I Hope This Finds You Well

Throughout the comedic antics of I Hope This Finds You Well, Natalie Sue plays with the distinctive patterns of the office romance subgenre—also more broadly known as the workplace romance—which focuses on “navigating the intersection of career ambitions and personal desires, [and] crafting stories that resonate with the complexities of modern love and work” (Morrow, Susie. “Workplace Romance: An In-Depth Genre Guide.” Seacrow Books, 2024.) The novel takes place primarily within a modern office setting, and the story is more or less contemporary with the novel’s 2024 publication. However, because Jolene’s company is a few years behind the times, this dynamic allows for an exploration of the many roles, tropes, and norms associated with office work in the 2000s to 2010s.

The office romance genre often critiques the existing power structures that dominate corporate settings and small businesses alike. Novels in this category utilize a range of romance tropes—such as the “enemies-to-lovers” trope or the “grumpy-sunshine” trope—to examine how patriarchal power imbalances can influence the dynamics of burgeoning romances in the workplace. For example, novels such as The Spanish Love Deception (2021), by Elena Armas, and The Hating Game (2016), by Sally Thorne, are designed to examine the complex interactions that ensue when the primary romance interests must navigate workplace rivalries or outright hostilities.

In keeping with this genre, the plot of I Hope This Finds You Well focuses on an unlikely romance between Jolene, a disgruntled accounting technician, and Cliff, a newly hired human resources analyst who must address the issue of Jolene’s recent work transgression. As is the case in many classics of the genre, their budding relationship is marked by tension due to their professional roles, which conflict with their hidden desires for one another. In this instance, Cliff and Jolene are caught between the undeniable attraction they feel in private and the need to maintain a professional relationship, given that Jolene is required to take Cliff’s anti-harassment course. Jolene’s increasingly precarious position is further complicated by her unauthorized access to all company emails, and this clandestine source of information provides a wealth of dramatic irony that further seasons the comedic aspects of this developing office romance. The pair’s banter and occasional awkward moments also provide comedic relief for the drama of their developing relationship.

In addition to focusing on the blurred boundaries between social connections and work relationships, office romances also use secondary characters to illustrate and critique many common stereotypes of the workplace setting, and I Hope This Finds You Well is no exception. Many of the supporting roles are filled by flat characters whose personalities are largely defined by their professional roles. This pattern soon becomes apparent, as the various quirks of Jolene’s colleagues and supervisors are used to display a range of common issues in office interactions. For example, as Rhonda nears retirement age, her performance in the office demonstrates the truism that generation gaps often affect workers’ interactions with newer technology. Similarly, Gregory demonstrates many of the negative qualities that are typically associated with bosses, such as rampant egotism. Larry, for his part, fits the stereotype of the insecure employee who is eventually fired.

Within this context, Sue also makes it a point to highlight the various ways in which the pressures and constraints of office work can take a toll on employees’ mental health, for Jolene and her coworkers have cubicles that offer only partial privacy, while Gregory, as the boss, has a private room. Time-wise, meetings are scheduled and coordinated through digital calendars and invitations, while arrival and departure times from work are closely monitored. This overbearing tone of surveillance adds further tension to the underhanded antics that Jolene and her colleagues engage in throughout the novel, and these various subplots add richness to the otherwise conventional development of Jolene and Cliff’s mutual attraction.