On paper, this should've been an instant favourite. But the execution let it down. This book attempts a lot, but the writing doesn't hold those things up to their fullest potential. First, the romance: all the elements were there, but they didn't come together in a satisfying way and felt lacklustre. The fact this is inspired by You've Got Mail didn't work for me either as I didn't understand why Mercy & Hart hated each other and even when the reason is eventually revealed the explanation felt flimsy and not believable and when they did stop hating each other, it felt way too abrupt and not organic. The novel spends a lot of time in the beginning setting up the characters' letters to each other, and the letters were ok, but nothing about them really struck me as especially moving or special and the pacing of the story was all over the place. The word I keep landing on is generic.

The characters and world building were kind of charming, whimsical, and quirky. Some of the humour was good, and there was a sprinkling of spice. Tbh, I liked the side characters more than the main couple, and I found Horatio & Bassareus especially delightful. Overall this was an OK read, I expected more from it than I got and it unfortunately didn't hit the notes I wanted it to, but it was still an entertaining listen and both narrators did a great job with their perfomances. I'm unsure if I will continue with this series at the moment. I will see how my mood reading ass feels in the future. 🌶.5

"I was afraid you wouldn't feel for me what I have felt for you since the day I walked into Birdsall & Son and found a woman there who was color and light and joy in a world that had come to seem colorless and dismal and lousy to me."