Publication date: August 13th, 2024
Page count: 288
Genre: domestic thriller
Setting: NYC

Alex moved to NYC for a fresh start. When her favorite advice columnist is murdered, Alex applies for her position and gets it. Alex wonders why her predecessor’s murder was never solved. As she receives weird letters, she is wondering if she is wiry with the murderer, and if life is at risk.

Unfortunately didn’t connect/like any of the characters, which made it difficult to be invested in the outcome. Not much action though the story.


Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced copy. This is an honest voluntary review.

Alex Marks has fallen into her dream job! Living in NYC she applied almost as a gag for the newly available advice column Dear Constance, a column that she has followed assiduously and written to herself. Once Alex joins the team, she is haunted by the remnants of the previous writer, Francis Keen. Francis was murdered and Alex can't help but think that it might have something to do with her role at the paper.

Jessa Maxwell creates a truly creepy atmosphere and tightens her grip on us as we read a series of letters Alex herself wrote to Francis prior to her move to New York. Soon everyone is a potential suspect and Alex truly doesn't know where to turn. I dare you to read this at night with the lights off!
#atria #ineedyoutoreadthis #jessawhite

Alex Marks escaped to New York City years ago for a fresh start. 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.

The paper is searching for a replacement for Dear Constance, and Alex gets the job. However, 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.

The story was intricate and kept me on my toes. The twists were done well, and I did not figure out how it would end until I read the ending!!

I Need You to Read This is a solid mystery with good characters and good writing.

#NetGalley @AtriaBooks

Jessa Maxwell’s sophomore novel does not disappoint! I really enjoyed how drastically different this novel was from The Golden Spoon. From plot-driven to character-driven, and from multi-POV to one POV, Maxwell proves her versatility as a writer.

I am always down for a good old-fashioned murder mystery, so I knew this story would be right up my alley. The advice columns were extremely well-written and fun to read, plus Janice, Raymond, and Jonathan were scene stealers. Alex was an easy MC to root for and, even though some of her choices annoyed me, she showed amazing growth throughout the novel.

Maxwell, too, has grown as an author, with immersive writing that paints scene after scene in your mind. This book draws you in right from the start with a combination of uneasiness and curiosity. Although the action is minimal aside from the very beginning and the very end, I could not stop reading!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved The Golden Spoon, so I was thrilled to be approved for this book. I really enjoyed it! The advice columns were fun to read and added something a little different than usual. Raymond and Janice were amusing side characters and added some humor. I thought I had the mystery all figured out, but while I did have some things right, there was a lot I got wrong. Alex is a mostly likable main character, but she did things that annoyed me a couple of times. There isn't a lot of action is this book, but the author has an easy-to-read writing style that makes the pages fly by. I Need You to Read This wasn't quite as good as The Golden Spoon for me, but it was still an entertaining mystery. 4.5 stars rounded down.

Also, that cover is amazing and super eye-catching! It made me want to read it before I even realized who the author was.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

I will post this on Goodreads and Amazon on or near publication date as per the publisher's request.