I Hope This Finds You Well

Full Review:

Rating Breakdown:

• Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
• Plot: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
• Romance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
• Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
• Writing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

💕 The Romance & Relationship

There’s not much of a typical romantic relationship, but the romantic connection is there! Love is showing up and letting them know you care and Cliff does that SO well for Jolene! He always tries to make sure she’s actually okay with going to activities she agrees to, always checks in on her, and always reciprocates the same energy. Plus, he constantly brought her treats he thought she’d love, which is precious! 

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👥 The Characters

Jolene

The minute Jolene said, “I know what life I’m supposed to live; I have Pinterest. Obviously, this isn’t it“, I knew she was going to be so relatable. As an office worker, she’s bold for venting in the emails and still sending it. In this day and age, everyone would’ve probably seen it! 

Although getting in trouble for that is what sets Jolene’s growth in motion, I think she’s really brave for even considering interacting with her office bullies. She had a lot of unresolved trauma and  healing to do, and those first few baby steps are always the hardest.

Cliff

What’s the phrase everyone says these days to describe really sincere and green flag guys?  Is it golden retriever boyfriend or cinnamon roll boyfriend? Whichever it is, Cliff is it! He’s a nerd, but so sweet. Even with the boundaries of being HR, he still tries his best with everyone. 

Armin

Overall, Armin was a nice guy! He really just did not care about work and did what he thought was easiest to survive the work politics. His family came first and that’s understandable. 

Rhonda

With how frequent technology evolves, adapting to the newest tech is a real struggle, especially for older workers. Rhonda’s entire character arc had me tearing up. She felt like the most rounded out character, from her personal life to her backstory to her work behavior.

Caitlin

Caitlin was the most predictable character, serving as Jolene’s antagonist. To the very end, she was exactly what I expected.

Gregory

I kept confusing Garrett and Gregory since they were both kind of minor characters (both were rude and nosy). I’m pretty sure Gregory is the boss, and geez, how everyone stayed at the job so long with him as boss is just impressive.

Miley

Loved Miley and Jolene’s relationship! It was charming, like babysitter vibes rather than big sis/little sis vibes. I wish there was a bit more of Miley! 

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✍️ The Setting & Style

What I Loved:

I wouldn’t say this is proper mental health representation, but the writing style showing how anxious Jolene is in her life is so accurate (to me). The scene where she was asked to bring drinks for an office meeting and she overthought it and ended up with a ton of options but was still anxious about what everyone wanted? Very much how my mind also works and to see that so accurately portrayed made me feel so seen! 

What Could’ve Been Better:

This book truly delivered. I admit I didn’t expect much going in but as the story progressed, every character backstory, every setting, everything delivered and then some! There was one specific scene that I wished played out differently to really have more of a reader satisfaction (genuinely don’t think anyone liked him). How it did play out is very realistic, though.

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🎯 Is I Hope This Finds You Well Worth Reading?

Perfect for fans of:

• The Office (similar setting and coworker vibes)
• Contemporary coming of age stories

Consider skipping if:

• You expected a lighthearted fun story (quite emotional)
• Mental health topics are sensitive for you