An interesting story of people with hidden hardships in life, this book develops themes which aren’t often found in novels. I did enjoy this story, but it wasn’t one of those unputdownable books.

In this novel, we follow Jolene, a socially awkward, lonely, slightly toxic protagonist who, after a slight HR mishap, can read other people's emails and plans to game her way to not getting fired.

Her micro-aggressive judgments about her co-workers and emotional distancing, to name a few, are defence mechanisms for her to cope with working at a place where she never felt supported and belonged in. Through her social mishaps, professionalism, boundaries, loneliness, forming communities, taking risks to trust others, and faith in others are explored. Yes, Jolene could've afforded to be more honest. Yes, she could try stepping out of her self-exile and self-pity pit more to find the happiness and peace she really wanted. Yes, she could've communicated more so fewer misunderstandings would happen and she would get to happier places. But it's all very human and understandable, considering where Jolene comes from (figuratively). And yet, bit by bit, implosion after implosion, Jolene gets to the point where she commits to pulling herself together so she's well to accept anything that comes her way, unfortunate emails or otherwise.

This book comes at an interesting time when digital technology has brought workplaces to homes, increased productivity, and isolated individuals. Generational divides are dividing up "expert" opinions about the impacts on the workplace. The loneliness pandemic might be the "Great Depression" of the 2020s.

It's a relevant read that leaves much to ponder.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for providing me with the e-ARC/DRC in exchange for an honest review.

This book really resonated with me, bringing back memories of my own experiences in office settings. Despite the familiarity, I was captivated by its exploration of corporate relationships. The author skillfully blends wit and heartfelt emotion, presenting relatable characters and office dynamics that highlight power struggles, office politics, and the emotional rollercoaster of corporate life. The witty writing style adds a delightful touch of humor to the narrative, making it both engaging and thought-provoking.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in a sharp and insightful portrayal of office dynamics. It's a must-read for gaining new perspectives on workplace relationships and the complexities of corporate environments. Whether you've encountered similar situations or simply enjoy character-driven stories with depth, this book offers a compelling journey through the intricacies of office life that will leave you reflecting on your own experiences long after you've finished reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was funny, heartwarming, sad & slightly stressful ! It made a very good read.

First off, I absolutely adore Miley & just wanted her to be happy throughout the whole book. Rhonda as well ? What a sweetie. I don’t know whether this is because I’m in the middle of a rewatch of The Office, but I definitely pictured Phyllis whilst reading !

Jolene was interesting. In some parts, she annoyed me as she was just being so careless & I found it stressful in parts ! The ending though really made me tear up ! I feel so proud of her, she had such a journey !

The writing was very good & kept me engaged throughout. I did really enjoy this book & even got emotional at the end ! Highly recommend !

I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback. Thank you NetGalley!

The book follows Jolene in her mundane 9-5 office job, when suddenly an incident means that she has access to all of her colleagues emails and private messages. With the rumours about lay-offs circling, she wonders whether this new power could help her.

I loved getting to know all of the different characters and seeing their storylines and interpersonal relationships progress. The character progression was *chefs kiss*. I feel like this book shows you the best and worst of normal people, and in a weird way that comforted me.

I LOVE JOLENE! She is the perfect unlikable, morally grey, satire main character that you can’t help but love even when you want to shake her.

If you have ever worked in an office, you will absolutely love this. Having access to everyone’s emails and messages sounds like a dream to everyone who lives a bit of office gossip - but the reality is horrendous and I’ve actually realised it would be my worst nightmare. I was on the edge of my seat for the whole book, it really was a rollercoaster!

This book was a delightful surprise! It's filled with heartwarming and bittersweet moments that really caught me off guard—in the best way possible. What I loved most was how it mirrored real life, flaws and all. The messages it sends hit close to home, making the characters and their messy world feel incredibly relatable. Once I started, I couldn't stop turning the pages!

This was such a cool, original premise for a book and I was excited to read it. It didn’t let me down. The writing was fresh, smart and funny, I was surprised to find out this is the authors debut and I can’t wait to read what else she comes up with. Although her character was a tad unlikeable at first, who hasn’t felt like Joelene in their job at some point? I could certainly relate to her thoughts, if not her actions. There was a touch of Elenor Oliphant about this book, in a good way, Perceptive insight into office life and how you never really know what people have going on. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher.

I hope this finds you well is a novel about office politics, loneliness and trauma, with the idea of you don't know what everyone's going through as the constant background for it. I loved getting to know Jolene and the rest of the Supershops workers, and although I knew how it would all end up, it is still a very satisfying read due to the character building.

I absolutely loved this book! So funny and smart, with really well developed and relatable characters. An absolute joy to read!

Light and entertaining
Jolene, the main protagonist in this office world satire, is one of those misfits who see the worst everywhere and suffers from it. She loathes her job and all her co-workers and has a string of quite cruel descriptions of them. She doesn’t much love her flat or her lonely home life either. In fact she starts off as a thoroughly unlovable character. (As the book continues, we find that this is partly to do with a trauma in her past)
One of her less sensible habits is to add nasty comments to emails which she conceals by whiting them out. (Wow! Such a secure way to hide stuff!) And inevitably, one of these comments gets found out. Threats and horrible interviews follow and an HR person is detailed to mentor her in proper behaviour and also to set a watch on her computer. Only, somehow, she ends up being able to see all the emails from everyone in the company instead.
So, will she discover how much everyone really hates her? Will she find a way to keep her job? Will she carry on being a totally unlovable office misfit? It’s many years since I worked in an office and I seem to remember getting on well with most of my co-workers. So I was surprised to find that I actually did want to find out what happened to Jolene and Cliff and all her co-workers and how she dealt with her super-knowledge.
And indeed, it was quite a lively and entertaining read – not too tidy and obvious, some good plot lines and side characters thrown in to confuse matters. I enjoyed it. I didn’t find it hilarious though I did laugh a couple of times.
If there was a lesson in this novel it was, don’t assume you know anything about people. You’ll be wrong. Oh and don’t work in an office. Ever.

f you had the opportunity to read colleagues emails and DM’s, would you? What if they’re writing about you? Jolene gets that chance in this debut novel when an IT mix-up happens in the office she works at.
I really enjoyed the characters in this, they were written so well and likeable. As someone who works in an office, I had to read this and it kept me intrigued as I didn’t know where the story was going to go. The pace got pretty slow about 30% in, but the ending was very satisfying as I’d been rooting for Jolene and Cliff!

If you have ever worked in an office and had even a passing unpleasant thought about your co-workers, your boss or how much your job sucks in general, I think it’s likely you’ll enjoy reading I Hope This Finds You Well as much as I did.

When hapless, fed-up Jolene is accidentally given access to the emails of all her co-workers — co-workers she’s hated working with for the last eight years — she opens up a gateway to the office politics, tattling and backstabbing that she’s only had a passing awareness of for the last eight years.

She exploits this secret access to gain insights into her coworkers life, using this information against them to finally start climbing (or at least, succeed in not falling off) the corporate ladder. But with redundancies looming and the help of sweet new HR guy Cliff, Jolene starts wondering how much of her loneliness at work is her own doing. And if it’s possible that her time in the office is shaped by her struggles outside of it, is it possible the same could be said for her co-workers too?

I had a really good time reading this. Jolene’s a loveable and sympathetic character, despite how often she’s the root of her own problems, and the romantic subplot running through the novel was sweet without being too sickly. I related to a lot of the office dynamics — do we all have an office arch nemesis? — and navigating professional dynamics, especially when you constantly feel like you’re doing a bad job. I do think Jolene’s past needed a bit more work and thought, but that didn’t detract from a very funny look at the trials and tribulations of office culture, and a reminder that what’s on the surface isn’t always all there is.

Was this a wise book to read days before starting a new job? Possibly not!

Thank you for my NetGalley ARC @BoroughPress!


Review also published 29th April on Tackling.the.tbrs

Dear NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, I hope this finds you well. Thank you for giving me the chance to read an ARC and present you with an honest review. Please do not hesitate to contact me again should the opportunity arise. Kind regards.

Jolene Smith, a Canadian citizen of Iranian descent, has been working in the same office for the last 8 years, and she hates it, especially her seemingly terrible colleagues. Whenever she has to send one of them an email, she adds what she really thinks of them in white text colour so they can't see it. One day she gets caught and is made to complete an anti-harassment course with new HR employee and Warhammer nerd Cliff.

This part is funny and very relatable, with all the office politics, the backstabbing, micro aggressions and tattling to HR that is so rife in offices. If this book doesn't make a convincing case for WFH then what does?

"I had no idea yet about things like: working faster than everyone is bad, actually; not talking about your private life with colleagues is suspicious; and you have to be fake nice to powerful people even when they treat you horribly."

Jolene also suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. There is a lot of pain and sadness in her from an unresolved trauma because of her best friend Ellie's death years ago. It seems she never got therapy for it, and frankly, her overbearing Persian mother with her cultural expectations is no help. Consequently she often comes across as a bit of a brusque loner that looks down on her colleagues.

"So many office situations show no regard for people with anxiety, yet we’re the bad guys if we can’t cope."

Having started work with Cliff, we get into the territory of a budding office romance, but at the same time we delve deeper into her colleagues' private lives, because Cliff mistakenly gives her administrative access to all office correspondence, and boy, does she use this!

Jolene tries to take advantage of all this knowledge to secure her job and, having read what they all think of her, make the others like her more, but after initial success, it dramatically backfires. Just when her life implodes, she realises she does have friends, and family that love her, including the neglected neighbour kid, Miley, who I would have liked to have a bigger slice of the story.

I loved this so much. Jolene is at times unlikeable but I emphasized with her, though also her colleagues who are all dealing with things in their private life that they try to hide at work. This is a very accomplished debut novel, brimming over with heart and understanding for flawed characters and giving them all development journeys (except maybe Gregory who will always remain offensive!). If you've ever worked in an office with passive aggressive coworkers and an undermining boss who calls you all a family whilst happily slashing the budget and firing staff, you will relate SO hard.

I can't wait to see what the author writes next!

4.5 stars

I definitely didn’t think I’d be crying at I Hope This Finds You Well. Crying with laughter sure but after Jolene sucked me into her life I couldn’t help but feel ✨everything✨Come for the beautiful cover + stay for the office drama!

Thank you HarperCollins UK + NetGalley for the chance to read this before it’s published on 23rd May 2024.

Oh yes, this novel DOES find me well! As someone who has worked in an office for nearly 14 years so much of this resonated with me - the colleague who gives you the side-eye when you arrive for work 5 minutes late, the colleague who brings in something to reheat for lunch in the microwave and INSISTS on eating it at their desk, the colleague who clearly doesn't remember who you are every time you join a meeting... The passive-aggressive colleague who puts 'polite notices' up in the staff kitchen! The one who never refills the printer! Oh, I could go on!

Anyway, Natalie Sue has conjured up a workplace in Supershops that many of us can relate to and all the characters that we may encounter. I really liked the protagonist, Jolene. Following a mishap involving an email, Jolene is put on a HR training programme to improve her relationships with colleagues. Her emails are to be monitored until she passes this course, however following the necessary update to her software she realises she can read ALL the emails and instant messages sent on the company system between her colleagues - what will she do with this new found knowledge...?

I appreciated the unfolding narrative of how Jolene's life and past experiences have affected her so we get to understand why she is always pushing people away. Jolene is anxious and clearly traumatised following an event in her adolescence involving her best friend - in this respect Jolene/I Hope This Finds You Well gave off Emily Austin vibes (in a good way!).

I <loved> Cliff! He is going to be making his way to top position as many reader's book boyfriends, I can tell! He was so sweet, funny, had great chemistry with Jolene which felt so believable as their relationship started to deepen, and empathetic but with enough backbone to stand up for himself.

I loved how we got to see into the personal lives of Jolene's co-workers and could appreciate the motivations behind their behaviour. I thought it echoed Jolene's growth through the novel perfectly.

A fantastically fun read which will appeal to anyone who has ever had to sit through a mandatory HR training exercise, or fans of The Other Black Girl, Careering, and The Devil Wears Prada.

Jolene finds herself in hot water when her penchant for crafting covertly critical messages in white font within otherwise professional emails jeopardizes her job security. Forced to undergo HR training and subject to computer monitoring, she encounters a stroke of luck when Cliff, the new HR personnel, inadvertently grants her access to her coworkers' confidential emails and instant messages.

Rather than rectifying the error, Jolene seizes the opportunity to exploit this newfound access to gain insights into her colleagues' lives, using the information to navigate the precarious waters of impending company-wide layoffs while keeping herself in their good graces.

The narrative unfolds with a riveting array of secrets and personal revelations, drawing readers deeper into the intricacies of office politics and human relationships. Jolene's budding infatuation with Cliff adds an extra layer of intrigue to the storyline, enhancing its charm.

Beyond its entertaining premise, the book delves into the complexities of human nature, reminding readers that everyone harbors hidden depths and personal struggles, often obscured by the facades we present in professional settings. It serves as a poignant reminder that true understanding requires looking beyond surface appearances, even among coworkers who spend eight hours a day together.

Brimming with humor, warmth, and relatability, this book transcends its initial allure, offering readers a journey that is as enlightening as it is entertaining.

Fans of ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’ and ‘The Office’ will love this! We follow Jolene Smith, a 33 year old office worker who often gets through the day by responding to colleagues’ emails but adding how she really feels in white text. Until one day, she forgets to turn that text white and it all blows up in her face. HR get involved, and we all know what that means, but it turns out Jolene gets on really well with the HR guy, Cliff. As he changes the settings on her computer to make her more accountable, Jolene takes the next steps and her future career into her own hands. I love the different characters we meet along the way, who are all typical in an office environment. As a fellow Iranian, I didn’t expect to see the representation but I loved it!

This big-hearted debut's riffs on the perils and problems of office life will be familiar to anyone who's experienced the treadmill of 9-to-5. Sue brings warmth and life to even the smallest of characters. Looking forward to seeing what she does next.

I challenge anyone who has ever worked in an office not to love this! It’s hilariously sardonic yet beautifully touching at the same time. Jolene is a loveable yet incredibly human protagonist who loathes office life and her colleagues. One day, she discovers that she has access to all of her colleagues’ work emails and messages so can see exactly what they say about her AND find out their secrets. In the process of spying, Jolene learns as much about herself as she learns about her colleagues.

As per my last email😂😂😂 I found this novel a joy to read it made me laugh and it's very much true to life in term of office politics. It was sad at times but the dark humour underlaying within kept it quite up beat for a look at office politics and how was humans we work together and not so together .Would a make great holiday read. Good plot idea. Am sure every reader will get the feelings and motivation of the Jolene if they are ever worked in an office. Refreshing and at times tender this laugh out loud novel will have you asking do you really hope this email finds me well
Reminded me a bit of Elenor Oliphant