Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book had great thriller vibes. My opinion of this book is actually pretty similar to Jessa Maxwell's debut, The Golden Spoon, which is that I feel like the bulk of the book is great, but it just doesn't stick the landing for me.

I was immediately drawn into the story, and I especially loved the letters to Constance from an unknown writer. I wrestled the whole time trying to figure out whether I thought Alex or Lucy was the unknown writer, which was great! The fact that I really liked the book made it more disappointing that I didn't feel like the ending was great.

I'll still recommend this title to my friends that really enjoy mystery/thrillers, but probably not to a general reading audience.

There is a lot going on with the main character, Alex. This is more of a mystery versus a thriller. There is a lot going on in Alex’s past but it is such a weird mesh with her trying to solve a crime herself. I did not see much of the connection. I almost wished it focused more on one thing rather than going on tangents and this way we would get more details about that specific conflict. The ending is great and there is a build up, but overall it just kind of was like ehh.

I was really excited to read it after having read The Golden Spoon. I really loved that one, so I was happy to read something else my Jessa.

I felt like this one was a little slower than the previous book by her...they are different books after all, but just in case you wanted to compare. This one is a bit slower. Otherwise, the writing style feels similar.

It definitely seemed like a balance of cozy mystery and thriller. Not really completely either one. That can be nice if you're looking for a palate cleanser after an intense thriller. I felt like it was a little predictable. The end didn't surprise me, but it was an enjoyable read getting to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read I Need You to Read This.

Thanks to Jessa Maxwell, the publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

As someone with ADHD, I really appreciated how short and concise the chapters were. Kept me engaged while still very much interested in the story. Thrillers are what got me into reading in the first place, and this delivered the twists, turns, and moments that had me gasping.

My rating for this book is 3.5 but since GoodReads doesn't give half stars I have rounded up to 4.

The premise of the book is interesting. It starts by telling you two things, that Alex is running from her past and second that Francis, the writer for the column Dear Constance, gets murdered.

The narrative is from Alex's point of view with anonymous letters interspersed between chapters to Dear Constance by the lost girl. I don't think it was much of a revelation of who the Lost Girl is, but it was a nice way to learn more about that character.

My favourite characters were Janice and Raymond. I would like a book based on them to be honest.

Overall the whole story felt lukewarm to me. I didn't love it but it is worth a read.

Thank you Netgalley for this Arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.

Twisty, short chapters, easy thriller. I really enjoyed this one by Jessa Maxwell.

Alex Marks's life in NYC is routine if not dull. She is a copywriter for a pharmaceutical company, visits the same diner everyday, and lives in her cramped apartment like she feels like she deserves. But how did she get this life of staying out of the spotlight? After suddenly landing her dream job after a beloved advice columnist is brutally murdered, Alex's life becomes full of mystery and her past is out to haunt her.

I Need You to Read This is a twisty thriller that will surprise you with turns in every chapter. The chapters are short, the read is quick, and it will satisfy that need for a quick weekend thriller.

The characters are what really makes this book stand out. Alex is broken, relatable, and you really want things to work out for her. She meets so many characters in this story, and each character is magnetic and you immediately want to know more about them. Maxwell does an excellent job of allowing the reader to form a relationship with each character through Alex, which felt so genuine. Alex has moments with each of these characters that reveal so much about them which adds to the richness of the story and the mystery. You will begin to wonder who you can and cannot trust. 

This would be a great story for someone who is looking for a quick thriller to read, especially if life is a bit chaotic. The plot was easy to follow and the writing wasn't complicated. This would even be great for an older YA reader who is looking for a mystery that will keep them engaged.

I Need You to Read This follows Alex, a young woman living in New York. She’s living a quiet life when she decides to apply for an advice column position after her idol was murdered and vacated the position. With no suspect to the murder, Alex starts poking around the office trying to see what’s become of her predecessor and ends up putting herself in danger.
This was so well written! I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded and how easy it was to follow. The advice column also added an interesting plot as well. The author did a great job shedding light on a difficult subject and made it easy to connect with the main character.

Alex lives in New York and besides being a regular at a dinner, she is a loner and sticks to a strict routine. When her childhood hero, Francis (an advice columnist) is murdered and her position becomes available, Alex applies on a whim and gets the job. With it comes strange letters, which makes her find Francis’s murder. This book is a good read with the author unraveling more and more as you go. There are letters mixed in which allows us to learn more about Alex. Great twist at the end, with another twist on top.

Thank you @netgalley for this ebook in exchange for a review.
This book follows Alex who gets a job as an advice columnist after the last one was murdered. Alex herself is hiding things about her own past as well.

To be honest this was just okay for me. I predicted the twists easily. While I did not dislike it, I just was not impressed with anything in this book. The premise sounded like something I would love.

Not the best thriller I’ve read. If I am reading within the thriller category I want a book to grab my attention from the get go. For the length the book is, it took me quite awhile to get through it, which is very unlike my usual reading habits. This book was very, very slow until about 75% in and then for about 15-20% exciting and page turning, finally with a meh ending. Character development was lacking and I found myself really frustrated with the main character. I liked the premise of this book (and the cover is pretty cool!) but it really fell flat for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

If you love Only Murders in the Building, you’re going to like this. It’s got that classic NYC charm built from a cast of unlikely friends, regal old buildings, a diner everyone frequents, and of course, murder.
I loved the set-up for this book. As a kid, I read my mom’s Real Simple every month, and then told her what seemed actually worthwhile to read. They had 2 advice columns, one for etiquette & social situations and one for cleaning tips. And as a nosy busybody, I loved the etiquette column. If 10-year-old me had access to an actual advice column like Francis Keen’s, I would’ve been just as obsessed as Alex.
I also loved that Alex got the job after Francis’s death. The first few chapters of this book were equally terrifying and so exciting as we followed Alex on her first few days at an actual newspaper, diving into the thousands of letters written to Francis. The intensity of the plot kept the pacing at a steady and quick pace for me. I was dying to know what was really going on, but also wanted to spend every second I could at the newspaper offices and at the diner.
Maxwell nailed the ambiance and mood of a NYC murder mystery. There were moments of grit with dark alleys and haunted staircases. There was a sense of community with the diner patrons and other commuters heading home with Alex. There were jumpscares and slow, drawn-out moments of panic. There were bits of fun and moments of absolutely melodramatic ridiculousness.
And unfortunately, the melodrama was my downfall. It had gotten to a point where I had suspended all my belief, and the plot was still getting more ridiculous. Instead of tearing through the pages, I had to take a moment to pause, sigh, and go back in. I really liked the way Maxwell was combining the two timelines together for a big final twist, but it felt extremely unoriginal compared to the lead-up of the entire book.
Overall, this was an extremely fun read that skewed on the ridiculous side. There was a darker tone throughout that I wish had been explored more, but I enjoyed the book as is. This is more of a murder mystery than a true thriller, but it’ll still have you on the edge of your seat!
Thanks to Netgalley and Atria for the free advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!

This quick whodunit thriller was one that I finished in a day! While it was an easy read, it was a bit predictable. There was something comforting about this predicability, as I felt confident knowing what is going to happen before the characters did. I liked how the main character was mysterious, and the readers were slowly given information about her past. What I did not care for was how the two separate storylines (Alex's past the death of Francis Keen) did not come together well at the end. The disconnect left for a jarring read where it felt like there were two different stories being told.


Thank you to Atria Books for a gifted copy of this book!

This was better than I assumed it would be. The first couple chapters wasn't great but it picks up and I loved it.

An advice columnist is murdered and her replacement searches for the truth about what happened but there are some people that need the answers to stay hidden.

𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲:
This was a fun book! If you are looking for a lighter, twisty, entertaining thriller this is a good one to grab. The setup of the book was interesting and Maxwell does a great job of creating a tense, atmospheric setting. I enjoyed the main character Alex as she tries to play amateur detective and dig into the newspaper’s juicy secrets. The twists were a little too obvious but did not take away from the enjoyment!

I Need You to Read This by Jessa Maxwell, skews much darker than her previous novel The Golden Spoon, and for that I was very glad! While The Golden Spoon was more of a cozy mystery, Maxwell's newest is much more of a conventional thriller. Alex has just moved to New York City for a fresh start and after the death of her childhood hero, advice columnist Francis Keen, Alex gets the job any copywriter would dream of! The job isn't as glamorous as it might seem and Alex soon starts receiving strange and threatening letters. With the help of the Janice, a diner waitress and Raymond, a retired detective, Alex looks to get to the bottom of the letters and find out what really happened to Francis and also find out what her boss's involvement is. The characters were great and though the beginning was a bit slow but the action and suspense both built for a fantastic finish!

I was so excited to receive this book as an ARC because I really enjoyed Jessa Maxwell's last book "The Golden Spoon." The plot of this book was really interesting. Alex Marks has the opportunity of a lifetime to take over as the advice columnist in The Herald at world renowned newspaper in NYC. The previous, beloved columnist was murdered and the killer was still on the loose. I found that the book moved really slowly with a lot of side plots that didn't seem necessary. The action and meat of the story didn't happen until about 85% into the book. I found that it was just really slow and drawn out. This fell flat for me, which makes me sad, because I was super excited about it. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this eARC.

Sadly this one wasn't for me!

I think this is a case of me just not connecting with the author--with both Golden Spoon and this one, the premise sounded amazing, but the books themselves quickly turned into something else.

Still very grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

4.5/5!

Last year I adored Maxwell’s debut release, The Golden Spoon, and I knew I wanted to read whatever she released next. I was even more impressed with Maxwell’s sophomore book!

First off, I loved our main character, Alex! She clearly has some history she’s running from and secrets that are going to come out as we read more. In addition to Alex, there are some fun secondary characters and I was very happy that Maxwell chose to expand their roles as the book progressed. They were each so individual and really added dimension to the story.

If the character cast isn’t enough to sway you, then what about the newspaper office element? I love an office setting, but the fact that this was about an advice column opened up the option for Maxwell to include snippets of letters. These were a great addition and added to the mystery of the novel. Who is this mysterious Lost Girl we keep getting letters included from throughout the story? Loved it!

I did guess one of the main twists, but honestly that didn’t stop me from loving the book at all.

Highly recommend!

As I’m starting this review, I’m currently on chapter 37 and I have about 45 minutes left of the book. So far, I’m not suspicious of anyone, Alex (the MC) has only received 2 letters that are threatening to expose her darkest secrets and she’s still very new to her job as “Dear Constance”. There have been many times so far while reading that I’ve thought about DNFing, as I’m lacking the motivation to find out what happens at the end - this is due both to the storyline and me being a mood reader. I did finish the book, however, the lead up to the ending was not what I was expecting. The whole storyline is surrounding Francis Keen’s death and Alex trying their best to figure out “whodunit” but the last 3-6 chapters felt very rushed to explain why Alex is hiding from their past in New York and we barely get an explanation as to why Francis was murdered (it’s pretty obvious, but I personally could’ve used just a bit more onto that conversation.)