There is a magic in Lia Louis's storytelling that I absolutely love. I find myself completely absorbed by her books, unable to put them down and tend to my responsibilities. And Better Left Unsent is no different.

Sometimes you just wish you could say "politeness be damned, let me tell you how I really feel!" And Millie deals with this urge by drafting unfiltered emails to her friends, family and colleagues. It's a diary of sorts and the drafts are harmless as they will never be sent. Until to her horror, one evening they are. Every, single, one of them. What follows is a captivating journey as Millie finds herself and maybe even love.

Louis writes stories that are so vibrant and full that I feel immersed in them. And one of my absolute favorite things about her books is that while I love the main characters, I ALSO become obsessed with the side characters!! Seriously, the side characters are so great and lovable that I often found myself wishing for a tangent of their story!

Clearly, I recommend this book! It is perfect for when you need to cozy up with a feel good read. 

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Better Left Unsent is out now!

Thank you so much for the ARC of this book, I really appreciate it!

I ended up not finishing this book as I really just couldn't vibe with the main character, and I realized a romance novel where the main character is as down bad for the love interest as Millie was into Jack just really wasn't going to work for me. I'll leave it at 3 stars as that feels like a rather neutral review, and I will not be posting this on Goodreads as it feels unfair to review a book I did not finish on there.

4 and 1/2 stars for me!

Millie Chandler is a receptionist and to vent she keeps private emails on her work computer that she never intends to send out. Sarcastic replies to her boss, hard truths to her friends, and of course, that one-thousand-word love declaration to her ex who is engaged to someone else. The emails live safely in her draft folder, but after a server outage at work, Millie discover that all her emails have been sent out. Over 100 of them!!!

This was a really good book and I really enjoyed it. I’d be just as devastated if this happened to me. Once everyone gets the emails her life gets completely turned upside-down. A co-worker, Jack, helps her to cope and come to terms with the aftermath. It’s a light sweet romance with a touch of mystery. It has a great friendship dynamic, heart warming family relationships and it’s a good lesson in learning to speak your truth.

I personally loved the tree house scene myself, but the first date was good too. I had the mystery portion figured out early, but I still really enjoyed it. It’s funny (definite Sophia Kinsella vibes) and keeps you seconding guessing the mystery portion. The only reason why I removed 1/2 a star was I couldn’t get over why anyone would keep something so private on their work computer, fill out the sender portion of the emails and then leave said computer laying around the office. It kept bugging me 😅 but otherwise it was a great book. I really enjoyed this one. Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Better Left Unsent follows Millie Chandler, a 30 year old receptionist, who after experiencing a very public and embarrassing breakup, has since kept all of her thoughts and feelings to herself. It’s a way to protect herself from being embarrassed again but it doesn’t mean she doesn’t have strong feelings about certain people and situations. Whether it’s a hard truth that needs to be said, a sarcastic reply to a rude boss, or a love letter to her ex who is now with someone else, Millie has been drafting emails to her coworkers whenever she has feelings she needs to get off her chest. She just doesn’t actually send them. That is, until a major server outage somehow sends all of Millie’s draft emails when the system comes back up.

I felt so bad for Millie because I know that whole scenario would be the stuff of nightmares for me. Not only does she now have to worry about possibly losing her job, but some of those emails were super harsh so she has to worry about whose feelings she may have unintentionally hurt. I thought it was interesting watching how each coworker reacted, especially the ones who actually took Millie’s criticisms to heart and decided to make positive changes because of what she said. I was fully invested in seeing how Millie would deal with the fallout from each email and how she might grow as a result of this uncomfortable journey.

Where the story fell a little flat for me that while Millie was focused on making things right with her coworkers, she also seemed hyper-fixated on figuring out who did this to her. I don’t know if I just skimmed over and missed some detail that made it seem like someone tried to hurt her on purpose, but I was confused as to why she was investing so much time and energy investigating who might have purposely sent out all of her emails.

There was also a little romance, but it definitely felt secondary to the plot. I enjoyed the chemistry between Millie and her coworker Jack but wish we had gotten a bit more of them. I actually preferred Millie’s interactions with her roommate, who was both supportive and hilarious.

I went into Better Left Unsent with very high expectations because I’ve read and loved three other of Lia Louis’ books. While I still thought Better Left Unsent was a solid and enjoyable read, it unfortunately didn’t have quite the same magic that I’ve come to expect from a Lia Louis book.

3 1/2 STARS

I could not get through this book. My biggest complaint is that the beginning was SO repetitive. How many times was the MC going to have the same freak out internal monologue? After several tries, I DNF'd at around pg 25.

This was pretty good. It was a bit boring there in the beginning and I contemplated not finishing it but I’m glad I stuck with it in the end.

I thought the concept of all her honest private rants and thoughts about people coming out kinda refreshing. Like yeah it would suck right when it came out but I feel like it would be kinda like a huge weight was lifted after a while. I don’t know, I liked it.

It also wasn’t a full blown romance. It had romantic elements and that was nice but I honestly didn’t feel the romance was necessary to the story. Just an added bonus.

Anyways, this was good. It probably won’t knock your socks off but I don’t think you’ll regret reading it either.

✨Thank you @atriabooks for my #gifted copy!

I love Lia Louis so much, this one was a little lighter of a read than her last one. But it was still so good. Highly recommend.

Book Review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Writing is one of the best forms of catharsis. Or so Millie Chandler was told. Being able to articulate your every emotions sounds wonderful, especially if they are meant to stay private. But when her drafted emails are accidentally sent out, it turns her world completely upside down. Will Millie ever be able to show her face to the coworkers, friends, and family members that were on the receiving end of her unfiltered words???

This was such a fun read!!!

I am a huge fan of Lia Louis and couldn’t wait to get my hands on her latest novel. I found this book to be somewhat of a departure from her previous ones, which have centered around winter and/ or the holidays.

Regardless of the topic, it is classic Lia Louis, extremely heartfelt. While romance does play a role in the story, relationships as a whole are explored. The overarching theme being honesty. Though not always easy, it is necessary if we want to have long-lasting, authentic, and fulfilling relationships.

The added bonus of the epistolary element was a nice touch. It highlighted both Louis’ writing style and voice perfectly.

Special thanks to Netgalley, Atria Books, and Lia Louis for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

In this novel, Millie Chandler’s life is upended when a server glitch sends out all her draft emails—emails she never intended to share. Previously a closed book after a public heartbreak, Millie had used these drafts to vent frustrations and express feelings she couldn’t voice out loud. Now, her private thoughts are exposed, and she must deal with the fallout. I enjoyed how the story explores the consequences of unintended honesty, capturing Millie’s emotional journey as she navigates the chaos her sent emails create. Louis’s prose is tender and relatable, bringing depth to Millie’s struggles and growth.

While the premise is engaging, the resolution feels a bit rushed, with some plot threads left hanging. Despite this, the novel’s heartfelt moments and humor make it a worthwhile read for fans of emotional, character-driven stories.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.

I loved the previous books I've read by this author, but I struggled with this one. I loved the premise - Millie writes drafts of emails to get her thoughts out, and never intends to send them. But then one night all her email drafts get sent - to EVERYONE (boss, coworkers, ex boyfriend, best friends, recent flirtation). Millie has to put her life back together and mend all the bridges she might have burned with these emails that nobody was supposed to see.

I'm honestly not sure what it was about this book, because it took me forever to get through. I just couldn't get into it. The pacing wasn't great, I never felt any chemistry between her and Jack, and although it was beyond awful for her emails to get sent, I never felt a huge super dramatic fallout from it.

I will definitely give this author another chance, but this one just didn't work for me.

2.5 stars, rounded to 3 because I really liked her roommate Ralph.

3.5⭐️ This was a cute romance. The plot turned a bit predictable, but it was still an enjoyable read.

The premise of this has promise: Millie keeps all her true thoughts (rants to her boss, real opinions about her BFF's husband, reviews on poor vacation experiences, feelings about her parents, responses to crushes) in her email drafts. It helps her release stress. The system works well until one day a server error at work releases all the drafts at once, sending the emails off to their quite surprised (and sometimes angry) recipients.

When you dive into this more, it seems flimsy. Who would write these sorts of things at work?! Why would you actually put the recipient's email address in the To line of the draft?! It makes more sense when you meet Millie, who, honestly, is a bit of an idiot and comes across as a clueless doormat, making it too hard to root for her. She's suffering from a breakup several years ago with Owen, who still works at her company, and one of her emails threatens to end Owen's current engagement. Millie's inability to recognize that Owen is a complete psychopath is incredibly frustrating. Her endless focus on her emails may be even more frustrating. Her relationship with Jack, her love interest, has little pep, as they barely have any scenes together. It's a shame, because Jack is funny and the two have good chemistry. There's also a side plot with Millie's parents that seems completely unnecessary.

I love Lia Louis' books and there was some fun in this one, but overall, it didn't work for me.

Better Left Unsent presents an interesting concept; what would you do if all your inner thoughts that you've been spilling to your email drafts like a diary become public knowledge and embarrassingly sent to the unintended recipients. This book had so much promise, but I just felt like we got a bit lost in the weeds in the middle. It became quite repetitive and I just left wanting more from the story. I thought the love story, while sweet, didn't really seem convincing, and I felt a bit meh about it. I enjoyed the character of Millie, and I do appreciate the growth that she experienced. I did quite like the Cate and Ralph relationship arc, they were great side characters. It was truly just a story that I enjoyed but didn't love, and one that I will likely not remember this time next year. That being said, I feel like others might find it endearing and sweet.

Thanks to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

Who hasn’t written an email venting their thoughts only to delete it or completely rewrite it? Being brutally honest can sometimes have severe consequences, like harming careers, ending relationships, or making our loved ones think twice about us. Poor Millie thought her emails were safe in her drafts folder, only to wake up one day and find they've all been sent. The fallout begins immediately—HR wants to see her, people are talking about her, and she starts isolating herself to avoid facing the hurt she's caused.

Millie's life is thrown into complete turmoil, with numerous ups and downs. Thankfully, she has a few people who stand by her, understanding that she was just venting. After all, we all do it in one way or another, even about the people we love the most.

I really enjoyed Millie as a character. She’s super likable and sweet. The entire cast of characters, whether likable or not, were interesting and well-developed. The story felt realistic—I could easily see this happening in real life. The plot revolves around Leigh-on-Sea, UK office receptionist Millie Chandler, who uses UNSENT email drafts as an ad hoc diary to express her honest thoughts. She gets things off her chest, and none of the recipients are ever the wiser. For example, Operations Manager Jack Shurlock never needs to find out she’s been lusting after him since their near-kiss at the office Christmas party. Friends, family, co-workers you name it she’s written over 100 messages, ranging from harmless to potentially painful or embarrassing. What they don't know can't hurt them, right?

Imagine her horror when she discovers that the bulk of those emails got sent somehow!

In Millie’s new reality, there’s life B.E. (Before Emails) and A.E. (After Emails). With the support of her best friend Cate, landlord/roommate Ralph, manager Petra, parents, and, to her pleasant surprise, office crush Jack, Millie navigates the fallout. Will it be the end of her or an unexpected new beginning?

The story is told from Millie’s first-person POV, interspersed occasionally with her email and text exchanges. If I had only read it, I’m not sure the humor and emotion in those exchanges would have come through as well. Ashley Tucker narrated the audiobook, and she reminded me so much of Renée Zellweger in "Bridget Jones’s Diary" that I immediately loved everything she said! The humor was spot on, and the more poignant interactions between characters came through perfectly. It had a nice balance of funny and sweet, with a welcome emotional maturity that you don’t always get in this genre.

This is a fairly clean romance where the sexual tension between Millie and Jack is suggested rather than explicitly shown. Those who prefer extra spice, open doors, and detailed descriptions might be disappointed.im over the highly descriptive,.

Usually, I’d say either format, print or audio, would be fine for a book, and it’s true this time as well, but BOTH would be even better! I laughed so many times and felt all the feels listening to Tucker’s wonderful narration. Millie and Jack’s fun chemistry, her hilarious friends and co-workers, a creative plot, nice character growth arcs, and even a touch of mystery made this a 5-star read and a favorite for me.
Two years ago, thirty-year-old receptionist Millie Chandler had her heart spectacularly broken in public. Since then, she has been a closed book, vowing to keep everything to herself her feelings, her truths, even her dreams 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 thousand-word love declaration to her ex who is now engaged to someone else. These 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 hidden gets catapulted into the open, Millie must fix the chaos her words have caused and face everything she’s swept under the carpet.

First, let me say that I have never been disappointed by a Lia Louis book, and I can add this to my list of favorites.

Who hasn't written an email telling people just what they think then either deleted it or completely rewritten it? Because of course, we can't be that honest. Honestly this raw can kill a career, end a relationship even make our parents and long-time friends think twice about us.. Poor Millie thought these emails were safe in her drafts folder only to wake up one day and find they've all been sent. The ramifications begin immediately. HR wants to see her, people are talking about her, and she's self-isolating to avoid finding out how she's hurt people.

There are a lot of ups and downs in this book. Millie's life is in complete turmoil. She's got a few people who are there for her regardless, the ones who know her heart and understand she was just venting. Because really, we all do it in one way or another even about our most loved people.

I enjoyed Millie. She's super likable and sweet. The entire cast of characters were great, or not if that's their role, and interesting. The story was realistic. I could see all this happening (just hopefully never to me!). The best part? Millie gets her happily ever after in ways she never expected.

For a fun, entertaining read, I recommend this book.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

If you could say everything you wanted to, would you? I wouldn't.. some things are better left unsaid. The premise of this book was super fun and unique, it a little unlikely. I found myself slogging through in the middle when it seemed to get a little repetitive, but overall this was a fun read.

I absolutely LOVED every minute of this. It’s one of my favorites from this year so far! It perfectly represents why “Don’t judge a book by its cover” exists.

The story revolves around Leigh-on-Sea, UK office receptionist Millie Chandler using UNSENT email drafts as an ad hoc diary to express her honest thoughts. She gets things off her chest and none of the recipients are ever the wiser. Operations manager Jack Shurlock, for example, never needs to find out she’s been lusting for him since their near kiss at the office Christmas party. Friends, family, co-workers … you name it … she’s written over 100 messages, ranging from harmless to potentially painful or embarrassing. What they don't know can't hurt them, right?

Imagine her horror when she finds out one day that the bulk of those emails got sent somehow!

In Millie’s new reality, there’s life B.E. (Before emails) and A.E. (After emails). With the support of her best friend Cate, landlord/roommate Ralph, manager Petra, parents and to her pleasant surprise, office crush Jack, will Mailgate be the end of her or an unexpected new beginning? Needless to say, there’s a lot of fallout to work through!

The story is told from Millie’s first person POV interspersed occasionally with her email and text exchanges. Had I ONLY read it, I’m not sure the humor and emotion in those exchanges would’ve come through as well. Ashley Tucker narrated the audiobook, and she reminded me so much of Renee Zelwegger in Bridget Jones’ Diary that I immediately loved everything that came out of her mouth! The humor was spot on, and the more poignant interactions between characters came through perfectly. It had a nice balance of funny and sweet with a welcome emotional maturity that you don’t always get in this genre.

This is a fairly clean romance where the sexual tension between Millie and Jack is suggested more than explicitly shown, so those who prefer extra spice, open doors and play-by-plays will be disappointed. Personally, this book was like finding water in the desert for me! I’m over the highly descriptive, OTT spice in books lately, and it’s been hard to find romance without it this year. Kudos to Louis for letting readers use their imagination!

Usually I’d say either format, print or audio, would be fine for a book, and it’s true this time as well, but BOTH would be even better!. I laughed so many times and felt all the feels listening to Tucker’s wonderful narration. Millie and Jack’s fun chemistry, her hilarious friends and co-workers, a creative plot, nice character growth arcs and even a touch of mystery made this a 5-star read and a favorite for me!

Lia Louis is a gem. I love her writing and her characters so so much. I'd give this one 5 stars, thank you for my copy!

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.

First, let me say that I have never been disappointed in a Lia Louis book and I can add this to the list of my faves. It is the perfect chick lit/rom com story. I enjoyed it from the beginning until the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fun read! As someone who loves to draft emails and not send them, this simultaneously forced me to live my worst nightmare and also made me laugh out loud. A great summer read!