I loved the premise of this book when I read what it was about. I also loved the previous novels by this author, so I was really excited to start it.

I wasn't disappointed. :) It was a reflection of our modern reliance on technology and how much we rely on and trust in the computers around us to help us live our lives. I'm not long out of a physiological-thriller-slump, where anything in that genre was pretty much just 'meh' to me. But this was really good.

I was gripped throughout and I wanted to know what happened after every page. It was a quick read for me and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I would recommend this book and this author 100%.

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book.

The Assistant starts off slowly and quickly turns into a deliciously dark, thrilling, atmospheric and really creepy read. I was absolutely hooked. It is compelling reading and thoroughly thought provoking. Do we really know the extent to which technology runs our daily lives? Home Assistants, smart phones, smart TV's, smart plugs and lights, etc., who is controlling them, is it us or the other way around...?

As the owner of a "home assistant", it has made me look at the technology in my life in a new and not altogether comfortable way!

All in all, an excellent read with so many twists and turns, it will keep you guessing right to the very end. 5/5* Keep an eye out for this one, published in Ireland and the UK on 2 December next.

I really enjoyed S K Tremayne's previous books and was looking forward to this latest one. I must admit that it's my least favourite. Although (as I come to expect from this author), the story was atmospheric, interesting and sufficiently creepy, it was a little repetitive and too far fetched (especially towards the end) for my liking. A decent thriller but not the one I'd rave about.
Many thanks to Natgalley and HarperCollins publishers for the ARC.

I absolutely loved this book ,it is dark ,creepy ,scary and I think quite thought provoking ,What if ?Jo Ferguson free lance journalist and recently divorced and broke goes to live with her best friend Tabitha in her flat in an expensive part of London .The flat is controlled by Alexa type smart technology ,Tabitha is away a lot so Jo is on her own when suddenly the digital assistants start talking to her about something in her past she would rather forget Things get even more menacing and Jo's life is turned upside down ,is she going mad or is someone doing this to her ?London is having its coldest weather for years and it doesn't stop snowing which adds to the creepy atmosphere .I didn't guess the ending which was quite frightening .10 stars if I could .!!! Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

I was not crazy about the plot. It felt like something I've already read before, but in a different setting. The author is definitely a worksmith, though. Overall a solid read.

Being in my sixties I'm not really into technology, though I do love my Kindle. The Assistant gave me the creeps!
S. K. Tremayne is an excellent author and I've read all four of his books now. Sometimes they can be slow to get going and that's true of the Assistant. Stick with it though and it just gets seriously better!
Thank you NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

The Assistant had a slow start but when it picks up you’ll be hooked. I was! I’ve enjoying the various thrillers that resolve around technology and social media but this was something else! It’s dark, it’s twisted and best of all it’s a great story!
After reading this I think I’ll be throwing out my Alexa. The Assistant really got its claws in me and I’m glad it did.
5/5

What a brilliant read!
Of course I knew exactly what was going on and who/what was behind it – NOT!
Another one for fans of Black Mirror and those who wonder whether all the technology we allow into our lives is a good thing. Lots of us have Alexa, Google home or similar in our houses and they can be really useful and fun but what happens when they appear to turn against you? This what Jo finds herself up against whilst staying with her friend Tabitha whose flat has all the latest techy gadgets. Jo’s father suffered from mental illness and Jo is terrified that the same thing is happening to her as she begins to doubt both her sanity and her friends. This really is a case of trust no one, not even yourself. Highly recommended. Buy it, enjoy it and share it! My thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for my ARC in return for an honest review.

It takes a while to get into the story but once in it gets going. I really enjoyed the storyline which gets you thinking. An it also got you guessing which was good as most books you guess what going to happen next. An excellent story.

What a dark, compelling novel! I read it while sat in my house with my smart thermostat and lights and doorbell, only interrupting my reading to ask Alexa to turn the lights up or the kettle on (the only unrealistic part of this book - why Electra did not put the kettle on is beyond me). I've been waiting for smart technology to make an appearance in this genre, and I'm only gutted I didn't think of it first. The Assistant is an excellent, contemporary novel mixed with the timeless classic - the unreliable narrator.

This book got darker and darker, and I could literally feel my heart racing as I tore through the last pages. Tremayne is electric with this latest thriller.

I read this ARC in return for an honest review - all thoughts and opinions are mine

Brilliant - loved this !
Totally unpredictable - loads of twists and turns - a great read

It felt very modern with its use of technology and really brings things home to roost

If you like your thrillers modern, Black Mirror ish you will love this

Highly recommend

Newly divorced Jo is delighted to move into her best friend’s spare room almost rent-free. The high-tech luxury Camden flat is managed by a meticulous Home Assistant, called Electra, that takes care of the heating, the lights – and sometimes Jo even turns to her for company. Until late one night, Electra says one sentence that rips Jo’s fragile world in two: ‘I know what you did.’ Jo is horrified. Because in her past she did do something terrible. Something unforgivable. Only two other people in the whole world know Jo’s secret. They would never tell anyone. Would they? As a fierce winter brings London to a standstill, Jo begins to understand that the Assistant on the shelf doesn’t just want to control Jo; it wants to destroy her.

This book feels like it has been waiting to be written for a long time. With all the technology that exists it was only time before a book such as this was created. I say all this because the book is a bit disappointingly obvious. However, I did still enjoy this and I was gripped by the possibilities. After all, the most terrifying things are those that seem all too real.

The plot is good and definitely one that improves the further you read. Some of the plot is mind-numbingly obvious which was a shame. Once the plot gets going, I enjoyed working out the truth and the truth behind previous events.

The characters are good, we do not know loads about them but that is the nature of the plot and we learn more as we progress. Jo is good to follow, if a little irritating at times. She is always realistic though.

'The Assistant' is a gripping read that is made all the more terrifying by the plausibility of it all. At times this is obvious but remains a very worthwhile read.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for an advance copy.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Wow what a fantastic read, this is the best so far that this author has written. A 5 star all the way

I was hooked from the beginning of this book. Being of an age whereby I distrust too much intrusive technology, this has added to my paranoia! A great story with a menacing plot that was feasible. All in all a great read.

One of the best books I’ve read by this author.
I was feeling Jo’s frustration as she slowly lost control of her life at someone else’s hands, and I had no idea who the perpetrator was so it kept me guessing which I loved.
It certainly makes you think about your Alexa in a different way!
Recommended read.

I really enjoyed this book. was a very different concept for me as I'm not really a technology girl. And tend to steer clear of books that mention it. But this book is very very good. It explains things in layman's terms most of the time. The odd occasion I didnt understand the words but that's okay. It didnt distract from the brilliance of the book. The Assistants made me paranoid and made me think I was going psychotic believing Jo! But all is revealed. I was slightly disappointed in the why everything happened if I'm completely honest. I kind of guessed it. But even with them little bits this is a good book and will recommend to a lot of people. I however will not be buying the amazon echo I was planning to.

SK Tremayne's latest psychological thriller is terrifically creepy and thought provoking about the nature of our contemporary world, questioning its increasing reliance on technology and the potentially malign ways in which social media can be abused. Jo is a journalist whose life has fallen apart, she has recently divorced, and is in dire financial straits, so she positively welcomes the opportunity of being offered a home at such little cost by a wealthy friend in their luxury Camden flat. It is equipped with all modern conveniences and up to date, state of the art technology that is instrumental in managing the likes of heating and lighting in the home. It is all overseen and managed by the tech tool of the assistant called Electra. In a story primarily delivered from the perspective of Jo, we see how her life slowly descends into a darkness where she finds herself in deadly danger.

Jo is struggling to pick up the pieces of her life again, but it is tough, and she is feeling desperately lonely and isolated in the depths of a dark, cold and wintry London. She finds herself chatting to Electra as a form of company, but her life begins to disintegrate when one night Electra tells her that she knows what she did. Jo does indeed harbour nightmarish secrets in her past, but how on earth can Electra know her personal history? Jo has a traumatic family background of mental health issues and tragedy, is what happening to her real, of sinister human origin, or is she simply succumbing to familial madness? Jo is the classic unreliable narrator as the reader is left to wonder how far she can be trusted. In a creepy and menacing narrative that includes the apt poetry of Sylvia Plath, Jo tries to fight to control that technology that threatens to destroy her. This is a wonderfully twisted, atmospheric and suspenseful novel that will have you distrusting our technological advancements and social media. Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.

This was a fantastic read! Creepy, thrilling and mind blowing, it twisted and turned all the time. Is she mad? Or has someone messed with her head? You think you have worked it out and then it twists again! Highly recommended #TheAssistant#NetGalley

Oh, that was tense! This is another really well written psychological thriller from S.K. Tremayne whose books I have all found equally gripping. I really did find this difficult to put down and was kept involved and guessing right to the end.
The main character, Jo, is a freelance journalist, recently divorced, cash strapped and living alone in a wealthy friend's beautiful, and technologically smart, London flat. The narrative starts with Jo completing an online dating profile in an attempt to bring company to her isolated life; so isolated that she frequently finds herself talking to Electra, the digital assistant, which she thinks of as 'like less annoying and demanding pets'.
The reader is introduced to Jo's mother, her ex-husband and some of her friends, none of whom she sees very often. Her sense of loneliness is enhanced by the exceptionally cold and dark London winter. Tremayne's sense of place has been a strong point of all four books I have read by the author but this is the first city based setting.
The psychological thriller aspect of this book comes from the way in which Jo begins to believe she is suffering from mental illness (as did her late father) as she hears voices from the digital assistants saying things to her that are not in response to her requests. The technological interference becomes increasingly nasty and the reader is kept wondering whether this is all in Jo's mind or if someone she knows is manipulating her in a very evil and personal way to believe that she is mad.
The poetry of Sylvia Plath, who killed herself in a flat very near to the setting of the story, plays a significant part in the narrative and I am keen to return to Plath's work after reading this book.
I certainly recommend this novel to fans of well-written, plausible psychological thrillers but it may certainly make you think twice about how technology may interfere in your life.
Thanks to the publishers via Net Galley for a complimentary ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

The beginning of this book was slow but then it got better
The story got more interesting and even heartstopping towards the end
The writing style was of high quality