This was a fantastic debut novel! The main character Florence, has been fired from her editorial job and ends up becoming assistant to the reclusive and anonymous famous writer Maud Dixon. Maud invites Florence to Morocco to do research for her upcoming book and they end up in a car accident. Florence wakes up to Maud presumed dead and decides to take over her identity.

The book reminded me of Talented Mr. Ripley with the play on identity as well as the descriptive setting of Morocco. It had some twists and turns and was overall very intriguing and readable!

This story was a compelling literary thriller. The main character comes from Florida to New York to work at a publishing house. Through some unexpected developments, she ends up the assistant to a reclusive best selling author. At first, the main character views her new boss as a mentor and someone to emulate but she soon realizes there is more than meets the eye. I won't share too much more so as not to give away the story, but suffice it to say this is one that will keep you guessing up to the end. Recommended.

Wow. I'm still trying to catch my breath from that ending. Not going to lie - I was a little hesitant when I read the comparison to "The Silent Patient," but Alexandra Andrews definitely lived up to the hype.

Florence is a wanna-be writer from small-town Florida, and I couldn't help but identify with her desire to just be MORE. To begin, we follow Florence from editorial assistant at a premier publisher to spurned mistress to the personal assistant of famous writer Maud Dixon - whose true identity is the big secret of the writing world. This first half is slower but so full of character development that I didn't mind even a little bit. A part of me wondered if the book had been misclassified as a thriller instead of literary fiction. 😂

Then, you turn the page exactly at the halfway point, and the other shoe drops. It was fast-paced. It was clever. It was hard to set the book down and fix my family dinner. It was outlandish. It was everything I want from a suspense novel.

I went into this book completely in the dark, I had no idea what I was reading though I read somewhere that this was going to be a well-talked about book. Since I love discovering new authors and titles, I requested this book on netgalley and I am so glad I did. As I was reading, I thought of a dozen different directions this story could be going in but I was totally thrown for a loop halfway through the book and was hooked. The thrill and uncertainty of what was going to happen next had me going until the last page. This is a book I will be recommending others to read.

A devilishly fun thriller that perfectly threads the needle between Patricia Highsmith and Gillian Flynn. There is real humanity to these characters, even as they descend further and further into an amoral morass. Alexandra Andrews absolutely kills it with novel #1.

No one knows who Maud Dixon is. Only a few people. She is the author of the biggest book in a long time, she refuses to do interviews and any sort of press. She works alone until she suddenly needs an assistant. Enter Florance. Florance is trying to get away from her past and make a better life for herself. When she is asked to become Helen Wilcox's assistant aka Maud Dixon she jumps at the chance. Helen wants to travel to Morocco to do research on her next book. While in Morocco the twists and turns lead the reader on the edge of their seat waiting to read what will happen next.

This 5 star read is a modern thriller tale about making one's way in the world of writing and book publishing, but it has as many twists and turns as a novel by Charles Dickens For those who love unique contemporary stories, WHO IS MAUD DIXON definitely fits the bill. The added bonus is that the plot revolves around an author, a wanna-be author, and the publishing industry. However, that makes this story sound boring, something it most definitely is not. When the story begins with 26-year-old Florence and her wallflower friend Lucy working as new editorial assistants at Forrester Books, readers are drawn in by what seems like the start of an improbably successful life for Florence; her background in an economically-challenged home run by her uneducated, single mother makes her feel insecure and defensive. Even after-work happy hour gatherings with other young adults at their same company leave Florence feeling like she's an outsider looking in, and that is the weak link in her life that sets her up for the point at which "two roads diverged in a wood."

Unfortunately, Florence takes the path led by flirtations with a man, who also happens to be married and also happens to be her boss, the editorial director at Forrester Books. Although she regrets her actions when she wakes up alone in the hotel room the next morning, she does not have enough regret to change her ways. She tries to focus on her job and all the office chit-chat about a best selling novel published under the pseudonym of Maud Dixon. Instead, Florence decides to try and blackmail her way to being a published author.

The swift retaliation within Florence's publishing house leaves her at the depths of despair one minute and at the height of exhilaration days later. Readers will be turning the pages as fast as they can while mentally shouting warnings to Florence that there are just too many coincidences for this to be a lucky break.

This novel by Alexandra Andrews is sure to receive as many kudos as the fictional Maud Dixon novel.

A very good debut novel in the realm of psychological thrillers! The story focuses on Florence Darrow, a young, aspiring author who has a low-paying job with a publishing company. After she is fired because of a scandal in which she is involved, she lucks into what she considers a dream job: a position as an assistant to Helen Wilcox, the secretive bestselling author writing under the pseudonym of Maud Dixon, about whom the publishing world is abuzz and yet whose real background and identity is completely unknown.

After her work with Helen begins, Florence and Helen travel to Morocco to do research on the novel Helen is currently writing, but an accident soon occurs, and Helen disappears. Now the plot seriously thickens as it moves to its climactic but satisfying ending.

Although the novel seemed to move rather slowly in the first third or so, it definitely picked up after that. The main characters became more and more interesting (even though I did not really like them), and there were plenty of twists and turns.

Once I made some headway into this book, it definitely became a page turner, and I enjoyed it quite a lot. I look forward to Ms. Andrews’ next work.

What a fun topsy turvy ride of a thriller. Completely innovative and compelling. Florence, who works in publishing gets the chance of a lifetime to work for the elusive and secretive author of Maud Dixon and from there an intricate web of deceit and death ensues. A five star read!

I’m always worried when books are compared to best sellers or famous authors. In this case it’s recommended for folks who enjoyed The Silent Patient and Patricia Highsmith’s works. Will it live up to the comparison?
Florence fancies herself a writer but isn’t actually writing. She’s one of those young people who sort of floats through life, working a job she doesn’t like, having sex with a married man. She takes a job as the assistant to a writer, hoping to learn from her. But then she sees an opportunity and snatches it. And one thing leads to another. I love the premise of this book. But did we really need the entire first half of the book to set up this premise? The book’s description manages to do it in several short paragraphs. Now, by comparison, the second half of the book is like a tornado. Andrews whips things up and I had no idea where they would come down. It’s got a great ending. Tightened up, this could make a great movie.
I appreciated the two main characters here. Both Helen and Florence are fully developed. Not likeable, mind you, but fascinating.
My thanks to netgalley and Little, Brown for an advance copy of this book.

I was on pins and needles reading this. Will she or won’t she. Oh, she did. Maybe that was a bad idea. Nope, go for it. It was a battle. Loved it so much. Can’t wait for the movie!

This book was so good! This book is a literary thriller, both the plot (publishing industry) and writing style (thank you Alexandra Andrews for your vocabulary). Florence starts working as an assistant for bestselling but anonymous writer Helen (pen name Maud Dixon) under a strict NDA. Florence and Helen fly to Morocco, get in a car wreck, and then everything goes sideways. The synopsis calls Florence a "striver" - perfect description of her character. She's not exactly likable but she is compelling. And it's so nice to read a smart thriller! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Florence is a frustrated publishing assistant who starts to go off the rails when one of her fellow assistants gets her work published before Florence. After getting fired for a stalking incident, she randomly lands a job as assistant for the latest literary sensation, Maud Dixon, a pen name for an anonymous, sassy woman named Helen Wilcox, who lives in the country in upstate New York.
When Helen is killed in a freak accident, Florence thinks no one will be the wiser if she just becomes Maud Dixon. But Florence may have bitten off more than she can chew, as Helen's publisher wants her next book, like, last week.
I found this book to be absolutely hilarious. The tone reminded me of the movie Death Becomes Her. I don't think too many readers will like Helen or Florence, but the way their personalities play off each other is great because they are both weirdos. I was cracking up when a lawyer told Florence a jury wouldn't find her sympathetic, and when she stole Helen's phrases and tried to casually use them.
A very refreshing and unique entry into the thriller genre!

Hard to put down, this slow burn of a literary thriller was the perfect mix of excellent writing and compelling plot. I wasn't skimming ahead to find out what happens next, because I wanted to enjoy the writing too. It also achieved my preferred ratio of shocking moments to "oh no, I know what's going to happen next - why are you doing that - don't do that!" moments. (Too many of these moments and story is predictable and boring, but when I have a few of them, I feel more engaged and included in the story - plus I feel smart for figuring things out :) ) Despite having its share of suspicious or untrustworthy characters, I found them all to be at least some measure of relatable, with actions that made sense to me, even if I didn't agree with them - these are not the outlandish behaviors of your average drunken, unreliable narrators trying to ruin their lives.

My one complaint is that Helen/Maud reads too old. I know that Florence says Helen seems older than she is, but everything about her reads at least forties, not early thirties. She even makes a seemingly earnest comment about her "old bones" and about Florence being a young person in contrast to herself... and those comments feel super off for someone her age. I understand that being close in age was a critical plot point, as was Florence's inclination to idolize her as a mentor, but I think that her manner of speech could've been more slightly more believable.

With all that being said, I'll end with an unimportant line about recipes that caused me to yell, YES HELEN PREACH: "If I'm told one more time to serve my dish with some good, crusty bread and a schmear of butter, I'll scream." She and I may not have a ton in common, but on this we certainly can agree!

Fun, engaging, compelling literary thriller. Read it if you like the genre.

I really enjoyed this debut novel. I love books about writers and publishing and this story about Florence and her journey to Morocco and what transpires is SO deliciously twisted! It kept me very entertained and was very unpredictable! Highly recommend! My thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for the ARC!

This was fun! This was a fresh twist on the Imposter trope & I couldn't stop tapping my screen for the next page. I don't want to give away spoilers because that's the real fun here but do know that it is a little slow at some points. Honestly, the parts when Florence had any sort of hookup liaison felt like it lingered aimlessly for a bit. They both reached purposeful ends but I felt they could have arrived there sooner. The first especially has a good payoff that propelled her trajectory worthily. Helen proved a good character and by about the midway point of the book, things take an interesting turn between the women and things get even wilder in the final quarter of the book.

I highlit a fair amount and Andrews definitely has a wonderful turn of phrase on display here. I can't do a favourite quote for an ARC review because something may change in the final version but there are many I hope make it to the final cut because they're gems.

As I've mentioned in past reviews, I enjoy a good ingratiator book as such types both fascinate and repel me so I was likely just the audience for this one. In book likes this reminded me of Anna Pitoniak's Necessary People , Tara Elizabeth Burton's Social Creature , Stephanie Clifford's Everybody Rise and of course Highsmith's Ripley. I can't stress enough though that I haven't come across a book before that had this particular twist but I surely hope I run into it again. I look forward to more from Andrews.

Great debut. Recommended.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an Advanced Reader Copy.

Andrews's debut novel has such an enticing premise. It's a psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator. The plot revolves around a famous yet anonymous author, her assistant who has grand career expectations and great envy, set mainly in Morocco. For a book nerd, what's not to love??

The book grabbed me quickly but I felt dragged a bit in the middle. The descriptions of Morocco were wonderful. There were many twists and turns but I found them to be fairly predictable. In addition to envy, greed and revenge were major themes. All great themes for book clubs.

This is a fun, fast read that is coming out at the perfect time - March 2021. It will definitely be a hit for summer beach readers. It could also be easily adapted for TV or a movie.

Who is Maud Dixon? is a debut novel by Alexandra Andrews. I don't think I've read anything quite like it and I find that very refreshing. At the beginning of this book you meet Florence Darrow. Florence lives in New York City and works in the publishing industry. She is trying to make a name for herself but is going about it in all the wrong ways. She is soon fired from her job. No worries, she is soon presented with the opportunity to become the assistant for a writer who writes under the pseudonym of Maud Dixon. People have been wondering who Maud Dixon really is for years. Florence moves from the the city to the "sticks.." She finds it strange that a successful author is living such a reclusive life but Florence finds it somewhat refreshing. Soon, Florence and her boss travel to Morocco to do research for an upcoming novel. But what soon transpires is not what Florence had expected. There will be twists and turns throughout this trip. There will be secrets revealed. . There will be murder. How does this all play out? Does the book get finished? And who exactly is Maud Dixon? The answer may surprise you!!!!!

I would recommend this book for anyone who likes suspense! This one releases on March 2, 2021

Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for letting me read an ARC of this book. The synopsis sounded so good. After all, it was about a famous author and an aspiring author! However the first 20% of the book was an odd introduction to Florence . It was written in a way that seemed dated so I was surprised when I realized it was contemporary. When the main story finally started, it was really good. It was well-written and kept me reading as Florence was getting to know Helen. One issue was Florence and Helen were not sympathetic characters, which is hard for me. Then in a strange turn of events, Florence and Helen take a trip and the book got a little weird. What are they doing there? We find out and the book gets really great. The best part about this book was the ending, when we find out what has been going on and why. If you're willing to stay with this book until the end, this book is for you.

This a debut novel and I was really impressed!!!! The premise was great, the characters were well developed and the description of Morocco was transporting! The novel flowed beautifully and I turned the pages rapidly to see what would happen next! I would call this a suspenseful novel with a thrilling ending!

I am always drawn to books about writing and the publishing industry, so that was the main reason I chose this book.

We first meet our main protagonist, Florence Darrow, who is living in New York working at a publishing house as an assistant editor. She is a want-to-be writer who hails from a small town in Florida. She thought if she got to New York possibilities would unfurl, but nothing much exciting has happened YET!!

Unexpectedly she is called to meet a famous author, Helen, who is looking for an assistant. She writes under a pseudonym because she likes her privacy. Florence immediately takes to the job and she and Helen seem to hit it off. She also loves this remote house and the beautiful setting.

Helen wants Florence to accompany her on a trip to Morocco while she does research on her new novel. Of course Florence jumps at the chance.

What transpires in a small town in Morocco is a story within a larger story. While Florence relishes the new atmosphere and even makes friends, Helen is often gone for long periods of time. They are staying in an old home that has its charms and there is a cook/maid who takes care of the cooking and cleaning. Florence is enjoying her stay until . . . . . . .the unimaginable happens!!

We next find Florence in the hospital, recovering from an automobile accident. She has no memory of what happened.All she can recall is “Everything got quieter. As if underwater. Sounds were swallowed up by the water. She felt lulled by a swift current, swept away by the waves, pulled back by strong hands . . . .”

The plot just gets more and more twisted until we don’t know who the villain is or if there is a hero in this complex story. To tell you any more of the plot would spoil the read.

This was going to be a solid 4 read until the ending which was complicated and explosive enough to push this up to a 5*. I thoroughly enjoyed this quick moving novel with a WOW ending. I will certainly watch for the next book from this talented new author!!

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley
This novel is set to publish on March 2, 2021

Will post to amazon upon publication

(Note I am Dorie 4 on BarnesandNoble)