Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital ARC of this psychological thriller by Nicole Trope. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Ava Green is struggling. At work, she lost her last assistant and is working way too much to make up for it. Plus, she's trying to get the top job in her company, competing with her rival. Things are no better at home, where her husband, Finn, takes care of the kids and works on his painting, but nothing that brings in any money. Then Grace walks into work for a job interview as Ava's assistant, and she seems like a dream come true. But is she?

As you would expect from a Nicole Trope novel, this one is twisty, everyone is keeping secrets, and you'll enjoy every minute! You can feel Ava's exasperation with her life and the relief when Grace swoops in to make every part easier. I never saw that final twist coming though! This is the first book about Grace - the next book, A Mother Always Knows, is set to be published in December and I'm anxious to read that one as well.

I love books by Nicole Trope, she is one of my go to authors and I have had this book waiting for far too long.

I quickly got into the story, enjoying unearthing clues as to Grace’s past, thinking I had got it sorted, to be led up a wrong path again.

Finding out about the childhoods of both Grace and Ava, I was totally enrapt waiting to see what would evolve. There is darkness and a strong sense of manipulation making this a pacy read. The characterisations were spot on, as were the descriptions bringing each setting to life. Two powerful women in business and how their lives fluctuate and circumstances change rapidly.

A great read and with an ending that I didn’t see coming, which I loved!

I really enjoyed this Rollercoaster ride of a psychological thriller! Ava, her new assistant Grace, and Ava's husband Finn are the main characters and I really enjoyed the character development. Such a fun thriller.

I am not sure why this was changed from the assistant - but as I love anything by Nicole Trope, I knew I would love it whatever the name.
Eva is a busy mum of 2 who works for a high powered business woman.
She interviews Grace for the job of her assistant and we already know that there is something suspicious about her motive.
As usual there were quite a few plot twists, which ended with a fabulous opportunity for book 2! Brilliant!

She knows everything about you...but can you trust her...?

What starts off as a slow burn domestic suspense turns into cliffhanger of an ending that makes me go "OK, I'm reading the next book NOW!" Not even I saw that final twist coming. And I see most of them. Throughout the entire book I thought I had it all figured out - after all, it seemed fairly cut and dried to me. Everything laid out, falling into place. It all made sense. And then came that explosive reveal. I'm impressed, Ms Trope. You had me fooled.

The story centres on Ava who is harassed at home and equally harassed at work. She can't seem to find that work-home life balance since her previous assistant left. Everything seems to be falling apart on both fronts and hubby Finn does nothing to help, citing "inspiration" for his own work - painting. Which has yet to contribute to their mortgage or living expenses. And yet as soon as she walks in the door at the end of the day, she's greeted by chaos and her work days seems to be far from over.

And then in walks Grace Enright. Fresh, clear, controlled and keen to help put some order back into Ava's frazzled life. No sooner has she arrived than she has taken up the slack where Ava was flagging and organised everything from lists to appointments to fielding calls, turning her office into a smooth-running well-oiled machine. It isn't long before Ava wonders how she managed without Grace, and truth be told, she didn't. As was clear. Grace is perfect. She is clear, decisive and controlled in a crisis. Which is soon put to the test when things begin to take a swift dive, both personally and professionally.

The women form a friendship of sorts they didn't know needed. When Grace needs a place to stay for a week, Ava knows her garage flat is sitting empty and without a tenant (another bone of contention between her and Finn that she had asked him to sort) and offers it to Grace. But is that crossing the line between her personal and professional lives? Ava dismisses the thought as quickly as it entered her head knowing she needs Grace as much as the older woman needs her.

And then things start to take a downward turn at work. Ava is up for promotion but her colleague is vying for the same position and seems he will stop at nothing to get it. Their receptionist seems to spend all her time scrolling through her phone or batting her eyelashes and flashing her cleavage at her colleague and competition. While at home, Finn has grown distant and Ava begins to question what he is hiding. But her girls, the lights of her life, bring sunshine to her otherwise cloud-filled days, as exhausting as they are.

Suddenly it seems having Grace staying there is a blessing. Especially when she is on hand to take up the slack in the mornings as Ava juggles breakfast and getting the girls ready for school and herself for work. Finn is conspicuously absent, painting in his studio.

But did things start going downhill before or after Grace's arrival? Is that a coincidence or is she just imagining things? I mean, Ava's life was chaotic before but is her new assistant just fuelling the fire? Or is there something else at play?

I love Nicole Trope and devour every one of her addictive reads. I think it's about the 15th book of hers that I've read thus far. This one is more of a slow burn to begin with as the reader wonders which direction the story is going to take. And what role Grace really plays here. Despite its slow pace at the start, the story effortlessly flows between Ava and Grace's POVs complete with flashbacks to give us a better understanding to our characters, their strengths and their flaws.

When I began, I thought it would take a whole other direction that the one Ms Trope took us on. But I wasn't disappointed...definitely not after reading those final pages. Now I want to dive straight into the follow-up "A Mother Always Knows".

Overall, an entertaining and engaging read that will keep you turning the pages until that final explosive twist...it really was jaw-dropping in this case. Nicely played, Ms Trope. I can't wait to see what you deliver next.

I would like to thank #NicoleTrope, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #NotAGoodEnoughMother in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Nicole Trope is one of my favourite psychological thriller writers and this book was up there with the best.

Well written, with a great cast of characters, it is fast paced with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing to the shocking ending.

Previously published under the title of The Assistant I was pleased to see that this is book number one and I am really looking forward to book number two.

Highly recommended!

This was such a great read, I really enjoyed it. Such a great story with a fabulous twist that will leave you shocked. It will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I feel like I was trippin’ for a second with the book title, I received it as an ARC under The Assistant. Anywho this is a fast paced book and I was hooked from the start.

Ava is a working mom who has no help at home or at work. Her husband is lazy and doesn’t take her needs seriously. She’s struggling to balance her work load and household responsibilities. Grace walks into her life at the perfect time. Grace is the perfect assistant. Or is she?
I really enjoyed this one. I was surprised at the direction this book took. I can’t say my thoughts without ruining the surprises for everyone but I liked Grace’s character a lot more than I thought I would. I wish there was more of an ending for her. A fantastic read.

A book that keeps you intrigued and keeps you locked in and guessing up until the very end? Sign me up every single time! This was a great start to what looks to be a solid series. I am excited for what's to come with Nicole Trope and The Assistant. While I didn't care for the constant POV switching, I think it worked well for this novel. I think Trope knows how to write a mean thriller and she knows what thrives at and this is it right here!


Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the digital arc!

Another great book by Nicole Trope. Fast-paced and full of twists & turns that keep you guessing until the final reveal. Loved it.
Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC in return for an honest review

THE ASSISTANT is a psychological thriller by Nicole Trope. I was anxious to start this new series with book 1 with book 2 to be out in Dec 2024, as I have enjoyed reading her standalone novels.

Book 1(Aug2024) Book2 (Dec2024)
Series
Assistant
1. Not a Good Enough Mother (2024)
aka The Assistant
2. The Assistant's Daughter (2024)

This is my review of The Assistant.

Grace Enright (52) had been seeing a therapist, to put her life back together, to be the successful person she used to be, and can be again.

Ava Green (35) is a successful business woman, struggling on a daily basis to manage both family life with her husband, Finn, and her two young daughters, Hazel and Chloe. After recently losing her former assistant who was off on paternity leave, Ava decided she needed to hire a new assistant, to make her life less stressful.

Grace applies for the position, and walks in to the interview with Ava and carefully hand over my application. The interview goes perfectly, because Grace has presented herself as the perfect assistant, and is hired immediately.

But Ava must never find out the truth…and the plans Grace has for Ava.

A completely addictive psychological thriller that will have you gasping at the final twist.

Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for my digital copy.

Not a Good Enough Mother (also published under The Assistant) by Nicole Trope is a short and faced paced thriller following Grace, who seeks out and accepts a position as an assistant to an overworked corporate mother while clearly having a mysterious and criminal past she is not disclosing. Throughout the story the reader starts to catch glimpses of what exactly happened to Grace but why is she so hell bent on helping the seemingly unrelated Ava?

I liked some portions of this book. I thought it was fast paced and easy to keep up with and had me wanting to keep reading. However, the plot was a little far fetched. I thought the twist at the end (no spoilers) did sort of save the book a little for me, taking it up to 3.5 stars. I like the way that the book explores gender roles in the corporate world as well and the way that intersects with parental responsibilities.

Nicole Trope always delivers! I love the way her mind works and finds its way to print. A twisted story of two women and a dark past. This was a fast paced, fun story. For fans of Freida McFadden and Kiersten Modglin will also enjoy Nicole Trope's twisty stories.

Grace and Ava have more in common than Ava realizes. Grace finds Ava and embeds herself in to daily life..:but why? Who is Grace? Why is she targeting Ava? So many questions in this book. The ending was jaw dropping. Over all, this was a great read!

This is probably one of my favorite stories from Nicole. All her books are absolutely amazing. But this one blew me away from the plot twist. They character development and to the writing style was absolutely spectacular I would give this a five out of five stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookoture, and Nicole Trope for allowing me to read this ahead of publication day. I was hesitant at first to read this but I’m glad I did. The name change definitely through my off a bit, I think the Assistant was a suitable title. This book had many twists I didn’t predict coming.

This was a dual POV book that was done very well. It’s easy to know who’s POV we were reading even if it wasn’t clearly indicated. The characters were diverse enough but fit along with the story well. I found Ava’s husband to be extremely childish and obnoxious, but the other main characters were well done. Ava and Grace made a great team.

The book had shorter chapters so it’s easy to read quickly. It was a total page turner! It wasn’t an overly long book so I didn’t feel like it dragged on longer than it needed to.

There was letters written throughout the book giving us a bit of a history on one of the characters. I enjoyed these.

The ending was very well done. This is the second book I’ve read from this author and I think I will go back and read some of her other books.

Omg....had me hooked from the very first page. I couldn’t put it down, I read it unless then 2 days.. Take the chance and read this book you won't regret it.. Nicole Trope is such an awesome writer.. She knows how to get you addicted to reading her books...

I was a little behind in reading this and after picking it up, I wish I would have gotten to it sooner. This book grabbed me from the first page and I couldn’t put it down. I found myself so engrossed in the twists and turns, that I forgot I needed to get other things done. This is a great psychological thriller that makes me want to read all of Nicole Trope’s books. If you are looking for a book to hook you and not let you go, this is the one for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. I am so glad I got to read this. It was fantastic.

This book had me on edge. I could not put it down. By the time I got to the ending my mind was blown. I personally like the title “The Assistant” better. When I read this book it was called that. I’m not huge on the new title “Not a Good Enough Mother.” This was my third or forth book by this author and I can’t wait to read more! Thank you NetGalley, Nicole Trope, and Bookouture for the ARC. I actually read this book back at the very beginning of August and just now realized I didn’t do my review.

This psychological thriller keeps you on edge from the very beginning. The story revolves around Ava, a woman juggling the pressures of motherhood, a demanding career, and a seemingly perfect life. Enter "the help," a mysterious woman who seems too good to be true. The narrator’s unsettling charm and hidden intentions create a tense atmosphere, leaving the reader constantly questioning her motives.

The author skillfully captures the mental strain of trying to live up to unrealistic expectations while weaving an eerie, slow-burn mystery. The unreliable narrator was a brilliant touch, as it made me constantly second-guess where the story was headed.

While the pacing was strong for most of the book, there were moments where I wanted more depth in certain character relationships, especially Ava's husband. Still, the twists and turns kept me hooked, and the climax was satisfying, even if a bit predictable.

Overall, this book is a compelling exploration of insecurity and obsession. It’s a gripping read that will make you think twice about who you let into your life. Four stars!