cover image Better Left Unsent

Better Left Unsent

Lia Louis. Atria/Bestler, $18.99 trade paper (384p) ISBN 978-1-66800-129-5

Louis (Eight Perfect Hours) delivers an entertaining contemporary centered on Millie Chandler, a receptionist who blows off steam by writing snarky emails she never intends to send. Then an apparent server glitch delivers all 107 of them to the people she was griping about, including her ex-fiancé (who is currently engaged to another one of their coworkers), and her work crush, Jack Shurlock, with whom she shared an almost-kiss at the office holiday party. Readers will panic right alongside Millie as she realizes what’s happened and cringe as she is forced to interact with those who now know her honest thoughts about them. As she attempts damage control and investigates why the draft emails got sent, Millie is forced to step out of her comfort zone and be truthful about her emotions and desires—including her feelings for Jack. While it’s easy to fault Millie for composing these missives on an office computer in the first place, Louis makes it equally easy to cheer her on as she attempts to clean up the mess. Funny, utterly relatable, and full of charm, Louis’s latest will delight existing fans and win her plenty of new ones. (May)