While there were parts of this book that were very well done, ultimately the pacing was too slow to me. I never connected with Alex and had a hard time caring about her situation. I did really enjoy the advice column part of this!

This was a fast-paced thriller that allowed me to sit back and go along in long sittings. I was intrigued by this book’s concept of an advice columnist mixed with murder, and I think that the letters and this aspect made the book interesting. I will say, I found the plot slightly predictable (I knew one of the major plot points right away), and I semi-guessed the ending. However, I really liked the characters that Alex befriends and how she grows throughout the story.
Would rate 4.25/4.5 stars if possible

Overall I loved this book. I loved the idea of a take on dear Abby. Although there was some things I guessed pretty quickly there are others I didn't. I really liked how it was written with letters thrown in,

** spoiler alert ** This was a well-written, entertaining book I sped through in a few days. The inclusion of letters to advice columnist "Constance" was my favorite part, I think, although I figured those out relatively quickly. Our main protagonist, Alex, clearly has some past trauma she's dealing with, and there's the whole murder mystery thing going on, as well. I think this book is a great starting point for people unfamiliar with the genre, and who don't mind (or notice) characters written just slightly off. Because I think they were slightly off. The way Lucy was written, Jonathan, and most certainly Tom, just kept making me think, "Real people don't actually talk and act like this." The ending, especially, really took me out of the story. I felt that the villain got his perfunctory bad-guy speech, plot things happened for plot, and it just went way too fast. The confession made me frustrated, as well. While I found the ending unsatisfying and juvenile, and the writing style a little off, I did still enjoy this novel, and I'm convinced this author will get much better with practice. I'm eagerly looking forward to her next book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for my free ARC. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this one! Thinking back through the hundreds and hundreds of books I've read, I'm not sure I've ever read one centered around an advice columnist. This was such a fun premise made even better by the history of "Ask Constance." Alex Marks was a a great protagonist - just enough mystery and mess to keep the reader wanting to learn more. I also appreciated how she owned up to her own stupid moves, or the way she ignored red flags. It made the character feel more genuine and left me satisfied instead of frustrated with certain choices. Janice and Raymond were delightful sidekicks and I'm jealous I can't join their breakfast club at The Bluebird!

I was impressed with Maxwell's ability to weave heavy themes with an overall feel that leans closer to a cozy mystery than a dark thriller. Passages felt appropriately serious but mixed well with the lighter, and even funnier, moments mixed throughout.

Another win from Jessa Maxwell!

An extremely well-written thriller, I Need You To Read This is captivating from the first few pages. A woman running from her past ends up in her dream job, a very public-facing dream job. From there, the thrills begin and we are dragged along for a fun ride. A few of the twists were easy to spot, but a couple really knocked me back. And all of the advice column pieces were so well written and engaging, it felt like Jessa Maxwell was talking to me directly.

I loved The Golden Spoon by Maxwell so I was so excited to start this novel. Alex Marks moved away to New York City to escape a secretive past and attempt to find a new life. Since she was a child, she followed and adored the column Dear Constance and its writer Francis Keen. When she hears of the shocking murder of Keen, Alex is beside herself with grief. So when she hears they are looking for a replacement writer for the column, she decides to apply. Now a writer herself, Alex pours her heart into the application and to her surprise she gets the job. But she finds out all too soon that there is someone out there who may know her secrets. She starts receiving threatening letters and fears it may be Keen’s killer now coming after her. Every one around her seems suspicious, including her new boss Howard Dimitri and even her new love interest Tom. This was an edge of your seat ride that was so entertaining from start to finish. Loved the cast of characters and loved the “twist” at the end! I highly recommend this novel.

Interesting look at advice columns, and bow they might actually give comfort. Having never read an advice column, this was eye opening to me. Well written with compassionate and believable characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for the ARC

This was a fast paced thriller that is easy to devour in one sitting. Unfortunately it's not anything groundbreaking or fresh in the world of thrillers and I think avid thriller readers will be able to guess the twist even with the red herrings. It was a fun read though and I'd recommend it as a good poolside/beach read. The characters were ok but I didn't develop any connection to them. There was some suspenseful moments but I think it could have been more creepy/scary than it was.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy of this book!

4.5/5

General Description: Alex Mark's always looked up to the advice columnist in The Herald, Francis Kean. Francis gets murdered and a few months later, her job is posted. Alex decides to apply and get selected for the position. Now, closer to Francis than ever, Alex can't help but see the signs that Francis's murder can't stay unsolved for long. Can Alex uncover what happened to her hero?

The good:
- The twists in this book were immaculate. I saw nothing coming and loved every minute of it.
- The way you learn about Alex's backstory is creative and definitely on brand with the book.
- Every side character in this book add a unique element to the story, everyone felt so unique and it was easy to get lost into the world of the characters.
- A lot of tension is built, which keeps you on your toes, but...

The loss of a half star:
-...with all the tension, it does make the book a bit slow, especially in the beginning. It was hard to get into.

Overall: If you love a twisty mystery, this is your next read. I can't wait to see what Jessa does next!

This book had some pretty good twists for me. I can not say more without spoiling. I liked that it included a few Dear Constance letters and the other letters too. I am really happy with the ending all around and the Tom situation too. I really loved Jessa Maxwell's first book and this one was just as good.

What a fun, twisty, original thriller! This is a story about survival and how violence can shape a person. Alex is a survivor and as she dives deeper into the mystery of the Dear Constance murder, she also unravels more of her own past. Alex is a likable character and she grows appropriately throughout the book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This one was.... fine. It is an incredibly pacey thriller that is candidly hard to put down. I will say, however, that it doesn't do anything really groundbreaking and the ending is really predictable. I think avid thriller readers will see the twist coming a mile away. This is a good beach read/travel book that will pass the time. I just wanted it to be a little darker with twists that weren't so obvious.

What a great story! I was immediately hooked and it kept me engaged and turning those pages!
While to me (an avid thriller reader) this one wasn’t super thrilling or scary (totally fine!) I would probably categorize it as a cozy mystery. I figured some of it out, some of it I didn’t, but again I read a LOT of thrillers. I ate the story completely up, loved her writing style, and want to check out her debut novel now!

Alex takes on a new job as the Dear Constance writer in a big time newspaper after the former writer was brutally murdered. As she takes on the job, she meets lots of new people and decides to try and solve the murder of the writer she formerly looked up to so much.

Definitely give this one a read!

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

After loving the Golden Spoon I was super excited to get an ARC of I Need You to Read This!

Jessa Maxwell does a fantastic job of building a creepy atmosphere and tension throughout the novel!

After Alex lands a job writing for her favorite advice column after the previous writer, Francis, was murdered but as is not as it seems. Alex seems to be finding bits of Francis everywhere and she slowly starts to wonder if the murder wasn't just a random act of violence and was more to do with the column. Soon, Alex can't trust anyone in her circle and everyone is a suspect.

I really enjoyed this book but it was not my typical type of thriller, it was a bit slower paced but the chapters were short and engaging and the characters were all well rounded and enjoyable.

Unfortunately, I was only able to get about 50% through this book. The premise sounded exciting and interesting, and while reading, it was interesting but slower than I could handle. I got to 50% and realized I truly did not like any of the characters and that there had been such minimal action that I just was not pulled in. I will not be posting this review publicly as I feel this has great potential to be enjoyed by other people! It just wasn’t for me.

⭐️: 3/5

Years after escaping her small town and moving to New York City for a fresh start, Alex Marks applies to replace the recently murdered advice columnist, Dear Constance, on a whim, and manages to get the job against all odds. Soon, she begins receiving threatening, mysterious letters alluding to the secrets of her past, and finds herself drawn into the mystery of her predecessor’s murder, while trying to avoid becoming the next victim.

I had high hopes for this book, since it had an interesting premise for a thriller/mystery book, and I’ve heard goo things about the author’s previous book. However, the execution really kind of let me down. I am admittedly a thriller snob, and since thrillers are my genre of choice usually, there are a lot of things that over the years have become pet peeves to me. Some that were present in this book include the use of dialogue as plot progression, since it tends to make the dialogue feel distractingly unrealistic, and main characters that just care too much, since it feeds into the final girl trope in a kind of sexist way, in my opinion. Alex as a character started out interesting, but her imposter syndrome was harped on excessively and she ended up just making nonsensical decisions and taking nonsensical actions. This also could have used more editing, since there were some places where the sequence of events didn’t quite make sense, or felt out of order (i.e. a fact was mentioned previously, then it “comes out” again as new information). The ending was a bit of a mess, and wasn’t well done or remotely believable at all. I know the suspension of reality is necessary for some thrillers, but this was just…too much. I’d say that this one was pretty entertaining from a pure plot perspective, but really needed a lot more work to become great.

Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for this free eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

Francis Keen works at a newspaper, writing the advice article. One day, while at her vacation home, she is murdered, and her murderer is never caught. A year later, Alex Marks applies for the open position for writing the advice collumn after it is advertised. Alex was a fan of Francis and her work, and has big shoes to fill once she gets the job. However, things are not always what they seem and Alex begins to receive letters referencing a past that she has tried to get away from and forget. Alex's boss, Howard also begins to act weird, and not at all like the man that he was when she first met him. Lucy, Francis' old assistant also sheds some light on some things that have happened prior to Alex getting hired. Alex becomes involved in attempting to find out what happened to Francis, while hoping that solving it would keep something bad from happening to her.

Overall, this was a good book with enough backstory to get the character emotionally invested in what happened to Francis and to get the adrenaline flowing. However, after that, it was a bit slow going, introducing Alex and the side characters. There was also a little romance thrown into the story to add some suspicion which I think was a nice touch. When we got to the ending, when everything started falling into place, the pace was definitely faster, and the story was more intriguing.

In the end, I was able to guess the main plot twist, except for one part, but the delivery was well executed so I didn't mind.

Thank you to Jessa Maxwell, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.

This was a very interesting book with an intriguing premise.

Alex replaces her idol, Francis, as the writer behind a very popular advice column. Having big shoes to fill, Alex feels like she’s being scrutinized from every direction. Can she write as well as Francis? Is she even good with advice? And oh yeah, who killed Francis?

Alex is instantly drawn to solving the mystery of who killed her idol, immediately being threatened and intimidated.

Did I mention that she’s running from something in her past, too?

Alex is taking every precaution to stay safe but the past always has a way of catching up with you. You’ll never see the biggest twist coming - I know I sure didn’t!

If you enjoy slow burning, twisty, dramatic thrillers then this is the book for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read an advance copy of this book.

Fun premise that read like a cozy mystery. I actually solved the mystery within the first 25%, but still very much enjoyed my time due to the characters, setting and side plots. I was very engaged in the details of Alex's day to day. Loved watching her start her new job, overcome her past, and meet new friends. I really wanted the best for her. I also loved the creepy atmosphere of her working late at night in an old downtown office building.