Published 11th April 2024 by Zaffre Books.
From the cover of the book:
Millie Chandler is known at work as the nice receptionist who got dumped by the company hotshot, and ever since then, she has vowed to keep everything to herself - her feelings, her hopes, and especially her fears.But Millie does have an outlet: her emails. From sarcastic replies to her rude boss, rants to friends about their terrible taste in men to a five-hundred-word love declaration to her ex, who three years on, is about to marry someone else. Millie's reality lives in her drafts until the morning she discovers that they are somehow in her sent folder. The truth is out.
As every dark secret she's worked so hard to keep password protected is released, Millie must fix the chaos her words have caused.
Will Millie find the strength to open both her heart, and her inbox?
***********
Millie Chandler works as a receptionist at a sports television production company, where she likes to stay under the radar since being unceremoniously dumped by star director, Owen, three years ago. Always ready with a smile, no one ever hears Millie complain, but she has a secret - for her draft email folder is full of every sarcastic reply, gripe, piece of 'helpful' advice, and unspoken declaration that she has never had the courage to say out loud.
One nightmare day, Millie arrives at work to find that her secret is not so secret anymore. Somehow, every single one of her private rants and heartfelt confessions has been sent to its intended recipient - including a lengthy, lovelorn message to her ex; and a flirty missive to her co-worker crush, Jack. How will Millie ever deal with the fallout...?
Can you imagine if all your private thoughts suddenly made their way out in the world to the very people you have directed them at? With the most cringe-worthy of premises, Lia Louis crafts a brilliant new rom-com in Better Left Unsent that is equal parts funny, thought-provoking, and heart-meltingly gooey!
Shocked, bemused, and shamefully embarrassed, Millie spends the entirety of this story wading through the consequences of her emails, going on an epic emotional journey that is wonderfully heart-warming given the nightmare beginning - and not just for herself. As the story unfurls, following the threads of the impact of Millie's emails, we learn a lot about the poignant events that have led her to keep her hopes, fears, and grumbles between herself and her draft folder, especially when it comes to her relationships with friends, family, the wretched Owen, and love interest Jack.
There are characters galore to love and loathe, all with issues of their own to work through that are given an unintended push by Millie's emails, and this makes the story really compelling. Essentially, it is a romance, and a gorgeous one at that, with as much will-they-won't-they suspense between Millie and Jack as you could possibly want, and lashings of friendship-centred pulling together. But there are so many echoing themes that Louis touches on in that special way she has, exploring the darker side of relationships amidst the laughs and love-story too. Control and manipulation get Louis' attention here, but my favourite theme she examines through Millie's tale, and some of the characters around her, is all about being honest with yourself and those you care about.
I loved this from start to tear-jerking finish... make sure you have the tissues handy, because you are going to need them.
Better Left Unsaid is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.
Thank you to Zaffre Books for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to join this blog tour.
About the author:
Before raising a family, she worked as a freelance copywriter and proofreader. She was the 2015 winner of Elle magazine’s annual writing competition and has been a contributor for Bloomsbury’s Writers and Artist’s blog for aspiring writers.
She is the author of Somewhere Close to Happy and Dear Emmie Blue.
Thanks for the blog tour support xx (You may want to alter the title to Unsent, rather than Unsaid!) A x
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