Alex is a well-known influencer and mommy-blogger. When one of her posts goes viral for all the wrong reasons, she begins to be canceled. Meanwhile, her trusty assistant has disappeared.

I was excited to read this because I am an executive assistant and have been a PA before too. I thought it would be more about the job, but the story starts after the job is done so it doesn’t really get much into that aspect. The different point of views and timelines were done really well and I did not lose interest at it. It was a good and entertaining read, there just was not anything that stood out as extraordinary to me.

“All those years, the worry has been sitting there under my skin, itching. A million followers, a million people watching.”

The Personal Assistant comes out 11/29.

The Personal Assistant starts off strong with Alex, an influencer, waking up to her worst nightmare, going viral for the wrong reasons. Her assistant has also disappeared leaving Alex to wonder where she went and if she’s behind the post. By the end I felt like the book was dragging and did not feel connected to any of the characters.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Personal Assistant is full of secrets, none of them good, nasty people and those that you just want to cheer on.

Social media is a big factor and shows how you can be at the top of your game one day and the next not only are you crashing down but in this case the threats are rampant.

This is what happens to Alex. Her twins are devastated as by proxy they become victims as does her husband Patrick.

But the big question is who is responsible for the post?

Where is her personal assistant ?

The pages turn rapidly and I couldn't help but feel sorry for the family though there were times.

Kimberly Belle always captures your attention from the first to the last page and The Personal Assistant is no exception.

Settle in for a great read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing Park Row for an entertaining read.

While I lost access to Netgalley and had no way of knowing which titles I had and if they downloaded, Kimberly Belle’s was one that I most definitely didn’t forget! Such powerful, beautiful writing used to write such a tense, twisty, and a bit Belle brutal read! Loved, loved, loved, hardly could set it down and was able to zip right through it, like I always do with this author! I highly recommend, but prepare to not move until finished zipping around this curvy road and prepare for a huge hangover the next day, as you wonder what will fill this void! Highly recommend!

Will use my loud mouth and Amazon vine Top reviewer to buzz it around!

Kept me guessing until the end. Very thoughtful read as I stopped/pondered/processed and read again. Really makes one think about how social media is ever present in our lives

What do you get when you write about murder, death, gangsters, one million instagram followers, cheated offspring, a bad post to instagram which sends your life into a downward spiral? Another terrific, thrilling read from Kimberly Belle.

This was a quick read with many twists that make it so enjoyable. I did see a few things coming but still really liked this book. Pick this book up for any readers as a Christmas gift for sure since it comes out at the end of November.

Kimberly Belle, the "queen" of domestic suspense, returns following My Darling Husband (5 stars) with her latest riveting thriller, THE PERSONAL ASSISTANT — a complex multi-layered game of cat-and-mouse where nothing is as it appears.

In this "thrills by the minute" novel, the dark side of influencers and social media is explored and will have you gasping, frantically turning each page, until the jaw-dropping satisfying conclusion.

Set in Atlanta, GA, we meet wife and mother, Alex—a social media influencer @UnapologeticallyAlex on Instagram. Husband Patrick, a mega TV financial star at WXBA, and their twelve-year-old twin daughters (Gigi and Penelope from a first marriage). Patrick is the second husband and stepfather.

They live a luxurious lifestyle with the home, cars, and perks that come along with the wealth. Also, plenty of money for tucks, cosmetic surgery, designer clothing, and the best money can buy.

Alex is celebrating her million followers with her assistant AC and husband Patrick. She has had a lot to drink. The next day, she sees a post (apparently she posted, which she does not remember from her account) that horribly slams a former Disney TV star.

Now the trolls are after her, her followers are angry, and she is losing sponsorships and everything she has worked for. Has she been hacked? Who did this? Was it her assistant AC? She knows she did not. Where is she, by the way?

Desperate, they cannot find AC, which is missing in action. Her assistant knows all her passwords and everything about their lives. She can destroy them. She is not answering her phone or emails.

In the meantime, there is another parallel story from 1994 (over 30 yrs ago— in a rural southern Georgia town. A young maid (Anna Claire) down on her luck who works at a rundown motel. A wealthy man who picked her up on the side of the road. Millions of dollars of drug money.

Also, some college-age boys who happen to be traveling much later — stop at this motel, which sets a dangerous web of deceit, lies, and murder in motion.

What does the past have to do with the present, and how do they connect?

There is also an anonymous account named Mister Fluff les that is causing many problems on her IG account. There are death and rape threats to her family, and because Alex has put her entire life online, there is nowhere to hide.

Patrick is acting strange, and his TV ratings are declining due to Alex's situation, and he has never cared for her assistant, AC. After an investigation is opened, they realize they do not know AC. Not the person behind the social security number.

The police demanded answers. Her family is threatened. And in the middle of it all, the missing AC. A million followers are watching. A NIGHTMARE.

Does Alex know her loveable husband? What secrets is he keeping?

Alternating from past to present from POVs: Alex, Patrick, and Anna Claire, the past comes back to haunt the present, and Belle keeps the tension high as all the lies and secrets rise to the surface, with one shocker after another.

Juggling multiple narratives like a rock star, this is a chilling, cautionary tale about what happens when you make an enemy in the social media age and will have you questioning how much of your life you make public.

Fully immersive, a propulsive, and addictive multi-level page-turner! Belle is at the top of her game in this timely and relevant story of obsession, greed, revenge, lies, and deceit. It will make you think about what is real, what is fake, and the essential things in life.

I am a massive fan of the author and have read every book she has written since her debut, and I would not miss one! Every book is unique, and fresh, with unforgettable characters. She dives deep into the minds of characters that experience trauma and come out stronger from that experience with wise lessons learned.

Highly entertaining! I loved THE PERSONAL ASSISTANT. Get this one on your list.

INTERVIEW: Stay tuned for my #AuthorElevatorSeries Interview with Kimberly coming 11/29 via email newsletter, where we go behind the book and the author! Sign up for my newsletter to have it delivered to your inbox.

A special thank you to #ParkRow and #NetGalley for an e-ARC to read, review and enjoy.

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@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 ⭐ STARS
Pub Date: Nov 29, 2022
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I want to start off by saying that I don’t think this book adds anything new to the genre, in my opinion. This is one of those books where I’m not really loving it but I was just intrigued enough to keep reading to figure out the ending but at the end, I was just left wanting more. I would recommend this for 5ise who like their mysteries somewhat similar though.

Thank you to the publisher for a free Netgalley.

Wowza. This was one was quite enjoyable. I could not put this one down. And though I figured out some of the pieces before we got to them, it was still enjoyable to watch this puzzle being put together. Alex was super unlikable, in my opinion, but I really like how her story ended up. The use of the dangers of social media were well used and it lent itself to the story perfectly as we are all reading this review on a social media platform.

Belle wrote a highly entertaining thriller/suspense and I definitely recommend this one!

Meganets And Pre-Networks. Ok, I know what you're thinking - what does computer networking and the Internet have to do with this book? Well, on some level, it is somewhat obvious - one of our main characters is a social media "influencer" with a million followers. But on another level... Belle actually manages here to show the pitfalls and advantages of two different eras of human history, perhaps without even being cognizant of doing this, just seeking timelines that worked for the story she was telling and making the other details work around that. Yet speaking of details, there are some wrong ones here, particularly around guns - which anyone who follows Belle's own social media knows that the anti-gun paranoia expressed by one main character is at least somewhat close to Belle's own real life feelings (though, to be clear, I am not saying the character's specific motivations for these feelings are anywhere near Belle's, as I have never seen any public comments from her anywhere near those specific actions). Specifically, guns are not "registered" anywhere in Georgia, not even in Fulton County (home of Atlanta and generally heavily left-of-center of American politics, much less non-Atlanta Georgia politics). Still, going back to the main thrust of this review, Belle truly does do a remarkable job of showing just how easily today's meganets can be used for harm... while also showing that the pre-meganet era was still pretty dang bad itself. All told this is a remarkable tale that manages to bring elements to the general setup not often seen anywhere else - and never seen before in my own reading within the genre - and thus this alone is quite commendable. Very much recommended.

I really enjoyed this psychological thriller. It was fast-paced and gripping from start to finish. The dual timelines and multiple points of view kept things flowing, and the suspense was incredible. Lots of surprises and an ending that was completely unexpected and thoroughly satisfying.

My thanks to Park Row and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Personal Assistant, another captivating domestic suspense from Kimberly Belle, explores the dark side of social media and the price of online fame. Alex, a popular mom-blogger, awakens to find her one million followers have turned against her. On her account is an awful post bashing a teenage celebrity and a slew of retaliatory threats directed at her and her family. She has no recollection of writing the post, but she had been drinking with her assistant AC. She reaches out to AC to find out what happened, but now AC is missing, and the police are looking for her. Where has she gone? Was AC who she said she was? And why does everyone seem like they are hiding something?

What first drew me into The Personal Assistant was the very relevant subject of influencers, cancel culture, and online safety. We see firsthand how toxic the internet can be on a daily basis, and a lot of the harassment and threats that Alex and her family received were very believable. With multiple POVs and dual timelines, the book was fast-paced and very twisty. There were many layers to the story, and Belle weaves them together so well, never truly revealing it all until the final pages. While I did feel that some things came together a little too easily or coincidentally, it was an entertaining read nonetheless.

Perfect for fans of Samantha Bailey, Shari Lapena, and B.A. Paris, The Personal Assistant is compulsively readable and will keep you turning the pages until the very end.

A big thank you to Harper Collins Canada for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of the best thrillers that I've read in a long time. It's full of twists and turns and the last chapters reveal surprises that I didn't see coming. The main characters are all flawed and my decision on who to trust changed throughout the book. Clear your calendar before you start this book because you won't want to put it down until the end.

Alex and Patrick are married and are raising Alex's twin 12 year old daughters from her first marriage. They are deeply in love and Patrick is the perfect husband and father in her eyes. Alex becomes a major influencer on Instagram with a million people following her on @Unapologetically Alex. She's so busy that she's hired a personal assistant. AC not only handles her social media but is also her 'work wife and right-hand gal' (p12).
The novel begins when Alex wakes up after a night of drinking with Patrick and AC to celebrate her new achievement of one million followers. What waits for her, along with a wicked hangover, is a post that has gone viral that is seen by people as mean and vindictive and a missing AC. As the trolls take over demeaning her and her number of followers begins to drop rapidly, she begins to wonder if there a connection between the Instragram negativity and her missing personal assistant. Buy why?? She felt like she treated AC like a member of the family and had no idea if or why AC had betrayed her. AC knew all of her secrets, all of her passwords and some of her deepest issues and Alex knew that if AC had betrayed her, things could get very nasty, very fast. As the issues continue to pile on and begin to affect the safety of the family, the police get involved and start asking Alex and Patrick questions about the missing AC. I can't go into much more detail on the plot so I don't give away anything but I can tell you that this is a perfect example of social media at its worst.

The story is told in alternating chapters by Alex, Patrick and the missing AC. AC's chapters take place in the past and expose secrets from her younger days. Every time that I thought I knew who to trust and who was the 'bad guy', my mind would change in the next chapter. Was Alex the problem for making social media such an important part of her life, was Patrick hiding secrets from his past and if it was AC leading the negative posts on social media -- WHY?

This fast paced thriller will keep you turning pages to get to the surprise ending. Kimberly Belle is a master of psychological suspense and you don't want to miss her newest book.

From the start I was hooked by the writing. The narrative voice is witty and humorous as the story starts within the seemingly innocuous life of an influencer. There’s dramatic tension from the beginning and a sense of foreboding that creeps along and builds throughout the story. There is so much that happens in this story, one distressing bombshell after another, and it drives the chilling nature of the circumstances surrounding the plot.

I think the setting is perhaps my favorite part of the story. It’s such a fresh, modern take for this genre. The dark side of the Instagram lifestyle is a highlight for the plot. I really like the importance and relevance of the themes that this story touched on, with the role that social media plays in our lives. Especially in today's cancel culture, there is a stark reality of negative consequences that you may have to deal with when putting yourself out there. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows behind the scenes, and we really get to see the toll that social media can have on families, friends, and our own mental health.

The multiple points of view give us deeper insight into the characters and allow readers to try slotting all of the pieces into place. It truly does feel like trying to solve a puzzle while you're reading it and I had fun making the connections as things are revealed. The story comes together in a rather explosive finale that I didn't see coming. I like Alex, her husband, and her daughters, and I really felt for them the entire time as I was rooting for them to get a happy ending.

No spoilers, but I think I’m the one who didn’t get a happy ending, I just wasn’t fully satisfied. It’s a little underwhelming to me, to be honest, maybe because it is all over so quickly and I didn’t completely feel fulfilled by the resolutions. I think I just didn’t fully understand some of the superficial motivations of the characters for their actions; it isn’t quite compelling enough. At times I feel like the characters’ actions are blown out of proportion, and I think this is only because I didn’t fully grasp the intensity or reasoning behind them. I needed this fleshed out a little more to believe in it fully.

But I will say that this book went way beyond what I expected. It is not the average domestic thriller. The plot is so much thicker and I loved that about it. The connections run deep and are twisted in ways you couldn’t predict. I think this will be a popular and well-received release, with its timely and relevant themes and fresh takes within this genre.

I do have to say, only because I have a degree in criminology, that some of the forensics and police procedurals felt a little off to me. It’s a minor qualm and didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story as a whole, but there were some noticeable (to me) aspects of this plot that weren’t fully believable or accurate. I don’t know that an average reader would notice such things, but I just have to mention it here because it stood out to me.

I definitely recommend this book to readers of the mystery/thriller genre. It’s a solid four stars, even with my minor grievances. I enjoyed my reading experience and I was invested in the outcome. This is an author I would definitely love to read more from.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for letting me read THE PERSONAL ASSISTANT early. This one publishes on November 29.

This one was not for me. I felt nothing but gaping plot holes, unlikable characters and cringy storylines. Even though I didn’t love it, I kept turning the pages super fast so it was entertaining though predictable. As I always say, don’t write off this book because I didn’t dig it. If you’ve read other reviews for this one you’ll see most people enjoyed it. I don’t recommend it but please reach out if you’ve read it so we can chat!

I struggled with this one. I didn't care for the characters or language. The social media situation was, unfortunately, realistic. I did enjoy the multiple points of view, but the pace was a bit too slow for what I'm used to in this genre. the ending was a bit too unbelievable, and there were some plot points that were left with gaping holes.

The Personal Assistant
By Kimberly Belle
Release date 11/29/2022

From the book📖
USA TODAY bestselling author Kimberly Belle returns with a profoundly addictive thriller exploring the dark side of the digital world when a mommy-blogger’s assistant goes missing.  
When Alex first began posting unscripted family moments and motivational messages online, she had no intention of becoming an influencer. Overnight it seemed she’d amassed a huge following, and her hobby became a full-time job—one that was impossible to manage without her sharp-as-a-tack personal assistant, AC.

From me 🦹🏼‍♀️
Unapologetically Alex is an Instagram influencer with over 1 million followers. She has sponsorships and is making money off of her posts. She’s hired AC, her assistant, to regulate and proof her posts. However, one post slips through her and AC’s fingers, and the worst has happened. After a night of tequila gone wrong, she’s gone viral in the worst way. AC’s missing, and all past secrets are popping up like bad mushrooms. What a realistic twist and plot. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5 stars
What a relevant story; I find most of this story appropriately true. I tip my hat to influencers, podcasters, and anyone with a large following. Y’all are busy, and I know it. You also publish your life; hats off to you for being so open and present. It’s a lot of work, and I appreciate you all.
I’m over shouting from the rooftops myself for every follow I get ❤️
(SHOUT OUT TO THE CLERMONT LOUNGE / if you’ve been to the ATL, YOU HAVE TO GO SEE THE CAN CRUSHER
|_._|_._|🫣💃🏼💃🏼)

#kimberybelle #netgalleyreader #netgalleyreviewer #parkrowbooks #psychologicalthriller #thrillerreads #whodunit #bookstagrammer #bookstagram

Fans of suspense are sure to love this one.

The Personal Assistant is an expertly-plotted page turner that will keep you guessing. I was particularly intrigued by how the past and present intertwined. Belle does a great job at surprising her readers and keeping them invested. While there have been many stories recently about influencer culture, this is a worthy addition.

Readers will happily join Alex for this wild ride as she discovers her assistant wasn't who she thought.

I really enjoyed this book! I've been bored lately with the glut of domestic psychological thrillers, they all seem to run together, but this one held my interest from the first page to the last. This book exposes the dark side of social media and the dangers it can cause to not only the influencer, but the ripple effect through an entire family.

A very timely issue that Belle handles with a steady hand. Highly recommended for all public libraries.