Thank you to NetGalley, Jessa Maxwell, and Atria Books for this arc of I Need You to Read This, out August 13, 2024!

📜Quick Summary: Alex is miserable at her copy editing job, and needs to make some changes. Her friend list is minimal, her love life is nonexistent, and she’s running from something in her past. Francis, the advice column writer for The Herald, is found murdered in her beach home. Her senseless murder goes unsolved and cold. Alex finds herself applying for this position. Was it the right choice, or will she be next? Alex gets swept up in solving the murder, while also staying afloat in her new position.

💡Thoughts and Feelings: For a second book, I think the author did a good job. Some things are easy to pick out, but the book follows your typical story map of a thriller, sprinkled with little treats here and there. I enjoyed Alex’s story unfolding, and wished at times for her to be a little bit less trusting…and question more around her.

🙋🏼‍♀️Moving Character: I didn’t really “love” any character throughout this novel. At one point or another, each one got on my nerves for different reasons. I feel like I was gliding over the ocean in a boat, but never got off to dive in and really get to know them. I wish I could have seen more in the relationship between Alex and Johnathan…I feel like there was potential there for a great friendship if it wasn’t so award at times.

👍🏻or 👎🏻: Thumbs up to a newer thriller reader. This definitely has some good elements thrown in there, but seems to need a little more depth when it comes to characterization and creating more tumultuous situations for the main character.

🌟Overall Rating: 3.5 stars

This novel was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Alex Marks, a young woman who seems to be in hiding, follows the advice of columnist Dear Constance in the paper. When she learns the columnist has been murdered, Alex gets hired to be her replacement and hopes to find the murderer. Unfortunately, there seems to be a lot of suspects and Alex has problems of her own. Alex starts the novel being depressed, but getting the job gives her something to look forward to. She's a likable character and Ray and Janice, regulars at her breakfast cafe, are likable too. They kind of make a good team and I could see the three of them sleuthing together on more books. My biggest quibble is that there seems to be only about 3 people working at this newspaper and there's never a sense that it's a real working paper. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read the book in exchange for an honest review.

My favorite book of the year so far!

Loved the fast pace of the story and the characters. They were relatable and likable, but I could see them all being the person whodunit. I had guessed who it was before the big reveal at the end but it wasn't too early on, so I liked that the storyline kept the mystery going for me. I could not put it down. I also loved that the story is set in New York City as it's a place I've always wanted to visit.

The situations the characters found themselves in were very real and believable for the most part. It was just the ending that was a tad far-fetched for me and took me out of the world a bit but was still enjoyable to read as a fun thriller.

There were also moments where I felt the main character Alex says way too much. I know it helped propel the story forward but I felt like in real life someone in that situation should have/would have kept quiet.

Overall, I loved the reading experience and give it a solid 4.8 stars, rounded up to 5.

Thank you so much to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

it wasnt bad i enjoyed it but i would love it if it had a little more story you know? i felt like it was rushed a little

Thank you to Atria Books and Jessa Maxwell for my copy of I Need You to Read This. It was such an interesting story about a famous newspaper advice column, Dear Constance. When the writer is murdered, people are shocked and confused. Alex Marks decides to apply for the job on a whim, and she is thrilled to get the job. But as soon as she starts, she gets stranger letters in the mail and begins to feel unsafe. Alex starts to look into the murder of her predecessor and questions why she would be a target. Is someone from her new job involved? Or is it someone from her past, which is beginning to resurface.

Thoughts: The premise of this story was so much fun. I thought this book would be an amazing thriller, but it felt flat to me. The main character was boring and I thought there was a lot more the author could have done with her character. She added other one dimensional characters which was a bummer and it seemed like each person only had a single personality trait.

The reveal was fairly obvious, and lacked a thrilling element that made me care about Alex and the other characters. The chapters in the past were also transparent, and I wish the author would have committed to the darkness of this storyline, instead of keeping it at a surface level. 3-stars for this one.

I loved the characters in this story. Alex is a surprising character who at first seems a bit timid, but emerges as a strong woman. Her two sidekicks, Janice and Raymond were unexpected and yet worked quite well. The plot was intriguing with surprising creepy feelings. The author wrote the moments at the Herald with a mysterious, haunted house feel to it that totally worked with the plot of the story. The story moved at a rapid pace, never lagging. I highly recommend.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions expressed are my own.

Alex is working as a writer for a pharmaceutical company when her dream job opportunity comes her way- to fill the shoes of her childhood hero of an advice columnist. However, the advice columnist’s mysterious death remains unsolved and Alex is afraid that danger may be coming for her too.

This was a slow burn thriller that weaves Alex’s past into the present storyline. I really enjoyed how it was slowly revealed. There were several twists and I was proud of myself for figuring them out ahead of time, but it didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the story. Fans of advice columns like Dear Abby, domestic suspense books, and slow burn thrillers will enjoy this twisted literary tale.

Thank you to Jessa Maxwell and Atria books for the ARC and opportunity to be an early reviewer.

[ 🅐 🅡 🅒 • 🅡 🅔 🅥 🅘 🅔 🅦 ]

#tropes

🗞️ NYC Setting
🗽 Mystery
🔎 Secrets
🖤 Twists & Turns
👀 Mixed Media Elements

Loved every page of this read. Fast, quick page turner and very twisty. I had never read Jessa Maxwell’s books and this absolutely was a win for me and I will continue to look for more. I enjoyed Alex and her well fleshed out character and she is literally me in fictional character form.

I related to this character a lot. Such a great little storyline with an amazing mystery that will have you guessing for sure! Can you find the clues first, will you expect the ending…probably not. I absolutely am going to pull up The Golden Spoon now that I have found a favorite author in Jessa. This is a must have on the TRB come August 13th! Don’t want to miss it.

Thank you @netgalley , @atriabooks and author for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I had really enjoyed "The Golden Spoon" but unfortunately "I Need You to Read This" didn't quite catch my attention. It was a fun read but nothing I would likely pursue again.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.

This one was a little slow for me. I found myself being able to easily walk away for days in between picking it up. Not that it was terrible, I just wasn't drawn to pick it up and not out it down.

Jesse Maxwell's "I Need You to Read This" is a captivating and well-crafted story that hooks readers from start to finish. The central mystery, including the "Dear Constance" letter, is intriguing, though some might figure it out quickly. Despite this, the book's engaging characters and fluid writing make it hard to put down. Overall, it's a highly recommended read for anyone who enjoys a good mystery and well-drawn characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

I wanted so much more from this book, and I feel it has potential, but it fell flat overall for me.

NetGalley early release
Publishing date: August 2024
Solid 3⭐️
This books cover is what caught my attention as well as the summary of the book. However, I feel like it fell super flat and really didn’t make its mark. Alex had mentioned in the book that her job as the columnist was her dream job - but then also made comments about how she never knew what she wanted to do with her life, or what she wanted to do in general. She didn’t even know she’d love writing the column until she started. That disconnect really made the character unrelatable. So when I had about 60 ish pages left, I put it together about who “The Lost Girl” from the column was. I feel like that could’ve been more clear and not all cloak and dagger-esque. Like all the locking doors and hiding that Alex was doing throughout the book was very unclear and for what? The ending? Sure it wrapped up nicely with a bow but the path to get there was really choppy. Side note: Alex took a job that posted her photo in the newspaper. Was she really that worried about people finding her if people actively know who she is? All of the mental health sprinkled in was nice. Was very surface level though, as if the writer has never experienced any type of mental health in their life.

After reading the reviews on Goodreads, I do NOT want to read “the golden spoon” if it’s anything like what I just had to read. I will most likely get bored and feel like it’s lacking in story and character development and all the good stuff books are supposed to have. Another side note: people that get these books as arcs, I feel like they feel like they HAVE to give it good reviews in order to get more. Hate to break it to you - they’d rather you be honest than say it was good when it wasn’t. Which is how I feel after reading this book.

Last note: either solve the Francis Keen murder or tell us what happened with Alex and her past. Don’t overlap them. They need to be separate but not one making the other seem less then. This aspect of the story was not done well. It should’ve either been longer or one of them not happen.

First thank you to Atria books and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 3.75 stars

Synopsis: Alex Marks moved to New York as a fresh start. She is working a copywriting job when her dream job becomes available, the advice columnist for the New York herald. She gets the job but will it be worth it?

What I liked: this is a quick read cozy mystery set in a newspaper column. There was a sense of nostalgia reading the advice letters and the newspaper setting. There was also a nice surrounding cast of characters that had a fun throwback vibe including an older detective and dinner waitress.. the story itself took a pretty straight path but had a few twists at the end that added to the story.

I do really like a cozy mystery and enjoy her books including this one. I do feel like I want a little more when finished. Overall it’s a nice quick cozy mystery but would not read if you want a thriller.

I had really enjoyed Jessa Maxwell’s debut and was super into this novel as well. This novel isn’t anything crazy new but it is a fun time.

Thank you for the ARC!

I Need You to Read This centers around Alex Marks, a copywriter who lives in New York City. She has just a few friends and mostly keeps to herself, as she is haunted by her past. Alex hears that the longtime Dear Constance column in the Herald is looking for a new writer 8 months after the longtime columnist Francis Keen was murdered. Being a longtime Dear Constance fan who credits Keen with helping her in difficult times, Alex applies for the position and soon after starts a job at the Herald. We soon find out there are some curious characters at the Herald and the mystery of Francis Keen's murderer looms large.

I really enjoyed this! Jessa Maxwell has created a light mystery/thriller that is highly entertaining. I especially enjoyed the Dear Constance write-ins and responses, as who doesn't love a good advice column?

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author Jessa Maxwell for an ARC of I Need You to Read This in exchange for an honest review.

This book needed help because it definitely had great potential.
Writer has mysterious issues and gets a job as an advice columnist.

Too much time is spent mentioning that the protagonist has a mysterious past but zero time is spent developing the character. For all of her mysterious issues, she continually does things that defy logic for someone who has something mysterious in their background.

The idea is great but the story needed depth for me to buy in.

A great story! Alex is living, or better yet, existing in New York City. She has a mediocre job she doesn’t enjoy, few friends, and hides out in her apartment most of the time. Is she truly hiding or is she just shy? When an advice columnist Alex looks up to dies, Alex finds herself applying for the job on a whim. When she gets the job, it seems all her dreams have come true. Or is it nightmares?

Just the title and cover of this book had me intrigued. Then, the plot was right up my alley. The plot was interesting and had be guessing the whole time. I was able to guess half of the ending at about 50% of the book, but this did not take away from making it enjoyable. I loved the relationship between Alex, Janice, and Raymond- the chapters with them were by far my favorite. It did take me a bit to get through, maybe 2-3 weeks, as some sections were slow. The chapters were short enough that I could get through 2-3 chapters in about 10 minutes. I will be recommending this book to others as well as checking out the author’s other works.

Thank you SIMON & SCHUSTER and NETGALLEY for this ARC.

Jessa Maxwell is the author of the Golden Spoon, which I really enjoyed. I also loved the writing style and creativity of the plot.

From GR:
This book is " a sly and addictive new mystery about an advice columnist searching for answers about her predecessor’s murder."

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC. I'm basing this review off of the plot description.