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.

After her childhood hero and writer of an advice column is murdered, Alex, decides to apply for the position on a whim. She's shocked when she gets hired. This book has many layers and you must keep reading to get to the bottom of the mysteries. I enjoyed this.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of I Need You to Read This by Jessa Maxwell published August 13, 2024.
Alex Marks went to New York for a fresh start. When her hero, Francis Keen, is murdered, Alex applies for her job – an advice columnist – and surprisingly, get the job. Francis’s murder was never found – Alex suspects everyone – even her boss. Is she herself in trouble by investigating? Can she trust anyone?
I loved this book and read it in one day. It was engaging enough to keep me interested. I thought I guessed a couple times who the murderer was, but there were so many suspects who could have done it. Of course, there is always the person hiding as someone else to keep you on your toes.
This was my first Jessa Maxwell book, and it was a good one – highly recommended!
#NetGalley #JessaMaxwell #AtriaBooks #INeedYouToReadThis

Almost out of the blue, Alex Marks is hired by The Herald, a NYC newspaper, to write a weekly advice column. She’ll be replacing the former columnist whose unsolved murder occurred eight months ago. Not only is this Alex’s dream job, her predecessor was her idol, and her advice carried Alex through some dark times. Now, amid self-doubts about her ability to carry on with the column, Alex is also concerned about the threatening letters she is receiving.

As the story unfolds it’s obvious that Alex is frightened about things that happened to her before she moved to New York seven years ago. She’s struggled to move forward and the new job seems like a good start.

I enjoyed I Need You to Read This for awhile, but the story moved along at a somewhat erratic and slow pace, and there was some redundancy in the narrative. Alex sometimes acts clueless and she makes some questionable decisions and assumptions. There are some mis-directions that made the story more interesting, but there were also some things that didn’t quite seem plausible and were rather random.

This book wasn't particularly creepy or suspenseful, although that’s what I expected to find. I enjoyed Ms Maxwell’s first book and I had high hopes for this one, but I must say that, overall, I was disappointed. It’s a decent read, but I wish I had enjoyed it more. NetGalley provided an advance copy.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. i loved this so much, i read it in one day over a few sittings. i thought the things put in to throw us off were fantastic (did the boyfriend do it? did either of the coffee shop friend?) i was guessing til the end that it would be the wife, and the way the confession happened was a great pay off. i would definitely read another by jessa maxwell.

3 Stars! I definitely was entertained throughout the book. The FMC's nativity irked me throughout however. I also felt like some scenes and themes were very repetitive. I absolutely love the cover though!

#INeedYouToReadThis:

Thank you @atriathrillers @simon.audio #AtriaPartner for my gifted copy!

“Sometimes it is easy to mistake hope for fear.”

I Need You to Read This, also known as “narcissist are trash and belong in the garbage” was a short and quick popcorn thriller. I was entertained. Every twist I guessed, but it didn’t ruin the vibe. This is a solid thriller for all to enjoy.

Our girl Alex finds out her beloved advice columnist “Dear Constance” had been given the axe.. in life, not just the paper. They’re opening up the column for others and she said “why not” and takes a chance. She’s hiding something, but she’s not the only one!

If there’s one thing I love it’s a merry mix of old and young forming an alliance to get into some mischief. I do like that she didn’t go too dark or deep on the thrill parts. Some of the flashbacks were kind of graphic, and I like it was a bit light regardless.

Audio was wonderful! You’re in for a treat since Carlotta Brentan is the reader! I truly think they make books THAT much better.

Definitely a solid, quick read. Also, for any newbie thriller friends, send them this book.

TW: graphic depiction of attempted suicide.

QOTD: Tell me something good that happened this week!

Thank you netgalley and publisher for the chance to read this book for free for my honest opinion.

I was totally invested in this book, couldn’t put it down and then the lady three chapters absolutely ruined this book for me. It literally just 100% fell flat for me.

Alex Marks applies for a “Dear Constance” column after the previous writer gets murdered. Alex is very suspicious of some people in the office and she tries to discover what happened to Francis but doesn’t realize how close to the truth she really is.

Okay book.. decent read but also overly hyped up book in my opinion.

I really enjoyed this book. It had me on the edge of my seat and not because it was gory or bloody, but because everyone was a suspect. The premise was very different than a lot of other books I read and I liked the main character.

I NEED YOU TO READ THIS by Jessa Maxwell (The Golden Spoon) is a mystery that revolves around the death of the advice columnist who wrote Dear Constance. Her replacement, Alex Marks, is a main character and it is through her eyes that we learn about a sometimes drunk and overbearing boss, the threats which start to appear, and the abuse that she herself suffered as a young woman. Alex loves her new job and seeks to emulate the original advice columnist, a woman who consoled and inspired her. However, the text is fairly dark and as The Washington Post says "super creepy." Go for it if you like that tone; otherwise, there are plenty of other mysteries from which to choose.

After a beloved advice columnist is murdered, a young woman who idolized her decided to open for her newly posted vacant position. In a seemingly, dream-come-true moment, she gets the job! Despite the fact that it has almost been a year since the death of the columnist, Alex finds her office, her unopened mail, and desk frozen in time. What she never expected was potential clues and threatening letters that she finds putting herself in danger. Relying on her only two friends in the city, a retired cop, a diner cook, and her new personal assistant, Alex attempts to solve the murder of her idol.

This mystery thriller includes flashbacks, correspondence to the advice columnist, and Alex's POV to keep the story engaging and propulsive. Alex's secluded office in the abandoned part of the historical NYC building added plenty of eerie/jump scare moments, and I really enjoyed trying to sort out how Alex and the columnist were interconnected. Short chapters and plenty of twists and slowly building tension made this book an easy binge worthy mystery with thrills. Jessa Maxwell can absolutely capture and hold my attention!

What a fun read!! This was a super fast paced book! If you like Only Murders in the Building (the trio dynamic) and a twisty murder investigation…this is it. I pretty much consumed this book in one sitting (unless you count my cancelled-after-7-minutes-meeting a meeting, then two sittings). I really couldn’t put it down. You didn’t know who was involved with what. I was sus of everyone at some point.

CW: domestic violence


Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing me with an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own :)

Maxwell is making a name for herself with her own genre of traditional whodunit. An advice columnist was murdered and her successor tries to piece together what happened or end up following in her footsteps, That is the basic premise, but Maxwell does a masterful job of plot and characterization and unveiling the twists. A fun read for all mystery lovers, especially those who loved the golden spoon or similar ones!

Thanks to the publisher for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book kept me turning pages and I did NOT see the twist at the end coming- at all! I enjoyed her last book too, and Jessa Maxwell has now become an auto-read author for me. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed I Need You To Read This. I found the story to be engaging and I really liked the characters. I thought one of the twists was pretty obvious and I was kind of annoyed at the main character for being a little naive but overall I couldn’t put it down. Thanks for letting me read this early copy!

Alex has always loved the advice column Dear Constance. When the writer is killed under mysterious circumstances, Alex has her big shot at the job. But getting hired is not the only hard part. The newsroom is full of secrets- high powered bosses, snotty gatekeepers, and a back pile of letters from the public, asking for advice. Will Alex survive her new job or will the same fate befall her?

Maxwell's previous book, The Golden Spoon, was very well received and a fun mystery set on the set of a baking show. Maxwell is back with the same cleverly plotted writing but in a completely different world of a newsroom. I really liked this mystery, although maybe not quite as much as The Golden Spoon (but that was a high bar.) This one is worth the read and I liked the characters, even when I was shouting at them to "not go in there" and "don't fall for that"!

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

So good! This book had me hooked and kept me on the edge of my seat! I thought I had it figured out but luckily I was so wrong!