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I Hope This Finds You Well
In this wildly funny and heartwarming office comedy, an admin worker accidentally gains access to her colleagues’ private emails and DMs and decides to use this intel to save her job—a laugh-till-you-cry debut novel you’ll be eager to share with your entire list of contacts, perfect for fans of Anxious People and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.
As far as Jolene is concerned, her interactions with her colleagues should start and end with her official duties as an admin for Supershops, Inc. Unfortunately, her irritating, incompetent coworkers don’t seem to understand the importance of boundaries. Her secret to survival? She vents her grievances in petty email postscripts, then changes the text colour to white so no one can see. That is, until one of her secret messages is exposed. Her punishment: sensitivity training (led by the suspiciously friendly HR guy, Cliff) and rigorous email restrictions.
When an IT mix-up grants her access to her entire department’s private emails and DMs, Jolene knows she should report it, but who could resist reading what their coworkers are really saying? And when she discovers layoffs are coming, she realizes this might just be the key to saving her job. The plan is simple: gain her boss’s favour, convince HR she’s Supershops material and beat out the competition.
But as Jolene is drawn further into her coworker’s private worlds and secrets, her carefully constructed walls begin to crumble—especially around Cliff, who she definitely cannot have feelings for. Soon she will need to decide if she’s ready to leave the comfort of her cubicle, even if it means coming clean to her colleagues.
Crackling with laugh-out-loud dialogue and relatable observations, I Hope This Finds You Well is a fresh and surprisingly tender comedy about loneliness and love beyond our computer screens. This sparkling debut novel will open your heart to the everyday eccentricities of work culture and the undeniable human connection that comes with it.
As far as Jolene is concerned, her interactions with her colleagues should start and end with her official duties as an admin for Supershops, Inc. Unfortunately, her irritating, incompetent coworkers don’t seem to understand the importance of boundaries. Her secret to survival? She vents her grievances in petty email postscripts, then changes the text colour to white so no one can see. That is, until one of her secret messages is exposed. Her punishment: sensitivity training (led by the suspiciously friendly HR guy, Cliff) and rigorous email restrictions.
When an IT mix-up grants her access to her entire department’s private emails and DMs, Jolene knows she should report it, but who could resist reading what their coworkers are really saying? And when she discovers layoffs are coming, she realizes this might just be the key to saving her job. The plan is simple: gain her boss’s favour, convince HR she’s Supershops material and beat out the competition.
But as Jolene is drawn further into her coworker’s private worlds and secrets, her carefully constructed walls begin to crumble—especially around Cliff, who she definitely cannot have feelings for. Soon she will need to decide if she’s ready to leave the comfort of her cubicle, even if it means coming clean to her colleagues.
Crackling with laugh-out-loud dialogue and relatable observations, I Hope This Finds You Well is a fresh and surprisingly tender comedy about loneliness and love beyond our computer screens. This sparkling debut novel will open your heart to the everyday eccentricities of work culture and the undeniable human connection that comes with it.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published May 21, 2024
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May 13, 2024emails never find me well
May 21, 2024
I expected a light and predictable comedy about cubicle workers, but found a heartfelt, compassionate and smart story about very human characters.
This book is perfectly constructed and written, and felt so real.
I could not put it down and I highly recommend it.
This book is perfectly constructed and written, and felt so real.
I could not put it down and I highly recommend it.
June 11, 2024
My conclusion from this book: This woman desperately needs to see a doctor. Scratch that, get her to the ER ASAP and/or cut her open to study her for science.
I swear to God, every other line was about her body doing the wackiest shit. Speaking of shit...
Ah yes, sudden-onset shit-hardening, who hasn't it happened to?
As long as it only pauses, you should be fine.
A medical miracle, truly.
I hate that feeling!
I... what?
Me whenever someone tries to give me a massage.
I hope your vagina profits from your positive emotions as much as it suffers from the negative ones.
Anyway, I really enjoyed learning about Persian culture, could've done with more of that and less body horror.
I swear to God, every other line was about her body doing the wackiest shit. Speaking of shit...
All the shit inside me hardens.
Ah yes, sudden-onset shit-hardening, who hasn't it happened to?
But my blood pauses in my arteries.
As long as it only pauses, you should be fine.
All my blood heats up and pulses through my pores.
A medical miracle, truly.
But an odd feeling, like my arteries have switched directions, bubbles in me.
I hate that feeling!
My stomach turns to acid.
I... what?
My heart, insides, and entire being hardens.
Me whenever someone tries to give me a massage.
I'm so embarrassed my vagina hurts.
I hope your vagina profits from your positive emotions as much as it suffers from the negative ones.
Anyway, I really enjoyed learning about Persian culture, could've done with more of that and less body horror.
June 15, 2024
4.5⭐️
I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue is a heartwarming character-driven novel and a promising debut.
In the eight years thirty-three-year-old Iranian Canadian Jolene Smith has been employed at Supershops Incorporated, she has kept mostly to herself, limiting her interactions with her coworkers to work-related matters. Her method of coping with the stress of her job as an administrative assistant and tensions with her coworkers involves adding a text note in her emails in invisible white font wherein she vents her true feelings. Unfortunately, a careless mistake on her end gets her into trouble, resulting in mandatory sensitivity training with the new HR gut, Cliff and restrictions on her internet activity and office email. However, an IT mix-up grants her access to her coworkers’ emails and DMs – information that affords her insight into the goings on in the office and what her coworkers think about her and one another. Though she initially decides to inform HR about the mix-up, she eventually begins to use the information she garners to her advantage. Learning about the lives of her coworkers - their secrets and struggles-inspires her to take stock of her own life and embark on a journey of self-discovery.
The narrative is presented from Jolene’s first-person PoV along with email and DM transcripts. With complex characters and an interesting premise, this is a smartly crafted novel. The pacing is on the slower side, which suits the nature of the story. The author writes with humor and heart. The strength of this novel lies in the character development and realistic depiction of interpersonal dynamics both within the workplace and otherwise. The supporting characters are well thought out (even the unlikable ones) and realistic. The subplots are deftly woven into the primary narrative and I really liked how the author brings everything together. The author addresses sensitive themes, including mental health, trauma, addiction and terminal illness with sensitivity and compassion. Jolene’s journey is not an easy one and her backstory broke my heart. Though I didn’t always agree with Jolene’s actions, I was invested in her journey and sympathized with her plight ( and enjoyed her observations) as she navigated work pressures, workplace politics, familial expectations (and her Persian aunty network), her feelings for Cliff, past trauma and much more all the while conflicted over own decision to conceal the truth. I was happy with how the author chose to end the story and it was heartening to see how Jolene gradually opens up to new experiences and grows as a person. Please note that though the author balances the serious themes in this novel with a healthy dose of humor, this novel isn’t exactly a light-hearted read.
Overall, I found this to be an engaging read and I look forward to more from this talented new author in the future!
Many thanks to William Morrow for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on May 21, 2024.
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue is a heartwarming character-driven novel and a promising debut.
In the eight years thirty-three-year-old Iranian Canadian Jolene Smith has been employed at Supershops Incorporated, she has kept mostly to herself, limiting her interactions with her coworkers to work-related matters. Her method of coping with the stress of her job as an administrative assistant and tensions with her coworkers involves adding a text note in her emails in invisible white font wherein she vents her true feelings. Unfortunately, a careless mistake on her end gets her into trouble, resulting in mandatory sensitivity training with the new HR gut, Cliff and restrictions on her internet activity and office email. However, an IT mix-up grants her access to her coworkers’ emails and DMs – information that affords her insight into the goings on in the office and what her coworkers think about her and one another. Though she initially decides to inform HR about the mix-up, she eventually begins to use the information she garners to her advantage. Learning about the lives of her coworkers - their secrets and struggles-inspires her to take stock of her own life and embark on a journey of self-discovery.
The narrative is presented from Jolene’s first-person PoV along with email and DM transcripts. With complex characters and an interesting premise, this is a smartly crafted novel. The pacing is on the slower side, which suits the nature of the story. The author writes with humor and heart. The strength of this novel lies in the character development and realistic depiction of interpersonal dynamics both within the workplace and otherwise. The supporting characters are well thought out (even the unlikable ones) and realistic. The subplots are deftly woven into the primary narrative and I really liked how the author brings everything together. The author addresses sensitive themes, including mental health, trauma, addiction and terminal illness with sensitivity and compassion. Jolene’s journey is not an easy one and her backstory broke my heart. Though I didn’t always agree with Jolene’s actions, I was invested in her journey and sympathized with her plight ( and enjoyed her observations) as she navigated work pressures, workplace politics, familial expectations (and her Persian aunty network), her feelings for Cliff, past trauma and much more all the while conflicted over own decision to conceal the truth. I was happy with how the author chose to end the story and it was heartening to see how Jolene gradually opens up to new experiences and grows as a person. Please note that though the author balances the serious themes in this novel with a healthy dose of humor, this novel isn’t exactly a light-hearted read.
Overall, I found this to be an engaging read and I look forward to more from this talented new author in the future!
Many thanks to William Morrow for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on May 21, 2024.
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
March 7, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I’ll get straight to it: I did not have a good time reading this. It’s marketed as an office comedy but it’s actually about a deeply traumatized, anxious woman navigating (what I felt to be) unrealistic and ridiculous office politics. This was truly a slog for me to get through. Jolene is obviously a sympathetic character, but I overwhelmingly felt frustrated with her. She consistently and constantly made bad decisions throughout the book. This book gets brownie points for mental health representation and diverse cultures, but that’s it - it was otherwise slow, very clearly written by a millennial with out of touch social media habits, and just not an enjoyable read.
I’ll get straight to it: I did not have a good time reading this. It’s marketed as an office comedy but it’s actually about a deeply traumatized, anxious woman navigating (what I felt to be) unrealistic and ridiculous office politics. This was truly a slog for me to get through. Jolene is obviously a sympathetic character, but I overwhelmingly felt frustrated with her. She consistently and constantly made bad decisions throughout the book. This book gets brownie points for mental health representation and diverse cultures, but that’s it - it was otherwise slow, very clearly written by a millennial with out of touch social media habits, and just not an enjoyable read.
June 26, 2024
Normally I dislike books that are pure entertainment and don't give me something to think about. I need my faux meat and veggies, not empty calories.
However, I have been loving some of these first person narratives with quirky or even downright weird characters. Peeking in their bedroom while they're masturbating or in the bathroom sitting on the toilet sniffing their own underwear.
I don't know if there's something seriously wrong with me but if there is, then some of y'all have got serious problems too. The best of you will admit it.
Miranda July and Ottessa Moshfegh are two authors of these books who I've come to love and when I started I Hope This Finds You Well, I thought Natalie Sue would join them.
Jolene was fun at first, with her insecurities and disgruntled thoughts about her coworkers.
Unfortunately, it ended up getting way too feeling-y and self help-y for me, too much of Jolene caring about being different and working to change that.
And what was a fun character in the beginning bored the shit outta me by the end. I wish there'd been a computer glitch and the last 150 pages of my Kindle version had been deleted. That Jolene had just stayed weird.
Plus there's romantic feelings and those of you who regularly read my reviews (shout out to all of you) know that romantic, mushy feelings and I are not friends.
Nor am I friends with the new and improved Jolene. I'm sure a lot of people will be enchanted with this novel and to those of you who do and want to comment on this review telling me how wrong I am to not love the book just because you do - your time will be better spent sniffing your own panties.
Move along now.
However, I have been loving some of these first person narratives with quirky or even downright weird characters. Peeking in their bedroom while they're masturbating or in the bathroom sitting on the toilet sniffing their own underwear.
I don't know if there's something seriously wrong with me but if there is, then some of y'all have got serious problems too. The best of you will admit it.
Miranda July and Ottessa Moshfegh are two authors of these books who I've come to love and when I started I Hope This Finds You Well, I thought Natalie Sue would join them.
Jolene was fun at first, with her insecurities and disgruntled thoughts about her coworkers.
Unfortunately, it ended up getting way too feeling-y and self help-y for me, too much of Jolene caring about being different and working to change that.
And what was a fun character in the beginning bored the shit outta me by the end. I wish there'd been a computer glitch and the last 150 pages of my Kindle version had been deleted. That Jolene had just stayed weird.
Plus there's romantic feelings and those of you who regularly read my reviews (shout out to all of you) know that romantic, mushy feelings and I are not friends.
Nor am I friends with the new and improved Jolene. I'm sure a lot of people will be enchanted with this novel and to those of you who do and want to comment on this review telling me how wrong I am to not love the book just because you do - your time will be better spent sniffing your own panties.
Move along now.
May 23, 2024
Jolene works in an administrative role at a corporate office and to vent her grievances against coworkers, she adds additional text to her emails, changing the font to white so it’s not visible… until she’s caught, then forced to complete a mandatory training with Cliff, the new HR guy.
There is an IT mixup in the training setup process, and Jolene now finds herself with access to all her coworkers’ emails and chats. She knows it’s wrong but maybe this is a chance to use the information to her advantage, to save herself and her job. While doing so, Jolene contends with her overbearing family, her feelings toward Cliff, and, she begins to realize her coworkers aren’t necessarily who they seem on the surface.
With its dry humor, I Hope This Finds You Well has vibes of “The Office”, though as a huge fan of the show, I must say this book isn’t quite as funny, yet I still found it enjoyable. I didn’t agree with all of Jolene’s behavior but I appreciated her growth and found elements of the story relatable — 3.5 stars
Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
There is an IT mixup in the training setup process, and Jolene now finds herself with access to all her coworkers’ emails and chats. She knows it’s wrong but maybe this is a chance to use the information to her advantage, to save herself and her job. While doing so, Jolene contends with her overbearing family, her feelings toward Cliff, and, she begins to realize her coworkers aren’t necessarily who they seem on the surface.
With its dry humor, I Hope This Finds You Well has vibes of “The Office”, though as a huge fan of the show, I must say this book isn’t quite as funny, yet I still found it enjoyable. I didn’t agree with all of Jolene’s behavior but I appreciated her growth and found elements of the story relatable — 3.5 stars
Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 30, 2024
This was just such an amazing story and I was emotionally invested from the very beginning. So, this is OBVIOUSLY a MUST READ!!
ALSO… How is this book a debut!?! It reads like a story that should be receiving awards and on every single book club list out there! I’m betting is going to be “THE” debut book for 2024, cause it sure is for me.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆?
Bring on the best IT mishap, and you have the makings of a story full of insight, growth, and a heck of a lot of humor! Then, add in an office full of of hot messes, and it all combines to make this book an emotionally addicting experience.
BUT, Jolene’s character is where the heart of this story was for me. She has her own problems from a past traumatic event that she was still unable to work through, and the rawness made her so real. As Jolene began to realize her own mistakes in interacting with others, and realizing her personal issues were starting to unravel further, she found herself connecting more with others. There was no fluffy and easy fix for Jolene nor the other characters in the story, and adding in those real life layers made me feel like I was attached to her and the whole cast the same way I would be in a Fredrik Bachman book.
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
Office Drama
Mental Health Rep
Laugh Out Loud Moments
Witty Characters
Nosey Moms
Slow Burn Romance
Sarcasm
Very Real and Raw Moments
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲?
Fast! I just could not put down this book from the minute I started it and finished in less than 24 hours.
𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸?
You do not want to miss out on reading this book, so get your booty to the store or a website and get it now!!
Thank you, WilliamMorrow for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest opinions.
ALSO… How is this book a debut!?! It reads like a story that should be receiving awards and on every single book club list out there! I’m betting is going to be “THE” debut book for 2024, cause it sure is for me.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆?
Bring on the best IT mishap, and you have the makings of a story full of insight, growth, and a heck of a lot of humor! Then, add in an office full of of hot messes, and it all combines to make this book an emotionally addicting experience.
BUT, Jolene’s character is where the heart of this story was for me. She has her own problems from a past traumatic event that she was still unable to work through, and the rawness made her so real. As Jolene began to realize her own mistakes in interacting with others, and realizing her personal issues were starting to unravel further, she found herself connecting more with others. There was no fluffy and easy fix for Jolene nor the other characters in the story, and adding in those real life layers made me feel like I was attached to her and the whole cast the same way I would be in a Fredrik Bachman book.
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
Office Drama
Mental Health Rep
Laugh Out Loud Moments
Witty Characters
Nosey Moms
Slow Burn Romance
Sarcasm
Very Real and Raw Moments
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲?
Fast! I just could not put down this book from the minute I started it and finished in less than 24 hours.
𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸?
You do not want to miss out on reading this book, so get your booty to the store or a website and get it now!!
Thank you, WilliamMorrow for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest opinions.
July 28, 2024
Touching and moving ! Kind of a mix of Iona Iverson’s rules for commuting, everyone in this room will someday be dead, and the very nice box. So a good time all around! You have to be okay with the main character’s voice and self-talk being really depressing and self-loathing though. So many hijinks ensue and everyone’s (except the boss’s, of course) humanity becomes evident and important to us, as well as the narrator. Very sweet!! But also very sad
May 26, 2024
I have to say that when I saw the title of this book, I couldn’t resist! I just had to read it! I was expecting some funny office comedy but I found it to be a lot more than that.
Jolene is an office worker who is quiet with quite a baggage from her past. She has never fully recovered from a trauma that occurred years ago, so she attempts to blend in with her strange and occasionally ruthless coworkers. Her coping mechanism is adding at the end of the emails her true thoughts hidden in the white font. Unfortunately she gets caught, when after getting into a heated argument with her coworker Caitlin, she forgets to use an invisible font and HR gets involved. While setting up a device to monitor her keystrokes the IT guy unintentionally provides Jolene access to all of her coworkers' emails and direct messages. That way Jolene learns more about her coworkers and employer, and she discovers that she is the object of not only office gossip, but Caitlin's intention to get her fired.
Although I adored the office drama in this book, I found the character development to be even more delightful. The characters in Natalie Sue's work are incredibly well-developed and endearing. Even though they had all done terrible things, Sue gives them flaws and layers that made them likable.
Jolene is a really witty and realistic character. Jolene suffers at work, as you can see, even though she knows she shouldn't be doing what she is, since she is so anxious to stop feeling alone. And in the midst of it all, she understands that she isn't really alone and everyone faces some difficulties in their lives.
This book has a perfect balance of comedy, romance and some heart warming moments. And it’s hard to believe this is the debut! The writing style, the plot and characters are just so perfect! Highly recommend to everyone looking for some interesting contemporary romance, especially if you are the fan of the Office or Parks and Rec.
Jolene is an office worker who is quiet with quite a baggage from her past. She has never fully recovered from a trauma that occurred years ago, so she attempts to blend in with her strange and occasionally ruthless coworkers. Her coping mechanism is adding at the end of the emails her true thoughts hidden in the white font. Unfortunately she gets caught, when after getting into a heated argument with her coworker Caitlin, she forgets to use an invisible font and HR gets involved. While setting up a device to monitor her keystrokes the IT guy unintentionally provides Jolene access to all of her coworkers' emails and direct messages. That way Jolene learns more about her coworkers and employer, and she discovers that she is the object of not only office gossip, but Caitlin's intention to get her fired.
Although I adored the office drama in this book, I found the character development to be even more delightful. The characters in Natalie Sue's work are incredibly well-developed and endearing. Even though they had all done terrible things, Sue gives them flaws and layers that made them likable.
Jolene is a really witty and realistic character. Jolene suffers at work, as you can see, even though she knows she shouldn't be doing what she is, since she is so anxious to stop feeling alone. And in the midst of it all, she understands that she isn't really alone and everyone faces some difficulties in their lives.
This book has a perfect balance of comedy, romance and some heart warming moments. And it’s hard to believe this is the debut! The writing style, the plot and characters are just so perfect! Highly recommend to everyone looking for some interesting contemporary romance, especially if you are the fan of the Office or Parks and Rec.
May 15, 2024
AMAZING FUNNY INCREDIBLY SMART AND ADDICTIVE READ. 100000000 STARS. I LOVED IT SO SO SO MUCH. I CRIED.
February 18, 2024
3.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I Hope This Finds You Well mixes the most interesting aspects of The Office with its cast of weird and wonderful employees, with the social anxiety of the lead character from Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. Jolene hates her job, and hates her colleagues even more. All of them are soul suckling, effortlessly annoying individuals and the only pleasure she gets in life is sending emails to them with secret hateful addendums. However when her work nemesis Caitlin finds one of these messages and takes it to HR, Jolene is forced into an antiharrassment management course and her computer is set up for monitoring. Except a glitch makes it that Jolene can read everyone's emails and messages, and soon realises that there's more to the people she sits in an office with every day.
This story really is the definition of 'everyone has their own stuff going on'. On the surface Jolene colleagues all seem awful, selfish and sucking up to management. All except the sunshine that is Cliff, the new HR guy who's desperate to please everyone. But when Jolene looks deeper and starts engaging with those around er, she sees them all in a new light and begins go realise that the face people resent at work can be completely different from the face we have at home. I liked how all the characters around Jolene felt well developed - all of them had a life and a backstory that complimented Jolene's own journey. Caitlin was particularly interesting, as someone who comes off as deeply unlikeable and a bully, but underneath is incredibly insecure and beat down. I wouldn't say I grew to like her, but there was certainly a redemption of sorts.
I also really liked the inclusion of Jolene's family and her Persian roots. To see the love that her mother has for her, with all its criticisms, was a nice touch and added some much needed reality to Jolene's character. Same for Miley, who could coax the gentler side of Jolene from herself and stop her spending her weekends drinking into oblivion. I do wish we'd got a bit more time with Cliff and Jolene and exploring more of their relationship and the obvious tension created from feelings arsing between the two on the workplace. I think the author missed out on adding some great angst moments - but that's just a personal preference on my part.
A really good, character driven novel that explores work relationships, social anxiety induced by childhood traumas and the pressures of being second generation immigrants.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I Hope This Finds You Well mixes the most interesting aspects of The Office with its cast of weird and wonderful employees, with the social anxiety of the lead character from Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. Jolene hates her job, and hates her colleagues even more. All of them are soul suckling, effortlessly annoying individuals and the only pleasure she gets in life is sending emails to them with secret hateful addendums. However when her work nemesis Caitlin finds one of these messages and takes it to HR, Jolene is forced into an antiharrassment management course and her computer is set up for monitoring. Except a glitch makes it that Jolene can read everyone's emails and messages, and soon realises that there's more to the people she sits in an office with every day.
This story really is the definition of 'everyone has their own stuff going on'. On the surface Jolene colleagues all seem awful, selfish and sucking up to management. All except the sunshine that is Cliff, the new HR guy who's desperate to please everyone. But when Jolene looks deeper and starts engaging with those around er, she sees them all in a new light and begins go realise that the face people resent at work can be completely different from the face we have at home. I liked how all the characters around Jolene felt well developed - all of them had a life and a backstory that complimented Jolene's own journey. Caitlin was particularly interesting, as someone who comes off as deeply unlikeable and a bully, but underneath is incredibly insecure and beat down. I wouldn't say I grew to like her, but there was certainly a redemption of sorts.
I also really liked the inclusion of Jolene's family and her Persian roots. To see the love that her mother has for her, with all its criticisms, was a nice touch and added some much needed reality to Jolene's character. Same for Miley, who could coax the gentler side of Jolene from herself and stop her spending her weekends drinking into oblivion. I do wish we'd got a bit more time with Cliff and Jolene and exploring more of their relationship and the obvious tension created from feelings arsing between the two on the workplace. I think the author missed out on adding some great angst moments - but that's just a personal preference on my part.
A really good, character driven novel that explores work relationships, social anxiety induced by childhood traumas and the pressures of being second generation immigrants.
July 6, 2024
My Rating: 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ fun, funny and emotionally ruined stars!!
Welcome to my third review of today… (that is if you are furiously following me 🤣). Even though I only finished this today and I am indeed finally caught up I am still not going to do a synopsis wrap up… I figure you can read it on GR or the back of the cover.
So, this one got me in a choke hold. I am not going to lie I was dubious about it, and I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. I thought it would be a satire of working in an office. What I got was the very real and raw true lives of us all, all the fun and tragedy that brings. Every character in this book was someone we could or might know.
For those of you who work in an office (I do) it can be office politics, high school, locker room bullshit all day everyday and thats before you even get to do any work. People piss you off, people gossip and you spend your days feeling left out, in the club or paranoid… and some days you just want to tell your co-workers to Eat a Dick… well if that has ever been you this book will be for you!!
There are parts that are very funny but for the most part this pulled and tugged away at my heartstrings until dare I say it… I cried. YES I know, I cried and it was sad and I felt so hollowed out. But never fear the author did such a great job of it that even if you were expecting the fallout of this wild story…which I was, I mean how could you not, it was still done in such a way that was go good (and bad but good bad… if you know what I mean).
Jolene was so relatable and I felt for her honestly I did. The more we found out about her and Rhonda, Caitlin and Armin well… the more they could literally be any one of us trying to get through life.
You see a woman who talks to no one so you think shes a stuck up toffy nose, but what’s going on for her. You see a guy who keeps sneaking out to go - where - but when you find out your heart breaks and he’s just trying to get through the day. And you see a woman who seems to be a busybody bragging about having the best son in the world, but really under this surface so much more is going on.
It was for me a really good reminder that we are all human and we all have things going on and when we go to work we all carry the weight of whatever it is that is happening for us day in day out in life and sometimes it comes out in our behaviour. And if we stop and look at each other and think to ourselves I wonder what is going on for that person we might all have a little more compassion. NOW I know I got deep with that .. and lets face it most people aren’t going to do that on the daily… but the book got me thinking so…
For me a book that makes me laugh, cry and think about world / life issues is a 5 star!! I loved it and I think it would make a great mini series or movie.
Overall, if you think this is something that might even remotely interest you just give it a go. Its really well written with a few laughs and some moments that might just get you in your feelings!!
Welcome to my third review of today… (that is if you are furiously following me 🤣). Even though I only finished this today and I am indeed finally caught up I am still not going to do a synopsis wrap up… I figure you can read it on GR or the back of the cover.
So, this one got me in a choke hold. I am not going to lie I was dubious about it, and I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. I thought it would be a satire of working in an office. What I got was the very real and raw true lives of us all, all the fun and tragedy that brings. Every character in this book was someone we could or might know.
For those of you who work in an office (I do) it can be office politics, high school, locker room bullshit all day everyday and thats before you even get to do any work. People piss you off, people gossip and you spend your days feeling left out, in the club or paranoid… and some days you just want to tell your co-workers to Eat a Dick… well if that has ever been you this book will be for you!!
There are parts that are very funny but for the most part this pulled and tugged away at my heartstrings until dare I say it… I cried. YES I know, I cried and it was sad and I felt so hollowed out. But never fear the author did such a great job of it that even if you were expecting the fallout of this wild story…which I was, I mean how could you not, it was still done in such a way that was go good (and bad but good bad… if you know what I mean).
Jolene was so relatable and I felt for her honestly I did. The more we found out about her and Rhonda, Caitlin and Armin well… the more they could literally be any one of us trying to get through life.
You see a woman who talks to no one so you think shes a stuck up toffy nose, but what’s going on for her. You see a guy who keeps sneaking out to go - where - but when you find out your heart breaks and he’s just trying to get through the day. And you see a woman who seems to be a busybody bragging about having the best son in the world, but really under this surface so much more is going on.
It was for me a really good reminder that we are all human and we all have things going on and when we go to work we all carry the weight of whatever it is that is happening for us day in day out in life and sometimes it comes out in our behaviour. And if we stop and look at each other and think to ourselves I wonder what is going on for that person we might all have a little more compassion. NOW I know I got deep with that .. and lets face it most people aren’t going to do that on the daily… but the book got me thinking so…
For me a book that makes me laugh, cry and think about world / life issues is a 5 star!! I loved it and I think it would make a great mini series or movie.
Overall, if you think this is something that might even remotely interest you just give it a go. Its really well written with a few laughs and some moments that might just get you in your feelings!!
June 7, 2024
I can only imagine what people are saying about me behind my back (I am laden with gossip-fodder). Even five years ago, I would have cared immensely about things like that. Reaching that point in life when you become liberated from the weight of external nuisance is one of the few gifts of aging and the accumulation of wisdom.
This book was good in ways I didn’t expect. It could have just been a cutesy jaunt through the soul crushing nature of corporate culture, but instead it contained layers of emotional nuance and honest explorations of self-worth. And it still had all the classic elements of mindless romance pulp this genre requires.
Character I Loved & Hated
Loved - Jolene of course. She was messy, imperfect, imprecise and imbalanced, but she was also completely congruous and unwaveringly herself at all times.
Hated - Easy answer is Caitlin, but that’s too on the nose. Instead, can we talk about parents who are so steadfast in their vision for their child’s life that they make them feel completely invalidated and invisible when literally anything deviates from their vision? Low-key villains of the story
Themes
Inner strife, insecurity and anxiety redounding to self-doubt… adherence to other’s perceptions on who you should be… unexpected love
One Thing I’ll walk away with
A new commitment to finally update my passwords across 132 apps and websites
This book was good in ways I didn’t expect. It could have just been a cutesy jaunt through the soul crushing nature of corporate culture, but instead it contained layers of emotional nuance and honest explorations of self-worth. And it still had all the classic elements of mindless romance pulp this genre requires.
Character I Loved & Hated
Loved - Jolene of course. She was messy, imperfect, imprecise and imbalanced, but she was also completely congruous and unwaveringly herself at all times.
Hated - Easy answer is Caitlin, but that’s too on the nose. Instead, can we talk about parents who are so steadfast in their vision for their child’s life that they make them feel completely invalidated and invisible when literally anything deviates from their vision? Low-key villains of the story
Themes
Inner strife, insecurity and anxiety redounding to self-doubt… adherence to other’s perceptions on who you should be… unexpected love
One Thing I’ll walk away with
A new commitment to finally update my passwords across 132 apps and websites
May 20, 2024
If you have ever worked in an office you are going to enjoy this book. It was scarily relatable at time and it made me laugh. Office politics, gossip, issues with management, it is all here.
Jolene is not an easy character to like. She just wants to do her job and ignore everyone and everything around her. But things change when an IT glitch means she can now access the emails of everybody she works with. With rumours of redundancies going around, she thinks this can give her an advantage. But do you really want to know what people are saying about you?
I could see so many of the scenes in this book happening. People stealing your lunch, not changing the water bottle, really silly things like that. We all know these happen in offices everywhere.
It is not all humour though. There are moments in this book that were sad and confronting. You really don’t know what other people are dealing with in their lives.
I read this book in a day, getting really caught up in the lives of these characters.
Thanks so much to Harper Collins Australia and Book Buzz for my advanced copy to read.
Jolene is not an easy character to like. She just wants to do her job and ignore everyone and everything around her. But things change when an IT glitch means she can now access the emails of everybody she works with. With rumours of redundancies going around, she thinks this can give her an advantage. But do you really want to know what people are saying about you?
I could see so many of the scenes in this book happening. People stealing your lunch, not changing the water bottle, really silly things like that. We all know these happen in offices everywhere.
It is not all humour though. There are moments in this book that were sad and confronting. You really don’t know what other people are dealing with in their lives.
I read this book in a day, getting really caught up in the lives of these characters.
Thanks so much to Harper Collins Australia and Book Buzz for my advanced copy to read.
July 3, 2024
Oh Jolene . . .
(C’mon – you had to know I was going to do that)
Jolene has been stuck in limbo as an admin for Supershops, Inc. for years and relates completely to the lyrics of the poet laureate T. Swift . . .
Anyone who has ever experienced 9 to 5 life in cube farm hell might be able to relate to Jolene’s passive aggressive email responses which she always writes in white font . . . that is, until the day she forgets to adjust the setting and lets her true feelings fly. Jolene finds herself in a mandatory HR course that will teach her how to behave in the corporate environment, but also comes with an unexpected glitch where she can see EVERYTHING going on by way of the computers. We’re talking not just calendars, but emails and even instant messaging. With rumored “rightsizing” on the horizon, maybe Jolene can use this inside track to become a better version of an employee after all.
Okay, so these hermit-y people with trauma in their past stories might seem like a dime a dozen at this point (I mean I unintentionally found myself listening to one while reading this so they are errrrryyyyywhere), but Jolene’s voice felt so fresh that I really enjoyed this one. I could have lived without Miley the neighbor kid and the drinking issues because they really weren’t necessary whatsoever to me except to add to the page count, but other than that not a whole lot of complaints.
3.5 Stars and I’ll round it up.
(C’mon – you had to know I was going to do that)
Jolene has been stuck in limbo as an admin for Supershops, Inc. for years and relates completely to the lyrics of the poet laureate T. Swift . . .
Anyone who has ever experienced 9 to 5 life in cube farm hell might be able to relate to Jolene’s passive aggressive email responses which she always writes in white font . . . that is, until the day she forgets to adjust the setting and lets her true feelings fly. Jolene finds herself in a mandatory HR course that will teach her how to behave in the corporate environment, but also comes with an unexpected glitch where she can see EVERYTHING going on by way of the computers. We’re talking not just calendars, but emails and even instant messaging. With rumored “rightsizing” on the horizon, maybe Jolene can use this inside track to become a better version of an employee after all.
Okay, so these hermit-y people with trauma in their past stories might seem like a dime a dozen at this point (I mean I unintentionally found myself listening to one while reading this so they are errrrryyyyywhere), but Jolene’s voice felt so fresh that I really enjoyed this one. I could have lived without Miley the neighbor kid and the drinking issues because they really weren’t necessary whatsoever to me except to add to the page count, but other than that not a whole lot of complaints.
3.5 Stars and I’ll round it up.
July 6, 2024
I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue is a delightful debut that drew me in from the first page and had me rooting for her main character Jolene throughout!!
Jolene has worked at Supershops Inc for eight years and in that time she has remained mostly hidden away in her cubicle isolating herself from her co-workers and the daily office “goings-on” that you might find in any large corporate office today. When her annoying office mates become too much Jolene will add a “PS” to the end of her office emails where she tells the coworker exactly how she feels. She then changes the font color to white thus making it invisible before she hits send! Unfortunately she forgets to change the font color one day on an email post script and that gets her in hot water with her coworkers and HR. Jolene will now have to submit to mandatory sensitivity training with the new HR guy Cliff and have restrictions put on her office computer. When IT sets the restrictions they commit a total screwup and it allows Jolene to see all her coworkers emails and interoffice messaging. Jolene has always felt like an outsider and she has been worried about rumored layoffs so she decides to use this access into her coworkers private correspondence to give her a leg up in her career. All she needs to do is get Cliff in HR to like her, impress her oafish boss and beat out the competition. But Jolene soon learns that people aren’t always what they seem, many are hiding personal struggles, and she isn’t the only one in the office who is hanging on by a thread. Plus the guilt of what she is doing is starting to get to her!
I loved Jolene’s quirky personality! Although the people she works with may think she’s a dud, she is far from it. She has a quick wit and dry sense of humor and longs to make more of her life. So what’s holding her back? We learn about her difficult past, the expectations of her strong willed mother and Persian aunties, and her inability to overcome past trauma. I felt so sad for Jolene as I saw her try to push past her difficulties and then fall back into negative thought patterns and self sabotage. Can she rise about these challenges? This is what had me rooting for Jolene!!
Add to this a wonderful cast of interesting and well developed supporting characters with stories of their own. Even the few that were rather unlikeable at the beginning experienced personal growth that caused me to rethink how I felt about them. The relationships and dynamics between the characters and their storylines felt very real and relatable. I enjoyed the dialogue and how the story progressed. I loved the interest Cliff took in Jolene and their banter back and forth. I loved watching Jolene grow and adapt.
The novel moved at a good pace. There was humor, and sadness, and I felt the author did a fantastic job depicting Jolene’s struggle to become the person she truly wanted to be. There were times I worried how the story would end and if I would be satisfied. I am happy to say I was quite satisfied with how things wrapped up and I’m so glad I read this! I believe anyone who enjoys a character driven story with personal growth, witty dialogue, some humor and some warmth, with some crazy office shenanigans will enjoy this book! Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the chance to read this digital copy.
Jolene has worked at Supershops Inc for eight years and in that time she has remained mostly hidden away in her cubicle isolating herself from her co-workers and the daily office “goings-on” that you might find in any large corporate office today. When her annoying office mates become too much Jolene will add a “PS” to the end of her office emails where she tells the coworker exactly how she feels. She then changes the font color to white thus making it invisible before she hits send! Unfortunately she forgets to change the font color one day on an email post script and that gets her in hot water with her coworkers and HR. Jolene will now have to submit to mandatory sensitivity training with the new HR guy Cliff and have restrictions put on her office computer. When IT sets the restrictions they commit a total screwup and it allows Jolene to see all her coworkers emails and interoffice messaging. Jolene has always felt like an outsider and she has been worried about rumored layoffs so she decides to use this access into her coworkers private correspondence to give her a leg up in her career. All she needs to do is get Cliff in HR to like her, impress her oafish boss and beat out the competition. But Jolene soon learns that people aren’t always what they seem, many are hiding personal struggles, and she isn’t the only one in the office who is hanging on by a thread. Plus the guilt of what she is doing is starting to get to her!
I loved Jolene’s quirky personality! Although the people she works with may think she’s a dud, she is far from it. She has a quick wit and dry sense of humor and longs to make more of her life. So what’s holding her back? We learn about her difficult past, the expectations of her strong willed mother and Persian aunties, and her inability to overcome past trauma. I felt so sad for Jolene as I saw her try to push past her difficulties and then fall back into negative thought patterns and self sabotage. Can she rise about these challenges? This is what had me rooting for Jolene!!
Add to this a wonderful cast of interesting and well developed supporting characters with stories of their own. Even the few that were rather unlikeable at the beginning experienced personal growth that caused me to rethink how I felt about them. The relationships and dynamics between the characters and their storylines felt very real and relatable. I enjoyed the dialogue and how the story progressed. I loved the interest Cliff took in Jolene and their banter back and forth. I loved watching Jolene grow and adapt.
The novel moved at a good pace. There was humor, and sadness, and I felt the author did a fantastic job depicting Jolene’s struggle to become the person she truly wanted to be. There were times I worried how the story would end and if I would be satisfied. I am happy to say I was quite satisfied with how things wrapped up and I’m so glad I read this! I believe anyone who enjoys a character driven story with personal growth, witty dialogue, some humor and some warmth, with some crazy office shenanigans will enjoy this book! Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the chance to read this digital copy.
August 2, 2024
I Hope This Finds You Well is truly one of the best books I've read recently—both hilarious and deeply touching.
I had a limited time to read it before passing it on to the next library patron (I started it a bit too late), but that wasn’t an issue because I couldn’t put it down. Every spare moment was devoted to devouring its pages.
While I won’t delve into the plot—since the publisher’s summary covers that—I will say there’s so much more beneath the surface. The book is filled with humor, heartfelt moments, genuine friendships, a fake engagement, a touch of blackmail, some trauma mixed with a hint of mystery, rich Persian culture, and plenty of decadent donuts, all wrapped up with just the right amount of romance.
It's hard to believe this is Natalie Sue’s debut novel! I’m excited to see what she has in store next. Keep an eye on this author! – Diana F.
I had a limited time to read it before passing it on to the next library patron (I started it a bit too late), but that wasn’t an issue because I couldn’t put it down. Every spare moment was devoted to devouring its pages.
While I won’t delve into the plot—since the publisher’s summary covers that—I will say there’s so much more beneath the surface. The book is filled with humor, heartfelt moments, genuine friendships, a fake engagement, a touch of blackmail, some trauma mixed with a hint of mystery, rich Persian culture, and plenty of decadent donuts, all wrapped up with just the right amount of romance.
It's hard to believe this is Natalie Sue’s debut novel! I’m excited to see what she has in store next. Keep an eye on this author! – Diana F.
May 26, 2024
ANOTHER outstanding 2024 debut by a talented new Canadian author!! I was hooked by the premise for this book that sees Persian Canadian, Jolene screwing up at working and getting assigned extra HR training only to find herself accidentally given access to all of her co-workers emails.
Funny, heartfelt and with a touch of a forbidden office romance that had me swooning and crying, this had a relatable female main character, mental health rep, a complicated family relationship, fake dating and a great cast of side characters.
Perfect for fans of The Office or The other Black girl and excellent on audio narrated by Nasim Pedrad. I can't wait to read more from Natalie Sue! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
Funny, heartfelt and with a touch of a forbidden office romance that had me swooning and crying, this had a relatable female main character, mental health rep, a complicated family relationship, fake dating and a great cast of side characters.
Perfect for fans of The Office or The other Black girl and excellent on audio narrated by Nasim Pedrad. I can't wait to read more from Natalie Sue! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
July 24, 2024
I didn't expect to cry today, and I certainly didn't expect to cry over a book set in an office.
But that perfectly encapsulates I Hope This Finds You Well: It's not what you expect, and it makes you feel all the feels.
This is Book Huddle Club’s fiction pick for August. I listened to the audiobook, and after much deliberation, I realized it is my favorite audiobook of all time. SNL veteran Nasim Pedrad is, in my eyes (rather, ears), the best audiobook narrator ever, bringing so much life and complexity to a story set mainly in a fluorescent cubicle world.
Here's the premise: Jolene is rough around the edges and stuck in a job she hates. IT messes up her email settings, and she's able to see her coworkers' private emails and DMs. (Note: This is my worst nightmare.) Fearing she'll lose her job after making a big mistake at work, she uses the email access intel to secure her job and win over her bosses.
On the surface, this seems like a petty workplace drama. But as the story progresses, you learn more about Jolene's self-loathing and depression, turning it into a very real look at mental health. This book is marketed as a wildly funny comedy (and it is funny!), but it won me over with its complex characters and tender moments. (Also, apologies to my fiancé, but I think I might have fallen in love with the character Cliff.)
Please, do whatever you can to read this book. I loved every second and will be thinking about it for a long time.
But that perfectly encapsulates I Hope This Finds You Well: It's not what you expect, and it makes you feel all the feels.
This is Book Huddle Club’s fiction pick for August. I listened to the audiobook, and after much deliberation, I realized it is my favorite audiobook of all time. SNL veteran Nasim Pedrad is, in my eyes (rather, ears), the best audiobook narrator ever, bringing so much life and complexity to a story set mainly in a fluorescent cubicle world.
Here's the premise: Jolene is rough around the edges and stuck in a job she hates. IT messes up her email settings, and she's able to see her coworkers' private emails and DMs. (Note: This is my worst nightmare.) Fearing she'll lose her job after making a big mistake at work, she uses the email access intel to secure her job and win over her bosses.
On the surface, this seems like a petty workplace drama. But as the story progresses, you learn more about Jolene's self-loathing and depression, turning it into a very real look at mental health. This book is marketed as a wildly funny comedy (and it is funny!), but it won me over with its complex characters and tender moments. (Also, apologies to my fiancé, but I think I might have fallen in love with the character Cliff.)
Please, do whatever you can to read this book. I loved every second and will be thinking about it for a long time.
May 26, 2024
It wasn’t that this book was bad, so much as that it didn’t know what it wanted to be. Structurally and emotionally, it’s a romance. It’s got the typical scatty heroine who hasn’t got her life together and follows her as she simultaneously finds love and a better job, because the two are intermingled goals in nine out of ten modern romance novels. Which is fine – romances are IRL fantasies, and a lot of modern women, myself included, fantasise about finding a male cheerleader who’ll support us as we make a necessary but difficult life change. I have absolutely no fault to find with this plot programme.
However, the book is marketed and positioned in a growing genre of ‘sad-girl millennial’ books, where a lot of the focus is one how us millennials can’t buy houses or afford nice lives because capitalism fucked us over. Which is also not a bad subject matter to mine, although it wouldn’t be one I’d rush to read repeatedly. However, the through-line seems to be that work is universally terrible and people who attempt to make the experience more tolerable are chumps and suck-ups.
Now, I don’t have experience working in the corporate sector, but work in the public sector brings its own unique fatigues and inertia of pointlessness. And at the end of the day, if you don’t have generational wealth, and if you aren’t one of the lucky other one percent who has a job doing something they genuinely love, then yes: work is a huge part of your day and your life, and the people you work with can impact your wellbeing more than your family and partner. My takeaway from that is not to repine and rend my clothes but to accept that getting along with my colleagues is a big priority, even if that means eating my words and taking Ls at times.
The problem in the book lies mostly in Sue’s inability to make a convincing person out of Jolene. Jolene experienced the traumatic death of a friend in school, but the story goes out of its way to clear her of any wrong-doing or real responsibility for this; her trauma really resides in the bullying after the event. It skips over what she did in college in order to land her corporate job, and makes her an alcoholic. Which – fine. It’s a dark book, those are important too. But she’s also as quippy as Buffy Summers when the hot HR guy happens along, even though she’s unable to talk like a human to her colleagues of eight years. She doesn’t understand the concept of socialising at work or out of it, yet is able to break down walls with Rhonda and Armin when she gets accidental access to their work emails. Not their personal ones – their work emails.
The narrative asks for a lot of latitude from the reader, especially when the fact of Jolene’s meddling is revealed. This isn’t just career-ending, it’s relationship-ending, yet everyone is fine with it to the point that her relationship with not just Cliff but Rhonda, Miley, and her parents improves. I’m not saying hitting rock bottom isn’t a turning point for a lot of addicts, just that it didn’t land in this story, because the writing simply wasn’t there. The story of the conniving weirdo who takes advantage of a data breach and the white-knight HR guy who unaccountably finds her extensive problems appealing is a way darker one than Sue lets it become, and it jostles uncomfortably with the romcom skeleton on which it's built. Overall — incoherent and unconvincing.
However, the book is marketed and positioned in a growing genre of ‘sad-girl millennial’ books, where a lot of the focus is one how us millennials can’t buy houses or afford nice lives because capitalism fucked us over. Which is also not a bad subject matter to mine, although it wouldn’t be one I’d rush to read repeatedly. However, the through-line seems to be that work is universally terrible and people who attempt to make the experience more tolerable are chumps and suck-ups.
Now, I don’t have experience working in the corporate sector, but work in the public sector brings its own unique fatigues and inertia of pointlessness. And at the end of the day, if you don’t have generational wealth, and if you aren’t one of the lucky other one percent who has a job doing something they genuinely love, then yes: work is a huge part of your day and your life, and the people you work with can impact your wellbeing more than your family and partner. My takeaway from that is not to repine and rend my clothes but to accept that getting along with my colleagues is a big priority, even if that means eating my words and taking Ls at times.
The problem in the book lies mostly in Sue’s inability to make a convincing person out of Jolene. Jolene experienced the traumatic death of a friend in school, but the story goes out of its way to clear her of any wrong-doing or real responsibility for this; her trauma really resides in the bullying after the event. It skips over what she did in college in order to land her corporate job, and makes her an alcoholic. Which – fine. It’s a dark book, those are important too. But she’s also as quippy as Buffy Summers when the hot HR guy happens along, even though she’s unable to talk like a human to her colleagues of eight years. She doesn’t understand the concept of socialising at work or out of it, yet is able to break down walls with Rhonda and Armin when she gets accidental access to their work emails. Not their personal ones – their work emails.
The narrative asks for a lot of latitude from the reader, especially when the fact of Jolene’s meddling is revealed. This isn’t just career-ending, it’s relationship-ending, yet everyone is fine with it to the point that her relationship with not just Cliff but Rhonda, Miley, and her parents improves. I’m not saying hitting rock bottom isn’t a turning point for a lot of addicts, just that it didn’t land in this story, because the writing simply wasn’t there. The story of the conniving weirdo who takes advantage of a data breach and the white-knight HR guy who unaccountably finds her extensive problems appealing is a way darker one than Sue lets it become, and it jostles uncomfortably with the romcom skeleton on which it's built. Overall — incoherent and unconvincing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2024
I worked in a traditional corporate office setting for about one hot minute in my 20s, and from the vast sense of martyrdom and lasting resentment I have carried with me from that time, you’d think I’d toiled in the cubicled trenches for an eternity until I’d earned my brass-plated retirement mantel clock. Part of the issue was my immense resistance to authority and part was my propensity to dress less like Ann Taylor and more like Stevie Nicks.
Although I managed to quickly move to an entirely different career with a less traditional and conservative setting, that time period obviously made an impression on me: The inanity, the banality, the humanity, the pathos! The fact that we’ve created this crazy life system wherein many individuals spend most of their days seated in a weird cloistered and sterile environment, likely at a keyboard, doing something they’ve been told to do and may or may not enjoy doing, whilst sitting in segregated proximity to people they may or not like!
And yet, and yet! — from a mental health perspective, personal fulfillment and close relationships are things we are hardwired as humans to need, and the workplace provides, for most of us, a primary opportunity for this. And, especially pre-remote work days, when you have heavy things going on for you at home, or emotionally, or personally, since it is inevitable that your two personal/professional worlds will intersect at least somewhat, these coworkers and this place are some of the potential supports and resources you have to draw upon — or not. The dilemma, the conundrum, the opportunity, the challenge, the risk!
This whole poignant Self-Actualization Quest with Constraints, Collision Between Two Worlds thing is probably a reason people like the many workplace comedy TV shows like The Office and is also a reason I’ve long appreciated the workplace novel, especially ones with a mix of dark humor and sadness. If there is one motto that sustains me, it’s the idea that we gotta laugh lest we end up eternally crying.
I love Joshua Ferris’s now-classic Then We Came To the End, and more recently, Calvin Kasulke’s Several People Are Typing, books that I find share the ethos and ensemble comedy feel of I Hope This Finds You Well. Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead, by Emily R. Austin, is another book I’d put in this category, with the workplace in that case being the office of a church, and even though it deals with the administrative side of academia, I’d toss in Julie Schumacher’s Dear Committee Members as well.
Austin is a recent favorite of mine, and if you like her books, I suspect you may like this one. Something both books share in common is the awkward young female protagonist stymied by the own worst enemy of her anxiety and smothering self-consciousness. Your appreciation of both books may depend on whether you find these protagonists sympathetic and and/or relatable enough to hang with them throughout the travails of their growth journey, and I certainly did.
I also love books that stimulate awareness of our inevitable interconnectedness and that rekindle our empathy and our compassion for ourselves as well as for the foible-ridden others around us, and for me, these books all accomplished both — and while also making me helplessly laugh-cry-laugh.
Although I managed to quickly move to an entirely different career with a less traditional and conservative setting, that time period obviously made an impression on me: The inanity, the banality, the humanity, the pathos! The fact that we’ve created this crazy life system wherein many individuals spend most of their days seated in a weird cloistered and sterile environment, likely at a keyboard, doing something they’ve been told to do and may or may not enjoy doing, whilst sitting in segregated proximity to people they may or not like!
And yet, and yet! — from a mental health perspective, personal fulfillment and close relationships are things we are hardwired as humans to need, and the workplace provides, for most of us, a primary opportunity for this. And, especially pre-remote work days, when you have heavy things going on for you at home, or emotionally, or personally, since it is inevitable that your two personal/professional worlds will intersect at least somewhat, these coworkers and this place are some of the potential supports and resources you have to draw upon — or not. The dilemma, the conundrum, the opportunity, the challenge, the risk!
This whole poignant Self-Actualization Quest with Constraints, Collision Between Two Worlds thing is probably a reason people like the many workplace comedy TV shows like The Office and is also a reason I’ve long appreciated the workplace novel, especially ones with a mix of dark humor and sadness. If there is one motto that sustains me, it’s the idea that we gotta laugh lest we end up eternally crying.
I love Joshua Ferris’s now-classic Then We Came To the End, and more recently, Calvin Kasulke’s Several People Are Typing, books that I find share the ethos and ensemble comedy feel of I Hope This Finds You Well. Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead, by Emily R. Austin, is another book I’d put in this category, with the workplace in that case being the office of a church, and even though it deals with the administrative side of academia, I’d toss in Julie Schumacher’s Dear Committee Members as well.
Austin is a recent favorite of mine, and if you like her books, I suspect you may like this one. Something both books share in common is the awkward young female protagonist stymied by the own worst enemy of her anxiety and smothering self-consciousness. Your appreciation of both books may depend on whether you find these protagonists sympathetic and and/or relatable enough to hang with them throughout the travails of their growth journey, and I certainly did.
I also love books that stimulate awareness of our inevitable interconnectedness and that rekindle our empathy and our compassion for ourselves as well as for the foible-ridden others around us, and for me, these books all accomplished both — and while also making me helplessly laugh-cry-laugh.
August 6, 2024
je suis tout bonnement fan de ce livre et j'ai une féroce envie de hurler car à la librairie il était rangé dans la catégorie ROMANCE comment ça ROMANCE vous voulez rigoler certes il y a des hétérosexuels qui se font des bisous à la fin mais déjà ça a le bon goût d'être passé sous ellipse et en plus ça occupe littéralement 10% du livre tout le reste n'est que du CAPITALISTIC ANGST c'est Game of Thrones au bureau si Lord Baelish avait eu accès à la messagerie Teams entre Cersei et Tyrion et aussi au WhatsApp des Stark et aussi au compte Messenger de Daenerys désolée je vais arrêter de filer la métaphore ici je suis en train de regarder House of the Dragon c'est pour cela. tout ça pour dire que vous devez lire ce livre car sinon je vais exploser de mécontentement, c'est drôle et ça parle avec beaucoup beaucoup de justesse de la façon dont on peut tout bonnement se laisser cesser d'exister quand on s'aliène un peu trop fort à son emploi de bureau mais sans jamais être plombant parce qu'il est POSSIBLE de cultiver son bonheur et de se libérer et de surpasser la méfiance que l'entreprise cherche à nourrir entre ses employés et bref. c'est trop bien. c'est trop trop bien. c'est bien (je suis critique littéraire)
July 14, 2024
honestly I can’t blame her if I had access to everyone’s messages and emails you bet your ass I’d be snooping
August 9, 2024
4.5 stars! read this on a whim at the recommendation of one of the attorneys at my work and ended up really enjoying it! it definitely made me anxious as heck at times bc i am a paranoid parrot and could never even dream of doing half the things jolene did lol but i genuinely had such a great time in between these pages. i also feel like this reading experience will stick with me for a long time bc it was the first time in ages that i have found out about a book, picked it up from the library, and read it all within the same 24 hour span. so memorable! so fun!
edit--my glowing review notwithstanding, i feel like i do need to say: while i had a great time overall with this one, it definitely has a much heavier tone than my glowing review & the cover may lead you to believe. definitely tread with caution if you're sensitive to any of the content warnings i've listed below
cw: grief, ptsd, death of a loved one, addiction, emotional manipulation/abuse, bullying, terminal illness, adultery, panic attacks (on page)
edit--my glowing review notwithstanding, i feel like i do need to say: while i had a great time overall with this one, it definitely has a much heavier tone than my glowing review & the cover may lead you to believe. definitely tread with caution if you're sensitive to any of the content warnings i've listed below
cw: grief, ptsd, death of a loved one, addiction, emotional manipulation/abuse, bullying, terminal illness, adultery, panic attacks (on page)
August 2, 2024
OK, WOW, did not expect to love this book as much as I did. Jolene is the office loner. She hates her administrative job at a mega-corporation and copes by including secret, snarky messages in emails to her most hated coworkers. (She types them at the end in a white font so no one sees them.) When her secret snarking is discovered, HR sets up a filter on her computer to monitor her emails. But when they reprogram her inbox, they accidentally give Jolene access to EVERYONE’S email accounts and instant messages. Suddenly, she can see what everyone is saying about her…and about each other. She decides to use her new secret spy powers to win over the boss and save her job. But as she learns her coworkers’ deepest secrets, she also begins to…kind of like them?
So I correctly predicted that this book would be laugh-out-loud funny, but I didn’t expect it to also pack an emotional gut punch. As we learn about each character’s secret problems, these people who were once one-dimensional bad coworker stereotypes become fully fleshed out humans, and along with Jolene, we learn the deeper motivations for their annoying behaviour. This book honestly inspired me to be more empathetic in my own daily life, which was not something I was expecting from a workplace comedy! That, combined with Jolene’s snarky wit and a surprisingly fast-paced, twisty plot, made this an unforgettable read.
This one’s perfect for everyone who devoured Harriet the Spy as a kid!
(Also, I loved that it was set in my hometown of Calgary, Canada, because that city does NOT get nearly enough literary representation 😂)
So I correctly predicted that this book would be laugh-out-loud funny, but I didn’t expect it to also pack an emotional gut punch. As we learn about each character’s secret problems, these people who were once one-dimensional bad coworker stereotypes become fully fleshed out humans, and along with Jolene, we learn the deeper motivations for their annoying behaviour. This book honestly inspired me to be more empathetic in my own daily life, which was not something I was expecting from a workplace comedy! That, combined with Jolene’s snarky wit and a surprisingly fast-paced, twisty plot, made this an unforgettable read.
This one’s perfect for everyone who devoured Harriet the Spy as a kid!
(Also, I loved that it was set in my hometown of Calgary, Canada, because that city does NOT get nearly enough literary representation 😂)
April 23, 2024
uh oh ate this up
February 9, 2024
Jolene has a problem. Her job is in jeopardy because she is caught writing secret mean notes in white font on otherwise professional emails she sends to her coworkers.
She ends up having to take these HR courses to keep her job, and HR puts a watch on her computer to prevent further instances of her misbehavior, but the new HR guy, Cliff, accidentally gives her access to everybody's emails and messages.
Instead of getting him to fix this error, she uses it to her advantage - reading her coworkers' emails and instant messages in real time and using the knowledge to keep on their good sides in the midst of pending company-wide job cuts.
This was a really fun read!! All the secrets between her coworkers as well as personal things no one knew about were really interesting to read and made me want to continue just to find out more details. Jolene also has a crush on the HR guy too, so that's a side plot, and I loved it.
This book made me realize that not only is there probably a lot of juicy info in real life company messengers, but that everyone has a story and there is a lot more to people than meets the eye. Just because you work with someone for 8 hours a day, doesn't mean you truly know what's going on in their life.
This book was deeper than meets the eye; it was funny, heartwarming, and relatable. Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins Canada for the eArc, I really enjoyed it!
She ends up having to take these HR courses to keep her job, and HR puts a watch on her computer to prevent further instances of her misbehavior, but the new HR guy, Cliff, accidentally gives her access to everybody's emails and messages.
Instead of getting him to fix this error, she uses it to her advantage - reading her coworkers' emails and instant messages in real time and using the knowledge to keep on their good sides in the midst of pending company-wide job cuts.
This was a really fun read!! All the secrets between her coworkers as well as personal things no one knew about were really interesting to read and made me want to continue just to find out more details. Jolene also has a crush on the HR guy too, so that's a side plot, and I loved it.
This book made me realize that not only is there probably a lot of juicy info in real life company messengers, but that everyone has a story and there is a lot more to people than meets the eye. Just because you work with someone for 8 hours a day, doesn't mean you truly know what's going on in their life.
This book was deeper than meets the eye; it was funny, heartwarming, and relatable. Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins Canada for the eArc, I really enjoyed it!
July 30, 2024
I was so excited to receive this book in my subscription box this month! Despite some mixed reviews, I decided to give it a chance, and I'm thrilled that I did. This book made me burst into laughter and delved into some deeper themes, creating a perfect blend of lightheartedness and substance. I expected the humor, but the emotional impact completely caught me off guard. Knowing each character and their struggles made them incredibly relatable and genuine.
Isn't it amazing how a workplace comedy can resonate with people? Jolene's quick wit and the engaging plot of this book were truly captivating.
While the story was engaging, it could benefit from a final polish to smooth out some choppiness. The narrative could have come alive and felt more realistic and engaging with a few more edits at certain parts.
3.5-4 stars, rounding up for GoodReads. ✨
Isn't it amazing how a workplace comedy can resonate with people? Jolene's quick wit and the engaging plot of this book were truly captivating.
While the story was engaging, it could benefit from a final polish to smooth out some choppiness. The narrative could have come alive and felt more realistic and engaging with a few more edits at certain parts.
3.5-4 stars, rounding up for GoodReads. ✨
May 24, 2024
4.5-5⭐️ When admin Jolene is caught sending snarky secret email post scripts to her co-workers (by changing the text color to white), she is forced by the company to attend sensitivity training run by the highly lovable HR person Cliff. When an IT glitch causes Jolene to have access to all of her co-workers private emails, she hatches a plan to save her job. But the more she learns about the people around her, including Cliff, the harder it is to maintain her carefully constructed walls.
This is a gorgeous debut novel that is as funny as it is heartfelt. With an engaging plot, incredibly zany characters, an epistolary format, slight forbidden love vibes and deep themes around loneliness and isolation, this was a dynamic read in every way that will appeal to almost everyone.
If The Office and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine had a baby, it would be this book. From the go, I was so intrigued with Jolene, a Persian Canadian, who went out of her way to avoid interacting with others. Yet, this is what she craved most. I love the way the author explores the importance of these deep and meaningful connections and how vital they are to the human experience. Jolene’s feelings of loneliness will resonate with most, making her an incredible vulnerable and authentic character. And while it was a joy to see Jolene form these important platonic relationships with those around her, the addition of a sweet new romance is what had me grinning ear to ear. The growth ARC of our MC is spectacular in every way.
🎧I listened to this book mostly on audio and I think given the email format of so much of the book, this was really not the best way to go. The narrator does do a fantastic job but the unique format that makes this book so much fun, gets a bit lost along the way. I would suggest reading the physical or ebook alongside the audio for an immersive reading experience.
Read if you like:
•workplace drama
•quirky relatable characters
•forbidden romance (lite)
•debut novels
•The Office meets Eleanor Oliphant
Thank you William Morrow and Harper Audio for the gifted copies.
This is a gorgeous debut novel that is as funny as it is heartfelt. With an engaging plot, incredibly zany characters, an epistolary format, slight forbidden love vibes and deep themes around loneliness and isolation, this was a dynamic read in every way that will appeal to almost everyone.
If The Office and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine had a baby, it would be this book. From the go, I was so intrigued with Jolene, a Persian Canadian, who went out of her way to avoid interacting with others. Yet, this is what she craved most. I love the way the author explores the importance of these deep and meaningful connections and how vital they are to the human experience. Jolene’s feelings of loneliness will resonate with most, making her an incredible vulnerable and authentic character. And while it was a joy to see Jolene form these important platonic relationships with those around her, the addition of a sweet new romance is what had me grinning ear to ear. The growth ARC of our MC is spectacular in every way.
🎧I listened to this book mostly on audio and I think given the email format of so much of the book, this was really not the best way to go. The narrator does do a fantastic job but the unique format that makes this book so much fun, gets a bit lost along the way. I would suggest reading the physical or ebook alongside the audio for an immersive reading experience.
Read if you like:
•workplace drama
•quirky relatable characters
•forbidden romance (lite)
•debut novels
•The Office meets Eleanor Oliphant
Thank you William Morrow and Harper Audio for the gifted copies.
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