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A review by the_joyful_book_club
I Need You to Read This by Jessa Maxwell
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Let me start by saying that I could not put this book down. I kept coming back for more, and before I knew it, I had finished.
Our story starts with Alex, who is extremely guarded and doesn't go out much, besides to the cafe across the street from her apartment, and then she goes back to work from home. Her best neighbors and co-workers are the two pigeons who hang out by her window.
This changes when Alex finds out The Herald is ready to find their next Dear Constance. She applies, partially out of sarcastic amusement and partially out of anger that they would even try to replace THE Francis Keen. She's shocked when she's called in for an interview and offered the position.
Overall, this story was fast-paced and kept my interest. The story is lighter on any aspects of crazy twists throughout, and there is little to no goriness or profanity. This story does have some light aspects of a dual timeline, but it's fairly minimal and doesn't bounce back and forth between POVs.
One thing I did wish this book had was more character development. One thing that made me pause a few times was some of the decisions Alex made. For example, she's very cautious and guarded, yet would sit in an office building, that she's not familiar with, very late into the evening, and then walk home alone. But then would be panicky over noises she'd hear outside her own building. It didn't entirely make sense to me. That said, things tie together at the end, but again, I think more development would have made it easier to empathize with Alex.
The twist at the end was absolutely not expected. I did not even remotely guess it, or lean in the direction of it, and I am always appreciative of an author who stumps me.
If you enjoy hidden pasts, and fast-paced thrillers set in the big city, you'll definitely enjoy this one!
Our story starts with Alex, who is extremely guarded and doesn't go out much, besides to the cafe across the street from her apartment, and then she goes back to work from home. Her best neighbors and co-workers are the two pigeons who hang out by her window.
This changes when Alex finds out The Herald is ready to find their next Dear Constance. She applies, partially out of sarcastic amusement and partially out of anger that they would even try to replace THE Francis Keen. She's shocked when she's called in for an interview and offered the position.
Overall, this story was fast-paced and kept my interest. The story is lighter on any aspects of crazy twists throughout, and there is little to no goriness or profanity. This story does have some light aspects of a dual timeline, but it's fairly minimal and doesn't bounce back and forth between POVs.
One thing I did wish this book had was more character development. One thing that made me pause a few times was some of the decisions Alex made. For example, she's very cautious and guarded, yet would sit in an office building, that she's not familiar with, very late into the evening, and then walk home alone. But then would be panicky over noises she'd hear outside her own building. It didn't entirely make sense to me. That said, things tie together at the end, but again, I think more development would have made it easier to empathize with Alex.
The twist at the end was absolutely not expected. I did not even remotely guess it, or lean in the direction of it, and I am always appreciative of an author who stumps me.
If you enjoy hidden pasts, and fast-paced thrillers set in the big city, you'll definitely enjoy this one!