DNF. I cannot fathom how descriptions like 'heartwarming' and 'laugh out loud funny' have been applied to this book because all I got was cynicism and pessimism. I could feel myself physically getting more and more melancholy about the general world the more I attempted to read this and I really don't need any extra misery to add on to my general state right now. I get the comparison to Eleanor Oliphant - in fact, it's basically an American version, it's the same kind of story but with an office dynamic thrown in for good luck. It's dull, it feels very dumb (like teenage dumb 'everyone sucks except me') and ultimately, it did not find me well at all.

"I Hope This Finds You Well" had me laughing out loud and rooting for Jolene from page one. This heartwarming office comedy follows admin worker Jolene, who stumbles upon her colleagues' private emails and DMs due to an IT glitch. Instead of reporting it, she dives into the digital dirt, hoping to save her job amid looming layoffs! Not my usual type of story but one I really enjoyed nonetheless!

An unusual tale about life in the office. This was a mainly humorous story although it did get a bit maudlin towards the end.. An interesting read nonetheless.

An absolute triumph of a novel. I totally devoured it.
The characters are SO believable, with the lies and half-truths they tell one another (and themselves) brilliantly woven together to create a plot that rattles along.
I found myself rooting for the characters, as if I knew them. I was completely invested and found myself wanting to tell them when they’d misunderstood something or done something ill-advised.
I’d happily spend many more hours in the company of these characters - even the odious ones are compelling.
The perfect blend of heart and humour.

I was drawn to this one by its excellent title and gorgeous cover and expected to read a humourous and light take on office life, this book is so much more.

Jolene works in an admin in a large company, she is anxious, depressed and doesn't like her co-workers, outside of work her life is empty, she stays home and drinks. When an IT error enables her to access all of her colleagues email and messages, she finds out exactly what they think of her, after her initial shock and hurt ,Jolene decides to use this info to save her job. In doing so , she learns everyone in the office has their own issues and problems and Jolene starts to let her own barriers down a bit.

This was really written, warm and realistic. Funny at times and sad at others. Jolene was a great character and I found myself becoming invested in her life and wanting things to work out for her as the book progressed. I loved the sections about her family and overall this was an enjoyable read. It was a little predictable but the plot as such isn't as important in this book as the people. I thought it was a
smidgen too long but overall, a good read.

3.5 stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue.

I loved the protagonist Jolene, who is an office outlier. She doesn’t engage with her colleagues and they don’t engage with her.

Jolene is subject to a disciplinary and has to undertake HR sessions and then discovers she has accidentally been granted access to all staff emails and messages. With her job on the line, what should she do?

The office politics was very real for me and I could recognise her colleague’s traits in my co-workers!

This was a very enjoyable read and there were some real laugh out loud moments. Also, it restored my faith in humanity and reinforces that people are essentially good and that we have more in common than not with one another.

I think it’s a must read for fans of the recent book Cleaner by Brandi Wells.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, HarperCollins UK, for making this e-ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I adored this book.

Jolene's dry sense of humour and sarcastic personality were fantastic.
I loved the character development, and each side story.

The perfect blend of humour and heartfelt joy.

This book was surprisingly very heartwarming and entertaining. What would you do if you could read all your coworkers emails?

I felt invested in the characters and even if the storyline is a little predictable, it was a good journey regardless. Good solid little read, even if it wasn’t groundbreaking.

A quirky read with characters you really root for. A very relatable main female character that, due to technical difficulties, ends up revealing true thoughts and feelings about her colleagues.

I loved the friendships that unraveled, the development of familial relationships, and the very real description of how everyone struggles sometimes, no matter how they present themselves to others.

This read was just what I needed.

A quick read that delves into the realms of office life and its complications with acceptance, friendship and office politics. The characters all have a personal life away from the office that greatly impacts their persona when at work. A web of lies and ‘keeping up appearances’ weave together to create a predictable but engaging story.

Jolene doesn't have any friends at work, she is all alone in the office and at home.
She wants to be invisible.
Until one day there is a new HR guy, Cliff, and he is tasked to meet and assess the workforce.

Jolene's computer is put under surveillance after she sends a not very nice email to her colleague, however she gets given super admin powers and can read everyone emails and insta messages. When the rumors of redundancies is confirmed in one of the confidential email she reads, she comes up with a plan to keep her job, but it will involve actually talking and making an effort with her colleagues. Will she be able to do that?

A very great read about office politics, relationship at work and family pressure to fit a certain standard.
I truly enjoyed this book.

This book wasn't at all what I expected! I assumed it was another satire on office life / the modern world but what I actually read was a rather sweet rom com, with a supporting cast I couldn't help rooting for. The email plot was inspired and the resolution, although simple, very charming. Recommended

This is a light-hearted novel aimed at, as the preface states, anyone who's worked in an office. A major IT error results in Jolene, the anxiety-ridden protagonist, being able to read all her colleagues' emails and, thus, their 'inner thoughts'. I'm probably not alone in saying that the emails I send at work reflect very little of my 'inner life' but, that aside, there are relatable moments and it's a fun read with some heartwarming moments. Although an interesting premise for a novel, which I'm sure many people will enjoy, admittedly it's probably not for me.

"People show you most of who they are up front. It just takes someone to really watch."

Jolene Smith does her best to avoid her colleagues. She doesn't like them. They don't like her. When an IT error allows her to see everyone's emails and messages company-wide, she doesn't report it. Now, she can see what people are saying about her, and she realises she could be fired. So, she uses the opportunity to get one up on her competition.

Meanwhile, she's been sent on an HR course after she accidentally sent a nasty email to her nemesis, Caitlin. She forms a surprising connection to the new HR manager, Cliff, one of the few people who seems to see the 'real' her, someone who is struggling to come to terms with a dark past.

But, can Jolene keep up with all her lies?

This book is such a quirky, witty and enjoyable read. There are a lot of cringe moments (in a very entertaining way) and while Jolene does very unlikeable things and lies a lot, I still managed to identify with her (I mean, who hasn't had at least one or two awful colleagues?). I loved how she develops as a character, and how the ending isn't just cheesy and completely predictable. Cliff is so sweet and you can't help but root for him.

I loved that while the book is clearly meant to make you at least smile if not laugh (often in shock), there are many deeper themes about friendship, familial relationships, and how people are often not who they seem – instead, everyone struggles sometimes, no matter how they present themselves to others.

A lovely, uplifting read.

✉️ This debut contemporary novel by Natalie Sue is one of my favorite books of the year thus far—I absolutely loved it! It follows Jolene, a relatable screw-up and office outcast, as she's mistakingly granted admin access to all her colleagues’ private emails and instant messages. Chaos ensues, as Jolene starts seeing what everyone truly thinks of her—but will she use this newfound information to her advantage?

✉️ What follows is a hilarious exploration of workplace culture in all its petty and toxic glory. The humour is relentless, largely thanks to Jolene's sarcastic wit, and I found myself laughing throughout—it's honestly rare for a book to make me laugh so much!

✉️ In addition to the humour, there's a touching side plot involving a colleague from HR, who Jolene reluctantly grows more and more fond of. As this will-they-won't-they situation develops, I found myself really rooting for these characters and may have ended up shedding a tear or two in the process...

✉️ If you're into humorous, contemporary novels with a bit of romance and a lot of insight into the absurdity of workplace culture, I definitely recommend giving this one a go.

Rating: ★★★★½

Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk for granting me access to this e-ARC.

I admit, at first, I thought this book was a memoir about life at work and the title was a clever dig at how no email has ever found anyone well.

While the latter is true, this book is about Jolene Smith, an employee who gave up on her job years ago. But she still needs it and all the dumb, hilarious antics she goes through to keep it.

This was hard to rate as for the most part, I enjoyed reading it and found Natalie Sue's observations about the people you find at an office hilarious. Jolene is quite the character as well- flawed certainly and while I was frustrated with her sometimes, I also found her to be equally relatable.

But I wasn't a fan of the ending which felt far-fetched. I hope to read more from the author though.

Thanks to Netgalley & HarperCollins UK for the e-copy!

3.5/5

Unfortunately this fell a bit flat for me. The premise was great and I was excited to see where it would go but it felt slow and a bit samey. I like the idea of making the point that everyone has their own stuff going on and you never know what someone else is going through but it just didn’t hit like I thought it would sadly.

I Hope This Finds You Well is a smart, funny, compassionate, and addicting read. On the surface it is the literary equivalent of The Office (US), with a similarly well balanced blend of cringe and heart. Above and beyond this it’s also a surprisingly nuanced and special story.

I didn’t anticipate coming to love the layered cast of characters that inhabited this dingy stereotypical office. The author did a wonderful job of capturing their humanity, reflecting the idea that you really never know what people are coping with. Jolene’s growth, and relationship development was so satisfied, and I really enjoyed the ending.

I thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel and eagerly anticipate Natalie Sue’s next!

Thank you HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue

Jolene has been working in admin at Supershops for 8 years when an IT error leads to her being able to see all her colleagues' emails and messages. Since there are about to be redundancies, she can use this information to her advantage and gain the edge on her co-workers. But this has unintended consequences and eventually leads to disaster.

Wow, what a fresh, funny, poignant and original novel - I absolutely loved it! I really felt Jolene's pain as I'm sure any reader who has worked in an office will... and I loved her awkward sense of humour and rooted for her throughout the entire story. One of my favourites of the year so far, I hope it does really well. Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

‘Would you want to know what your colleagues say behind your back?’

An honest to god, fascinating debut novel from Natalie Sue.

Jolene, whilst flawed, is such a relatable and intriguing character.

This novel is a great character study office politics, grief, anxiety, and depression to name a few.

I found myself laughing, crying and feeling the spine tingling chill of anxiety alongside the characters of this book.

It is a definite must read for 2024!

Thank you HarperCollins UK, The Borough Press and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.