I found this a disturbing book as we have quite a few automated assistants in our home. They turn on lights, talk to us etc Just like they should do and not as those in the apartment Jo Ferguson was staying at did. The book evokes a cold, dank, snowy winter In London very well. It was easy to feel sorry for Jo and immensely difficult to work out who was really behind what was going on to terrify her. I loved the book as it kept me as the reader in suspense throughout.

Very creepy and definitely makes you more than a bit wary of the technology in your home! I couldn't put it down and am really looking forward to more from the author!

This is a techno-thriller where the protagonist finds herself blackmailed and psychologically tortured by the many intelligent systems in her house. They know things about her past that not many people know and they have taken control of her email and social media. But have the assistants really taken control of her life or is she suffering from delusion and paranoia?

Even though the premise of the book is good and interesting, I can't say that I completely enjoyed this novel. First of all, I didn't like the protagonist or any of the other characters. I found them a little too arrogant and selfish for my taste and I didn't warm up to them. The story in itself is good and full of twists, but I couldn't really get into it. It was an enjoyable read, but I didn't love it.

The Assistant by S.K.Tremayne is quite different from previous books by the same author. I was looking forward to a keep-me-up-all-night thriller, and I was disappointed.

The premise of the book is so intriguing (AI assistants running / ruling / ruining your life?) and so relevant to the times we find ourselves in. Almost everything we do is done with smart technology, so it’s got to go wrong sometime, right?

I found the storyline very repetitive and Jo quite irritating. Her depressing monologues just dragged on and on to the point of extreme frustration! I formed no bond with her, and this is always a letdown for me. I WANT to connect with the main character (whether it’s to love them or despise them) and I just couldn’t. There were some thrilling scenes and a couple of twists and turns, but this did not make me love the book.

However, since I enjoyed the author’s previous novels, I will eagerly await the next one!

#netgalley #theassistant #sktremayne #harpercollins

An utterly brilliant and creepy psychological thriller that will grip you from the very beginning. I was totally gripped reading this .excellent book.

I listened to this as an audiobook – and it regularly set of my various Alex devices even though the name is Electra! Anyway, that aside this was a brilliant book to listen to. It was actually quite realistic at times and a bit spooky… I might think twice about what new technology I have in my house in the future! A book that has you guessing and double guessing who the suspects might be is a fantastic one – there’s nothing worse than working it all out before the book is finished! A really great and one that will absolutely make you reconsider who might be listening next time you reveal a secret…

This books hits you right between the eyes. Brilliant and fast paced. Keeps you gripped right until the last page.

Ever had that sneaky feeling that all that helpful technology in your home which turns the lights on and off or plays calming music is really spying on you? Creepy, delightfully paranoia strewn techno-thriller which will keep you guessing as to who is out to get Jo the journalist. Which one of her friends is determined to ruin not just her sanity, but her reputation, her relationships and ultimately her life. That’s of course if she isn't just imagining it all as she fears she may have inherited her father's late onset of schizophrenia. Mmm. Who can she trust if not the helpful Assistant?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Newly divorced Jo has moved in to the spare room of her friend's luxurious Camden flat. Everything in the flat is controlled by an AI called Electra. Then on night Electra says 'I know what you did' and Jo is terrified, because she did something terrible when she was a student, something that could ruin her life if it ever came out. Only 2 other people know about it and they have sworn to secrecy. Things start to escalate, and it becomes clear that whoever is controlling Electra wants to destroy Jo completely. This is an absolute page turner which will keep you on the edge of your seat to the end! Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Hmm. I enjoyed the first half of this but it gradually lost its way.

The story of Jo, a divorced woman in her early 30s, not much money and living with her wealthy friend in London in her flat as a lodger.

The flat is kitted out with personal assistants in the realm of Amazon’s Echo, Google Home etc.
Her friend is away a lot with her job so Jo spends a lot of time alone in the flat as she also works from home. She uses the tech a lot and finds the voice a comfort when she is alone.
However when the assistants start talking to her without prompting, start bringing dark secrets up from her past, she starts to wonder is she losing her mind.

Her father committed suicide when she was young due to schizophrenia. He started hearing the tv talking to him. Late onset schizophrenia was the diagnosis. Is she showing symptoms of the same or are the assistants actually taking to her? Or worse is someone using them to stalk her?

This started off pretty interesting. A narrative on modern tech put into an interesting premise. Between that and the schizophrenia angle we have a pretty interesting story with an unreliable narrator.

It loses its way about half way through as the narrator just becomes annoying. The old “taking pills so can’t remember exactly what happened/unsure of what is reality” trick is used to the extreme and I tired of it quickly.

I found the book overly long, getting more ridiculous as it went on, with a hugely disappointing(and a bit of a cop out) ending.

It had some really interesting questions and threads in it but most are just red herrings. The problem is the red herrings were more interesting than the actual real story as it turned out.

The makings of a very good story, a book of two halves, I really enjoyed the first half and slowly lost interest as the second half went on, culminating in the poor ending.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Harper Collins and S.K. Tremayne for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jo is living in her friend’s flat after her divorce and trying to forge her career as a freelance journalist. The flat is a hub of technology and soon the ‘Electra’ and the other devices start to talk to her and haunt her. Soon it’s apparent her life is in danger and she needs to find out who is targeting her. This was one creepy read. Devoured it in a day and now slightly concerned about my own devices in my place! Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Brilliant. So cleverly written. I have chills down my spine. A great plot with several suspects. This is a memorable read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A relly enjoyable, messed-up book. Why does everyone assume you are going crazy rather than accepting that things aren't what they seem...
A great twist as well towards the end!

This is my first book I have read from this author.

This is a great read, I was hooked from the start and I needed to find out what is going on.
It is a chilling story, so many twists and turns and a thriller you will not want to put down.

I did question if Jo was losing her mind or going mad and I needed to know the answers.
This is a gripping thriller that will have you guessing till the end to what is going on it very cleverly written and will have you questioning your use of AI in the home. lol

The Assistant is a great thriller with a very modern story. I absolutely loved this book, it had everything for me, its one of the rare times i havent guessed the end of the book. Loved it.

The joys and evils of technology! Interesting (and a bit scary) to think that this could be the future, good read - would recommend...

This Assistant was a concept which interested me right from reading the blurb and nobody could deny its relevance in the tech-obsessed world we live in today. I have to agree with other reviewers in that the book did drag and was very repetitive. I completely understand that this helped signify Jo's downward spiral but it just ended up becoming rather frustrating and I found my interest waning. While I did feel for Jo as her life crumbled around her and her complete confusion in what on earth is happening, I also found that for a character that we are told is smart, she did some pretty stupid things and wasn't particularly likeable. I also found it odd that we'd get sporadic chapters from another character's POV although it was 90 per cent from Jo's. There are some genuinely thrilling parts of the plot and a few twists that I didn't see coming but I can't help but feeling a bit disappointed in the overall book.

Oh my goodness, this book was a real thriller and turn pager. So scary, yet I could not put it down. I kept changing my mind as to who was responsible and was not disappointed by the ending. Very cleverly written.

The Assistant in Tremayne’s novel refers to the technological phenomena that is ‘Alexa’ or in this case Electra. The plastic piece of electronic wizardry that will switch your lights on/off, play music, provide recipes and a thousand other jobs to ease your load.

Personally, I abhor the idea of them – surely just another voice to nag you ‘don’t forget to pick up the dry cleaning’ or whatever. But if you really are too weary to turn the oven on/off perhaps they are an insidious intruder in your home – disguised as your Assistant.

Our hero, Jo, is not in a good place in life, and her friend has allowed her to live in her luxurious flat in Camden(whilst she spends time with her boyfriend elsewhere). The accommodation comes complete with various high-tech equipment, anxious and willing to help Jo control her environment. Somewhat of an irony inasmuch as Jo has penned an article decrying the invasion of invasive technology.

The weather (snow in fact) plays a huge part in the action of this novel. It underscores the isolation that Jo feels, her loneliness and her bleak frame of mind. All of this compounded when the ‘assistants’ turn against her and conspire to undermine her. Is she paranoid, is this a recurrence of her mental health issues; is this real?

I found this to be a somewhat compelling book, chilling, threatening insidious. Did I like it? No, I don’t think I did – but that is more to do with not liking the technology. Did it work? Yes definitely. Maybe I am just scared of all the machines!

All in all, a good read – but not my favourite by a long shot.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

A roller coaster ride of a story which takes off from the very start. Tense and gripping the main character draws you into her world as you try to discover what is real and what is not. A very thought provoking story in our world full of technology.