Suspense, art scene, New York City and blacking out after a party….Doesn’t get any better than that? The perfect combination for a fun thriller.

This story took place not long after a horrible time in American history, 9-11. I really appreciated the way the author twisted that into the storyline.
I really liked the characters and the development of each one.

I liked the writing style and the pacing kept me hooked and wanting to read ….. just one more chapter.

The more Chloe try’s to remember and figure out what happen the crazier it gets. I also thought I had it figured and out and NOPE!!!

I recommend this book and can’t wait to read more by this author.

Thank you NetGalley.

A quick-moving mystery set against the backdrop of Manhattan’s art scene. After the murder of a gallery artist, Chloe’s quest for answers is clouded by her own unreliable recollections. I appreciated that the story takes place before smartphones became common, which made her investigation feel more grounded and authentic. Overall, it’s an entertaining and stylish read, ideal for fans of art-themed suspense.

I e read tons of mysteries and this one rises to the top. There were hints of things to come but certainly didn’t put it all together and the book kept me in suspense and turning the pages till the end at which point I wanted more

Chloe, a gallery assistant but also a party girl (and, admittedly, now a blackout drunk), is still shaken to the core by narrowly escaping the collapse of the North Tower on 9/11, just a few months ago in this story’s timeline. Her world goes topsy-turvy again when she attends and forgets most of the party for one her art gallery’s superstars. She can’t remember how she got home afterwards and now the police are at her workplace informing her that Inga Beck, the hostess and artist, was murdered. Chloe must have been one of the last people to see her. What can’t she remember? And as her gallery intends to go forward with a major showing of the deceased artist’s works, why does everything seem “off”? Is there some message that Inga, a relative stranger, wanted Chloe, of all people, to know?

Author Belli gives us an insider’s view into the world of commercial art, galleries, auction houses, soirées, provenance research and exhibition logistics, mixed with the main character’s struggle with PTSD, its physical symptoms, and her self-doubt about the puzzling things she’s encountering. This is a psychological thriller that incorporates a story about trauma that played out in the shadow of the World Trade Center disaster, including the conspiracy theories and fear that swirled around New York in the aftermath. For a damaged soul like Chloe, the unusual time she was living in adds to her story. The plot becomes fairly complex and characters multiply, but I ended up devouring this thriller. 4.5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Bo has green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO It’s winter in New York, the only trees mentioned are in a Georgia O’Keefe drawing.

Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

I'm so glad I picked this up. It was a little different from my normal reading choices, but it was a fantastic art-world mystery.

Set just a few months after 9/11, the story follows Chloe as she gets plunged into a sinister art world plot, while struggling with the grief and trauma from 9/11.

I really enjoyed all of the characters and the development of the plot. It was certainly a "thriller" of sorts, but it was heavily character driven which I loved.

Pick this one up if you want a more lit-fic thriller!

4 stars!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC! This title will be out October 14, 2025.

This was a great book! There were so many twists and turns that I sometimes thought I had it figured out, but then kept changing my mind. The ending definitely threw me for a loop! I think the author did such a great job making various people seem shady that I started to not trust anyone lol. 9/11 is obviously a horrible tragedy for our country, but I really appreciated how the author centered the story around what happened to Chloe that day, and how much it affected her after that day. I think the effort put into the research to describe what was happening was great. I love art and art history, so I really enjoyed that part of the story. There were so many moving parts and things twisted together that made the book so suspenseful, I could hardly put it down! This was my first book by Kate Belli, but definitely won't be my last! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Normally I love thrillers with unreliable narrators, but I am on the fence about The Gallery Assistant. There were some great aspects; trying to convey what life with PTSD is like, portrayal of life as a young adult trying to find a career path, glimpses into the art world. That being said I felt like the characters in the book were all over the place. It felt like the author was trying to do/include too much and it took away from the storyline. I also thought the 9/11 references could have been crafted better, if these were supposed to be social/political commentaries, they seemed gratuitous and didn’t move the story along.


Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this book!

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

Chloe wakes up after a night out, but she has no recollection of how she got home. When she arrives at work the morning after the party, she’s greeted by detectives because someone has been found dead. Chloe needs to piece together her patchy memories with the stories she’s being told and trying to reconcile the differences.

This book is set in New York City, one month after the 9/11 attacks, which adds some tension to the story. The premise was promising, but it didn’t completely deliver. I still had a fun time reading this, but it dragged a bit in the middle and some of the chapters felt unnecessary. I feel like if there were some extra editing it would improve the book overall. However, I still had a good time and I’d recommend this if you’re looking for a quick read.

While this was an interesting story that held my attention, it felt a bit forced to me throughout the book. The ending seemed to rush into a conclusion and was all a little too neat and convenient for my taste. Overall, it was entertaining enough to finish but certainly didn't blow me away with twists and turns.

The Gallery Assistant by Kate Belli is a captivating thriller that plunges readers into a world of mystery, art, and danger. Set against the backdrop of post-9/11 New York, Chloe Harlow wakes up with hazy memories after a party, only to find herself embroiled in a murder investigation. The artist she had been working with is dead, and as Chloe attempts to piece together the events of that fateful night, she discovers troubling inconsistencies between her recollections and what others claim happened. Belli masterfully blends suspense and intrigue, taking readers deep into the glamorous yet cutthroat world of high-end art galleries. Chloe’s journey to uncover the truth is filled with twists and turns, and the mystery behind the artist’s death is rich with secrets and lies. As Chloe gets closer to the truth, the stakes rise, and danger lurks around every corner.
The Gallery Assistant is an engrossing read, perfect for fans of psychological thrillers and art-world mysteries. With its suspenseful pace and unexpected twists, it’s a thrilling ride that will keep you hooked until the last page.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publishing house for this arc.

Chloe is an assist at a posh art gallery. Waking up one morning after a party hosted by one of the gallery’s newest artist she realizes she can’t remember anything from the night before including how she got home. While yes this is weird it’s not at all a new occurrence. Since surviving being in Tower One on 9/11 Chloe has been suffering ptsd and is clinging to anything to get through life, mostly getting blackout drunk after work.
So when detectives tell her the artist has been murdered, that she may have been the last one to see her alive and other strange things start happening to her, she can’t be sure at all about anything. Can she trust her mind, is she making this all up?
I really enjoyed this story, growing up in NY post 9/11 I can agree with a lot of what the mfc and her friends were feeling. It was a scary time for all especially for those that survived ground zero. Adding all that trauma to another problem, one where you might be the last one seen with a murdererd artist and you can’t remember it. No wonder Chloe feels like she’s possibly going crazy. It’s a story about deceit, friendship, trauma, trust. What is happening, and why? It’s up the Chloe to find out…
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC copy of this. I was intrigued by the concept that this book was set in NYC in 2001 shortly after 9/11. Belli did an excellent job capturing the feel of the city and the intricacies of trauma like that so soon after it occurred. The overall premise was cleverly constituted and set in the world of high end art. I definitely recommend this to thriller readers who like a dose of emotion.

While the plot was good and the characters were well drawn, I find the story moved slowly. There were additional chapters that were fillers. Enjoyed but not on top of my list

Loved this thriller! Protagonist Chloe awakens one morning to discover the host of the party last night has been murdered. As an art dealer, she isn't sure if it has anything to do with her, as she blacked out and can't remember getting home--although she has blurry images that may be a dream or??? And the more she tries to investigate on her own, the more confused she becomes as there are things she still can't remember and people that are acting oddly. It's a great, twisty mystery that I devoured!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

2⭐️ I was really intrigued by the premise of The Gallery Assistant, but unfortunately, this one just didn’t work for me.

Set in November 2001, the story follows Chloe Harlow, who wakes up with no memory of how she got home after a party — only to find out that the host, a rising artist connected to her gallery, is dead. As Chloe tries to piece together the events of that night, she’s pulled into a tangled web of secrets, lies, and danger in the New York art world.

It sounded like the kind mystery I’d enjoy, but I just couldn’t get into it. I found myself putting it down constantly for other books. The story never really hooked me, and when I finally made it through, I still felt pretty underwhelmed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row for this advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

The Gallery Assistant is a gripping mystery set in post-9/11 New York City, and the 2001 backdrop is truly chef’s kiss perfect—haunting, raw, and full of tension. The atmosphere adds an extra layer of suspense to an already thrilling story. Chloe, the main character, is both likable and believable, making it easy to root for her as the mystery unfolds. The pacing keeps you hooked, with just the right amount of twists and turns. This is a great read for anyone who loves mystery thrillers with emotional depth and vivid settings.

Chloe, the main character, delves into the facts behind a murdered artist. This begins as no easy feat, as she has hazy memories and lost time from the night before. She is tenacious though, and things get more dangerous for her as the story unfolds. Great book!

The gallery assistant. I really couldn’t get into this book. It was very vague and the main character was such a flake that it made the story so flighty

I was graciously given an ARC of this title.

This is my first read from Kate Belli. I enjoyed it! I felt the pace was medium...or somewhere between medium and fast

I'd recommend this book. 3.5 stars.

ARC - Chloe Harlow was drinking too much and not remembering what happened. A party she went to it got so bad she couldn't remember getting home into bed that night. Chloe worked for a Gallery and later heard that the hostess an artist with a contract there was murdered that night. All people that attended were interviewed by the police. She was delivering a small painting to someone it the 9/11 tower when it was hit by the first plane and going down the stairs in all the debris and soot trying to get home, a terrible experience. Kept drinking and blacking out not remembering and would not go to therapy. Strange things started to happen to her and around the Gallery. As the story goes she needs to find out who killed the Artist!