This was refreshing. A unique twist on the serial killer plot. The story unfolds through an advice column, creating a unique main character. Fun, tense, and intriguing.

ARC by NetGalley and the publisher.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Alex Marks is getting a fresh start in New York City. While she may have chosen one of the most populated cities in the world she has plans to lay low. Spending her days working from home with her copywriting job. All that changes when Alex sees an advertisement searching for a replacement writer for the famed Dear Constance advice column and she impulsively decides to apply. To her surprise she gets the job. However the past writer, Francis Keen didn’t simply quit or get fired she was murdered. When Alex starts getting threatening messages she must figure out who the murderer is before it’s too late.

I Need You to Read This is Jessa Maxwell’s sophomore thriller novel. The premise surrounding an advice column was well done with letters and responses being included which I appreciated as the plot is centered around this aspect. I particularly enjoyed getting to see the MC Alex find confidence in her new position of writing as the columnist that she so greatly admired. It should be noted that the plot does touch on PTSD and DV. As the story does progress I did feel that it was slightly slower towards the middle and did hope for more sleuthing than was presented. The ending twist did feel slightly off to me and left me wanting more as well. The book as a whole was well written however I did enjoy Maxwell’s debut novel The Golden Spoon a bit more than this one. Overall I think that this book is a great introduction novel for newer readers to the thriller genre as it was an easy read that was not overly terrifying or anxiety inducing.

I Need You to Read This comes out August 13th, 2024.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was in a thriller mystery mood when I started this book but it didn’t hold me. But I liked the characters I liked where the author was going with this book. I liked her last book and I do plan to buy this book to add to her collection.

Sometimes, you can't even explain why you instantly love a book. It might be that I was immediately hooked by the tense, terrifying prologue that had me rooting for the famous advice columnist Francis Keen as she tries to escape her killer. Or it might be the idea of doing the job of an advice columnist. Admit it; you have contemplated it, too. How fun it would be to finally give people the advice you have been holding back all this time?

After Frances's death, the main character, Alex Marks, lands the job as the new advice columnist and is offered the creepy office belonging to her tragically killed predecessor. Alex is determined to do her best despite her lack of experience and soon finds herself inundated with mail and dealing with a nasty assistant to the editor-in-chief. Fortunately, Francis Keen's former assistant is always there to lend a helping hand.

The story is interwoven with letters Frances Keen received from a young woman growing up in a forgotten town who meets a charismatic man who soon takes over her life. It isn't difficult to figure out what is happening with this lost girl, but the payoff was poignant. This whole novel is a warm hug, and at the same time, it is creepy and thrilling as the main character, Alex, finds herself at the centre of a mysterious and potentially dangerous situation when she begins to get disturbing letters mixed in with the regular ones from readers asking for help. With the identity of Frances's killer still unknown, everyone around Alex is a potential suspect - including her boss, editor-in-chief Howard Dimitri, whose after-hours habits raise more than a few eyebrows.

As Alex delves deeper into the intricate details surrounding her predecessor's murder, she realizes that her dark secrets are coming back to literally hunt her. Suddenly, Alex is trapped in a deadly game where every move could be her last.

Alex Marks lives a life as far under the radar as she can in New York City. But as she ponders the unsolved murder of her favorite advice columnist, Dear Constance, she is led down a path where she ends up following in her footsteps. But is it safe? And why is Alex so determined to fly so far under the radar at all times? Alex has secrets, and now she’s become involved in a mystery where she may be in over her head.

Little by little, two mysteries come to light in this fast read by the author of The Golden Spoon. Clues revealed sometimes in letters to Dear Constance are added to the end of some of the chapters. Alex is a likable character, ((albeit frustratingly backbone -less at times).. what is she hiding? And what happened to the columnist that Alex adored? Who to trust as she pursues justice? Who to lean on? All is revealed in the end. A solid straight-up mystery. 3.75 stars.

~ Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC!

This story had a drastically different tone than the Golden Spoon. Less cozy, more of a thriller! But still kept the same themes of redemption and found family! It’s a bit of a slow burn at first but I couldn’t put it down after the first few chapters. There are some triggering or sensitive subjects to be wary of before reading this! Despite that, a unique read!

TW: abusive relationships, gaslighting

This was a great thriller! The twists didn’t really surprise me but it was a great ride to get there. Some stuff took me out of the story, like the annual salary for a weekly newspaper columnist being over a hundred thousand dollars. It honestly led me to think that financial crimes were going to be a big part of the plot. That being said I think Alex was a great protagonist! She was a complex, three-dimensional, character and her actions and motivations felt realistic. None of the characters were explored in depth but they were great additions to the story. I’d love to see a sequel since I feel like there’s so much more to explore with Alex!

Alex lives in NYC with a boring copywriting job. One day, she sees an ad fora replacement for the writer of an advice column. She starts to investigate her predecessor's murder, and finds herself trapped between her current life and the previous life she is hiding from. Will she solve the murder or end up dead herself? 3 stars.

"I Need You to Read This" by Jessa Maxwell is a thrilling novel featuring Alex Marks, a young woman trying to leave her past behind. When she's tasked with taking over a popular advice column following the shocking murder of her predecessor, Francis Keen, Alex finds herself navigating a world filled with drama, twists, and seedy characters.

As a fan of Maxwell's previous work, "The Golden Spoon," I was eager to dive into this new novel and wasn't disappointed. The story is filled with suspense and keeps you on the edge of your seat as Alex confronts her past while taking control of her future.

What I found particularly clever was the premise of using an advice column as the backbone of the story. It added an intriguing layer to the narrative and allowed for unique insights into Alex's character development.

Overall, "I Need You to Read This" is a gripping read that left me hoping for a sequel to continue Alex's journey as an advice columnist.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Jessa Maxwell for the opportunity to read “I Need You to Read This!”

I enjoyed author Jessa Maxwell's "The Golden Spoon" quite a lot last year, so I was happy to get her sophomore effort "I Need you to Read This". It's another mystery, but this one's quite different in tone, a much slower burn and much more character driven as we follow writer Alex who has mental health struggles as she stumbles into the murder of a predecessor at work who was an advice columnist, will she be next?? I did enjoyed the advice column format that was used & some secondary characters were great. Overall, a solid, if slow, read. My thanks to Net Galley & the publisher for the complimentary DRC - thoughts & opinions expressed are my own

Alex gets a new job as an advice columnist. This seems like a perfect job until she’s gets caught up in the murder of the former columnist. I felt that Alex’s character was really well-written and it had a good plot. The story was engaging!

I received an early copy through Netgalley, but all opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC! Alex Marks applies to become an advice columnist after the previous writer (and Alex’s idol) is murdered. Alex must navigate the role of her new job, while trying to determine what happened to her predecessor.

For me, the plot was slow and there was little character development. I liked the representation of OCD and anxiety. The Dear Constance letters were a unique addition, giving writers some insight into Alex’s past.

Alex ends up with the dream job of a lifetime as an advice columnist for Dear Constance when the previous columnist is murdered. Very similar to the real life Dear Abbey, writers send in their struggles for Alex to offer feedback and solutions. I love true crime and other people's drama, so this seemed like the perfect read for me. Unfortunately, I Need You to Read This was a bit of a dud, and one that I won’t tell others to spend their time reading.

Alex is an overall like-able character. For reasons that are not revealed until late in the novel, she is struggling with paranoia and PTSD. She trusts no man, but makes careless and stupid mistakes that end up biting her in the rear. I think the author did a good job at describing her anxiety, but for such a smart woman, she made too many dumb mistakes.

The ending of the novel was cringeworthy. The characters that end up being the bad guys (no spoilers here) left me with vicarious embarrassment. It was cheesy and took away from the overall creepy feel of the novel. Additionally, we spend the majority of the story being invested in who killed Francis, only to have it become a minor reveal in the last couple of pages.

2.5 stars ⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, what a ride! After reading (and loving) Maxwell's novel THE GOLDEN SPOON last year - I could not wait to see what she would come up with next...and she did not disappoint! This was suspenseful, thought-out, endearing, and more - just like her last novel!

While this book is told from a single POV, it is intercut with a variety of "Dear Abby" letters, which adds another "voice," so to speak, to the story.

rating: 4 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
genre: suspense, mystery
format: digital
release date: Aug. 13, 2024

Things I liked:
- Not knowing who to trust. Or even if you could trust Alex, the MC. There was so much going on that everyone sort of went back and forth in my mind on whether or not they could be the culprit.
- I love Maxwell's writing style. The voice of her main characters is always really well done.
- The side characters - specifically her friends in the diner! So good.
- I 89% called the ending - which, if you know me, almost NEVER HAPPENS.

I recommend this one whole-heartedly! I think even if thriller isn't usually your genre, you might get a kick out of it.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for my advanced copy provided in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun ride! A twisty mystery that I was invested in from start to finish. When the writer of the famed “Dear Constance” column is murdered, Alex finds herself filling her hero’s shoes with no prior desire to do so. We see Alex struggling with her past, but much of it is not revealed until the end.

I’d say a solid third of this story is told via “Dear Constance” letters, which was a refreshing change up. Alex struggles with her mental health in the wake of what was clearly a traumatic event, and she attempts to work through this while also attempting to solve her predecessor’s murder.

Two mysteries entwining themselves together, and I loved it! I will say the middle gets slow and at times a bit boring. But other than that, I enjoyed this. I liked Alex’s character and thought she was well developed. Overall, an enjoyable read.

A big thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

No sophomore slump here from Maxwell! I loved "The Golden Spoon" and this twisty, fun thriller was even more enjoyable for me. I found Alex to be a very complex character and she reminded me a lot of the FMC from "The Woman in the Window." We had a little agoraphobia going on and that added another layer. I was a little bored with the letters, but overall an enjoyable read.

Alex has been living in NYC for quite some time and has her routines down perfectly. Until, her dream job is posted and on a whim she applies and is offered the position of being the author of an advice colum in a prestigious New York newspaper.

As much as she wants this position, she is haunted by hidden secrets from her past and teased with clues of the mysterious murder of the previous writer, Francis Keen.

With the help of her peculiar sidekicks - the retired police detective and the diner waitress - will Alex solve the murder mystery or will Alex's own past step into the light and ruin everything?

While I enjoyed the perspective of the Dear Constance letters, at times it felt a bit repetitive and underwhelming. I felt the suspense building and wanted answers. Chapters are short, which made ofr an easy, but tense read. I enjoyed the little glimpses of what could be some mental health issues for Alex and that she wasn't painted as a victim. Her empathy and abilities to relate to people was very enjoyable and a different perspective in the thriller world.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for a review.

I’m probably going to be in the minority but I really didn’t like this book. I feel that it was over dramatized, and that it was written like we had went on a journey that we just hadn’t. I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters, and ffs I was just glad that it was over in the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC.

The Golden Spoon was one of my favorite books that I read last year, so when I found out that Jessa Maxwell’s upcoming release was available for request on NetGalley, I jumped on it!

Before I even made a dent in this book, I could tell that this one had more suspenseful vibes compared to her debut cozy mystery. This didn’t deter me in the slightest — Maxwell’s writing style nicely compliments both genres.

As for the story itself, this book sucked me in right from the start. The concept of this book felt very unique, as I’ve never read a book revolving around a “Dear Abby”-type plot. The letters that were intermixed between that chapters kept the story going at a fast pace.

I also had an immediate liking to the trio of characters at the diner — I could clearly picture Alex, Janice, and Raymond sitting and chatting about their detective work over breakfast.

As a mystery/thriller aficionado, there were certain parts of the story that I was able to piece together, but there were also some twists that I didn’t see coming!

Keep your eyes out for when this book hits the shelves this summer!

(Please note that I will add a link once I post to my reviewer page)

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

This book is definitely more of a slow burn in my opinion, but once the twists hit, they don’t stop coming. I loved the character development between Alex, Janice, and Raymond also.