I Hope This Finds You Well

4.5 - I had an absolute blast diving into this book! Natalie Sue's writing skillfully breathes life into characters with remarkable depth. She effortlessly blends outrageous and humorous workplace conflicts with poignant explorations of complex themes. From grappling with grief and parental expectations to shedding light on issues like child neglect and domestic abuse, this book exceeded all my expectations. And let's not forget the utterly charming romance subplot that had me swooning!

What really stood out to me was how the book delved into the idea that the cutthroat nature of work and the relentless demands of capitalism often blind us to the humanity of our coworkers. It's a poignant commentary on how this system fosters competition at the expense of genuine connection and community.

I was so engrossed in this story that I even brought it along to a concert! It consumed my thoughts and sparked countless discussions with friends. Relatable and engaging, it's a must-read for anyone navigating the corporate world, especially those who struggle to find meaning in the daily grind imposed by society.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me access to this review copy.

I first thought this would be a novel equivalent to the very funny [b:Several People Are Typing 54468020 Several People Are Typing Calvin Kasulke https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1627964160l/54468020.SY75.jpg 85004135] - with the setup of an office worker getting access to everyone's emails and deciding to take advantage of the situation - but it rather turned into a compassioned study of loneliness and anxiety. A good listen.

Perfect airplane read that captured my attention for five hours. It started off so relatable for anxious people (and so well written too) and slowly unravels into some unhinged territory - but you can't help sympathizing with the main character too. Mental health is talked about so much but this is another read that can help you FEEL it.

PS love a straight forward romantic story. Love Cliff

A fun workplace dramedy, written in a heartfelt manner from the point of view of the lead, Jolene. I enjoyed reading about the Persian culture too and the pressure to succeed and have a rich life. Cliff the MMC was a cool dude too and loved his nerdiness.

PS. Supershops sounded like a horrendous place to work. No idea if it's real but if you work there, move on.

Jolene is an anxious misanthrope who gets through her workdays by venting her frustrations at her coworkers through hidden white text rants at the bottom of emails. When she forgets to change the text colour on one, she faces disciplinary action, but an IT screw up that was meant to monitor her emails instead gives her access to the emails of everyone in the company.

This novel hooked me with the premise, but it ended up being a surprisingly sweet and wholesome book with the main takeaway that you never really know what shit people are dealing with and how it informs their behaviour.

As an Iranian British woman, I also really enjoyed seeing the familiar Persian diaspora dynamics whenever Jolene interacted with her family. It's not something I often get to see of my own experience in modern litfic, and it was a nice surprise.

Main downside of this book has been Dolly Parton's Jolene getting stuck in my head since reading it...

I absolutely adored this! Jolene was the perfect main character for this type of book — she did things that made you want to jump into the book and knock some sense into her but you also love her and want to see her grow. 

This book was funny, emotional, heartwarming and an all around stunning read. A very promising debut, I can't wait to read more by Natalie Sue!


Thank you to Harper Collins for providing me with an early review copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.