This book had a strong opener, and a very good concept. However, it all felt too convenient and odd overall. Our girl goes into a spiral based on one little note found in someone else's desk because a former detective friend told her it was intense and evidence?

There was one character that took me by surprise, which is pretty much all that kept me going.

Not the strongest book I've read.

I loved The Golden Spoon, so when I saw Jessa Maxwell was coming out with another book, I just had to read it. Definitely a different take from her previous cozy mystery. I really liked the pacing and how twisty the story turned out. Jessa Maxwell is auto buy author for me. Thank you Jessa Maxwell, NetGalley and Atria Books for this digital copy.

This book is best gone into knowing almost nothing about the plot, in my opinion. All you need to know is that it’s about a woman who takes on the job as an advice columnist after the predecessor has been murdered, and winds up desperately trying to solve it before she winds up with the same fate. Everything else? Unnecessary, you’ll find out as you read.

I found this book to be fairly fast-paced, and once I began reading it I couldn’t put it down until everything was solved. I really liked how many red herrings were present during the events in this novel, as we (the reader) are running as blind as Alex is while she tries to stay alive, keep her job, AND solve the murder. This book has a lot of moving parts, some more related than others, but in the end everything comes together in a coherent manner and we end the book with absolutely no loose ends that still need to be tied up.

One thing I really liked was that, as the main events of the story are taking place, we get bits and pieces of some mysterious person writing into the “Dear Constance” advice column to try to work through her own problems. Not to spoil anything, but I found this to be a clever way to kind of give us a “flashback” scenario to before the events of the novel, without actually just giving us flashbacks. Instead, we follow this mysterious writer as the events within their life unfold and we can slowly connect the dots into how it will eventually end - and how this will affect what is currently happening. There were also quite a bit of hints thrown into the novel to give us an idea into what will unfold, but not so obvious that you could clearly see the ending coming. In fact, there was one such thing that I only realized literally a few pages before the actual reveal happened - but in hindsight, it made so much sense.

All in all I suggest this book if you like a combination of mystery and thriller, and are looking for a quick and twisty read that will absolutely take you on an adventure. I really enjoyed this book, and found it to be a fairly quick read that provided just the level of stakes and twists and turns I was looking for when I opened it.

I would caution a trigger warning for abuse from a romantic partner, as that is a big plot point within this book and it goes into fairly explicit detail during the events of the novel.

A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Atria Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was one of the people who loved THE GOLDEN SPOON but I totally understand why people didn't. That book was exactly what I wanted and expected it to be - basically a cozy mystery taking place at GBBO. I wasn't expecting high-stakes thrills. Because of that, I went into I NEED YOU TO READ THIS with the same expectation. I think, for that reason, I enjoyed this more than others (though not as much as her adult debut). Her mysteries are not fully cozy but they're not fast-paced thrillers either.

I think this one took a while to get grooving - the main character was going through a lot but it wasn't necessarily a thriller. Yes, she wanted to figure out what happened to the previous Dear Constance but there weren't scary moments necessarily. I got halfway through the book and didn't feel like anything happened.

I thought some of the "twists" were incredibly obvious while others would have been, in my opinion, impossible to figure out (and not in a good way). I always hear people talk about "fair play mysteries" where you as the reader have all the information you need to solve the crime or mystery within the pages. No random boogeyman can come out and be the culprit. While I *do* think this technically counts as a fair play mystery, one of the elements came out of nowhere and it didn't feel fair in a way. I won't spoil it.

The ending or whodunnit wasn’t my favorite for those reasons but I did like the actual end of the story. Again, no spoilers, but it was hopeful and nice (for a MC that deserved that). Overall I was still drawn to Maxwell''s writing style and the premise; I enjoyed following along but really don't see this as a thriller until the final few chapters.

Loved this book! Loved the climax and character building. I love a good mystery and this definitely filled my void! I needed a good read and that’s exactly what this gave me!

Quick thriller, perfect for this time of year when you are moving in 10 different directions. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Alex is a copywriter who works from her NYC apartment. When her former hero and advice columnist, Francis/Dear Constance is murdered, she applies for her job on a whim. It isn't long before she starts receiving death threats as well. Will she uncover the identity of Francis' killer or become their next victim?

A quick and easy read. Was it edge-of-my seat suspenseful? Absolutely not. It was more of a melodramatic slow burn; a Hallmark murder mystery, if you will. I can't say that it met my expectations, but it was still good. Nevertheless, the cover is better than the plot.

Content warning: Domestic violence.

Ooo this was a fun one.

A copywriter-turned-advice-columnist takes on more than she bargained for. Turns out the job opening only became available because the much-beloved predecessor was brutally murdered.

Lesson: Apply for those dream jobs, regardless of the circumstances.

I’d love to give advice to strangers – the job was responding to one letter a week. A WEEK? Can you imagine how wonderful that lack of word count would feel like?

Like any good mystery, everyone becomes a suspect, even the protagonist who, of course, has secrets of her own. I finished this in a day and thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.

I enjoyed reading this book, and was pleasantly surprised about how interesting it was. The story revolves around a writer of an advice columnist at a newspaper in New York City. As the main character Alex starts her job as the new advice writer, she fears she may be in danger. Since the previous advice writer was recently murdered, perhaps she’s right. Between the advice column snippets, the amateur detectives, and the office drama, this is a fun book that you won’t want to put down.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.

This mystery thriller was a quick read for me, with short chapters that I just flew through. The suspenseful and creepy vibes built throughout, leaving me wondering what the heck was going on and as a result I had a tough time putting it down! I liked the characters, the advice column/letter writing aspect, and that it took place in NYC (I lived there for many years so I recognize all of the references). While part of the ending was predictable, I was still very surprised by the final reveal overall and had a lot of fun reading it! This was my first book by this author and I definitely plan to read this author’s other book in the future. Thank you to NetGalley for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So sad I didn’t enjoy this more! It was boring and predictable. I loved her first novel so I was really looking for more from her but this one fell flat.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book had great thriller vibes. My opinion of this book is actually pretty similar to Jessa Maxwell's debut, The Golden Spoon, which is that I feel like the bulk of the book is great, but it just doesn't stick the landing for me.

I was immediately drawn into the story, and I especially loved the letters to Constance from an unknown writer. I wrestled the whole time trying to figure out whether I thought Alex or Lucy was the unknown writer, which was great! The fact that I really liked the book made it more disappointing that I didn't feel like the ending was great.

I'll still recommend this title to my friends that really enjoy mystery/thrillers, but probably not to a general reading audience.

There is a lot going on with the main character, Alex. This is more of a mystery versus a thriller. There is a lot going on in Alex’s past but it is such a weird mesh with her trying to solve a crime herself. I did not see much of the connection. I almost wished it focused more on one thing rather than going on tangents and this way we would get more details about that specific conflict. The ending is great and there is a build up, but overall it just kind of was like ehh.

I was really excited to read it after having read The Golden Spoon. I really loved that one, so I was happy to read something else my Jessa.

I felt like this one was a little slower than the previous book by her...they are different books after all, but just in case you wanted to compare. This one is a bit slower. Otherwise, the writing style feels similar.

It definitely seemed like a balance of cozy mystery and thriller. Not really completely either one. That can be nice if you're looking for a palate cleanser after an intense thriller. I felt like it was a little predictable. The end didn't surprise me, but it was an enjoyable read getting to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read I Need You to Read This.

Thanks to Jessa Maxwell, the publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

As someone with ADHD, I really appreciated how short and concise the chapters were. Kept me engaged while still very much interested in the story. Thrillers are what got me into reading in the first place, and this delivered the twists, turns, and moments that had me gasping.

My rating for this book is 3.5 but since GoodReads doesn't give half stars I have rounded up to 4.

The premise of the book is interesting. It starts by telling you two things, that Alex is running from her past and second that Francis, the writer for the column Dear Constance, gets murdered.

The narrative is from Alex's point of view with anonymous letters interspersed between chapters to Dear Constance by the lost girl. I don't think it was much of a revelation of who the Lost Girl is, but it was a nice way to learn more about that character.

My favourite characters were Janice and Raymond. I would like a book based on them to be honest.

Overall the whole story felt lukewarm to me. I didn't love it but it is worth a read.

Thank you Netgalley for this Arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.

Twisty, short chapters, easy thriller. I really enjoyed this one by Jessa Maxwell.

Alex Marks's life in NYC is routine if not dull. She is a copywriter for a pharmaceutical company, visits the same diner everyday, and lives in her cramped apartment like she feels like she deserves. But how did she get this life of staying out of the spotlight? After suddenly landing her dream job after a beloved advice columnist is brutally murdered, Alex's life becomes full of mystery and her past is out to haunt her.

I Need You to Read This is a twisty thriller that will surprise you with turns in every chapter. The chapters are short, the read is quick, and it will satisfy that need for a quick weekend thriller.

The characters are what really makes this book stand out. Alex is broken, relatable, and you really want things to work out for her. She meets so many characters in this story, and each character is magnetic and you immediately want to know more about them. Maxwell does an excellent job of allowing the reader to form a relationship with each character through Alex, which felt so genuine. Alex has moments with each of these characters that reveal so much about them which adds to the richness of the story and the mystery. You will begin to wonder who you can and cannot trust. 

This would be a great story for someone who is looking for a quick thriller to read, especially if life is a bit chaotic. The plot was easy to follow and the writing wasn't complicated. This would even be great for an older YA reader who is looking for a mystery that will keep them engaged.

I Need You to Read This follows Alex, a young woman living in New York. She’s living a quiet life when she decides to apply for an advice column position after her idol was murdered and vacated the position. With no suspect to the murder, Alex starts poking around the office trying to see what’s become of her predecessor and ends up putting herself in danger.
This was so well written! I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded and how easy it was to follow. The advice column also added an interesting plot as well. The author did a great job shedding light on a difficult subject and made it easy to connect with the main character.

Alex lives in New York and besides being a regular at a dinner, she is a loner and sticks to a strict routine. When her childhood hero, Francis (an advice columnist) is murdered and her position becomes available, Alex applies on a whim and gets the job. With it comes strange letters, which makes her find Francis’s murder. This book is a good read with the author unraveling more and more as you go. There are letters mixed in which allows us to learn more about Alex. Great twist at the end, with another twist on top.