1,099 reviews
15 followers
April 9, 2024
I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a bit of a departure from Cobb’s usual formula - in a good way! Although the main character is a Texan, it’s set in LA rather than Texas. There’s also far less rampant misogyny , which makes for a nice change of pace!

Cassidy came to LA to work a the personal assistant for a married couple - the Sterlings. Nate is a producer, and Marisol is a B/C-list actress hoping to land an actual starring role. And although Cassidy’s best friend Lexie got her the job, she’s on a set in Prague, so Cassidy is literally moving to a place where she knows no one except her employers. Sounds like my nightmare, but she’s running away from a painful breakup, so it kinda makes sense. She’s immediately enchanted by Marisol and Nate - they’re the picture perfect Hollywood couple. It doesn’t take long for her to notice the cracks in their relationship, but she’s making great money for basically just running a few errands, so she doesn’t question it too much. Then Nate starts asking her to give notes on scripts he’s been sent for development and she’s over the moon. Cassidy has always wanted to be a writer, but her drawer full of rejected romance novels means her career never really took off. But this job could mean a foot in the door. So when Nate asks her to spy on Marisol (for extra cash), she jumps at the chance. And it doesn’t hurt that she has a huge crush on Nate. So if Marisol is cheating…maybe that’s not so bad.

In the midst of all this, we have a few flash forwards to four weeks after Cassidy’s start date, when she’s talking to detectives and under investigation, and clearly someone is dead. We just don’t know who. Or how. Or why.

I flew through this, and have to admit that it surprised me in the end. However, I just did NOT like Cassidy! She’s extremely whiny and entitled - there’s a point where Lexie does come home from Prague, both to check on Cassidy but also plan her own wedding. And girlfriend is just SO needy. It’s painful. It has a little of that Girl on the Train car wreck feel, where you’re watching someone make one terrible decision after another and you just want to shake them. She’s a lot. But this is mostly fun, and not terribly rage inducing. A decent summer read.

The Hollywood Assistant, by May Cobb, stole my weekend and I have zero complaints! My favorite book by Cobb since her incredible debut, The Hunting Wives. The characters were vivid, their dialogue snappy and fun, and the setting descriptions unbelievably evocative. The kind of novel so well built on the page that it felt like a movie playing in my brain. I was hooked from the first page to the very last. And now I'm in the worst book hangover!! Highly recommend!!

Thank you Berkley and May Cobb for the advanced copy!

This book blew my mind! At over 400 pages I'd consider it pretty long for a thriller, but I tore through it in less than 2 days. The pacing is excellent and I was hooked from page 1. The female MC is an interesting character, to say the least, but I couldn't help but root for her and her madness.

The big twist I did not see coming in a million years. Like... I'm still thinking about it days later. It's that good. Endlessly grateful to Berkley for letting me read this one early!!

Pub date: July 9.

I really enjoyed reading this, it had that suspenseful feel that I was looking for, I loved the use of the Hollywood element to this book and enjoyed the overall feel of the book. It uses the murder element perfectly and thought it was a great way of showing the dangers of everything. May Cobb does a great job in writing this book and I enjoyed the suspenseful feel of this with the Hollywood elements.

It’s becoming tradition at this point to devour Cobb’s latest book on my Spring break vacation and let me tell you, this does not disappoint. A Juicy, twisty and salacious tale that I simply could not put down. She is the hands down queen of a soapy story with a twisty ending that left my jaw on the floor.
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Cassidy is ready for a new beginning, a new career and a change of scenery as she moves to LA to become, as the title suggests, a Hollywood assistant. Marisol and Nate are the perfect Hollywood couple, or are they? When one of them ends up dead and Cassidy becomes a suspect things really start to hit the fan. It’s best to go into this one totally blind and will be the perfect beach, poolside, vacation read.
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Thank you to Berkley @BerkleyPub and Netgalley @Netgalley for the e-arc.

Synopsis:

Cassidy takes a personal assistant job in Hollywood after a horrible breakup. She’s broken hearted, and just fed up, so she jumps on the opportunity.

She finds that all she has to do at her new job is show up for a few hours, run a few errands, and she’ll be fine, with some designer things thrown in for variety. However, things aren’t always as they seem and there are always strings.

Nate, the husband to Marisol and her employer, seems to take interest in her. Cassidy can’t believe her luck, even more so when he has her read and summarize scripts for her.

Turns out, her employers aren’t the perfect couple they’d like people to believe. So when one of them is found dead, Cassidy, as their closest person by default, is the prime suspect.

Thoughts:

I love May Cobb so much and this book did not disappoint me at all. It feels like every book she writes, she gets better.

This one left me so happy just reading about all the twists and turns and delightful ways people are horrible. This book grabbed my interest straight from the start, and then it sucked me into the pages. I didn’t want to come up to take a breath because I was so immersed.

May Cobb writes amazing characters, and I feel that even if you wouldn’t typically relate to them, you always can and then you are taken on a wild ride. I particularly like that she writes them all with flaws, while showing their good side as well. She writes them as whole people, not just glamorous ones. They are just so well written and captivating.

I feel that this book was long, but it didn’t feel that it was long enough, it felt like the perfect length. The pacing was on the faster side, but not so fast that I got lost or overwhelmed. I do wish a few things were further explained, but I did enjoy this one a lot. I did particularly enjoy the ending and it was a fun way to wrap up the book. Not what I anticipated at all.

Wow!!! This was an explosive book! I was hooked from start to finish. This may be my favorite book of 2024 so far. I absolutely did not see the ending coming. I thought I knew where this was going, but I was wrong. May Cobb is one of my favorite new authors and 100% an autobuy for me from now on.

May Cobb has done it again - writing a perfect summer read that I stayed up all night to finish and I was not disappointed!

After a heartbreaking relationship ends, Cassidy decides to move to LA to be closer to her best friend. When offered a position to be a personal assistant to an actress and a screenwriter, Cassidy jumps at the chance. After getting close to the couple, the assistant position takes a strange turn, and secrets and lies are uncovered when a someone ends up murdered. Why are the police questioning Cassidy? Does she really know the people she's been working for?

Huge thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for my ARC.

It’s May Cobb, it’s the way she paints these characters… multi-dimensional, complicated, lovable and at times even hate able.

Her creativity shines on each page, there is no author that could ever compare to the way she makes my insides glitter. The pure excitement I get, with each book she puts in my hands.

How the heck am I worthy to read her books early? I can’t answer that, I can tell you I’m grateful.

It’s no secret, May Cobb is not only one of my most favored authors but someone I have been lucky enough to “chat” with. She’s not only exponentially talented but she’s a fierce and strong woman. I truly admire everything about her.

The Hollywood Assistant

This book is “chunky” ! I usually feel quite intimidated by books over 400 pages and feel that they at times “drag”. This was not the case with this book. I whipped right through it and hungrily, could not wait to get to the next chapter and delved deeper and deeper into the plot.

Marisol, Nate, Cassidy, Lexie. Who could you trust? Who do you want to trust?

They all started out lovely…

But everyone has secrets

The deeper and deeper I plunged into this book the less I felt attached to my own reality . I was so consumed with the lives of 3 main characters, how would I ever come back from this?

May Cobb IS my favorite author, I doubt I’ll ever feel as though anyone could compare.

This book is fire and it needs to be pre-ordered and on everyone’s wish list.

I’m sure I’ll come back and edit my review. I’ve read this book 3 times now and I’m sure I’ll read it again. Yes, it’s my favorite, yes it’s my “book of the year” and yes I’m going to suffer a wild book hangover.

Teaser :

Offered a dream job in Hollywood with a famous director and his actress wife, an insecure woman becomes their personal assistant where their secrets and lies place her in the crosshairs of a murder investigation.

Cassidy Foster is heartbroken, stuck in life, and getting a little too obsessed with plants. Then when a well-connected friend becomes sick of Cassidy’s moping and gets her a gig with famous Hollywood couple, Marisol and Nate Sterling, Cassidy jumps at the chance to move to sunny LA.

The Sterlings are warm and welcoming. A perfect couple. All Cassidy has to do is be available a few hours a week for errands. In return, she has access to luxury: Designer clothes. A sparkling pool. Great pay.

When Nate takes interest in her, asking her to read scripts he’s written, Cassidy thinks this could be the key to kickstarting her writing dreams. As their business relationship grows, so does their attraction. Nate is sexy and talented, and Cassidy can’t believe her luck. Clearly, Marisol doesn’t know what she has. Maybe that’s why the two are always fighting when they think Cassidy isn’t around.

Thank you, May Cobb, Berkley and NetGalley, for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this banger before publication. It was a dream come true.

I just finished "The Hollywood Assistant" by May Cobb, and I have to say, it was an outstanding book that I would highly recommend to anyone who loves a good page-turner. This book is a true masterpiece and deserves a solid five-star rating without any hesitation. As a big fan of May Cobb and her writing style, I was eagerly anticipating this latest release, and I can confidently say that it did not disappoint.

Right from the very first page, I was completely engrossed in the story and found myself unable to put my Kindle down until I had read every last word. The pacing of the book is incredibly fast, and the plot twists are perfectly placed, leaving the reader on the edge of their seat, eager to find out what happens next.

The story is told from the perspective of a personal assistant working for a Hollywood A-list couple, which in itself is a unique tale. But add in a murder mystery, and you have a must-read novel. I particularly appreciated the author's skillful use of descriptive language and attention to detail, which helped to bring the characters and settings to life in my mind's eye.

Overall, I can't recommend "The Hollywood Assistant" enough. Whether you are a fan of mystery, suspense, or just great storytelling in general, this book is sure to impress.

A perfect summer read. Make yourself an old fashioned or a dry martini, grab sunglasses (or binoculars), and enjoy.

Thank you, big thank you, to Berkley, for early access to May Cobb's The Hollywood Assistant. I am a big fan of May Cobb, I just love her soapy wine soaked thrillers as I call them (and I 100% mean that as a compliment, I love her books)... I love that she allows her women to be complicated, messy, flawed, but.. not stupid (naive at times perhaps but also ... sassy and capable and strong). The Hollywood Assistant expands on themes about complicated marital relationships, infidelity, and female friendship present in her early books, The Hunting Wives and My Summer Darlings in particular, and takes them into a new space, new state, and brings in more of a sense of unease and uncertainty about what is truly happening to and with the main character.

All Cassidy had to do was leave her past behind, which she did willingly, and be a personal assistant for a model/actress and her Hollywood director/producer husband. And yet this all she had to do vibe becomes all she can do to hold on when she suspects there is a lot more to the marriage than what most see, when she becomes entangled in their marital challenges, and then the police show up at her door (possibly just when she has witnessed something she should not have seen... or should she have seen it?).

What works is the subtle and then growing knowledge that Cassidy might be unraveling (or is she winding up?), the pacing of the story with hints and notes that so much more is going on with Cassidy, Marisol, and Nate, and that there are a lot of players in an increasingly risky game of chess. Subtle cat and mouse vibes are at play (who the cat and mouse are is fun to figure out), a lot of the expected sultry gin and wine soaked drama is present, and the confidence that the women running this story, driving this game..., are a lot more savvy and complex than they might seem.

I love it when a thriller humbles me and this one HUMBLED ME May Cobb. 😮‍💨 Reading nothing but thrillers with horror sprinkled in occasionally, I can get a little arrogant from time to time thinking I have the twist all figured out. 😏 🤦‍♀️

🏎️ Zoom zoom zooming through this book I thought I knew exactly what direction it would be taking. HAHAHAHAHA 🤡 - JOKES ON ME 🤣 🤣🤣

I did not have a seat belt on while on this ride and I did in fact LOSE MY HEAD by the TWIST CRASHING into me head first! 😳😵🤕🏎️💥 ⚰️

If you would like to keep all your body parts in tact, please keep your body inside the moving vehicle at all times because this twist will turn you upside down. ☠️🫨😮‍💨

A MASTERFUL TWISTED RIDE! 🏎️💥🏎️🤯🫡

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Receiving an advanced copy was a delightful surprise. I believe both existing fans and newcomers will find it equally enjoyable.

I've read every one of May Cobb's books, and this is my favorite so far! Always a good sign when the author keeps getting and better. Cassidy Foster is a recently dumped 29 year-old from Texas. She's just moved to L.A. thanks to her friend who helped her get the job of personal assistant to the Sterlings, a Hollywood couple. Marisol Sterling is an actress on the verge of hitting it big, and her husband, Nate, is a writer/producer. Cassidy is nervous, but can't get over how welcoming they are. Nate soon has her reading scripts for him (her dream job!) and Marisol is kind and generous, even giving her her old (often still new!) clothes.

As the plot progresses, Cassidy can't help but feel attracted to Nate. And also, she becomes sure Marisol is hiding something. When Nate asks her to spy on Marisol, she agrees--with added bonus of extra money. The prologue tells us SOMEONE will be murdered, and Cobb does an incredible job of building tension toward that moment. After which, there's a whole mystery to unravel before Cassidy is pinned as the killer. I really loved this one and plan to buy my own hardback! Thanks to net galley and Berkley for the e-arc!

THE HOLLYWOOD ASSISTANT is nothing short of amazing! I was hooked from the start and immediately swept up into the lives of the Sterlings. Once Cassidy started working as Marisol's personal assistant, I knew things were going to get juicy. Filled, with love, lies and deceit, I had a tough time putting this down. I have enjoyed all of May Cobb's books so far and this is another "must read" to add to your list. The way she writes makes me feel like I am right there watching. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for my gifted copy.

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) closer to pub date.

I've been reading author May Cobb ever since her "Hunting Wives" burst on the scene a few years ago, so was very happy to get an advance copy of her latest, "The Hollywood Assistant". I was also pleasantly surprised & pleased that she's left her usual East Texas settings behind for Tinseltown and to this former SoCal resident the setting felt very authentic. I really enjoyed this tale of a failed writer now working for two Hollywood stars as an assistant & then someone gets killed, natch. Lot's & lots of twists & of course, women behaving badly (generally, the rich & privileged ones). Fast paced & sometimes a bit spicy. Recommend to those who enjoy twisty thrillers with maybe some over-the-top crazy action. My thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the complimentary DRC - my pleasure to review it.

I thought this was going to be a more generic mystery as the set up was one I had read many times. The author did do a good job though of throwing in twists throughout that made me want to keep reading and I did feel like it had a good surprise ending.

Juicy, spicy, naughty, twisty, stimulating, hot as hell! Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present the best book by May Cobb so far. While "Hunting Wives" held the title of my favorite, "Hollywood Assistant" surpassed my expectations, throwing the smartest, most scandalous twists my way and cranking up the wild ride potential a notch. Despite a slightly slow start, a few chapters later, things got intriguing. I felt like a little fish, Nily, hooked by the author's line, allowing myself to go with the flow. The last third had me screaming with amazement, especially the latest twist I never saw coming, even though I usually pride myself on my high-alert spidey senses. This time, they went out of radar.

The plot execution was successfully crafted with balanced but mostly fast pacing, keeping readers guessing about the secrets characters hide. Whose side should you pick when the main character is unreliable and shows some obsessive tendencies (even though she emphasizes she's a neat freak, punctual Virgo, giving off some Scorpio vibes)? All these women in the book exude a femme fatale Scorpio charm that leaves you torn between despising and respecting them, mostly both.

Now, let's dive into the plot, set in my favorite city that I simultaneously love and hate wholeheartedly: La La Land! Even though it's a dreamland where only villains or villanelles may survive!

Enter Cassidy Foster, twenty-nine, a Texan Belle, book smart, shy, mediocre in looks, recently dumped, finally finding the courage to move to Los Angeles for her new gig as the private assistant to Hollywood power couple Nate Sterling, a successful, charismatic movie director, 45, and his exotic, joyful, Mediterranean pearl of a wife, Marisol, in her early thirties—a social butterfly contrasting her husband's old-school loner style.

Cassidy is paid 4K monthly for mostly doing nothing but a few errands, shopping, and organizing Marisol’s clothes in exchange for more designer clothes. It seems like everyone's dream job, too good to be true. She's happy with the Sterlings, even though she accidentally witnesses their fights and make-up sex. Her attraction to Nate grows as he takes an interest in her, encouraging her screenwriting career. You might be asking, what's the catch? Nate finally reveals the main reason she's hired, and Cassidy realizes she might be entangled in secrets, betrayal, a dark scheme with the Sterlings. The more she stays in their circle, the more she's doomed to be ruined, like a moth to flame.

The second half of the book is a crazy, wild ride that had me exclaiming, "What the actual hell?" several times. I shoveled more popcorn, sipped more Chardonnay, gave my villanelle laughs, and read more! What a fantastic time I had! I wholeheartedly recommend you read this dark, sexy, unconventional, steamy, smart mystery.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this wonderful book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions. Freaking fantastic job, May Cobb!

Now THIS is how it's done! I read this over the course of the weekend- I had such a difficult time pulling myself away from it to get things done. First of all, I'll start at the end- I didn't see the big twist coming, not from a mile away.... nor did I see the other, smaller twist at the very end coming.... and for that matter, I didn't see the twist in Cassidy's backstory coming EITHER....So those were wonderful surprises. Second of all, May Cobb is the best at writing characters that you know you shouldn't necessarily be rooting for, but despite their flaws, you DO kind of like them, yoy do hope they get the ending they deserve. Third of all... I've never been to California, but Cobb's descriptions and glorious choice of adjectives, metaphors, similies, etc made me nostalgic for somewhere I've never personally set foot. Fourth- and finally- as I realize I'm gushing... I appreciated the inclusion of Cassidy's past, namely her experiences with men (or lack thereof), and her mother's proclivity to obsess over celluloid rather than to be a parent. It really explained why Cassidy made the choices she made, chose the extremes to which she'd go to get her way. (And believe me, all of these characters had NO hesitation to use extreme measures to get what they want). I'm going to stop rambling about this book now, but as a final note, this book reminded me why May Cobb has become a "must-read" author for me in the last couple years. I genuinely cannot wait to read what she writes next. Although I think that this book will sell itself easily, I will proudly be recommending it to coworkers and customers alike.

𝑰 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏, 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆'𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒂 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕.

You are always going to be in for a good time when you read a May Cobb thriller. She's made a name for herself with her salacious tales of women behaving oh so badly, and THE HOLLYWOOD ASSISTANT ranks up there with one of her best!

Cassidy Foster is trying to recover from a broken heart. She feels stuck, going nowhere in life, until her glamourous, connected best friend lands her a dream job--a personal assistant to two Hollywood stars, Marisol and Nate Sterling. When she meets the couple, she is instantly star-struck, and to her delight, they are both warm and friendly. Cassidy basks in the attention of Marisol, who lavishes Cassidy with attention, treats her to a mountain of cast-off designer hand-me-downs, and most importantly, fills a void in her life.

When Nate finds out that Cassidy is a failed romance novelist, he gives her some scripts to read, and he praises her feedback, telling her what a gift she has. When Cassidy overhears the first of several fights between the couple, she initially tells herself it's none of her business, but when the fights continue, she begins to think the unthinkable...is the rift in their marriage so great that there may be room in Nate's heart for someone else? Someone like Cassidy?

But Cassidy has no idea the danger she is in. While she's blinded by the praise of two Hollywood stars, she's blind to the real reason why she's in their home in the first place. And when one of them turns up dead in the house, could Cassidy be the cause? When some troubling secrets from her past emerge, she becomes number one on the list of suspects.

This was a wild, raunchy romp that I thoroughly enjoyed. The descriptions were so vibrant and lush that I could see the Hollywood sign lighting up the night sky, the snarling traffic on the many freeways, and the mansion next to the ocean where a woman thought she would be on a journey to reinvent herself. THE HOLLYWOOD ASSISTANT will publish July 9, 2024. SO many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for the early copy.