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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
⭐⭐⭐⭐.25 Stars
Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for the advanced copy of this title.
This was a great, quick read, and I underestimated this mystery. It had just the right amount of twists and turns that kept me on track and interested.
This story begins with Alex (our protagonist). She's from a small town and didn’t see herself going far in her career goals. Alex saw her friends going to college and moving forward in their lives, but she felt stuck in hers. She’d worked at a hardware store since high school, and Sam, the owner, was friendly and understanding.
Then, one day, Brian walked into her store, and everything changed. He was nice and doted on her, and due to her naivety, she saw him as a genuine person who wished to give her everything she wanted in life; however, once she moved in with him, everything changed.
He became cold, judgemental, verbally abusive, and overly sensitive about everything she did. Alex didn’t know what to do, so she sought help from an advice column at the Herald Newspaper called “Dear Constance.” Dear Constance never answered Alex’s letters for help, and she felt that her family couldn't help because her abusive partner alienated her from everything and everyone she knew, making her world smaller and smaller and bringing to light Alex's insecurities, which he would then use against her.
Dear Constance would finally answer Alex’s letter, but it would cost her almost everything. Fast forward, and Alex has moved to New York and works as a copywriter for a pharmaceutical company. This job allows her to work from home and earn a modest living. Alex stays vigilant and careful about where she goes and her daily habits. She has made a few friends within the confines of her daily life. Janice, a waitress at the diner she frequents daily, and one of the regular patrons, Raymond, a retired Police Officer. They would become her extended family. However, tragedy would strike when her favorite columnist, "Dear Constance" (aka Francis Keen), is murdered while at her beach house. Francis's murder was never solved.
While at the diner for her breakfast, Alex comes across the job opening for "Dear Constance." Later that evening, after one too many glasses of wine, she decided to apply by submitting a sample essay. She thinks she will never be chosen, but again, fate sends Alex down a different path when the Editor-in-chief, Howard Dimitri, hires her for the position. She was excited and nervous to prove that she could do the job previously held by a beloved and irreplaceable person.
Alex would find the office dynamics strange and disconnected. With the exception of Howard's assistant (Jonathan) and her Assistant (Lucy) or Howard, she didn't interact with anyone. She still wondered about Howard Dimitri as she felt odd around him. She knew something was off as her assistant Lucy would get nervous whenever she thought Howard was around. Due to Alex's insecurities, she questioned if Howard had made the right choice in hiring her.
Years of being told that she was never good enough or would never amount to anything made her doubt all her decisions, but when she turned in her first advice column, it was a success.
Alex would also find that Dear Constance has a few enemies. Could this be Francis's killer, a disgruntled fan who never got their letter answered, someone in the office, or something entirely different? I could not put it down after about 40% of this title; this mystery flows at just the right pace.
I Need You to Read This is a great mystery/thriller, and it didn’t weigh me down with pages of details and character explanations. This title gave me just enough backstory as it worked its way from its origins to the current story, then detailed what happened in our protagonist's past with an ending that led me right to the killer. Well done!
Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for the advanced copy of this title.
This was a great, quick read, and I underestimated this mystery. It had just the right amount of twists and turns that kept me on track and interested.
This story begins with Alex (our protagonist). She's from a small town and didn’t see herself going far in her career goals. Alex saw her friends going to college and moving forward in their lives, but she felt stuck in hers. She’d worked at a hardware store since high school, and Sam, the owner, was friendly and understanding.
Then, one day, Brian walked into her store, and everything changed. He was nice and doted on her, and due to her naivety, she saw him as a genuine person who wished to give her everything she wanted in life; however, once she moved in with him, everything changed.
He became cold, judgemental, verbally abusive, and overly sensitive about everything she did. Alex didn’t know what to do, so she sought help from an advice column at the Herald Newspaper called “Dear Constance.” Dear Constance never answered Alex’s letters for help, and she felt that her family couldn't help because her abusive partner alienated her from everything and everyone she knew, making her world smaller and smaller and bringing to light Alex's insecurities, which he would then use against her.
Dear Constance would finally answer Alex’s letter, but it would cost her almost everything. Fast forward, and Alex has moved to New York and works as a copywriter for a pharmaceutical company. This job allows her to work from home and earn a modest living. Alex stays vigilant and careful about where she goes and her daily habits. She has made a few friends within the confines of her daily life. Janice, a waitress at the diner she frequents daily, and one of the regular patrons, Raymond, a retired Police Officer. They would become her extended family. However, tragedy would strike when her favorite columnist, "Dear Constance" (aka Francis Keen), is murdered while at her beach house. Francis's murder was never solved.
While at the diner for her breakfast, Alex comes across the job opening for "Dear Constance." Later that evening, after one too many glasses of wine, she decided to apply by submitting a sample essay. She thinks she will never be chosen, but again, fate sends Alex down a different path when the Editor-in-chief, Howard Dimitri, hires her for the position. She was excited and nervous to prove that she could do the job previously held by a beloved and irreplaceable person.
Alex would find the office dynamics strange and disconnected. With the exception of Howard's assistant (Jonathan) and her Assistant (Lucy) or Howard, she didn't interact with anyone. She still wondered about Howard Dimitri as she felt odd around him. She knew something was off as her assistant Lucy would get nervous whenever she thought Howard was around. Due to Alex's insecurities, she questioned if Howard had made the right choice in hiring her.
Years of being told that she was never good enough or would never amount to anything made her doubt all her decisions, but when she turned in her first advice column, it was a success.
Alex would also find that Dear Constance has a few enemies. Could this be Francis's killer, a disgruntled fan who never got their letter answered, someone in the office, or something entirely different? I could not put it down after about 40% of this title; this mystery flows at just the right pace.
I Need You to Read This is a great mystery/thriller, and it didn’t weigh me down with pages of details and character explanations. This title gave me just enough backstory as it worked its way from its origins to the current story, then detailed what happened in our protagonist's past with an ending that led me right to the killer. Well done!
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
I wish I did NOT read this, this further proves my theory that mystery thrillers shouldn’t be more than 30 chapters but then again nothing about this book was thrilling, a literal snooze fest
i'm not rating this because what the fuck goes on. this was a crazy ass book and honestly i guessed every single one of the twists way before they were revealed but also maybe i just read and watch way too much. this is not to diminish the power of the story in any way but i feel like it was such an interesting premise and then boom domestic abuse. it really should have had some kind of warning or mention of her relationship in the synopsis at the least. i read this because it seemed like a fun mystery about the murder of an advice columnist and it was certainly not that. you don't even find out who killed her until the last like 5 pages. which again i didn't technically mind but i have a real problem when synopses just straightup lie about what the book is actually about. i think it was well written and a good story, truly but i will not ever read this again and would not recommend you spend your time reading it
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Love a book that takes place in a newsroom, even if it’s not realistic. I felt like the twists were predictable and the characters motivations were questionable. Still, it was enjoyable to read and I love reading about a shitty man getting his comeuppance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Murder, Alcohol
Moderate: Gun violence, Suicide, Kidnapping
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced