Read time: 4 minutes
📱📖 Read on Kindle | 📃 328 pages
⏱ Duration: 5 hours
🏷️ Publisher: William Morrow
📅 Published: May 21, 2024
Book Blurb:
Jolene, an admin worker at Supershops, Inc., keeps her distance from her frustrating coworkers, venting her thoughts in hidden email messages no one can see—until one is accidentally revealed. As punishment, she’s put under strict scrutiny, but an IT error soon gives her access to everyone’s private emails and DMs. At first, it feels like harmless curiosity, but when she discovers looming layoffs, Jolene uses this secret access to try and secure her job. As she uncovers the hidden lives and struggles of those around her, her perspective begins to shift, forcing her to confront connection, vulnerability, and honesty.
Let’s talk about the book:
I picked this up on a whim from Libby’s homepage because the premise sounded deliciously chaotic. Access to all my colleagues’ emails would be so much drama. Except this book pulled a fast one on me. While I expected a breezy workplace romp with email scandals and petty office politics, I got a story that cracked me wide open and left me crying at my desk.
Yes, there’s the fun stuff. Jolene’s curmudgeonly inner monologue is comedy gold, and watching her navigate the minefield of forced workplace proximity while secretly reading everyone’s thoughts is entertaining as hell. But there are also some deep layers that Natalie Sue sneaks in. What starts as a voyeuristic curiosity slowly turns into something much heavier and more human. Loneliness hums quietly under the surface of almost every character. There’s insecurity, silent strugles, people reaching out in the smallest, almost invisible ways. It stops being about “what are they saying about each other?” and becomes “what are they not saying out loud?” Jolene’s walls are sky-high for a reason, and watching them crumble as she realizes her coworkers aren’t just annoying obstacles but actual humans with their own pain is devastating in the best way.
By the end, it hits harder than I was prepared for. There’s something deeply unsettling about realizing how little we know about the people we see everyday, and how much we assume. I closed the book with that lingering ache and a quiet nudge to look up, pay attention, and maybe extend a little more kindness than usual.
Would I recommend it?
This is one of those rare books that makes you laugh out loud one moment and sob the next. It’s a love letter to misfits, introverts, and anyone who’s ever felt invisible in a crowded room. Natalie Sue has crafted something special here. It’s funny, yes, but also quietly devastating in the most human way. If you ever felt like an outsider or hidden behind walls to protect yourself, Jolene’s story will resonate deeply with you. Don’t sleep on this one.
Book Recommendations
- Anxious People by Fredrik Backman — Similar blend of humor and deeply human emotional insight.
Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy - Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman — A lonely protagonist navigating connection in unexpected ways.
Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy - The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans — Sharp, insightful look at human behavior and hidden truths.
Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy - Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata — Explores societal expectations and quiet isolation.
Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy - Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid — Examines relationships, perception, and unspoken tensions in everyday life.
Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
What’s Your Workplace Survival Strategy?
Do you have a Jolene-style coping mechanism for office life? Ever wished you could read your coworkers’ minds (or emails)? And more importantly, have you ever had a book completely surprise you with its emotional depth?
Book Links
Want to purchase this or any of your favorite books while supporting a local bookstore? Consider purchasing using the sites below. These sites work with independent local bookstore owners to fulfill your book orders. #SupportLocal
Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org
Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
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