After enjoying SK Tremayne’s ‘Just Before I Died’ I was very much looking forward to ‘The Assistants’

We are certainly treated to a chilling, suspenseful thriller. With some great plot twists and reveals.
Additionally, I am once again impressed with how vividly absorbing the settings are. You really get a feel for Camden & Primrose Hill and their history and nuances.

Having said that, the technology aspect was just a little too over the top in my reckoning.
For me it either needed to be more technical, or I more naïve. Unfortunately we ended up somewhere in the middle resulting in a little bit of enjoyment loss.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for a review copy.

This is the third S. K. Tremayne book I've read and I was excited to read it as it's another psychological thriller with a tech twist!

Following her divorce, Jo moves into her friend's apartment which is run by a system of 'Home Assistants'. It soon becomes clear that there is more to the Assistants than meets the eye as they start to communicate more personally with Jo - including mentioning secrets that she has kept hidden for years. Do they really know her deep, dark secrets or is she imagining it?

I really enjoyed the premise of this book but unfortunately I found it far too long. It dragged a lot and I spent a lot of my time frustrated! I would still recommend it though if the plot sounds interesting to you.

Great read and really enjoyed the concept of an 'Alexa' based thriller as technology is becoming even more present in today's world. Really put me on edge that they can be listening in to everything.

With an interesting premise, I was looking forward to diving into this thriller, which is a genre I don't often pick up.
Sadly, the premise worked for me better than the execution.
Personally, I found this book to be slow and repetitive, with unlikeable characters and a few too many red herrings to make the book interesting. For me, it made it seem more bizarre that the MC could so readily believe so many people in her life could be capable of what was happening to her.
The ending to me seemed a little out of nowhere and very rushed.
The whole story just didn't work for me.

Dark and creepy - technology at its worst. I cant look at Alexa the same way again! A riveting read with some great twists.

Sadly this book wasnt for me I tried on 2 occasions to get into it but it just was not gripping so its a DNF

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollinsUk for the arc of this book.

4 star read for me- was a very enjoyable and well written book, had me enthralled me right in and was very page turning.

Brilliantly capturing the modern-day concern of how much exactly Siri and Alexa are "listening" to us - and what they know about us, I really enjoyed this dark, creepy, atmospheric thriller.

I enjoyed reading this book as the plot was so original. I found it a bit slow to start with as it was more about the main character descending into mental illness, but I was pleased I carried on reading. A very twisty tale where you think you can predict the ending but then it all changes. One to recommend but you need to continue reading right to the end,

I loved the premise of this book and was excited to start it.
I feel I am in a minority in not enjoying it at all - most other reviews seem to be glowing so I am sure many people who enjoy a suspenseful psychological thriller would love this book.
Unfortunately it just didn’t grip me. I kept going to about 40% - then actually stopped to read a different book just to check if it was me losing my mojo - then returned to give this one another chance.
By 50% I have now decided life is too short and I haven’t actually managed to finish which is unusual for me.
I think it felt a bit like waffle in places, padding out the pages, lots of repetition. So much suspense that actually nothing really happened. All mouth no substance. I felt like shouting “Oh get on with it!”
Of I have to say I have not read past 50% so it may well get better and the action starts but it really hasn’t gripped me enough to try and find out. I have rated it 2⭐️ and would say it’s worth trying as it might be your thing, but unfortunately it wasn’t mine

This book really got my imagination working overtime. I could really feel the fear and panic. Makes you wonder what the future holds for us in technology. Scary thought.

Wow what a chilling thriller - if you love your technology then this is a book for you !!

Jo is 33 year’s old, divorced, childless and nearly homeless. She is currently sharing a flat with her rich friend Tabitha and their flat is full of the latest technology, in the for of ‘Assistants’

One day Jo is home alone when suddenly Electra, the latest home assistant, says ‘I know what you did to that boy.’ There are only two people, besides Jo, that know what happened but it seems that now Electra does too !! How is that even possible ? Is Jo having a mental breakdown ?

What follows is Jo’s life gradually falling apart. Who is doing this to her or is it all on her mind ?

This is a great chilling thriller which shows how technology can be used against you. It will make you think twice of having technology like Alexa in your house !!

Thank you to HarperCollins Uk and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

The story is one of a solo woman in a flat with smart devices that control the systems in the property. The woman (Jo Ferguson) believes that the smart devices are speaking to her, threatening her. Those she trusts enough to tell, don't believe her. Then things start to get weirder and Jo gets very scared. Is she imagining it all, or is she going mad?

I felt that I was reading a book that I had read before, but different. This is not the first book to have a single woman on a property and have her experience 'things' that make her think she is losing her mind. Yes in this instance the catalyst is the smart devices and in others it was probably something else.

However, the notion of a shady event in the woman's past, several suspects who 'could' be the ugly party, but that you just know they can't be, or maybe they could. And then more back history and links comes out about the people that the woman interacts with during the story.

There obviously differences, some seriously sad happenings, cruel beyond words, make Jo Ferguson's experience so twisted and crushing.

I think that I would really have liked this book a whole lot more if it had been the first of its kind that I had read. It was very well written and it did pull me in some of the time. There was just too much deja vu to keep totally enthralled. Nonetheless, I think that it will be extremely well received by many people fresh to this type of story.

QUOTE: "‘I know your secret. I know what you did to that boy. How his eyes rolled white. I know everything.’ And then all is quiet."</blockquote>

I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. NetGalley does not allow for paid reviews.

'Big Brother is Always Watching' (And Listening)... 😲 Addictive Reading

Jo a struggling freelance journalist, currently staying at a friends apartment since her divorce from Simon. One day at home she hears someone speak, but there is only Electra here, could she be hearing things correctly.... and so it begins. Jo's tormented by nightmares of memories from the past through these home devices, which start controlling her life, but how and who is doing this?

The Assistant is told mainly from Jo's perspective, but is told through others. A chilling read to start, emotional hurt and great sadness, difficult to give too much without spoiling the book. This is one of those books, the more you read the more you just want to finish so you find out the ending. I've not read any books by this author before, but definitely would again, a should read.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ebook copy of The Assistant in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

The Assistant is a dark psychological thriller set in Camden against a harsh winter backdrop. Jo lives with her best friend Tabitha, in Tabitha's high-tech, luxury flat. Life is good, until one day, Electra the smart speaker starts behaving strangely, saying sinister things about Jo's past. Things only a tiny handful of people know. 'I know what you did.' And that's just where the horror begins.

I have mixed opinions about this book. I love the concept itself, and the writing style is engaging. It's full of pacey, digestible chapters, and I found it to be quite a page turner. Some reviewers have said the plot is unrealistic; this actually doesn't bother me too much.

However, despite wanting to find out what happens next, I was overwhelmed by the chain of events in the book. There was no respite from the deluge of terrible things happening to Jo. Each time I put the book down, I felt despondent, and completely drained. I also struggled to like any of the characters, especially Jo, the protagonist, who came across as irritating and I just wanted to shake her. Overall, I'd give The Assistant 3 stars.

A bit different from this author’s previous books, but excellent just the same. You know that feeling that your phone is listening to when you talk about something and get bombarded with ads for it? Well, take that idea and ramp it up! Edge of your seat tension, great plot.

Probably not one to read if you have all the latest tech. Brilliant otherwise!
Oh, that was good - a gripping read certainly, with a very modern twist that makes me so very happy that I don't have one of those assistants. And after this, will probably be even more unlikely to do so!
My only gripe with this book is that it ranks high in two 'occult horror' tables - had I seen that I would probably have not read this book, which would have been a real shame. In my opinion, it is more of a psychological thriller, as it says in the tag line, which is a genre I would happily read, unlike either occult or horror which I would avoid. And that would have been, as I said, such a shame! This is because I really did find it a memorable book - an engrossing read that I found it hard to put down. There was one small phrase that telegraphed, for me, the possible suspect, but it was by no means certain, and I wasn't sure of it until late on. What a great read!

This book had me agonizing all the way to the end. Jo feels she is going mad just like her father and feels that it has something to do with the electrical equipment in her home, also known as The Assistants. However, no-one will believe her. Her best friend Tabitha is too caught up with her high profile job and her arsehole of a fiance, Arlo and her ex-husband, Simon feels she is jealous because he has moved on with a new family. Jo.has to battle with her inner conscience and the demons of The Assistants to find out what is happening to her and who is behind everything.

This really was a gripping psychological thriller which I couldn't put down! Everytime I thought I knew who was trying to send Jo crazy, a new suspect would come along. But each person had an alibi until the reveal of the true culprit!!

A brilliant read and one that I will remember for a long time!!

Wow! How did I miss this one last year? This book was incredible!

Electric, riveting, and deliciously disturbing, The Assistant is a scarily believable story about the nature of modern technology and our reliance on virtual assistants, like Alexa or Siri. What happens when a virtual assistant goes rogue? Could it drive you insane? The Assistant burrows into the fear many of us have: that technology might not just control us, but could ultimately destroy us.

Newly divorced, Jo is happy to move into her friend’s luxury London flat. It’s the perfect place for a new start. But one night the virtual assistant, Electra, begins talking to her. She tells Jo she knows what she did. And Jo did do something bad. Something unforgiveable. But how would Electra know? But is it all in her head, or does Electra really want to destroy her?

Unique and compelling, you won’t want to miss this fun and atmospheric thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I hope that a lot of the technical stuff in this story is just that......a story. But I’m afraid that it’s not. We trust in the assistance of Siri, Alexa, Google Home,GPS systems and whatever more is available. Should we really, though?
The feeling of being watched, having someone beside you all the time, got to me after a few chapters. I became paranoid alongside Jo. Tried to find the one behind everything happening. Wasn’t sure if, maybe, Jo really took after her Dad. Brilliant story, chills guarantied. Highly recommended.