I was so excited to get this book and based off the synopsis I thought I would love it. Unfortunately I did not gel with this book. This one is marketed as a thriller but I didn’t find much thrill in it. I am sure this book will be great for many readers.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so good! An epic thriller that has a theme of a 9/11 survivor, forgotten murder, a mysterious death, and tons of drama. Chloe was a great character. I felt everything she felt and was quite literally stressing for her. The art world as a constant theme was pretty cool in this book but I really loved how the plot was flowing as Chloe pieces together a night she couldn’t remember before. The story goes at a fast pace which makes this a perfect read over a weekend.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Review will be posted on Instagram and Amazon on pub day and links added to NetGalley.

This is my first book by this author and it definitely won’t be my last. Filled with suspense from the first page and filled with twists and turns. It will definitely keep you turning the pages. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

I’ve been reading a lot of thrillers lately because I’m determined to find a way to not hate the genre. This book honestly helped in my quest! There was pretty good pacing, and the tension ramped and released enough that it never felt overdone but also didn’t lose the urgency. I also have to say, Belli did a fantastic job seeding the big reveal throughout the book, so it didn’t feel “out of nowhere” when it happened.

So why only a weak 3.5 (aka a 3 here on NetGalley) if I have this much praise for it? Primarily because of the background circumstances for the characters. There was a whole 9/11 and terrorism plot that felt forced — and indeed, in her acknowledgements Belli explains that this was the first solid part of the book. Not the murder, not the art world setting, she wanted to write about how someone would handle a thriller situation in the aftermath of 9/11. Because of this, those events felt shoehorned in and unfortunately took away from my experience.

I’d definitely recommend this for thriller lovers, as I think you’ll enjoy it more than I did. Just be aware there’s some terrorism and racism that the characters have to withstand.

Been looking for a good twisty thriller and this one fit the bill. I liked how even when I thought I had toured it out they were still points I was missing. I definitely will be reading what she puts out next.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I really love books that deal with art, galleries, and big cities which is what drew me to this title. I just could not get past the writing style, which was a bit sophomoric for me and read like a 'hip teen magazine'.

In this twisty, suspenseful novel, nothing is at it seems -- or is it? Chloe is in the middle of a web of lies; the only problem is she cannot remember! After the events of 9/11, Chloe spends her free time at the local, neighborhood bar getting blackout drunk and hooking up with virtual strangers. This all changes when an artist at a firm where she works is brutally murdered -- an artist she had seen only the night before. A night that she cannot remember...at all. Soon, people start turning up missing (or worse). Chloe is on a hunt to find the truth and heal her soul after the events of 9/11. Set in post-9/11 New York City, this book is a tale of deception and not believing everyone. I enjoyed the character growth of Chloe (I wasn't even sure I liked her in the beginning, but she grew on me!) I ended up racing to the end to figure out whodunnit. A solid read!

It’s a dark, stylish thriller set in the art world, full of secrets and twists. The atmosphere is tense and immersive, though some parts felt a bit slow. Overall, an engaging read.
Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐

I absolutely loved The Gallery Assistant! Kate Belli combines the intrigue of the art world with a page-turning mystery that had me hooked from the very first chapter. the richly drawn New York backdrop made me feel like I was right there with her. It’s smart, stylish, and full of suspense, with twists that kept me guessing until the very end.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

Do you love a slow burning thriller that gives you all the twists and turns and edge of your seat sitting you could ask for? This read is very twisty and takes you on quite the ride and it is set is the beautiful NYC art scene which is quite the thing, it’s what I gravitated towards with this book in particular aside from that stunning cover. Our author gave us such a great story/plot with great characters and kept us guessing all the way to the end and you will NOT guess the ending and then she tied it with a little pink bow at the very end.

𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Mysterious, Thriller, Dark, Slow Burn But Fast Paced, NYC backdrop, Art Scene, Murder

Large thank you to our Author, NetGalley as well as Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — Atmospheric and intriguing with a dark edge
The Gallery Assistant draws you into the art world with an atmospheric, suspenseful story that slowly unravels its secrets. The protagonist is compelling and well-drawn, and the tension builds steadily throughout. While some plot twists were predictable, the rich setting and dark undertones kept me hooked. A great pick for fans of psychological thrillers with a creative backdrop.

The Gallery Assistant is in November of 2001 in New York following the 9/11 attacks. Chloe Harlow, has been working an art gallery in the Upper East Side for a few years. After a party at an up and coming artist Chloe, doesn't know how she got home or what even happened at the party. When she shows up late to the gallery she finds two detectives wanting to ask her questions about what had happened at the party. Chloe soon finds out that artist was found murdered and Chloe can only remember bits and pieces of the night. Now it must be up to Chloe to figure out who killed the artist and why. This was a fast paced book that will have you on the edge of your seat until the end. I truely enjoyed this novel. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for letting me read an advanced copy of this book.

In The Gallery Assistant we follow the titular character Chloe Harlow as she navigates a post-9/11 New York art scene where a mysterious death has occurred. This is marketed as a thriller and it is not, which is not the book's fault, but it does leave me disappointed, because I don't enjoy slow burn novels of suspense. I found the main character to be shallow and clueless, enough to irritate me that after reading about half I put it down. The writing on a sentence level was fine but it was just the characters and the slow pace that didn't keep my interest.

“The Gallery Assistant” by Kate Belli is a twisty, atmospheric art-world thriller set in post-9/11 New York, where a woman’s missing memories may hold the key to murder

This was not as suspenseful/thriller as I thought it would be. It is definitely a slow burn. I'm not sure why this one didn't completely work for me, but it just didn't. I could see why others would like it though. I did really like the setting. The characters were a little hard for me to follow though, unfortunately.

Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I like how the author Kate, mixes in the PTSD of being post 9/11 with a psychological thriller. Overall this was a great page turner with a good mix of a budding romance and conspiracy theories swirling.

The first bit of this book was a bit of world building and learning new characters so make sure you are paying attention as it gets a bit confusing if you don't and you may have to reread a bit to keep them straight.

I especially liked that this was pre-cellphone as I think it added to the story rather than took away from it.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

There were definitely things I liked about this book The moody, post-9/11 New York art scene made for a really compelling and atmospheric backdrop, and I appreciated the level of detail that went into portraying the world of galleries, artists, and behind-the-scenes tension. It gave the story a sophisticated, almost noir-like tone that I enjoyed.

That said, the book didn’t feel particularly memorable overall. I found the first half slow and a little disjointed. It took me a while to get invested, and Chloe, the main character, was hard to connect with. I know she was supposed to be unreliable, which worked for the plot, but she also came across as frustrating at times. I was interested in her backstory and how she was processing her trauma, but I never fully rooted for her.

On the flip side, the second half of the book really picked up. The pacing improved dramatically, the mystery tightened, and the writing felt more confident. I found myself more engaged, especially as the stakes rose and secrets started to unravel. The tension and paranoia were well-executed, and I thought the overall arc had potential, it just took too long to get there.

I do think Kate Belli has a strong voice and an eye for building atmosphere. While this book wasn’t quite a hit for me, I’d absolutely give her next novel a try. There's definite promise here.

My copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Atria Books for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was a good read. There are a few things that made me drop my rating from 4 stars to 3 stars, however. First, I found the many characters in this book a little hard to follow. Second, it was a bit of a slow burn for me and I’m usually not a fan of that style thriller.

Overall, this was a great book with an immersive setting and interesting premise that kept me curiously turning pages from start to end.

What an entertaining and suspenseful story. I love stories centered around art and this one has a twisty plot to go with it. Set a few months after 9/11, Chloe works in an art gallery and is still processing the horrific building collapse she escaped. After a night of partying where she can't remember the next morning, she is visited by detectives at the office to question her about the death of the artist that hosted the party. Oh my what a start! The story continues and there are missing persons, secrets, and lots of money involved.
Chloe is a young protagonist who is dealing with survivor's guilt from 9/11 as well as having to navigate the art world in a job above her qualifications. Her roommate, Vik, and his boyfriend are keeping secrets from her. The owners of the art gallery are involved in some complex negotiations, that may or may not be legal.
If you are looking for a good thriller, check out The Gallery Assistant!
#TheGalleryAssistant #NetGalley
Thank you SS Atria Marketing and Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed the Gallery Assistant. It was a rollercoaster ride of clues to why Chloe couldn't remember certain things that had happened in the past few months.. Chloe had been drinking quite a bit lately and had actually blacked out a few times.
She was working for a gallery as an assistant and there was to be a huge party. for their most recent artist,there is going to be a showing of all of her art pieces soon, and this party was a celebration of that. Chloe wakes up the next morning on her own bed, totally naked without any idea how she got there. She couldn't remember anything from the night before, from when her flatmate left with his date from the party. Leaving Chloe at the party on her own.
Chloe goes into work, hoping someone can tell her just what went on last night and how she got home.
But when she gets there, she finds out that the new artist has been murdered and the police want to question her.
Chloe, from this point on, tries to find out just what happened that night. Everyone is behaving strangely around her, and she doesn't know who to trust.
The rest, you will find out on your own, as I don't want to give anything away
I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book before publication.
I give it a solid 3.5 out of 5.