the setup…
Millie Chandler is a 31-year old receptionist for Flye-TV who was dating Owen, a co-worker. Two years ago, Owen abruptly dumped by her and soon got engaged to another coworker. Heartbroken, Millie was trying to work through her feelings when a friend suggested she pour her thoughts into emails, save them to drafts and never send them. It was a wonderfully therapeutic approach to not only her broken relationship but everyone else in her life. Then one morning she walks into the office and is summoned to a meeting with HR and her boss. Somehow, all those unsent emails (two years worth) were released the night before! Uh, oh.
the heart of the story…
Most people have a nightmarish email send experience but it normally involves one communication. Can you imagine unleashing stuff you’ve thought about but not said about friends, family and co-workers to all of them. Company gossip mills ignite fast and Flye-TV was no different. Millie’s reaction was authentic and i empathized with her deeply. Reactions from the recipients were mixed and the one man she’d expressed interest in became her champion though his email bounced back. There were lots of light moments but substantive themes were always in the background.
the narration…
This is my first experience with the narrator and I loved her performance. She was Millie, through and through, and I enjoyed her storytelling.
the bottom line…
I expected a lot of laughs and got them but the story delivered much more than I expected. Millie’s mishap forced her to face not only her close relationships more honestly but herself as well. And, there was the mystery of how those emails got sent. The developing romance with Jack was a healthy one as he encouraged her transformation. I just wish we’d had more connections between the two of them as it was missing a little zing. Otherwise, I highly enjoyed this romantic comedy that had some real teeth.
Book Info
- Release Date: May 21, 2024
- Narrator: Ashley Tucker
- Audio Length: 11 hours, 35 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
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(Thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
Blue Mood Café 
What a fine review! Yes, we all had that one email that never should have been sent.
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Thank you, Marialyce💜 I still recall the “one” I regretted seconds after hitting send. I worked it out and later my boss followed up (about a week later) saying how it was so out of character for me. Lesson learned and he was happy I fixed it on my own.
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This sounds pretty fun but I get what you mean about zing. I read a book like that recently called Birding with Benefits. Excellent review!
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Thank you, Tessa💜 You know, I liked them but just didn’t “feel” the romance like I normally would.
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I’m happy that you enjoyed this one as much as I did Jonetta! Wonderful review.
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Thank you, Jodie💜
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I’d be horrified. And I’d never write anything down on the computer or paper, no matter how therapeutic it might be.
Anne
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I’d never leave anything sensitive in a draft folder. This would be my nightmare.
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What a nightmare! Was the mystery of how the draft emails got sent resolved, Jo?💕📚
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It was a nightmare and the mystery was solved😏
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This sounds good, even though it’s a nightmare scenario (and the part of my brain devoted to my real-life job is thinking that a working professional should know better than to use her work email for such personal stuff…)
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Lips are sealed for how that could plausibly happen😏
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OK, now I’m super curious!
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Wonderful review, Jo. I’m happy to hear that the narrator does a great job as I will be listening to this one soon. It sounds like it is more a story about Millie reexaming her life and starting anew, rather than a romance, but that’s okay. I do enjoy Lia Louis’ writing.
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Thank you, Carla💜 There’s a romance and Jack is lovely but it’s secondary to Millie’s awakening, which I kinda liked.
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