Just One Look

A Novel

By: Lindsay Cameron

Narrated by: Annie Q

Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

A young woman’s escalating obsession with a seemingly perfect man leads her down a dangerous path in this “delicious and marvelously controlled” (The New York Times Book Review) novel of suspense.

“Bitingly modern and totally addictive, Lindsay Cameron’s suspense debut is the freshest take on stalker fiction since You.” (Andrea Bartz, New York Times best-selling author of We Were Never Here)

Named One of the Best Books of the Year by She Reads

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 that door opens, she finds she can’t look away.

Every day, 20 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 apparently 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.

©2021 Lindsay Cameron (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Fresh, fun, and totally wicked...a sharp, modern thrill ride with a witty heroine.” (Entertainment Weekly)

“Lindsay Cameron’s thriller will appeal to fans of You, in that readers get a glimpse inside the head of someone willing to go to extreme lengths for what they want.... Nothing and no one are as they seem in this thriller about envy, obsession, class, stalking, and revenge.” (Oprah Daily)

“I inhaled Just One Look. I was going to read one chapter, then one chapter became the whole thing. YUM.” (Caroline Kepnes, New York Times best-selling author of the You series)

Loved it!

I listen to a lot of psychological thrillers, but too many of them are predictable or the characters are one-dimensional. This one was EXCELLENT! The protagonist is a stalker with a troubled past and psychological issues, yet she was surprisingly likable, and I genuinely felt emparthy for her. Her actions were wrong, but she wasn't menacing or evil and didn't mean any harm - she was just desperate to be loved. The plot was tightly-written with a lot of twists and turns, and the last 25 percent or so was a roller coaster ride that had me on the edge of my seat.

Just One Look shows us how tenuous the line is between snooping and stalking.

Are you a bit of a snoop? Throughout this book I found myself torturously deciding if I was capable of the things Cassie was. I simultaneously hated her and was weirdly rooting for her. Warning - Only begin this book if you are prepared to do nothing else for two days.

A great read

This book was actually a great read. I was a little tentative at first because it had 3.5 stars. 8 people apparently rated it but didn’t give a review which I thought was weird. So I said screw it, used a credit and figured that if I didn’t like it I could return it. Well I ended up actually loving it. I finished it in 4 days and that’s only because of work. I know there are a lot of stories of a female protagonists who’s a nobody who wants to be with the rich man but I feel like there was a different twist or maybe aspect to this story. You think it’ll go one way until something happens then you may find yourself panicking for her and then it goes in the opposite direction. All in all I think you should totally give this book a chance.

Kept me up all night! Riveting!!

With razor sharp wit, Lindsay Cameron‘s suspense debut is a captivating and intense ride! Just One Look is a fast paced thriller that hooks you from the very beginning. Twists and a surprise ending make this a must listen! Well performed - narrator really nailed the character!

Just one more chapter

I couldn’t stop listening to this perfectly paced psychological thriller! It was terrifyingly accurate and I love a good stalker story. Highly recommend!

Unique story

I was a little worried about getting this book, but glad I did. The story is different but very enjoyable. Although the main character is not very likable, it kept my interest until the end. The great reviews from the readers persuaded me to get this book. I will be looking for more books by this author.

Really interesting story

A bit repetitive. Corny ending. Narrator didn’t do a good job. Overall pretty decent listen to zone out to… since I ended up finishing it.

Just one listen… couldn’t hurt

Great listen! I really enjoyed this thriller. It was fast paced and gripping. Once I was a few chapters in, I couldn’t stop… It kept me wanting more!

What a gem!

This book is original, fast-paced, contemporary, intelligent, funny, and suspenseful--what more do you want in a mystery/thriller? After listening to many tales about missing children and evil spouses, this was truly a breath of fresh air. No spoilers--see for yourself.

Loved it

I couldn't stop listening to this crazy lady. Very addictive story told well. Will look for more by this author.