What a cute and original idea! I liked the tone, the setting, and most of the characters in this book. There were several positives to highlight and the “who done it” aspect I wasn’t expecting and was surprised to find out just whom and why it was. The main female character Millie seems to grow quite a bit after getting stuck and I think that’s where my biggest issue with the book lies. We didn’t get to see how stuck she was until she was finding herself and then the development of how she used to be seemed a bit convenient. Also the poor roommate, he didn’t seem to be appreciate by Millie not truly, most of the way along and it really bothered me from liking her. Overall I thought the idea was phenomenal, and most of the execution too. I haven’t read a Lia Louis before but I gladly would read another by them again. Thank you NetGalley for the chance to discovered this book.

Millie Chandler finds herself in a predicament she’s pretty sure no one has been in before. All her email drafts—written without the intent of ever sending them—have somehow been sent. Her complaints about her colleagues’ annoying habits, her anguish over her ex’s upcoming wedding announcement, her frustration with her friends— it’s all out there now. The only positive: the email sent to incredibly cute and interesting Jack Shurlock bounced back, keeping her crush on him a secret--for now. As Millie goes about trying to right the wrongs her technology error created, she starts to learn about how to live a little more in the now and to be who she is, even if it doesn’t please everyone else.

What I liked about Better Left Unsent:
I liked Millie. She’s a bit of a mess and very much in her own head sometimes, but it was easy to connect to her.
I liked the romance that grew between her and Jack. I especially liked it because you could see almost right away that he enjoyed being around her the most when she wasn’t trying to fit into the box others put her into. He sees her, and that is very apparent from the get-go. I’d take a Jack any day!
The ex-boyfriend is really a jerk. His jerkiness makes sense, but I wasn't prepared to have to deal with him quite so much, and although I didn't like that because I didn't like the character, it made sense to have to see him so much.
I appreciated how Millie handled things when the reason for the email glitch was discovered.
I loved how loyal her best friend is. Their friendship really was a bright star in this story.

What I wasn't really vibing with:
There are a lot of characters to keep track of, especially all the names of the people she works with. Some we see once or twice and don’t have too much of a role in moving things along, but others seem important. They pop up here or there with something poignant to say or provide a way for the plot to move forward, but enough time was spent with them that I’m expecting more than just a blip.
Along the same lines, her roommate, Ralph, is important in the beginning chapters, then fades into the background, only to reemerge in the last third as important.
Some of the problems for why she and Jack can’t be together seem contrived. Their argument at the end felt wrong and unbelievable for the characters.
The first third of the story feels slow. Too slow. I definitely wanted things to speed up a little more and get to the good part.

Overall:
Better Left Unsent is a lighthearted romantic comedy. It has lots of silly moments as well as lovely moments that make you hold your breath to see what happens next. The spice level is low, but I didn’t find myself wanting more. The amount worked well for the story. Millie and Jack are likable characters that you want to root for. It’s a sweet story with some funny moments that lighten the mood.

I read this in one sitting and it was so much fun! Such a unique twist of two people falling in love. This book made me laugh out love and I loved the characters so much.

This book is amazing, I attempted to read it overnight and managed to finish it within a few hours, it follows the story of a thirty-year-old receptionist Millie Chandler, she accidentally reveals all her secrets when a server outage at work sends every email in her drafts folder—containing her deepest thoughts—to their recipients. As truths, lies, and secrets she’s kept hidden are catapulted into the open, Millie must face the chaos her words have caused. I liked following Millie's journey of self-discovery and finding her voice, it's well-portrayed and the book has many humorous moments which had me laughing. I also enjoyed reading about the romance between Millie and Jack, they have this undeniable chemistry from the moment they meet, and their banter is playful, their relationship is well-written, and it captures the highs and lows of falling in love. What I appreciated in this book was the growth they experienced individually and as a couple, they learned from their past and confronted their fears which allowed them to truly understand each other on another level. The improvements that could be made in this book is the pacing, there were a few times where I felt like it was getting a little slow and it took a while for the story to build up to something interesting but other than that, it really is an engaging read.

Thank you so much to Atria Books and Netgalley, for let me read the book in advance.
The tropse here are:
- Office romance
- Slow burn
- Old crush
- So so so romantic.
This story is a gem, absolutely adorable and funny.
Initially, with the start of the emails, everything seemed lost, but little by little,
by rebuilding herself and rediscovering the joy of throwing herself in, Millie managed to emerge victorious.
Jack is absolutely a great character, well writen, and the dialogues! Amazing. The story is smooth and enjoyable.

I absolutely loved this book!
Thank you so much to Atria Books and Netgalley, for giving me the chance to read this book.
Now I have a question, where can I find my Jack Shrulock?
He is absolutely one of my favourite book boyfriend of all the time. He is funny, kind and sooo romantic.
This story felt like an old romance, not the usually romance i'm reading these days (cowboys, hockey player), but it seems to me like a romance wrote some years ago (in a good way).
We have lots of interactions between the two main characters, we have lots of dialogue, lots of cute and funny scenes (like the bridge's one, i was laughing hard for that scene).
I love a good romance office story, and this is one of my favourites.
But, what i really loved about this book is that everything doesn't go around to just the love story, but Millie goes through a family secret, a shaky friendship. She rediscovers herself. Initially, after the stormy emails were sent, all seemed lost, but little by little, it seems that the tragedy has brought only good things into Millie's life, and dare I say, into the lives of others as well.
Many truths have been revealed, and some bad things brought to light have been resolved for the better.
The love story is slow burn, and did i say soooooo sooooo romantic?

Just imagine using your email drafts as a journal where you can jot down your honest thoughts and save them for later. Now, picture your entire draft folder accidentally being sent out due to a computer glitch, including all your personal and professional thoughts. This is what happened to Millie Chandler and it has turned her life upside down, especially since her true feelings about her old crush's engagement announcement were revealed. Ohhhh my!!

Such a sweet read that made me think about my true feelings and what my actual response is! When you think about it it's crazy how far apart they truly are! I loved every page of this 5 star book and think this will be a rom-com fan favorite! I loved Millie’s journey and the twists and turns that resulted from the most embarrassing event in her life!

This was such a cute love story. You can’t help but root for Millie and Jack. They are brought together in an unconventional way and there are hurdles in their path but it was a fun ride. Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a feel good romance!

Another lovely read from Lia Louis! I so enjoyed this new work. One minor flaw for me was the main character, Millie, was irritatingly timid, and so many times I caught myself thinking, “Come on, already!” Otherwise, this story was a great escape. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Definitely not my favorite one by this author. I really liked the premise behind it and the emails but the book after the beginning fell a little flat for me. There were a lot of characters that I didn't like or were just ok. I did like Jack a lot and some of the banter between them but their relationship also annoyed me at times. Overall it was just ok and I'd recommend some of the other books by this author first.

Thank you again to NetGalley and Atria Books for a chance to read and review an advanced copy of this book!

Better Left Unsent is another warm and cozy read written by Lia Louis. The story follows Millie Chandler’s ultimate nightmare of finding out that her personal thoughts, written as draft emails, were mistakenly sent out as a result of a server outage at work. As Millie attempts to navigate feeling absolutely humiliated at work, a new crush helps her find her footing while her ex manipulatively reinserts himself into her life. With all the chaos surrounding her, Millie is able to filter through her endless analyzing ways and speak up when it matters most.

Lia Louis’ latest work was lovely read from beginning to end. I truly enjoyed all the support Millie had from the secondary characters and the chemistry between her and Jackie was swoon-worthy! I highly recommend for readers that enjoy her previous works!

I’m not sure where to start with this review? I’ve loved previous book by this author and had high hopes for this one. Maybe my hopes were too high?

The premise of this book is unique and it was a charming story. However, I struggled with Millie, the protagonist. She was such a mess! And it was frustrating how much she got in her own way and failed.

Four stars rounded up and for the epilogue.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

No surprise I loved it.

This is a cozy, at times heartbreaking, and charming story. Millie is a bit stuck in her life. Her temp job was meant to be a stopgap until she figured out her next step, but 5 years later she's still there. And after a difficult breakup, she's been unable to get herself unstuck. When she discovers all her e-mail drafts – drafts to colleagues, friends, and family members that she had no intention of ever sending – have indeed been sent out, it jostles her life in ways she would have never anticipated.

I don't know if it is just reading the right book at the right time, or a unique connection I have with Lia Louis's novels, but I have found so much comfort in her characters and their stories. I had a similar experience when reading my first Lia Louis book, Dear Emmie Blue, as I did with Better Left Unsent in that I found so much to connect with as well as nuggets of wisdom to cull.

It's one of those stories I wish I could live inside. The comforting town, the close friendships, the supportive relationships. It may not be some high-flying fantasy novel or grand adventure story, but it's a book with characters that feel real. They feel like they could be my friends or family or even myself. And I think that's what draws me to it, to stories like it, so much. That these characters are just like us. Millie could be any of us, could be me. And if she can find a way to make her life reflect herself, her true self, then each of us can too.

3.5 ⭐️

I really loved the characters in this book. The concept was original and well done. I didn’t love the pop culture references or how slow the story progressed. By the end I was dragging a bit to finish the book, despite enjoying the premise, characters, and conclusion. I found myself struggling through the paragraphs of repeated reflections from the main character.

Overall I enjoyed the characters and plot, if not the reflections and specific modern references. I particularly loved the MCs friends and the main love interest.

Thanks so much to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!

I wanted to love this one but it just felt a little unbelievable from the start. Who would do that??? The romance was cute though, and the character growth was good. It was chaotic but fun. It’s a good, quick read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the arc!
Pub date: 5/21/24

this book had so much promise. the idea of it sounds like it's definitely something that could happen to anyone and is a reminder that nothing done on the internet can stay a secret. it's not that it's a bad book, but something somewhere fell short. it felt repetitive and kind of dragged on a bit. in my opinion, it took too long for the story to get somewhere or indicate that something interesting was about to happen.

a part of me understood Millie's (FMC) panic. because honestly who can keep their composure and think rationally when their vent sessions in their email drafts get sent out to those it was directed to or about? so if the author's intention was to really show the main character's mental chatter and the chaos after the fact, then it did well on that. it just felt like a lot of that could have been conveyed 50 pages shorter.

again, it isn't a bad book. it was chaotic, cute, funny, and charming. but i'd say it's a 2.5/5 stars for me. just because some parts were a hit or miss. i know people who would enjoy this more than i did. it might be a good buddy read though, just because it would make for a good discussion about how everyone would handle the situation if they were in Millie's shoes or one of those who received the different emails.

thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this book. i received this book as an ARC and leave this review voluntarily.

The actual set up of chapter 1 was so unprofessional and so cringe thatI just couldn’t get into it at all. Millie is a mess, and I don’t even understand how she had all this time to write these ridiculous draft emails that magically got sent in the server outage. I thought it was like a pining single email to a love interest, not a mass company email mess. Millie, please get a real diary. Everyone else, learn from Millie’s mistake.

I don’t understand who the target audience is for this one, but it feels like a three star average, four for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book.

Millie writes up her feelings into emails and saves them as drafts. She never intends to send them until one day a server outage at work causes all her drafts to send. While I had a hard time connecting to Millie, I really enjoyed her growth as a character and how she had to confront all the things she’s said and the people she’s hurt in the process. I wouldn’t say the romance was the main focus of this book, but I still enjoyed it. The side characters Ralph and Cate were great!

Thanks so much to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to early read this. I really liked her previous books and I did like this as well.

All in all this was a relatively solid book. Would I read this again? Yeah. Would I recommend it to others? Again, it’s probably a yes - with the caveat that it isn’t a romance, it’s about life.

I liked her writing, but this book didn’t jive with me. I didn’t relate to the characters or plot BUT it was written so well that I still understood the story. Thanks so much again for this early read!

A glitch at work causes all of Millie’s draft emails to be sent, all 107 of them. I had a hard time getting into this book. It had a lot of characters and it was a little hard to believe that someone would leave that many unsent emails that they didn’t want anyone to see. I did enjoy the romance part of it.