enjoyed getting to witness the layers of each character being peeled back and revealed throughout the book as it progresses. This truly is the perfect example of "you never know what someone is going through". I really felt that the characters were so diverse and realistic, it would be hard not to feel like you relate to the situation in some regard.

There is such a perfect balance of light and dark moments throughout this story, it's baffling to me that this is a Debut Novel. I hope to see more by author, Natalie Sue in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.

#IHopeThisFindsYouWell #NetGalley

I thought this book was well written and was a really entertaining read. I would definitely recommend this!

I really loved this book. It had office-adjacent vibes with less cringe. Jolene is a great character- lonely, bored, somewhat disillusioned. She struggles to understand and relate to people she works with until she mistakenly gains access to all of her co-workers’ emails, and finally feels on a level playing field. I loved: Jolene’s secret email postscripts, the banter between Cliff and Jolene, and the realistic portrayal of grief and the guilt that comes along with it. The authors description of Jolene’s family dynamics had me laughing and tearing up within a few pages. This is a great debut novel- read it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fun quirky read. It has good humor and is an easy to read book.

YOU NEED TO READ THIS IF...

💻You work in an office
💻You have watched THE OFFICE
💻You can read

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🥰THANK YOU to @williammorrowbooks for the #gifted advanced copy 🥰

📖Title: I Hope This Finds You Well
✍️Author: Natalie Sue
📆Pub date: May 21, 2024

💻I have SO MUCH TO SAY but first of all: a DEBUT?? I refuse to believe it! 😉

💻I don't even know where to start. This book was exactly what I needed and the exact time. It made me laugh so much and then all of a sudden I found myself all 🥺🥺🥺 (making that face)!

💻Basically this is a story about a socially awkward office worker named Jolene (think Eleanor Oliphant's twin sister). One day, Jolene accidentally gets granted admin access to alllllll communications in the office and can read EVERYTHING her coworkers say to EVERYONE including to each other and often about her! If you ever thought you'd want to read your coworkers' minds (you're crazy), you definitely don't.

💻Not only does Jolene learn A LOT about her coworkers from this accidental IT mishap, but she begins to discover more about herself including how her past helped shape her into the person she is today.

💻I'm not saying whether or not there's any love interest for Jolene (😉), but I am saying STEP ASIDE PAM AND JIM I HAVE A NEW FAVORITE OFFICE COUPLE!

If you're not sold yet, just know I

📧Was Instantly obsessed
📧Never wanted to stop reading it
📧Never wanted it to end
📧Will never shut up about it

💻Anyways in case I wasn't clear, I'm actually so serious, you need this book!