2.75/5 stars! The premise for this book was gripping and I was really excited to read this book. Unfortunately, the plot didn't play out as strongly as the premise did. The pacing was all over the place and it was hard to connect with the main character. Not a bad thriller, but slow and average.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

It took me a while to get used to the style of the book, a mix of interviews, emails, texts and mysterious backstory. It felt slow for me and even though I did finish it, it didn't blow my mind. Yeah, once you get used to the style it keeps you guessing but I figured it out early on what was going on. I was expecting more.

I know many things about Larissa.
I know what she eats, which must-have brands she applies to her face, and the price of each carefully selected ‘piece’ in her multi-million-pound home in Belgravia.
Because Ris, as she is known to her many followers, likes to share.
And now I’m here, in her home, watching her every move.

Sounds exciting doesn't it and I was very much expecting to love this book after reading the blurb, I had high expectations. Unfortunately I found this book to be quite slow and I had to push myself through the first third of it. At around the 30% mark it did pick up but In saying that I still found this a bit of a drag. I didn't find the story particularly compelling and I felt the characters lacked a lot of depth which did not aid in any plot development.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I was really looking forward to this one.. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to keep interest while reading it. Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC nonetheless!

Ris, an influencer married to older millionaire, MIles, employs Gail as a new executive assistant, but both women have secrets, and connections. The story is told in emails, interviews with Gail, and diary excerpts from Miles' lover..
Gail is a dowdy middle-aged woman and all the younger women condescend to her. The plot was good, with several surprise twists, but there were a few gaps in the story. Some characters were introduced but nothing came of them, and some aspects of the story were implausible, or Gail was lying about her past circumstances.

Rating: 2.8/5

I liked this novel - but it fell short of making me really, really like it. The format may not appeal to everyone. If you like to see plenty of flowing prose in your fictional literature, then this may well not be one for you. The format is a variation from the norm and the narrative is presented by means of interviews, diary entries and email correspondence. In this respect "The Assistant" did put me in mind of the work of Janice Hallett, who has employed similar literary techniques in her three novels to date.

There is plenty to like and admire about this book. The set-up is engaging - it piques the interest and adds the allure of quite a glitzy, "how the other half live" setting. The characterisation is solid and the central protagonist, Gail, is particularly well done. There are some astute social observations along the way and a fair sprinkling of humour accompanying the intrigue of the unfolding mystery. But the highlight for me is a brilliant piece of blindsiding with one of the plot twists. When you read a lot of this type of fiction, you tend to become quite adept at seeing the twists coming - unless they are ludicrously contrived. It is a satisfying rarity when a plot development is legitimately handled, but still catches you unawares - and that was certainly the case here.

However, on the downside, there were times when I felt that the narrative was dragging. This sensation was perhaps exacerbated by the format the author chose. While it is good to challenge the expectations of the reader and to present something in an alternative format, it can increase the risk of becoming tired and irritating once the initial freshness has worn off. I felt that was the case here at times and the overall impact of the novel suffered as a result. Certain sections seemed to re-tread similar ground, while adding little to the story progression. Personally, I think this novel would have been more punchy and impressive if it had been 15-20% shorter.

Nonetheless, I would still recommend this as a worthwhile read and I may well be back for more from Amanda Reynolds.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

I was really looking forward to this, the premise held out such hope. Sadly I didn’t enjoy it. I persevered until half way and face up. Not for me.

I went in to this book as a fan of psychological fiction, and as such I would honestly say that while this book is not for me, those looking for something a bit different - maybe readers of contemporary fiction, or those who like a more literary or reportage style - will like this, finding that it ticks a lot of boxes!

I don't want to give spoilers so I will just say that this is the story of Gail, who becomes the highly disapproving assistant to Lis, an influencer who has earned Gails disapproval by using her (fake) charms to lure a wealthy older man and shamelessly portray her perfect life on social media!

The book is written though Gail's interviews with a reporter, which makes it pretty unique and quirky in my opinion!

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

I loved this premise and wad so excited to get stuck in but for me, this just didn't land. It wasn't anything in particular, it just felt so so so slooooooow! It could be that I just didnt have the patience for it lol. I ended up skimming a lot of it just to get to the end. The writing was fine, the plot was decent, I didn't really like the format very much and the characters just seemed uninteresting. I'd still be keen to try some of the authors other works though

Apologies but this was a DNF for me,it wasn’t so much the style of the book ( which was different ) nor the writing ( which was good and descriptive );but for me it was a very slow burner and was taking a long time to get going, ultimately my impatience won over my intrigue ( and I was intrigued ) and decided to move on to my next book,I look forward to the authors next book

This was one of the most compelling books I've read in a longgg time! The writing was brilliant and the format of the book was so fun and each part left off in a way that forced you to keep reading. Even before the crazy twists came out and the scandals started, I was so invested in the story of Gail and Riz. I truly couldn't put this book down and I absolutely loved it. 5 stars!

It took me a while to get into this storyline and for me, personally, I found it a bit of a slow read and couldn't get on with all the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

Oh dear, even with several points of view the story boringly droned on. And every single chapter was a monologue!
With the promise of a very surprising plot twist, I skimmed the pages until the last few chapters. Shouldn't have bothered...

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

This thriller is a very, very slow burn with an unusual structure. Most of the book is made up of interviews with Gail, a middle aged woman who conned her way into the position as Ris's assistant. We know from the beginning that she wants to ruin the younger woman's life, but aren't given any reasons why. Ris is self-absorbed, but that's about it. Gail is completely unlikeable. Whatever happened between the women happened before the first of the interviews so everything is over and done with before the book begins and we're reading about it from a distance. The interviews alternate with vague emails from the interviewer to someone else and diary entries written by the woman Ris's husband is having an affair with. It takes a lot of patience to get to the reveal, but the writing is good.

Captivating and addicting. This was a fun and wild ride, all the clues laid out. I won't give anything away, except to say, make sure your detective hat is on for this one.

Loved this book , first book I have read that is layout the way it was with the interviews; emails , so many twisty scenes had me intrigued the whole way through the book ,definitely 5star from me , already recommended it to my work colleagues to put it put it on top of their tbr list .

Yikes!
What a twist!

Not to spoil, but the twist in this thriller about the young influencer vs the old maid was really something. I don’t want to give too much away, but if you love domestic thrillers you will devour this book about the messy unlikeable rich and the people who will risk it all to get close to them!!!-easy five stars.

Thank you NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Amanda Reynolds for letting me read “The Assistant” in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like this book had the potential to be really good, but I feel that the layout let this down. Think dual POV's, but instead dual writing styles - sometimes this can work well in a book if youre given more information during these. Think multi chapters where you have a police interview and then the storyline.

I found I really had to focus on reading this book to be able to keep up with the storyline, I think people who can focus on the dual styles will really enjoy this book, as the storyline was very strong and there were lots of interesting shocks / turns in the story line.

If you like your crime fiction twisty and twisted, THE ASSISTANT was written with you in mind. ‘Think Notes On A Scandal’ for the Instagram age, as the lives, secrets, and wildly incompatible goals of two formidable women go head-to-head.

Ris is a social media sensation who appears to have it all. But her seemingly perfect life has reached a critical juncture. All that glamorous lunching, pampering and influencing won’t do itself, now will it? What choice does she have but to enlist the help of a new right hand woman? Enter Gail. Uh-oh.

I won’t risk any spoilers, other than to say even if I did let half a dozen of the twists slip that would still leave plenty hidden in plain sight to discover, Personally, I find those the most satisfying twists. The ones where it’s all right there in front of me and yet I still failed to see it. Amanda Reynolds excels at this. A few times I thought I’d worked things out; I was wrong.

The story hinges on social media in various guises and I enjoyed the way Ms Reynolds used this to pepper proceedings with different sorts of prose. Emails, voice mails, posts, interviews and script snippets all feature. It gives the novel added pace, as well as the opportunity for us to see what other make of Gail.

The plot structure feels very social media inspired as well, with things bursting into sudden frenzied activity out of nowhere before appearing to temporarily subside, only to then kick back off again, the twists gleefully increasing rather than winding down.

But the best thing about this is Gail’s voice. The language and preoccupations are a joy, and her ability to raise self-denial to breathtaking levels had me chuckling along in dread.

The Assistant is a one-off and I can’t wait to hear an Audible reading of Gail’s voice or, indeed, who will play her on TV.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me see an advance copy of this title.

I found this a strange book. Normally I can give up on a book if the first few pages don’t grab my attention, but this one, despite not doing that, kept me reading as I simply wanted to see how it paned out.
Not the best book I have read recently, but certainly not the worst.