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Better Left Unsent
Better Left Unsent: A Novel | Lia Louis
2 posts | 2 read | 1 to read
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 herselfher feelings, her truths, even her dreamsin an effort to protect herself from getting hurt again. But Millie does write emailssarcastic 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 shes 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 shes ever swept under the carpet. With her signature tender and heartwarming (Anstey Harris, author of When I First Held You) prose, Lia Louis presents another unforgettable and moving novel that is perfect for fans of Rebecca Serle and Emily Henry.
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robinb
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I enjoyed this funny, sweet and at times, moving book.
Millie Chandler, a 30-year-old receptionist, had her heart broken in a public way by a cheating co-worker boyfriend. She‘s also dealt with and witnessed bad behavior/hurt feelings from other co-workers, family and friends. She decides to get her true feelings out about these moments through drafting emails that were never sent…until they were. This is the premise of the story. How does ⬇️

robinb Millie, a self-professed people-pleaser who wants to be liked, fix things with basically everyone in her life? We follow her as she tries a little bit of everything to make amends.
While I understood Millie‘s motivations (I too tend to be a people-pleaser), there was a bit too much self-flagellation in my opinion which in turn became a bit repetitive. However, she does grow and realize that she needs to be more of her authentic self and be ⬇️
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robinb accepted for who she is and how she feels/thinks. I really liked Millie but at times felt her apology period was just too drawn out. Jack, also a co-worker and a live-in-the-present, be-true-to-yourself and the-heck-with-what-others-think kind of guy, becomes a friend/counselor, helping her navigate her new reality. He was great and really what she needed at that moment in her life. Millie‘s friends, Petra, Cate and Ralph, were the shining ⬇️ 1d
robinb lights here, however. Loving, supportive straight-shooters who were there for Millie through thick and thin no matter what. Louis did an exceptional job with those characters.
All-in-all, a good book…perhaps a bit too long and repetitive in spots…but with a nice growth arc. Oh, and a wonderfully romantic and sweet denouement. 4.25/5⭐️
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TorieStorieS
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Anyone with an email address is sure to find themselves cringing alongside Millie when her life blows up in the aftermath of her entire “Drafts” folder is sent— to friends, family and work colleagues. Including an emailed response regarding the news of her ex-boyfriend‘s engagement. As usual, Louis creates a whole cast of lively, engaging characters and had me laughing, flinching & gasping the whole time! She‘s a favorite author of mine for sure!