This mystery novel pulls you in quickly with a fast moving plot and riveting characters. The main character, Chloe, copes with life via drinking too much. She gets a job as an assistant in a renowned art gallery and attends a party at a painters home with other gallery personnel, friends and the artist. Chloe blacks out and can't remember the evening or how she got home. The artist at the party is killed and Chloe starts to "play Nancy Drew". She gathers clues and starts to wonder how far reaching the troubles go. Her boss suddenly disappears, someone is after her and other strange things are unfolding. In the end, after risking her life, everything is revealed. A book worth reading. Thank you to Netgalley for early access to this novel. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Gallery Assistant.
This book has an interesting back story for the lead character. Chloe is a 9/11 survivor who suffers from depression.
She is trying to move on and is a survivor. After a long evening which is just in her memory she gets questions from NYC police about the murder at an art gallery.
She is not sure what to think of this Situation because she doesn’t think she can be capable of doing anything like this. She must get to the bottom of this mystery while navigating a very complex world of art.
Good book and fast paced. 3 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the advance ebook.

November 2001: Chloe Harlow wakes up late, with hazy memories of the party the night before but no recollection of how she got back to her Brooklyn apartment. Ever since the terrifying and catastrophic terrorist attack, it seems she has been on a collision course with destruction.

When she finally arrives at the exclusive Upper East Side art gallery where she works, she is immediately called into her boss’s office. A pair of NYPD detectives greet her, also very curious to know how her evening ended…because the host of the party, a rising painter and the gallery’s newest artist, is dead.

Navigating both the sophisticated high-stakes art world and her personal life in burgeoning Williamsburg, Chloe struggles to piece together a complete picture of that lost night. As she digs deeper, inconsistencies emerge between what she remembers and what people tell her actually happened, and more questions are raised. Everything begins to feel like a conspiracy and maybe it is. Because Chloe is the only one who glimpses the secrets the murdered artist left behind, and the closer she gets to the truth…the more deadly it becomes.

To be honest, I didn't care for this book. I had a hard time staying interested. I didn't really like the characters. 2.5 out of 5 ⭐️

This was a solid pace thriller with plenty of catchy parts and suspense. It was not completely predictable and I enjoyed the premise. Thank you!

many thanks to atria for sending me an e-gallery

the premise for this one was so interesting as someone that studied art history and has lived in new york her whole life. it starts strong right off the bat and i loved getting those small mentions of places within the boroughs. the flashbacks kept me guessing and i think they came at the perfect moments. it was a little difficult keeping track of all the characters at first and i wish the side friend group was more fleshed out, but i think Vik, Gio, Bo, and Lou were really well done. Chloe comes across as unlikeable and unreliable which I tend to love in a thriller but I wish we had gotten more from her or even an epilogue to explore further what came next.

this, however, read as more of a dark exploration into the art world rather than a fast paced thriller. the plot twist was a good one but i did expect who the "villain" was and the end conflict Chloe had to get herself out of. all in all, this was an enjoyable quick read and i'd recommend it

Unfortunately i DNF this book. I love NYC and I did like the 9/11 background but I did not like the main character, nor did I find any other characters that I liked. I got a few chapters in and had to stop. this is just my opinion and I am sure there are others who love this book. I recommend that you give it a try and find out for yourself

“The Gallery Assistant” is a good thriller. I was unsure about the author having Chloe be a 9-11 survivor but, in the end, I think I worked well. Her panic attacks, poor coping mechanism (excessive drinking), and the conspiracy theories and fear of what might happen next kept her off-balance, making it harder for her to figure out the dangerous situation she found herself in. Especially as numerous characters, including some she trusted, had significant secrets, and used her vulnerabilities against her. The art world can be more dangerous than one might think.

I was really interested in this book and the overall story and plot was very interesting but I think it was poorly executed. To me the book didn’t start until chapter 24, so if you can get thru 60% u will get to the point of it. I pushed thru bc I just wanted to understand what the overall story was so I did finish.

There’s so much connecting 9/11 and the conspiracy stories surrounding it and I honestly don’t think it had much to do with the overall story but it was like a subplot around the PTSD of it.

I hate giving a book a low rating bc I know how hard writers work but I would say the first like 150ish pages are just fluff and info not necessary to understand the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy.

Wow wow wow this was so Erie and EXCELLENTLY written. I read this about a month ago and am still thinking about it.

This fast-paced mystery set in the cutthroat NYC art world had me on the edge of my seat. Having worked in an art gallery before I could tell this was well researched! The mystery kept me guessing, and the writing had just the right mix of suspense and emotion. Did not see the ending coming!

Big thanks to the Atria Books for the advanced copy! I flew through this one and can’t wait to read more from Kate Belli.

Book Review ‼️
The Gallery Assistant - Kate Belli
Mystery / Suspense
ARC - Oct 2025
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Mystery, murder, and major art world drama? Yes, please! The Gallery Assistant by Kate Belli is a fast-paced, twisty ride through the glitzy galleries and shadowy secrets of New York City—and it’s as stylish as it is suspenseful!
Chloe thought she landed a dream job in a fancy art gallery 🎨💼—but when a priceless painting goes missing and someone turns up dead ☠️, her new gig becomes a full-blown nightmare. Good thing Chloe’s got brains, bravery, and a serious eye for the truth 🔍💁‍♀️.
This book is so much fun! It’s got:
✨ Glamorous art world settings

🕵️‍♀️ A smart, fearless heroine

🎭 Secret identities & hidden agendas

⚡ Plot twists you won’t see coming

❤️ A hint of romance to sweeten the suspense

If The Devil Wears Prada and Only Murders in the Building had a bookish baby, this would be it. Stylish and impossible to put down.
Perfect for your next weekend binge read—and maybe your next museum visit too.

Thank you Kate Belli, Atria Books, & Netgalley for this digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

#reviewer #arc #netgalley #arcreader #bookreview #readmorebooks #bookish #kindle #tbr

i loved this one. it dealt with mystery and historical moments of 9/11 I also love the art gallery background

I love a good thriller! This thriller had parts of 09/11 flashbacks from a survivors standpoint. I was in high school on 09/11, we watched it on the news in my study hall that morning. I remember being so scared, even though I was far away in Wisconsin. I loved this novel. The book wasn't about the terrorist attack, but rather about an Art Gallery who's employee happened to have been in one of the towers.

This is my first read by this author and I can’t wait to read her other books. I loved how I was able to feel like I was there, and I loved the setting it took place in. It takes place a little after 9/11 in NYC, where an assistant to a gallery is promoted after 1)the artist who has an upcoming show is found dead and 2)she still can’t remember the night of the murder but the gallery wants her to remain silent about that night. It gives a little insight of how people managed and handled to move forward after the tragedy of 9/11 took place. That’s including the FMC, who is suffering from ptsd after escaping the Twin Towers. It’s a good concept for a thriller/ mystery and I enjoyed it very much! #atriabooks has been blessing me with amazing arcs lately! So thank you to them & #netgalley

Chloe wakes up one morning not remembering how she got home. When she heads to work at an upscale New York City art gallery, late, she is called into the boss’ office. There she is greeted by two NYPD detectives who question her about her whereabouts the previous evening. Inga, the party hostess, has been murdered. The novel continues with Chloe slowly remembering and putting bits and pieces of information together in what results in a few twists and turns in the plot. The slow beginning made it difficult to really get into the novel.

This novel drew me in with its moody, mysterious atmosphere and the vivid setting of early 2000s New York City. The story’s themes of resilience and discovery, brought to life through a diverse cast and short, engaging chapters, made it a fast-paced yet immersive read. While it didn’t deliver the intense thriller energy I anticipated, the intriguing plot and its deep dive into the art world—presented with just enough detail to feel authentic—kept me captivated from beginning to end.

The post-9/11 context initially seemed like an odd choice, but it ultimately enriched the narrative, adding emotional depth to the protagonist’s journey as she grappled with trauma and her own flaws. The story’s slow-burn buildup unfolded smoothly, leading to a rewarding payoff that tied the mystery together beautifully.

That said, the pacing, while mostly effective, hit a few snags with minor timeline inconsistencies in some scenes, which briefly pulled me out of the story.

Thank you NetGalley, Publisher and Author for sending over an arc in exchange for honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, unfortunately I got 26% through- up to chapter 10 and I just can’t do it any more.
I was bored, I didn’t connect with any characters or the story

I wasn't interested, wasn't intrigued, didn't connect with the characters... pushed further since it's an arc. Was still met with boring dialogs and displeasing plot. It seems I can skip a page, a chapter, or two, or three, and not miss anything.

Books set in the late 90s and early 2000s are really having a moment lately (this is the second book I've read lately that mentions MapQuest) and I'm here for it. Set in NYC shortly after 9/11, this thriller takes us into Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a trendy neighborhood filled with loft spaces, which artists could actually afford in the early 2000s. The main character, Chloe, is our gallery assistant who's present the night an up-and-coming contemporary artist is murdered, but she has no memory of the event. Chloe escaped the towers on the morning on 9/11 and has been self-treating her PTSD with alcohol. The cops question Chloe and her co-workers in relation to the murder, and unraveling the mystery of who did it becomes Chloe's mission.

It was an enjoyable thriller and as someone who moved to NYC in early 2001, it was a real trip back in time to read some of the references.

I LOVED this book. I thought the setting of it in 2001 was so nostalgic and something I adored. I was on my toes the whole book with who could be involved in the scandal and trying to figure out what the scandal actually was. It was an incredible and unique novel. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future !