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Just One Look
9 hours, 47 minutes
A young woman's escalating obsession with a seemingly perfect man leads her down a dangerous path in this novel of suspense brimming with envy, desire, and deception.
Eyes aren't the windows to the soul. Emails are.
Cassie Woodson is adrift. After suffering an epic tumble down the corporate ladder, Cassie finds the only way she can pay her bills is to take a thankless temp job reviewing correspondence for a large-scale fraud suit. The daily drudgery amplifies all that her life is lacking--love, friends, stability--and leaves her with too much time on her hands, which she spends fixating on the mistakes that brought her to this point.
While sorting through a relentless deluge of emails, something catches her eye: the tender (and totally private) exchanges between a partner at the firm, Forest Watts, and his enchanting wife, Annabelle. Cassie knows she shouldn't read them. But it's just one look. And once she's opened that door, she finds she can't look away.
Every day, twenty floors below Forest's corner office, Cassie dissects their emails from her dingy workstation. A few clicks of her mouse and she can see every adoring word they write to each other. By peeking into their seemingly perfect life, Cassie finds renewed purpose and happiness, reveling in their penchant for vintage wines, morning juice presses, and lavish dinner parties thrown in their stately Westchester home. There are no secrets from her. Or so she thinks.
Her admiration quickly escalates into all-out mimicry, because she wants this life more than anything. Maybe if she plays make-believe long enough, it will become real for her. But when Cassie orchestrates a "chance" meeting with Forest in the real world and sees something that throws the state of his marriage into question, the fantasy she's been carefully cultivating shatters. Suddenly, she doesn't simply admire Annabelle--she wants to take her place. And she's armed with the tools to make that happen.
A young woman's escalating obsession with a seemingly perfect man leads her down a dangerous path in this novel of suspense brimming with envy, desire, and deception.
Eyes aren't the windows to the soul. Emails are.
Cassie Woodson is adrift. After suffering an epic tumble down the corporate ladder, Cassie finds the only way she can pay her bills is to take a thankless temp job reviewing correspondence for a large-scale fraud suit. The daily drudgery amplifies all that her life is lacking--love, friends, stability--and leaves her with too much time on her hands, which she spends fixating on the mistakes that brought her to this point.
While sorting through a relentless deluge of emails, something catches her eye: the tender (and totally private) exchanges between a partner at the firm, Forest Watts, and his enchanting wife, Annabelle. Cassie knows she shouldn't read them. But it's just one look. And once she's opened that door, she finds she can't look away.
Every day, twenty floors below Forest's corner office, Cassie dissects their emails from her dingy workstation. A few clicks of her mouse and she can see every adoring word they write to each other. By peeking into their seemingly perfect life, Cassie finds renewed purpose and happiness, reveling in their penchant for vintage wines, morning juice presses, and lavish dinner parties thrown in their stately Westchester home. There are no secrets from her. Or so she thinks.
Her admiration quickly escalates into all-out mimicry, because she wants this life more than anything. Maybe if she plays make-believe long enough, it will become real for her. But when Cassie orchestrates a "chance" meeting with Forest in the real world and sees something that throws the state of his marriage into question, the fantasy she's been carefully cultivating shatters. Suddenly, she doesn't simply admire Annabelle--she wants to take her place. And she's armed with the tools to make that happen.
Audible Audio
First published July 27, 2021
About the author
Lindsay Cameron
4 books484 followersLindsay Cameron worked as a corporate lawyer for many years in Vancouver and New York City before leaving the law behind to write books. She is the author of Biglaw and Just One Look. She lives in New York City where she is currently at work on her next book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 975 reviews
December 27, 2023
For fans of You, Just One Look is a story about a female stalker. Cassie Woodson is a lawyer reinventing herself after a fall down the corporate ladder. She starts out on the lowest rung of the lawyer corporate ladder, working as a temp attorney. She is performing document review for the law firm, reviewing materials to determine if emails have any relevance to the case at hand. However, there is one partner's emails who are swept up in Cassie's review box. The partner and his wife have such tender interaction. Can Cassie find someone to love her like that in her life? Is everything just as charmed as it seems?
When I started my legal career, I also worked as a temp lawyer, and the author clearly did do her research. It is very disheartening to graduate from law school in the top 10 percent of your class, pass the bar exam on the first try, and only be able to find a job which pays $20 per hour without any benefits while also being shackled with $100,000 of student loan debt. Some of Cassie's inner reflections resonated with me - We all look around and try to get a feel for cultural norms at work. Does everyone wear black suits/ties or jeans? Does everyone leave at 5 pm on the dot or does everyone work overtime regularly?
This was a quick read, and I enjoyed it. That being said, I read A LOT of mystery and thriller, and there is definitely a little bit of art and science to it. There should have been a bit more intrigue. There were also a few scenarios where it felt a little bit off, and I had boiled down the ending to one or two scenarios and it was one of the two I had envisioned. The mysteries that are the best are the ones where you don't see the ending coming, and this book just wasn't quite there yet.
Overall, this was an enjoyable book. Although it is definitely a stalker book, it was a good reminder that maybe I could pay a bit more attention to the details of those I love.
*Thanks, NetGalley, for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.
2024 Reading Schedule
Jan Middlemarch
Feb The Grapes of Wrath
Mar Oliver Twist
Apr Madame Bovary
May A Clockwork Orange
Jun Possession
Jul The Folk of the Faraway Tree Collection
Aug Crime and Punishment
Sep Heart of Darkness
Oct Moby-Dick
Nov Far From the Madding Crowd
Dec A Tale of Two Cities
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When I started my legal career, I also worked as a temp lawyer, and the author clearly did do her research. It is very disheartening to graduate from law school in the top 10 percent of your class, pass the bar exam on the first try, and only be able to find a job which pays $20 per hour without any benefits while also being shackled with $100,000 of student loan debt. Some of Cassie's inner reflections resonated with me - We all look around and try to get a feel for cultural norms at work. Does everyone wear black suits/ties or jeans? Does everyone leave at 5 pm on the dot or does everyone work overtime regularly?
This was a quick read, and I enjoyed it. That being said, I read A LOT of mystery and thriller, and there is definitely a little bit of art and science to it. There should have been a bit more intrigue. There were also a few scenarios where it felt a little bit off, and I had boiled down the ending to one or two scenarios and it was one of the two I had envisioned. The mysteries that are the best are the ones where you don't see the ending coming, and this book just wasn't quite there yet.
Overall, this was an enjoyable book. Although it is definitely a stalker book, it was a good reminder that maybe I could pay a bit more attention to the details of those I love.
*Thanks, NetGalley, for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.
2024 Reading Schedule
Jan Middlemarch
Feb The Grapes of Wrath
Mar Oliver Twist
Apr Madame Bovary
May A Clockwork Orange
Jun Possession
Jul The Folk of the Faraway Tree Collection
Aug Crime and Punishment
Sep Heart of Darkness
Oct Moby-Dick
Nov Far From the Madding Crowd
Dec A Tale of Two Cities
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta
December 4, 2021
Wish this one happy book-birthday! 🎉🎈
Well! Here’s my story folks: my wish came true: I grabbed my arc, my hands, my mind, my eyes stayed glued to it, I wanted to take coffee, heavy booze, meal, munchies breaks, but I couldn’t! I kept on reading! I also had to finish my writing assignment, cooking ( kidding) I mean ordering take out, cleaning ( kidding again, they’re my husband dearest’s responsibilities) , opening door ( yes, husband dearest forgot his key and I didn’t open the door because the book was way too much interesting to put it down, so eventually husband dearest found a great locksmith, shared a take out with him from my favorite Thai place to punish me!) but as I mentioned before the book was too addictive to leave behind and I finished it at the same day I got!
Interesting fact about the book is making us sympathize with an anti heroine who reminds us of female version You’s Joe Goldberg. She also suffers from deep family issues, dysfunctional relationship issues, trust issues, feeling unloved, uncared, losing control at the work place: yes, all the problems of hers are similar with dear Joe and the most common thing between them: they’re highly achieved, skillful stalkers! And interestingly as we take a tour on their minds, connecting with their inner turmoils, witnessing their sharp wit, sarcasm, differentiated approach to the events, we start to feel for them and we’d like to see their HEAs!
In the beginning of the book, we’re quickly introduced to Cassie Woodson who is starting her not so desirable new job: making $25 an hour at temporary job reviewing correspondence for a large scale fraud suit.
We understand that something traumatic happened at her last work place, a real scandal which ruins her promising career at a law firm and forces her looking behind her back, laying low not to be recognized by anyone.
Now she’s trapped in an airless, soulless, claustrophobic office place, clicking her mouse, reading hundreds of correspondences, getting closer to find hundreds way of killing herself. That depressive workplace truly worsens her depressed mood. Thankfully she finds a geeky, sarcastic friend Dalton who helps her getting through the day. Maybe this guy is the only real friend of her for years.
As we get snippets from her past, we learn her mother abandoned her after suffering from postpartum depression and her father was the only person she could connect with. We also find out she can be really intense and had a traumatic breakup with her last boyfriend which ended disastrously.
Now her ultra boring, soul sucking job gets interesting when she starts reading one of the corporate associates intimate correspondences with his wife: Forest Watts and his enchanting wife Annabelle’s emails become highlight of her days.
She starts connecting with the happy couple, stalking them on social media, digging up everything about their privileged lives and experiencing things they’ve been doing in their daily lives (ordering same shampoo, perfume with Annabelle, drinking the same experience wine, hanging out the places they go) But one day she finds out maybe their so called perfect couple life is not so great and she can replace Annabelle if she wants. She can be anyone she’d dreamed of, can’t she?
Well, this book is surprisingly intriguing, fast pacing, razor sharp witty, fresh, unique, original!
Sometimes things never like as it seems. An antiheroine can turn into a good hearted but broken heroine as the good guys may turn into a villains in one click!
It’s thought provoking criticism of social media and its destructive effects and invasion of privacy.
Especially last third with its increasing high tension was mind blowing and truly exciting, twisty, extra smart!
No more words! I’m so glad to announce we have a new brilliant debut author at the thriller town and I look forward to read her future works!
She earned five conspiracy, surprising, stalking, obsessed, exciting, addictive five stars with this remarkable work!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Ballantine Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
Well! Here’s my story folks: my wish came true: I grabbed my arc, my hands, my mind, my eyes stayed glued to it, I wanted to take coffee, heavy booze, meal, munchies breaks, but I couldn’t! I kept on reading! I also had to finish my writing assignment, cooking ( kidding) I mean ordering take out, cleaning ( kidding again, they’re my husband dearest’s responsibilities) , opening door ( yes, husband dearest forgot his key and I didn’t open the door because the book was way too much interesting to put it down, so eventually husband dearest found a great locksmith, shared a take out with him from my favorite Thai place to punish me!) but as I mentioned before the book was too addictive to leave behind and I finished it at the same day I got!
Interesting fact about the book is making us sympathize with an anti heroine who reminds us of female version You’s Joe Goldberg. She also suffers from deep family issues, dysfunctional relationship issues, trust issues, feeling unloved, uncared, losing control at the work place: yes, all the problems of hers are similar with dear Joe and the most common thing between them: they’re highly achieved, skillful stalkers! And interestingly as we take a tour on their minds, connecting with their inner turmoils, witnessing their sharp wit, sarcasm, differentiated approach to the events, we start to feel for them and we’d like to see their HEAs!
In the beginning of the book, we’re quickly introduced to Cassie Woodson who is starting her not so desirable new job: making $25 an hour at temporary job reviewing correspondence for a large scale fraud suit.
We understand that something traumatic happened at her last work place, a real scandal which ruins her promising career at a law firm and forces her looking behind her back, laying low not to be recognized by anyone.
Now she’s trapped in an airless, soulless, claustrophobic office place, clicking her mouse, reading hundreds of correspondences, getting closer to find hundreds way of killing herself. That depressive workplace truly worsens her depressed mood. Thankfully she finds a geeky, sarcastic friend Dalton who helps her getting through the day. Maybe this guy is the only real friend of her for years.
As we get snippets from her past, we learn her mother abandoned her after suffering from postpartum depression and her father was the only person she could connect with. We also find out she can be really intense and had a traumatic breakup with her last boyfriend which ended disastrously.
Now her ultra boring, soul sucking job gets interesting when she starts reading one of the corporate associates intimate correspondences with his wife: Forest Watts and his enchanting wife Annabelle’s emails become highlight of her days.
She starts connecting with the happy couple, stalking them on social media, digging up everything about their privileged lives and experiencing things they’ve been doing in their daily lives (ordering same shampoo, perfume with Annabelle, drinking the same experience wine, hanging out the places they go) But one day she finds out maybe their so called perfect couple life is not so great and she can replace Annabelle if she wants. She can be anyone she’d dreamed of, can’t she?
Well, this book is surprisingly intriguing, fast pacing, razor sharp witty, fresh, unique, original!
Sometimes things never like as it seems. An antiheroine can turn into a good hearted but broken heroine as the good guys may turn into a villains in one click!
It’s thought provoking criticism of social media and its destructive effects and invasion of privacy.
Especially last third with its increasing high tension was mind blowing and truly exciting, twisty, extra smart!
No more words! I’m so glad to announce we have a new brilliant debut author at the thriller town and I look forward to read her future works!
She earned five conspiracy, surprising, stalking, obsessed, exciting, addictive five stars with this remarkable work!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Ballantine Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
July 27, 2021
Just One Look by Lindsay Cameron
Disgraced lawyer, Cassie Woodson, spent five years on the top floor of a law firm until she bombed out spectacularly, all documented by TV and internet videos, as she was led out of the law firm, by the police. After long months of barely moving off her couch, she's had to take a temp job doing point and click grunt work in a tiny, windowless room, with seventeen other nameless temp workers. Above her on the 30th floor is the life she used to lead and when she latches emails between one of the hot shot lawyers, to his wife, Cassie is moonstruck by the romantic exchanges. When she realizes that the couple may be estranged now, she sets her sights on Forest and she's not going to let go.
Cassie is mentally unstable, having lost people dear to her, first when here mother left due to depression after Cassie's birth. Cassie can't let go of the failure to be what her mother wanted her to be, and she considers the leaving of other people in her life as her fault, too. This is very book smart woman whose emotional state makes her a very weak woman. She knows she needs a man in her life, the right man, and in Forest she has found her...stalking victim...ahem...perfect man. Cassie is really good at what she puts her mind to and she soon has a bulging folder of information on Forest and his ex wife.
Cassie would be a lot better at all of this, her job, her everyday life, her stalking, if she had more confidence in herself. But that's not Cassie, she always has her doubts, her feelings of not being worthy, her deep shame for being marched from her job in disgrace. She has to remake her self in so many ways that she's always on the verge of making a mistake, forgetting her lies, and exposing the shambles of her life. Obsession is a scary thing, but Cassie lives for her obsession.
I felt bad for Cassie while feeling scared of her, at the same time. She'd be one of those really, really scary psychos we read about in novels if only she wasn't such a screw up, if only she had more faith in herself. But instead, she will get so close to her goal, only to mess things up and almost lose hold of Forest. But there is something else going on and if only Cassie wasn't so focused on catching Forest, she might be able to see that he has secrets of his own. I was transfixed while also wanting to be out of crazy Cassie's head.
Publication: July 27th 2021
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC.
Disgraced lawyer, Cassie Woodson, spent five years on the top floor of a law firm until she bombed out spectacularly, all documented by TV and internet videos, as she was led out of the law firm, by the police. After long months of barely moving off her couch, she's had to take a temp job doing point and click grunt work in a tiny, windowless room, with seventeen other nameless temp workers. Above her on the 30th floor is the life she used to lead and when she latches emails between one of the hot shot lawyers, to his wife, Cassie is moonstruck by the romantic exchanges. When she realizes that the couple may be estranged now, she sets her sights on Forest and she's not going to let go.
Cassie is mentally unstable, having lost people dear to her, first when here mother left due to depression after Cassie's birth. Cassie can't let go of the failure to be what her mother wanted her to be, and she considers the leaving of other people in her life as her fault, too. This is very book smart woman whose emotional state makes her a very weak woman. She knows she needs a man in her life, the right man, and in Forest she has found her...stalking victim...ahem...perfect man. Cassie is really good at what she puts her mind to and she soon has a bulging folder of information on Forest and his ex wife.
Cassie would be a lot better at all of this, her job, her everyday life, her stalking, if she had more confidence in herself. But that's not Cassie, she always has her doubts, her feelings of not being worthy, her deep shame for being marched from her job in disgrace. She has to remake her self in so many ways that she's always on the verge of making a mistake, forgetting her lies, and exposing the shambles of her life. Obsession is a scary thing, but Cassie lives for her obsession.
I felt bad for Cassie while feeling scared of her, at the same time. She'd be one of those really, really scary psychos we read about in novels if only she wasn't such a screw up, if only she had more faith in herself. But instead, she will get so close to her goal, only to mess things up and almost lose hold of Forest. But there is something else going on and if only Cassie wasn't so focused on catching Forest, she might be able to see that he has secrets of his own. I was transfixed while also wanting to be out of crazy Cassie's head.
Publication: July 27th 2021
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC.
June 14, 2021
A Good Dose of Crazy
“Eyes aren’t the windows to the soul. Emails are.”
3.75 stars
Just One Look is a psychological thriller centered around the life of a character who is beyond crazy.
Cassie, a once-prominent lawyer, lost her job due to a humiliating event that went viral. Now a temp worker at a law firm, she is just trying to survive. Humiliated and self-medicating to numb her pain, Cassie latches onto anything to make her feel alive and seen once again, even if it is just a delusion. You see, Cassie is bat-sh*t crazy. Her obsessions lead her down a dark and dangerous path.
Hired to review correspondence concerning a case, Cassie comes across personal emails from one of the firm’s rising stars, Forest. Cassie becomes obsessed with Forest’s emails to his wife, Annabelle. She soon begins investigating their life online, digging through their social media, and scouring the internet for any information she can find about the idyllic couple. Inserting herself into Forest’s and Annabelle’s lives becomes Cassie’s obsession. She is so blinded by Forest and Annabelle that she cannot see what is happening right in front of her face.
Told solely from Cassie’s POV, it was, at times, hard being inside her head. Her mind shifts back and forth between the past and the present. The past somewhat provides answers to why Cassie is the way she is, but there are still some gaps. There are brief escapes from Cassie’s POV in the form of emails, texts, and brief newspaper articles--all were welcome reliefs. Even with these mini-breaks, I had to take reading breaks from time to time. However, about 70% in, I found my feelings towards Cassie changing, and I was actually rooting for her. I was so caught up in her craziness that I forgot just how intelligent she is.
This was a fast-paced and entertaining read. It is heavy on the psychological side, which helps develop tense and suspenseful situations. Cassie’s voice is strong, and her character does have multiple layers hidden between her crazy. There is also a good twist. There is one plot hole that I can’t get past, and I was questioning whether or not people include so many private details in their email correspondence, especially when using their work email, but I will let that go! Overall, this was a solid psychological thriller. I look forward to reading more by Lindsay Cameron in the future.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
“Eyes aren’t the windows to the soul. Emails are.”
3.75 stars
Just One Look is a psychological thriller centered around the life of a character who is beyond crazy.
Cassie, a once-prominent lawyer, lost her job due to a humiliating event that went viral. Now a temp worker at a law firm, she is just trying to survive. Humiliated and self-medicating to numb her pain, Cassie latches onto anything to make her feel alive and seen once again, even if it is just a delusion. You see, Cassie is bat-sh*t crazy. Her obsessions lead her down a dark and dangerous path.
Hired to review correspondence concerning a case, Cassie comes across personal emails from one of the firm’s rising stars, Forest. Cassie becomes obsessed with Forest’s emails to his wife, Annabelle. She soon begins investigating their life online, digging through their social media, and scouring the internet for any information she can find about the idyllic couple. Inserting herself into Forest’s and Annabelle’s lives becomes Cassie’s obsession. She is so blinded by Forest and Annabelle that she cannot see what is happening right in front of her face.
Told solely from Cassie’s POV, it was, at times, hard being inside her head. Her mind shifts back and forth between the past and the present. The past somewhat provides answers to why Cassie is the way she is, but there are still some gaps. There are brief escapes from Cassie’s POV in the form of emails, texts, and brief newspaper articles--all were welcome reliefs. Even with these mini-breaks, I had to take reading breaks from time to time. However, about 70% in, I found my feelings towards Cassie changing, and I was actually rooting for her. I was so caught up in her craziness that I forgot just how intelligent she is.
This was a fast-paced and entertaining read. It is heavy on the psychological side, which helps develop tense and suspenseful situations. Cassie’s voice is strong, and her character does have multiple layers hidden between her crazy. There is also a good twist. There is one plot hole that I can’t get past, and I was questioning whether or not people include so many private details in their email correspondence, especially when using their work email, but I will let that go! Overall, this was a solid psychological thriller. I look forward to reading more by Lindsay Cameron in the future.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
July 27, 2021
JUST ONE LOOK COULDN’T HURT....right?
Cassie Woodson was on the top of her game in the Law World until “THE INCIDENT” happened.
Now, the only way she can pay her bills is to work a thankless job reviewing correspondence for a large scale Medicare fraud suit for Falcon Health....as TEMP 021.
But, as she sorts through the deluge of emails, at her new law firm, some personal emails between one of the partners-Forrest Watts and his lovely wife, Annabelle, catch her attention.
She was already addicted to caffeine-Tylenol and alcohol. And, now she is addicted to following this perfect couple’s life.
She learns all about them and when she thinks there is an opportunity to become a part of this life-LOOKING in from the outside is no longer enough.
Well, this was a FUN, fast paced book!
It unfolds through the eyes of our delusional protagonist Cassie along with emails and newspaper articles.
She definitely has a unique way of interpreting things-revealing HER truths to us, one tasty morsel at a time!
Yes, these emails hold more secrets than boring old fraud-and I was as OBSESSED at finding out what they were as Cassie was!!
Very entertaining!
And, fun to read with DeAnn! Watch for her wonderful review!
Thank You to Yewon Son at Random House Publishing for inviting me to read an early copy!
It was my pleasure to provide a candid review!
NOW AVAILABLE!!
Cassie Woodson was on the top of her game in the Law World until “THE INCIDENT” happened.
Now, the only way she can pay her bills is to work a thankless job reviewing correspondence for a large scale Medicare fraud suit for Falcon Health....as TEMP 021.
But, as she sorts through the deluge of emails, at her new law firm, some personal emails between one of the partners-Forrest Watts and his lovely wife, Annabelle, catch her attention.
She was already addicted to caffeine-Tylenol and alcohol. And, now she is addicted to following this perfect couple’s life.
She learns all about them and when she thinks there is an opportunity to become a part of this life-LOOKING in from the outside is no longer enough.
Well, this was a FUN, fast paced book!
It unfolds through the eyes of our delusional protagonist Cassie along with emails and newspaper articles.
She definitely has a unique way of interpreting things-revealing HER truths to us, one tasty morsel at a time!
Yes, these emails hold more secrets than boring old fraud-and I was as OBSESSED at finding out what they were as Cassie was!!
Very entertaining!
And, fun to read with DeAnn! Watch for her wonderful review!
Thank You to Yewon Son at Random House Publishing for inviting me to read an early copy!
It was my pleasure to provide a candid review!
NOW AVAILABLE!!
July 27, 2021
HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY!
Stalk much?
Cassie Woodson fell from grace at the law firm where she was previously employed. One thing led to another, and there was blood and a camera pointed her way.
So now, she’s moving on...working as a temp at another law firm. Her job: Spending endless hours reviewing emails that may or may not lead to involvement in a fraud suit. BORING...until she finds and reads a selection of emails from law firm partner Forest Watts to his wife, Annabelle. Cassie sees how well he treats his wife, and can’t help picturing herself as his next love interest. Some things never change.
After all, “Eyes aren’t the windows to the soul. Emails are.”
As you may have guessed, Cassie is a bit (ahem) unhinged. She’s been through a lot and just wants someone to love, and for that someone to love her just as much.
This thriller starts out on the slower side, and can be a bit OTT, but it becomes really intriguing as things progress. Author Lindsay Cameron does a great job increasing the suspense as we learn more about Cassie’s background and her interactions with other people.
A compelling side story emerges that brings out the human aspect of Cassie, and it’s a pleasant surprise to see how it ties into the overarching plot.
Overall, this a fun and entertaining (and slightly devious) read that I think many other genre fans will enjoy. It’s not entirely original, but it’s best to just go with it and have fun with it.
3.5 stars
Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This will be published on: 7/27/21.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
Stalk much?
Cassie Woodson fell from grace at the law firm where she was previously employed. One thing led to another, and there was blood and a camera pointed her way.
So now, she’s moving on...working as a temp at another law firm. Her job: Spending endless hours reviewing emails that may or may not lead to involvement in a fraud suit. BORING...until she finds and reads a selection of emails from law firm partner Forest Watts to his wife, Annabelle. Cassie sees how well he treats his wife, and can’t help picturing herself as his next love interest. Some things never change.
After all, “Eyes aren’t the windows to the soul. Emails are.”
As you may have guessed, Cassie is a bit (ahem) unhinged. She’s been through a lot and just wants someone to love, and for that someone to love her just as much.
This thriller starts out on the slower side, and can be a bit OTT, but it becomes really intriguing as things progress. Author Lindsay Cameron does a great job increasing the suspense as we learn more about Cassie’s background and her interactions with other people.
A compelling side story emerges that brings out the human aspect of Cassie, and it’s a pleasant surprise to see how it ties into the overarching plot.
Overall, this a fun and entertaining (and slightly devious) read that I think many other genre fans will enjoy. It’s not entirely original, but it’s best to just go with it and have fun with it.
3.5 stars
Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This will be published on: 7/27/21.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
April 28, 2021
Ahhhhh I loved this!!!! I love thrillers with an untrustworthy main character who becomes obsessed with someone, it’s one of my favorite tropes. Here’s the vlog where I read it: https://youtu.be/ByZvXPeSUB4
Thanks to Penguin Random House for the ARC!
Thanks to Penguin Random House for the ARC!
August 12, 2021
Cassie, a disgraced lawyer, finds herself working as a legal temp performing document review for a firm gathering evidence on an impending case. It’s boring, mind-numbing work. Until a personal e-mail from Forest, a corporate attorney, pops up. Cassie is supposed to flag it as irrelevant but just one look wouldn’t hurt would it?
Cassie becomes infatuated and obsessed with Forest and his wife, Annabelle. They are living the dream, the life she wants. The one she deserves. She stalks them over the internet, and keeps a 3-ring binder of information she discovers. She knows intimate details about their life: what wine they like, what perfume Annabelle wears, their favorite restaurant, the gym they frequent, and more. But just knowing isn’t enough. Cassie knows what will make Forest happy and Cassie is just a tad unhinged. Well, ok maybe more than a tad. We know this won’t end well.
This is a stalker/obsession story and Cassie’s actions are creepy, and I mostly enjoyed being inside her head for the majority of the novel. The details of her previous life are slowly revealed, making her a little sympathetic. Readers looking for a straight-up thriller will be disappointed as those elements don’t come into play until later in the book. But readers who enjoy being inside the head of a delusional woman will enjoy it.
For a smart guy Forest wasn’t very smart about what he included in his personal e-mails to his wife.
"Eyes aren't the windows to the soul. Emails are."
But are they? This was one part of the novel I struggled with. Does anyone really e-mail their spouse personal pithy messages? I don’t know about you, but I text my husband, family, and friends for quick communications. Or we call. We never use e-mail for casual communication/conversations.
Still, this was a quick read with short chapters that kept the pages flipping, and I loved the ending. The author is a former corporate attorney, which gives authenticity to this part of the story. I look forward to what she writes next!
• I received a digital copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Cassie becomes infatuated and obsessed with Forest and his wife, Annabelle. They are living the dream, the life she wants. The one she deserves. She stalks them over the internet, and keeps a 3-ring binder of information she discovers. She knows intimate details about their life: what wine they like, what perfume Annabelle wears, their favorite restaurant, the gym they frequent, and more. But just knowing isn’t enough. Cassie knows what will make Forest happy and Cassie is just a tad unhinged. Well, ok maybe more than a tad. We know this won’t end well.
This is a stalker/obsession story and Cassie’s actions are creepy, and I mostly enjoyed being inside her head for the majority of the novel. The details of her previous life are slowly revealed, making her a little sympathetic. Readers looking for a straight-up thriller will be disappointed as those elements don’t come into play until later in the book. But readers who enjoy being inside the head of a delusional woman will enjoy it.
For a smart guy Forest wasn’t very smart about what he included in his personal e-mails to his wife.
"Eyes aren't the windows to the soul. Emails are."
But are they? This was one part of the novel I struggled with. Does anyone really e-mail their spouse personal pithy messages? I don’t know about you, but I text my husband, family, and friends for quick communications. Or we call. We never use e-mail for casual communication/conversations.
Still, this was a quick read with short chapters that kept the pages flipping, and I loved the ending. The author is a former corporate attorney, which gives authenticity to this part of the story. I look forward to what she writes next!
• I received a digital copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
August 12, 2021
3.75*
I’m watching you….
Cassie has reluctantly taken on of the lowest positions possible for an attorney. A temp job sorting through mundane emails, working in what she describes as a bunker. But e-mails from a particular lawyer upstairs grabs her full attention. Highly personal emails for one Forest Watts. One of the firms top lawyers. Suddenly she becomes obsessed with meeting him and enmeshing herself into every sordid detail of his life.
The storyline seemed to plug along nicely until about 80% when it jetted off in a totally different and unexpected direction. It seemed completely out of place to fit where (I thought) the storyline seemed to be heading.
This book had a bit of an identity crisis. It had every intention of becoming a thriller, with Cassie playing the role of an obsessed, dangerous stalker. But for me, at times Cassie came off as misunderstood and vulnerable and my heart went out to her. Lol! Yes! I felt for the off kilter stalker! Please don’t judge me! She has some understandable reasons for her behavior!
Overall, a fun read and look forward to more from this author.
Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for granting my wish.
I’m watching you….
Cassie has reluctantly taken on of the lowest positions possible for an attorney. A temp job sorting through mundane emails, working in what she describes as a bunker. But e-mails from a particular lawyer upstairs grabs her full attention. Highly personal emails for one Forest Watts. One of the firms top lawyers. Suddenly she becomes obsessed with meeting him and enmeshing herself into every sordid detail of his life.
The storyline seemed to plug along nicely until about 80% when it jetted off in a totally different and unexpected direction. It seemed completely out of place to fit where (I thought) the storyline seemed to be heading.
This book had a bit of an identity crisis. It had every intention of becoming a thriller, with Cassie playing the role of an obsessed, dangerous stalker. But for me, at times Cassie came off as misunderstood and vulnerable and my heart went out to her. Lol! Yes! I felt for the off kilter stalker! Please don’t judge me! She has some understandable reasons for her behavior!
Overall, a fun read and look forward to more from this author.
Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for granting my wish.
May 1, 2022
This is a Thriller/Stalker Story. This is a slow moving thriller, and I found this to be more about a Stalker Story then a thriller. I found the twists to be just ok. Overall, There was parts of this book I liked, but there was also some parts I did not like. I found the characters just weird and hard to like. I just wanted one character I could really like or care about. If you like a Stalker Story this is for you, but I wanted more of a Thriller then a Stalker story. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Ballantine Books) or author (Lindsay Cameron) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
July 27, 2021
***HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY***
3 ½ rounded up to a 4
I liked this book but I didn’t love it. It did deliver some page turning entertainment, but I kept thinking that I’d read this book before. It’s a classic stalker tale for the most part, but is taken to the extreme with this character. However the last 20% of this book introduces a new element that pushed this up to a 4.
Cassie Woodson is a deeply troubled, really mentally ill, young woman. The novel is told completely from her point of view. It was frightening to think that such a bright young woman had fallen to such a low point. She is also addicted to alcohol, tylenol and cold medicine, which gives her brief relief from her constant anxiety.
After making it through law school and landing a job, something happened that was so bad she was fired and even worse her NAME AND WHAT SHE DID WAS ALL OVER SOCIAL MEDIA. She is forced to move and start her life over.
Cassie has now taken the only job she can find to pay the rent. She is working at a mind numbing job, sorting through legal documents for a fraud suit against one of their clients, eyes glued to her monitor.
The only bright spot in the job is a young man, Dalton, who sits next to her and they become friends, eating dinner together in the sterile cafeteria. He is the only friend she really has and she spends her nights mostly alone with her bottle of booze, drinking until she passes out.
It isn’t very long after starting her job that she comes across some personal emails from one of the lawyers that shouldn’t be in their feed. As she reads through the emails she becomes obsessed with getting to know everything about Forrest, his wife and their PERFECT LIFE. She wants him for herself even though he is married. She will have to do something to disrupt their marriage!!
I got bogged down with her rants and delusions and the lengths that she went through to hatch a plan to get Forrest to fall in love with her. At times I felt sorry for her and at other times I wanted to yell at her that she needed to check herself into a rehab and mental health facility!!!
I can’t really tell you any more of the plot without spoiling the read but there is that last 20% that not only kept me reading until late last night but showed another side of Cassie. I would have liked to think that she has learned her lesson that even JUST ONE LOOK can lead to disaster!!
This is definitely a psychological portrait about a very troubled young woman. I’m sure that this will be a bestseller with the right audience.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.
This novel is set to publish on July 27, 2021
3 ½ rounded up to a 4
I liked this book but I didn’t love it. It did deliver some page turning entertainment, but I kept thinking that I’d read this book before. It’s a classic stalker tale for the most part, but is taken to the extreme with this character. However the last 20% of this book introduces a new element that pushed this up to a 4.
Cassie Woodson is a deeply troubled, really mentally ill, young woman. The novel is told completely from her point of view. It was frightening to think that such a bright young woman had fallen to such a low point. She is also addicted to alcohol, tylenol and cold medicine, which gives her brief relief from her constant anxiety.
After making it through law school and landing a job, something happened that was so bad she was fired and even worse her NAME AND WHAT SHE DID WAS ALL OVER SOCIAL MEDIA. She is forced to move and start her life over.
Cassie has now taken the only job she can find to pay the rent. She is working at a mind numbing job, sorting through legal documents for a fraud suit against one of their clients, eyes glued to her monitor.
The only bright spot in the job is a young man, Dalton, who sits next to her and they become friends, eating dinner together in the sterile cafeteria. He is the only friend she really has and she spends her nights mostly alone with her bottle of booze, drinking until she passes out.
It isn’t very long after starting her job that she comes across some personal emails from one of the lawyers that shouldn’t be in their feed. As she reads through the emails she becomes obsessed with getting to know everything about Forrest, his wife and their PERFECT LIFE. She wants him for herself even though he is married. She will have to do something to disrupt their marriage!!
I got bogged down with her rants and delusions and the lengths that she went through to hatch a plan to get Forrest to fall in love with her. At times I felt sorry for her and at other times I wanted to yell at her that she needed to check herself into a rehab and mental health facility!!!
I can’t really tell you any more of the plot without spoiling the read but there is that last 20% that not only kept me reading until late last night but showed another side of Cassie. I would have liked to think that she has learned her lesson that even JUST ONE LOOK can lead to disaster!!
This is definitely a psychological portrait about a very troubled young woman. I’m sure that this will be a bestseller with the right audience.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.
This novel is set to publish on July 27, 2021
November 8, 2021
Talk about crazy!
Cassie Woodson had it all. She was an attorney at the top of her game until something happened that made her lose it all. She was disgraced publically with the videos that went viral to prove it.
This made Cassie stay in bed for months barely making it. She knows she can't continue this way and she applies for a temp job which is all she can get with her prior history.
The job entails hours of sorting through emails to see the relevance involving a fraud case. However, by mistake, a partner's personal emails are also in Cassie's review inbox.
Cassie becomes obsessed with Forrest Watts's emails to his wife, Annabelle. They are full of love and they depict a beautiful life together. Things that are all missing in Cassie's life. Her obsession makes her stalk them on social media, following their Instagram posts and saving every detail from their emails in a binder.
Despite not having much of an income, Cassie starts buying the same wine they drink and the perfume and make-up Annabelle wears. Then, Cassie realizes the couple has become estranged and this would be the perfect time for her to fill the void Forrest must be having. Creating a chance encounter to meet him is easy when she has all the details of his life embedded in her brain.
Stalkers scare me for sure but I couldn't stop myself from rooting for Cassie to be able to achieve some type of happiness. The more I discovered the reasons Cassie was the way she was, the more I felt sorry for her. She was smart but at the same time she was so fragile and one step from getting admitted to a psych unit.
Just One Look had me turning the pages in a fast motion. I couldn't get enough of the story and despite seeing the twist from the very beginning, I wanted to see how it would all play out in the end.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Ballantine Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Cassie Woodson had it all. She was an attorney at the top of her game until something happened that made her lose it all. She was disgraced publically with the videos that went viral to prove it.
This made Cassie stay in bed for months barely making it. She knows she can't continue this way and she applies for a temp job which is all she can get with her prior history.
The job entails hours of sorting through emails to see the relevance involving a fraud case. However, by mistake, a partner's personal emails are also in Cassie's review inbox.
Cassie becomes obsessed with Forrest Watts's emails to his wife, Annabelle. They are full of love and they depict a beautiful life together. Things that are all missing in Cassie's life. Her obsession makes her stalk them on social media, following their Instagram posts and saving every detail from their emails in a binder.
Despite not having much of an income, Cassie starts buying the same wine they drink and the perfume and make-up Annabelle wears. Then, Cassie realizes the couple has become estranged and this would be the perfect time for her to fill the void Forrest must be having. Creating a chance encounter to meet him is easy when she has all the details of his life embedded in her brain.
Stalkers scare me for sure but I couldn't stop myself from rooting for Cassie to be able to achieve some type of happiness. The more I discovered the reasons Cassie was the way she was, the more I felt sorry for her. She was smart but at the same time she was so fragile and one step from getting admitted to a psych unit.
Just One Look had me turning the pages in a fast motion. I couldn't get enough of the story and despite seeing the twist from the very beginning, I wanted to see how it would all play out in the end.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Ballantine Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
July 22, 2021
Eyes aren't the windows to the soul. Emails are.
But what happens when you can't keep your eyes off the emails?
Cassie, Cassie, Cassie.
Cassie has slipped and fallen down the corporate ladder. She was once a prominent lawyer but well, there was a little bit of an *incident* which went viral. Now she is working a temp job in order to pay her bills. It's a thankless job looking through email correspondence for a large fraud suit. It's boring, boring, boring until she begins to see personal emails between a partner at the firm, Forest Watts and his wife, Annabelle. She only meant to take one itsy bitsy little look. What harm could come of it? Only one look, that's it then she will get back to work!
Excuse me, here is your nose. I found it in my business.
But one look is all it took and now she is obsessed! She thinks she knows them. She takes steps to get close to them, to be noticed, to *gasp* dream to take Annabelle's place! She has purpose again! She can be happy again! Life is going to change for the better, wont it? She knows them (him) so well, doesn't she?
Cassie, Cassie, Cassie - sometimes it’s best to dream and not try to make your dreams a reality, because sometimes dreams becomes nightmares. Especially when Cassie appears to be falling apart. She drinks too much, she thinks too much, she is obsessed, delusional and then there is the incident that caused her to lose her job at her law firm.
This book started slowly for me and really ramped up around the 60% mark for me. The book is told through Cassie's POV, and readers will know right away that something isn't quite right with her thought processes. She thinks about the past while plotting to be Forest's future.
This was an entertaining read, that while I enjoyed it, I don't know if I will remember it in months to come. But I do think this would make a great airplane, sitting outside when you want to chill type of book.
3.5 Stars
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
But what happens when you can't keep your eyes off the emails?
Cassie, Cassie, Cassie.
Cassie has slipped and fallen down the corporate ladder. She was once a prominent lawyer but well, there was a little bit of an *incident* which went viral. Now she is working a temp job in order to pay her bills. It's a thankless job looking through email correspondence for a large fraud suit. It's boring, boring, boring until she begins to see personal emails between a partner at the firm, Forest Watts and his wife, Annabelle. She only meant to take one itsy bitsy little look. What harm could come of it? Only one look, that's it then she will get back to work!
Excuse me, here is your nose. I found it in my business.
But one look is all it took and now she is obsessed! She thinks she knows them. She takes steps to get close to them, to be noticed, to *gasp* dream to take Annabelle's place! She has purpose again! She can be happy again! Life is going to change for the better, wont it? She knows them (him) so well, doesn't she?
Cassie, Cassie, Cassie - sometimes it’s best to dream and not try to make your dreams a reality, because sometimes dreams becomes nightmares. Especially when Cassie appears to be falling apart. She drinks too much, she thinks too much, she is obsessed, delusional and then there is the incident that caused her to lose her job at her law firm.
This book started slowly for me and really ramped up around the 60% mark for me. The book is told through Cassie's POV, and readers will know right away that something isn't quite right with her thought processes. She thinks about the past while plotting to be Forest's future.
This was an entertaining read, that while I enjoyed it, I don't know if I will remember it in months to come. But I do think this would make a great airplane, sitting outside when you want to chill type of book.
3.5 Stars
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
August 5, 2021
**Many thanks to NetGalley, Yewon Son at Random House-Ballantine, and Lindsay Cameron for an ARC of this book!! Now available as of 7.27!**
"But if there's one thing I knew about the truth it was this: It is highly overrated."
Cassie Woodson lives by this adage, weaving a narrative that suits her ambitions, muddies her past, and brings her one step closer to the glamorous life she so desperately craves after losing it all at her previous law firm, where she went from high-profile legal mind to YouTube infamy after getting fired and losing her cool. She takes a temp job at a law firm, sifting through email after email like a glorified robot, looking for keywords and trying not to let the mind-numbing boredom keep her captive...
…Until HE catches her eye. The successful, sophisticated, and sexy Forrest Watts and his glamorous wife Annabelle. Cassie has no idea how the personal emails of this power duo have ended up in her queue, but the more she learns about them, the more she is desperate to discover and devotes every second of spare time (and every spare drop of coffee and alcohol) to finding out everything there is to know about these two. Of course, with a little work, she can BECOME the spitting image of Annabelle, put herself right in Forrest's path and let the 'magic' happen.. You see, her future is set: she WILL become Forest's girlfriend and get all that she ever desired. The stars in Cassie's eyes won't dim, even with the discovery of much more than she bargained for...but can she focus long enough to keep her plethora of lies straight, to forgive herself for her past...and even to survive?
Cameron's Just One Look sparks the obvious comparisons to Caroline Kepnes' You but this novel is drastically different in that our protagonist is running from her past and sees Forrest as an escape hatch into the life she feels she still deserves. Where the novels coincide, however, is the level of stalking: I mean, Cassie gets into email passwords, and even has a binder where she keeps every detail she learns about Forrest neatly documented. Because she LOVES him...in her own twisted way. While this obsessive behavior fits the character and her desperate need for approval from the world at large, certain aspects of her stalking require a pretty significant suspension of disbelief. We get glimpses into Cassie's past as the story progresses in the form of old texts and emails from family and other people in Cassie's circle, but we don't get the REAL story until the novel is almost over, where things take a bit of a left turn from thriller territory into drama. This resolves itself neatly by the end of the story, but I personally still had plenty of questions.
First and foremost, how did everyone make it so EASY for Cassie to stalk Forrest at this level? With the type of security protocols in place today pretty much everywhere, even someone as sharp as Cassie needed the compliance of every secondary player to make her schemes work. That's okay: this IS fiction, and lots of fun, but I would strongly recommend keeping suspension of disbelief at the forefront of your mind while reading. Kepnes' Joe Goldberg just was more of a self-made stalker I suppose, relying on no man or woman to make his crimes function, and there is something charming about that (in a bizarre way!) Cassie's self-doubt makes this plot work, however, so to each stalker, his or her own!
There is also one fairly major plot hole hanging over my head even after completing this book, but this doesn't keep the finale from being exciting and pulse-pounding, so for my own enjoyment I chose to ignore it. I loved Cameron's ending and though it doesn't necessarily broach uncharted territory, it was a gratifying end and gave the reader plenty of fodder for speculation, which I always personally enjoy. I also loved getting to know Cassie (as crazy as she was!) and I felt like I knew her...a little TOO well!
Just One Look is a fantastic first foray into the world of suspense for author Lindsay Cameron, encapsulating the creepy stalker vibes and taking the reader deep into the mind of an obsessed and unbalanced insecure Single White Female that will slake the thirst of fans of the genre! I'm sure this author has some fabulous ideas brewing in her mind and I am already looking forward to her next book!
3.5 ⭐, rounded up to 4
"But if there's one thing I knew about the truth it was this: It is highly overrated."
Cassie Woodson lives by this adage, weaving a narrative that suits her ambitions, muddies her past, and brings her one step closer to the glamorous life she so desperately craves after losing it all at her previous law firm, where she went from high-profile legal mind to YouTube infamy after getting fired and losing her cool. She takes a temp job at a law firm, sifting through email after email like a glorified robot, looking for keywords and trying not to let the mind-numbing boredom keep her captive...
…Until HE catches her eye. The successful, sophisticated, and sexy Forrest Watts and his glamorous wife Annabelle. Cassie has no idea how the personal emails of this power duo have ended up in her queue, but the more she learns about them, the more she is desperate to discover and devotes every second of spare time (and every spare drop of coffee and alcohol) to finding out everything there is to know about these two. Of course, with a little work, she can BECOME the spitting image of Annabelle, put herself right in Forrest's path and let the 'magic' happen.. You see, her future is set: she WILL become Forest's girlfriend and get all that she ever desired. The stars in Cassie's eyes won't dim, even with the discovery of much more than she bargained for...but can she focus long enough to keep her plethora of lies straight, to forgive herself for her past...and even to survive?
Cameron's Just One Look sparks the obvious comparisons to Caroline Kepnes' You but this novel is drastically different in that our protagonist is running from her past and sees Forrest as an escape hatch into the life she feels she still deserves. Where the novels coincide, however, is the level of stalking: I mean, Cassie gets into email passwords, and even has a binder where she keeps every detail she learns about Forrest neatly documented. Because she LOVES him...in her own twisted way. While this obsessive behavior fits the character and her desperate need for approval from the world at large, certain aspects of her stalking require a pretty significant suspension of disbelief. We get glimpses into Cassie's past as the story progresses in the form of old texts and emails from family and other people in Cassie's circle, but we don't get the REAL story until the novel is almost over, where things take a bit of a left turn from thriller territory into drama. This resolves itself neatly by the end of the story, but I personally still had plenty of questions.
First and foremost, how did everyone make it so EASY for Cassie to stalk Forrest at this level? With the type of security protocols in place today pretty much everywhere, even someone as sharp as Cassie needed the compliance of every secondary player to make her schemes work. That's okay: this IS fiction, and lots of fun, but I would strongly recommend keeping suspension of disbelief at the forefront of your mind while reading. Kepnes' Joe Goldberg just was more of a self-made stalker I suppose, relying on no man or woman to make his crimes function, and there is something charming about that (in a bizarre way!) Cassie's self-doubt makes this plot work, however, so to each stalker, his or her own!
There is also one fairly major plot hole hanging over my head even after completing this book, but this doesn't keep the finale from being exciting and pulse-pounding, so for my own enjoyment I chose to ignore it. I loved Cameron's ending and though it doesn't necessarily broach uncharted territory, it was a gratifying end and gave the reader plenty of fodder for speculation, which I always personally enjoy. I also loved getting to know Cassie (as crazy as she was!) and I felt like I knew her...a little TOO well!
Just One Look is a fantastic first foray into the world of suspense for author Lindsay Cameron, encapsulating the creepy stalker vibes and taking the reader deep into the mind of an obsessed and unbalanced insecure Single White Female that will slake the thirst of fans of the genre! I'm sure this author has some fabulous ideas brewing in her mind and I am already looking forward to her next book!
3.5 ⭐, rounded up to 4
September 16, 2021
Master Manipulator
I enjoyed this little "Thriller Filler" read that worked perfectly for me after a dark and anxiety producing novel!
Yes, we have to suspend a little belief, but it works just fine. Cassie is working a thankless temp job at a law firm. She is reviewing emails for a huge fraud suit. Sounds boring, but Cassie stumbles across some personal emails between one of the power lawyers and his loving wife. Click, click ..... she falls further and further down the rabbit hole.
She finds out personal information about the happy couple and just has to try their favorites for herself- expensive wine, shampoo, scents and perfumes. The stalking turns into obsession and before long she is in way over her head.
This one reminded me of The Photographer by Mary Dixie Carter, except with a legal twist. I love legal thrillers/ settings and the author is a former corporate lawyer.
A runaway train with some sharp, witty, darkly funny moments. Looking forward to her next book!
Library loan/ Read in September 2021
I enjoyed this little "Thriller Filler" read that worked perfectly for me after a dark and anxiety producing novel!
Yes, we have to suspend a little belief, but it works just fine. Cassie is working a thankless temp job at a law firm. She is reviewing emails for a huge fraud suit. Sounds boring, but Cassie stumbles across some personal emails between one of the power lawyers and his loving wife. Click, click ..... she falls further and further down the rabbit hole.
She finds out personal information about the happy couple and just has to try their favorites for herself- expensive wine, shampoo, scents and perfumes. The stalking turns into obsession and before long she is in way over her head.
This one reminded me of The Photographer by Mary Dixie Carter, except with a legal twist. I love legal thrillers/ settings and the author is a former corporate lawyer.
A runaway train with some sharp, witty, darkly funny moments. Looking forward to her next book!
Library loan/ Read in September 2021
Shelved as 'dnf-lost-interest'
July 27, 2021DNF @ 20%. I signed up for the drama, but what I've gotten so far is a lot of meal time descriptions and interactions about what wine to pick up. :( I'm sure it will pick up towards the end, but I was really hoping for some juicy drama throughout, so I'll go ahead and cut my losses here.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
March 29, 2021
Just one look and I fell so hard
In love, with you, oh oh
I found out how good it feels
To have, your love, oh oh - Songwriters: Doris Payne / Gregory Carroll
Cassie Woodson, once a high flying attorney, now finds herself as a temp worker at a large law firm in New York City. She hates herself, her life, and she hates her new job after a spectacular crash down the corporate ladder. Her new job entails reviewing correspondence for fraudulent activity when one day a personal email pops up. She knows she shouldn't read it but who will actually know? It's a loving email sent from Forest to his wife Annabelle. Cassie, who has never been lucky in love can't believe the tenderness between the two and to say she becomes a little obsessed with them would be an understatement. With her trusty "Forest" binder she logs every bit of information and detail she can glean of the couple. She then slowly, over time, begins to insinuate herself in their lives and we all know this won't end well.
I had a lot of fun with this one. If you like stalker/obsession type stories then this one will scratch that itch. Cassie is a little unhinged and I always find it interesting to be in the head of character whose thoughts twist and turn in every direction. Totally compelling and a book I can say I am happy to have read. 4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine books for generously granting my *wish* to read this arc.
In love, with you, oh oh
I found out how good it feels
To have, your love, oh oh - Songwriters: Doris Payne / Gregory Carroll
Cassie Woodson, once a high flying attorney, now finds herself as a temp worker at a large law firm in New York City. She hates herself, her life, and she hates her new job after a spectacular crash down the corporate ladder. Her new job entails reviewing correspondence for fraudulent activity when one day a personal email pops up. She knows she shouldn't read it but who will actually know? It's a loving email sent from Forest to his wife Annabelle. Cassie, who has never been lucky in love can't believe the tenderness between the two and to say she becomes a little obsessed with them would be an understatement. With her trusty "Forest" binder she logs every bit of information and detail she can glean of the couple. She then slowly, over time, begins to insinuate herself in their lives and we all know this won't end well.
I had a lot of fun with this one. If you like stalker/obsession type stories then this one will scratch that itch. Cassie is a little unhinged and I always find it interesting to be in the head of character whose thoughts twist and turn in every direction. Totally compelling and a book I can say I am happy to have read. 4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine books for generously granting my *wish* to read this arc.
July 27, 2021
3.5 stars, rounded up.
Well yes, Cassie is certainly unhinged. Stalker and obsessive to the extreme. She is a lawyer, fired from her previous job after an unnamed incident. Currently working as a law temp doing document review in a basement with a bunch of others. When she comes across some personal emails between Forest, one of the firm's lawyers, and his wife Annabelle. She quickly becomes maniacal about knowing more and more about the couple and spends hours searching for every tidbit of information so she can emulate this ideal romantic relationship. Yet, when she finds out that the couple might no longer be together, Cassie sets out to discover what happened and why.
I started off not liking Cassie at all. She creeped me out with her utter obsession. This book makes Delta Dawn in The Photographer almost seem tame in comparison--Cassie keeps a dossier, stalks both Forest and Anabelle everywhere she can, buys the same products so that she can be just like them. However, as the story progressed, I started rooting for Cassie's success. Not with her stalking, but to pull herself out of the hole she was in and embrace her life and the people in it who wanted to know her. There are a couple of excellent twists, but overall this isn't anything super groundbreaking. I feel like parts of this are super familiar (like the aforementioned The Photographer, but also The Perfect Ruin that I just finished) maybe I'm just burned out on crazy/revenge characters at the moment.
Overall this is a worthwhile, fast-paced read if you're looking for a bit of a thriller with an obsessive stalker vibe.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
Well yes, Cassie is certainly unhinged. Stalker and obsessive to the extreme. She is a lawyer, fired from her previous job after an unnamed incident. Currently working as a law temp doing document review in a basement with a bunch of others. When she comes across some personal emails between Forest, one of the firm's lawyers, and his wife Annabelle. She quickly becomes maniacal about knowing more and more about the couple and spends hours searching for every tidbit of information so she can emulate this ideal romantic relationship. Yet, when she finds out that the couple might no longer be together, Cassie sets out to discover what happened and why.
I started off not liking Cassie at all. She creeped me out with her utter obsession. This book makes Delta Dawn in The Photographer almost seem tame in comparison--Cassie keeps a dossier, stalks both Forest and Anabelle everywhere she can, buys the same products so that she can be just like them. However, as the story progressed, I started rooting for Cassie's success. Not with her stalking, but to pull herself out of the hole she was in and embrace her life and the people in it who wanted to know her. There are a couple of excellent twists, but overall this isn't anything super groundbreaking. I feel like parts of this are super familiar (like the aforementioned The Photographer, but also The Perfect Ruin that I just finished) maybe I'm just burned out on crazy/revenge characters at the moment.
Overall this is a worthwhile, fast-paced read if you're looking for a bit of a thriller with an obsessive stalker vibe.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
July 27, 2021
4 Snooping Stars -- Now Available!
This is a new author for me and I’m impressed! I found this to be a compelling story that pulled me right in!
Cassie is our main character and she’s really struck out in both her career and her love life. A former attorney, she’s now forced to work as a legal temp to pay the bills. She’s stuck doing the boring discovery work for a law firm, reading through countless emails to determine if they are relevant to the case.
It takes quite a while for us to learn what happened at her last law firm and with her former boyfriend, we just know it was bad enough to get her fired. She doesn’t seem to have filters and I gasped and was a little scared a few times at thoughts running through her head!
She meets another temp in a similar situation as her own and they commiserate about the boring work. Things get interesting when some emails from Forest, a partner at the law firm catch her eye. Soon, she’s obsessed with Forest and his glamorous lifestyle with his wife Annabelle. Cassie would like Forest for her own! She strategizes to find ways to meet him in person and really become the woman of his dreams.
This one was paced well and kept me turning the pages. As a former attorney, Lindsay Cameron knows how to authentically write about the legal world.
This one made for a great buddy read with Jayme, be sure to read her stellar review as well.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this one.
This is a new author for me and I’m impressed! I found this to be a compelling story that pulled me right in!
Cassie is our main character and she’s really struck out in both her career and her love life. A former attorney, she’s now forced to work as a legal temp to pay the bills. She’s stuck doing the boring discovery work for a law firm, reading through countless emails to determine if they are relevant to the case.
It takes quite a while for us to learn what happened at her last law firm and with her former boyfriend, we just know it was bad enough to get her fired. She doesn’t seem to have filters and I gasped and was a little scared a few times at thoughts running through her head!
She meets another temp in a similar situation as her own and they commiserate about the boring work. Things get interesting when some emails from Forest, a partner at the law firm catch her eye. Soon, she’s obsessed with Forest and his glamorous lifestyle with his wife Annabelle. Cassie would like Forest for her own! She strategizes to find ways to meet him in person and really become the woman of his dreams.
This one was paced well and kept me turning the pages. As a former attorney, Lindsay Cameron knows how to authentically write about the legal world.
This one made for a great buddy read with Jayme, be sure to read her stellar review as well.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this one.
July 28, 2021
Lindsay Cameron, are you my soulmate? Because your one-of-a-kind document review stalker mystery went straight to this lawyer’s heart.
I will confess that in between my past five careers as a lawyer-actress-writer-lawyer again (more on that in some other review), I had a brief and demoralizing stint as a document review temp at Biglaw. This book is hilariously, TERRIFYINGLY accurate about the perverse and creepy little document review world. I bet you didn’t know there are entire warehouses where mind-numbingly bored attorneys sift through creepy personal emails all day long, having their phones and their bathroom breaks monitored, but it’s all true.
And the mystery! Now really, what better setting for a stalker than a job where you are literally paid to read other people’s emails? This was a unique and fun setup, delivered with pitch perfection by Cameron in a creepy setting very similar to the one I worked in, despised and still have PTSD from, so this book had at least four stars from me right out of the gate.
Cassie is clearly a psycho from the start, but I was instantly rooting for her. Why? Was it because she was so charming and funny? So resourceful and organized with her law-review research style approach to her stalking target? Or was it simply that I know from firsthand experience that document review at Biglaw is a job that can drive any person straight-up bonkers? Well, it was all these things.
Also, I loved the two intertwining mysteries, the apt commentary on the slimy aspects of Biglaw firms and the cases you work on there, and the skewering of the personality types you find there. I was totally entertained by Cassie and her coworkers.
I think this is a mystery that will be fun for everyone, but it’s especially unmissable for attorneys. I would love to meet Lindsay Cameron to shake her hand and tell her how right-on her depictions of this culture are. I also wish I had this story to listen to on audiobook during my document reviews back in the day. Some wicked stalker escapism definitely made the job more fun for Cassie, and listening to her exploits would definitely have passed my mouse-clicking hours much more enjoyably as well.
Read this clever and funny stalker tale! It’s out now. Special thanks to Ballantine Books, NetGalley, and especially Lindsay Cameron for the cackles. I’m not sure I should have laughed this much while reading about a psychopathic document reviewer, but I certainly enjoyed my time with Cassie. Sequel, please? 4.5 stars!
I will confess that in between my past five careers as a lawyer-actress-writer-lawyer again (more on that in some other review), I had a brief and demoralizing stint as a document review temp at Biglaw. This book is hilariously, TERRIFYINGLY accurate about the perverse and creepy little document review world. I bet you didn’t know there are entire warehouses where mind-numbingly bored attorneys sift through creepy personal emails all day long, having their phones and their bathroom breaks monitored, but it’s all true.
And the mystery! Now really, what better setting for a stalker than a job where you are literally paid to read other people’s emails? This was a unique and fun setup, delivered with pitch perfection by Cameron in a creepy setting very similar to the one I worked in, despised and still have PTSD from, so this book had at least four stars from me right out of the gate.
Cassie is clearly a psycho from the start, but I was instantly rooting for her. Why? Was it because she was so charming and funny? So resourceful and organized with her law-review research style approach to her stalking target? Or was it simply that I know from firsthand experience that document review at Biglaw is a job that can drive any person straight-up bonkers? Well, it was all these things.
Also, I loved the two intertwining mysteries, the apt commentary on the slimy aspects of Biglaw firms and the cases you work on there, and the skewering of the personality types you find there. I was totally entertained by Cassie and her coworkers.
I think this is a mystery that will be fun for everyone, but it’s especially unmissable for attorneys. I would love to meet Lindsay Cameron to shake her hand and tell her how right-on her depictions of this culture are. I also wish I had this story to listen to on audiobook during my document reviews back in the day. Some wicked stalker escapism definitely made the job more fun for Cassie, and listening to her exploits would definitely have passed my mouse-clicking hours much more enjoyably as well.
Read this clever and funny stalker tale! It’s out now. Special thanks to Ballantine Books, NetGalley, and especially Lindsay Cameron for the cackles. I’m not sure I should have laughed this much while reading about a psychopathic document reviewer, but I certainly enjoyed my time with Cassie. Sequel, please? 4.5 stars!
August 12, 2021
To say Cassie is unhinged is an understatement. Her obsessive behavior and lack of self-control lead to dangerous and risky decisions that put Cassie in harms way. Her ability to justify her stalker mentality is unsettling and disturbing. She believes that, “ Eyes aren’t the windows to the soul. Emails are.” This book will have you second guessing sending certain emails and might have you looking over your shoulder as well. The story starts out a little slow, but the tension increases creating suspense and outcomes that are shocking and compelling. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my copy. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 7, 2021
This is one of those novels that’s so well written it makes for an uncomfortable read. I liked Cassie, who is forced to do temp work, using her law degree not to advance up the ranks like at her last job, but merely to pay the bills. She lets the reader know early on that she was let go from her last position in a cloud of ignominy, but we don’t know the details. Very soon, we realize she has a screw loose, so I felt uncomfortable both in that I wanted her to get caught because she’s behaving like a lunatic and worrying that she’ll get caught because that scene will be ugly . . . because she’s behaving like a lunatic.
Her job as a temp is to go through emails on a case but mixed in with the business emails are the private correspondence of a rich, handsome attorney on another floor. His messages to his wife are what Cassie dreams a man would say to her, and she becomes increasingly obsessed with learning more about his and his wife’s lives.
The pacing of this is mostly relentless, but because stretches of it are just her going through really boring email exchanges, I had to skim/speed read my way through those sections. I thought the ending was well executed.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES JULY 27, 2021.
Her job as a temp is to go through emails on a case but mixed in with the business emails are the private correspondence of a rich, handsome attorney on another floor. His messages to his wife are what Cassie dreams a man would say to her, and she becomes increasingly obsessed with learning more about his and his wife’s lives.
The pacing of this is mostly relentless, but because stretches of it are just her going through really boring email exchanges, I had to skim/speed read my way through those sections. I thought the ending was well executed.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES JULY 27, 2021.
June 9, 2021
Envy eats nothing but its own heart. (Proverb)
Just One Look is the deep gnawing inside, the desperate desire for something that's not yours. A glance in that direction or simply a stolen look in secret. Possessing fully and completely in mind and in spirit.
Cassie Woodson's eyes are cast inward to the emptiness that resides there. She still carries the pain of loss and can't seem to set it down. Her law degree from Penn State and her position in a prestigious New York City law firm are miles behind her. Cassie doesn't like to revisit what happened there. It's time to move on.
Upward mobility is not happenin' here for ol' Cassie. She's relegated to working as a temp at Levy and Strong reviewing documents in an impending Medicare fraud case with 15 others jammed into workstations. With eyes glazed over, Cassie gets a hit into the personal emails of Forest Watt, a powerful attorney with the firm. She can't seem to look away as she reads correspondence between Forest and his wife, Annabelle. Oh, how she wishes to claim this life of theirs. In particular, she sets her focus on Forest. And now Forest has a target on his back.
Lindsay Cameron snaps this one into play with her crafty main character of Cassie. The sharp dialogue and the awkward situations bring humor around the corner. Cassie is a betting woman who places everything on the table. Cameron ratchets up the tension as Cassie becomes more and more emboldened throughout the storyline. As readers, we hold our breath as Cassie lives more and more on the edge. Is Cassie becoming slowly undone or is it our imagination? Just what is her end game? Just One Look should peak your interest coming out in July. A perfect Summer read.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Random House (Ballantine Books) and to Lindsay Cameron for the opportunity.
Just One Look is the deep gnawing inside, the desperate desire for something that's not yours. A glance in that direction or simply a stolen look in secret. Possessing fully and completely in mind and in spirit.
Cassie Woodson's eyes are cast inward to the emptiness that resides there. She still carries the pain of loss and can't seem to set it down. Her law degree from Penn State and her position in a prestigious New York City law firm are miles behind her. Cassie doesn't like to revisit what happened there. It's time to move on.
Upward mobility is not happenin' here for ol' Cassie. She's relegated to working as a temp at Levy and Strong reviewing documents in an impending Medicare fraud case with 15 others jammed into workstations. With eyes glazed over, Cassie gets a hit into the personal emails of Forest Watt, a powerful attorney with the firm. She can't seem to look away as she reads correspondence between Forest and his wife, Annabelle. Oh, how she wishes to claim this life of theirs. In particular, she sets her focus on Forest. And now Forest has a target on his back.
Lindsay Cameron snaps this one into play with her crafty main character of Cassie. The sharp dialogue and the awkward situations bring humor around the corner. Cassie is a betting woman who places everything on the table. Cameron ratchets up the tension as Cassie becomes more and more emboldened throughout the storyline. As readers, we hold our breath as Cassie lives more and more on the edge. Is Cassie becoming slowly undone or is it our imagination? Just what is her end game? Just One Look should peak your interest coming out in July. A perfect Summer read.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Random House (Ballantine Books) and to Lindsay Cameron for the opportunity.
July 22, 2021
A creepy but fun read! Obsession stories can be a tricky thing to pull off. In my experience with books and movies, the plot might draw you in but eventually it loses steam. Just One Look held my interest throughout because the author drops some unexpected surprises along the way. The story doesn't quite hit amazing territory but there was enough going on that made it a worthwhile read for me.
Cassie was a lawyer but now she has a temp job reviewing emails for a super big fraud case. As she reads the emails of the employees, she is supposed highlight the ones pertaining to the case and ignore the ones that have nothing nothing to do with it, such as personal, private correspondence. Cassie though becomes fascinated with the email exchanges between a partner at the law firm, Forest Watts, and his wife, Annabelle. And well, she might just go a tad too far in her quest to find out more about this couple. Buckle up kids, it's going to be a crazy ride!
You know early on that something is just off with Cassie. That's not really giving anything away as the publisher synopsis alludes to that as well. As the reader, you have this natural curiosity to find out more about Cassie's past and just what plans she has in store as she develops this obsession. Like what exactly is her endgame? This book was a quick read for me as I was highly interested in seeing where the author was going to take the story. I was pleasantly caught off guard with a few developments late in the story. Endings can be make it or break it time, and I was reasonably satisfied with the conclusion.
A solid weekend or vacation read if you are a fan of psychological thrillers.
Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance digital copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
Cassie was a lawyer but now she has a temp job reviewing emails for a super big fraud case. As she reads the emails of the employees, she is supposed highlight the ones pertaining to the case and ignore the ones that have nothing nothing to do with it, such as personal, private correspondence. Cassie though becomes fascinated with the email exchanges between a partner at the law firm, Forest Watts, and his wife, Annabelle. And well, she might just go a tad too far in her quest to find out more about this couple. Buckle up kids, it's going to be a crazy ride!
You know early on that something is just off with Cassie. That's not really giving anything away as the publisher synopsis alludes to that as well. As the reader, you have this natural curiosity to find out more about Cassie's past and just what plans she has in store as she develops this obsession. Like what exactly is her endgame? This book was a quick read for me as I was highly interested in seeing where the author was going to take the story. I was pleasantly caught off guard with a few developments late in the story. Endings can be make it or break it time, and I was reasonably satisfied with the conclusion.
A solid weekend or vacation read if you are a fan of psychological thrillers.
Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance digital copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
July 27, 2021
Just one look couldn’t hurt.
This is Cameron’s debut suspense thriller, and it’s a whopper! There are elaborate lies and deception that will blow your mind. Once I settled into the story, you couldn’t rip it out of my hands!
Cassie Woodson is a MC you won’t easily forget. She went from a lawyer at a prestigious law firm to working as a temp after some type of scandal at her previous law firm. We are only fed little details of her downfall, here and there. Just enough to know it’s juicy and we want to know more!
As she’s reviewing documents for a Medicare fraud case, she starts reading the personal emails of one of the partners of the firm. She becomes obsessed with him and this story, and Cassie, go places I never imagined!
Sincere thanks to NetGalley, Lindsay Cameron and Ballantine Books, for this free digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!
My Rating: 4.5 ⭐️’s (rounding up)
Published: July 27th 2021 by Ballantine Books
Pages: 304
Recommend: Yes
#BallantineBooks #JustOneLook #psychologicalthriller #NoRulesJustThrills #MustRead #InExchangeForReview #BookReview #ARC #SuspenseDebut #NetGalley
After publication, my reviews can be found on Amazon, GoodReads, Edelweiss, Twitter, BN.com, and BookBub
@LindsayJCameron @randomhouse @NetGalley
This is Cameron’s debut suspense thriller, and it’s a whopper! There are elaborate lies and deception that will blow your mind. Once I settled into the story, you couldn’t rip it out of my hands!
Cassie Woodson is a MC you won’t easily forget. She went from a lawyer at a prestigious law firm to working as a temp after some type of scandal at her previous law firm. We are only fed little details of her downfall, here and there. Just enough to know it’s juicy and we want to know more!
As she’s reviewing documents for a Medicare fraud case, she starts reading the personal emails of one of the partners of the firm. She becomes obsessed with him and this story, and Cassie, go places I never imagined!
Sincere thanks to NetGalley, Lindsay Cameron and Ballantine Books, for this free digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!
My Rating: 4.5 ⭐️’s (rounding up)
Published: July 27th 2021 by Ballantine Books
Pages: 304
Recommend: Yes
#BallantineBooks #JustOneLook #psychologicalthriller #NoRulesJustThrills #MustRead #InExchangeForReview #BookReview #ARC #SuspenseDebut #NetGalley
After publication, my reviews can be found on Amazon, GoodReads, Edelweiss, Twitter, BN.com, and BookBub
@LindsayJCameron @randomhouse @NetGalley
July 15, 2021
Just One Look by Lindsay Cameron is a thriller read that is very reminiscent of Caroline Kepnes’s You series. In this thriller we have a female lead who begins to show stalkerish tendencies and an unnatural obsession much like Joe Goldberg, the lead of You.
Cassie Woodson had been on a blazing career path after law school joining a law firm and working her way up the corporate ladder. However, an incident happened at the firm causing Cassie to lose her job with her failures plastered all over the media to haunt her where ever she turned.
Needing to pay her bills with her law career off the rails Cassie takes a temp job at a firm sifting through their documents for a case. The job is so far down the ladder from where she was before and completely mind numbing work, that is until the private emails of one of the firm’s partners begins to hit Cassie in box.
Being a huge fan of the You series I was actually quite taken with reading the thoughts of a female flawed character with the same traits as Joe Goldberg. Cassie was very engaging when beginning to read and I couldn’t wait to see what the author had in store for her. The thing that held this back to three and a half stars to me though was it didn’t seem as action packed of a book. Cassie spent the majority of her time in her basement job or interacting with a co-worker with only a bit of time spent pursuing her obsessions. If this became a series I would probably come back though as despite a slower pace I was engaged in Cassie’s perspective.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Cassie Woodson had been on a blazing career path after law school joining a law firm and working her way up the corporate ladder. However, an incident happened at the firm causing Cassie to lose her job with her failures plastered all over the media to haunt her where ever she turned.
Needing to pay her bills with her law career off the rails Cassie takes a temp job at a firm sifting through their documents for a case. The job is so far down the ladder from where she was before and completely mind numbing work, that is until the private emails of one of the firm’s partners begins to hit Cassie in box.
Being a huge fan of the You series I was actually quite taken with reading the thoughts of a female flawed character with the same traits as Joe Goldberg. Cassie was very engaging when beginning to read and I couldn’t wait to see what the author had in store for her. The thing that held this back to three and a half stars to me though was it didn’t seem as action packed of a book. Cassie spent the majority of her time in her basement job or interacting with a co-worker with only a bit of time spent pursuing her obsessions. If this became a series I would probably come back though as despite a slower pace I was engaged in Cassie’s perspective.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
July 27, 2021
Just One Look is a fast paced domestic suspense novel with a lead you know is a little nuts! When Cassie starts a temp job that involves going through emails, she becomes obsessed with a man named Forest, and spends pretty much all of her time thinking about him, researching him, and plotting ways she can insert herself into his life. There were so many times I mentally yelled at her because she was being crazy!
Similar to Joe in Caroline Kepnes' You, the reader knows from the get-go that our main character is unhinged. We see the depths Cassie goes to, but can't help but read more, and wait to see if her plotting blows up in her face, or if she can make it work without getting caught! While the book predominately focuses on Cassie's obsession with Forest, there is another plot that is introduced later in the book, which felt more "thriller-ish" to me. Before that storyline happened, I was enjoying the book, but was waiting for the thriller aspect to come into play. I don't want to spoil everything, but I will say that if you don't mind reading about a character who you know isn't a traditional "good guy" (again, think Joe from You), and aren't looking for something with tons of traditional thriller elements, this will be a great choice for you.
The chapters were fast paced, and I found myself blowing through the book very quickly. Overall, I'd rate this one 3.5 stars, but am rounding down on this one because I was looking for a little more thrill/creep factor with this one. That said, I loved Lindsay Cameron's writing style, and can't wait to see what she writes next!
I'd like to thank Random House Bellantine for my advanced copy of the book. It was my pleasure to provide an honest review!
Similar to Joe in Caroline Kepnes' You, the reader knows from the get-go that our main character is unhinged. We see the depths Cassie goes to, but can't help but read more, and wait to see if her plotting blows up in her face, or if she can make it work without getting caught! While the book predominately focuses on Cassie's obsession with Forest, there is another plot that is introduced later in the book, which felt more "thriller-ish" to me. Before that storyline happened, I was enjoying the book, but was waiting for the thriller aspect to come into play. I don't want to spoil everything, but I will say that if you don't mind reading about a character who you know isn't a traditional "good guy" (again, think Joe from You), and aren't looking for something with tons of traditional thriller elements, this will be a great choice for you.
The chapters were fast paced, and I found myself blowing through the book very quickly. Overall, I'd rate this one 3.5 stars, but am rounding down on this one because I was looking for a little more thrill/creep factor with this one. That said, I loved Lindsay Cameron's writing style, and can't wait to see what she writes next!
I'd like to thank Random House Bellantine for my advanced copy of the book. It was my pleasure to provide an honest review!
August 11, 2021
Cassie Woodson made an impulsive and grave mistake at her last job and now is working as a temp in the lowest level of a law firm editing corporate business emails. You see, Cassie was a rising star in another prestigious law firm and she now has a destroyed career and her savings are almost depleted and had to take any job willing to overlook her tarnished legal reputation. This position is mindless and mundane until the day she happens upon a personal email from one of the partners and starts to fantasize about about this man named Forest Watts and his wife Annabelle and what their life might be like. Only Cassie can't stop there as she continues to read more emails and wants and needs to see this man, Forest in person and as time goes on Cassie realizes that she has to find a way to be in his life and show him that he needs her and not his wife Annabelle.
What a page turner. I just loved this book with all the craziness that never stops. Give me More! I just. couldn't decide if I felt sorry for Cassie or just couldn't stand her and her devious tactics that she thought were normal if she wasn't caught doing them. It's just so creepy to think about how many people have access to one's personal emails and the sender or receiver are in the dark about having any knowledge of this complete invasion of privacy. This fact truly gives me a case of the "Willies". This is up there on my list with being one of the best stalker books that I have read and Believe Me, I have read quite a few. And if all this wasn't enough the book took a fantastic and clever twist (Wow) that sent the story in another unforseen direction. Last but not least "The Ending", oh yes, what a great and so appropriate ending. Lindsay Cameron has written a superb and well-written book about stalking and how one could never imagine how such a normal and nice looking man or woman could be very unstable and capable of dangerous and secretive devices to get what they want and need while the victim hasn't a clue why a stalker would choose them. Sooo Creepy! Just think, the next stranger you smile at could be YOUR Next Stalker!
I want to thank the publisher "Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books" and Netgalley for granting my wish request and any thoughts and opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone.
I highly recommend this suspenseful book and have given a rating of 4 1/2 CREEPY and FABULOUS 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌠 STARS!!
July 29, 2021
A slightly bland thriller
After an incident at the law firm where she works, Cassie Woodson finds herself temping. She's reviewing correspondence for a fraud case--several tiers removed from her life as a lawyer. While going through the tedious emails, she discovers a series of exchanges between one of the firm partners, Forest Watts, and his wife Annabelle. Cassie can't help but read them, fixating on the way Forest seems to love and adore his wife. But when she finds a way to "accidentally" meet Forest, her fixation with the Watts turns into a full blown obsession.
"He has no idea that I have access to every corner of his life. Even the dusty ones."
This was a perfectly fine thriller, though I found it a little bland. I think it's because I'm so over unreliable alcoholic narrators. For me, that trope is just done. I lose sympathy for the protagonist at that point and just stop caring. Cassie is just an insane train wreck of a character. The whole book felt like watching one, honestly. The premise here is that she's abandoned by her mother at a young age, hence making her unstable and leading to a series of incidents (including the one where she came unglued at her law firm). But I could never quite buy why she became so obsessed with Forest Watts and his wife.
"Eyes aren't the windows to the soul. Emails are."
Most of the book focuses on Cassie's preoccupation with Forest--starting with the emails and then branching out into real life. The girl is committed, I will give you that. She creates a binder on the Watts and everything. If only she was that dedicated to something more productive. There's also a subplot with her temp co-worker, Dalton. Then with about 10 to 15% of the book left, the plot takes a complete turn and things get more exciting. However, nothing that happened previously really seemed to gel with that plot twist, so I found it all a little odd. It was a strange, out of left field turn.
Overall, I found this book interesting enough that I kept reading, so I'm still giving it 3 stars. But it was a strange ride, to say the least. Others liked it more than me, so take my review with a grain of salt.
I received a copy of this book from Random House - Ballantine and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
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After an incident at the law firm where she works, Cassie Woodson finds herself temping. She's reviewing correspondence for a fraud case--several tiers removed from her life as a lawyer. While going through the tedious emails, she discovers a series of exchanges between one of the firm partners, Forest Watts, and his wife Annabelle. Cassie can't help but read them, fixating on the way Forest seems to love and adore his wife. But when she finds a way to "accidentally" meet Forest, her fixation with the Watts turns into a full blown obsession.
"He has no idea that I have access to every corner of his life. Even the dusty ones."
This was a perfectly fine thriller, though I found it a little bland. I think it's because I'm so over unreliable alcoholic narrators. For me, that trope is just done. I lose sympathy for the protagonist at that point and just stop caring. Cassie is just an insane train wreck of a character. The whole book felt like watching one, honestly. The premise here is that she's abandoned by her mother at a young age, hence making her unstable and leading to a series of incidents (including the one where she came unglued at her law firm). But I could never quite buy why she became so obsessed with Forest Watts and his wife.
"Eyes aren't the windows to the soul. Emails are."
Most of the book focuses on Cassie's preoccupation with Forest--starting with the emails and then branching out into real life. The girl is committed, I will give you that. She creates a binder on the Watts and everything. If only she was that dedicated to something more productive. There's also a subplot with her temp co-worker, Dalton. Then with about 10 to 15% of the book left, the plot takes a complete turn and things get more exciting. However, nothing that happened previously really seemed to gel with that plot twist, so I found it all a little odd. It was a strange, out of left field turn.
Overall, I found this book interesting enough that I kept reading, so I'm still giving it 3 stars. But it was a strange ride, to say the least. Others liked it more than me, so take my review with a grain of salt.
I received a copy of this book from Random House - Ballantine and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ PaperBackSwap ~ Smashbomb
June 24, 2021
Fast and fun, if you like YOU, you'll enjoy
Just One Look
! I read this book in two sittings because it's totally a summer beach read. The story focuses on Cassie Woodson, a woman who has been having difficulty finding work after a mishap at the previous law firm that she worked at has ruined her image. Cassie ends up finding temp work at another law firm, providing input on tedious and mundane filing for the firm's upcoming fraud case. While reviewing documents and emails, Cassie becomes inundated with personal emails between one of the firm's attorneys, Forest Watts and his wife Annabelle. Cassie becomes enamored by Forest and his loyalty towards his wife and her behavior becomes obsessive. Cassie knows what she is doing is inappropriate but cannot stop because she may be falling for this man. The problem is, he's happily married. Getting to know someone through their personal emails, however, becomes a power that Cassie begins to wield for her benefit.
Just One Look definitely has similar vibes to YOU and many psychological thrillers you've come to read and enjoy, so go in knowing it'll be a fun ride. Some of the plot can be expected in this genre, but the author does a great job of pivoting towards an ending I didn't see coming. I am so happy the publisher is releasing this book over the summer, because it's a total beach read. This is my first venture into this author's works, but I'm excited to see what Lindsay Cameron has up her sleeve next.
Just One Look definitely has similar vibes to YOU and many psychological thrillers you've come to read and enjoy, so go in knowing it'll be a fun ride. Some of the plot can be expected in this genre, but the author does a great job of pivoting towards an ending I didn't see coming. I am so happy the publisher is releasing this book over the summer, because it's a total beach read. This is my first venture into this author's works, but I'm excited to see what Lindsay Cameron has up her sleeve next.
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