Mia Anderson is a quiet, reserved librarian in Nashville who is used to being “invisible”, as she puts it. Her best friend Jess seems to be her opposite in nearly every way. And her work bestie, Jack, is more similar to her, so she gets the best of both worlds in terms of friendship and support. But when it comes to her dating life, she’s not concerned about the lack of prospects. When Jess voluntells her to start online dating to help her with her next article for her job, Mia has no interest in stepping out of her comfort zone. But then one day at a coffee shop, she receives a note that says, “You Look Beautiful Today.” Having no idea who delivered the note, she is left confused and alarmed, and suddenly much less invisible. You Look Beautiful Tonight by L. R. Jones is a contemporary thriller in which Mia must figure out the reason for the unexpected attention while on a path of self-discovery to choose which version of herself she wants to be. 

Mia is up for a possible job promotion with the new auditorium in her place of work. While she’s been doing everything right with her boss in her corner, nothing is official. Yet she continues to step up where needed. Even so, she can’t help but notice a well-dressed man who seems to be watching her each time he’s at the library. Plus, per Jess’s request/demand, her online profile seems to be gaining lots of attention. One of the messages she receives is from a guy named Adam, who doesn’t pull any punches in telling her about herself. It’s like she prefers to appear awkward and uncomfortable, and Adam encourages her to be the version of her that is confident and more assertive. Even though his words catch Mia off-guard, they also interest her, and so does Adam.

Mia and Adam’s situationship becomes more intimate as You Look Beautiful Tonight progresses. And just when things are about to seemingly get more serious, she discovers that Adam is not who he seems. Before she realizes, Mia finds herself in a tricky (and potentially deadly) predicament, not knowing how to move forward. Meanwhile, more anonymous notes and the stranger in the library keep showing up. It appears as if she has no choice but to step out of her comfort zone and do things she never would have done before. If she doesn’t take control, more lives could be at stake than just hers. 

You Look Beautiful Tonight will entertain readers who enjoy a mystery/thriller novel with a dash of the Netflix series You. However, they will have to be patient and get through the first half of the story before anything really happens. The pacing is slow and the characters are underwhelming. As Mia gets the unexpected spike in attention, she keeps going back and forth wondering if she prefers to be invisible or not. It became quite redundant, especially with her best friends constantly being equally repetitive in their responses to each new note or message. I will give credit to L. R. Jones for keeping readers guessing throughout the story and creating a twist that I really didn’t see coming. Even so, the lead up and reveal didn’t blow me away. Of course. readers are welcome to pick up the book and decide for themselves. 

L. R. Jones joins us on The Nerd Cantina Show for a Cantina Conversation. She talks about her experiences as a published author and what she’s working on next. Keep an ear out for the episode and order You Look Beautiful Tonight, available now.