I loved this! Such an interesting concept, and it delivers so well. These characters will be staying with me for a long time.

I Hope This Finds You Well in an unexpectedly moving, humorous look at when the power shifts in the petty landscape of office politics.

I came for the biting office satire and I stayed for the beating heart of this book. Jolene is a complex, somewhat unlikable character at times, but you still root for her and cackle at her newfound power. She is fraught, caught up in family expectations and a crushing realisation that she is not where she wants to be at work. Her voice is sparky and spiky, drawing you in and pushing you away at equal measure. Life is solitary and unremarkable, but the IT malfunction changes everything. With her newfound power, she can use it for good or bad and that central ethical dilemma drives this book. Further secrets and lies are exposed and she gets further and further caught up in a web of deception.

Also running through this book is a very prominent theme of grief. Much of Jolene’s isolation and deliberate alienation stems from a bereavement she has never really started to live with. Sue handles this with delicacy, unpacking the myriad of emotions that surround this for Jolene. We swing from anger to blame to denial and guilt. It adds an unexpected gut punch to the book and takes it from solely satirical observations to something that has a bit more heart to it. In this space, Jolene herself evolves from caricature to character and takes up space in our hearts in the meantime.

I loved her relationships with other characters and how they developed. Many of them went from fairly stereotypical office types, which we’ve all seen and/or experienced before, to fully realised and three dimensional people with their own issues and motivations. These people went from punchlines to people you wanted to get to know. Sue does not overly explain or justify everything, instead she just leaves people as people, as messy and fractured as that can be.

I Hope This Finds You Well is a complex character study that also delves into the little nuances of humanity and life we often forget in a more monotone existence of work. Prepare to both laugh and cry.

Excellent workplace drama/comedy of secrets, carshares and adult office life.

Park and Rec. The Office. Superstore. I've adored these office/shop-based shows over the last few years, and had the same feeling of familiarity when starting this. With unter-office cliques, power struggles, rivalries, creeps, hidden family problems, passive-aggressive acts/emails and kitchen shenanigans, this slotted right into my empty slot for 'entertaining work-based comedy/drama' beautifully.

Jolene knows she's the office joke. She keeps to herself and gets her own back for comments/acts of microaggressions with whited-out email messages that say what she really thinks of everyone. Until the day one of these email sign-offs is not hidden and she gets called in to the new HR guy's office. Reprimanded with sensitivity training and computer software to track her online words, Jolene is puzzled to discover that her updates have actually given her admin control to view every email, private message and document flying around the building, between every colleague there.

And she's going to use this to her advantage.

What a premise!!!! For everyone who's ever wanted to know just what those tap-tap-tap messages going round are actually saying, what people REALLY think of you, what your bosses are REALLY up to... well, you'll both love this and also realise that sometimes it's not always best to know.

Though Jolene has plans to keep her job when it becomes clear the new HR guy, who's actually kinda funny and rather likeable, is probably there as a cost-cutting measure to find people to fire. Jolene will do what she needs to in order to rid herself of all those annoying people round the office who don't like her anyway.

Some fantastic character arcs, brilliant quirky situations and relationship-building, the book was a breeze of a read that was over far too soon, but I loved every moment of it.

We get nicely-developed stories with Jolene's family and a good range of colleagues. There are laugh-out-loud scenes and cringy moments that the author paced well and watching Jolene move through the requisite stages of the unfolding plot was a joy. Loved her, loved the others to.

Please make this into a TV series!

Would read this again, highly recommended.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

When an IT error means that Jolene has access to all of her workmates emails and messages, she should do the right thing and fess up so the error can be fixed. But with rumours of layoffs, will the temptation to use it to her advantage prove too much?

Jolene was a great character. Flawed, believable and portraying a realistic example of feeling lonely and isolated, even in a office full of people. Adding in the pressure to succeed from her family, it is easy to understand why Jolene made the decisions she did. Darkly funny in places with a great surrounding cast, it is also a good reminder that uou never know what people are going through and to always be kind.

Well, if this isn't the book of the year, it should be. From the momentI started reading it, I have been telling people and recommending that they order it. We can all recognise the office situation and I did laugh out loud at what Jolene does in the first instance. I immediately wanted to try it out. I haven't yet! The hole that she finds herself in and then can't get out of is one I think people will identify with. The need for survival in a workplace where you don't fit in. It also highlights the loneliness that everyone feels and how they try to find coping mechanisms to deal with situations that life throws at them. I loved the shopping trips with Jolene's mum. An extremely thoughtful book with touches of comedy. This is the new Eleanor Oliphant!

This book wasn’t exactly what I was expecting but I do see why people are loving it. Did I find it stressful, waiting for Jolene’s lies to unravel? Immensely! But I also couldn’t stop reading. It’s so fantastically written and despite Jolene’s questionable behaviour, it’s so clear that she is kind, she cares, and she’s also hurting. She’s been through something incredibly traumatic and hasn’t been able to move past it, leaving her isolated, lonely, and in pain. This story explores anxiety, depression, and trauma response (if that’s the correct term to use) in what is at times an uplifting story and others a reminder of how dire office environments can be. It reminds us that so many people go through the world lying and pretending, but often without any sinister intent. Life is riddled with the expectations we heap on ourselves, and through this varied group of employees in Jolene’s workplace, we see the harm this can do and how sometimes, a little kindness can go a very long way.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but it wasn’t always an easy read. I was feeling anxious knowing that Jolene’s comeuppance was inevitable and would perhaps unravel all the work she’d done to build new relationships and form friendships. She’s in way over her head but she’s also doing good and so whether or not she’s a good person is a grey area.

I have to finish by saying I adore Cliff. He’s funny, generous, sweet, and cares so much that it’s impossible not to form a soft spot for him. He deserves only good things!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

Jolene hates her job and has been secretly writing snarky messages to her coworkers. When her mean messages are discovered, HR is forced to step in. However, they accidentally give her access to all of her coworkers’ emails and messages. With job cuts looming, could this newfound power help her keep her job?

I absolutely loved I Hope This Finds You Well. I was expecting a slightly bizarre dark comedy. While I definitely got a dark comedy, I was not expecting this book also to be a thorough exploration of loneliness and isolation. You witness how isolation breeds further isolation and withdrawal, how difficult it is to reach out, as well as the pressures of comparison and a toxic workplace. With her professional life on the rocks, Jolene also struggles to cope with the pressure to live up to her Iranian mother’s expectations.

It’s funny and touching, dark but uplifting. It also serves as a reminder to reach out to people as you don’t know what they might be going through.

Thank you to @boroughpress, @harpercollinsuk and Netgalley for the ARC. I Hope This Finds You Well is out on the 23 May and I thoroughly recommend it!

I picked up Hope This Finds You Well expecting a standard comedy featuring a sarky heroine and some awkward office situations. And while it definitely delivers on the banter and humorous characterisations, it was also surprisingly heartwarming. I wasn’t expecting EMOTIONS.

At first Jolene seems like your typical awkward, unlikeable protagonist - she’s terse, anti-social and suppressing childhood trauma with dark humour. She’s morally grey, and sometimes that can be uncomfortable, but it’s also incredibly relatable. And she has enough self-awareness and empathy to make her feel totally human.

The lies start to spiral out of control and - aside from the predictable romance - nothing goes quite how you think it will. Sue is brave enough to give Jolene a redemption arc that doesn’t detract from all she’s done wrong.

Smart and entertaining with a cast of memorable characters, Hope This Finds You Well is an impressive debut.

This was a heart warming and funny read. The characters were well developed, including the more minor ones!
I found it quite gripping but also an easy read as it flowed well.

4.75 stars

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC.

'I Hope This Finds You Well' by Natalie Sue was a wonderful book. Jolene works as an assistant at a corporation and she is absolutely miserable. She gets into trouble at work and accidentally snoops into everyone's messages and emails. This book explores the truth about people who work at corporate offices. It's filled with wonderful and complex characters who deal with their problems.

I had a blast reading this book! It was a ride. I will definitely look forward to reading more work from Natalie Sue.

Really enjoyed the humour in this book and sympathised with the characters. Loved the premise of the protagonist accidentally gaining access to her colleagues communications and how that ultimately affected her life.

A tech error on her computer leads to Jolene having admin access for her entire company, meaning she can read every email her colleagues are sending.

With the company in despair and layoffs looming, Jolene soon works out how to use this new found knowledge of her colleagues inner thoughts to her advantage and a web of deceit is soon woven, and Jolene finds herself falling deeper and deeper into the lies.

I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I did, it was darkly funny but also so poignant and heartbreaking in parts - at one point I realised tears were streaming down my face as I read.

On the surface it’s a workplace comedy about the quirks of office workers and existing alongside people you cannot stand but at its core it’s a story the ache of loneliness, being devastated by grief and the pain of never quite fitting in.

I Hope This Finds You Well is a book for anyone who works in an office and has desperately wanted to tell a colleague to shut up (or something stronger…)

Thank you HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for the ARC!

Uplifting. Funny. Moments of sadness. An intriguing premise. What's not to like about this book?!

I thought this book was going to be a lighthearted read about a girl who tackled office politics, office gossip, office mishaps, etc., however, it surprised me. It sensitively deals with important themes such as mental health, loneliness, love,friendship, kindness and more.

Jolene, the protagonist, is portrayed as cold and insensitive to others, but really, she's battling anxiety and longs to be liked. As the story progresses, we see Jolene transform.

The book, is written well with a good pace and a good ending.

Would recommend.

I was excited to read this one as I love a good workplace novel, and this one was billed as a mix of The Office and Fleabag, setting expectations sky high alas.

This all fell a little flat for me. Twee, sentimental, predictable, and ultimately it felt a little too neat and tidy as it was wrapped up at the end, with no real consequences for our protagonist’s deviancy.

It was also hard to buy the romance given all the deception.

Still a quick and occasionally funny read.

Jolene is stuck in a bit of rut, with quite an insular homelife due to suffering with social anxiety and manages to tolerate work just because she has to pay the bills.
Her workmates assume she is a 'loser' but Jolene is a fiesta character and she has been sending hidden massages of contempt in her emails to peers and when she is caught out her entire persona and job security is exposed and things change for her dramatically.

Anyone who has worked in an office will appreciate all the petty goings on between teammates and the bitchy messages being shared and in general this was an undemanding read. However, overall this book missed the mark for me.
The girl who is portrayed initially with serious anxiety, stress and social isolation does a pretty gigantic u turn and for me that was the weakest measure of the book. There were serious mental health issues to be addressed and finding her job at risk and a positive interaction with the new HR guy seems to have been enough for her to make huge changes in the way she was interacting with the other characters.
I enjoyed the concept of being able to tap into all messages in her office but in general I found it frustratingly slow as it was quite obvious what was going to happen and some of the plotlines were a tad unbelievable (particularly the one about the fake engagement)

An easy summer read, maybe one for the pool that doesn't require much from the reader.

REVIEW
cw: anxiety, bullying, death, grief, alcohol dependence, workplace bullying, child neglect, depression, trauma, PTSD, terminal cancer, emotional abuse and gaslighting

Jolene Smith is not thriving. She's isolated, drinks too much, is weighed down by PTSD and social anxiety, and the only way she can tolerate her admin job is by replying to mundane emails passive-aggressively - in white ink so they're invisible. But when the comments are discovered, she's sent on sensitivity training with Cliff, the new HR guy. Cliff seems to see her, and they have a genuine connection. But then an IT mix-up grants her access to her entire department’s private emails and DMs, and she begins to discover just how much her colleagues are hiding about themselves.

This is the literary equivalent of the saying, 'Don’t judge people because you never know what they’re going through'. It's fair to say that I wasn't prepared for how many times this book would leave me feeling like I'd been gut-punched. That said, I also laughed quite a lot. At the start of the story, it was easy to dislike every single character, even Jolene. But as Jolene begins to uncover her colleague's secrets, it becomes clear that every single person was fighting their own distinct battle. Jolene's feelings of invisibility broke my heart so many times. Her paranoia made my heart ache, but at the same time, it felt relatable, especially when she spoke of her desk being positioned in the thoroughfare of the office, and always feeling like people were looking at her screen (which was always my own pet peeve). She was such a nuanced character, and I appreciated how the author revealed her backstory bit by bit, as well as how she'd become so isolated in Calgary. Some of those chapters were incredibly hard to read through the tears. But I also loved the representation of her Persian/Iranian family and traditions, and Jolene's dry, occasionally macabre, sense of humour.
Having worked in many office environments, the author captured many of the idiosyncrasies found in administrative employment. From the blustering low-level manager who takes all the credit, to the ambitious colleague, and the party-organising co-worker, every bit of office politics, gossip, and the total and utter pettiness of coffee clubs, break rooms, and smelly food slights are vividly captured. I won't spoil what each person struggled with, but I will say that my opinions on Jolene's core colleagues (Caitlin, Armin, & Rhonda) shifted several times throughout the book. Caitlin had such mean girl energy, and there were so many times that I really disliked her. That said, it didn't excuse some of Jolene's early behaviour (even though I too would've been tempted in her position), and I appreciated their resolution.
Rhonda really grew on me, and my heart broke for her when we discovered her secrets. I legitimately squealed when Jolene came to her for help near the end, and I LOVED Rhonda's ending. Meanwhile, while Armin's secret was heartbreaking, a lot of the most hilarious moments in the story involved Jolene, Armin, and their families.
The portrayal of the ostracised HR rep, especially how everyone was immediately guarded and suspicious around him was painfully accurate. The author poignantly captured his unease and sadness whenever he was dismissed, but I absolutely ADORED Cliff. He was such a cinnamon roll, and I loved his sense of humour. I also loved how much empathy he showed to everyone, but especially Jolene. Their connection was palpable and made me smile so many times. I loved how he encouraged her and how safe he made her feel. I also loved their banter, but also their most vulnerable moments. Some of the hardest chapters to read involved Miley, Jolene's young neighbour. I lost count of the number of times I sobbed for her, especially on her birthday. But, honestly? I spent the final dozen chapters sobbing uncontrollably for one reason or another. Don't worry though. The beautifully uplifting ending made up for all the tears I shed, even though I needed to rehydrate afterwards!
This was not the book I thought it was going to be, but it was so much better. If you love a story which packs an emotional punch, this is for you.

Overall Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own*

Favourite Quotes:

Yes, when people find out enough about me, they stop wanting to know anything at all.

My feet grow heavier with each step. I just need to make it through another cursed day.

It’s like walking into a room and worrying everyone was just talking about you; the real power is knowing that they were.

“It’s really late to be taking the bus.”
Before I can stop myself, I nudge his arm with mine. “Aww, you do care.”
He looks toward me and says, with too much feeling, “Very much.” And it’s like an anvil has dropped between us. All the air in the car feels charged. A palpable urgency crawls into me.
“I care too,” I whisper.
Cliff’s voice softens. “I know you do.”

“...if I’d never met you, this would’ve been the worst job I ever had.”

"You need to know, you weren’t part of a list. It was all real. I really cared about you.”

“There were days— there are days—when I’m not sure why I’m here.”

“I know things can be hard at your age. But I’m proud of you for coming out here every day and trying to connect with the world. You honestly are so cool to me.”

An interesting discourse on the corporate world, capitalism, mental health and family expectations. I liked parts of this and it was entertaining in parts, but felt like it lost it's way partway through.

Oh Jolene! I was hooked by the end of the first chapter, loved this debut novel from Natalie Sue, it needs to be made into a film or mini series, there is so much to love!

Being an office worker, I loved the premise that Jolene was accidentally granted access to her colleagues email and IMs...finding out all the gossip and a lot more than she bargained for. What I wasnt expecting was how much I would be cheering on Jolene to come out unscathed and happy from everything that was going on in her own life and around her. The blurb describes her as an "awkward heroine" and that was spot on. Loved it! Published May 23rd 2024. Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk for the opportunity to review.

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I Hope This Finds You Well, the debut novel from Persian British Canadian writer Natalie Sue, is a smart, punchy novel full of heart that reminded me very much of Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey and All This Could be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews (a National Book Award 2022 finalist which incidentally is on Kindle special at the moment).

Jolene is a young woman living and working a monotonous, unfulfilling office job in Calgary for Supershops Incorporated. She's depressed. riddled with anxiety, and hates her coworkers, amusing herself by writing them hidden messages in emails disgused in white font that they will never see, until she's caught and put on a personal disciplinary plan by HR. While completing the HR course designed to bring about her redemption, she becomes close to HR professional Cliff, a sensitive and kind guy who inadvertedly gives Jolene access to all of her co-workers' emails and chat groups.

As Jolene exposes her soul to Cliff but becomes increasingly enmeshed in a dilemma of her own making, can she extricate herself and prove to everyone, including her overbearing mother, that she is capable of getting her shit together or is she destined to remain in a cycle of chaos forever more?

What the author does well here is deal with some heavy topics with a light touch, while also showing perfect comic timing in her portrayal of Jolene's co-workers and Iranian family. All of the characters are a little crazy but there's something endearing about most of them, especially Jolene and Cliff, and as a reader you find yourself willing Jolene not to crumble under the pressure of it all. It's billed as being for fans of The Office which I think is spot on, and if you enjoyed the two books mentioned above and/or Fleabag, I think you'd love this one too. 4/5 stars

*Many thanks to @boroughpress @harpercollinsire @courtneysbooks for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I Hope This Finds You Well will be published later this month on 23 May.

I had a lot of fun reading this book. You might think the situation is quite low stakes, accessing emails and petty office gossip etc. You would be wrong. Let me tell you my heart was in my throat every time Jolene was snooping around and almost getting caught I felt a bit ill! All of those shenanigans are no doubt very entertaining. However, Natalie Sue does address some much more serious issues. Primarily, Jolene's crippling anxiety and self hatred. I think the way Jolene feels - lonely, lost, wasting her life and generally not good enough - is something a lot of people can relate to. I enjoyed her character arc and the way that every character was explored very well. There are no heroes and villains here, Sue makes sure that every character is multi dimensional which I really appreciated. I also enjoyed learning about the Persian community as I hadn't really read anything about that community before. Overall, this was a really great book that explored the life of a stagnating office and finding the humanity in the people that work there.