In her follow-up to The Golden Spoon, Jessa Maxwell's I Need You to Read This is another strong, well-written psychological mystery. When reclusive copywriter Alex's favorite advice columnist of the famed The Herald newspaper is murdered, she feels the loss deeply. Dear Constance has provided weekly advice for years and served as a constant in Alex's life. Months later, murder still unsolved, The Herald advertises an opening for a new Dear Constance writer. On a wine-induced whim, Alex applies and is shocked that her written responses (as part of the application process) were selected out of hundreds of entrants. While living in NYC for years, mostly stays to herself, forging relationships with her favorite diner companions: waitress Janice and retired detective Raymond. This job will force Alex into the public more acutely than she desires-and it is clear she is hiding from something-or someone. While answering the ever growing pile of letters the column receives, Alex also receives threatening letters and soon finds herself wrapped up in the mystery of the murder. What ensues is a thrilling cat and mouse chase where the past startingly collides with Alex's present-and her future is at stake.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Looking for a fresh start, Alex Mark moves to New York. She has taken a rather boring copywriting job. When the murder of Francis Keen, Alex's childhood hero, hits the news, Alex is shocked. Francis was the creator behind a very famous advice column, Dear Constance.

When an advertisement looking for a Dear Constance replacement, Alex impulsively applies, never expecting to actually get the job. However, strange letters start arriving, while Francis's killer has never been found, Alex can't help but question her new boss/editor-in-chief.

On top of all of this, Alex suffers from severe OCD and has routines that help her feel safe. This unsettled job and new life in New York push this into a giant mess.
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Alex has the struggle of OCD that so many people deal with every day. It's refreshing to see a portrayal that doesn't lean into tropes.

This is a fun and twisty little thriller. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book really surprised me. I am torn about the rating, but overall I really liked it. At first, I thought it was going to be pretty predictable, as I guessed some of the twists up front and there were some random side plots that kind of felt out of place. However, I enjoyed the creepy vibes of the Harold building and loved how there was this scared reverence surrounding Francis's office. I also loved the compassion that both Alex and Francis encompassed when reading people's letters. The last 3rd actually shocked me and that's when I started yelling out loud at the book and characters. YES, this is exactly what I look for in a thriller and even though it was a low burn, the ending was electric.

Also, I read the first half and listened to the second half. I liked that format because it got me oriented to the letters between chapters. The audiobook definitely ramped up the creep factor (some of the characters were truly AWFUL and their voices matched perfectly).

Special thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for this advanced reader e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This thriller had a little bit of everything. A relatable but secretive FMC. A gang of colorful characters. An unsolved murder. And…an advice column? Like I said, it has a little bit of EVERYTHING.

I originally went to school for journalism and so that’s what sparked my interest with adding this to my TBR. The fact that it was resembling a “Dear Abby” type column is what made it stand out from others and it stayed true to that plot line.

The plot build was overall good, even with some unnecessary or slower parts. I understand the character development and smaller moments. Until you get to the climax, some of it leaves you feeling like, “is this really important or are we just overly describing.” Especially the odd love interest and the repetitive office scenes. But I promise, it will all come together when you reach the reveal.

The climax and turning point was absolute chaos and I LOVED IT. It was like boom, bang, oooohh, oh dang, uh what???, breathe. BANG. It was one thing after another between something happening and things being exposed. The reveal was honestly what saved this book from a 3-star rating. The reveal and climax is what a mystery should be. Well done Jessa Maxwell.

If you like an easy-to-read mystery with a modern whodunit plot line, give this a go.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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I Need You to Read This started strong, with a premise that gave me "Only Murders in the Building" vibes. But the story never really went anywhere, the character were flat and underdeveloped, and the ending was predictable. I'm sad because I really enjoyed The Golden Spoon. I think the classic mystery structure of that book served the author better than this, which felt all over the place, with a murder, mysterious letters, and an elaborate backstory for the main character that just served to crowd out the more interesting aspects of the plot.

Alex lives in NYC, paying her bills by writing copy for drug companies. She’s mousy and socially awkward with a secret in her past.

Then the job of a lifetime presents itself and Alex applies on a whim. And unbelievably gets it.

Now she’s “Dear Constance” the advice columnist for the largest newspaper in the city, assuming the role after the original agony aunt, Frances Keen, was murdered.

Once in the office, Alex begins searching for clues to the unsolved murder. The backstory here is that Alex herself wrote many letters to Frances during a difficult time and so feels a kinship, I guess.

Hopeful though I may have been, this ultimately didn’t work for me. But that’s ok! Your friendly writing teacher has some notes!

Alex isn’t a compelling character and with no interest in the outcome of her story, it’s hard to invest in the book. It becomes clear what her secret is, which isn’t problematic on its own, but, much else is.

What is problematic? There’s a whole lot of telling, which is bad writing but especially troublesome in a thriller.

There are two side characters, one with a pointless backstory, who I think were introduced as red herrings - but aren’t. There’s a potential love interest and the conversations between Alex and him are weird and unrealistic, also feeling as though it’s meant to make you think twice.

The suspicious character is glaringly so from the start, and that Alex can’t see it only makes her less sympathetic.

The big reveal about who killed Francis is an after thought and explained away in two pages. There are too many coincidences disguised as clever literary devices and not enough thrill.

I usually struggle with thrillers because I’m too chicken to read them. This one? I mostly rolled my eyes.

Ultimately the title is a misnomer. I don’t need you to read this. Sorry.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC. This one came out August 13, 2024.

Jessa Maxwell must take her own advice in following your dreams in I NEED YOU TO READ THIS, her latest whodunnit.

When copywriter, Alex Marks was younger, she religiously read the Dear Constance advice column in the newspaper. When ‘Constance’ is murdered and the paper is looking for someone to take over the column, Alex applies on a whim. She lands the job but is fearful of not living up to her predecessor. There are so many mixed feelings about accepting the job, but she throws herself into it wholeheartedly. She also seeks the council of her friends at the Bluebird diner, Janice and ex-cop Raymond. On her first day, she meets Lucy Bentley, who reports that she was Constance (Francis Keen)’s assistant for the last five years. When she takes Alex to the Mail room, Alex is overwhelmed with the amount of mail received for the column. And that’s just the paper and pen ones, not the huge number of emails waiting for her in her inbox. When Alex finally gets to meet the editor in chief, Howard Dimitri, and let’s just say, she is underwhelmed by him. But all is not lost when a new love interest enters Lucy‘s life.

Then Alex begins receiving threatening notes. Are they directed towards her, or were they threats made against Francis? As she tries to put the pieces together, Lucy is her only ally at the paper. And Lucy is reportedly petrified of the big man, Howard Dimitri, at one point even hiding under Alex’s desk to avoid him. As Alex and Lucy continue to collect the dots, they are led to house where Francis was murdered.

I enjoyed this book. There were a lot of moving parts and they all fit together, seamlessly at the end. Interspersed throughout the book, there were letters to Constance from one writer chronicling the relationship of a woman and her boyfriend. This style was an interesting one in telling some of the backstory. I could feel myself surrounded by mounds of envelopes and received quite a few paper cuts from opening the letters to Constance. I have not read Jess Maxwell in the past but will certainly be keeping an eye out for future books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

An interesting and chilling thriller. Every part of this book had me on edge until the end. The writing in this book was eerie and mysterious and the plot was satisfying. I would recommend it for those who like thrilling reads.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy of this book. It is out now!!

I love how this author centers her cozy thrillers around fun pop culture things- last time it was The Great British Baking Show and this time it’s after an advice column.

While I easily predicted some parts, that did not stop me from enjoying this. This isn’t a huge action packed thriller, but that didn’t stop me from getting chills down my back at some parts. This is filled with lovable characters and I think I could see this becoming a Hallmark movie.

This will be perfect for readers this fall- short chapters and moves so quickly (which is something I remember loving about The Golden Spoon). 4 stars!

I received this as an advanced reading copy and the only reason it took me a week to finish it was because I was reading multiple other books!

This book makes your brain spin in the best way possible. As you settle in to see how Alex handles her new job being "Dear Constance" you find yourself asking a lot of questions about how all the pieces connect. Alex clearly has a past and is constantly looking over her shoulder, but does she need to be worried about being the new Constance too? And who killed Constance anyway?

This book practically turns the pages for you as it gives you the feeling you're being watched one minute, questioning who is safe to be near the next and asking yourself if you should really be doing this.

I would probably round up to 4.5 stars on this book if it was possible on Goodreads.

It’s easier to solve other peoples’ problems than it is your own.

Alex Marks is living a very quiet, solitary life in NYC working as a copywriter for a pharmaceutical company. She considers two pigeons who appear on the ledge outside her apartment to be quasi-pets, and has risen to the status of a regular at The Bluebird, a cafe across the street. Janice the waitress and another regular there named Raymond, a former cop, sort of qualify as friends. It’s not the life of her dreams, but she at least feels (mostly) safe, living invisibly in a big city far from something traumatic in her past. She was devastated when Francis Keene, known better to readers of the New York Herald as advice columnist Dear Constance, was found murdered in her summer cottage on Cape Cod. Alex had been reading the Dear Constance column for years and drawing wisdom and inspiration from the woman she considered a personal hero. When she reads one day that the newspaper is accepting applications for a replacement, Alex is at first annoyed that the search is being undertaken in such a public, unstructured way, but curiousity has her access the application and try her hand at writing answers to the sample questions on the form. Having consumed most of a bottle of wine probably contributes to her actually hitting the “submit” button….and then to her surprise she gets a phone call asking her to come in for an interview with famed editor-in-chief Howard Dimitri. A week later Alex is working in Francis’ old office sorting through the backlog of letters and emails looking for Dear Constance’s advice, and feeling unsure if she is up to the task. Howard’s snarky assistant Jonathan regularly makes her feel like a fraud, and her assistant (formerly Francis’) Lucy is both helpful and a nervous wreck about….something. Alex finds a few things in her office that make her question what is happening in the offices of the Herald, and she thinks she might just have some clues to who killed Francis. Distracted by the quirky guy she met at the cafe across the street from her office and feeling the pressure to fill the really big shoes of her predecessor, Alex’s search for answers may not be good for her health….and her newfound notoriety may bring her to the attention of someone from her past from whom she hoped she had escaped forever.
Alex is a likeable protagonist, hiding from something in her past but taking tentative steps to live a more complete life. Her bond with Francis, it becomes clear, is more than just that of a casual reader, and taking over the Dear Constance role is both a dream job and a source of major stress….so many letters, so much responsibility to find the perfect one to answer and to do it as well as Francis would have. It’s hard to be the new guy (or gal) in an office, and in a time when newspapers are struggling to survive the offices of the Herald are more tense than most. Alex discovers a lot about herself, her workmates, and the people in her life who turn out to be pretty good friends. A fun whodunnit and a quick read, I Need You to Read This would make a great vacation read, particularly for fans of Jenny Hollander, Alexandra Ivy and Harry Dolan. Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me early access to this latest novel from the author of The Golden Spoon.

I need you to read this. No, really, i need you to read this book, because jessa maxwell has written another page turner!

When alex marks applies for a dream job on a whim, she never expects that she would get it. but, to her suprise, she is hired to fill the shoes of her favorite columnist, who met an unfortunate end. when Alex takes it upon herself to find her killer, she finds that everyone could be a suspect, and she, could be next.

I enjoyed this book, so much! i loved the concept, a character’s dream job gone wrong, while running from her own past. The story had a wonderful flow, keeping me engaged throughout the entire book. the murderer’s role kept shifting, between alex’s colleagues and new love interest, until you i was mind blown by the twist and reveal.

The premise of I NEED YOU TO READ THIS is simple but clever: when a renowned advice columnist is murdered, who better than her replacement to investigate her murder? Bonus points when her replacement is a young woman with imposter syndrome and a lot of skeletons in the closet, metaphorically speaking at least. The book ultimately felt too chaotic to really follow or keep my attention. Sometimes, a thriller is just trying to do too much - and I confess that I tend to subscribe to the rules of fair play from the golden era of detective fiction. (I’m an old school girl at heart.) I know that there are readers who an unanticipated twist and I think that in many ways, this is the perfect read for them. For me, it was just a little bit too much. That being said, the premise is brilliant and this is a good second novel by this author. Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the advance copy. All opinions are entirely my own.

This was a quick read that effectively helped me escape into a world complicated in different ways than my own. The main character, who definitely has secrets, has always wanted to be an advice columnist and suddenly gets her chance when the job of her hero who was murdered was posted. The author cleverly reveals secrets, clues, and distractions that kept me intrigued throughout the book. Unfortunately, I wasn’t particularly drawn to the characters or the backstory that was eventually revealed.

Thank you to Atria Books, Netgalley, and the author for early access to this novel.

This was an easy-to-read, slow-burn mystery/thriller. I was intrigued by the premise, although the execution was a bit lacking for me. I never really felt connected with the characters, and the two main storylines didn't come together as I thought they might. There was also quite a bit of foreshadowing, so I knew who was involved from early on, and kept reading to see how it would all end. I enjoyed being immersed into the NYC newspaper world, and some of the side characters were intriguing. I'll definitely continuing reading the author's upcoming books, even though this one wasn't a home run for me. Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for the advance digital copy!

I Need You to Read This caught my attention pretty quickly. I saw another reviewer posting about it and how good it was. I then read the summary and was very intrigued. Francis Keen, who wrote the advice column, Dear Constance, is found dead in her summer home. Over a year later her killer is yet to be discovered and they're ready to hire someone new to take over Dear Constance. Alex Marks applies on a whim and ends up getting the job. She soon discovers the people working at the magazine have secrets. As she tries to find out what happened to Francis, secrets from her past begin to surface. Will she too have a fate like Francis? I mean sounds good! It then ended up being a Read Now title on NetGalley, I decided why not. Sadly, did not work for me.

I keep going back and forth with what to say for this book. Did I enjoy it , sure? There were aspects I liked. I enjoyed reading the letters sent to Francis. It reminds me of back in the day when I'd get magazines and read all the random advice columns. I never submitted anything but it was fun to see what questions and advice people were looking to get answered. This brought me back to that time. Plus, I did want to find out what ended up happening to Francis. It just takes a while to get there. I also felt like the twists in this book weren't that crazy. I felt they were pretty easy to figure out. If not figure out at least have you questioning those characters. I might have been a little more weary if I went back and reread certain parts. I definitely remember being doubtful about one character during one scene. I wish I could remember the scene but it was suspicious and made sense in the end.

Overall this thriller didn't stand out to me. It was cool in concept just not exectued well enough. I may or may not pick up another book by this author. It's such a shame because I wanted to love this so bad. It really did sound right up my alley.

*Thank you so much to Atria books and NetGalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.*

I enjoyed the mystery of the book and one of the twists really got me! I feel like we could have seen more of Alex’s relationships outside of work as it seemed like they were surface level but all of a sudden they have no problem sleuthing with her? Overall an enjoyable read.

Jessa Maxwell's sophomore effort, I Need You to Read This, is a heavy read for being in the suspense/thriller genre. Alex has a secret she's trying desperately to keep hidden, but has landed a new job that puts her in the spotlight, risking her hard-won secrecy. But where The Golden Spoon kept the murder mystery moving along, we are here treated, if I can use that word, to attempts at red herrings and points where everything connects a little too neatly to be believable. I kept reading despite this, and because of my love of the Golden Spoon, but this book fell flat for me. I do however look forward to reading a third book by Maxwell, due to my enjoyment of her previous book.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster/Atria Books for gifting me both a digital and physical ARC of the sophomore book by Jessa Maxwell, author of The Golden Spoon. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Alex moved to NYC for a fresh start away from past trauma. She's working as a copywriter for a pharmaceutical company when she learns that her childhood hero, Francis Keen, was murdered. Francis wrote a famous advice column, Dear Constance, and her death was a huge shock to Alex and all her readers. When Alex sees an advertisement searching for her replacement, she applies and gets the job. But she begins receiving strange letters and starts questioning what really happened to Francis and even if her boss was involved. She soon finds herself ensconced in the mystery.

This was a very clever mystery and I loved the premise and structure of this novel. We follow Alex as she begins her new job, insecure about following in her hero's footsteps, and feeling overwhelmed about the sheer number of letters accumulated since Francis' death.. We also read letters written to Constance from a young woman going through an abusive situation. There are a lot of great characters too, from Alex's friends at the diner, to a new possible love interest. No spoilers - read and enjoy the journey!

I ended up reading a good chunk of this on a rainy day by a lake in front of a fire, and it was basically the perfect setting for it (though that might also be the perfect setting to read most books). I may have liked it extra because of that, but I found this to be a solid thriller and a great introduction to Maxwell’s writing.

I loved the structure of this - the short-ish chapters kept me engaged, and I found the use of the letters to be a great device that fit well within the story. I found all the characters intriguing and I particularly loved the MC so I was glad it was from her POV. I also appreciated the (minor spoiler) depiction of domestic violence because it felt very realistic.

I thought the story was a bit predictable and had hoped some parts would go a different way, but there were several twists that still surprised me and I thought it all came together enjoyably. And at no point was I not invested in the outcome, which is exactly what you want in this type of book!

Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for this ARC. I Need You to Read This is out today!