Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow books for this advanced reader's copy. This book was so much more than expected. Jolene works at a normal office called, Supershops, and doesn't interact or want to get to know anyone in her office. Until she is put on probation and has to meet with the new HR rep, Cliff who is super friendly to everyone and a technical glitch on her computer, means she is able to see and read all the inter-office emails and private DMs. Jolene can now see what her co-workers really think about her. Who wouldn't want to know about all the little secrets in the office and what your co-workers REALLY say about you? Jolene sees this as a way to save to her job, but as time goes by, she also learns more about the people she works with. Jolene starts to connect with Cliff, the HR rep she is working with, and the others in her office, but as Jolene soon learns, with finding out more about others, you have to let them find out more about you to really be open to friendship and the possibility of love. This book was deeper than I expected, and I really enjoyed it. I read it in one sitting and will definitely be looking for more from this author in the future.

Cute summer read

Jolene's life isn't going as well as she liked, and definitely not how her Persian immigrant mother thinks she should be living. She has a clerical job at an office similar to the TV show "The Office". There is an older woman who has fallen behind in technology changes, a pretty but narcissistic woman with a mysterious boyfriend, a boorish boss, and a nice but underachieving man who is also the child of Iranian immigrants. When Jolene makes a mistake that causes her to get reported to the new HR man, she finds that she finally has found a friend in the office.

There are a few issues of medium depth, like meeting parents' expectations, but this is pretty much a beach read. I found it quite enjoyable. I also learned a little about Persian foods. I may have to look up a few recipes.

The story follows Jolene, a secretary at Supershops Inc, who has to endure “sensitivity training” after her secret messages about her grievances to her coworkers gets exposed. After an IT accident gives her access to the entire department’s private communication channels, Jolene knows to report it, but couldn’t resist the temptation to read what her coworkers are saying (sadly, not good things). When she learns that the entire department is on the brink of layoffs, she tries her best to save her job - she helps her office mate with computer stuff, she tries her best to form a friendship with the new HR guy, Cliff, and overall, she tries to convince her boss and HR she’s Supershops material.

The overall vibes of the book are similar to that of The Office, which was entertaining. At times, I felt bad for Jolene - she has some low moments, but every so often has some good moments too. I thought it was interesting to see her interact with her Persian family - even though they (especially her mom) disagrees with some things, everyone still loves and cares for each other. The other characters were very well written - Jolene’s coworkers seem to hate her, based on what she reads in the private chats. However, I got a sense that everyone has their own stuff going on outside of work. Most of the characters had somewhat of a “redemption arc” towards the end, which was quite satisfying. The whole book was well-written and often funny, focusing on relationships at work and personal life, while still touching on more relatable things such as social anxiety and the pressures one has while being an immigrant in the US.

What an incredible story -- snarky and relatable in the best of all possible ways. Natalie Sue's I HOPE THIS FINDS YOU WELL is the story of downtrodden, miserable Jolene who is suddenly put on notice that her job is in jeopardy unless she changes her attitude and becomes more palatable and likable for the office staff. From the first lines, I was totally captivated by the disgruntled. unlikeable Jolene and also equally fascinated by her self-awareness, acute observations, and view of the world. Ultimately, I fell squarely into her camp and enjoyed the ride with a woman who thinks for herself and changes the world around her. In a way, the story felt like a natural for those of us addicted to THE OFFICE and any other show featuring a diverse group of individuals brought together to work in the same place. I received a copy of this book and these thoughts are my own, unbiased opinions.

This was an absolute hoot to read. The story was funny while still full of serious moments. If you like the office, rom-coms, or heartwarming tales then this is the book for you. I seriously think this is great for tons of audiences. I laughed, cried, cringed, etc. This was one of those books that read like a movie in your head. I seriously recommend you check it out!

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for an early copy of this book.

Jolene is socially awkward with a traumatic past that contributes to her keeping her quirky co-workers at a distance with minimal interaction. She suffers their irritating eccentricities silently in the Supershops office, but behind her keyboard she confronts them with diatribes written in white ink at the bottom of official emails.

That is, until she is caught and sentenced to HR remedial behavior courses and limited computer access. Yet she somehow is able to see everyone’s emails. Reading their emails, Jolene covertly discovers the personal lives of her co-workers and their individual traumas. This is where the story really gets going.

Natalie Sue has created unique characters with well-developed back stories that make for interesting reading. Her debut novel is funny, yet heartbreaking; relatable, yet startling. The situations and dialog keep you reading and guessing. A very enjoyable read for the summer.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow for access to this arc.

Every once in a while I’ll look at a cover and read a blurb and think “this could be really good or really … not good.” Thankfully this one is really good. A lot of why I say that is because the relationships feel real, the awfulness of the workplace feels real, no one is perfect (by a long shot), but lessons are learned and in the end, most of the characters will be in a better place.

So yes, a lot of what I enjoyed here is how everyone is a bit fucked up but also most have reasons *why* they’re fucked up and many of those reasons matter. Because of a past event as well as her childhood growing up as a minority in a small Canadian town, Jolene doesn’t open up and let people in. She has a love/hate relationship with her culture as well as her mother. Her mom is tough though, as Jolene knows, and picked up her life, which was broken almost overnight, and restarted in a new country. The book has a lovely immigrant backstory that is also worked into some of the shit that Jolene finds herself in at her job.

The romance is an understated one with a wonderful guy. Cliff is actually a good Human Resources person. It’s nice to see a truly caring person in that role. Since they’re at the same workplace and Cliff has a degree of control over Jolene’s continued employment, of course things will be fraught sooner rather than later and kudos that they both pull back. Jolene also deals with a parentally neglected twelve year old where she lives who reminds her of herself at that age. That relationship also has its ups and downs but again, it’s all believable and has a nice ending.

As Jolene dives into her coworkers’ emails, digital file folders, and admin stuff she discovers that the people she thought she knew are people also struggling with the job and in some cases, with their personal lives. In order to improve her own chances of keeping her job and being seen as a “team player,” she starts to interact more and realizes that being “seen” and getting to know everyone – okay, almost everyone – isn’t as bad as she thought. She even feels sympathy for the truly spectacularly fired person though perhaps the office wide mooning was OTT.

Of course eventually the fit hits the shan but not quite in the way I expected. The fall out is not just work related but pulls in Jolene’s past and relies on modern HR interventions that, despite the fallout, I’m actually glad to see are being taken seriously in the workplace now. This is the point where Jolene reaches rock bottom and has to face what she’s done, how it’s hurt her and how she hurt others. There’s some real character growth across the story which culminates in Jolene getting therapy for her past and working out a new relationship with her mother.

The humor had me laughing as I really enjoy subtle snark and sarcasm. The 1st and 2nd generation immigrant experience is real with both ups and downs honestly portrayed. Just about every character gets put through the wringer and, let’s be real, most of them needed it. But the scenarios are so well done and drawn that I was concerned about almost all of them and happy that several ended up in better places. This is more than a cubical romcom. It’s heartfelt and human and luckily for me this book turned out to be really good. A-

I loved this book so much. It was relatable, and heartwarming. Jolene’s inner thoughts while at work really resonated, and it was just a fun read from start to finish! Highly recommend to anyone who works in an office.

I HOPE THIS FINDS YOU WELL – Natalie Sue
William Morrow
ISBN: 978-0063320369
May 21, 2024
Contemporary Fiction

Calgary, Alberta – Present Day

Jolene has worked for several years in the offices of Supershops, Inc., and barely knows her coworkers. It isn’t like she has even tried to interact much with them as she mostly keeps to herself. She has amused herself by adding “white text” to her coworkers’ emails that she sends them. This means changing the font color to white and saying snarky things that they can’t see. Unfortunately, she forgot to change the text to white one day, and she got caught. Jolene is reprimanded and ordered to work with the new HR person on sensitivity training and getting rigorous email restrictions. But a mix-up occurs, and Jolene soon discovers that she is seeing everyone’s emails and direct messages. She tries to tell Cliff, the HR guy, what is going on, but he misinterprets her explanation. Jolene decides to take advantage of what she can now see since she has learned that Supershops are going to soon lay off a few employees. What if she can manipulate or get ahead of issues in order to make herself look good and therefore not be laid off?

It's not a stretch to say that I HOPE THIS FINDS YOU WELL is an unusual read. It is more of a dark comedy than one that has you rolling with laughter. Jolene is haunted by the memories of the role she played in her best friend’s death when she was eighteen, even if she isn’t at fault. She is not a sociable person and being thrust into a working situation where she has to work closely with three other human beings is hard on her. By reading their emails, she is soon pulled into the private lives of her coworkers, and they don’t realize that she knows. It actually makes her start to look at them differently, whether that is a good or a bad thing, well, she will have to figure that out. Meanwhile, she sees opportunities to make herself look good after discovering one coworker is getting privy to info a day ahead of her.

Meanwhile, Jolene spends time with Cliff (the HR guy) and he is a bit of a nerd but nice. She starts to like him, and the feeling is mutual. Turns out that he lives near her apartment, and he offers to drive her to work. But Cliff is still the perceived “enemy” because he is going to be grading her sensitivity training and help decide which employees will be laid off. Will Jolene suck up to Cliff in hopes of him recommending that she stay at Supershops?

The deeper Jolene gets into the personal lives of her fellow workers, the more she begins to realize that they are leading deceptive lives. Will this change her views on them in I HOPE THIS FINDS YOU WELL? Jolene soon comes face to face with a man from her past, and it is not a good reunion. She hates him for a reason, and he could tell her boss about what happened to her at eighteen. As Jolene sweats and wonders what is going to happen to her, readers will be rooting for her to pull herself out of her depression and seize the day. In I HOPE THIS FINDS YOU WELL, you will laugh, and you will cry right along with Jolene. An intriguing read, and one that I highly recommend.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It had a bit of a slow and depressing start, but I understand what the author was doing. It was a refreshing change from what I've been reading lately and definitely had a bit of "The Office" vibe going on. Lots of humor and self reflection. Overcoming past tragedies, forgiveness, finding friendships you didn't know were hiding in plain sight and a little slow burn romance. Definitely a great book worthy of your time!

Jolene's days are spent boxed into a cubicle, suspiciously wary of her coworkers while her nights are spent in drunken stupors. The trauma from the death of her best friend in their teen years has slowly and methodically etched a valley of trauma in Jolene. Her emotional outlet is writing what she really feels to coworkers and changing the font color to white so it remains unseen by the reader. Of course, this catches up to her and one of her snarky responses is exposed. Forced into sensitivity training with the new HR guy, Jolene is forced to face her past and deal with her present.

Good enough story of a modern day office girl with a past. Jolene was stuck in a cycle of self-pity, guilt, and loneliness which caused a lot of self-pity. When she accidentally began to see her coworkers personal communications she began to understand that everyone has a past and problems - the seemingly perfect lives of her cubicle mates are anything but. I could easily recommend this book for a reader looking for a modern day woman's fiction story.

This book is EVERYTHING 🙌 I laughed out loud SO many times, even shed a tear or two, and cheered on Joleen the entire time! The writing is witty and very much gives the same kind of humor as The Office, with darker humor undertones that reminded me a lot of Katy Brent’s writing (which is a huge compliment, because I love Katy’s books). Natalie was able to create a story that addressed important, but tough topics, while simultaneously weaving in humor, and it was done absolutely flawlessly. Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley, BookClubGirl, William Morrow, and Harper Collins for this copy of "I Hope This Finds You Well."

What a marvelous debut from author Sue. It was both hilarious and heartbreaking, charming and thought-provoking.

Jolene Smith works at Supershops Inc in a soul-sucking job where she does her best to be invisible to her intolerable co-workers. But a computer mistake gives her access to all the employees' emails and instant messages.

When she finds out that layoffs are planned, she tries to use the information to her advantage. But as she learns more about her co-workers through their messages, she learns that maybe they're very different than she thought.

I am not usually one for office novels (maybe my time as an office drone is so far in the past and so poorly remembered that I don't want to revisit it?) but Natalie Sue takes the office novel to remarkably compelling and captivating new heights. The premise is simple - unhappy office worker Jolene, stuck in a terrible job, hiding from her parents, running from her past, gets in trouble with HR for improper use of email. But through a tech mistake, rather than have her email restricted, she unexpectedly gets access to all her co-workers emails and messages. What ensues is anything but simple however - Jolene comes to understand that she is not the only one hiding her misery behind her keyboard and she also recognizes the work she will need to do to overcome her past hurts and fully embrace the world around her. A cute HR professional assigned to her case adds some spice, as does a fellow Iranian-Canadian co-worker. Highly recommend. Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for e-ARC.

This book was not what I expected but in a good way. I read to the first 30% and set it aside for two weeks and then when I returned to it I couldn’t stop and binged the rest in a day. This is a sneaky book in that it surprises you with its direction. It’s such a strong example of how you really never know what people are going through. A great debut!

"Stu Wilkins has been hunched over the printer in front of his pod for the past fifteen minutes, watching sheets of paper spit out in one-second intervals like some twisted form of corporate meditation. All these people, with their thoughts floating so close, sitting beside one another in complete silence. Nobody ever randomly screams during these moments -- a phenomenon that should be studied."

I loved this excerpt because I felt that it perfectly captured I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue: a book that is cathartic, meditative, funny, and at times a deeply empathetic study into the truly bizarre modern day corporate and office culture. The story is narrated by Jolene, a long-time employee at Supershops, Inc. Her crippling social anxiety often prevents her from engaging with her co-workers and colors her limited interactions with them as she grows paranoid and pessimistic. After years of ignoring her colleagues, a glitch in her computer forces her to reconsider her work relationships and her own place at Supershops, Inc. when she is suddenly and accidentally granted admin access to all email and internal messaging accounts. The majority of the story follows afterwards and how she navigates this and balances the precarious relationships she has with her colleagues (a very zany cast to say the least). Jolene is a deeply flawed character and we come to learn that many of her seemingly perfect co-workers are, of course, as well. Along the way, Natalie Sue pokes fun at all the truly strange quirks of corporate culture: re-orgs and HR training, nonsense corporate speak (wtf even is a Document Lead), and the truly baffling idiot who has fallen upwards into a management role that is somehow present in every corporate office. Although the book stalled for me a bit in the middle, I was hooked from the beginning and glad I hung in there until the end.

As a reader who is deeply curious about why people do the things they do, this book really resonated with me. Natalie Sue is an expert observer of people. There is so much character exposition and development and I loved the way that my own perceptions and judgments on certain people shifted, mirroring Jolene's own journey, as their stories are told over the course of the book. At the very heart of the story is the notion that we can never know what people are going through or thinking and for that reason, we should attempt to be kind (even when that feels impossible (!)).

Thank you to William Morrow, NetGalley, and Natalie Sue for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Novels taking place in the workplace/office is a setting i typically love, so i was excited to read this one. What a fantastic debut from Sue! I loved following the adventures of Jolene (although she is FRUSTRATING sometimes), as she accidentally gets access to all her coworkers emails. this isn’t a thriller but it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat watching how she uses her new intel against her coworkers and seeing how it all plays out. really fun book with a lot of funny and touching moments too.

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC of I Hope this finds you well. What an original and cute story. If you are in the mood for something light, with good character development and dialogue, this is the book for you. Jolene works for the corporate office at a retailer called Superstore. It gave me major nostalgia for my days of working at an office, mentioning the smell of burnt hazelnut coffee and burnt micowave popcorn. Due to an error, Jolene gets access to every employee's email inbox and Teams instant messages. She, naturally, learns that they aren't who she thinks they are. In many cases, there is gossip and they are speaking negatively about Jolene herself. Jolene becomes privvy to some business plans for layoffs and how the CEO really thinks of her coworkers. After some time, she does learn some of their back stories and some of them create some empathy in her. There is also a budding romance with Cliff in HR, who she begins commuting with. It takes place in Canada and Jolene is Persian, she is a bit of a spinstery awkward type- like Bridget Jones. She has dealt with some tragedy in her past. Overall this is a fun story, a great beach read.

DNF at 10%. This might have been a case of me misunderstanding and coming in with the wrong expectations. I thought this was going to be an office comedy. Instead, Jolene’s social anxiety and life both at work and at home was stiflingly sad to me. We moved from one situation to another that made me want to cry. Maybe this gets better as the book goes on but I am not sticking with it to find out. Thank you to the publisher for the free book to review.

Jolene finds herself stuck in a soul-sucking job with co-workers she despises and no romantic prospects to speak of. Surely she is a let down to her first-generation Iranian-American mother who has aspirations of her daughter climbing the corporate ladder and finding a prosperous husband. The only way to survive her day filled with coworkers who drone on about their middle-aged sons, emails brimming with violent business casual conversation, and a plethora of passive aggressive actions is to draft emails never intended for the recipient to read with her grievances. When an email with her true thoughts is mistakenly revealed Jolene is in hot water.

I HOPE THIS FINDS YOU WELL is a comical, surprising and tender debut. I loved the character arcs of Jolene and her coworkers who initially seemed irredeemable. Natalie Sue captured the complexity of the generational differences between children of immigrants and the clash of familial expectations in a thought-provoking way.

READ THIS IF YOU:
-Believe everyone has a story behind the lives they project
-Feel microwaving fish in the office should be a punishable offense
-Enjoy complicated workplace dynamics

RATING: 4.5/5 (rounded up to 5 stars)
PUB DATE: May 21, 2024

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.