I must admit, I didn't particularly like either of the main characters - neither Laura nor Vanessa seemed like particularly nice people. However, that did not stop me swiftly turning the pages to find out exactly what was coming next!

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the evolution of each of their mindsets throughout and it made for a very satisfying story.

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

This was okay. I struggled to like the two main characters. Vanessa seemed one dimensional with one quirk. Laura seemed stereotypical. They didn’t seem to have much detail and the storied interest in Hank threw me.

A compulsion thriller that keeps you hooked from the beginning. Compelling, dark, and memorable, this is a fast paced book that will keep you guessing. I definitely want to read more from this author.

A light and entertaining enough story but seemed quite far fetched and none of the characters were particularly likeable or relatable.

I could not get into this book, ultimately it was not form me and I could not finish it. It may be one for other readers

You most likely will not like or relate to either character, but it was a fun little, fast paced read. Working in a corporate atmosphere is sometimes cutthroat. I give this one points for being entertaining.

Vanessa is an administrative assistant to the very married Vice president of marketing. She is also very attracted to him, and cliche of all, he to her. Nothing will get in her way of getting her way.....

I think I expected a lot more from this book based on the blurb but found myself to be a bit disappointed, I didn’t find it as thrilling or engaging as I expected

Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this book. The cover and description had me looking forward to reading it. But sadly it was far from the exciting thriller I had been expecting. It was very far fetched. More of a character study than a book

Slow-moving suspense with a lot of character development, but not particularly likeable characters. Wanted more pay-off for the build-up.

I am sorry to say I really struggled with this book.

I was expecting a thriller and characters with ambitions that we could understand and perhaps connect too.

Instead with got Vanessa (the beautiful PA who hated other women but didn't want to admit that) and Laura (who simply was not good enough at her job and blamed other people esp men for it).

I think the in depth look we received of these 2 women would have worked had they had any redeeming qualities at all...however they were just truly awful.

Hated both of them from beginning to end and this meant I really struggled with the whole book...at the halfway point I nearly stopped reading altogether but decided to persevere....unfortunately nothing happened that changed my opinion.

I also found the book challenging because there was alot of talk about glass ceilings and women and men being equal....which are important topics and I love stories that address these issues in an intelligent way....but neither of these women helped these topics in any way and the story wasn't nuanced enough to be clever or satire.

These women were both just disgusting humans who thought they deserved more because they were women...and that doesn't help with equality at all. To put it basically...neither were good enough for their jobs and neither were good enough period.

I would have loved to have seen strong able women competing against each other but this wasn't that. It was self entitled horrid women wanting something because they are women and blaming the fact they were not getting it on men...which was uncomfortable and actually went against equality of the sexes more than anything.

Also the men all wanted them to be housewives....so men are just generally archaic? Again its not nuanced enough. Why were there not different types of men and personalities shown? They were all of the same thoughts and that was disappointing on so many levels. Men are all the same and women are narcissists??

Why was Vanessa cooking steak when she got home from her job and shopping (of course!). It almost felt like satire but overshot and didn't end up being a commentary on modern life or a satire. It was just very uncomfortable. Matt confronting Vanessa about her nail polishes was truly ridiculous.
I would have had a few things to say to my other half about that confrontation and it wouldn't have been 'sorry 'or a wait for it...striptease!!! Come on!!!

Reading through my review now...was it satire that I missed? As surely it couldn't have been just a novel about awful women? & 1950s men?

Either way it definitely wasn't for me. Sorry.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the ARC of this book.
An interesting read, although some of it I thought was very unbelievable.
I liked some characters but not others, but it was interesting, fast paced so was easy to read.
Unfortunately not a 4 star for me due to the fact it was not really believable but it was well written and I would read another by this author.

i didn't really enjoy this book, i've red so many books like this, office politics, A PA that's out to get the lead character, i didn't find it very thrilling.

Laura aspires to a promotion in Avalon Systems. It is her dream to be appointed the Ops Director, just the first of achievements in her rise to the top. It is for this dream that she has given up her marriage.

The only person who stands in her way is Vanessa, the admin to the boss, Hank. Vanessa won’t let Laura meet Hank, won’t even fix an interview with him. Feeling aggrieved, Laura begins a rumour that Vanessa and Hank are sleeping together. When the rumour fails to gain ground, she decides to do whatever it takes to get the promotion she deserves.

How far will she go to get the job of her dreams?

The book is written in the third person limited point of view of Vanessa and Laura, in alternate chapters.

The book brings out the class distinctions that permeate the corporate world. How the jobs people do are often judged on the basis of status and prestige within the company. How women are often judged even when it is the man’s fault. How people in a subordinate position are dismissed as part of the machinery, and not expected to have a constructive opinion about the business.

Both women are stereotypes, conforming to type. One meets less pronounced versions of both Laura and Vanessa at work. Lauras who are ambitious and entitled and Vanessas who let their looks and closeness with senior colleagues define them.



This is the second book set in the corporate world I’ve read in the space of a month that eschews the use of the surname, mentioning them at the end of the book. Laura’s surname, Bachman, is mentioned only at the 79%-mark, Hank’s surname, Conti, came at the 87%-mark, and Vanessa’s surname, Hillman, comes at the 93%-mark. I found it off that the author let us have such a close look at the characters' lives but refrained from sharing their surname earlier on.

This book also uses interior monologue to post information about the past. There is a lot of character exposition and not enough action to warrant being called a thriller. We get to see endless details about their personal lives, their relationships with their partners, the minutiae of their lives. But not so much of the two women and the dynamics between them.

The women are stereotypes at work, but outside the workplace, they have complex, layered lives, and face different kinds of issues.

Both women are alone, Laura actually so, and Vanessa, craving excitement in her relationship with fiancé, Matt. Both live dangerously, Vanessa with her guilty pleasure, and Laura with her decision to keep running at the school track, even though the mentally disturbed homeless man who runs at her heels is making her uncomfortable. Both have a guilty secret that could wreck their lives. Both have different kinds of expectations from Hank.

But the book does raise some pertinent questions about the lack of diversity at the workplace, especially at higher levels, how women have to work twice as hard to have their contribution recognised, how they are constantly judged for their appearance, and accused of using their sex appeal to get ahead.

As a plot for a thriller, it wasn’t very strong. The Assistant was more about human nature and the compulsions that drive us. The writing was good. A whole universe existed inside each human skull.

I’d definitely read this author again.

A toxic working environment where gossip and sometimes gender is seen as superior issues as opposed to a good performance. A woman who is lost and seeks thrills in shoplifting, another one is obsessed with promotion and she is not able to see that this desire is ending her career and progressively ending her life as she knows it. Feedback is given in an inappropriate form and in bad timing, total lack of trust among peers and superiors, put this all together and you have a sure scenario of a catastrophe. A well put together plot with very relatable office characters. Very entertaining and easy to read.

Thanks to netgalley for giving me San arc copy to read. I sadly did not like this book. The premise was amazing, an ambitious assistant out to kill and murder people in her way, but it was not executed well to me. The pace was slow and boring and the characters were not relatable. I found the protagonist so annoying.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy!

Told between Laura and Vanessa….2 different women….1 with an MBA and ambition to move up the corporate ladder….the other an Admin Assistant and the other thinks she is the one holding her back. Different,

I don’t even know where to begin with this book. The lives of these women were just page turners. I read this book in 2 days….. not a lot of twists and turns but it was beautifully written and kept my interest. The ending was certainly the best!

Great job!

This was an entertaining read although it did stretch my limits of credibility. The characters are not likeable although very interesting and the fast paced plot make it an enjoyable read.

Two ladies working in corporate America. One eager to climb the promotion ladder and the other a humble admin assistant. What a dreadful pair they are with nothing to like about either of them. It wasn’t really a thriller, more like Women’s Fiction and it took a while to get into its stride. Engaging and compelling enough but not terrifically exciting. The end when it came was a bit of an anticlimax, a bit hurried with one or two loose ends. A quick read which will see the reader through a day or two of a beach holiday.

This was a quick read. Chapters alternate between two characters and is super easy to follow. It flows well but I wish there was a bit more background into both characters. I enjoyed this and recommend it! It's a psychological thriller type but not really with any twist at the end. You can see one character slowly becoming unhinged the more you read.