2.75 /3⭐️
(ARC review) — Thank you to author Kate Belli and her publisher Atria. I received an Advanced Reader Copy for the October 2025 release of THE GALLERY ASSISTANT in exchange for my honest review.

This one lacked luster for me. I had a hard time really getting into the story. Less thriller, more mystery. But wasn’t overall mysterious either. I found frequent parts filler(ish) and characters started to grow annoying and tiresome. I just wasn’t invested in them.

I did enjoy drop shipping back into the 2000s and that era. Discmans and all. The author writing about the heartbreaking utter chaos of 9/11 was difficult to read. It was very emotional. I still to this day can’t imagine the tragedy of what was experienced and the loss. But again, the 9/11 really didn’t tie into the story. It all felt forced and very unorganized.

This one just didn’t work for me unfortunately but maybe others will feel differently.

Trigger ⚠️
PTSD, 9/11, mental illness

When you can't remember the party the night before or how you arrived home - was it a good night? Or a bad one? Then you find out that the hostess has been murdered. What the heck happened?

Chloe navigates her way through some crazy personal and work situations, and we find out that she is also suffering from PTSD from the attacks on the Twin Towers, as well as having a drinking problem.

I did not expect the conclusion of the murder investigation to end the way that it did, but it was a great ending!

Many thanks to Kate Belli, Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a short read and slow burn. It’s divided into 3 parts and written from the female main characters point of view. It definitely gives mystery and dark vibes.

The Gallery Assistant was a very suspenseful mystery involving the murder of an artist, and an assistant who finds herself caught up in it. There was a lot of interesting parts about art shows and paintings and how much money gets thrown around for different pieces. This book is also set months after 9/11 with Chloe having been in one of the Towers when it happened. Reading about those parts was very anxiety inducing and gave me uncomfortable flashbacks so here is your trigger warning - skip chapter 28 all together if you think you'd be triggered by vivid descriptions.

I thought the ending twist was a little out there? Without spoilers it just seemed a bit out of the blue but I guess a lot of good mysteries are. I would recommend this one, it captured my attention and kept me engaged throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and SS Atria for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not sure how I feel about this book as a whole. It did take a little bit for me to be drawn into the mystery. But the second half of the book was good and it was fast paced. I thought the setting of 9/11 was interesting but also a little odd. It kind of seemed like two separate large things going on that didn’t totally match up. Overall, it was ok, it was an interesting concept, just felt a little disjoined to me.

Thank you to Atria for the arc.

The Gallery Assistant will transport you back to a time before everyone was tethered to a cell phone. When we were printing out MapQuest directions to find new places and most importantly, back to New York in the months following the devastation of 9/11.

In a time of such trauma, suspicion, and uncertainty, what would happen if you became embroiled in a real-life conspiracy?

Chloe is an assistant at a well-known art gallery who is barely hanging on to her job. She’s frequently late to work and has been self medicating with alcohol ever since the disaster. One night after blacking out after a party, the memories she can’t seem to retrieve are suddenly of life and death importance. We are brought on a journey with her as she tries to figure out who, if anyone, she can trust. Truly gripping work from Kate Belli!

3.5 rounded to 4

This book was OK. The writing style was fine, alot of characters to keep track of, quick read but some parts were drawn out. The female main character was hard to like. There wasn't much in the way of loveable qualities and it took too long, in my opinion, to draw out the root of her mental health concerns. Knowing a bit of here history in less of a draw it out fashion may have improved the connection.

I liked this but wanted more. It was slow at times and I found it hard to stay interested. Still a good read though.

I really enjoyed the pace of this thriller as well as the plot and character development. I love an art thriller and this did not disappoint! I also enjoyed the subplots of 9/11, living in Williamsburg in the aftermath, and the romance angle. Highly recommend!

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 9/11 terrorist attacks, 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.

This was such a fun read, getting to explore the art world while also trying to figure out a mystery! The unpredictability of this story kept me extremely engaged and I couldn’t wait to see how this would all end up. I enjoyed that it was heavily character driven and I will absolutely be picking up more of Kate Belli’s books! Highly recommend this book!

I think I prefer psychological thrillers to a straight thriller like this. The characters were interesting and I loved the backdrop of post 9/11 NY but the ending just felt rushed to me

This was good! I wasnt sure what to expect but it was exciting. Lots of action and drama! Almost too many characters to keep track of. I enjoyed it tho!

This what thrilling and so exciting and a rush to read. Made for a great weekend tea and will be a fantastic fall read.

The story takes place just after 9/11. Chloe, a gallery assistant, is dealing with PTSD from 9/11. After attending a party, Chloe wakes up the next morning with no recollection of the events of the evening. She comes to find out the gallery’s rising star, Inga Beck, was murdered at the party. Chloe is soon embroiled in a mystery as she tries to remember events of the evening and find out who killed Inga. I thought the book was very suspenseful with some unexpected plot twists . The characters had depth and some were very unlikeable which added to the plot. I did wish the events of Chloe’s PTSD was introduced earlier in the story as it explained a lot of her behavior throughout the book.
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

The Gallery Assistant was such a mesmerizing read. The time and place (post 9/11 NEw York City) and plot (a thriller set in the art world) made for such a captivating book. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the story and stayed up way later that I should have to keep reading. I highly recommend this book and look forward to future works by Kate Belli.

Set in New York City, Chloe is working at an art gallery while navigating her life post-9/11. Chloe is struggling with the aftermath of being in one of the towers that day and starts binge-drinking until she blacks out, most days of the week. One night she attends a party to celebrate one of the gallery’s artist’s having finished her new collection. Chloe once again blacks out, but then finds out the artist she was partying with the night before has been murdered, and she was the last person to see them.

This book really immerses you into NYC post-9/11, and the troubles that came with it, while also immersing you into a fun and edge-of-your-seat mystery.

This one didn't really stand out from other thrillers in my mind. I feel like this type of set up is very popular right now. Would have loved something a bit different.

I had a really hard time getting into this book, and it wasn't quite what I was expecting, but once I finally got into it I did find it an enjoyable read! I was expecting it would be a twisty thriller but found it was more of a mystery. Although the book opens with a murder there doesn't seem to be a whole ton of focus on it surprisingly. I still say it's worth checking out! Just don't go into it expecting a twisty thriller like I did!

Chloe Harlow, a young assistant at an elite Upper East Side gallery, wakes up with fragmented memories of a party the night before—only to learn that the gallery’s newest artist has been murdered. As Chloe tries to piece together what happened, she finds herself caught in a web of deceit, where nothing is quite as it seems. The novel deftly explores themes of memory, ambition, and the facades people maintain, all against the backdrop of a city still reeling from tragedy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading this book set in the art world in New York City. I do not know much about art, and I learned a lot by reading this book. Please know this book takes place post 9/11 and the attacks are mentioned so be aware of your trigger warnings. The main character, Chloe Harlowe, is an unreliable narrator. I know some people hate unreliable narrators, but I like them. I feel they add to the mystery because you don't know if what they are saying is true. In this case, Chloe drinks until she blacks out. In fact, that is how the story starts. She is at a party for an up-and-coming artist at the gallery where she works, but she has no idea how she got home that night because she drank so much, she blacked out. She has PTSD from being in 9/11 so that adds to it. The artist where the party was, was murdered and Chloe tries to solve her murder. The police question her the following day at the gallery where she works. I feel this was more a mystery than a thriller though there were some twists that I did not see coming. All in all, this book kept my interest, and I wanted to keep reading to find out how it ended. At times I could not put it down. Be mindful of the trigger and content warnings before reading if these could be a problem for you.