3.5 ⭐️ rounded up.

Thank you Simon and Schuster/NetGalley for the ARC! I really enjoyed The Golden Spoon so I was very excited to hear about Jessa’s latest. While this wasn’t as fun as The Golden Spoon (what can beat a baking show x murder?) — I do think Jessa stepped up the twists and harder topics.

Some of the chapters seemed a bit unnecessary, ex: the chapters having to do with Raymond’s confession seemed to have no real point in the end. Did we ever find out if Sam is okay? Etc.

I overall really enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down. I really appreciate shorter chapters and a likeable FMC. Would recommend this as a lighter palette cleansing thriller!

Loved the golden spoon but struggled with this one. Not my favorite. Very slow story. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

A slightly disappointing second novel that followed much of the same path as Golden Spoon, though with fewer perspectives which I appreciated. That book was slightly confusing with all the jumps each chapter.

I agree with others that this wasn't entirely a mystery or entirely a thriller. Needed to be nudged into one or the other category rather than the random midpoint it settled into. Much of this book felt that way, slightly unfinished. The backstories to the secondary characters from the diner just kinda meandered and there was never any resolution or real commentary on them. Would have been better without at least one of them. Even the resolution of the novel was half hearted. It just felt like this was rushed out after her first novel did so well.

Up front, I have to say this didn’t strike me as a thriller. I did not receive any thrills, and I think if it was listed as a pure mystery, maybe even with some slice of life elements, I might not have been as dissatisfied.

After submitting an application in a (slightly tipsy) act of loyalty to her all-time favorite & recently murdered advice columnist at The Herald, Alex Marks is hired in her dream job: the new writer of Dear Constance, AKA the replacement for the aforementioned recently-murdered columnist. Almost immediately it becomes apparent the position is less than a dream: her boss semi-accosts her drunken in the hallway, the receptionist hates her in a knockoff “Emily Blunt in Devil Wears Prada” way, she’s working 12 hour days, and there are rumors of sexual assault surrounding the editor in chief. Oh, and the previous columnist’s murder is still on the loose, and possibly sending Alex threatening letters.

Things that I liked! I liked how Jonathan talked about how much he loved Francis, that felt so genuine. I super related to the part at the beginning where she mentions buying fancy soap to try and feel like a normal adult, she’s real for that. Also, I like the moment toward the end when it really dives into Alex’s emotional connection to Dear Constance and Francis. Some elements of that were really so touching, though I do feel like that particular emotional beat could have been used more effectively from the start of the book to make that scene at the end even more impactful.

Generally, the concept had potential to be thrilling and twisty, but it turned out slow and predictable for me. Part of the general slow, dragging pace can probably be contributed to the constant interruption of the mystery for non-plot driving scenes.

For one, the Dear Constance letters that I think are meant to add to the mystery but are a bit too obvious to accomplish that. The letters are also VERY long and don’t read like advice column entries, because they’re supposed to be conveying backstory, but it makes the detours that much longer.

Second, Alex also has a blooming romance with a banker who works across the street from her, and there are several flirting scenes and date scenes that really wrench the rhythm away from any tension that might have been building.

Third, one of Alex’s slightly goofy diner buddies ends up having a tragic backstory reveal, which felt so random and out of place & I’m not sure how it contributed to the story or characters.

I think this would be good for people who like mystery that’s not going to make them actually scared. There is for sure a market for that!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I truly enjoyed Jessa Maxwell’s sophomore novel– no slump for this murder mystery/thriller authoress! Tense from start to finish, I was holding my breath for Alex and her investigation into the death of her favorite columnist, as she also seeks a path forward from a dark past.

Alex fled her old life and wound up in New York where she answered an ad from the Herald newspaper to replace Francis, who was the voice behind the Dear Constance advice column. Francis had been murdered but the murder had never been solved. For years, Alex had admired and even idolized Francis. So it was not surprising when Alex decided she wanted to solve the murder.

Initially, she thought her boss, Howard, was the culprit. After all, her assistant, Lucy, had told her that Howard had cornered her and other girls in the mail room for sexual favors. Had he found out that Francis knew about his escapades? And if so, did he feel he had the silence her?

Francis had been stabbed with a knife. Alex had snooped in Howard's office and found a sheath that had housed a knife but the knife was missing. So she decided to go out to Francis's beach house where she had been killed in search of the knife. She asked Lucy to drive her there. Little did she know that Lucy had secrets of her own.

The author wrote this story in such a way that it was easy to get wrapped up in it. All of the characters were believable and it was easy to identify with Alex. Most of the players were well developed except maybe Tom, whom Alex met at the coffee house across the street from work. If his role had been eliminated, it wouldn't have hurt the story at all. Nevertheless, I very much enjoyed this book. I gave it five stars.

Thank you Netgalley for an arc of I need you to read this! I loved this book. I was on the verge of a book slump and I need you to read this pulled me right out of it. It was a fun entertaining thriller. I will say that I thought the twist on who was sending the notes to Alex was obvious and I did guess it early on; but it did not effect my enjoyment of the book. I definitely want to read more by Jessa Maxwell!

This was an interesting premise for a thriller and I enjoyed the side characters from the diner. The book fell flat for me and I was more interested in the drama of the plot coming from the murder of Francis Keen and not Alex’s personal life. 3 stars! Thank you Atria Books, Jessa Maxwell and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

First and foremost, thank you so much Netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc.


This was a decent thriller that kept your attention the whole time. It had its moments of predictability, some moments of cringe, and one moment that was flat out ridiculous (Tums with a cocktail? Really?) but all it all it was a good read and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good thriller page turner. 3.5 stars rounded up.

I honestly didn’t enjoy this book. It felt slow to me and it just wasn’t something I wanted to continue reading.

After The Golden Spoon, I was eager to read Jessa Maxwell's latest book, I Need You To Read This. A young writer becomes the advice columnist for a popular NYC newspaper after her hero is murdered. But she's running from something in her past. A new boyfriend appears, plus some curious colleagues, not to mention the former copy and a waitress she sees daily at the diner. How's it all connected? Clever and fun, I enjoyed this mystery. It's less about the protagonist trying to solve the murder as it is to get used to her new job, but the clues keep popping up. It keeps readers guessing, and when the truth comes to light, it's a nice surprise and a bit of an obvious guess all the same time. Looking forward to the author's next book already.

2.5. this book was mostly a fairly interesting if not really tense character study for a lot of it, but the ending sadly went off the rails. it was both super predictable and very, very goofy - while clearly trying to be quite serious. still, at the end of the day, I do think the protagonist is enough to carry it, and the message it leaves you with in the last few paragraphs is quite moving. this is extremely tepid as a thriller, though.

I really enjoyed this authors first book and was excited to receive this ARC! This type of book is my favorite - a suspenseful thriller, but not too scary that I can’t sleep at night. The main character is a young woman who applies for a job writing an advice column after the original writer is murdered - and she decides she is going to try and find out what happened. I was definitely surprised by a couple of twists and felt as paranoid as the MC most of the book! A fun read.

I was a huge fan of Jessa Maxwell's debut mystery, "The Golden Spoon" and this one was a good follow up! It did not suffer from the sophomore slump, though I must say I preferred "The Golden Spoon" simply because it was set in a baking competition and that combined my love of baking, reality tv show competitions and mystery/thrillers.

This one did feel like more of a slow burn compared to "The Golden Spoon" but I did enjoy that we were trying to solve the murder of a popular newspaper advice columnist. This book switched between past and present timelines and they were easy to follow. I also really enjoyed the inclusion of letters written to the now dead advice columnist.

Thank you to netgalley, publisher and author for the arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Alex Marks is living in New York City and working from home as a copywriter for a pharmaceutical company. She lives her life very much under the radar, with her only regular interaction being at the diner across the street. She goes there every morning for breakfast, where she is waited on by Janice and sits at the counter next to Ray, a former detective.

When the writer of the incredibly popular Dear Constance column in the New York Herald is murdered, the crime goes unsolved. The column also goes unwritten until many months later when an open call is held for a replacement. Even though Alex prefers to live a life of quiet solitude, she was an avid reader of the advice column, and a big fan of Francis Keene, the former writer. She applies on a whim, gets the job, and quickly discovers all is not as it should be at the Herald.

I really enjoyed the descriptive writing of the building that the Herald is housed in. It is a central part of the story, and Jesse Maxwell adds just the right amount of detail and mystery to the skyscraper to turn it into a creepy character that takes a big role in the story. Alex is a relatable character both in her uncertainty about her abilities to take on such a big job, and in her issues with trusting those around her.

Alex finds threatening notes left behind in Francis' old office, and starts receiving threatening notes of her own. Many of Alex's co-workers are not who they seem to be, in ways both bad and good, and solving the mystery of what really happened to Francis means she has to trust at least some of them to help her get to the bottom of things before it's too late. Overall, I thought this was a really enjoyable read, and definitely worth picking up a copy of when it comes out in August.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely adored Jessa Maxwell's debut 'The Golden Spoon.' It had intrigue, mystery, dynamic characters. Pretty much everything you want in a thriller with a pinch of charm thrown in for good measure. So maybe that's why I'm so disappointed with this book. It lacked all of that.

I was intrigued by the advice column premise. It's unique and interesting. I though it would make for a good thriller. But, unfortunately, it didn't. It lacked the charm and wit of her debut. But it also lacked the character depth. The MC, Alex, was as dull of drying paint. That seems harsh, but it's true. I didn't enjoy being in her headspace throughout the whole book. Even the Dear Constance letters were lackluster and didn't add the layer of mystery they were supposed to since it was pretty obvious what the conclusion of those would be. The red herrings were... there... but nothing really jelled. And I wasn't shocked at the conclusion.

As a thriller, I think this book failed. It's more of a character study than anything. But if you're a fan of Maxwell's first book, I encourage you to read this one and judge for yourself. You may have a better experience than I did!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Dive into "I Need You to Read This" for a journey that’s part haunted house, part office drama, and entirely unexpected. Our protagonist, Alex Marks, bags the job of her dreams (or nightmares?) as the advice columnist for "Dear Constance," only to find her new role comes with a side of mystery and ghostly whispers from the previous columnist, Francis Keen, who was murdered. The atmosphere? Perfectly spooky.

Jessa Maxwell tries to lead us through a suspenseful narrative filled with letters to the deceased columnist, paranoia, and a guessing game of whodunit that would make Scooby-Doo proud. But if you're here for a heart-racing thriller, you might want to keep your expectations in check.

Supporting characters pop in like delightful plot Easter eggs, but the major players sometimes feel like they’re still reading their lines. The novel’s use of the advice column as a narrative device shows promise but ultimately feels underexploited, leaving us craving more.

In essence, "I Need You to Read This" earns three stars for its attempt to blend mystery with a touch of the paranormal, wrapped up in the everyday. For those who enjoy a tale, that's more quirky curiosity than chilling saga. This book might just be worth a read. Just maybe keep the lights on for ambiance if nothing else.

**I was given this book by NetGalley for my honest review **

Sophomore slump? Absolutely not! Oh this was such a perfect mystery. While the pacing was definitely more of a slow burn, the twists kept me turning the page. The level of intrigue was unparalleled and the way everything came together as the book progressed was so beautifully executed. I also really enjoyed the interwoven advice column letters, they helped to tie the story together in such a unique way.

Overall, this is the perfect read if you want a "lighter" thriller versus something super fast-paced that will still manage to grip you and keep you guessing.

I am a big fan of Jessa Maxwell. I absolutely LOVED the Golden Spoon, and “I Need You to Read This” was just as amazing!

The whole concept of this book was so different than anything I have ever read before, which really kept me hooked. I really enjoyed the letters throughout the entire story as well & felt like it added such a nice touch to the past & present storyline.

Alex was such a likeable main character and so easy to relate to and understand. The writing was so good I actually felt like I knew her and was there traveling to work and looking over my shoulder everyday with her LOL

About 70% into the book it took a total twist, and while I did suspect the ending (just a bit) it was still so enjoyable to read and to have all my questions answered & explained at the end.

So excited to read future books by this author!

I Need You to Read This is a thrilling murder mystery which kept me hooked the whole time. There was not a dull moment with these characters! I loved the relationships and how it all unfolded over the course of the story. I love how detailed everything was and I ended up flying through this. I did correctly guess the murderer and most of the twists which kind of took me out of the story :( I loved the writing and the plot was wonderful, I just wish the twists would’ve been a bit more unpredictable. I am super grateful for the ARC!