I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell, Mackenzie Reed (Review by Skylar Wetzel)

I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell, by Mackenzie Reed, is one of those fast-paced books that makes you laugh out loud with some of the absurdity the author writes. I think most of us would occasionally wish we could tell off our co-workers in an email, but never quite breach that professional boundary. Brie is a receptionist and has become the scapegoat for having to replace the water container by Ted, who always hits on her, the babysitter for Debra, who never seems to get her report in on time, and her grumpy boss, Luke, who never calls her by her correct name. Brie’s inner monologue is incredibly funny, and I relate to so many of her anecdotes. When Brie runs back to the office after hours for a forgotten email, she accidentally stumbles across Luke performing an exorcism on Debra. Que Brie learning about the underworld. At the same time, some women go missing, along with her work best friend, whom she suspects was abducted and taken to the underworld. Brie coerces Luke to take her there, and off they go on an adventure.

Brie does have a thing for Luke, and he fits the moody older forbidden trope so well. They have to cross the professional boundary when they go traveling together for multiple days and even fall into the “only one bed at the inn” plot. But what makes this book fun and refreshing is that they’re doing it in hell, and how Reed creates the underwood to mirror the “real world”. The world building is absolutely superb and creative. There are some deeper themes from past trauma running through the book for both Luke and Brie, but they find themselves connecting over them rather than being a hindrance. There is a ticking clock plot to save the world, and the climax is one of the funniest, most outrageous moments I’ve ever read in a book. I still think about it, and I believe that’s a marker for a fantastic ending.

I highly recommend this hell-ish rom com!