I thought this novel was fresh, funny, and sad, with an intriguing premise. It does a great job reminding the reader that everyone deals with something that they don’t want others to see; that first impressions can be deceiving and that there is always light in the darkest night. I wasn’t sure whether Jolene’s colleagues knew that she whited out probably hundreds of emails or if it was just the one addressed to Caitlin. I thought it was the latter but then Jolene mentions white out emails (plural) to Armin and he doesn’t seem surprised. In any case, I really enjoyed reading this novel. Thank you HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for the ARC!

"I Hope This Finds You Well" is a novel written by Natalie Sue, here at her debut.

The story follows thirty-three-year-old Jolene, an employee at the offices of Supershops Incorporated for eight years now. Jolene is an anxious and depressed woman who hates her irritating and incompetent coworkers, who do not seem to understand the importance of boundaries. Her only way to survive is to vent her grievances through petty email postscripts, of which she changes the color to white so no one can see them. That is until she makes a mistake and one of her messages is discovered. Her punishment? Attending a sensitivity training course led by Cliff, the strangely friendly new HR supervisor, and rigorous email restrictions. However, the intervention on her computer ends up leading to a mix-up that gives her access to the entire department's private emails and messages. Jolene is initially horrified and knows she should report it, but after all, who can resist the chance to read what their colleagues are really saying? And when she learns that layoffs are coming, she realizes that this could be the key to saving her job. But as she digs deeper into the private lives of her colleagues, Jolene discovers much more than she had anticipated. And the walls she'd prudently built begin to crumble.

"I Hope This Finds You Well" is a fast, effervescent, funny, and heartwarming novel that made me laugh and cry repeatedly. Okay, probably I spent more time sobbing than anything else, but all right! Seriously, I found it a very intense book, capable of touching my heart. Yes, it makes you laugh, thanks to ironic and quirky scenes. Yes, there is a very sweet romance, albeit secondary to the story. But most of all, there is Jolene, a complicated protagonist with a difficult life, whom I loved deeply. "I Hope This Finds You Well," among other things, is a story about anxiety, depression, loneliness, remorse, sense of inferiority and inadequacy, but it is also a journey of self-discovery, a path to forgiveness, a road to healing and hope. All told with great lightness, irony and sensitivity. More hilarious moments alternate with more moving ones, in a balance that I found truly perfect. I loved everything about this book, everything, and I can't express anything but kudos!

Jolene, protagonist with her only first person pov, won me over. Jolene is a thirty-three-year-old woman who lives in Calgary and has worked at the offices of Supershops Incorporated for eight years. Anxious, depressed, introverted and lonely, marked by a particularly traumatic event from which she has never recovered, she constantly feels inferior, worthless and inadequate. She has no social life, no friends, no particular hobbies, and no specific goals to achieve. She has nothing but work in her narrow, bare cubicle, which ultimately does not even excite her. She loathes her colleagues, who in her opinion are irritating, incompetent, and incapable of understanding the importance of boundaries, and spends her time in the office closed in on herself, pretending to ignore them. The only vent she allows herself are the postscripts, written in white, that she sends in emails to colleagues, containing petty and nasty comments. Jolene drags through her gray existence, stuck in a now largely tested pattern: she takes three buses to go to work, spends her hours in the office, returns to a shabby, dirty, neglected apartment and drinks until she collapses, only to wake up and do it all over again. That is until one of her hidden messages is discovered, setting in motion a whole series of changes that will end up turning her world upside down. Jolene is not an easy person to like, but I connected with her right away. In my opinion, the author did an incredible job in portraying her, creating an involving and extremely realistic character. The journey of growth that Jolene takes is as wonderful as it is painful, and seriously, I lost count of the tears I shed.

Cliff, the new HR supervisor, is another character I loved! Sweet, kind, and caring, he won me over completely! The relationship that develops between him and Jolene, at first friendship and then something more, fully convinced me. Jolene initially does not trust Cliff, tries to keep him at a distance, but then slowly begins to open up. As I mentioned above yes, romance is present, but secondary to the story, since the book prefers to focus on Jolene's growth and what that entails.

Jolene's coworkers have convinced me! I admit I disliked them initially, probably influenced by Jolene's thoughts, but as I went on I found myself changing my mind about some of them. I loved the interactions between them and Jolene, consistent and well described.

All in all, it is a light, funny and heartwarming novel, which I really enjoyed!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jolene is working in an office when she suddenly gets access to everyone's emails. The office and the people she works with seem pretty awful. She's still messed up from something which happened when she was a teenager.
What's great about this is how accurate the descriptions of working in an office are. The endless days of sitting at a desk with the same people. The pettiness, the drudgery.
Of course, once she starts to find out everyone's secrets things start to change.
There are some really funny moments, especially with Armin. Plus, some really sweet moments.

Office politics and the lonely business of being young in a world where everything is online is explored with an unflinching eye, in a witty tale of emails that reveal more than they should. Ultimately uplifting.

I Hope This Finds You Well
by Natalie Sue
Pub Date: 23 May 2024

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC.

I think I can say for everyone whose ever worked in a office we have all wondered what people say about us, especially management. Could you imagine one day logging on and you had access to EVERYONES emails and chats. This is what happens to Jolene, instead of HR restricting her access they have given her admin access and she can see everything 😮😮 I wont say anything about what she comes across so I don't give any spoilers.
I'm lucky to work in a office with only a few people in at the min and its great that there isn't the usual bitchy vibe I've had in the past but this book is easy to relate to if you have office experience.
I've never read anything like this before and it was such a interesting topic to base a book around, I can only imagine the drama which would have unfolded in our once busy office if this happened 🤣
A great debut from Natalie Sue (hehe that rhymes 😉) I'm looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.
I know my review is MEGGGGAAA early but I just couldn't wait. This book comes out in May 2024 - Available to request on @netgalley now! I will share my review again nearer pub day!

QOTD - Have you ever worked in a office? Did you enjoy it?

#NetGalley

I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue is relatable, funny, quirky and captures what it's like to feel like you're doing everything wrong.

Enjoyable and heartwarming, I HOPE THIS FINDS YOU WELL strikes the balance between being entertaining and also a little far-fetched at times. Jolene is one of those Elinor Oliphant-esque characters that you kind of hate but root for at the same time. My favourite element of this book was the love story, I was completely absorbed in Cliff and Jolene, it felt so real and right. Would definitely recommend!

I Hope This Finds You Well is a very interesting and compelling read. I read this in two sittings as I was just so intrigued to see how the story develops. This book follows Jolene as she is struggling in her job and is accidently granted access to all her co-workers email accounts. This inadvertently gives her access to lots of information about her co-workers and her job. As job cuts loom she is able to use this information to her advantage. This is a really interesting premise for a book and will raise lots of ethical questions. I found the story developed really nicely and I enjoyed the development of Jolene's relationships with her co-workers. It is told with a dark humour that lightens some serious topics whilst also providing a gripping plot.
Overall this is an entertaining and thought provoking read that I could not put down!

Thanks to the Publisher , Author and Netgalley. I loved the book.

The book is so engrossing and compelling. It’s unputdownable, thought provoking and relatable. It has dark humour and satire. It will make you reflect on your own self. The conversations and innermost thoughts were thought provoking.

Trauma changes people and Jolene Smith’s traumatic past has changed her too. Jolene is working since eight years at Supershops Incorporated. Adding nasty comments about her co-workers didn’t get her in trouble before but one day it certainly did and she had to agree to do the training with Cliff. Him being friendly with her makes her suspicious about him. Not only that but suddenly she gets access to all the private emails and direct messages. The less she know what her coworkers thinks about her, the more she can do her job but as she read them all, she get into each of their lives and the secrets begin to unveil as they all have secrets. And now Jolene is also carrying one. But will she get disheartened? or she will find a way to make things work with them? I loved the ending. There were heartbreaking and heartwarming moments too. This is a must read.

Ah yes, social awkwardness, the fear of not fitting in, being invisible, being pushed around or ignored by others – that would make anyone feel inadequate, surely.

However, it took me a while to get to like any of the main characters. Clifford who kept showing up with donuts, was he bribing his way into his new workplace? Jolene being so self-absorbed, how hard would it be for her to be kind to her next door neighbor who could also do with a bit of sympathy?

But I am glad I did not give up on this book, as you never quite know what goes on in someone's life.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

I took a little while to get into this one but it was worth persevering as it became more engaging as the story developed.

I really enjoyed this book, it makes you question what you would do in the same situation, power and knowledge is hard to resist.