This one started out so strong and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to see what would happened next. I’ll probably be in the minority here but the big twist was a let down for me. The anticipation leading up to the twist was better than the actual twist in my opinion.

On top of the lack luster of a twist, then the ending was basically buttoned up with a bow which I definitely rolled my eyes at.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Alex is an Instagram influencer and blogger with one million followers. Her posts are inspirational and full of family posts and life experiences. Until one morning, when she wakes up after a night of partying and finds a scathing post she doesn’t remember posting. But if she didn’t post it, who did? Immediately trolls are blowing up her Instagram page, calling her phone, and invading her personal life. She tries to do damage control, but can’t seem to reach her Personal Assistant to help sort this out. Why is someone out to sabotage her career? Destroy her perfect life? And tear apart her family? This was a fast paced thriller, full of so many twists and surprising turns. I really enjoyed this read. I gave it 4 stars!










https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4842225849

This was an absolute mind twisting. I was sucked in immediately with n the non linear timeline. The back and forth had me making all kinds of wild predictions. None of them were correct. I use social media as a tool for being an influencer and this story creeped its way into my brain and started looking at all the ways it does control my life. I am in no way close to what Alex had in followers, but it is a constant gotta post, gotta check my numbers, did I get any new followers. It is constant. Phone in my hand checking notifications. This was an eye opening look into the social media world as it is today. The mystery surrounding Patrick and who he really is was so fascinating and honestly played out brilliantly. The fear surrounding Alex when her kids were threatened is very real to me as I have 3 daughters. Who is AC , her personal assistant who up and disappeared after one of the most detrimental posts on Alex’ social media account.. I was wrong about this one as well. I wasa little sad about the ending but I also think it was the best way to wrap everything up.

Honestly this book was so well written. I read it in one sitting, and I will be looking up everything else but this author. Definitely as this one to your TBR and pre-order!

Kimberly Belle can do no wrong in my book. Everything I've read from her has been absolutely thrilling and this one was no exception. I love the concept of social media thrillers. This one absolutely kept me on the edge of my seat, and kept me super involved with the dual POVs.

I absolutely love Kimberly Belle. You can immediately immerse yourself in her stories and the same goes for this one!

Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. The writing and action was fast paced. The story line was unique and well written. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Good book! Wow what a twisted crazy story! This book had suspense, intrigue, a bit of a who done it and many twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and was such a crazy tale! UT definitely kept me glued to my kindle! I will recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This was a very fun book to read- things move along quickly and while some of the characters are the most likeable, I couldn't help but want to know what was going to happen next, A very entertaining aspect of this story is the absorption with social media- everything was graded by who saw it, how they responded, what they said. What a horrifying way to live- especially when the social media was established to support authenticity for a person.
When things blow, they do so spectacularly, and watching that was as fun as the story.

I loved the multi-POV which in my opinion enriched the plot greatly. HIGH INTENSE READ!!!!! There were several red herrings that keeps the reader guessing. It made me feel like I was watching a LMN movie.

Kuddos to Kimberly Belle for creating such an awesome read!

A total page-turner of a psychological thriller- where no one is quite what they seem and the reality/dangers of putting your life out there on social media play a huge role. Highly recommend.

Totally unputdownable from the beginning to end, I totally credit this book for my sore legs and aching feet because I mostly read it while on the treadmill yesterday and today! I love how we see both sides of the characters (most of them anyway) and I was pulled in both directions. Some are good people making bad decisions. Some are bad people making worse decisions. The flaws and attempts at redemption. If you know me, you'll know how much I love the multiple first person perspectives and the nonlinear timeline. Absolutely brilliant! I absolutely recommend this book 87 billion percent!

Wow! This one kept me hooked from the very first page. I loved the modern-ism of the influencer/instagram storyline, mixed with the real-life dangers of putting your entire life on the Internet. It kept me guessing up until the very end. I love Kimberly Belle books!

The Personal Assistant by Kimberly Belle

A cautionary tale if you ever hire a personal assistant! This book wasn’t what I thought it would be simply based on the title and cover. The story is more complex than I first thought, with the story told from a few different points of view.

There’s is the main character, Alex, who is a social media influencer who lives her life on her carefully curated Instagram. Everything she does is for the maximum benefit of the ‘gram. Her life is shared through a series of beautifully styled photos where hundreds of thousands of people watch her every move. Then there is her handsome successful husband who is on the news every night as a financial guru. Together, they are a stunning and successful couple.

And then we have Alex’s personal assistant, AC. She was a hard-working, reliable young woman but after a scandal that brings down Alex’s popularity, AC is nowhere to be found. Worry turns into anger as Alex tries to piece together why AC has such an ax to grind with her. Who is this young woman?

PLOT:

Alex likes to consider herself the down-to-earth Mommy Blogger. The messy family moments she shares online have made her beloved by her followers. But all that goodwill turns toxic when one controversial Instagram post goes viral in the worst way. When Alex reaches out to her personal assistant for damage control, the assistant has gone silent.

All traces of her have vanished, leaving Alex to question the identity of this young woman who had access to all of her personal information. Alex can craft who she appears to be online, but her personal assistant has front-row seats to the pressure points of her marriage and family life and now poses the greatest threat. Written in alternating perspectives between Alex and her personal assistant, this juicy cat-and-mouse story will keep you guessing till the very end.

Meet Alex- Instagram influencer, mother of two, and finally with the love of her life. She has a past and secrets but she has put her life together and wants to keep it that way. One night Alex makes a post (or does she?) that gets her cancelled. Through this cancellation we see the dark side of social media and realize just who you can trust

Meet AC - the personal assistant who goes missing

How are these two stories related? Find out. And along the way unravel a web of secrets!

Warning give yourself a full day. This book makes you loss all sense of time!!

Thanks to park row, Harper Collins and netgalley for the ARC

Fantastic! I thought I had it all figured out but was very very wrong. This book kept me on my toes and I cannot wait to turn all my coworkers and customers into readers of this thriller. Five stars!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Harlequin Trade Publishing and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A bit of a slow start, then it’s fully unleashed. I was delighted with the POVs, how it all played out.

I was really looking forward to this story. However, it fell short of my expectations. I don't mind an unlikeable character but the ones in this book were beyond unlikable for me. The story wasn't very suspenseful and I didn't like the plot developments because everything was a bit slow to where I lost interest. I appreciate getting to try this book out and see if it was something I wanted to put on my peers radar.

The beginning of this one was a little confusing but once I got into the book, it was really good. It was definitely suspenseful and full of twists. I loved the alternative POV’s and the unreliable characters. The ending took me my complete surprise, much to my satisfaction. This was my second Kimberly Belle book. I have also read The Marriage Lie which I enjoyed. Moving forward, Kimberly will most likely be an auto buy south or for me.
Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC.

I’ve had my eye out for this book to be offered on NetGalley and as soon as I saw it, I grabbed it and dropped my plans for the rest of the day. Kimberly Belle is one of my must read authors and I know going in that I am going to love whatever it is she has put out. I have to say I think this one is my favorite book by her yet. Focusing on the dark side of the digital world, we meet Alex who is a mommy blogger and her assistant who mysteriously goes missing right old implodes. Told through the POV of several characters, and timelines that are past and present, we are drawn into this all consuming world of social media and what a family has to do to maintain popularity. And once you are out there, remember that means any of your past could be dug up at any time. Hold onto your seats for this thrill a minute book to take you away and I promise what you think and who you think….won’t be it!!!

"...𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰? 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞...𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠...𝐦𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐭. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐬. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧. 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫."

There are only a handful of authors I drop everything for, and Kimberly Belle is one. I devoured this book, but in addition to being a twisty thriller, there are some sobering lessons in this story as well.

Access. Think about what that word entails. When you joined social media, you probably did it to connect or to share your experiences with friends and followers. But with the advent of social media, we have also allowed strangers to have unprecedented access into our private lives, a lesson that Instagram blogger Alex learns the hard way. Alex started a blog on a whim, sharing words of wisdom and "unscripted" family moments when she quickly amassed more than a million followers. In need of a personal assistant, she finds exactly what she's looking for in the resume of Anna Claire, or A.C., along with a recommendation so glowing she didn't bother to follow up on the other references. Then after a celebratory night of tequila shots with A.C., a problematic post on her page goes viral. A.C. is nowhere to be found, and the internet trolls come out in full force, unfollowing her, posting death threats, even targeting her pre-teen twin daughters and husband.

Sure that A.C. is behind the post but clueless as to why her dedicated assistant would want to ruin her. Alex begins digging, and what she uncovers completely alters the narrative of this story. Told in alternating points of view and a dual timeline, I was completely enthralled in this fictional tale that hit a little too close to home. The internet is a fickle place, and you never know who is scrolling your feed and liking your posts all the while thinking, "𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮."

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this five star read. THE PERSONAL ASSISTANT will publish November 9, 2022.