Dear Constance, an advice column written by Frances Keen, has been instrumental in the life of Alex Marks. Alex lives a very insular life in New York City, one with minimal attachments. Two people from the diner where she eats breakfast are her only friends. When Francis is murdered Alex takes a chance and applies to be her replacement. She gets the job. Suddenly she is back in the world, trying to solve Francis's murder. And we are discovering much more about Alex's past. This is a good story with some twists.

An advice columnist always seems to know the answer, no matter the question. I would sometimes wonder if they were leading a perfect life being as wise as they were. This story lets us into the fictional life of one, seeing their past and present struggles and the empathy that runs deep in their blood.

Although fiction, this is a reminder that even the most wise of people also have their own struggles and unsolvable problems. The protagonist, Alex, is a bit of a recluse until she gains the position of the new "Dear Constance" advice columnist after the previous one was murdered, the case still unsolved. The supporting characters had a bit of a Scooby Doo gang feeling and goofiness to them, only making it a bit more fun. There were several mysteries throughout this; who murdered the previous "Dear Constance" columnist, what happened to Alex before her move to New York, and who is sending her threatening letters. While some of this was predictable, some of it wasn't. This was an enjoyable, quick read that was great for a little breather for me. Three and a half stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Atria Books, for this ARC.

I adored The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell and was so excited when I heard she had a new book but I was not impressed on her sophomore book. I Need You to Read This never meets the heights of Spoon and honestly left me uninterested with the mystery. The characters were uninteresting and even with a great mystery hook, Maxwell doesn’t succeed with this one.

Synposis: Alex’s fave advise columnist is murdered. &&& she gets drunk & applies for her job 😳 Welp, she gets it & suddenly becomes involved in the murder investigation! 🔍🕵🏼‍♀️

My thoughts: This was fun ride! Suspenseful & twisty. A few of the twists I guessed early on but a few got me there at the end. I loved the friend group , the funny banter. The was a quick read for me & I enjoyed it.

"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘷𝘶𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮."
(Quoted from ARC)



This was an amazing follow-up to Jessa's debut last year!

Alex has been looking over her should for the last 8 years, trying to stay hidden from her past. But things change when she is offered a position as the new writer for the DEAR CONSTANCE advice column... a position that has been vacant since the last writer was murdered 8 months prior.

This new job will open Alex up to all sorts of new possibilities... and all sorts of new dangers. How can she possibly know who to really trust?

And can you ever truly outrun your past?

I always love me a good "whodunit" ... especially when I'm not 100% who actually done it 😅

Thank you so so much to @atriabooks, @simonandschuster and also @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for this review!

I NEED YOU TO READ THIS is on sale 8/13/24 🔪
.
.
.
.
#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #ineedyoutoreadthis #jessamaxwell #book40of2024 #whatsnikkireading #mystery #thriller #runningfromyourpast #startinganewlife #whodunnit #atriabooks #simonandshuster #netgalley #advancedreadercopy #comingaugust2024

My first book by this author so I didn't know what to expect! This was an easy read and it held my attention for most of the book.

Alex is hired as an advice column writer called "Dear Constance." Francis was the previous writer of the column and she died. As part of the story, there are Dear Constance letters after some of the chapters. It doesn't really make sense until the end.

After I finished the book, I wasn't left with any "wow" to the story or anything that will stay with me. I did like Alex and enjoyed getting to know her character! There is an abusive and violent scene toward the end.

Slow Burn, Twists, and Quick Read. 3 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy! This book will be released 8/13/24.

I really enjoyed the golden spoon so when I saw this author put out a new book I had to read it! I also enjoyed this story! This was a super fun mystery. I feel like the ending was obvious but still enjoyable.

Thank you to Netgalley for picking me for an arc. Wow, where to start. A girl finally done hiding from her past and finding a new start in the job of someone she has always admired. What can go wrong? Except that her predecessor was murdered and nothing is what it seems. Alex is on a path to figuring it all out. Suspense and twists at all the right places, this was a book I read in one sitting!!

I absolutely LOVED the premise of this book. The cover and title drew me in immediately before I even read the synopsis but unfortunately it was a miss for me.

I Need You To Read This follows Alex as she takes over an advice column, Dear Constance, who she’s idolized all of her life. The former “Constance”, Frances was murderer and the case remains unsolved. Once Alex starts her new position, she begins to receive threatening letters and she has to figure out if it’s linked to her past or to Frances murders.

The prologue for this book starts off SO good. The book sadly went down hill from there for me. I truly love a slow burn but this was just boring to me. When we finally got to the twists, they were so far fetched and ridiculous - I couldn’t help but be disappointed.

I really liked the premise of the book and it had a lot of potential but it just didn’t work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

What a fantastic read! After reading and loving The Golden Spoon by @jessamaxwellauthor I knew I had to get my hands on her upcoming novel. I ate this book all the way up - the short chapters had me turning the pages so fast! I loved Alex, Ray and Janice’s friendship so much! I did figure out everything pretty early on, but that didn’t effect how much I enjoyed this one.

Alex lands the prestigious role of advice columnist for a reputed daily but the catch is that the previously person in that role was murdered and the suspect is still at large. Right away as she starts her new job, she starts getting threatening letters and also she has had weird experiences with her colleagues so far. But she is set to investigate the unsolved murder and gets intertwined in multiple subplots. Just when we think that things cannot get messier, her past also catches up with her present and there is a major face off at the end. Though it was not fast paced, I did not guess the big twist for a while. So it is fair to say there were some decent twists and turns to make it an engaging read. The writing with the background of newspapers made the subplots intriguing which readers will understand better on reading it as I don't want to reveal anything.

Jessa Maxwell is the author of The Golden Spoon. Her second novel, I Need You to Read This, takes readers to the heyday of newspapers and advice columnists. It introduces a lonely young woman whose lifestyle leaves her a perfect victim for gaslighting.

Alex Marks moved to Manhattan seven years earlier, looking for a refuge. She writes copy for a pharmaceutical company, wanders the streets, and finds a few acquaintances at the nearby Bluebird Diner. But, she locks herself securely in her apartment at night, hiding from her past.

After advice columnist Francis Keen, who writes the Dear Constance column for The New York Herald, is murdered, Alex is bereft. She followed the column religiously, and believed in Francis’ empathetic advice. But, she’s angry when the newspaper announces they’re looking for a replacement, someone to write the Dear Constance column. Who could take Francis’ place? After too much wine one night, Alex writes letters in response to the advertisement. Although only the editor-in-chief seems eager for her to have the job, Alex agrees to be the new advice columnist. It’s only when she sees her picture in the paper that she realizes she’s given up her anonymity in the city. Then, the threatening letters start.

Late at night in the old part of the Herald building, Alex doesn’t know who she can trust. She hears noises, and she suspects her boss, her assistant, Lucy, and Jonathan, who works as the editor’s gatekeeper. When she dates a man for the first time in years, she finds herself vulnerable, and fears her past will be exposed. Maybe she should investigate Francis’ murder, and the truth about that will expose the person who seems to be stalking her. Now, she only has her friends at the Bluebird Diner to turn to for help.

Maxwell incorporates letters to Dear Constance, and the advice columnists answers in this thriller. I’ll admit I saw the solution long before Alex did, and I guessed the secret of her past. But, it was a satisfying ending, and I liked Maxwell’s characters in I Need You to Read This. Other readers of suspense novels will undoubtedly see the ending coming.

This book is filled with twists and turns right down to the last chapter. I couldn’t put it down. I didn’t know who was the bad guy until the end. This is a must read. I really enjoyed there being a limited amount of characters allowing the reader to really learn about each one. Pre order this book now!

Suspenseful and engrossing, I Need You to Read This is a creepy yet satisfying murder mystery. One that tackles difficult subjects while also eliciting nostalgia for newspapers and famous advice columnists. A gripping and intense, yet easy to read and entertaining novel by Jessa Maxwell.

Alex Marks lives in New York City and has a steady but boring job writing copy for a pharmaceutical company. But after her hero, Dear Constance advice columnist Francis Keen, is murdered, she applies for and is hired to take over the weekly column. As she dives into her dream job, she starts receiving threatening letters and noticing the strange behavior of the paper’s editor-in-chief as well as her assistant. As she starts to investigate, she worries what she will find about her heroes and fears her own dark past will finally catch up with her, leading to a deadly outcome much like her predecessor.

The murder mystery on its own is engaging, grabbing your attention and propelling you through this book. But the more intriguing aspect of I Need You to Read This are the themes of mistakes people make, how we avoid moving on from mistakes in a timely manner and therefore let them control our behavior, and that sometimes you need to reinvent yourself to find happiness. This is what gives the characters in this story depth, especially Alex, and has you rooting for a successful outcome.

Additionally, with the book centered around an advice column with the purpose to help people who are struggling, it’s a good reminder that everyone has something going on in their lives and that having empathy for others is a critical skill that we all need to exhibit on a more regular basis to make the world a better place.

A mystery that entertains while also making you think about life. Can’t go wrong with that combo.

Beautifully twisted! And even better, another frank portrayal of agoraphobia mixed with anxiety and OCD. It's important to write about characters who struggle with mental health concerns because every little bit counts toward eradicating the stigma.

Thank you so much for this ARC!

After enjoying Maxwell's first novel, I was so happy to receive her latest. I LOVED it! I am definitely in favor of her thriller writing in comparison to the "cozy" feeling of The Golden Spoon. Such an interesting premise (loved the letters) and the setting was so creepy/crawly in the old office building. Lucy gave me the strangest vibes, I will leave it at that.

Alex was a great character and I really rooted for her and was intrigued by what she was running from.

Highly recommend, could not get through this one fast enough!

Interesting read! Definitely didn’t end the way I was expecting. Could’ve fleshed out a few of the characters’ interactions/relationships more-can’t say more without spoiling the book. Overall enjoyed!

A 4.5 star read!

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book because I had never read anything by this author before. I was not disappointed though as this book was a page turner and kept me reading late into the night!

The story starts off with the murder of Francis Keen who pens an advice column, Dear Constance. Then the story really gets going with Alex Marks. Alex is a creature of routine and habit. She has secrets and they may come back to haunt her after she applies to be the new Dear Constance.

This book was good from beginning to end with twists and turns. The pacing of the story is excellent. My interest was kept from the start and if I could have kept my eyes open I would have finished this book in one day.

Alex is a realistic character and someone who I think readers can relate to in some way. Janice and Raymond are great supporting characters and I found myself rooting for them and Tom as well as Alex.

I highly recommend this book. The writing and story are wonderful. This is the type of book that will leave you satisfied yet wanting more. I can't wait to read more by this author!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion which I have given.

Nope! I'm not sure what was going on with this one, but it was predictable. It also had way too much going on, but still somehow wasn't super fast-paced. I didn't understand how all the different elements were supposed to come together either.

I found this an engaging mystery with a few intriguing twists. I did find it difficult to warm up to protagonist Alex, however. The one question that kept haunting me was why did she take a high profile job if she was trying to hide? There were a few gaps in logic throughout the book as well, but overall it was a quick and interesting read. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.