Member Reviews
This was a entertaining thriller - it definitely had some surprises at the end. Cassie was a hard character to like or root for. But the book is a good escape and an easy read. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.
Cassie’s life has taken a terrible turn. Once an aspiring partner at a law firm, she’s now relegated to a temp job in a dingy room that’s got to be depressing as hell. She doesn’t even have her own desk, but rather just a chair at table. She’s a nameless face in a sea of worker bees. She used to be a rising legal star, now she sifts through emails looks for ammo for a fraud case the firm she’s temping at is handling. It’s tedious and boring. Except for the fact that sometimes, she intercepts personal emails. And those can be juicy.
Cassie isn’t just down and out over work. She’s also suffered a mysterious breakup that the reader doesn’t know much about. Just that it basically shattered her hope for love in her life ever. So when she starts reading the emails of a partner who looks to have just about everything, including a wife that he adores, she starts obsessing a bit. First over how amazing his relationship with his wife is, and when that turns out to be less than completely true, how she can insert herself into his life.
It’s an age-old tale and it never ends well. Maybe this time will be the exception? Just One Look is a great tale of how longing for a better life and success can lead to jealously, obsession, and worse.
This is a well crafted story in the familiar genre of women who drink WAY too much because of some undisclosed, drama, trauma, embarrassment or other life changing event. But I liked this one, it had enough intrigue to keep it interesting and Cassie was just crazy enough to make it all believable. At least she seemed to be a “reliable narrator” in that her stalking fantasies were based in reality and not just a result of her late night drinking. I did not find the “life changing event” to be all that significant, I was expecting something really big. But by the end of the book I had a pretty good idea about what precipitated that event (no spoilers here!). I am always disappointed with how quickly the end comes after all the build up, in only a few pages we find out the truth - not sure how I would change that, but it just ended a little too abruptly. I did enjoy the last chapter and of course the Just One Look got tied back again. Overall a good book with interesting characters and well developed plot.
Poor Cassie tries to Single White Female her way into rich, handsome lawyer Forest's heart. She's running from her work past, not dealing with her family past, and headed straight into more disaster.
I thought this was a wild ride in the mind of an alcoholic sociopathic stalker who the reader can't help but root for, and I loved every minute. It is a super fast read with some interesting characters and a surprise twist at the end. I can't ask for more in a summer read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I loved that I became completely absorbed in the story, had no disappointments in the end, and finished in a day. It was a perfect weekend read.
This is the darkest procedural in stalking and extreme mental health challenges that I have read to date. Cassie, (this is her story) recognizes when someone from her past creeps into her mind uninvited. Suffering and acknowledging so many recent failures her solution, to dull the sharp edges, is either pills or alcohol. And then she is back to her manic behavior and thoughts. Hard to believe there is going to be a happy ending. She is a mess. She is the product of her actions and her suffering and it is so creepy and painful to watch her slide down the rabbit hole.
There is more to this story than a stalker and her prey but it was so hard for me to put aside the uncomfortable feeling I had each time I picked up this book by the time the plot opened up I really didn’t care. I don’t think there was one likable character anywhere. If you are looking for a unsettling, troubling psychological thriller this is it. I am rounding up because Cameron did an excellent job of creating the most extreme character.
Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a copy
4 stars
What do you do when your life goes to Sh#T...You do the only thing you can for work...You Temp. The admin hell , mind-numbing, slogging your way through all the emails of the higher-ups.
But then a miracle happens, emails between a husband and wife that reflect everything you wish you had...and an idea hatches...Maybe you can make their life yours.
Entertaining thriller. I was thrown off by the comparison to Joe series because I expected the MC to be like a serial killer leaving dead bunnies at your door type. Her POV is a bit boring to be honest but the second half of the book really picks it up.
Cassie reminded me of a female Joe. And if YOU read psychological thrillers, YOU know who I mean!
Oh my gosh! This book takes stalking to the nth degree! Cassie's first job as a lawyer at a prestigious law firm was derailed after the stress of family and relationships caused her to have a breakdown. But now she's temping as a document review lawyer and is determined to keep her head down so her high profile gaffe isn't discovered. But a glitch in the data review leads her to a backdoor into the life of one of the elite lawyers at the firm. And now everything is about to get crazy.
Maybe a little garden variety "checking out their house and lifestyle" is tolerable, but when Cassie spends money she doesn't have to acquire objects that Forest and his wife Annabelle own/drink/wear I actually cringed at the thought of what would happen when her charge card came due. Now Cassie dresses like, smells like and poses like Annabelle and is figuratively patting herself on the back. But she has no idea what is about to go down!
I'm pretty sure I was holding my breath through the last third of the book, and the ending will leave you gasping! And running to change your passwords!
I love a good unreliable narrator, and you won't find one more unreliable than Cassie Woodson. After leaving her job as a lawyer in disgrace (a restraining order is mentioned) and landing a miserable gig as a temp, Cassie becomes obsessed with a couple she stalks by going through their personal emails. Cassie is someone who is driven but often to the wrong things. She drinks a lot and doesn't seem to have a whole lot of self-awareness. So, it becomes a wild ride for the reader as they follow Cassie through the depths of her obsession.
There were a lot of great twists and turns and certain details are given out at exactly the right moments to make this feel like a true page-turner. I'm eager to read more of Cameron's work in the future - her background as a lawyer makes her writing the perfect blend of facts and suspenseful fiction. I can't wait to read her next book and would recommend this to anyone who wants to feel a little better about their own sanity!
The book sucked me in from the very first page. I really enjoyed not knowing how reliable the narrator was. she was also crazy and I loved it. anyone looking for a fun beach thriller, should check this one out!
As I read this book, all I could think was - this gal is seriously CRAZY! And yet I felt sorry for her. She seems to have 'earned' her craziness by being repeatedly rejected through her life. Still - she definitely went overboard!
It seemed to take quite awhile to get to anything other than Cassie's craziness and the book dragged a bit because of that. I was wondering where this was all going to end when suddenly the 'action' started. I'd had my suspicions, but the ending developments with Forest were still surprising.
As for the final ending - nope, not surprising at all. Still crazy.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
In this psychological suspense novel, our POV character Cassie starts a job as a temp attorney on an e-discovery project after a fall from grace from her previous high-powered job as an attorney at a prestigious firm. During the document review, she stumbles upon the emails of a partner at the firm and becomes increasingly obsessed with him. This is not quite a typical unreliable narrator book as it is obvious from the outset that Cassie is quite mentally unstable and not revealing everything about her past, but it is definitely an interesting experience to read a first person narration of an increasingly unhinged stalker. But I couldn’t put it down and tore through it in about 24 hours!
As a recovering attorney myself (and one who supervised a few big e-discovery projects), though, I can’t help but nitpick - there is literally no way that emails internal to the law firm would have been a part of such a document review, let alone recent ones, for multiple reasons that I could bore you with. I know that’s a quibble, but given that the whole plot is set in motion by it, it kinda matters and really bugged me. But if you are not a lawyer, I’m sure you will not care in the slightest and will just enjoy the suspenseful and quick-paced story. It does make me knock the book down to 3.75 stars though even though I enjoyed it.
I'm in the minority here, but I'm sorry to say I didn't love this book. For a thriller/suspense novel, it starts off too slowly. I wish we got through the early doc review drudgery quicker and that the author wasn't such a tease about what precipitated Cassie's fall down the corporate ladder. Also, certain conversations (e.g. between Cassie and Dalton) seemed unnecessarily drawn out, to the point of not being genuine.
Perhaps because of the way the story begins, I had a difficult time connecting with Cassie as our main character. I didn't buy into her obsession with Forrest, which is necessary to buy into the story at large.
However, there are many positives to this novel. Having worked in Big Law, I can attest to the accuracy of how a big law firm works. Also, the overall plot, once you get past the beginning, is nicely crafted. Even more importantly, the ending is satisfying. Others will connect with Cassie better than I did and I feel certain this novel will do well.
Eerie and creepy and immersive. This is the perfect thriller to bring with you when you lounge by the pool or the beach!
“Just One Look” is an intensely dark story! Creepy! Makes you second guess things in your own life! You realize it at be best if you keep your nose out of everyone’s business! Lindsay Cameron deliver a fast paced story to us that feels ,like a runaway train!. I found myself looking over my shoulder,
I loved, loved. Loved it: I listed it as one of the Best Reads this Summer:
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a Fair and Honest Review,
Cassie’s decisions were so cringeworthy. At times it seemed incomprehensible that someone would actually behave like that, but I guess there are actual crazy stalkers in the world. There was excessive drug and alcohol abuse that definitely didn’t seem plausible, but the reader gets the point nonetheless. I did like how it all came together towards the end. It was a compulsive read, one that I didn’t want to put down while I was reading (and cringing), but one I wasn’t too concerned about going back to when I wasn’t reading. I give this one a solid three stars and would make a good beach or vacation read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy!
Just One Look was compelling, intriguing, absolutely unputdownable! The obsessive stalkerish personality reminded me so much of Joe Goldberg in You and I was THRILLED to be reading something similar! I devoured this book in two days and hated having to put it down to deal with real life, I loved it!
The story, plot, characters, personality, and writing were just perfect. It truly does make you more wary about what you put in writing. I could almost feel the adrenaline and trepidation that Cassie was feeling, and I found myself racing through the words trying to see what was going to happen next. The unexpected twists truly threw me and made me shake my head in wonderment and surprise. So clever and talented!
Think twice before putting things in writing… You never know who can get their eyes on what you think is private, and what can be done with that info…
Wow - what a great psychological thriller ! The story of Cassie and Forest has so many twists ! The ending will definitely make you think. How much information about you is available on the internet that anyone can find -and how many ways can they use it against you? Definitely worth reading. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review..
"...I almost missed it, but just as Forest was lowering his hand back into his pocket my eyes fixed on the fourth finger of his left hand.
The tectonic plates in my life shifted underneath me. Forest Watts wasn't wearing a wedding ring."
The above realization is when things really get frantic in the already crazy stalker psychological thriller Just One Look by Lindsay Cameron. Seriously, I felt like I was holding my breath the hold time I was reading this debut suspense novel.
Cassie is very book smart. Before she is 30 years old she has her own office in a very prestigious NY law firm. But something bad happened and she was fired and escorted out of the building by the police. Now she works as a legal temp in a law firm scouring emails as part of a big fraud lawsuit. Cassie is at her lowest point. What little self esteem she had is gone. She drinks too much. Has insomnia. She blames herself for being abandoned by her mother as an infant. She has no one.
Then she meets Forest. Well sort of meets him. There is a glitch in the emails and his personal emails start showing up on her computer. She is struck with awe at the love between him and his wife. They give her so much hope that she becomes obsessed with them including traveling to get a peek into their home. When there is trouble in the marriage Cassie knows Forest needs her even though they never met.
This story is told from Cassie's point of view and it's clear the poor girl is mentally ill. But how she stalks and maneuvers into Forest's life is actually quite impressive. Then this story takes a turn I DID NOT see coming even a little bit. I was gob smacked at where this creative writer took me. Cassie was a bit exhausting at times but I was never bored with her even though we never actually met.
I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via #Netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
This was an unexpected story that will have thinking about just what you write in your emails. The story begins with Cassie and her new job after her fall from her prior up and coming law position. Her new temp job has her reading documentation for a court case but in her inbox are emails from a highly influential upstairs lawyer, Forest Watts.
This is a journey for Cassie life that reveals her past and her hopes for the future. Can Cassie build a relationship with someone based on the info she has learned from emails read?
Thank you Netgalley for complimentary copy.