Title: I Hope This Email Finds You in HellAuthor: Mackenzie Reed
Pages: 352
Publication Date: September 1, 2026
Publisher: Berkley
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Paranormal
Synopsis:
When staying late at the office leads to witnessing an exorcism, Brie Benson's mundane life takes a hellish turn…literally.
After her parents' death, twenty-seven-year-old Brie has mastered the art of compartmentalization to survive her mind-numbing routine as a receptionist at a life insurance company. But when she accidentally catches her hot, uptight boss, Luke, performing an exorcism on Debra from accounting, her carefully ordered world implodes.
Swearing Brie to secrecy, Luke reveals he's from a line of demon hunters and that demonic activity is spiking. But when her emotional support coworker vanishes, Brie is determined to find her. With nothing left to lose, she convinces Luke to let her join his rescue mission.
The problem? Their destination is hell. And the entrance is in Times Square.
Now Brie and Luke must navigate a corporate underworld of monsters and bureaucratic nightmares while racing to save their colleague and repair a tearing veil between worlds. All before their growing feelings become irrelevant and hell claims them forever.
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I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell is a paranormal romance with a unique premise, and it was such an entertaining read. I loved the characters, the unique road trip, the fast-paced plot, and the love story. The story begins as Brie, who has a very normal job at a very normal office, walks in on her boss performing an exorcism on one of her colleagues. Brie is quickly thrust into the world of demons and demon hunters, and she and her boss Luke take a road trip to Hell to rescue Brie’s friend, who has gone missing. It’s a chaotic, intense, and often humorous journey for the pair, and they end up uncovering a lot more than expected, especially Brie.
The demonic world is so interesting, and unlike any underworld I’ve ever read about before. It’s essentially a massive corporation, complete with all the bureaucracy, stress, and ridiculousness you’d expect from one, only with demons. I thought it was such a fun and creative take on Hell, and I loved seeing Brie try to make sense of this completely bizarre and extremely dangerous world. There were also some really good twists along the way that kept me guessing and added more layers to the plot and story.
Brie is a fantastic protagonist. Scrappy, sharp, and resilient, also really funny, and I loved some of her comments and observations. There were definitely some laugh-out-loud moments as she experienced this new world for the first time. Brie has also been avoiding her past for a while, and she ends up having to face her grief and guilt and the loss that changed her whole world. Luke is like Brie in that he also avoids things, and he’s keeping some pretty big secrets, which are slowly revealed over the course of the story. I thought they were both really compelling characters, and I like the idea that both are running from their own demons, both literally and figuratively.
I also really loved the romance between Brie and Luke. It’s a workplace to friends to lovers romance, and watching these two go from boss and employee to something more was so much fun. They have so much chemistry, and I loved their banter and all those little things that show how their feelings are evolving and deepening. There were definitely a lot of swoon-worthy moments, and I was totally invested in their relationship and hoping they’d find a way to be together.
On top of the unique world, premise, and characters, the writing is worth noting! I love the humor and the banter. The author has a way of adding so much wit and charm into the story, which does have some darker elements. It was all woven together and balanced well. I also really liked the pacing. It felt like there was always something happening, whether it was the journey through Hell, the mystery surrounding what was going on with the kidnapped women, or the developing relationship between Brie and Luke. The combination of humor, romance, paranormal elements, and a few good twists made this such a fun and entertaining read, and I definitely want to read more by the author.
- co-workers to friends to lovers
- road trip
- forced proximity
- demon hunters
- only one bed
“Maybe those we lose don’t ever fully leave us. Even if it’s ourselves.”
Mackenzie Reed is the author of young adult fiction, THE ROSEWOOD HUNT and THE WILDE TRIALS, and her forthcoming adult debut, I HOPE THIS EMAIL FINDS YOU IN HELL. She cultivated her love of storytelling at Nazareth College, where she graduated with a BA in Communication and Media. A native and resident of Rochester, New York, she loves going for brainstorming walks when the weather’s behaving and spending time with her family. In the sparse moments she’s not writing or daydreaming about her next book, she’s usually winging her eyeliner and hunting for the best slice of pizza in town.
Wonderful review! I’m reading this soon and your rating makes me very excited😁
I love that title! Great review as well.