This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I loved this one. I enjoyed the story and the characters. Most thrillers I read I do not like the characters but I liked Ava the main character. Many moms could relate to her story and struggles of working and raising kids. There were a lot of twists and turns and many things I did not figure out. I loved how this one wrapped up. I would recommend this one if you like before and now chapters, multiple POVs, drama and a fast paced story.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of The Assistant.

I got through this in a day! It is relatively short, but I also read quickly as I was enjoying the story line. Ava’s husband, Finn, got on my nerves, I felt he needed a good shake up! It kept me guessing as to whether Grace would turn out to be a ‘goodie’ or a ‘baddie’, and it isn’t revealed until right at the end of the book!

A solid 4 stars and a good book to pick up for a quick, immersive read.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an early copy of The Assistant. Whenever a Nicole Trope book comes out, I am sooo excited to read it. I am literally crying as I write this review. I Loved Grace, what an AWESOME character!!! I was so proud of her with her choice of what she KNEW she had to do and actually doing it instead of wreaking havoc on all she accomplished. I did figure out the epilogue way before but that didn't change my mind about this story. It was an EXCELLENT book!!!!! Thank you again.

I never miss a Nicole Trope book, they're so twisty and fun and this one is no exception. I read this in under 12 hours. There were times in the story where I felt it was dragging, but it quickly picked up again and OMG that ending!! Loved it and somehow did not predict it!
I loved Grace's character and her motivations were murky initially but the final chapter solidified it for me!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Nicola Trope writes great psychological thrillers, always going above and beyond to add just that extra bit of ‘unexpected’ and even better then adds more

Should Ava trust her new assistant Grace who comes fresh, unburdened and keen, an organiser with bells on, into her life…she seems perfect, cool,hassle free and decisive….all is well, until Ava’s life takes a swift downfall….is it with Grace’s help these things are happening to her?….and as for Finn her hubby and other characters we meet they are all contributing to Ava feeling her life is going out of control….but then so is Grace’s

It is a very well written, top notch read that will fool, fool again and then well you will see

Written in the now and the past with the odd letter to kinda explain more, not a fan of letters in books usually but these were really good and informative to the story

Great read 🤗😎

This is the first book I have read from Nicole Trope. I enjoyed the way it was written alternating between Ava and Grace. The book kept my attention, but to be honest the "twist". was not too unexpected or twisty. I felt like the ending let me down bit as I would have like to know what else happened to the characters. The epilogue wrapped up the part about Grace but again I was a little let down with it and what Grace did. I can't say more about why I feel this way without spoilers. I would definitely try another book or two from this author as it was as easy read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an early advanced readers copy of The Assistant by Nicole Trope.

Oh man I had a fun time with this book. Some of the characters were unlikeable, but unlikeable characters are a must for my reading experience.

Ava’s life was so relatable to me in so many levels and I enjoyed her character. Ava is a hard working mother who is a go getter that’s puts up with her husbands constant nonsense. Keeping her family together while continuing to be a successful woman is her goal, but she’s always stressed with too much on her plate.

Grace (ex unhinged woman) her new assistant knows everything about Ava’s life before she takes the new position. Ava feels everything is slowly getting better at the office with her new assistant, but in reality what are Grace’s true intentions? Read this book to find out!

That twist at the end caught me by surprise for sure. This is my second novel by Nicole Trope and I truly enjoy her books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc. This was another exciting, must read thriller from Nicole Trope. Grace is determined to be the perfect assistant to Ava. And Ava is desperate to have an organized assistant. A roller coaster of things happen and I was SHOCKED at the ending!

Thank you to NetGalley, Nicole Trope, and Bookotoure for the early release copy of The Assistant. I went in thinking this book would be about one thing and it turned out being a completely different story line. I honestly did not guess the main plot twist. I usually can figure things out pretty quickly but I have to say that this really stumped me. The last few sentences of the book bumped up my overall star rating to a 4.

This follows a mother Ava, her husband and two daughters while Ava tries to navigate being a career woman as well as being a great mom and wife. Coming apart at the seams with the balancing act of her life Ava realizes she needs to hire an assistant. Soon enough a woman named Grace is hired to fill the position and Ava believes all of her worries will now wash away that she has someone competent to help her with her career life as well as her home life. Ava and Grace begin to form a friendship that they both didn't even know they needed. Everything seems great until one of the women conveys that they have a bit of a dark upbringing and circumstances throughout their adulthood and will stop at nothing to conceal their past sins.

This book was twisty, interesting, and well paced. This is my first Nicole Trope novel and it won't be my last. Going into it I thought this would be your run of the mill popcorn thriller that you can see happening from miles away but I was pleasantly surprised that that ended up not being the case at all!

This book publishes August 12th be sure to add it to your TBR for a thrilling suspense novel.

This was one that I went into blind. Since I picked up my first Nicole Trope novel, I became an instant fan and devour her stories as they come, never leaving dissatisfied.

Here, we follow two perspectives, one of working mother and wife, Ava Green, and one of Grace, her newly hired assistant. Ava is competing for a promotion in her company while feeling overworked, overwhelmed, and underappreciated. Everyday is a struggle and at the end of it, she comes home to a house of chaos with her children and a distant husband who doesnt seem to be pulling his weight, let alone caring enough to. Upon hiring Grace, things start to finally seem to be calming down in all areas of her life to a manageable degree. With more room to finally think, she starts to suspect that everyone around her has bad intentions and horrifying secrets and that maybe not all is always as it seems.

With many, many books about a devious housemaid, caretaker, assistant, and many more, I was afraid in the beginning that this was just yet another. I was completely off the mark and couldn't be happier. This took a completely different route that made it incomparable. This author has a way with words, pulling the reader in and grasping them hard until the last page is turned. The descriptive writing made it easy to empathize with the characters while also leaving us guessing. Equal parts heartfelt drama and mystery, this was yet another great read from Nicole Trope. Four stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Bookouture, for this ARC.

Get cozy, grab a cuppa, and embark on a journey down the rabbit hole of human thought and emotions. Witness the dynamic interplay of personal history, experience, and knowledge intricately woven into the lives of the characters, guiding their thoughts, emotions, and actions, as it all unravels before your eyes - leaving you with reflections on your own life.

Very rarely do you come across a "psychological thriller" read which accurately and authentically captures the complexities of the human condition - "The Assistant" delivers on that rarity. The author offers a genuinely beautiful articulation of emotions, thoughts, memories, and actions; this is just one of many aspects that kept me absolutely hooked on this read. The invaluable amount of emotional and mental insight shared through the characters gives them a realistic, relatable, and relative depth, they didn't feel like simply characters in a book, they felt like real people - it actually felt more like a memoir than a fictional read - character lives and stories just came to life on the pages. I really adored this and appreciate the author's immense talent to bring the fictional to life.

On top of the authenticity and intricate depth making for an interesting and captivating read, it also offered plenty of potential for favourite quotes and, above all, valuable wisdom, perspective, realisation, and recognition for life. For example: "You can bury a memory deep down in your psyche but it will never stay there. Without warning it will rise through the dirt of your subconscious to confront you, and I know, after my time in the clinic, that it is best to let it happen, to let it come and to sit with it." - Tell me that isn't relatable to some degree, we all have those buried memories that seem to creep up out of nowhere at seemingly provoked times, hey?, and how does that affect your life and the decisions you make? (Queue the life reflections!) As a psychology student and a mental health practitioner, I certainly enjoyed the included awareness of sitting with those intense thoughts, memories, and emotions in the moment, as well as other moments in the book where the author did well demonstrating the tensions of mental health, awareness, and coping.

I thoroughly enjoyed the inclusion of various mental health issues and the life circumstances leading to their forming - unlike many books which contribute more stigma and harm to the psychological profession and mental health, the author actually does these issues justice from my perspective, they were not mentioned and spoken to in a harmful way, and, most of all, the characters affected were not blamed or shamed for developing or experiencing mental unwellness and unhealthy coping mechanisms. Additionally, the characters offered insight that could be treated as valuable from a psy-practitioner's POV - I definitely felt there were moments which offered me time to reflect on my own position in psychology.

The author's writing style was deeply descriptive, so much so that you're reading and experiencing the book with all five senses. At some points I felt like I could be watching this story as a film, at others I felt as though I was witnessing and living the story as a character within the book, and there were many profound moments when I found my thoughts drifting away from the book into aspects of my own life that were relatable, made sense, and became clearer to me throughout the story, i.e., many "a-ha!" moments. I usually don't like my mind drifting when reading, yet this book made me feel comfortable with it - because my attention drifting from the book didn't mean I was missing out, it meant I was gaining more.

The character depth meant they were more than just the plot. Their experiences and inclusions did not only revolve around the outcome yet at the same time everything felt relevant to know, to hear, to learn. Although "The Assistant" is less action-packed than most typical thrillers, I think that worked out in its favour. I didn't feel bored once, despite the book being quite slow paced all the way through. At one point near the end, I thought there was a huge, huge plot hole, but the author came along and filled that right in in due time. And although I was certain I had the ending all figured out, I was so wrong. I did not see that twist coming.

I do wish that there was a little more in terms of plot development, while we received a well-wrapped story, I do wish a teensy, weensy, tiny bit that there was just a little bit more happening. Although I really enjoyed the abovementioned aspects and the overall read, it did feel like there was something missing in the plot and there was definitely space for it. I'm not sure that I can fault anything else with this read though, I feel like I have some kind of unwritten understanding of what the author was hoping to achieve with it - or maybe that's just in my imagination. Although this book reads more like a domestic suspense on the surface, it delves much deeper through the complex layers of the human psyche which is quite thrilling - and scary - if you think about it like that. If you're reading at a superficial level, you will get mostly scandal and work, home, family drama, but if you read it at a deeper level, you get so much more. I really, truly appreciate the author's effort and I genuinely believe that this work has paid off and speaks for itself. To experience it, you're just going to have to read it!

Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture, and Nicole Trope for the opportunity to read and review this book! It's been nothing short of an absolute pleasure. I can't wait for more of Grace - the whole book I was drawn into her mental and emotional intelligence and found myself just rooting for her to maintain her strength and to overcome the memories and struggles plaguing her life - I'm glad we ended on *pretty good* terms, but I can not wait for more.

Final Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing Style: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot Development: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

More of a domestic suspense rather than a thriller, BUT, I ate it up!
I actually have a couple of Nicole Trope books on my shelf, and now I will be moving them up because I really enjoyed her writing style.
This book is EASILY bingeable.

Grace becomes Ava’s new assistant, but she may have ulterior motives. Everyone holds secrets and they slowly come out, and the story kept me hooked the entire time! Definitely recommend!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for my advanced copy!

Loved this one! I flew through the chapters. They were short, fast paced and suspenseful. The intrigue kept building and I kept reading. I really liked how it was written and how the story unfolded. Definitely a ‘hard to put down’ must read!
Thank You to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Nicole Trope for the opportunity to read and thoroughly enjoy this ARC.

Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC. I really enjoyed this book and didn’t expect the twist at the end.

Review: normally I don’t like when a put is marketed as a thriller, but ends up being a domestic drama. But this book definitely delivered with the drama and scandal.

It is a novel that centers around two women- Ava and Grace who are brought together by work. Ava is a working mom with a high powered job. She is desperately looking for an assistant. Enter Grace a seemingly perfect assistant. Her life seems to be getting in order with the help of Grace. What is not known is Grace’s motive for joining Ava’s team especially when we get glimpses of her troubled past. There seems to be endless scandals happening in their work and personal lives. The book is told from a dual POV and we see their lives start to intertwine. There are themes of corruption, jealously, and family through the engaging plot.

This book is definitely more of a domestic suspense. If you are looking for a thriller, this is definitely not it. The author does a great job building character development throughout the book, and each chapter reveals more about the two main characters motives and desires. I do wish it was a little more “thriller.” There was definitely room in the plot for this to happen.

It’s a very quick read that will keep you entertained especially if you love a deep dive into drama and scandals!

This book comes out August 12th. Thanks to @netgalley and @bookouture for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ava needs an assistant ASAP and Grace has moulded herself into the perfect assistant - but she has plans beyond just being her PA.

This was a rollercoaster. The build up is great, it just bubbles and bubbles and you're dying to know what will happen - it got to around the 60% mark though and it was still bubbling and I was wondering when the drama would hit. I would've liked to have had that drama a tad sooner but the twist at the end made up for it. I was confused by the letters throughout the book but it all made sense at the end. It's a very smart ending!

I think the voice of Grace is great. It's strong and it makes her character interesting. They're all flawed characters but still likeable too which is not easy to pull enough!

Thanks Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
I love thrillers and this was great! The first 50-75% of the book was alright, kind of slower paced and I was confused about what a lot of things had to do with it. The last of it, oh my! All the twists came out and pulled it all together with several surprises! I always feel like thrillers end abruptly and somewhat felt like this did as well, but it did address each character to a point. Overall, this was a great book!

This was a fun book to read! All of the characters had many secrets that make you keep guessing what’s going to happen and how will they all connect. The author does a great job keeping you interested and the story moving.

When I read the synopsis of this one I immediately requested it on netgalley. I love a domestic thriller with multiple POV’s. This was a fast paced, quick read. It would be perfect to read on vacation in one sitting. Due to it’s shorter length it grabs you from the first few pages. I think she did a good job diving into the difficulties a working mother faces everyday. Our FMC Ava has worked very hard in her career all while dealing with a deceptive, ruthless male coworker as they are both vying for the top job at their company. Plus, she has two young girls at home and a stay-at-home artist husband who really isn’t pulling his weight in the relationship. She is barely holding on by a thread until she hires her new assistant Grace. She is so desperate for help that she hires her on the spot. But, who really is Grace and where did she come from? Can she trust her? As the story unfolds, it will keep you guessing and I did not see the twist coming at the end. Although it ended a bit abruptly for me, overall I enjoyed the story and recommend to anyone that enjoys a quick, twisty engaging domestic thriller.

4.5 rounded up!! The Assistant had me hooked. I had no idea where the story was going but it surely didn't disappoint. It's told in dual POV, which I love. Poor Ava. Her work and home life are just kind of a mess. Grace swoops in to save the day. Sometimes I didn't care for the characters but it didn't sway me away. I had to know what the heck was going on. Another winner by Nicole!!