I Need You to Read This by Jessa Maxwell was an addictive thriller I couldn’t put down— I read it in less than 24 hours!

I was immediately sucked in to Alex’s life. After advice an advice columnist, Francis, was murdered, Alex gets hired as her replacement. But as Alex is running from her past she gets sucked in to investigating Francis’ death.

After reading the Golden Spoon, Jessa’s debut I was eager to pick up I Need You to Read This, and it didn’t disappoint. It was so much fun. I can’t wait to read what she writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Jessa Maxwell for the ARC!

I will admit, I do not read many thrillers - but this one pulled me in.

When Francis Keen, a fan-favorite advice columnist, is murdered - a replacement is needed, much to the chagrin of her fan base, considering her murder has not been solved.

Alex Marks is running from her past and trying to stay hidden. She sees the posting for the advice columnist position (an advice column that she is very fond of) and applies for the position - albeit, mostly out of spite because she thinks it’s too soon for the position to be posted. To her surprise, she gets the position. What unfurls throughout the start of her new career surprises all. An advice columnist turned detective.

A page turning read!

Such a good read that I enjoyed! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

Thank you to @Atriabooks for the gorgeous finished copy and to @simon.audio for the ALC to review!

I loved this premise, taking on the job of replacing a beloved advice columnist who was recently murdered, one that you also looked up to, oh but wait, you have a past yourself and are trying to keep it there, but this job doesn’t help that at all. It made for a super eerie combo where the suspense built throughout and I really enjoyed it. I did figure this out ahead of time, but it did not take away from it at all. The audio was great also, and I was captivated the entire time, reading this in one setting.

I Need You to Read This is the perfect summer mystery read that somehow manages to give off cozy, feel-good vibes, while still being centered around a murder and whodunnit - and it does it all in the most satisfyingly delicious way.

I am SUCH a fan of Jessa Maxwell's work. She is constantly creating characters that are interesting and nuanced, while also being a little mysterious. In a whodunnit setting, you want lots of suspects and Jessa ensures that ANYONE could be a suspect - and it's forever so impossible to guess where her twists are going to take you. I loved Alex's character, and instantly wished her advice column was real, because it would be so fun to read each week. That and now I suddenly wish I wrote an advice column as a job? But I digress.....

This is a book that you will devour in one sitting, and that will cause you a massive book hangover after as you really could just read an entire series of entanglements that this cast of characters would find themselves in. Jessa's ability to write an entire cast that you become fully invested in is second to none.

No spoilers (because who want's their whodunnit ruined by hints?) but this is a MUST READ for your summer TBR - you will not want to miss this perfect companion to a sunny, summer afternoon where you can get lost in one of the best books of the summer.

Many thanks to the publisher for my copy.

Alex Marks has been running from the past for years and when she finally decides to take a risk as the new advice columnist of the most popular NYC newspaper she finds herself watching her back at every turn. Just because the old columnist was murdered doesn’t mean she has anything to worry about right?

I really liked that Jessa Maxwell wrote this book from her own experience as an advice columnist (without the murder). This story took a little while to pick up, but I was still invested throughout the entire book and rooting for Alex to break away from her past.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this e-ARC!

Another gripping, twisty, and riveting page-turner that you’ll devour in one sitting—this book keeps you on the edge of your seat, biting your nails as you reach the shocking climax, packed with revelations. From the author of Golden Spoon, I have to admit this book is even better than her previous work.

I liked the synopsis of this and the incorporation of the Dear Constance letters but overall, this book wasn't a big win for me. This is my second book by the author and both times I just felt the implementation of a great idea wasn't strong enough. I give Maxwell credit for adding layers to the characters and story but for a thriller, I need more edge-of-my-seat, heart racing thrill. I did not have that instant pull to stay with this book that you can get from some thrillers in the first couple of chapters.

Quality of Writing 3/5
Pacing 4/5
Plot Development 3/5
Character Development 3/5
Overall Enjoyability 3/5

Alex lands her dream job as an advice columnist and is set on solving a murder. This is a slow burn mystery set in NYC with a solid set of characters. A few of the twists I saw coming but some I did not, which I always love. The backstory of the main character Alex was intriguing and complex. You’ll be suspicious of every character until the end!

Thank you Netgalley and atria books for the eARC

Full confession...I love advice columns. Do I always agree with them? No, but I'm always fascinated by not only the answers, but the questions...the people behind them. I Need You to Read This is a fun read. It's twisty enough to keep me flipping pages without getting whiplash, and, although it is a bit of a slow burn at times. the ending is a twist from what I was expecting, making it a an enjoyable mystery/thriller, perfect for summer (or anytime) reading.

This one was enjoyable, and I recommend going into it blind and just trying to figure out what is going on.

Don't go in expecting a normal thriller. It is more of a light slow burn of a mystery than anything else.

I wanted to connect more to the main character than I did, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the book.

The ending was different than what I was expecting, which is always a good thing.

I Need You to Read This is a mystery in which an advice columnist, Alex Marks, attempts to discover who murdered her predecessor. I enjoyed Maxwell's previous murder mystery, The Golden Spoon, and looked forward to her sophomore effort.

Unfortunately, this novel didn't quite work for me. The pacing felt uneven, with an inordinate amount of time spent on Alex's personal life and professional acclimation rather than the central mystery. The slow burn of the early chapters made it difficult to maintain interest in the murder investigation. Additionally, the circumstances surrounding Alex landing the advice column position strained credibility.

While the novel does delve into darker themes, the climax takes an unexpected turn that hinges on a series of coincidences. While certain elements of the plot are foreshadowed through anonymous letters to the advice column, the ultimate resolution relies on overly convenient circumstances and characters whose motivations and actions border on the implausible.

I appreciate what Maxwell was trying to accomplish with this second novel, but I was able to guess many of the twists and too many circumstances in the novel seemed implausible. While the premise of an advice columnist investigating a murder is intriguing, the novel spends an excessive amount of time on character development and world-building at the expense of the central mystery.

This review will be posted to Goodreads on August 11, 2024.

Jess’s Maxwells follow up to her debut novel of The Golden Spoon is a story of the advice columnist; or the obsession we have with those that feel like family but we don’t even know.

Alex gets the opportunity of a lifetime, when Frances, a popular advice columnist, is found dead but her advice column isn’t. In comes Alex, excited for the new opportunity but hiding a secret of her own. Besides leaving the reader wondering what happened to Frances, we start to wonder what is Alex hiding from? Is she next? Is it all connected? Can Jessa Maxwell keep the suspension building to keep the reader invested?

Not really. An Interesting concept but the suspense never really feels that tense or as tense as I was wanting. A little too much of a predictable Lifetime movie for me. I liked the idea of the trio at the diner but the whole time I felt like I was missing out on some inside joke and always felt like I was on the outside looking in. I think it’s because as the reader, we are Alex, as this is Alex’s story and she was written like a third wheel in the trio. And Alex as a character didn’t bring much to the table in personality- she was rather bland. However, The Dear Constance letters were a nice touch.

Some good writing. But overall, more of a yawn.

FYI- this is totally how I found out they just re opened Century 21

I Need You to Read This by Jessa Maxwell is an interesting, riveting, claustrophobic, story.
I loved her debut The Golden Spoon and her second novel was no different.
This is a fantastic mystery! I could NOT stop reading it! Just when I thought I had figured it all out, twists and turns caught me by total surprise!

Thank You NetGalley and Atria Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I got hooked at the beginning. Kinda got slow and boring in the middle. Ending got exciting again. I liked the letters as part of the story.

Alex is struggling while living in New York City trying to find her way and her dream job. She's always been a fan of the advice column "Dear Constance" and when the opportunity to apply for the position arises she impulsively applies. The previous author was murdered 6 months prior and will Alex find herself next?

I enjoyed this book a lot. There were multiple "mystery" storylines in this book. You can tell Alex has a past that she doesn't want to talk about or is running from. There are multiple letters throughout the book to Dear Constance from Lost Girl and I figured out pretty quickly that they were written by Alex but I liked getting to know her backstory in this way. I did suspect Lucy wasn't what she seemed and that turned out to be correct. The mystery about who killed Francis was a little predictable for me. Overall I enjoyed this book. I would say it's 3.5/5 stars for me!

I read Jessa's first book, The Golden Spoon last year and loved it. So when I saw she was releasing a new book, I definitely jumped at the opportunity to read an advanced copy and review it. I Need You To Read This was even BETTER!

This book is labeled as a thriller, and while I agree with that a little bit, I think mystery would be more appropriate. None the less, definitely loved this story overall and it had me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out not only Alex's past back story, and her new story going forward.

Alex takes on a new job as the new writer for a column, Dear Constance, in a big time newspaper. The original writer, Francis Keen, was murdered in her home just 8 months prior. Alex Mark has always been a fan of the Dear Constance column, even submitting a few letters herself. Alex meets a lot of new people when she takes on this job: the editor in chief, Howard Demetri, his assistance, Jonathan, and her assistant Lucy.

Alex soon starts receiving threatening letters, raising the scary possibility that someone is watching her. She's worried they know who she really is, and will dig up the past that she's tried for years, to bury. Is this person angry she took over the column? Is this person coming after her, too? Alex takes it upon herself to conduct her own investigation into the murder of Francis Keen - enlisting the help of her friends from her local diner, Raymond and Janice. Doing so, Alex is risking her life and confronting her own dark past.

This was a well written, second book by Jessa. I really enjoyed the story line - the characters we got to meet, and the look into past Alex's life and current time. A great read if you need something that gets you thinking, and makes you second guess who done it.

3.5⭐️rounded up!

this was a book that made me excited to read, more so because of the ease of writing and layout of the book than the actual plot. i was curious to see what each new day would bring and what letters would show up.

the reason for it not being a 5 star is that, for me, the twists were too predictable. i wasn’t as excited to uncover the mysteries because there weren’t many.

HOWEVER, it was still a fun book to read and see played out. a few details left out in the beginning could have helped it not be so easy to figure out— at least for me. :)

2.5⭐
I'm conflicted as to where I want to rate this. 2.5 is right in the middle.

This book and I didn't jive, but I know a lot of people will like it. I have never read a book and said "It's YOU!" almost instantly after meeting the antagonist. After that, I was able to piece everything together. It felt very YA, and I felt as though the characters were very reactionary, making everything feel overly dramatic.

“Dear Constance” has been the advice column and staple of the Daily Herald for decades, until the columnist is found murdered in her summer home. Months later, a young writer named Alex applies to be the new columnist and is surprised to hear she’s been hired. It’s her dream job, until she starts receiving threatening letters that could expose her dark past. She’s also hoping to help solve what happened to the woman who had the job before her, but it seems like she’s not the only one.

This was written by the same author as The Golden Spoon, and I actually liked this book more! The story had me hooked, the work building had spooky vibes, and there was a fun twist or two that I didn’t see coming. Add this one to your TBR if you like creepy thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars