Reviews – BETTER LEFT UNSENT, UNDER YOUR SPELL, WHAT’S IN A KISS?

Hey everyone!  I hope you’re all doing well and that you’ve been reading some amazing books.  It has been a while but I’m back today to share some of my recent reads that I think may be of interest and that I haven’t already reviewed over on my bookstagram account.

Better Left Unsent Goodreads

Author: Lia Louis

Publication Date: May 21, 2024

Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

Better Left Unsent follows Millie Chandler, a 30 year old receptionist, who after experiencing a very public and embarrassing breakup, has since kept all of her thoughts and feelings to herself.  It’s a way to protect herself from being embarrassed again but it doesn’t mean she doesn’t have strong feelings about certain people and situations.  Whether it’s a hard truth that needs to be said, a sarcastic reply to a rude boss, or a love letter to her ex who is now with someone else, Millie has been drafting emails to her coworkers whenever she has feelings she needs to get off her chest. She just doesn’t actually send them.  That is, until a major server outage somehow sends all of Millie’s draft emails when the system comes back up.

I felt so bad for Millie because I know that whole scenario would be the stuff of nightmares for me.  Not only does she now have to worry about possibly losing her job, but some of those emails were super harsh so she has to worry about whose feelings she may have unintentionally hurt.  I thought it was interesting watching how each coworker reacted, especially the ones who actually took Millie’s criticisms to heart and decided to make positive changes because of what she said. I was fully invested in seeing how Millie would deal with the fallout from each email and how she might grow as a result of this uncomfortable journey.

Where the story fell a little flat for me that while Millie was focused on making things right with her coworkers, she also seemed hyper-fixated on figuring out who did this to her.  I don’t know if I just skimmed over and missed some detail that made it seem like someone tried to hurt her on purpose, but I was confused as to why she was investing so much time and energy investigating who might have purposely sent out all of her emails.

There was also a little romance, but it definitely felt secondary to the plot.  I enjoyed the chemistry between Millie and her coworker Jack but wish we had gotten a bit more of them.  I actually preferred Millie’s interactions with her roommate, who was both supportive and hilarious.

I went into Better Left Unsent with very high expectations because I’ve read and loved three other of Lia Louis’ books.  While I still thought Better Left Unsent was a solid and enjoyable read, it unfortunately didn’t have quite the same magic that I’ve come to expect from a Lia Louis book.  3.5 stars

Under Your Spell Goodreads

Author: Laura Wood

Publication Date: June 25, 2024

Publisher: Atria Books

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

Under Your Spell follows Clemmie Moore, who when we meet her, has just been fired from her dream job, cheated on by her now-ex boyfriend, and is in danger of losing her apartment.  Needless to say, she is having a rough time.  In an effort to cheer her up, Clemmie’s sisters, Lil and Serena, get her drunk and then decide it might change her luck for the better if they revive one of their favorite childhood rituals, the Breakup Spell.

Soon after, Serena approaches Clemmie with the perfect job offer to help get her back on her feet. It’s a six week gig to basically babysit her label’s reclusive rock star, Theo Elliott, at an isolated beach house, and make sure he finishes writing his overdue album. Clemmie is hesitant to take the job because she has issues thanks to her dad, who is an aging rock star, but reluctantly agrees since she really has no other prospects at the moment.

Clemmie doesn’t want to be interested in Theo because of what her dad put their family through, but she can’t deny that Theo is irresistible.  I adored both Clemmie and Theo and I loved how not only did they have incredible chemistry, but they also just perfectly balanced each other out.  They both had issues from their pasts that they needed to work through, but I loved that they not only had a lot of fun together hanging at the beach house as they grew closer, but they also just made a great team in every way.  I especially loved this for Clemmie since the rest of the men in her life have been such losers.  She deserves someone wonderful like Theo who is so supportive.

The romance is swoony, but what really made this book such a special read for me was the bond between Clemmie and her sisters.  If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know I’m a sucker for a good story about sisterhood and I love how close these sisters were, especially since they only shared the same dad because apparently daddy rock star really got around.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into Under Your Spell since I hadn’t heard much buzz about it at all, but it has ended up being one of my favorite romances of the summer so far!  4.5 STARS

What's in a Kiss? Goodreads

Author: Lauren Kate

Publication Date: July 2, 2024

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

When they were in high school, Olivia and Jake were major rivals and both were voted Most Likely to Succeed. Olivia had planned to attend Julliard but ended up not going after her dad died and her mom needed her, and her entire life path changed because of this.  Now Olivia is a laid-off drama teacher who drives a Lyft, while Jake is a successful TV personality. Although they were huge rivals, Olivia and Jake did share an “almost kiss” moment at their senior prom.  When she learns that she will be reunited with Jake at a friend’s wedding, Olivia can’t help but wonder what life might have been if she and Jake had really kissed all those years ago.  She has no idea that this reunion with Jake will take her on the adventure of a lifetime as she gets to experience firsthand a parallel universe of what life might have been like if she and Jake had, in fact, kissed that night.

“What if?” stories like Lauren Kate’s What’s in a Kiss? always intrigue me because I think it’s so interesting to imagine what direction someone’s life might have taken if they had made a different decision at some moment in their past. In this version, the “what if” takes Olivia down a path where not only does Jake turn out to be the love of her life, but Olivia also has the career she has always dreamed of.

What I most enjoyed about this book was that not only does Lauren Kate bring all of the fun vibes and banter that I love and expect to see in romcoms, but she also touches on the more serious theme of “Be careful what you wish for” because you just might get it and what you thought you wanted may come at a heavy price tag.  In the case of the alternate world, the trade off for getting the guy and the career is losing her relationships with her mother and her best friend. Olivia has to really reflect on what is most important to her and decide which life is the one she really wants.

If you’re in the mood for a fun romcom that is also quite thought provoking, What’s in a Kiss? is the book for you! 4 STARS