Thank you @netgalley for this ebook in exchange for a review.
This book follows Alex who gets a job as an advice columnist after the last one was murdered. Alex herself is hiding things about her own past as well.

To be honest this was just okay for me. I predicted the twists easily. While I did not dislike it, I just was not impressed with anything in this book. The premise sounded like something I would love.

Not the best thriller I’ve read. If I am reading within the thriller category I want a book to grab my attention from the get go. For the length the book is, it took me quite awhile to get through it, which is very unlike my usual reading habits. This book was very, very slow until about 75% in and then for about 15-20% exciting and page turning, finally with a meh ending. Character development was lacking and I found myself really frustrated with the main character. I liked the premise of this book (and the cover is pretty cool!) but it really fell flat for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

If you love Only Murders in the Building, you’re going to like this. It’s got that classic NYC charm built from a cast of unlikely friends, regal old buildings, a diner everyone frequents, and of course, murder.
I loved the set-up for this book. As a kid, I read my mom’s Real Simple every month, and then told her what seemed actually worthwhile to read. They had 2 advice columns, one for etiquette & social situations and one for cleaning tips. And as a nosy busybody, I loved the etiquette column. If 10-year-old me had access to an actual advice column like Francis Keen’s, I would’ve been just as obsessed as Alex.
I also loved that Alex got the job after Francis’s death. The first few chapters of this book were equally terrifying and so exciting as we followed Alex on her first few days at an actual newspaper, diving into the thousands of letters written to Francis. The intensity of the plot kept the pacing at a steady and quick pace for me. I was dying to know what was really going on, but also wanted to spend every second I could at the newspaper offices and at the diner.
Maxwell nailed the ambiance and mood of a NYC murder mystery. There were moments of grit with dark alleys and haunted staircases. There was a sense of community with the diner patrons and other commuters heading home with Alex. There were jumpscares and slow, drawn-out moments of panic. There were bits of fun and moments of absolutely melodramatic ridiculousness.
And unfortunately, the melodrama was my downfall. It had gotten to a point where I had suspended all my belief, and the plot was still getting more ridiculous. Instead of tearing through the pages, I had to take a moment to pause, sigh, and go back in. I really liked the way Maxwell was combining the two timelines together for a big final twist, but it felt extremely unoriginal compared to the lead-up of the entire book.
Overall, this was an extremely fun read that skewed on the ridiculous side. There was a darker tone throughout that I wish had been explored more, but I enjoyed the book as is. This is more of a murder mystery than a true thriller, but it’ll still have you on the edge of your seat!
Thanks to Netgalley and Atria for the free advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!

This quick whodunit thriller was one that I finished in a day! While it was an easy read, it was a bit predictable. There was something comforting about this predicability, as I felt confident knowing what is going to happen before the characters did. I liked how the main character was mysterious, and the readers were slowly given information about her past. What I did not care for was how the two separate storylines (Alex's past the death of Francis Keen) did not come together well at the end. The disconnect left for a jarring read where it felt like there were two different stories being told.


Thank you to Atria Books for a gifted copy of this book!

This was better than I assumed it would be. The first couple chapters wasn't great but it picks up and I loved it.

An advice columnist is murdered and her replacement searches for the truth about what happened but there are some people that need the answers to stay hidden.

𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲:
This was a fun book! If you are looking for a lighter, twisty, entertaining thriller this is a good one to grab. The setup of the book was interesting and Maxwell does a great job of creating a tense, atmospheric setting. I enjoyed the main character Alex as she tries to play amateur detective and dig into the newspaper’s juicy secrets. The twists were a little too obvious but did not take away from the enjoyment!

I Need You to Read This by Jessa Maxwell, skews much darker than her previous novel The Golden Spoon, and for that I was very glad! While The Golden Spoon was more of a cozy mystery, Maxwell's newest is much more of a conventional thriller. Alex has just moved to New York City for a fresh start and after the death of her childhood hero, advice columnist Francis Keen, Alex gets the job any copywriter would dream of! The job isn't as glamorous as it might seem and Alex soon starts receiving strange and threatening letters. With the help of the Janice, a diner waitress and Raymond, a retired detective, Alex looks to get to the bottom of the letters and find out what really happened to Francis and also find out what her boss's involvement is. The characters were great and though the beginning was a bit slow but the action and suspense both built for a fantastic finish!

I was so excited to receive this book as an ARC because I really enjoyed Jessa Maxwell's last book "The Golden Spoon." The plot of this book was really interesting. Alex Marks has the opportunity of a lifetime to take over as the advice columnist in The Herald at world renowned newspaper in NYC. The previous, beloved columnist was murdered and the killer was still on the loose. I found that the book moved really slowly with a lot of side plots that didn't seem necessary. The action and meat of the story didn't happen until about 85% into the book. I found that it was just really slow and drawn out. This fell flat for me, which makes me sad, because I was super excited about it. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this eARC.

Sadly this one wasn't for me!

I think this is a case of me just not connecting with the author--with both Golden Spoon and this one, the premise sounded amazing, but the books themselves quickly turned into something else.

Still very grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

4.5/5!

Last year I adored Maxwell’s debut release, The Golden Spoon, and I knew I wanted to read whatever she released next. I was even more impressed with Maxwell’s sophomore book!

First off, I loved our main character, Alex! She clearly has some history she’s running from and secrets that are going to come out as we read more. In addition to Alex, there are some fun secondary characters and I was very happy that Maxwell chose to expand their roles as the book progressed. They were each so individual and really added dimension to the story.

If the character cast isn’t enough to sway you, then what about the newspaper office element? I love an office setting, but the fact that this was about an advice column opened up the option for Maxwell to include snippets of letters. These were a great addition and added to the mystery of the novel. Who is this mysterious Lost Girl we keep getting letters included from throughout the story? Loved it!

I did guess one of the main twists, but honestly that didn’t stop me from loving the book at all.

Highly recommend!

As I’m starting this review, I’m currently on chapter 37 and I have about 45 minutes left of the book. So far, I’m not suspicious of anyone, Alex (the MC) has only received 2 letters that are threatening to expose her darkest secrets and she’s still very new to her job as “Dear Constance”. There have been many times so far while reading that I’ve thought about DNFing, as I’m lacking the motivation to find out what happens at the end - this is due both to the storyline and me being a mood reader. I did finish the book, however, the lead up to the ending was not what I was expecting. The whole storyline is surrounding Francis Keen’s death and Alex trying their best to figure out “whodunit” but the last 3-6 chapters felt very rushed to explain why Alex is hiding from their past in New York and we barely get an explanation as to why Francis was murdered (it’s pretty obvious, but I personally could’ve used just a bit more onto that conversation.)

3.5 stars rounded up. This was a mostly fun, quick mystery that takes place in the newspaper industry. It won't go down as one of my all-time favorites, but it was an entertaining enough read with likable (if bland) characters and enough twists to keep me guessing.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

This was less of a thriller, more of a cozy mystery with a very heavy ending. Alex Marks takes over the advice column from the beloved columnist after her death. Alex suspects there is more than meets the eye and starts to investigate the columnist murders. There is a lot that alludes to Alex's past and that she is hiding some secrets. Other than two new friends, Alex is very much a loner, but this new job helps her start to open up. The issue? She's not sure if she can trust certain coworkers, who may have had it out for their columnist.

I found the build up to the mystery very slow. It took a long time to get to the meat of the story. While I found the final twists exciting, it felt disjointed with the rest of the book. Overall just an OK read for me.

I enjoyed the premise of this book—the advice column, newspaper setting, coworker murder mystery.

Two of the characters felt very two-dimensional and did not add much to the plot/could’ve been written out in my opinion.

The build up to the big twist 75% in was a little dragged out but I did overall love how the story tied together!

I’d definitely read another from this author!

Overview: When Alex Marks is hired to become the next “Dear Constance” advice columnist at the Herald, she can’t help but feel unease in her new environment as the only reason she has her dream job is because her predecessor was murdered 8 months ago. It doesn’t help that all of her coworkers seem slightly on edge and things go from bad to worse once she
starts receiving threatening letters from someone who knows about her past…

Thoughts: I enjoyed this one! It took me a while to get into the story, as the first part felt a bit stilted to me, but the story started to flow much better once Alex starts her job at the Herald. There were enough interesting supporting characters, although some, like Raymond, were portrayed a bit too stereotypically. The Dear Constance letters interspersed throughout were effective in driving the secondary timeline. As someone who typically reads romance novels, I liked that all the storylines were tied up nicely by the end.

Take home message: This is a solid cozy psychological thriller/mystery with remarkably short chapters about a woman trying to create a new future for herself. Lots of twists and turns that do eventually lead answers and resolution. Trigger warnings include emotional and physical domestic abuse.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

2.75

I found Jessa Maxwells first novel, The Golden Spoon, to be an enjoyable, cozy mystery so I was looking forward to her second book. Unfortunately, I found the story rather lackluster and I really didn't care about any of the characters.

About two thirds of the way through this book, I smugly believed I had the ending all figured out. I was wrong. So very, very wrong. This book was such a fun read, with twisty surprises and interesting characters.

The book holds two timelines, one in the present and one in the past. The past timeline is told through letters to an advice columnist. As a reader, I found this dual timeline formal really engaging, and I found myself really drawn in with the letters.

After the unsolved murder of the previous columnist, Alex find herself as the new writer of the Dear Constance column, a very popular and longstanding advice column. Soon after she begins, she starts to receive threatening letters.

I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys creepy, atmospheric mysteries!

Who doesn't love it when a book starts with the murder?
We open on Francis Keen's cozy beach home, secluded of course. The wind is gusting and we can hear every bump in the night.
The beginning is the end of the world's most beloved advice columnist as she meets her untimely death in the form of a freshly sharpened knife.

The next person to write the column is Alex Marks, much to the world's - and her - surprise. Alex has been living a very small life for the past several years. The reader automatically knows something is wrong, from the way Alex constantly checks her locks and is skittish, to put it mildly, around men. This makes us a bit more forgiving, perhaps, of Alex's insecurities. She applies to take over the advice column and is plagued by doubt every step of the way; the call to interview, interview, hire, her first day.

It is very obvious from day one that Alex is running from something nefarious. Obvious is, unfortunately, the name of the game for the rest of the book. Alex is barely on the job 2 weeks and is suddenly discovering a ton of evidence regarding her predecessor's murder that police hadn't found in 8 months. The motives of the other characters are also not subtle and the pace of the puzzle pieces clicking together are just not realistic. And speaking of not realistic, the retired detective that Alex has befriended gives pretty much the worst advice I have ever read.

I was excited to get into the world of newspapers and advice columns and ink on the fingertips, but this one just didn't come together for me.
2.5 rounding up.
Thank you Netgalley for the preview!

The beginning of this book was very slow, almost to the point of my questioning whether or not to finish it. I pushed myself to keep going as I received this as an arc and don’t want to misplace that.

But at the end the plot twists saved it and moved it up to a three star. I feel the beginning of the story just very drawn out over a small number of subjects and that’s what I believe lead to wanting to stop reading.

The cover is incredible and I did like and acclimate to the characters in the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC. This was a quick read - 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. The premise sounded great - woman takes over job of recently murdered advice columnist and ends up in her own dangerous situations - but the pacing just felt a bit off. I still enjoyed and would recommend but on the whole it was more of a slow burn than you’d expect for how short the book was, and then once the action really gets going some seems really far fetched and out of character. Some fun characters and I am glad I read, but I don’t see this as a book that will give me a reading hangover.