Cassidy is feeling stuck in life. So when her best friend, Lexie, is able to use her connections and get her a job as an assistant to Hollywood couple Nate and Marisol Sterling, she jumps at the chance. At first she is wooed by the great pay and free clothes, but things get even better when Nate starts paying extra for her to read some scripts. But as time passes she starts to fall for Nate, and then realizes there were deeper reasons for why she was hired.

This is the third book I have read by this author and it was definitely my favorite. While some of the twists felt a little farfetched, I thought it was a fun story and the perfect read to get me through a six hour flight.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Hollywood Assistant follows Cassidy Foster, a twenty-something, who snags a job as a personal assistant for Hollywood producer, Nate, and Marisol, his model/actress wife. But the facade of a seemingly perfect relationship is shattered when one of them ends up dead and Cassidy is the prime suspect.

This was a fairly predictable read, albeit a light and fun, popcorn thriller. The MC, who happened to be a very unreliable narrator, was beyond cringe, and I felt so much secondhand embarrassment for her. That aspect also added to the entertainment because I was waiting to see what other outlandish and poorly executed plan she would try next. Overall, I enjoyed this book. However, I would have preferred if there wasn't a twist after the twist as it felt unnecessary.

A desperate woman becomes a personal assistant for a hot Hollywood couple and it seems that they are trying to use her as a pawn in their dysfunctional relationship. She gets way too invested. I was told that this was a sexy book that included a threesome. Fake news. May Cobb does shocking summer fun in an over to top way (Hunting Wives, Summer Darlings), but this one was just a snooze.

When Cassidy moves to Hollywood to become an assistant for a famous director and his model/actress wife, she feels like she’s hit the jackpot. But as time goes on, lines get blurry, relationships get complex, and secrets become uncovered. May Cobb is the queen of writing suspenseful stories with unreliable narrators, and even though I know that, I wasn’t expecting some of the twists and turns along the way. I could not put this book down, it read like a soap opera with all of the Hollywood drama and every time I thought I knew what was coming, there was a new twist or a new layer that I wasn’t expecting. With all of May’s books, I feel it's best to go in blind to get the full impact. Just be ready, you won’t want to put this one down.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Mystery • Thriller • Crime Fiction
Forbidden Relationship • Obsession
Published • 9 July 2024

Thank you to @berkleypub for the free book!

Happy Thriller Thursday. I am officially in my thriller era. I tore through my first May Cobb book in a buddy read with @bookinonthe_dl

Unassuming Cassidy Foster is fleeing a bad breakup when she lands a gig as personal assistant to one of Hollywood’s private power couples. Marisol Sterling, burgeoning Latina bombshell and wife to Nate Sterling, quickly befriends Cassidy. Disturbingly, Cassidy also finds herself in a fatal attraction situationship with Nate - her very married employer. Before long Cassidy is in the middle of the crosshairs in a compromising position — all innuendos intended. Will she be going down for murder? Everyone has secrets...

This would be a great poolside read. A fast-paced page turner where you can’t look away from the train wreck. I’m interested to read The Hunting Wives next to see how it compares.

Read if you enjoy: voyeurs, stalkers, scandals, romance subplot, lifestyles of the rich and famous, obsessive behavior, unreliable characters, shocking twists.

THE HOLLYWOOD ASSISTANT a totally unhinged thriller and I loved it!

Cassidy leaves her life behind in Austin, Texas, for a fresh start in California. She has been hired as a by The Sterlings, a Hollywood power couple. Marisol Sterling needs a personal assistant and Cassidy is ready for a change.

She starts off as an assistant but soon Nate Sterling, a director, asks her to start reading scripts and summarizing them for him. She loves the extra work and shines in her new role.

But all is not as it seems behind the glittery facade of the Sterlings’ marriage and soon Cassidy doesn’t know who she can really trust. Everyone seems untrustworthy! And soon it becomes clear that even Cassidy herself is an unreliable narrator.

This is book very much like Freida McFadden’s writing style and pacing, so to me, it’s a great summer read. It’s an unhinged, wild ride that will have you guessing all the way to the end!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Short synopsis: Cassidy is hired as a personal assistant for two affluential people in Hollywood.

My thoughts: This was such a fun bingeable story! I love a book with a celebrity, and this was a bit different because we get the POV of the personal assistant. It was fun to see their world through her perspective.

Cassidy was a bit socially awkward, especially around the gorgeous and wealthy Sterlings. And the Sterlings, well they are a bit whacko, but they throw money at her like it’s confetti so I don’t blame her staying around.

I did have a couple guesses as to what the ending might be, and while I was somewhat right watching it unfold was so much fun. And the couple of flashback moments kept me completely enthralled in the story.

Read if you love:
- Juicy domestic suspense
- Celebrity assistants
- LA Setting
- Spying and secrets
- Film industry

When I read the synopsis for The Hollywood Assistant by May Cobb, I knew I had to get my hands on it and I read it while on a trip recently. I always love the story of an assistant who either sees something she/he shouldn’t or becomes involved in something, or in this case, gets tangled up with a famous couple.

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 a 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 kick-starting 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.

But Cassidy learns she was hired for a different purpose. The Sterlings aren’t the perfect couple. Marisol isn’t the perfect wife. And when one of them is found dead, Cassidy becomes the perfect suspect.

A famous Hollywood “IT” couple and their personal assistant become embroiled in a messy relationship that uncovers scandalous secrets, deception and leads to murder.

I love May Cobb’s scandalous thrillers full of people behaving badly. They are twisty, spicy and absolutely naughty with zero remorse.

The Hollywood Assistant takes us into the marriage of Marisol and Nate Sterling. Initially it looks like they are the perfect couple with the perfect marriage and Cassidy Foster thinks she has the perfect job as Marisol’s personal assistant. Of course nothing can be that idyllic. Soon we see that there are cracks in the facade of this perfect couple and Nate hired Cassidy to report on Marisol because he thinks she’ s cheating on him.

This was a wild ride with everyone having their own secrets, desires and reasons for acting unhinged. I freakin loved all the drama. I couldn’t get enough as things went off the rails and just kept going at full speed. It’s fun, over-the-top, dramatic and definitely twisty. A perfect summer thriller to pick up!

Well, I have officially added another author to my autobuy list, and I will be reading her backlist.  I can not believe this is my 1st book by this author! 

Cassidy Foster has just had her heartbroken.  She feels like her life in TX is going nowhere fast, so she jumps at the opportunity to move to CA.  Her best friend Lexie is out there and has found her an amazing job being an assistant to a famous Hollywood couple, Marisol and Nate Sterling.  The job comes with so many perks, designer clothes, access to the pool, incredible pay, and a flexible schedule.  The Sterlings seem like the perfect couple and perfect bosses.  When Nate starts asking her to read his scripts, which could help her with her writing career, an undeniable attraction starts to grow.  Cassidy soon learns what she was really hired to do.  The perfect couple isn't so perfect, and when one of them ends up dead, Cassidy becomes the prime suspect.

This book was fantastic!  It was such a wild ride!  It was highly entertaining and totally bingeable with lots of drama.  I thought Cassidy was bat sh!t crazy and there were times I felt sorry for her.  She wasn't the most likable character and did some super cringe-worthy things, but she definitely had me glued to the pages.  This was a total page-turner and that ending!🤯 I would highly recommend this one!

Definitely a slow burn. Honestly I was convinced that the whole thing was a figment of the main character’s imagination- but when I get hit with the twist- I felt like I had whiplash. BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE. In the last few pages she hands us just a *chefs kiss* of an ending.

All hail the queen of the poolside guilty pleasure read.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cassidy is heartbroken in Texas when her best friend Lexie helps her land a job as a personal assistant in LA. She is excited to work for Nate Sterling, a famous director, and his wife Marisol, a model/actress. The job is easy, pays well and the Sterlings seem like the perfect couple. But eventually Cassidy finds out why she was really hired and when someone turns up dead she is the perfect suspect.

This is a fun, quick, soapy, popcorn thriller! It would be a great beach read this summer. The characters are flawed and behaving badly but that’s part of the appeal. I had my suspicions about the perpetrator but didn’t know exactly how it was going to play out. It was a little slow to start but was twisty and moved fast in the end.

Grab a cup of coffee because you’ll want to stay up late for this one! Or maybe switch to something stiffer once the twists kick in! What a fun summer thriller!!

May Cobb writes a full cast of unlikeable characters, but aren't most people in Hollywood unlikeable? 😆 The plot is brimming with obsession, suspicion, and deception. You know early on that someone died, but the who and why unfold steadily, with plenty of unexpected twists! I could not put this one down!!

Brittany Wilkerson narrates the story. She captures Cassidy so well: a mix of innocence, self-doubt, and a little unhinged. Wilkerson changes the voices of the different characters. I particularly loved Marisol's accent; she also added the perfect amount of sass for this Hollywood actress! Highly recommend this format.

Bottom line: Addictive ✨ Scandalous ✨Wildly Entertaining ✨ Perfect summer thriller! Read now, thank me later!

Thank you @berkleypub @prhaudio for my complimentary copy. My thoughts are my own.

When CASSIDY, recovering from a recent breakup, moves to LA, her friend, LEXIE uses her connections to help Cassidy land a dream job working as an assistant to a famous Hollywood couple, NATE and MARISOL STERLING.

With short hours, fantastic designer clothes, and access to the pool, Cassidy is in heaven, and she quickly becomes involved with the couple, learning all of their secrets, and even witnessing (i.e. spying on) their heated arguments and passionate makeups.

As Marisol becomes increasingly busy with her acting career, Cassidy often finds herself alone with handsome Nate. Soon she feels an overwhelming attraction to him. But when one of the couple is suddenly murdered, Cassidy becomes the number one suspect.

This character-driven psychological drama is a slow-burn, which builds in intensity. The story is told from Cassidy’s point of view, with dual timelines: the present and a few weeks in the future. While the reader is aware early on that there is a murder, the murder and victim are not revealed until very near the ending, at which point the action moves to a very swift conclusion.

I did enjoy this story and I remained engaged throughout. However, I will say that the overuse of the f-word detracted from my enjoyment. There were also several steamy scenes, which I don’t 𝙪𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 like to see in my thrillers, but they did seem to be necessary in this particular story! The conclusion came as a surprise.

I also checked out the audio version, which was very well-done!

This is my first May Cobb book but it won't be my last. "The Hollywood Assistant" is a juicy thriller full of twists and turns. It follows, Cassidy, a down-on-her-luck woman from Texas who moves to LA to become an assistant to a hotshot screenwriter/director and his actress wife. It's a weird set-up: the couple seem to have a fractured marriage post Covid and Cassidy finds herself in the middle of their cat and mouse games. Cassidy is a bit of an unreliable narrator and it's fun to follow as she gets more entangled with the couple. Does the plot make 100% sense? Nope! Will you root for any of the characters? Hell no! But this is exactly the kind of fun beach read you want to bring on vacation. Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the arc.

Cassidy Foster relocates to California post-breakup and takes an assistant job for a famous Hollywood Actress/Director couple whose marriage is in a questionable state. She is hired to run errands a few times a week and the pay seems way too good to be true. Of course there is a catch.

No one writes over the top, twisty, AND salacious mysteries like May Cobb! The Hollywood Assistant is a voyeuristic look into the dark side of life in the Hollywood elite. The characters are extra unhinged. They live in a town where success is everything. They lie, cheat, and steal to make it to the top and will do even more to stay there. I do wish the length was a little shorter, but I enjoyed the plot and was hooked from the beginning. The Hollywood Assistant is a fantastic summer thriller!

May Cobb Summer Solstice is now officially a yearly tradition! I read A Likable Woman on the first day of summer last year too. Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

After a disastrous breakup, failed romance novelist Cassidy's best friend finds her a job as an assistant for a Hollywood power couple Nate and Marisol. Desperate for money, Cassidy takes the job and soon becomes completely immersed in their lives. She lusts after Nate, but also likes Marisol and wants to do a great job. Nate finds out what an amazing writer Cassidy is and tasks her with reading and summarizing loads of scripts that he gets. We know from the beginning that someone dies, but we don't find out until later what happened. Nate suspects Marisol is cheating and asks Cassidy to follow her to find out. Cassidy becomes more and more immersed in their lives.

I wanted to like this more than I did, but I saw what was happening from a mile away. The book is way too long and drawn out, too many things that would NEVER happen (so much spying from behind bushes and trees and following people and hiding and spying).

Don't get me started at how much I grew to hate the main character Cassidy. I honestly couldn't stomach her at all. She just got more bizarre and unhinged as the story went on, and she acted like she was about fifteen, not a full grown adult. Every statement she makes is either filled with exclamation points or she is sooooo shy and embarrassed. Every time she is wearing clothes Marisol gave her she has to point out "I'm wearing your clothes." She alternates between acting like she is so important and fabulous at reviewing scripts and why wouldn't Nate fall in love with her to being subservient and then swinging wildly back to the other side. And she was so upset that her ex cheated on her and yet the second Marisol's back is turned she is ready to jump on Nate, who cares if he's married.

Why oh why did the pandemic need to be mentioned all the time? I thought it would come into play really but nope, it didn't, it was just annoying. And the drinking. So so so much drinking and discussions about drinking and worries about drinking too much and driving, and if you want a recipe for an old fashioned, it's given in minute detail.

None of the characters or situations are very well developed. I felt like I knew more about the contents of their refrigerator and how to make an oat milk latte than I did about the characters and their motivations.
I know tons of people liked this much more than I did, I'm an outlier for my views so if you like a good soapy Hollywood drama, this book might appeal to you more than it did me.

I like May Cobb and her writhing style so much! She writes women’s relationships so well. I keep investing in the characters more and more as I read. This one knocked it out of the park for me!

Thanks to Berkley for the eARC; all thoughts are my own.

I don't usually read contemporary suspense/murder mystery books, but decided to give this one ago.
Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. After a few chapters, I just couldn't get into the book and found it rather slow.
I skipped to the end to see how it finished; read the last two chapters and epilogue, was satisfied with knowing the ending, and put it down.

I know other readers who loved it; so I really do think it's just not a book for me.

May Cobb is an auto read for me. This book ties with Hunting Wives for my favorite, so good! It’s twisty and feels like you’re watching desperate housewives with a gin martini. Perfect.