A beloved "Dear Abby" -type advice columnist dies under mysterious circumstances, and an OCD copywriter decides to apply for her job. The fact that she actually gets the job, despite there being over 500 applications, is only the first of the man incongruences in this book. The author seems to stretch credulity to the breaking point in order to set up the mystery, but for me, that only made it seem even less plausible. Alex's office is down a long, spooky hallway in a completely different part of the building from the rest of the staff. The onIy people she meets at the newspaper office are the person who greets her when she arrives at her new job, her assistant and her boss. I shouldn't go on because of spoilers, but trust me, there's a lot of blind acceptance the reader has to go through to arrive at the conclusion.

The good news is that the book is relatively short, and keeps the pages turning with short chapters, cliffhangers and intrigue. The characters are all well drawn, If you're able to suspend belief and enjoy a mystery in which truly anyone could be guilty, this is the book for you.

The latest release by Jessa Maxwell takes us into the world of a troubled advice columnist, Alex Marks, who steps into the spotlight after the murder of her predecessor, Francis Keen. Alex’s journey from a reclusive writer to the center of a high-profile investigation is both intriguing and unsettling. As she navigates her new role, the novel cleverly blends her personal struggles with a mystery that keeps unfolding in unexpected ways. The backdrop of the advice column, combined with Alex’s complex character, creates a suspenseful read that manages to be both gripping and introspective.

While the plot keeps readers guessing, some of the twists might feel a bit familiar. Nevertheless, the engaging writing style and well-developed character moments make it an enjoyable experience overall. Fans of Maxwell's previous work will find this novel a satisfying follow-up, with a balance of mystery and personal drama that hits the mark.

Finding this book on Pinterest, I was excited for its release! This is my book I have ever read and reviewed on Netgalley, and it didn’t disappoint! I previously read “May Day” by Jess Lourey and felt that “I Need You to Read This” had a similar plot that I would genuinely enjoy, and I did!

When a famous column writer is found dead, Alex slides into the position to fill the loss. Being a newcomer to New York, Alex is scared and alone. While she’s odd and kinda skittish, you grow to love her. While Alex is trying to find her footing replacing a large spot, the reader comes to learn that Alex is running from her past. She’s trying to solve who murdered her hero, Francis, while hoping she doesn’t meet a similar fate.

Hats off to Jessa Maxwell for how she writes about mental health! This book so accurately portrays OCD and anxiety, which is so refreshing to see and read. This was such a calm and cozy read with such a unique twist on the plot, not to mention this was a very fast paced read!

Thank you to Atria, Simon and Schuster Audio, and NetGalley, for the free copy for review.

The book kicks off with a gripping letter from a terrified sender, seamlessly transitioning into a prologue that leaves readers hanging in suspense. My immediate reaction was, “Who is Francis, and what happened to her?”

The narrative unfolds through punchy chapters, ensuring there’s never a dull moment on each page. The protagonist is perpetually looking over her shoulder, and whether on the page or in the audiobook, her palpable terror resonates deeply, even as the source of her fear remains shrouded in mystery. The author masterfully weaves a twisty tapestry of familiar tales about relationships gone awry, making this read both engaging and satisfying.

The inclusion of letters throughout the novel keeps the pace brisk and adds an intriguing layer of mystery that subtly piques the reader's curiosity. I found myself pairing the text with the audiobook, and as I mentioned earlier, the audio truly intensifies the emotional weight of the character’s terror, enhancing the overall experience. Carlota Brentan did such a wonderful job voicing each of the characters

Thank you to Atria Books for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my review!

On a whim, Alex fills out an application for the position of an advice column writer at the New York Herald. This position is to replace famous Frances, who was the loved and respected long time writer of the Dear Constance column prior to her unsolved murder. After finding a troubling note tucked away in Frances old desk, Alex starts to look into what may have happened to the original Dear Constance author.

I was drawn to this book by the cover and then I recognized the author’s name. I haven’t read The Golden Spoon yet, but I remember seeing it all over bookstagram. Once I read the synopsis of this book, I couldn’t wait to read it! This story is told in duel timelines- through Alex who is getting hired by and then working for The Herald and then through Dear Constance letters. I enjoyed having the letter chapters throughout the book, found them really interesting to read, and I liked how they told an important part of the story.

I liked Alex as a character and was rooting for her taking on the Dear Constance article as she had really big shoes to fill. It’s clear that Alex has some serious past traumas and it’s difficult for her to trust people, which has you rooting for her even more. And I was absolutely loving Alex’s support system of Raymond and Janice at the diner- two unlikely older friends. Overall, the characters made some decisions in the story that I didn’t really understand and the twist that I was waiting for just didn’t surprise me at all.

Loving it the first ~50%. I was absolutely loving Alex’s support system of Raymond and Janice at the diner- two unlikely older friends. But then when they started snooping around trying to find out who Alex’s boss was having an affair with and they start thinking he could be involved in Francis murder, Janice straight up tells her not to go to the police for help. At 71% of the way into the book, Alex wants to “turn everything into the police and be done with it,” and Janice dissuades her by telling her that the police don’t believe women and she doesn’t have enough evidence, so she needs to bypass the police and figure it all out herself. First of of, no she doesn’t have to figure it out herself, that’s not her job and she’s putting her own safety and wellbeing at risk. And second of all, I can understand not trusting the police, but if you literally think someone is involved in a murder, I’m pretty sure going to the police is the only route to go. It was just a very bold choice for this conversation to happen the way it did and it rubbed me the wrong way.

My question with this book is basically why does Alex care who her boss was having an affair with? She’s been at this job for all of 5 minutes and is convinced she just has to get to the bottom of who Howard is sleeping with. First it seems she wants to know because she doesn’t want Howard taking advantage of the younger girls in the mailroom, then it becomes mixed with her being convinced he was involved in Frances’ murder. And half the time it seemed that Alex didn’t know her own motivation for being so obsessed with it. To me, I felt like she should have been focusing on the job more and less on her boss’s personal life. Additionally, how did it never cross her mind that maybe it was Frances who he was having the affair with… this seemed so obvious to me, but was intended as the twist in this story.

Jonathan’s motivation for not liking Alex- that he loved Frances almost as a mother figure and friend- and him not wanting to see her replaced- was understandable, but not necessary to the story. The chapter where Alex and Jonathan bond and very blatantly clear up any issues between them was a bit transparent and unnecessary. Alex helped Jonathan and then Jonathan feels the need to have a heart to heart with her and spill his guts and apologize for making it difficult for her around the office, but he really wasn’t even that bad to her. This was a little distracting for me.

Another distraction from the storyline that took away from my enjoyment of the book was when Raymond, Janice, and Alex went to the exclusive bar and started asking questions about Howard. The dialogue at this point felt so cringey to me when they were asking the bartender questions. And then the situation where Raymond ran into a family member of his ex partner and caused a scene, all upset and yelling at him… we didn’t need this situation at all. It felt as the author was trying to do some character building of Raymond, but the situation that lead him to leaving the police force had absolutely nothing to do with the storyline and it was distracting from the actual plotline.

My last gripe is that I didn’t much understand Lucy’s motivation for infiltrating Alex’s life. I understand Lucy was a victim of her bother and was trying to defend him, and even get back at Alex, but for Lucy to go through all she did in order to to set up Alex at the beach house for her brother to come get her, it felt like a retaliation that was out of proportion. Especially for something that happened so long ago.

I really enjoyed the Golden Spoon so I was super excited to check out Jessa Maxwell’s latest book!

The Golden Spoon felt a bit more cozy mystery to me, but I Need You to Read This feels decidedly more intense. And while I felt like I knew where things were headed at some points, I was definitely on the edge of my seat as they played out.

I think my favorite thing about this book was probably the friendship dynamics. I loved the crew from the diner, and the way Alex and Jonathan’s friendship evolved.

I have to say that after reading The Golden Spoon, I was expecting another straight mystery of the cozy variety. Little did I know, however, that I Need You to Read This would have some much darker themes. Don’t get me wrong, there were still Maxwell’s trademark fun characters and intriguing premise, but I was rather taken aback by its more disturbing direction. For that reason, I would label this more of a cross genre mystery/thriller with a slight cozy edge given the pulse-pounding climax and eerie (albeit dynamite) twists.

As I’ve mentioned, the characters were my favorite piece to this enigmatic puzzle. With a finely layered narrator and some eccentric supporting characters, they formed a witty motley crew of amateur detectives that took this story to definite home run territory. But it was the twisty plot and original format that delivered in full. With a storyline peppered with letters to Dear Constance that hinted at a deep backstory, I was spellbound for sure.

My only qualms had to do with the slow burn start and the over-the-top vibe. Despite a beginning that grabbed my attention, the first third was hardly gripping as Alex got her bearings at her new job. Just the same, when things really got going, my fingers simply flew through the pages. But along with the uptick in pace, so too did the melodramatic feel follow in stride. As long as you’re willing to suspend all disbelief, though, this is one plot that will pull you right in.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this rollercoaster ride of suspense. From its quirky cast of characters to its suspicion-inducing plot, I read as fast as my eyes could go and finished it in just a matter of hours. Now I have to sit back and wait until Ms. Maxwell delivers her next surefire stunner. After all, there’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll love it just as much as her first two unputdownable novels. So while there might have been a hiccup or two, don’t let that put you off of this one. I was just as impressed this time around and I know that you will be too. Rating of 4 stars.

Thank you to Jessa Maxwell, Atria Books, and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Read if you like:
📝 Anonymous Letters
🔍 Mysteries
2️⃣ Two POV
🔪 Who Did It
📰 Advice Columns

The suspense!!!! I hated putting this down as I read it over several days because the pacing was absolutely so well done in that it made me want to binge the book to find out the answers to all of my questions and more importantly, the whys!

I love when there is mixed media within books and with the anonymous letters from lost girl to Constance mixed in with the POV of Alex as the new “ask constance” really added to the suspense of the story telling.

If you are looking for your next thriller with short chapters that keep you hooked for a binge read, I would highly recommend this one for that.

The one downfall is that the reveals were not very original, but the suspense made up for the lackluster feeling in the reveals. But for people that prefer plausible reveals over far fetched, that is something the reveals have going for them.

Thank you so so so much to the publisher for my ARC as I absolutely enjoyed reading this one in exchange for my honest review!

This was such a fun and unique take on a thriller - an advice columnist is murdered, and the book is told from her replacement's POV. However, nothing is as it seems, and trying to figure it all out while the plot built made for a great reading experience. Maxwell created a plot with lots of depth and layers. There's way more than one thing happening here, but it all built slowly together for a satisfying and shocking ending. I figured something out, but I was left shocked by most of the reveals. It was propulsive and the perfect book for a quick, can't put it down reading experience.

I had read and enjoyed The Golden Spoon, so I was delighted to have the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. I think this book is even better than The Golden Spoon. Jessa Maxwell does a great job creating interesting scenarios for her novels, both of which I found appealing and of interest to me. There was a creepy atmosphere at times in the book, and lots of twists and turns. Although I guessed some of what ultimately happened, I enjoyed the "ride" and could never be sure which characters were trustworthy. I look forward to seeing what Maxwell comes up with next. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. I highly recommend this book.

Having read Maxwell’s first novel I was excited to see if her second novel would match up to her first. I honestly think not only did it match up but it surpassed it. I Need You To Read This is a well written novel about a famous advice columnist who is brutally murdered and a girl Alex who is hired to replace her. Alex is a woman who stays to herself and had few people in her life. She starts finding her footing at the paper but soon realizes there maybe more to her boss and the death of her predecessor then she thought.

This was a super fast, engaging read for me. I loved the character of Alex and how everything evolved. I think some of it was a little predictable but not in a bad way at all.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

This book has such a great premise but it never quite got the tension build-up I need in a good thriller. How can a book that's under 300 pages be so slow and boring?! Alex lands her dream job writing an advice column in a major publication but the last writer's murderer was never found. She (of course) decides to try and investigate what happened - especially because she gets some threatening letters sent to her column's inbox.

Alex's friends at the diner and her assistant were more interesting than Alex and that kept me reading. I did so much eye-rolling at Alex. She's the epitome of the overdone "girl does all the stupid things you shouldn't do during a horror movie" stereotype. It was ridiculous and it took away even the little bit of tension that developed towards the end of the book. There's a whole subplot about Alex's past that was wholly unnecessary.

Honestly, the book could have been a novella without the subplot and it might have been more compelling.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

ARC- Review

This was a great read! It was fast paced, engaging, and I was immediately suspicious of every new character introduced, which I always take as a sign of a good mystery book.

Alex gets a job as the new advice columnist at a newspaper in NYC. Her predecessor, and personal hero, was brutally murdered 8 months prior. Alex, while running from a past of her own, begins to dig through the life of Francis with the assistance of her closest friends in hopes of discovering the who and why of Francis’ murder. In addition to this book being a great mystery read, it was also a great at portraying the sense of belonging and meaningful connections that we all look for in life.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I like the overall idea of this book but I pretty much guessed the ending. It was an easy read though!

This book got me from the very first page! It was super entertaining and a lot of twists. I really enjoyed The Golden Spoon and I was so excited to get picked for this Arc! I found this concept really interesting about a new advice columnist. I was surprised by the end and I can not wait for the next book from this author! Thank you Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review,

This was as great of a book as everyone says it is! It did start out a little slow to me and took me a bit to really get into the story but that last half took a great turn! Alex has been through trauma in her past and through the story we learn a little more of how she got to that point. She lands a great job as the writer for an advice column that she loves, only after the original writer was murdered. She finds herself mixed up in trying to solve that murder when she starts getting threatening letters and some clues from people in the office. I think the whole plot was so interesting. I loved the ending.

This was a decent thriller, but I found it lacking something. The premise was good..an advice columnist is murdered and a fan, Alex, inherits her job. Alex is also apparently running from something in her past, which makes her a little on the jumpy/secretive side, with a touch of OCD. Her background is revealed as the book progresses, when you see how she has rescued herself from a domestic situation while writing to the former columnist for advice.
I think the problem I have is one that I find with a lot of quick thrillers-there’s no build up before Alex has thrown herself into finding the murderer. Nothing occurs but her finding an old note in a book, and then she is convinced it’s from the murderer. If you find a simple note in someone book, would you be embroiled in a murder plot with your friends? Probably not. So this is an area that I just go along with in reading thrillers, sometimes things just happen for the sake of moving the story along.
I did enjoy the climax and ending, and the twists that bring the story to a satisfying conclusion. Overall it was a good, quick read that you will enjoy!
Thanks to Jessa Maxwell and Atria Books for this advance readers copy!

This book had me from the first chapter! The mystery behind who killed Francis and who Alex was kept me going. I couldn’t read this book fast enough.

I loved the cozy, mystery vibes that the book had the short chapters. It was almost like a Netflix show you can’t stop watching and need to find out what happens. I had no idea where this book was going to go and all the twists it had. My jaw was on the floor at the end! Very suspenseful and would recommend if anyone enjoys a fun mystery.

I really enjoyed The Golden Spoon and was so happy to be approved to read this ARC. The concept was very interesting and how she becomes the new advice columnist. There are many twists and turns and while I did see many of the coming, the book was still an enjoyable read. I can't wait to see what this author does next. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Loved this read! So fast paced and could not wait to get to the end. The ending definitely had me going! Jessa has a bright future and can't wait for what comes next! For sure recommending this to anyone thriller/suspense fan! Thank you for this ARC!