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.

This was a good story that mostly kept me into the plot. Some spots it seemed to drag or get a little slow, but all in all, a solid book. I would like to see it be a bit faster paced but not bad by any means.

Alex Marks gets the chance of a lifetime when she is chosen to take the place of Francis Keen who wrote the very popular advice column Dear Constance after Francis's death.

Alex has been hiding in New York City for years and working as a copywriter for a pharmaceutical company. She has made a couple of friends at the Bluebird Diner which is across the street from her apartment, but otherwise leads a life of loneliness and isolation filled with rituals to keep herself safe.

Dear Constance had been a lifeline for her before she managed to escape from a bad situation, and she still reads it today for insights into her life. Still, she is very much surprised when she is the one chosen to write the column. She is pleased but also frightened because her new job with include some public exposure which might make her vulnerable to her past. And Francis's murderer has never been caught.

This was an engaging and twisty thriller interspersed with letters Alex wrote to Dear Catherine which gradually expose why she left her past behind to start anew in New York City. I was drawn into the story and really needed to know what happened next.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4

If you’re into cozy mysteries, this book is perfect for you!

I did find it repetitive and slow at parts, and a bit predictable. I had figured out the ending halfway through the book. The ending felt a bit rushed and I was left wanting to know more about Francis, Howard and Tom. Tom felt like a character that ultimately served no purpose.

This, however, this was a fantastic quick read! I enjoyed reading this book and did not put it down until I finished it, which says a lot because I usually have a few books going at once.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

Rating: 3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Alex Marks gets a once in a lifetime opportunity as a writer… to be the new advice columnist in the popular Herald Newspaper. The previous columnist, Francis, was found murdered at her beach house and was someone Alex respected and admired.

This story follows Alex beginning her career as the advice columnist for Dear Constance. She is on the hunt for any evidence to help solve who murdered Francis… and then she begins receiving suspicious/threatening notes. Is she next? Who killed Francis?

While the book really was a decent read- I wasn’t sure I would like it and wasn’t even engaged until about 50% of the way through. The storyline of Francis’ murder was really not covered in depth (IMO) and instead there was a lot of backstory and filler about Alex. I felt like something was missing from the story.

A good, quick read & had a good ending - although not surprising.

This was a really fun and entertaining mystery and the perfect palette cleanser from the darker thriller books I’ve been reading lately. It has a clever premise and kept me guessing as to the ending which did surprise me.

A fun read all around.

🌿Read if you like:
✨Cozy mysteries
✨Found family
✨NYC settings
✨Journalism storylines
✨Advice columns

I couldn't put this thriller down--loved the concept of an advice columnist new to the job. The story was well-executed, and the backstory was woven in well, with a satisfying ending. I did guess at the twists, but I write mystery/thrillers, and I was hooked, so I wanted to see things play out. I cared about the characters, who seemed pretty 3-dimensional. I'd enjoy reading another book by Jessa Maxwell. I appreciated that it wasn't gory or needlessly violent. I'll be sharing this one with my psych thriller-reading friends. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book--all opinions are my own.

While I enjoyed the story line for the most part and where the book was going, I would have loved more from the Francis character that they talked so much about. I would have liked to see that part of the story unfold as this wasn't a long read. I did like the characters but they kind of all just needed more development. Although, I finished it wouldn't be something I would jump to recommend to people. The book didn't keep calling me back and demanding me to finish it like other books I have read recently.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this!
This is a somewhat twisty whodunnit thriller about an advice columnist who is murdered and the woman who takes over her column (with a shady past of her own). There's some epistolary moments here that I really loved, and the general creepiness that lurks throughout the story is pretty good.
That being said...this just felt a little lackluster. Both of the big 'twists' I guessed pretty early on and the resolutions all felt a little scatterbrained. I wanted to really feel engrossed in this story but it just didn't draw me in.

I could not put this book down! What a ride! On a whim, Alex applies for and gets the job to take over writing a very successful advice column after the original Dear Constance is murdered. Soon she starts receiving threatening letters. She's been running from her past for a very long time and she fears that she's been found out. Or is it somehow connected to the unsolved murder Francis Keen, the original writer of Dear Constance?
Sooooo much suspense, so many twists! I absolutely adored Alex. Highly recommend!