⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars for The Gallery Assistant by Kate Belli
Chloe Harlow wakes up with few memories of how she got home after a glamorous art party—only to find out that the party’s hostess, a rising new artist, has been murdered. From there, Chloe’s journey unfolds, filled with twists, secrets, and the lingering trauma she carries from surviving 9/11.
I loved the glimpse into the amazing world of art. The suspense was palpable throughout the story. I didn’t know where the story would take me, and that unpredictability kept me hooked.
This was my first book by Kate Belli and it was such an easy, engaging read. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a suspenseful,mystery thriller.
Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. PUB DATE October 14, 2025
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The Gallery Assistant is a twisted thriller set during the months following the 9/11 attacks. After attending a party, New York art gallery assistant Chloe wakes up with no idea of how she got home. She is shocked to learn that the party's host, an up and coming painter represented by the gallery, was shot dead - and it appears that Chloe may have been the last person to see the victim alive.

As Chloe struggles with both her personal and professional lives, as well as the devastating aftermath of 9/11, she begins to suspect that something sinister is afoot. But will she be dismissed as a paranoid conspiracy theorist, or will she be able to convince her friends, colleagues, and the police that something really is wrong, and that her life - and theirs - may be in danger?

This was a little more of a slow burn than I would have liked, but it kept me guessing right until the very end - and kept me turning the pages wanting to find out the truth.

Slow burn. There were too many characters introduced in one go early on. Good historical context on the mindset subsequent to 9/11. Good description of the effects of PTSD. I believe people in her situation would be able to relate when reading the book. It's certainly a mystery book, but it doesn't feel like a thriller. Maybe categorize it as historical fiction. I like the art aspect of the story.

The Gallery Assistant pulled me in almost immediately. This book had a little of everything - complex relationships, murder, mystery, art, the aftermath of 9/11 and mental health. The mystery unfolds smoothly adding necessary flashbacks to past experiences suffered by the main character, Chloe, which brought depth to the story. I appreciated all the twists and turns, as it kept me guessing who was involved in the mystery. While there were multiple characters, and some blended together at times, each played a crucial part in the story. And I did not see the twist at the end coming. The author did a great job connecting all the dots and bringing the mystery to a conclusion. And the final scene was just perfect!

Note: I did receive an arc of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review! Thank you again!

This story was set in NYC, with an interesting back drop of being newly after 9/11. Our main female character has trauma from surviving 9/11, and doesnt remember how she gets home one night. The same night her friend is murdered. So many twists and turns. I was deeply interested in this story from start to finish. This was my first book by this author and wont be my last.

The Gallery Assistant takes right off, Chloe wakes up in her Brooklyn apartment with no memory of how she got home. She’s a gallery assistant in NYC and attended a party the night before for one of their artists. Still groggy, she heads to work and finds the police there. The artist, Inga, was found murdered in her apartment the morning after the party. After the interrogation Chloe’s boss, Lou, mysteriously disappears from the company and his apartment. Chloe begins to uncover secrets within the gallery and tries to remember anything from the night of the party. She uncovers hidden messages within Inga’s paintings and discovers maybe she knew something was going to happen to her.

This is a quick, fun read. Definitely a fast paced thriller. I loved the NYC setting, the story takes place recently after the 9/11 tragedy. Overall I really liked this book and it kept my interest, however I did feel there was too many characters. Between Chloe’s coworkers, friends and the party guests it was hard to keep track of who everyone was.
The Gallery Assistant is very twisty and will keep you guessing until the end!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and SS Artia marketing for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. Look for the gallery assistant October 2025.

I really enjoyed this read by Kate Belli. The story really captivated me. The setting within the New York art galleries added a layer of sophistication and intrigue, while the post-9/11 time frame offered a unique backdrop that enhanced the narrative with its distinct atmosphere. The blend of smart writing, mystery, glamour, and romance hit all the right notes for me. They likability of the main character and wit provided much enjoyment, and the pacing kept me engaged throughout. I am looking forward to exploring more of Belli's works!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
Went in blind to this book and it was amazing.
We follow Chloe an art assistant at a gallery whose friend Igna is murdered, only months after 9/11 attacks. I enjoyed every moment trying to figure out what happened. There were so many pieces to the puzzle. If you like art and mysteries I recommend this book. If I could give 6 stars I would 😊

slow, unlikable characters unfortunately this was a do not finish for me.. Heavy on 911 and bush maybe that would eventually make sense but it didn't.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy.

3.5 stars

When Chloe Harlow wakes up naked in her bed after partying with one of her company's star painters, she finds out that the painter in question--Inga--has been murdered and she might've been the last person to see Inga alive. If only she could remember what happened that night. Weaving through the world of international art selling, THE GALLERY ASSISTANT centers around the questions of whether Chloe will eventually figure out what she forgot and will she have time to do something about it before her own life is in danger?

THE GALLERY ASSISTANT pulled me in from the beginning. As a reader you feel as disoriented as Chloe is on the morning after a party where she thinks she drank so much that she must've blacked out. Chloe is an interesting MC: almost pitiable because of a failed attempt at college and the fact that she was in one of the twin towers on 9/11. But she's also self-sabotaging and a bit spoiled, as many are in their twenties. In short, she's the perfect kind of character to be an unreliable narrator, which is needed to tell this story. I sped through this book, eagerly anticipating what would happen, until the climax. The connections and characters involved in the mystery around that night felt a bit too contained and tidy. Overall, this was a fun, twisty read (even if the end fell apart a bit).

The Gallery Assistant is out October 14, 2025.

A thriller about the art world after 9/11. This book brought me back in time and also pulled back the curtain on art galleries. Chloe is young and makes not so great choices but you can not help but root for her in this story. I thought the writing was well done and the the mystery kept me wanting to read.

The Gallery Assistant by Kate Belli was a suspenseful and intriguing thriller that kept me guessing throughout. Chloe Harlow, a young assistant in an art gallery, wakes up after a wild night with no memory of the events, only to find herself wrapped up in a murder investigation involving a rising artist at the gallery. As she tries to piece together what happened, Chloe uncovers secrets that could change everything—and put her in grave danger.

The atmosphere of the high-stakes art world was fascinating, and Chloe’s struggle to remember the night while trying to uncover the truth made for an engaging read. I enjoyed the twists and the slow reveal of secrets, which kept the suspense high. The pacing was solid, and the tension grew as Chloe got closer to the truth.

That said, I felt some parts of the plot were a bit slow, and I would’ve liked a bit more development with certain characters. Overall, The Gallery Assistant was a solid read, and I’d give it 3.5 stars. It’s perfect for fans of thrillers with a mix of mystery and art world intrigue.

I have come to love reading about the art world and all the ins and outs of that business. Wealth, ego, and scandal frequently seems to follow it, making for thrilling reads. I received a DRC from Atria /EmilyBestler Books and after reading the description pretty much dove right in.

Set in New York City several months after 9/11 The Gallery Assistant takes us into the life of Chloe Harlow and her work at a high-end upper East Side gallery. At first, I found myself annoyed with Chloe and her endless drinking. I’m not a fan of unreliable narrators and the use of alcohol to make them seem so. However, as her background and her experience on 9/11 were slowly revealed I better understood why she was at that place in her life. Needless to say, I was rooting her on as she worked her way through the complex maze of a murder and the shady art underworld.

While reading the book I found myself back in that time period and reflecting on how very different life was. The mystery was clever and certainly had me flying through the book to figure out what was really going on. I also so appreciated Geo and his role within Chloe‘s life.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and realized at the end that the author has also written a historical mystery series that I loved! With that said, I highly recommend picking this up when it is released this fall.

This art-world thriller was a stylish and clever surprise. It reads like a mash-up of suspense and satire, pulling back the curtain on gallery politics and ambition. The protagonist is complex and not always likable, but that made her more compelling. Some twists stretched plausibility, but I was here for the drama.

I honestly wasn't sure how I felt about The Gallery Assistant for a while, but in the end, it really grew on me. I enjoyed the near-past nostalgia of NYC in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and the mystery was both satisfying, and unexpected - I didn't really clue in to what was going on other than getting vague bad feelings from certain characters, until it was much further along. And then the depth of the connections/web that our MC was in made it all the more satisfying. Solid 4 star read for me.

I was a little hesitant about reading this book since I'm not interested in art, but I needn't have worried. The Gallery Assistant is a great mystery! Chloe is a likable character even though she frustrated me. She keeps blacking out from drinking and was upset that she couldn't remember the party, yet she just kept drinking! It was exasperating watching her make terrible choices, but I was rooting for her too. She was dealing with PTSD from being in one of the towers during the 9/11 attacks, so it was hard to blame her for making poor decisions. The mystery was rather complex and there were plenty of twists and turns I didn't see coming. There are a lot of sketchy characters, and I had no idea who was involved or what was going on. I thought this was an engaging, fast-paced novel and I would definitely recommend it! I look forward to seeing what Kate Belli writes next!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

This book was something! An intriguing look into the art world via the lense of the murder of an artist.

This kept me guessing and turning pages.

I spent some time while reading looking up art pieces that were mentioned, and I loved having them in my mind's eye while reading.

Kate Belli wrote a thriller that draws you in and keeps you reading!

This is my first Kate Belli book and I absolutely loved it! Chloe is a gallery assistant right after 9/11 and that plays into her grief and struggles with her life. She wakes up after a party with hazy memories only to learn that the honored artist has been murdered. This is a fast paced thriller that kept me interested throughout the entire book. Such a great read that I highly recommend to anyone that loves mystery or thrillers.

This is my first Kate Belli book and I don't think it will be my last! I was intrigued by the premise - a young woman, Chloe, living in New York and working at an art gallery while still suffering from extreme post 9/11 PTSD and survivors guilt after narrowly escaping the towers alive. About four weeks after 9/11, Chloe is invited to a party for Inga, one of the artists working for the gallery. Chloe overdoes it with alcohol (self medicating) and wakes up in her bed with no memory of leaving the party, only to discover at work the next day that Inga was murdered and Chloe was (allegedly) last person to see Inga alive. Chloe struggles to figure out what happened and fill in the holes in her memory, while nearly everyone around her is gaslighting her (SO MUCH GASLIGHTING). As Chloe discovers clues from the night of the party, clues within the artwork, and clues within the gallery - she questions herself and whether or not she can trust her closest friends.

The overall vibe of the book is pretty bleak because it takes place weeks after 9/11 and Chloe is very clearly unwell so that is something to keep in mind. It's hard not to feel for Chloe and I think the book can definitely warrant a trigger warning - she's clearly suffering, has no support system, drinks to self-medicate, and feels she can't trust herself. It was hard to read at times, probably because it was also somewhat relatable. I appreciated the vulnerability and self-awareness that the author provided in writing Chloe. That said, there were a few drawbacks to the book that I found off putting. For example - when things were starting to get dangerous for Chloe, I felt those situations were one of two extremes: either realistic plausible perceived threats, or straight up chaotic over-the-top chase scenes that didn't seem... likely. Then, after literally jumping in the East River to escape thugs, the next day she would go back to walking alone (albiet hesitantly) and basically proceed with her life as normally as possible, so that stood out to me as a strange deviation from the slow burn mystery of the story. Another one (hidden on Goodreads for spoiler) was her friendship with Gio - we know the basics: he's a nice guy, he's Italian and is close with his family, food is important, his NYFD brother was on vacation during 9/11, but that's pretty much all we know about him, yet he also seems to know the answers to fix all Chloe's problems without a second guess, accepts everything at face value, asks no questions, and this causes no issues or any inconvenience or risk to his life. It felt a little.. too easy. While it was great for Chloe to admit she needs help, finally open up to someone, and have someone on her side, I just wish his character was less of a swoop-in-and-save-the-day-guy.

That being said, it had a VERY satisfying ending! Would recommend for those who like mysteries and I'd definitely read more of Kate Belli's work in the future.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC and for the email invite to read!!

Chole wakes up in her apartment with no idea how she got there and when she goes into her job the police where there questioning her about a rising painter had been murdered.

This book started off slow to me but it did pick up in the middle. The book to me kinda came off as more of a story about her dealing with PTSD form 9/11 and being less of a thriller. It wasn't a bad book it just wasn't for me.