Winter K. Willis weaves a mesmerizing psychological thriller in The Assistant, where a small town’s carefully curated perfection shatters after a woman’s body is found by the lake. Enter Eden—an outsider with a quiet intensity and a hidden agenda. As she digs into Aldercreek’s past, secrets unravel, paranoia spreads, and the town’s polished surface cracks wide open.

The character development is stellar, especially Eden, whose motives remain tantalizingly unclear until the very end. The pacing is a perfect slow-burn—tension builds steadily, each revelation more shocking than the last. Just when you think you’ve figured things out, Willis flips the script, leaving you breathless.

Dark, immersive, and brimming with suspense, The Assistant is a must-read for thriller lovers who crave a story filled with deception, mind games, and jaw-dropping twists.

Thanks to Celestial Bear Publishing for providing this advance copy via NetGalley for an honest, voluntary review.

#TheAssistant #NetGallery #WinterKWillis #CelestialBearPublishing

This book was easy to read and follow along with. The story was interesting enough but I did not find myself very immersed in it.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an advanced readers copy.

I was excited after reading the synopsis to read this novel and I'm grateful to have received a free copy. However, after reading the first 15 chapters I unfortunately had to DNF.

What bothered me was the writing style where the story felt like it was being told to me not being shown. Some chapters felt like I was reading a step by step manual explaining what the character was doing. It made the characters feel one dimensional. The first chapter is supposed to grab a readers attention, and I did not feel like it did that at all. I am sure if I continued reading the rest of the novel that the plot would be enticing but I cannot overlook the writing style to keep me interested.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celestial Bear Publishing for the opportunity to read an ARC of "The Assistant" by Winter K. Willis!

Eden's quest for vengeance for her sister Autumn's death drives the narrative as she returns to the turbulent town of Aldercreek, where the story unfolds. I appreciated the brief, punchy chapters, but honestly, with 115 of them, the pacing felt a bit sluggish at times. Each chapter shifts perspectives—six in total, if my counting is correct! This includes Autumn’s past, which adds layers to the narrative, but I found the method of introducing each chapter with the character’s name and a brief action to be somewhat repetitive.

The plot itself is engaging, especially as Eden unravels the mystery surrounding her sister's death. However, once she began piecing the clues together, I could predict much of what would happen next. The supporting characters seemed to lack the depth and development I was hoping for. Despite the multiple viewpoints, Eden undeniably steals the spotlight, leaving the other characters feeling somewhat overshadowed.

Overall, while I enjoyed the core storyline and Eden's journey, I wished for a bit more depth and surprise as the plot progressed.

Eden, formerly Karrie-Anne arrives in the community of Aldercreek, bent on revenge for the death of her sister Autumn, who she believes was killed by her college friend Mitch. Eden targets Liv, Mitch's wife as a means of getting involved in their life to get the evidence she needs.
The book is a bit long for the story it is telling, some of the characters are superfluous, and the tone seemed a bit superficial to me. The best bit of the book for me was reading about Karrie-Anne's friendship with her teacher and mentor.
I did finish it as I wanted to find out what happened so 2 stars rather than a DNF.

I really loved it! I was gripping on the edge of my seat the whole time. I could not put this down! Definitely can’t wait to read more from Winter!

Thank you to Net Galley for sharing this ARC copy with me..

Publish date is 4/7/25.

I definitely recommend it!

This was a very easy read a page turner for real I enjoyed it it flowed very well I love how the story came together!!

This was an insane read. Like what?!? First off there are so many layers to this book. The twists and reveals of who people are and how they are involved in this book is so good. The fact that this was a revenge book that takes several years to actually get them back. The reveal about what all happened and why. Ugh this was just a great thriller. I enjoyed it all so much. I couldn't quit reading because I had to know what happened next. The ending was the best and I'm so happy.

I could not put this book it had me in an absolute choke hold right from the very start and I couldn't put it down. It had me on the edge of my seat nearly the whole way through

A brilliant grab of a read.
I loved how much we new the characters. The author fleshed them out so well that even as their chapters came about I could tell by their tone and style it was them!
The Eden part of this book was an extr dimension and boosted the plot brilliantly. And rightly or wrongly I was on Edens side! And revenge seemed fitting here(in the book world of course)
A thriller. A domestic drama. A brilliant read either way.

I absolutely loved this book! The Assistant had me from page one! I literally couldn't put it down. Each character was headstrong. Eden was my hero. She had every right to exact revenge against those who killed her sister and she did so without getting her hands dirty. With a glimpse of the past I was able to feel sympathy for Mitch which I wasn't expecting. This is my first Winter K. Willis book and it won't be my last!

They say revenge is best served cold! This suspenseful story delivers just that. This book kept me invested the entire time, as the tension continued to build! Meet Eden, who suffered a loss a very young age yet she persevered & created a good life for herself. However, she still holds a grudge for those that wronged her family years ago, and despite her attempting to move on she simply can’t. When she returns to her hometown, she plots & brilliantly comes up with ways to execute her plan. She is a very likable protagonist in this story!

Overall, The Assistant was a very enjoyable read. Strong character development, suspenseful & I never got bored with the story. My second read by Winter K. Willis and I plan to continue reading this duo’s work. I really enjoyed their writing style. Thank you Victory Editing and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Aldercreek seems like a quaint town on the surface. When a young woman is found dead in a lake "Eden" decides it's time to find out what happened to her sister years ago. She moves to town and applies for an assistant position. No one knows who she really is and the story is so twisty and good. Winter K. Willis has become one of my favorite psychological thriller authors.

This book is an IMMEDIATE grab, attention-wise. The cover was just so-so for me, although there is a valid point to it once you start reading. The title was intriguing. I rate my reads on how fast it takes me to be fully invested; to generate that feeling where you must get back to reading because you’re so interested in what’s going to happen. This novel took all of two pages before I was all in! I highly recommend it; great psych thriller. In fact, I’ll be checking out more by this author.

I just finished a great book. The Assistant by Winter K. Willis was a good read. Pick this one up on publication day. You won't regret it.

This was a good book. It definitely is a little slower when it comes to building up the story, but the characters are so interesting to read about that it was hard to put down. Maybe because it was slower it read fast because you just want to know what is going on!
This story is about a sister, a death, and revenge. I don't want to say too much more about the actual story as I could easily slip into a spoiler without meaning to. This does revolve around those that have it all. Those that seem to have the perfect life and those left in the shadow of those people, to some degree.
I love the writing style of this author. Every character was well developed, and you could easily tell which character was giving their point of view, even if you weren't told at the beginning of each chapter, The book uses multiple viewpoints and in the end you have a wrapped up complete story.
I would say that the action of this, the end, wasn't my absolute favorite. It went so quickly! However, it was good and has been lingering in my mind ever since I read it.
Really enjoyed this story.

This book explores the depth of different types of relationships. Whether it's one with your daughter, your grandmother or spouse. It combines these relationships in an engaging story that keeps the readers captivated. It is not until the end that we end up knowing the plot twist. The chapters are short and yet intense in the quality of writing. You can finish this book easily in a day or two. Overall I really enjoyed my experience of this book.

Thank you to the publisher and author for sending me this copy.

The authors did a great job of pulling me in from the very beginning. The character development is strong and that makes it easier to follow when the point of view changes between chapters. The book builds and build with Eden, Liv, Sandy, Mitch and Pippa all having a major secret to hide and at no point did I know who would implode first. I highly recommend adding this to your TBR and enjoying all the twists! Thank you to Celestial Bear Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

When the body of a local woman is discovered by the lake, the small town of Aldercreek is thrown into chaos. This tight-knit community of successful families and well-kept secrets is suddenly confronted with a dark mystery. Just as the dust begins to settle, a newcomer arrives: Eden, an outsider with quiet intensity and a hidden agenda. She knows more than she lets on, and as she digs into the town’s history, old wounds and dark secrets begin to resurface! Great book! I definitely enjoyed reading this one! It had great suspense, mystery, murder, intriguing, a great who done it and a few crazy twists and turns! The story was very interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!