Member Reviews
Just one Look is the story of Cassie Woodson who fell from grace at her prior corporate job and is now taking jobs from a temp agency. Her most recent temp position leads her to a law firm where she is reviewing a fraud lawsuit.
At first Cassie dreads and loathes the new position until the document filter begins to feed in personal emails of one of the firm's partners. Cassie begins to delve in the life and personal relationship of a seemingly perfect man, Forest Watts. Cassie cannot help but desire to learn everything about him and his relationship with his wife, Annabelle. Their email exchanges leave her wishing that she was Annabelle and leads her to the beginning of obsession with the Watts couple, especially Forest.
Eventually Cassie begins to stalk Forest by collecting information on places he frequents so she can conveniently show up in those places to meet him and get to know him. The interactions eventually become something of a fling with Cassie under the impression that Forest and Annabelle are divorced.
This realization pushes the obsession further for Cassie to the point she is maxing out her credit cards and doing whatever she can to appear and be a carbon copy of Annabelle. She is determined to get Annabelle out of the picture and take her place as the future Mrs. Watts.
However, not all is as it seems in Just One Look. The reader is at the assumption that Cassie is becoming so unhinged as her history and reason for landing in the temp agency is revealed. One can only expect that Cassie eventually will snap. Cassie's obsession is almost uncomfortable as the reader watches her drop deeper into obsession and despair and desire to have what she cannot have. Of course the reader is going to anticipate that this would push Cassie to a dangerous reaction and end the book with a cliche crescendo where she snaps and kills Forest and Annabelle.
Surprisingly this does not happen as there is a twist thrown in that leaves both the reader and I imagine Cassie spinning. Perfect Forest and Annabelle are not as perfect as they seem and their determination to cover their flaws lead to destruction for all around them, including Cassie and her temp friend Dalton. What those flaws are well you just will need to take a peek, maybe Just One Look to see what is truly going on past that perfection.
All together Just One Look is an enjoyable read. Cassie's obsession is almost infuriatingly cliche and exhausting and the twist thrown in was placed without reason and explanation leaving the end to be unusual and unexplained. The actions of Forest come out of the blue and without any rhyme or reason that just left me feeling a bit annoyed by how it was placed. As a reader I would expect more explanation but this was not the case. As the book comes to it's conclusion and epilogue we find that Cassie has the potential to redeem herself but also that old habits do not die as really how bad could just one look be? Until next time, enjoy your reading!
Cassie Woodson is at a crossroads in her life. After her father dies, her relationship to someone at the law firm where she worked ended unexpectedly and she lost her job, all in one fell swoop. Now, after months of battling a deep depression and no job opportunities in sight, she is starting work through a temp agency at another law firm doing mundane data entry work. While sorting through emails for a class action lawsuit she chances upon a personal email between one of the lawyers at the firm and his wife. Cassie becomes obsessed with Forest Watts and his wife Annabelle and begins spending every available waking minute trying to find out everything she can about them, then trying to become Annabelle.
Sounds good, right? I wish. What I thought would amount to a Fatal Attraction/You/Single White Female kind of vibe ended up being heavy on the stalker part, but lacked the thriller part that would have made it so good. Also, it was just too unbelievable. For example - she described the room they were temping in as rooms with long rows of tables, no cubicles or desks or anything to give them any sort of privacy and they were all crammed into a room together. So, how exactly did she manage to pull out a pen and paper and transcribe entire personal emails and take out her phone and take pictures of the screens without anyone noticing what she was doing? Oh, and she talked about getting to work and noticing that she reeked of gin. Well, if she could smell it on herself, you know other people would have to be able to smell it also, so how did she not get fired or at least written up? There are many more examples, but those are just two off the top of my head. The best thing I can say about this book is that there was a twist at the very end, but really, at that point it was too little, too late. I say, steer clear of this one.
I was VERY excited about this book, and honestly it was a good read. I’m giving it 4 stars, mainly because I felt as if the book were very wordy. It was easy to read, I just felt as if it rambled still times (however, that can definitely be a character flaw that was done purposefully - I can see that).
Anyways, kept me interested by chapter 4 until the very last page. In fact I didn’t even know I was on the last page until I turned it! A perfect ending, some good plot twists, and a really good time! Would recommend.
This is a great thriller for fans of "You". It was well written and made me uncomfortable at times, but in the way that a good thriller can do. And while I figured out fairly early on where it was headed, it was still an enjoyable ride. The ending definitely felt a little rushed, so while the first three quarters were well drawn out, the ending took it down a star or two because it could have been revealed a little better, and with better pacing.
This felt like a book that didn't know what it wanted to be. The first 60% was a mentally unstable woman stalking a person who worked at the company she temped for. I wouldn't even say coworker because they had no in person contact at the office. It was really difficult to drum up any sympathy for Cassie. This made the book drag. Then at about 60%, the reader starts to learn more about what contributed to why Cassie is this way. She becomes sympathetic, but it feels too late. Was the author setting the reader up to feel guilty for judging Cassie earlier? I don't think so. Then at about 80% the book does a swift detour and becomes a mystery. Not necessarily something I would call a thriller or suspenseful. From there it quickly wraps up. I wish the insight into Cassie and the mystery would have started sooner. The concept is terrific but the execution left me feeling a bit flat.
This was a quick read for me; I started it about 9:00 AM and finished before 9:00 PM. The narrator/main character was a PSYCHOPATH and I loved every minute of being in her head. This gave me Mrs. Parrish vibes, and I loved that book as well.
This is one wild ride of a thriller- with a twist I wasn't expecting. Cassie has fallen far from her senior associate position at a law firm; she's working as a temp doing document review. It's mind numbing until she comes upon a personal email between Forrest, a partner and his wife Annabelle which strikes a chord with her slightly unhinged mind. She becomes obsessed with them, but mostly with Forrest to the point where she recreates herself in Annabelle's image and contrives a meeting with Forrest. Her colleague Dalton is her only friend but he's got issues of his own. You think you know where this is going (and it does for a long time) but you, like me, might miss some of the clues Cameron drops. Cassie is a terrific character who is really scary in her obsession. I read this in a gulp thanks to the pacing and the story telling. Thanks to Netgalley for the ArC. Fun fast read.
Eyes aren't the windows to the soul. Emails are.
But what happens when you can't keep your eyes off the emails?
Cassie, Cassie, Cassie.
Cassie has slipped and fallen down the corporate ladder. She was once a prominent lawyer but well, there was a little bit of an *incident* which went viral. Now she is working a temp job in order to pay her bills. It's a thankless job looking through email correspondence for a large fraud suit. It's boring, boring, boring until she begins to see personal emails between a partner at the firm, Forest Watts and his wife, Annabelle. She only meant to take one itsy bitsy little look. What harm could come of it? Only one look, that's it then she will get back to work!
Excuse me, here is your nose. I found it in my business.
But one look is all it took and now she is obsessed! She thinks she knows them. She takes steps to get close to them, to be noticed, to *gasp* dream to take Annabelle's place! She has purpose again! She can be happy again! Life is going to change for the better, wont it? She knows them (him) so well, doesn't she?
Cassie, Cassie, Cassie - sometimes it’s best to dream and not try to make your dreams a reality, because sometimes dreams becomes nightmares. Especially when Cassie appears to be falling apart. She drinks too much, she thinks too much, she is obsessed, delusional and then there is the incident that caused her to lose her job at her law firm.
This book started slowly for me and really ramped up around the 60% mark for me. The book is told through Cassie's POV, and readers will know right away that something isn't quite right with her thought processes. She thinks about the past while plotting to be Forest's future.
This was an entertaining read, that while I enjoyed it, I don't know if I will remember it in months to come. But I do think this would make a great airplane, sitting outside when you want to chill type of book.
3.5 Stars
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Twists and turns were just ok. This story was a bit different than your typical thriller in that it was told from the point of view of the crazy person. It was a slow moving book so I lost interest pretty quickly.
This was a solid read. I felt it had a really slow start and I struggled to keep my interest, but once it got going, I was all in.
I enjoyed the office setting and the legal jargon and overall had a fun time reading this book. I think this will be a hit come pub date.
This was a really good book, after taking off a little slow. I finished it, wanting to know what comes next.
Sure to be a hit, this is an engrossing suspense debut!
The author keeps you engaged with the main character, Cassie, and keeps you wondering what kind of batshit crazy shit she’ll pull next. I enjoyed the office setting and legal talk. Honestly, Cassie is clearly very intelligent, but then so many times, my eyes were bulging, I shook my head, cringed at her absurdity and obvious insanity. I was on edge whenever things were maybe about to get sticky. And then- then! She took us for a spin and turned things around to make me sympathize and wish for a great therapist and boom! Twist! So well done, loved it. Will be looking forward to reading more from this author. Thanks to Netgalley and Random House publishing for an ARC copy of the book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC.
5/5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
A thriller I immediately could not put down. Just One Look is like if Joe Goldberg had a sister who was a lawyer. The story centers around Cassie, a former lawyer turned temp after a mysterious fall from grace. When she comes across an email from a lawyer at her new firm, Forest Watts, to his beautiful wife, Annabelle, Cassie becomes infatuated with the couple. As her obsession escalates, Cassie decides she no longer wants to watch the couple from afar, she wants to take Annabelle’s place.
I could read a million books about stalkers and never tire of them. However, this one is definitely a standout and I absolutely loved it from page one. Cassie is a train wreck you just can’t look away from and, as she begins to spiral out of control, you both want her to get away with it and also to get caught (and then get help). On top of all the suspense with her attempting to insert herself into Forest’s life, you have the mystery of what happened to make her fall down the corporate ladder. Cameron excels at giving just enough hints and flashbacks to keep you flipping the pages because you just want to know what Cassie did.
Overall, Just One Look is an addictive, entertaining thriller perfect for fans of Caroline Kepnes!
ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Cassie Woodson recently lost her job at the law firm she was working for. Her termination became very well known when it hit social media and she has been struggling to find a job ever since. When the opportunity to take a temp job at another law firm becomes available, she takes it! She spends her days searching through emails for any incriminating information on a fraud suit which is extremely tedious and monotonous. Things start to liven up when she reads through an email sent by one of the partner’s wives. As Cassie reads through the email, she starts fantasizing about the life of Forest and Anabelle Watts. As more and more of Forest’s emails start coming through, she becomes extremely intrigued in finding out everything about this couple.
After tons of investigation work and going by their house, Cassie starts to realize that Annabelle and Forest may have split up. She decides that she wants to step in and take her place. She finds out EVERYTHING that Anabelle likes even down to the type of shampoo she uses. She completely transforms herself into Anabelle and strategically works her way into Forest’s life.
Throughout this book, you quickly realize that Cassie is quite disturbed, and you get a glimpse into how she became this way as the book reflects into her past life. The book starts out slow and builds up along the way, but it is hard to put down from the very beginning. It will make you think twice about what you put in your emails! Overall, I really enjoyed this psychological thriller and loved how it all ended. 3.5 stars.
I'm not normally a thriller reader, but one in a while a blurb draws me in and I pick one up. I was really interested by the description of this lowly temp getting a peek into the "perfect" lives of a perfect couple and basically going all Single White Female on them. Um, yes please.
I was surprised to read this in Cassie's POV. I actually asked a friend if it's normal in thrillers for them to be told from the POV of the "bad guy." (Apparently the answer is "yes"!) It's very creepy and disturbing to be inside Cassie's head and sort of slowly realize more and more just how very disturbed she is. *shiver*
Towards the end of the book the story takes a kind of weird turn while Cassie's, er, shall we say "investigative skills" are used in a different direction, that doesn't feel entirely fluid or natural. But it also takes us to a place so surprising and just great that I added back the star I was going to knock off for feeling sort of shoe-horned in there a bit, haha. I won't say more than that because I don't want to spoil anything!
I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend for fans of stalker stories and also if you're just starting to dip your toes into thrillers.
Nothing new to see here folks, move along...
Cassie was a successful lawyer until her spectacular, public crash and burn. Forced to take temp jobs she finds herself sifting through corporate emails for a fraud case. Mixed in with the emails are the private emails of one of the partners and after just one look Cassie can't look away. Obsessed is putting it mildly, she's certifiably cray-cray! So much so I really had a hard time being in her head as the whole story is written from her demented POV. For me she is beyond unlikeable. Oh, it does pick up a bit in the final third when her one friend dies, was it suicide or murder, (I'm sure you've guessed correctly) and by looking into it puts her life in danger. The suspense is short lived however and the ending left me feeling 'meh'
Although I can't give this one more than three stars myself, I'm sure those of you who like getting in the minds of very unstable characters will have fun and enjoy it.
"Just One Look" was a thrilling ride. I never knew what would happen next. This book had only a handful of main characters which I love because it's easy to keep up with each one. The main character becomes obsessed with what she sees as a perfect man. They work in the same building and the lengths she goes to in order to learn more about him was sickening. I found myself obsessing over the book as she obsessed over the man. Fun read!
After a fall from Grace at a prestigious law firm, Cassie is forced to take a boring temp job at a different firm. She becomes fascinated by an up and coming lawyer whose personal emails occasionally crop up in the emails she is paid to review. She begins to fantasize about he and his wife and begins stalking them. Scary thinking how much information people can glean just from reading your emails and stalking you on social media. Intriguing read that definitely kept me engaged. The characters never drew me in, except for Dalton’s mother, and perhaps, Ricky. I thought he was playing a role in the fantastic ending. Many many thanks to Lindsay Cameron, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this soon to be published book.
Cassie is a lawyer who did not do well in her last job and has now been dropped down to doing temporary work in order to pay the bills. She comes across letters from a senior partner and becomes obsessed with him, leading her to make more and more risky decisions. This is a good read for everyone who is into the YOU series by Caroline Kepenes.
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.
This book felt like a car accident that I couldn't look away from. It was disturbing yet addictive! Cassie Woodson is a disgraced, mentally ill, deeply disturbed young lady. The story is told from Cassie's obsessive point of view. She drinks to excess and has fallen from grace at her old law firm, now taking a lowly temp job to make ends meet. The job is mind numbingly boring, going through legal emails for meager pay.
Cassie makes friends with one of the other temps, Dalton. At the same time she creates a whole world in her mind as she becomes completely obsessed with one of the lawyers in the firm, Forest. She spies on him online and through his private emails with his wife, Annabelle, becoming so entranced with their life that she begins to think she is actually a part of their little family. So many times I thought," What a lunatic! Stop it, Cassie!" But I couldn't stop reading her bizarre obsession with Forest as it deepened.
The last 20% was intoxicating and disastrous but I can't give much away without spoilers. Cassie is troubled but she is also just a young, lonely girl. I still can't stop thinking about how things turned out in this wild, addictive read. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book, publishes July 27. 3.5 STARS