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You Look Beautiful Tonight
A secret admirer’s devotion turns deadly in a twisting novel of psychological suspense.
Mia Anderson is an invisible woman. An unremarkable thirty-two-year-old Tennessee librarian, she’s accustomed to disappearing in a crowd, unseen and unheard. Then she receives an anonymous note: You look beautiful today.
It doesn’t stop there. The attentive stranger—a secret admirer named Adam—has plans for Mia. With each new text comes a suggestion for her hair, clothes, or attitude, and for the first time in memory, Mia feels noticed. Slowly, she develops a confidence in herself she’s never had. But Adam has a surprise coming…and Mia finally sees him for who he is and what he’s prepared to do for her. Even kill.
Fearing she could be implicated in the murder, Mia’s forced to turn to the stranger in the shadows watching her every move. Adam’s game of cat and mouse begins with Mia as the prey. In order to survive, she must also become the predator.
Mia Anderson is an invisible woman. An unremarkable thirty-two-year-old Tennessee librarian, she’s accustomed to disappearing in a crowd, unseen and unheard. Then she receives an anonymous note: You look beautiful today.
It doesn’t stop there. The attentive stranger—a secret admirer named Adam—has plans for Mia. With each new text comes a suggestion for her hair, clothes, or attitude, and for the first time in memory, Mia feels noticed. Slowly, she develops a confidence in herself she’s never had. But Adam has a surprise coming…and Mia finally sees him for who he is and what he’s prepared to do for her. Even kill.
Fearing she could be implicated in the murder, Mia’s forced to turn to the stranger in the shadows watching her every move. Adam’s game of cat and mouse begins with Mia as the prey. In order to survive, she must also become the predator.
351 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2023
2712 people are currently reading
8950 people want to read
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November 15, 2022Dnf at 38%. It was a great premise similar to You, but in my opinion the author could not deliver. I couldn’t stand the writing, the cheesy dialogue and the characters were obnoxious. It was so slow and nothing is happening!
Mia is a librarian and frequently voices how she feels invisible. With the help of a friend she creates an online dating profile. Things start getting weird when Mia begins getting notes from a secret admirer. Eventually, things escalate and she finds herself tangled in a dangerous web.
You Look Beautiful Tonight is available May 9,2023.
Thank you to netgalley and thomas&mercer for this arc in exchange for my honest review
Mia is a librarian and frequently voices how she feels invisible. With the help of a friend she creates an online dating profile. Things start getting weird when Mia begins getting notes from a secret admirer. Eventually, things escalate and she finds herself tangled in a dangerous web.
You Look Beautiful Tonight is available May 9,2023.
Thank you to netgalley and thomas&mercer for this arc in exchange for my honest review
June 25, 2023
This is not what I want out of my thrillers. It wasn't twisty or even interesting. I didn't care about the constant drama with Mia's work and her family. Her conversations with her friends were too long and boring. The climax happened way too quickly, unless you count the handful of "present" chapters that seemed more like filler than anything. This felt too long for such an average page count, with nothing exciting happening on the pages.
1.5 stars
1.5 stars
June 7, 2023
I’ll start off with the positives:
1. I didn’t see the twist coming, and
2. I also enjoyed that the majority of the book was set in a large library.
The negatives.. there are several.
1. This book dragged on and on and on. I could’ve easily skipped several chapters and not miss out on much. Too much detailing things that didn’t even matter in the end.
2. THE MAIN CHARACTER… she is seriously SO annoying. Her constantly harping about how she “is invisible” and “nerdy” almost made me not finish the book. She also lacks so much common sense- to the point where it is almost painful to read.
3. The dialogue and pop culture references. Just way too cringey and over the top for me. It takes me out of the story.
4. The end, even though I was surprised by the person, didn’t make a lot of sense honestly. There are plot holes that weren’t wrapped up well.
Overall this book is a 2.5. I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who consumes thrillers often.
1. I didn’t see the twist coming, and
2. I also enjoyed that the majority of the book was set in a large library.
The negatives.. there are several.
1. This book dragged on and on and on. I could’ve easily skipped several chapters and not miss out on much. Too much detailing things that didn’t even matter in the end.
2. THE MAIN CHARACTER… she is seriously SO annoying. Her constantly harping about how she “is invisible” and “nerdy” almost made me not finish the book. She also lacks so much common sense- to the point where it is almost painful to read.
3. The dialogue and pop culture references. Just way too cringey and over the top for me. It takes me out of the story.
4. The end, even though I was surprised by the person, didn’t make a lot of sense honestly. There are plot holes that weren’t wrapped up well.
Overall this book is a 2.5. I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who consumes thrillers often.
dnf
November 19, 2022i picked this up thinking it was a thriller about a stalker/murderer since it says on the cover that it is, but this one is actually a psychological suspense novel according to google. well, it wasn’t at all thrilling either way. it’s coming out next year on 9th of may if anyone’s interested in reading it!
the characters for me were under developed. there was Jess, who was this rich, know-it-all girl. then Mia who felt completely invisible to everyone else and Jack, the geeky one. at first i really liked them but then they all just got obnoxious, having cheesy conversations and all 3 of them just dull. i wanted to get to know Jack more but the author ALWAYS kept him away by making him go work to his desk every time he talked to Mia. like how am i supposed to get to know his character properly then ?? Mia just got way too repetitive with her frustration of no one noticing her but when someone actually gives her attention she’s like oh i wish i was invisible again !! like girl tf you want from life then omg. not to mention how Adam came right into her life to help her with “self-discovery” via a dating app and ofc she fell for it cos he was handsome as hell. it was cheesy and it was poorly done. i’m all for self discoveries in books but not in this unbelievable way.
the writing style was also simple, basic one. i didn’t understand the need to every now and then going to the “present” chapters when it didn’t do fuck all to the story until 52% mark (that’s when i dnfed). could’ve just talked all this time about the past and left the present chapters for the 3rd part of the book, but that’s just my opinion. i just felt they weren’t important as of yet 🤷🏻♀️
the plot was boring too. it read more like a romance novel and not at all like a suspense since i didn’t feel any of it. i predicted instantly who was leaving Mia the notes as well and i don’t normally try to predict stuff so that says something.
overall, i did like it at the beginning, but the more i read, the more i realized that it was just too boring for me to continue. personally, i wouldn’t recommend this.
the characters for me were under developed. there was Jess, who was this rich, know-it-all girl. then Mia who felt completely invisible to everyone else and Jack, the geeky one. at first i really liked them but then they all just got obnoxious, having cheesy conversations and all 3 of them just dull. i wanted to get to know Jack more but the author ALWAYS kept him away by making him go work to his desk every time he talked to Mia. like how am i supposed to get to know his character properly then ?? Mia just got way too repetitive with her frustration of no one noticing her but when someone actually gives her attention she’s like oh i wish i was invisible again !! like girl tf you want from life then omg. not to mention how Adam came right into her life to help her with “self-discovery” via a dating app and ofc she fell for it cos he was handsome as hell. it was cheesy and it was poorly done. i’m all for self discoveries in books but not in this unbelievable way.
the writing style was also simple, basic one. i didn’t understand the need to every now and then going to the “present” chapters when it didn’t do fuck all to the story until 52% mark (that’s when i dnfed). could’ve just talked all this time about the past and left the present chapters for the 3rd part of the book, but that’s just my opinion. i just felt they weren’t important as of yet 🤷🏻♀️
the plot was boring too. it read more like a romance novel and not at all like a suspense since i didn’t feel any of it. i predicted instantly who was leaving Mia the notes as well and i don’t normally try to predict stuff so that says something.
overall, i did like it at the beginning, but the more i read, the more i realized that it was just too boring for me to continue. personally, i wouldn’t recommend this.
June 10, 2023
You Look Beautiful Tonight by L.R. Jones
This novel was literally stupid…usually I try to articulate my thoughts more eloquently, but I just can’t. I may as well DNF since I had to speed read through 200 pages to finish.
Mia is a librarian in Nashville Tennessee who leads a boring life in which she quite literally blends into her surroundings. Or dare I say “she feels invisible” in her job, at cafes, and with previous boyfriends. One day someone notices Mia, and of course he’s a super stalker. Sounds interesting???? It isn’t…I didn’t remember Mia’s name until halfway through the novel. Her character is so bland and one-dimensional I didn’t care if she lived or died.
The twist is also vomit worthy. I hope I can save some of you from wasting your time, DO NOT pick up this book.
This novel was literally stupid…usually I try to articulate my thoughts more eloquently, but I just can’t. I may as well DNF since I had to speed read through 200 pages to finish.
Mia is a librarian in Nashville Tennessee who leads a boring life in which she quite literally blends into her surroundings. Or dare I say “she feels invisible” in her job, at cafes, and with previous boyfriends. One day someone notices Mia, and of course he’s a super stalker. Sounds interesting???? It isn’t…I didn’t remember Mia’s name until halfway through the novel. Her character is so bland and one-dimensional I didn’t care if she lived or died.
The twist is also vomit worthy. I hope I can save some of you from wasting your time, DO NOT pick up this book.
May 8, 2023
What a pile of nonsense. “I’m so normal. I am a normal girl. I drink Diet Coke but not because I’m on a diet. I like pizza. I don’t even wear make up because I’m so normal and ugly. My mother is over baring. My best friend is a rich orphan. Mysterious good looking nerd at work. No one could ever find me attractive. Look how nerdy and normal I am. I even work at a library” urgh. Didn’t even finish it.
May 21, 2023
I have no idea what book everyone else read...but...
This one was not good.
At all.
The main character was an idiot, she constantly focused on the most trivial and inconsequential things, while being willfully obtuse about the things that mattered.
Plus there were sooo many unnecessary details about sooo many things. My eyes hurt from rolling them so much.
All in all- the whole thing read like a bad RL Stein Fear Street book, with god-awful endings to chapters that were supposed to seem like cliffhangers but were laughably ridiculous.
This gets 2 stars for me finishing it, which I was only able to do with lots of skimming, and embracing it for the unintentional comedic gold that it is.
Don't get me started on the over the top ridiculous ending.
I just... can't think of who I would even recommend this to lol
Teenagers? Tweens? No one over the age of 16?
This one was not good.
At all.
The main character was an idiot, she constantly focused on the most trivial and inconsequential things, while being willfully obtuse about the things that mattered.
Plus there were sooo many unnecessary details about sooo many things. My eyes hurt from rolling them so much.
All in all- the whole thing read like a bad RL Stein Fear Street book, with god-awful endings to chapters that were supposed to seem like cliffhangers but were laughably ridiculous.
This gets 2 stars for me finishing it, which I was only able to do with lots of skimming, and embracing it for the unintentional comedic gold that it is.
Don't get me started on the over the top ridiculous ending.
I just... can't think of who I would even recommend this to lol
Teenagers? Tweens? No one over the age of 16?
May 1, 2023
I enjoyed the mystery that slowly opened itself up to Mia. This story includes time jumps from the past to the present but it was written in a way that I never felt confused but rather intrigued as the author gives us a piece of the puzzle a little at a time along the way. I liked that it basically starts at the end before retracing the steps that put the heroine in this situation. It really built up the anticipation for me.
There are a lot of twists and turns that left me guessing and by the time I had figured it out, the author was revealing everything. This has a slower pace to it and a bit of unbelievability but I’m a lenient reader and was fine with suspending belief when actions called for it. Overall, I found this to be an interesting read that kept me engaged from the beginning.
Heroine POV
Safety
Triggers
There are a lot of twists and turns that left me guessing and by the time I had figured it out, the author was revealing everything. This has a slower pace to it and a bit of unbelievability but I’m a lenient reader and was fine with suspending belief when actions called for it. Overall, I found this to be an interesting read that kept me engaged from the beginning.
Heroine POV
Safety
Triggers
June 15, 2023
I have so many feelings about this book and NONE of them are good.
We meet Mia, a 30 something year old librarian who constantly feels utterly invisible to the world around her. She has a small friend group of two people, Jess and Jack, who dislike each other.
Jess convinces Mia to sign up for an online dating app to help her with her journalism article on the subject. During this time Mia starts getting notes left for her at random places by a “secret admirer”. She also starts talking to Adam, a hot civil engineer. Adam shows Mia interest and basic human decency early on and of course Mia thinks it’s part of some joke on her because why else would an attractive man find a plainly dressed woman attractive 😒😑
I normally try to keep my reviews spoiler free but I cannot do that with this one.
So much about this book bugs the shit out of me. So let’s start at the beginning.
The book starts off with Mia running from some unknown assailant in a place we aren’t sure about. It switches to past tense telling us the story of how we’re going to get to the big chase and climax. This is how we get to know the characters and suspects.
I have not read a book with such a stupid Main Female Character in such a long time. It was painful to finish this book. I probably ended up with an ulcer by the end. She is also incredibly dramatic. Her friends don’t tell her every minute detail of their lives and she’s thinking it’s sinister. Her boss offers her a gift for filling in for her on a presentation while she was sick and Mia thinks she has ulterior motives. A man looks at her a little too long in a library and she believes he is out to get her. A barista doesn’t automatically know her order or name and she throws a tantrum. She sees one of her friends having lunch with someone else and thinks he’s hiding things and possibly working with Adam to set her up.
It was infuriating to read her inner dialogue. But when she starts getting weird notes complimenting her around town at her coffee shops she is somewhat excited and flattered. When Adam tells her he is the one leaving the notes she pretty much brushes it off as not a big deal that dude is watching her and following her around. He finds out where she lives without her telling him and doesn’t break things off with him then. He gaslights her into feeling bad that she had 5 minutes of clarity when she freaks out on him for the creepy shit he’s doing. But then she gets over it for the most part and goes on what she believes is a date. (A date with a man from the internet that she’s never actually met before and has proven to stalk her, and she doesn’t mention it to ANYONE 😳👀) What woman going on a date with an online match wouldn’t message every detail of that person they have to their best friend for safety reasons???
It’s not until he literally kills someone in front of her that she is like “ oh, this dude is bad”.
I was hoping beyond hope that Adam wasn’t actually the bad guy. Not because he was a likable character but because it’s so cliché that I almost DNF the book. Of course a quiet “invisible” girl can’t catch the attention of an attractive man unless he is a serial killer? 🙄
Any avid thriller reader knows by this point that Adam is not the person Mia is running from in the “present” sequences. It’s too obvious they keep the description and any clues too vague. So that leads to trying to figure out who is in on it. So much attention is put on the male best friend. But then the book gets more 90s horror cliché and it turns out it’s her long term best friend. 😱😒
This is where I wanted to rage the most and throw the damn book. I ABSOLUTELY HATE when books use mental illness as a catch all for dangerous and destructive behavior. Reinforcing the stereotype that people with trauma and mental illness are things to be feared.
Also, the tidbits that we get throughout the book in flashes forward to present time, which isn’t anything but her running, is pretty much the WHOLE climax. Mia wakes up in the hospital and that’s all we get besides her hunky FBI friend filling her in on everything.
But of course the book comes together with everything working out for our heroine. She gets a huge life insurance payout and a perspective love interest at the end of the book.
This book also had so many random and stupid tangents that Mia would go on to tell us about in the beginning that had no impact on the story whatsoever and were incredibly boring. I was hoping they would come up later in the book to show it was needed information but no. Of course not. I was so confused reading highly rated reviews for this book after finishing it that I’m still scratching my head wondering if I got the wrong book.
We meet Mia, a 30 something year old librarian who constantly feels utterly invisible to the world around her. She has a small friend group of two people, Jess and Jack, who dislike each other.
Jess convinces Mia to sign up for an online dating app to help her with her journalism article on the subject. During this time Mia starts getting notes left for her at random places by a “secret admirer”. She also starts talking to Adam, a hot civil engineer. Adam shows Mia interest and basic human decency early on and of course Mia thinks it’s part of some joke on her because why else would an attractive man find a plainly dressed woman attractive 😒😑
I normally try to keep my reviews spoiler free but I cannot do that with this one.
So much about this book bugs the shit out of me. So let’s start at the beginning.
The book starts off with Mia running from some unknown assailant in a place we aren’t sure about. It switches to past tense telling us the story of how we’re going to get to the big chase and climax. This is how we get to know the characters and suspects.
I have not read a book with such a stupid Main Female Character in such a long time. It was painful to finish this book. I probably ended up with an ulcer by the end. She is also incredibly dramatic. Her friends don’t tell her every minute detail of their lives and she’s thinking it’s sinister. Her boss offers her a gift for filling in for her on a presentation while she was sick and Mia thinks she has ulterior motives. A man looks at her a little too long in a library and she believes he is out to get her. A barista doesn’t automatically know her order or name and she throws a tantrum. She sees one of her friends having lunch with someone else and thinks he’s hiding things and possibly working with Adam to set her up.
It was infuriating to read her inner dialogue. But when she starts getting weird notes complimenting her around town at her coffee shops she is somewhat excited and flattered. When Adam tells her he is the one leaving the notes she pretty much brushes it off as not a big deal that dude is watching her and following her around. He finds out where she lives without her telling him and doesn’t break things off with him then. He gaslights her into feeling bad that she had 5 minutes of clarity when she freaks out on him for the creepy shit he’s doing. But then she gets over it for the most part and goes on what she believes is a date. (A date with a man from the internet that she’s never actually met before and has proven to stalk her, and she doesn’t mention it to ANYONE 😳👀) What woman going on a date with an online match wouldn’t message every detail of that person they have to their best friend for safety reasons???
It’s not until he literally kills someone in front of her that she is like “ oh, this dude is bad”.
I was hoping beyond hope that Adam wasn’t actually the bad guy. Not because he was a likable character but because it’s so cliché that I almost DNF the book. Of course a quiet “invisible” girl can’t catch the attention of an attractive man unless he is a serial killer? 🙄
Any avid thriller reader knows by this point that Adam is not the person Mia is running from in the “present” sequences. It’s too obvious they keep the description and any clues too vague. So that leads to trying to figure out who is in on it. So much attention is put on the male best friend. But then the book gets more 90s horror cliché and it turns out it’s her long term best friend. 😱😒
This is where I wanted to rage the most and throw the damn book. I ABSOLUTELY HATE when books use mental illness as a catch all for dangerous and destructive behavior. Reinforcing the stereotype that people with trauma and mental illness are things to be feared.
Also, the tidbits that we get throughout the book in flashes forward to present time, which isn’t anything but her running, is pretty much the WHOLE climax. Mia wakes up in the hospital and that’s all we get besides her hunky FBI friend filling her in on everything.
But of course the book comes together with everything working out for our heroine. She gets a huge life insurance payout and a perspective love interest at the end of the book.
This book also had so many random and stupid tangents that Mia would go on to tell us about in the beginning that had no impact on the story whatsoever and were incredibly boring. I was hoping they would come up later in the book to show it was needed information but no. Of course not. I was so confused reading highly rated reviews for this book after finishing it that I’m still scratching my head wondering if I got the wrong book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2023
Nothing to say except this literally might be the worst book I’ve ever read…
December 12, 2022
"Blood seeps through the cream-colored carpet, fading into the thick fibers, and a river of life runneth over and under until death do us part."
Working at a Library always has my mind working overtime. How many stories involve Librarians and twisted murders? Not many but my mind goes to that place all the time. I think it comes from my life of horror. My love of horror books and movies really change my perspective on a lot of things.
Librarians have that stereotype of being quiet, calm, and cardigan-wearing smarty pants. In reality, we are just freaks who google everything. It’s no secret.
When I read that this was about a plain librarian who feels invisible but has a stalkerish secret admirer, I was all in. This is real life and it freaks me out, so I had to read this one. I even got my coworker to read it with me. It definitely gave us both the willies.
The mystery was decent but very obvious. A lot of things were obvious from the start and that definitely takes away from the book. If you pick apart clues as you're reading then this one will be a no-brainer. I was hoping for something more dark and mysterious but this was a great way to spend some free time during the weekend.
Mia was such a vulnerable character that I wasn't surprised that something like this happened to someone like her. I'm not sure if I would trust someone I just met online enough to give them some personal clues as to what my full name is and where I work. Some people just get swept up in the moment. The 2 J's were my favorites in this book. They were way supportive and you always need a few good friends who are willing to travel to the ends of the Earth for you.
You Look Beautiful Tonight was a decent book. I loved the parts that took place in the present more than in the past. The present was so intense that I was gripping my Ipad tightly. I may have broken the screen. That's more of what I was looking for in this book.
Working at a Library always has my mind working overtime. How many stories involve Librarians and twisted murders? Not many but my mind goes to that place all the time. I think it comes from my life of horror. My love of horror books and movies really change my perspective on a lot of things.
Librarians have that stereotype of being quiet, calm, and cardigan-wearing smarty pants. In reality, we are just freaks who google everything. It’s no secret.
When I read that this was about a plain librarian who feels invisible but has a stalkerish secret admirer, I was all in. This is real life and it freaks me out, so I had to read this one. I even got my coworker to read it with me. It definitely gave us both the willies.
The mystery was decent but very obvious. A lot of things were obvious from the start and that definitely takes away from the book. If you pick apart clues as you're reading then this one will be a no-brainer. I was hoping for something more dark and mysterious but this was a great way to spend some free time during the weekend.
Mia was such a vulnerable character that I wasn't surprised that something like this happened to someone like her. I'm not sure if I would trust someone I just met online enough to give them some personal clues as to what my full name is and where I work. Some people just get swept up in the moment. The 2 J's were my favorites in this book. They were way supportive and you always need a few good friends who are willing to travel to the ends of the Earth for you.
You Look Beautiful Tonight was a decent book. I loved the parts that took place in the present more than in the past. The present was so intense that I was gripping my Ipad tightly. I may have broken the screen. That's more of what I was looking for in this book.
May 14, 2023
Thanks to Amazon First Reads for offering this FREE for me to read.
If you like dark thrillers than this is certainly for you.
Very interesting characters, very easy to follow.
I hope that Mike & Mia have a good relationship going forward with Sasha joining them.
So … no Jack and Mia … just friends forever.
Enjoy the money!
If you like dark thrillers than this is certainly for you.
Very interesting characters, very easy to follow.
I hope that Mike & Mia have a good relationship going forward with Sasha joining them.
So … no Jack and Mia … just friends forever.
Enjoy the money!
May 19, 2023
This book started to drag for me but I kept going and became involved in wanting to know more about the characters. There were some twist and turns that I had not expected. But it kept me interested and was an enjoyable read.
May 27, 2023
*Won this in a Goodreads Giveaway-Thank You!* This book started with a bang, but then went nowhere for most of the book until the very end. I enjoyed reading a story about a librarian, but found most of the book to be almost young adult in writing content and the many side stories and red herrings were poorly done.
Mia is a librarian at the Nashville Public Library. She is in her 30's but seems much younger and spends most of her time saying over and over "Sometimes I like being invisible but sometimes i want to be seen." Mia has parents who love her, two best friends, rich Jess who would do anything for Mia and Jack her fellow librarian who also jumps to help her any time she needs him. Told in first person, we spend a long time with Mia complaining about her life and being annoyed by silly things like a busy coffee shop employee not remembering her name. This goes on for more than half the book until Mia decides to join a dating website and meets the mysterious Adam who she never actually sees in person. Then it turns into a "Fifty Shades of Gray" YA style as Adam orders her to do things like wear her hair down, get contacts and wear designer clothes that he provides. Mia sees no problem with doing this even though she never meets Adam and has no idea if he is real. Adam also somehow hears everything she says and sees everything she does but this never seems to bother her until something awful happens.
There are murders after a long while and I wanted to find out what was going on but was distracted and annoyed by side stories that were boring. This included: a side story about Mia's father who is an inventor and is set for a second appearance on a Shark Tank type show called Lion's Den. It is mentioned at least three times that the main investor on the show "plays in the devil's sandbox". Why is this one phrase repeated so much? It also makes no sense that Mia, a librarian would be responsible for insuring her father got a good deal on his invention. It also made zero sense for Adam to insist Mia take over all negotiations for her father and it never occurs to her to wonder why in the world her romantic interest would care about that.
Another story that went nowhere was Mia's boss being possibly sick, that every time the boss called Mia her voice sounded like something was important (it never was) and for no reason at all the boss gives Mia a Tiffany letter opener and tells her "It could be a bookmark or a weapon." Mia repeats this phrase to herself many times. At one point a group of teenagers are briefly stranded in the library waiting for a speaker to show up and we are supposed to believe they kept the librarians busy asking them to look things up. Teenagers, asking librarians to look up things? They all have phones for that, believe me. Some very far fetched twists at the end and then everything is tied up with a ribbon including a FBI agent who happens to be a friend assuring Mia "We have everything on camera, no worries at all." This is a 2 star rating and I went up one star for the library setting.
Mia is a librarian at the Nashville Public Library. She is in her 30's but seems much younger and spends most of her time saying over and over "Sometimes I like being invisible but sometimes i want to be seen." Mia has parents who love her, two best friends, rich Jess who would do anything for Mia and Jack her fellow librarian who also jumps to help her any time she needs him. Told in first person, we spend a long time with Mia complaining about her life and being annoyed by silly things like a busy coffee shop employee not remembering her name. This goes on for more than half the book until Mia decides to join a dating website and meets the mysterious Adam who she never actually sees in person. Then it turns into a "Fifty Shades of Gray" YA style as Adam orders her to do things like wear her hair down, get contacts and wear designer clothes that he provides. Mia sees no problem with doing this even though she never meets Adam and has no idea if he is real. Adam also somehow hears everything she says and sees everything she does but this never seems to bother her until something awful happens.
There are murders after a long while and I wanted to find out what was going on but was distracted and annoyed by side stories that were boring. This included: a side story about Mia's father who is an inventor and is set for a second appearance on a Shark Tank type show called Lion's Den. It is mentioned at least three times that the main investor on the show "plays in the devil's sandbox". Why is this one phrase repeated so much? It also makes no sense that Mia, a librarian would be responsible for insuring her father got a good deal on his invention. It also made zero sense for Adam to insist Mia take over all negotiations for her father and it never occurs to her to wonder why in the world her romantic interest would care about that.
Another story that went nowhere was Mia's boss being possibly sick, that every time the boss called Mia her voice sounded like something was important (it never was) and for no reason at all the boss gives Mia a Tiffany letter opener and tells her "It could be a bookmark or a weapon." Mia repeats this phrase to herself many times. At one point a group of teenagers are briefly stranded in the library waiting for a speaker to show up and we are supposed to believe they kept the librarians busy asking them to look things up. Teenagers, asking librarians to look up things? They all have phones for that, believe me. Some very far fetched twists at the end and then everything is tied up with a ribbon including a FBI agent who happens to be a friend assuring Mia "We have everything on camera, no worries at all." This is a 2 star rating and I went up one star for the library setting.
November 16, 2023
A twisted psychological thriller with a secret admirer!
This is the first novel I’ve read by this author and I was overjoyed when I was offered a complimentary copy of her upcoming book. “The Wedding Party” is expected to be published in February 2024!
Have you ever felt plain and invisible? I think we all do at some point in our life. Mia does. She’s a librarian in Tennessee, with no extraordinary features. No one really notices her until one day she receives a note from a secret admirer. “You look beautiful today.” The notes continue, with instructions on how to improve her appearance.
The secret admirer doesn’t stay secret for long, but he’s unlike any other I’ve read about. Adam is playing a twisted game that turns deadly and leaves Mia in a difficult situation.
This psychological thriller is filled with twists that will keep you wondering just who the bad guy really is!
#YouLookBeautifulToday #LRJones #kindleunlimited #BrillianceAudio #thomasandmercer #amazon #justfinished #thriller #honestreview #thrillerbookloverspromotions #thrillerfriendsunite #thrillerobsessedbookishclub #suspense #mystery #lovetoread #bookworms #lovebooks #lovetoreadbooks #fortheloveofbooks #booknerd #bookreviewer #booksbooksandmorebooks #instabook #readaholic #igbookreels #newrelease
This is the first novel I’ve read by this author and I was overjoyed when I was offered a complimentary copy of her upcoming book. “The Wedding Party” is expected to be published in February 2024!
Have you ever felt plain and invisible? I think we all do at some point in our life. Mia does. She’s a librarian in Tennessee, with no extraordinary features. No one really notices her until one day she receives a note from a secret admirer. “You look beautiful today.” The notes continue, with instructions on how to improve her appearance.
The secret admirer doesn’t stay secret for long, but he’s unlike any other I’ve read about. Adam is playing a twisted game that turns deadly and leaves Mia in a difficult situation.
This psychological thriller is filled with twists that will keep you wondering just who the bad guy really is!
#YouLookBeautifulToday #LRJones #kindleunlimited #BrillianceAudio #thomasandmercer #amazon #justfinished #thriller #honestreview #thrillerbookloverspromotions #thrillerfriendsunite #thrillerobsessedbookishclub #suspense #mystery #lovetoread #bookworms #lovebooks #lovetoreadbooks #fortheloveofbooks #booknerd #bookreviewer #booksbooksandmorebooks #instabook #readaholic #igbookreels #newrelease
May 5, 2023
This book was supposedly a psychological suspense-thriller, but I found it a slog to get through. I was driven onward by the need to know whodunnit, but by the end I wasn’t surprised that the explanation was absurd. A book that was boring rather than thrilling and predictably absurd by the end.
June 13, 2023
I’m sorry this book was just not good. It dragggggggged on. So many unnecessary details and too much repetition. The “twist” at the end felt really rushed and honestly not well thought out. This book was just painful and way too long.
The main character was insufferable. The way she quickly went to worse case scenario in every situation, even before the bad stuff started happening. The way she talked about herself being invisible the entire book (we get it, okay?). The way she allowed her friends to take up every single second of her life to the point she felt she HAD to talk to them/see them/tell them everything at every moment. I couldn’t stand her thought process.
The “bad guy” ended up being a horrible choice. It was revealed, and then two seconds later everything was neatly tied up and solved.
I only finished the whole thing because I couldn’t find the ending anywhere online.
I don’t recommend.
The main character was insufferable. The way she quickly went to worse case scenario in every situation, even before the bad stuff started happening. The way she talked about herself being invisible the entire book (we get it, okay?). The way she allowed her friends to take up every single second of her life to the point she felt she HAD to talk to them/see them/tell them everything at every moment. I couldn’t stand her thought process.
The “bad guy” ended up being a horrible choice. It was revealed, and then two seconds later everything was neatly tied up and solved.
I only finished the whole thing because I couldn’t find the ending anywhere online.
I don’t recommend.
June 16, 2023
I don’t understand how this book got published with such bad writing. And it keeps getting worse as the book drags on. I’m still shocked that I read sentences like
“Slowly sinking to the ground, my legs two snakes of different minds, landing in different positions on the ground”
“His hair in that mad scientist mussed-up mess that makes my father my father”
“Once I’m at the escalator, I am all but running up them”
And the climax of the book is just the main character running and falling (she deserved it for her stupid decisions) and remembering that she has a letter opener that can be used as a knife.
“Slowly sinking to the ground, my legs two snakes of different minds, landing in different positions on the ground”
“His hair in that mad scientist mussed-up mess that makes my father my father”
“Once I’m at the escalator, I am all but running up them”
And the climax of the book is just the main character running and falling (she deserved it for her stupid decisions) and remembering that she has a letter opener that can be used as a knife.
July 29, 2023
Let me start off by saying that a four-star rating is a very generous rating but it was a fast read and I have a reading goal to hit so…
And it might have been a fast read just because some parts were just so unnecessary that I skimmed through them and still didn’t miss a thing.
I found Mia’s friends and family boring. Their conversations were just long and useless, not to mention how their drama was just written to be there? World leaders care about the environment more than I care for these guys.
I also found it incredibly annoying how repetitive the whole book was. The word “invisible” was used in this book 55 times! I can’t even begin to describe how annoying it was. Mia was already a pain in the ass but her constant cries about how, look there’s the word again, invisible she was made her unbearable. Honestly Adam is better than me because I wanted to strangle her myself.
It was so easy to guess and pick up clues throughout the book. I’m not a thriller reader, and I was able to guess and notice most of the things. Mia, for a so-called smart person, was so dumb for this. I know it’s a classic-thriller-girlie thing but come on man. You can do better than this.
The climax was very rushed. This whole book was so slow just for the climax to happen and end abruptly in five pages. It might be the biggest disappointment of the entire book. No excitement, no chase, no fight for your life… My drunk ass trying to make it to home has more action than this.
As I’m writing this, I decided to lower my rating because shit, I really can’t say anything nice about this book.
The lazy writing route the author took… Safe to say I was in disbelief. So in the end, there were a lot of loose ends and the author decided to close them by making a character explain it all. An FBI agent to be exact. I can understand a few things but everything, EVERYTHING, was explained to the character and us like we were a bunch of dumb toddlers. The character asks what happened to this person or about an event and the agent just explains it all… Be fucking for real.
I’ll be honest with you I did not see the ending twist coming, but I do believe it was because of the lack of foreshadowing and not good writing at all.
I’ll probably forget about the whole book in a week or so. So it wasn’t so bad that it scarred me for life but it was just bad as in unremarkable.
And it might have been a fast read just because some parts were just so unnecessary that I skimmed through them and still didn’t miss a thing.
I found Mia’s friends and family boring. Their conversations were just long and useless, not to mention how their drama was just written to be there? World leaders care about the environment more than I care for these guys.
I also found it incredibly annoying how repetitive the whole book was. The word “invisible” was used in this book 55 times! I can’t even begin to describe how annoying it was. Mia was already a pain in the ass but her constant cries about how, look there’s the word again, invisible she was made her unbearable. Honestly Adam is better than me because I wanted to strangle her myself.
It was so easy to guess and pick up clues throughout the book. I’m not a thriller reader, and I was able to guess and notice most of the things. Mia, for a so-called smart person, was so dumb for this. I know it’s a classic-thriller-girlie thing but come on man. You can do better than this.
The climax was very rushed. This whole book was so slow just for the climax to happen and end abruptly in five pages. It might be the biggest disappointment of the entire book. No excitement, no chase, no fight for your life… My drunk ass trying to make it to home has more action than this.
As I’m writing this, I decided to lower my rating because shit, I really can’t say anything nice about this book.
The lazy writing route the author took… Safe to say I was in disbelief. So in the end, there were a lot of loose ends and the author decided to close them by making a character explain it all. An FBI agent to be exact. I can understand a few things but everything, EVERYTHING, was explained to the character and us like we were a bunch of dumb toddlers. The character asks what happened to this person or about an event and the agent just explains it all… Be fucking for real.
I’ll be honest with you I did not see the ending twist coming, but I do believe it was because of the lack of foreshadowing and not good writing at all.
I’ll probably forget about the whole book in a week or so. So it wasn’t so bad that it scarred me for life but it was just bad as in unremarkable.
July 4, 2025
I really enjoyed this twisty psychological suspense! The story pulled me in right away and kept me guessing. I had a feeling about the twist at the end but loved how it could have gone multiple ways.. it made the reveal so satisfying.
I also liked watching Mia, the main character, navigate her life and all the challenges she faced. The suspense and tension built up so well, and the secret admirer plotline was super creepy in the best way.
Definitely recommend if you enjoy psychological thrillers with a dark twist and a strong female lead!
I also liked watching Mia, the main character, navigate her life and all the challenges she faced. The suspense and tension built up so well, and the secret admirer plotline was super creepy in the best way.
Definitely recommend if you enjoy psychological thrillers with a dark twist and a strong female lead!
May 11, 2023
If you’re from Nashville, just skip this book.
I got this book through Amazon Prime First Reads, and I was excited about reading a Nashville-based fiction novel. However, I’m pretty sure the author never stepped foot in Nashville for any of her research. Honestly, I could write an entire terrible review just about the inaccuracies. She talks enough about coffee shops, but doesn’t bother to list a single one that actually exists. The geographical layout of the main settings is all wrong. It’s just a poorly researched book.
But I did stop and think, “Would this be a good story if it was based elsewhere?” And the answer is NO! It was basically a retelling of “Pretty Little Liars” but for a 32 year old idiot. She has no common sense at all. Mia Anderson acts as if she’s never stepped foot outside in the real world at all. Her choices are infuriating.
Skip this book. There’s better thrillers with better plot twists out there.
LOCAL NASHVILLIANS DON’T GO TO WILDHORSE!
I got this book through Amazon Prime First Reads, and I was excited about reading a Nashville-based fiction novel. However, I’m pretty sure the author never stepped foot in Nashville for any of her research. Honestly, I could write an entire terrible review just about the inaccuracies. She talks enough about coffee shops, but doesn’t bother to list a single one that actually exists. The geographical layout of the main settings is all wrong. It’s just a poorly researched book.
But I did stop and think, “Would this be a good story if it was based elsewhere?” And the answer is NO! It was basically a retelling of “Pretty Little Liars” but for a 32 year old idiot. She has no common sense at all. Mia Anderson acts as if she’s never stepped foot outside in the real world at all. Her choices are infuriating.
Skip this book. There’s better thrillers with better plot twists out there.
LOCAL NASHVILLIANS DON’T GO TO WILDHORSE!
May 13, 2023
Mia (short for missing in action), a 30-something librarian who can't stop blatting about how invisible she is, connects with Adam on a dating site. He seems to know as much about her as her best friends Jess and Jack, so much so that he starts to feel stalkerish. And act stalkerish. But something is amiss. What is it? I'm not entirely sure because I skipped from chapter 40 to chapter 80 since the action was so slow. The book begins with Mia having been stabbed and trying to escape, and the scene advances a bit each time it is sprinkled throughout the book in a failed attempt to heighten the tension as we learn what led up to this crisis. I skipped ahead to see if what I had figured out was true, and it was. The premise was engaging, but the execution was a yawner.
May 7, 2023
The first chapter was gripping and had me intrigued. But the story goes back to the past and it is slow and I skimmed a lot. Though short chapters make it a quick read. Chapters in the present are interspersed with the past, but they didn’t grip me the way the first chapter did. I found Mia to be frustrating. She’s very repetitive in her thoughts. I didn’t like any of the characters. I didn’t connect at all and I wasn’t surprised by anything that happened.
May 11, 2023
Brilliant. Got this from Amazon first reads and could not put it down. Debut author who I will most definitely be keeping an eye on for future releases!
June 28, 2023
Just no.
dnf
November 2, 2023I just hate the MC so much and I especially hate the "I wear simple clothes and am a quiet librarian so no one even knows I exist". Just stop.
November 14, 2022
Mia, a librarian in Nashville, is used to being ignored and overlooked. That is until what starts as a simple online dating profile turns into a series of unusual and dangerous events that spiral out of Mia’s control.
Though I didn’t know where the story was going at first - and it took a while to fully take off - the final product still satisfies. This novel is more of a slow-unraveling mystery than thriller (especially with how rushed the ending feels), but a good mystery indeed. It has smooth, clean writing with short chapters that give it a quick pace. And Jones provides plenty of misdirection; although I did eventually have a hunch about where the story would end, there are so many red herrings that make it a fun guessing game along the way.
As a protagonist, Mia feels deeply real. I like messy protagonists, so Mia’s questionable decisions are, to me, a sign of good characterization and story development. Mia’s friends are nicely created, too, and every single character - though at times one dimensional - played some type of necessary role.
(Having read this pre-publication, there were some formatting issues, namely that the text messages and other similar passages seemed to get lost in the regular narrative).
I recommend this book to fans of “You” or stalker mysteries/thrillers in general, especially one that entertains and keeps you guessing.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Though I didn’t know where the story was going at first - and it took a while to fully take off - the final product still satisfies. This novel is more of a slow-unraveling mystery than thriller (especially with how rushed the ending feels), but a good mystery indeed. It has smooth, clean writing with short chapters that give it a quick pace. And Jones provides plenty of misdirection; although I did eventually have a hunch about where the story would end, there are so many red herrings that make it a fun guessing game along the way.
As a protagonist, Mia feels deeply real. I like messy protagonists, so Mia’s questionable decisions are, to me, a sign of good characterization and story development. Mia’s friends are nicely created, too, and every single character - though at times one dimensional - played some type of necessary role.
(Having read this pre-publication, there were some formatting issues, namely that the text messages and other similar passages seemed to get lost in the regular narrative).
I recommend this book to fans of “You” or stalker mysteries/thrillers in general, especially one that entertains and keeps you guessing.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
June 12, 2023
I started listening to this when I took my dog for a walk - we were gone 2 hours (there’s more stopping and sniffing, greeting random strangers and begging for attention than actual walking) I got 4 hours into the book and nothing has happened. Nothing. She’s received two relatively benign notes. I think I would have given up already if it hadn’t been Andi Arndt narrating. Do I continue when we go for our next walk? Eh.
I managed to finish it over the next couple walks. I almost want to look at the kindle version to see how many times the words ‘invisible’ and ‘seen’ were used. It had to have been over 100 - and that’s not an exaggeration. It was completely eye rolling after a while. Show me; don’t repeatedly tell me. The book finally got better BUT the ending was just… not good. I expected better out of this author. Listen to the Lilah Love series (which are actually way more thrilling and engaging) - skip this one.
I managed to finish it over the next couple walks. I almost want to look at the kindle version to see how many times the words ‘invisible’ and ‘seen’ were used. It had to have been over 100 - and that’s not an exaggeration. It was completely eye rolling after a while. Show me; don’t repeatedly tell me. The book finally got better BUT the ending was just… not good. I expected better out of this author. Listen to the Lilah Love series (which are actually way more thrilling and engaging) - skip this one.
May 8, 2023
The stereotyping in the book is atrocious. From librarians to inventors nothing seemed authentic in this story. Also the main character while very likable did everything that made for me to feel uncomfortable. I thought the story was going to involve the perils of social media and dating apps in particular. It seemed like AI may have had some role to play but no. The dating and social media played a very minor role and the story is about mental illness, and criminals. While the red herrings were excellent that was the only part of the story I found satisfying. Mia was way to naive and too easily manipulated. It wasn’t a very satisfying ending. I was hoping through the story Mia had been duped. But no it just seemed outlandish a premise.
June 27, 2023
This is a slow burn style mystery. There is a lot in here about relationships, dating websites and trying to sort out your life at almost 30. It took a while to get going and I found myself immersed in the MC's inability to feel seen all the time rather than the mystery. The reveal and ultimate plot twist was so over the top it was hard to even picture - more like an action movie plot than a thriller. It didn't keep me hooked and I'm sad I didn't love it. I love the cover though.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
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