Excellent mystery. I loved the premise and the surprises throughout. Great character building and plot development.

The Personal Assistant was an intriguing thriller. It wasn't necessarily twisty, but there were definitely unexpected elements to the story. I read this book in a day. It definitely kept me captivated.

But, I have to say, and this wasn't a fault of the book, I struggled with the topic of this book. It starts off with a social media influencer who wakes up after a night of heavy drinking to find that there is an incredibly inflammatory post on her page that she doesn't remember posting, tearing down a young celebrity. The backlash was swift and brutal. I did know there was this element in the story. I didn't expect it to hit the way it did, nor be so brutal. This happens IRL, and the level of cruelty and hate is unbelievable.

But, there was so much more to this story. Our main character, Alex's, personal assistant is now missing, just when she needs her the most. Alex is starting to suspect that her personal assistant, AC, may be behind the post. And then strange and frightening things start to happen, Alex and her family are in real danger. Alex is sure AC is behind it, but can't figure out why.

This story is told from multiple points of view and over multiple time frames. However, it's told in such a way that you don't see the connections to the various characters right away. Slowly, I did start to figure out the various connections and fit the pieces into place. But, there were still some surprises.

I liked how the story ended. It didn't wrap everything up on a nice tidy bow, but I don't think the story would have seemed believable if it did.

Kimberly Belle is a new to me author, who I'll definitely try another book from. I definitely recommend The Personal Assistant to those looking for a unique thriller.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of <i>The Personal Assistant</i> in exchange for an honest review. All
opinions are my own.

<h4 style="margin-top: 84px;">The Gist</h4>

<i>The Personal Assistant</i> by Kimberly Belle offers a thrilling ride through the world of corporate intrigue, power dynamics, and secrets. With its fast-paced plot, engaging characters, and unexpected twists, this novel keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish.

<h4>The Details</h4>

One of the novel's greatest strengths is its expertly crafted plot. Kimberly Belle keeps the tension high throughout, with plenty of unexpected twists and turns to keep readers guessing until the very end. As Jamie delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding her boss and her company, she uncovers a web of lies and deceit that threatens to destroy everything she holds dear.

The characters in <i>The Personal Assistant</i> are equally compelling.

In addition to its thrilling plot and well-developed characters, <i>The Personal Assistant</i> also offers incisive commentary on themes of power and ambition.

<h4>The Verdict</h4>

Overall, <i>The Personal Assistant</i> is a gripping and suspenseful read that will keep readers hooked from beginning to end. With its expertly crafted plot, engaging characters, and thought-provoking themes, Kimberly Belle has crafted a novel that is sure to leave a lasting impression. Fans of psychological thrillers and suspense fiction won't want to miss this one.

I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. The author did a great job of writing in a way that captures the readers attention, and makes you not want to put it down until you're finished! I would highly recommend it!

I have loved all of this author’s books. This one was so good! It’s about a hugely popular influencer that hires and assistant. When a controversial post goes viral, her entire life spins out of control and she has no idea who she can trust.

"That's the thing about internet pedestals, they're shaky. I've seen too many other influencers crash and burn."

Centered on a beloved influencer, The Personal Assistant tackles the tantalizing appeal of internet fame and the absolutely toxicity that surrounds "making it big."

Told in multiple timelines and perspectives this fast-paced thriller was truly action packed. I'm honestly impressed by how many major events Belle was able to stuff within these pages, which obviously kept the pages turning and my interest engaged. However, the events quickly merged from the believable to over-the-top improbable, which was hard to come to terms with -- especially given the ultimate reveal.

Without delving too deeply into spoilers, the dual timeline provided an interesting setup to the story and a multitude of red herrings, but the big why at the end felt lackluster compared to the chaos that came before it. And the repercussions of those actions...let's just say interesting choices were made.

So while I don't feel the end justified the means in this one, I do applaud Belle for going there and delivering a bold and dramatic read.


Thanks to Park Row Books and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with an earc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The first half was suspenseful and mysterious as we got to know the main characters and their perspectives; everyone had a secret to hide. Tidbits of information were parceled out at a nice pace and dramatic happenings kept the story flowing nicely.

The tone changed when the main perspective switched from Alex to Patrick and the story went in the weeds starting with his involvement in investigating the video/audio details. There were definitely twists to take this to unexpected places, but those twists also changed the framework in a way that couldn't allow the story to regain the solid footing it began with.

Alex is a social media influencer. Her page is filled with motivational messages and she share her real life family moments and this has earned her a huge following. Her social media success has been demanding more and more of her time so she decides to hires a personal assistant to ease some of the work load. Suddenly her world is turned upside down and people begin to turn against her when a controversial post goes viral — a post that Alex did not create or know about. What’s crazy is her new personal assistant has disappeared. Is her new assistant who she said she was? Or is someone else behind this dark situation that’s quickly becoming dangerous?

Alex is an on-line influencer. At first, it’s just a hobby but as her number of followers grows, it becomes a full-time job that requires help in the form of a personal assistant. All is going well until a controversial post, that Alex didn’t write, goes viral and her world is turned upside down. Even worse, her assistant, AC, has seemingly disappeared and it becomes obvious that she’s sabotaged Alex for some unknown reason.

The Personal Assistant wasn’t my favorite book. That’s partially because I don’t quite understand the mindset of influencers and why they want to put their lives and their families’ lives on display. Beyond that, I found the plot to be fairly slow and the suspense was rather minimal. While some parts were entertaining, there were many times that I found Alex to be a distasteful character – more concerned with her brand than the affects her influencer job has on her family. In the end, the story felt flat and not very memorable.

I’ve enjoyed other books by Kimberley Belle so I’m pretty confident that The Personal Assistant is a one-off. NetGalley provided an advance copy.

Kimberly Belle has this magical way of sucking you into her books, from page one. This one was no exception. 90% of the time I can figure out the ending, but the ride is still fun getting to the end!!

This relationship that is written so beautifully you almost forget that through the lives of these two adults and their children there has been loss, deception, grief, even murder.

3.5 "The Personal Assistant" by Kimberly Belle is a thriller that delves into the dark underbelly of ambition, secrets, and the lengths people are willing to go to achieve success. Belle crafts a suspenseful tale that keeps the reader engaged from start to finish.

The story follows the life of Christine, a highly organized and efficient personal assistant who secures a dream job with a powerful CEO. As she becomes more deeply entwined with her boss, she witnesses the dazzling highs and unsettling lows of corporate life. However, what starts as a dream opportunity soon takes a sinister turn as Christine uncovers secrets that threaten to shatter her world.

This is an enjoyable read, while not necessarily a must read or memorable one.

I love this author and will read anything she writes. Her books are entertaining, energetic, and thrilling. This book was no exception. It was a bit predictable, but I still enjoyed it and it was a fast read.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ebook, review is my own.

This was a quick fast pace thriller and enjoyable to read. Kept wanting to pick it up and finish! Characters were ones that you love to hate and a train wreck you can’t look away from. Can’t wait to pick up more from the author

This was more of a 3.5 or me, but rounded up to a 4.

This was good, but kind of dumb at the same time.. I had a love/hate for the influencer plot, it's very current in the world we live in but Alex was a super annoying influencer, all about the lifestyle and the numbers and just over the top. It makes you never want to be an influencer, seeing how much it can affect your life - for the good, but especially for the bad if something goes wrong. The end was a bit of a let down for me. It was just not believable how easy things were and how she gets things back on track and then the reaction from her kids. I was addicted and needed to know what happened, but partially because it was so stupid.

Another terrific read from Kimberly Belle. She's a fairly new favorite of mine, and I'm always excited to see she has a new book. I enjoyed her take on social media and influencers and it only takes one post to bring someone's whole world tumbling down. Kept me guessing and turning the pages.

I had previously tried to read another of Kimberly Belle's books before and didn't get into it but thought I would give her another chance after reading the synopsis of this book. I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed this kind of cat and mouse game between the main character and her personal assistant. The book unfolds in a duel timeline where you slowly get more and more pieces of the puzzle until the epic conclusion. It was definitely a suspenseful and intriguing read and I'm looking forward to checking out more of her books now that I enjoyed this one.

Synopsis:

Alex became an influencer overnight and it became a f/t job requiring a F/T personal assistant, enter AC. The goodwill of her followers turns toxic with one controversial post that goes viral. At the same time, AC goes silent - this woman who knew the in and outs of her marriage and family life is now missing and the police are looking to Alex and her husband for answers. As Alex digs into AC's identity, and a woman is found murdered she realizes the greatest threat is in her own house.

Review:

This book kept me turning the pages. I loved the take on the dark side of being an influencer. You see it happen real time on instagram (and bookstagram!) all the time. People who are your biggest fans can turn so quickly. This book took it to the next level with people who aren't what they appear, dead bodies and lots of mystery. I highly recommend you read this book if you are fascinated by this world of social media.

Bad, bad bad bad, bad. Awful. No. Everything about this villain is insane. The book features TWO Mary Sues, one of which is a self obsessed momfluencer and her dreamboat husband who loves her so so much. Their inner thoughts are SO incredibly boring. Then we get to be in the head of an unhinged villain who did a lot of busy work to “ruin reputations” based on a misunderstanding, PLUS there’s a murder that just doesn’t get resolved. The end. Unreal. I’m so angry at how long this book is and how much I held on hoping for the best and received nothing. A void of audiobook hours.

I finished this yesterday and already forgot most of it after almost quitting it a handful of times during my read. Make of that what you will. I’ve got no review in me.