A review by minimicropup
I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue

funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved this. It was heartfelt, awkward, and funny. I also loved the flawed, anxious main character and all her questionable decision-making. If you’re looking for a cathartic workplace story (mainly because although the MC is sympathetic, she makes terrible decisions that will make you feel better about yours), you might love this.

Energy: Quippy. Droll. Satisfying. 
 
🐩 Tail Wags: The cringey workplace full of pettiness, fake smiles, and power plays. How I went from enjoying the juicy chaos and gossip to genuinely rooting for some characters. The tender, slow-burn romance. The awkwardness of trying to connect with people while constantly second-guessing their intentions (or your own) were so well done. The emotional stakes.

Scene: 🇨🇦 Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Perspective: A 33 yo working at a corporate office, stuck in a rut, miserable and lonely. Their efforts to connect always flop as they experience social anxiety, but they also can’t stand the monotony and pettiness of their coworkers. Their secret way of coping lands them in a meeting with HR when it becomes not-so-secret. 
Timeline: Linear. 2020s. 
Narrative: Character almost speaking to us, eavesdropping and overhearing thoughts and feelings (first person).
Fuel: Work pettiness, scandal, drama. Hints of romance. Who can Jolene trust? Will she keep her job? Can she trust HR? What happened in her past that led her to be ostracized in her town growing up?
Cred: Realistic
 
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Donuts. Polie smiles. Flimsy cubicle wall. Doom scrolling. Aunties. Ash Reshteh. Ornamental thermostat. 
  • Casual, cathartic, punchy writing style
  • Cinnamon roll, chaotic, cynical, and sympathetic characters
  • “What if you knew what your coworkers really think?”
  • Office politics, drama, cringe, and pettiness
  • Eavesdropping, loneliness, secrets, and (well intentioned) lies
  • Iranian culture, expectations, and complex parent dynamics
  • Enemies-to-friends and ‘will they or won’t they’ friends-to-lovers
  • Fake dating and workplace proximity sparks
  • “You never know what someone’s going through” moments 

Content Heads-Up: Addiction (loved one; off page). Alcohol (self medicating). Bullying (workplace; passive aggressive, sabotaging). Bullying (peers; outcast, name-calling; memories). Cancer (terminal; on page). Financial insecurity. Immigration (survival, trauma, racism; recall). Loneliness. Loss of friend (memory). Loss of work (layoffs). Panic attacks. Parental neglect (observed). Social anxiety (doom spirals, overthinking; descriptive).

Rep: 2nd generation Canadian. Iranian heritage. Canadian. White-presenting appearance. Cis. Hetero. 
 
📚 Format: Kobo
 
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