'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Thursday, 27 June 2024

Junior Review: I Hope This Finds You Well

I Hope This Finds You Well is author Natalie Sue's brutally honest fictional debut novel. This YA title is layered, relatable and darkly funny.

Jolene, the main character suffers with mental health issues anxiety and depression, lacking many social skills. 

Working in a mundane office with her deceiving co-workers, Jolene has a coping mechanism, a way to release her emotions toward each colleague.

Of the few emails she sends and receives, she expresses her blunt thoughts at the end of her message and changes the font colour to white. 

Jolene has never forgotten to change the colour, until now; causing the line between her work life and her love life to blur.

The more Jolene finds out about her colleagues through a newfound glitch in her emailing system, the more things in her life start to unravel. She must do what is necessary to maintain her job, slowly slipping from her fingertips.

This novel is gripping and hard to put down. It left me wanting to know what would happen on each page, and kept me wondering. Sue carefully constructed refreshingly real characters, making each one of them relatable to the reader, accurately depicting different personalities in today’s society.

This book is an all-round winner and a must read.

Highly Recommend.

Title: I Hope This Finds You Well
Author: Natalie Sue
Illustrator: Simon Greenaway
Publisher: Harper Collins, $34.99
Publication Date: 5 June 2024
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780008604462
For ages: 12 - 18
Type: Young Adult