I Need You to Read This was an interesting concept, but had a few too many moving parts for me. I felt like there were too many storylines and characters, and way too many red herrings. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good mystery in the style of Agatha Christie, but this book tried to do too much too quickly, I still have questions about some of the plot lines and I hate it when I’m left hanging from a stand alone novel.

I gave this book 3 stars because I was compelled to finish and was interested in what happened, but it was just too busy for me to rate it any higher.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this digital ARC.

📚: I Need You to Read This by Jessa Maxwell
⭐️: 2.5/5 (rounding up on #goodreads)

The gist: Francis Keen, the advice columnist behind Dear Constance, is found dead in her Cape Cod summer home. Shortly after, Alex Marks stumbles upon an open call for application submissions for Keen’s replacement - and she applies on a whim. She starts her dream gig, but suddenly threatening letters start arriving, leaving Alex wondering who and why did Keen get killed.

The good: The summer NYC setting was done nicely with a fun cast of characters. (The supporting characters were well done - I loved Alex’s morning diner crew.)

The eh: This was a slooooooow burn - and the pace dragged especially around the midpoint until the end. (A under 300 page book shouldn’t feel so long.) The ending brought all of the pieces together but it felt predictable — and a few plot points that were prominent throughout the story didn’t stick their landing and ended flat.

Thank you to @atriabooks via @netgalley for the digital ARC in return for an honest review. I Need You to Read This comes out on August 13th.

Thank you, Atria, for the review copy, and to SimonBooks for the audio copy. While I read a portion of the book, a long trip with heavy traffic gave me the opportunity to listen to most (about 75%) of it.

The audiobook was well-produced, with voice acting that matched the tone and style of the main character, delivering a strong performance overall.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It falls into the "I liked it" category, but I also believe there were some missed opportunities, and the themes explored might be troubling to some readers. While I’m not usually a fan of overly detailed trigger or content warnings, I would recommend including them for this book.

Strengths:

I loved the use of advice column letters in this book—it was the best part of the story. The insight into the behind-the-scenes aspects of an advice column job, including the burnout and strain of reading letters daily, was fascinating. I wish the book had focused more on this aspect and less on the mystery, which, although interesting, wasn't as deeply rooted in the job as I had hoped.

The book provided a strong exploration of trauma and related mental health challenges. I appreciated how the author handled and wrote about these themes.

Misses:

I found the story’s twists predictable. While the plot was fine and the themes valuable, I felt that less foreshadowing might have increased the impact of the reveals. None of the twists or surprises really caught me off guard.

The story had a slow burn that eventually led to a fast, chaotic ending. This is typical for suspense books, but in this case, I found the slow burn too sluggish, almost passive, with little tension building throughout.

Some secondary characters had storylines that either needed more exploration or could have been omitted entirely. At times, I felt drawn out of the main plot by the exploration of the café, the retired cop, and the café owner, as well as the romance subplot. While I liked these characters, in a book of this length, their inclusion sometimes felt disjointed or unnecessary.

𝑰 𝑵𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 | Jessa Maxwell
Pub date : August 13th!
★★★☆ 3.5/5 stars rounded up

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 :
-New York City settings
-advice columns
-whodunnit mysteries
-newspaper clippings
-diner breakfasts

𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 :
The author of The Golden Spoon returns with a new mystery about an advice columnist searching for answers about her predecessor's murder.

𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 :
The cover of this book caught my attention, it literally begs to be read! I was intrigued by the idea of an advice columnist solving an office mystery.

It hooked me from the beginning. I thought the pacing was great, with some tension & suspense. The anonymous “Dear Constance” letters sprinkled throughout the book were a fun touch.

I did find the twists to be pretty predictable, but it was still an enjoyable & entertaining read. 𝘐 𝘕𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 would be a perfect palette-cleansing, lighter mystery that you could easily binge in a day or two.

Thanks to @netgalley & @atriabooks for this ARC! ◡̈

I loved The Golden Spoon so knew I'd like this one as well! Copywriter Alex applies for a job writing an advice column after star, Francis is brutally murdered. Alex is hiding scars on her wrist and has become somewhat agoraphobic so taking on this job will be tough but she's anxious and determined to do well. But her boss, Howard is also a legend and there's something "off" about him as she smells whiskey on his breath at work and he suddenly "forgets" his wedding ring. Rumors abound and Alex is determined to do well as Francis was revered and she is thrilled to be out in the world again, working for her "hero" no less! Lots of great action, mishaps, and mistaken identities all make this book a fast-paced thrill ride that I loved!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

I’m not even sure I could describe how fast I requested an arc of this book after loving The Golden Spoon! Not to mention Jessa Maxwell is from my little state of Rhode Island just one bridge away!

I am one of the first to jump to either the obituaries or the advice column when I pick up a newspaper so this book was right up my alley. Alex taking over the advice column after the original author was murdered was so intriguing to me. I definitely liked the characters and was skeptical of all of them. But the fact that this was kind of a story within a story made it that much more enjoyable. The ending was very satisfying for a thriller as well and definitely not what I expected!

This book would be a great book to bring on vacation or to the beach!!

Alex lands her dream job writing for a newspapers advice column, Dear Constance. The only problem is that Francis, the previous writer, was murdered eight months ago and the killer was never found.

Alex is now sitting in Francis' office, reading through thousands of letters asking for her help. Feeling overwhelmed with the pressure to pick the perfect letter, Alex works long hours staying late into the night when everyone else has left. (Or have they) Amongst the letters she reads is a threatening letter addressed to her. Is it Francis' murderer threatening Alex or has someone from Alex's past finally found her.

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Book and Simon & Schuster for this ARC!

This was an interesting story with overlapping plot lines and red herrings to keep the reader engaged and guessing. An interesting spin on advice columns, I actually thought the author's advice for situations was pretty great. She could rival Dear Abby.

Alex Marks spends her time trying not to be noticed. Plain clothes, routines, boring job, plain apartment. She is clearly afraid of something, of being found, but of what or of whom is a mystery in the beginning. Alex has been taking solace in the Dear Constance columns for quite some time and when the celebrated columnist is murdered, she feels the loss deeply. When Alex finds out the job has been listed, she goes on to apply just to see what kind of questions they want answers to in order to fill her hero's shoes. Surprisingly she gets the job. And then the threats start.

Maxwell is very good at twists and bringing things together in one nicely wrapped package. This book had one plot point that had me scratching my head a little but I'll leave it a mystery so as not to spoil anything.

An excellent sophomore book from a promising writer. I look forward to her next book.

My thanks to Atria books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"The author of the "clever, atmospheric, and creepy" (Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author) The Golden Spoon returns with a sly and addictive new mystery about an advice columnist searching for answers about her predecessor's murder.

Her most important letter might be her last...

Years ago Alex Marks escaped to New York City for a fresh start. Now, aside from trips to her regular diner for coffee, she keeps to herself, gets her perfectly normal copywriting job done, and doesn't date. Her carefully cultivated world is upended when her childhood hero, Francis Keen, is brutally murdered. Francis was the woman behind the famous advice column, Dear Constance, and her words helped Alex through some of her darkest times.

When Alex sees an advertisement searching for her replacement, she impulsively applies, never expecting to actually get the job. Against all odds, Alex is given the position and quickly proves herself skilled at solving other people's problems. But soon, she begins to receive strange, potentially threatening letters at the office. Francis's murderer was never identified, turning everyone around her into a threat. Including her boss, editor-in-chief Howard Dimitri, who has a habit of staying late at the office and drinking too much.

As Alex is drawn into the details surrounding her predecessor's murder, her own dark secrets begin to rise to the surface and Alex suddenly finds herself trapped in a dangerous and potentially deadly game of cat and mouse that takes her all the way from the power centers of Manhattan to Francis Keen's summer house, where her body was found and where the killer may just be waiting for her."

A body in a summer house? Oh, so much yes.

I really enjoyed The Golden Spoon so I was eager to read Jessa's latest work, especially when Atria sent me a finished copy!

Alex is a young writer is running from her past. After her favorite advice columinst is murdered, she is shocked when she lands the job replacing her hero. She wasn't ready for the threatening letters she'd receive, just as her predecessor did. Of course, she decides to investigate the murder with the help of her friends at the local diner she frequents. She's dying (pun-intended) to know if the advice column is the reason for Francis' death and if she's possibly next.

This was a predictable, slow-burn mystery with characters that didn't really stand out to me. I did enjoy the 'Dear Constance' letters and how they weave into the overall story. If you're looking for a quick, easy, popcorn "thriller" this is a good option!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I Need You to Read This was a really enjoyable book! Jessa Maxwell has been a standout to me recently and this book did not disappoint. This was a fun and quick read that I can’t recommend more and I will definitely be rereading it!

A young woman moves to the city for a fresh go at life, with a past , after she lands her dream job as a columnist, life gets a little weird. With some questionable coworkers and the death of her predecessor hanging Around this young woman has a series of events that makes the pages fly by. I enjoyed this book. Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book

Well this book was full of surprises in the best way possible! I’ve always been curious about the advice column writers. And this book kept me on my toes. I honestly did not see half of what happened coming. (Although, I knew who the killer was.)

Thanks to Atria & NetGalley for providing a digital arcin exchange for an honest review,

This one starts off slow, then becomes a banger, and then settles down and disappoints in the ending. Alex Marks is in the big city, dreaming of a writing career, with no friends except the waitress and one regular at the diner she goes to for breakfast, when she is presented with an opportunity to replace her heroine, the late, great "Dear Francis," a sort of smarter version of Dear Abby (way less judgey, and so, so wise), who was murdered some time before in her beach house (murder still unsolved). Don't ask why a woman bears the male version of the name "Frances," it'll just slow you down (or irritate you every. Single. Time you read it, if you're me).

It's not long before Alex gets the job (natch), idolizes her famous Editor/boss, is confronted with literal mountains of unopened letters to Fear Francis, and is embroiled in solving the mystery of Francis' murder. Oh, and she meets a guy! The chapters are interspersed with letters to Dear Francis written by some poor soul who is sinking deeper and deeper into an abusive relationship and looking for advice (who, who would it be? I'm stumped).

Lucky that Maxwell has developed some writing chops since her last book (a lukewarm suspense treatment of Great British Bakeoff, but make it murder. It had some moments). As previously stated, the middle of the book is an entertaining whirlwind. I am willing to overlook the central casting minor characters during this period of the book, but the end is resolved a little too neatly for my taste. Maxwell needs to get just a tiny bit grittier for me to completely fall for her. Maybe next book?

3.5 stars rounded up

I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on August 13, 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this arc.

The mystery and the romance of this book were fine. I was just never thinking about this, so it was just fine to me.

NYC

Alex Marks, a copywriter for a pharmaceutical company, is a lonely woman who works from home. Really, the only things that make her happy are her two friends - Janice, a waitress at a diner, and Raymond, a former detective who is a regular at said diner - and reading. One of her favorite things to read is a weekly advice column in the New York Herald, called “Dear Constance”. For decades, Francis Keen, aka Constance, has given advice to a national audience - an audience that is stunned when they hear that she was murdered at her summer house.

Alex is one of her readers who is devastated by the news. She looked up to Francis, and never missed her columns. It’s not until she sees an advertisement from Howard Dimitri, the paper’s editor in chief, that she decides to come out of a shell she’d imposed on herself, and applies to be the new Constance. When a snooty secretary named Jonathan calls Alex with the news that Howard wants to meet her, she almost backs out. Luckily (or maybe not), she decides to go ahead with the interview, where she is hired on the spot. They loved her sample columns, and want her to start right away.

After months of having no advice columnist, the letters have piled up, and Alex is looking through all of them, trying to find the perfect story for her first column. She finds many letters signed by “Lost Girl”, asking for advice about how to leave her abusive relationship, but she decides to go with a different person - and her first column of advice was a hit. “Dear Constance” is back, and Alex is loving her new job, despite it putting her in the spotlight. Soon, she has made a couple of work friends, and she also met a man at the coffee shop by her office. Tom just happens to be a banker with an office directly across the street from Howard’s, and has seen some interesting sights when working late. Howard is married to Regina, whose father owns the building and the newspaper. Is he risking it all by having an affair?

This was a great mystery, with an ending I definitely did not see coming! This also makes me nostalgic for the job I had in college, writing news briefs and obituaries for the local paper. I, too, had a boss who had liquid lunches. I, too, had to occasionally go to the old part of the building, where everything felt scary yet amazing. And I, too, loved everything about it - the smells, the sounds, the grueling hours and how delicate the pages from over a century ago are. This book took me back there, while also giving me a page-turner of a story. I absolutely loved it! 4.5 stars, rounded up.

(Thank you to Atria Books, Jessa Maxwell and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on August 13, 2024.)

{3.5 stars}

Thanks to Atria Books for gifted access via NetGalley. All opinions below are my own.

After the murder of a storied and respected advice columnist, a young woman gets the opportunity to fill the role. It is a big move for her and she is both enamored with the role and the idea she can solve the murder. Quickly she learns there are some secrets lurking in the hallways of her new office.

I liked the structure of this story. There are some twists but I feel like I saw them all coming. The people who are suspicious turn out to be just what you’re suspicious of them for. It’s a good read for the beach or the pool where you don’t want to think too hard.

4 stars 🌟
This was a great book with twists and turns that kept me engaged the whole time.
This book follows Alex. a woman who applies for the job of her favorite advice columns after she dies. What Alex doesn't know, is that after getting the job, things will go away and her dream job may be filled with secrets and lies.
I really enjoyed the advice column piece of this book and enjoyed Alex as a character. I also really enjoyed her companions Raymond and Janice as characters. This was my first book from this author, nut I will be reading more.
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Note: Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Although this novel read as cozy mystery rather than a thriller as advertised, I was fully engaged. Having read The Golden Spoon previously, I found this novel to be even better by the author. Maxwell brought in a unique concept of advice columns and some loveable characters to the story (Janice and Raymond) that made it more relatable. It was a fun, quick read.