A cautionary tale for people who like modern technology in the form of gadgets such as Alexa in their homes! Be careful what you say and do because you don’t know who or what is listening. Jo moves into her friend Tabitha’s extremely high-tech flat in trendy Camden, London and is perfectly happy to make use of the helpful assistants dotted around until the day one of them speaks to her about something it shouldn’t even know about. A tense, creepy thriller which will keep the reader on edge well after they’ve reached the end. Jo has got the fight of her life to get to the bottom of what’s really going on here and why. Loved it!

It's nearly 3am and I'm awake because I couldn't put this book down! Wow!! The Assistant in the book is one of the Alexa Echo or Google Home devices that so many of us have around our houses. But what if the device goes rogue and starts learning from us. And what happens if someone has a very real, very serious grudge against you.

They could start to use the tech all around you to make you feel you are going mad, and to convince everyone else that you are. What if you already had a family history of mental illness?

Omg! One of the most creepy and upsetting stories, but with a serious compulsion that will make you want to binge read it to the end.

The assistant by S.K Tremayne.
A very good read with some good characters. It wasnt who I thought it was. I loved Jo's character. 4*.

I defy anyone to read this and not immediately unplug any smart device they have at home. I know I enjoyed this as I read it in a day - the speed of a read for me increases with how much I'm enjoying a book.
Jo is single after splitting up from her husband, she's working as a freelance journalist, and feels incredibly lucky when her friend offers her a room in her amazing house in Primrose Hill. The house is kitted up with lots of smart technology, and that's when things start to go wrong - Elektra turns on and off without warning, recites poetry, plays music at all hours and that's only the beginning. Jo is terrorised by Elektra - but who is behind it all?
This was an excellent read, a great book to open the year with.

I would give this one a 3.5.

After thoroughly enjoying the ice twins and was very much looking forward to reading this and it didn’t disappoint

I enjoyed the unique and interesting storyline and I also enjoyed how the use of technology was used in the book and how quick it could progress in the future and how it could effect people’s lives. The story was gripping throughout and although the main character was slightly infuriating at times I enjoyed the book on the whole. It is slightly scary that this could potentially happen in the future and has definitely put me off the idea of getting an Alexa.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of The Assistant in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book started off very very strong.

I loved the first two chapters. I got to know the main character, Jo, very well. They were sarcastic and funny. They were quite introductory but important and interesting and I liked it very much!.

I liked the role that technology plays. I am not a huge fan of technology myself but in this story I thought it was just perfect.

After the third chapter everything changed abruptly, all of a sudden! And this story became very very mysterious, intriguing and amazingly great!

The mystery kept brewing and got super intense! I felt so bad for poor Jo but at the same time I was so invested in the story, in what was happening to her that I wanted more and more things to happen!

Everything got quite creepy, scary, surrealistic and absurd but I loved it! I really liked how the book developed, how Jo faced the situation, how her friends and family reacted and what happened next.

I never got a clue as to who could be behind all the trouble Jo was going through. I had no idea who would want to hurt her so badly and why and I was shocked when I found out.

I thought the book dragged on for a little too long. I could have done bit a tiny bit less of drama and poor Jo's suffering. However, I really enjoyed it and that end... Let me speechless!

The Assistant is a dark, scary and heart pounding read.
Jo has split up from her husband and with not much money she has no hope of renting anywhere decent, let alone buy anywhere. Her best friend comes to the rescue and offers her a room in her lovely house, this is ideal for jo and as she’ll be on her own the majority of the time she’ll be able to crack on with her writing as she is a journalist. Everything is fine until the assistants start to play up, the assistants are like an Alexa but trust me after you’ve read this you’ll not want to have yours on all the time!!
This was a different kind of read for me but it totally worked, the idea of these machines listening into your life and learning about you is a scary thought. The ending was good dealing well with all loose ends and although it was a scary read at times it was a great book to read.
I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

We first meet Jo in the aftermath of her divorce to her first love, homeless and short on cash. Luckily her friend Tabitha offers her a spare room in her high end apartment.
With the high tech Electra installed in every room Jo’s needs are met without questions. Everything seems to be going well until Electra starts to turn against her. Revealing secrets she thought no one knew and slowly dismantling and destroying her life is Electra really that clever or is Jo losing her mind like her late father?
This had a lovely build up and the content really made you think about how much we rely on these gadgets although I thought it had quite an abrupt ending. Still really enjoyed this though and would highly recommend.

Having become homeless after the breakup of her marriage Jo finds herself living in the spare room of her friend Tabithas home. It’s a beautiful flat, with all the mod cons but before long Jo realises the technology is not behaving as it should be. Receiving messages not witnessed by anyone else, Jo starts to worry that she’s going mad like her father who killed himself in the family car. Then her friends each receive a hurtful email from Jos account. She knows she didn’t send them, but nobody believes her. Did I enjoy this book? Yes and no. Generally I can guess what’s happening, even if I can’t guess how we get there but this ending popped out of the blue and was one of the best I’ve read this year but it did make me rethink the amazon device I had on my Christmas list...

This was a very realistic and creepy read. As the world moves more and more towards technology running our lives (Alexis, Echo, smart cars, etc.), I fear things like this could actually happen and everyone should be concerned about it.

THE ASSISTANT, a creepy psychological/techno thriller is the fourth book written by the No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller author, under the pen name S.K. Tremayne. It warns of the highlights of modern technology taking over our lives, and is both an eye-opener and realistic and plausible in today’s world.

The novel centers around Electra, a personal assistant, that takes care of the heating, the lights in the home in which newly divorced Jo Ferguson is currently living, after moving into her best friend’s spare room.

She watches you constantly– and sometimes Jo even turns to her for company.

What would you do if your home assistant turned evil?

Electra’s in your house. She controls your life. She knows all your secrets. Now she’s going to destroy it.

Then late one night, Electra says one sentence that rips Jo’s fragile world in two: ‘I know what you did.’ And Jo is horrified. Because in her past she did do something terrible. Something unforgivable.
Now she wants to destroy you. Only two other people in the whole world know Jo’s secret. And they would never tell anyone.

Is someone playing a game and trying to scare Jo?

I couldn’t read this novel fast enough, but also didn’t want it to end. It is a dark thought-provoking read in sink for the times. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author, HarperCollins UK, NetGalley and THE Book Club Reviewer Group (FB) for my digital copy.

No virtual assistants for me.

I loved the premise of this novel - Alexa goes bad.

It’s a difficult review, however, as I had so many conflicting feelings! The first quarter of the novel I found very slow, and it was only the fact I was reviewing that kept me going with it. I’m glad I did, as once the pace picked up I was enthralled. It’s also one of the only books which have ever led me to feel quite terrified - genuinely haunting, which is unfortunate as I mainly read before bed!

Very well written, great characters, well plotted. Recommended.

I loved the whole premise of this book and the idea grabbed me straight away. The storyline was so current in this world of modern technology. In all honesty I found it a little boring for the first quarter but then it picked up and I enjoyed the ending.

Jo is newly divorced and happy to move in with her best friend. Jo is a freelance journalist and wouldn't be able to afford living anywhere as nice as this.

The modern apartment is managed by a Home Assistant, Electra. (think Alexa) who manages everything in the house and can even carry on a conversation.

The Home Assistant is wonderful new technology that everyone wants... but one night Electra tells Jo it knows Jo's secret. Jo is scared ... because there is something in her past that no one knows.

Only two other people in the whole world know Jo's secret. And 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.

At first, I thought I was reading science fiction ... then it occurred to me that science fiction has caught up with real life. How many have gadgets in their house to answer questions, do research, ... and do you know who is behind the voice?

This is well written with an increasing creep factor that doesn't let up until the very last surprising ending. The characters are deftly drawn ... and Jo's fear is palpable throughout.

Many thanks to the author / Harper Collins / Netgalley / THE Book Club Reviewer Group (FB) for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

4.5 STARS

The Assistant by SK Tremayne is a slow building realistic creepy thriller.It makes us question our reliance on technology and the misuse of social media in today’s times.A thought provoking read which I enjoyed thoroughly. I would like to thank ,Harper Collins UK & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

Jo is a recently divorced journalist struggling to make a living in London, so when her best friend Tabitha offers her spare room in her luxurious Camden apartment Jo jumps at the chance. The apartment has all modern conveniences and up to date, state of the art technology which is overseen and managed by the tech tool of the assistant called Electra. Everything is going well until one night when the assistant tells Jo "I Know What You Did" ,but how could Electra know her personal history as only 2 other people know about it. As the threats escalate, Jo starts to question her own sanity as no one will believe that the Assistant is talking to Jo

The Assistant by SK Tremayne is a slow building realistic creepy thriller.It makes us question our reliance on technology and the misuse of social media in today’s times.A thought provoking read which I enjoyed thoroughly

I would like to thank TBC Reviewers request group , Harper Collins UK & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

Woah!! What a book!! The first thing I did after reading it is packed up my Alexa. No more virtual assistants for me ever. The book played on my fears brilliantly.

Jo shared Tabitha's flat which was wired and in control by the Virtual Asistants called Electra. And they knew Jo's dark secret. In Tabitha's absence, the assistants spoke to her, revealed secrets and videos, sent nasty mails to friends. Basically they isolated Jo completely and drive her nearly to suicide.

My third book by author S. K. Tremayne, and I was blown away by the suspense in the words. I knew where the story was going, but I didn't know the mastermind behind it. I loved seeing how every page took Jo to a downward spiral. That played on my fears too.

The stakes were raised with every chapter. The desperation in Jo could be seen when she found one support given by the words of a homeless man. I shivered at the thought of how lonely she had become. The virtual assistants had even ordered pills for her death.... Eeeekkksss....

The author's writing made me screech at Jo, telling her to leave that place. Bur where was she to go? All her friends and family hated her. The book reached the zenith in helplessness when a ray of light was shown and Jo took it and fought back. Whew!! A fabulous read which completely horrified me.

This book 100% enthralled me from the second i started to read it. Not sure its because gradually Alexas are taking over my life, so i was able to relate to it so much. But the story is great and i loved the characters and the plot twisted right until the very end not knowing who / what was responsible.

So very disturbing!
I have to confess I am not a fan of the "assistants". We have one in our kitchen that I barely use and I can easily get on board with the idea that she is a bit sinister and could turn against me at any moment!

Flashing between Jo's current life predicaments- newly divorced and crashing with a friend in her high tech apartment, and the two most significant events of her past- attending Glastonbury and the death of her Father Jo's background slowly unfolds as she begins to fall apart.

A terrifyingly believable concept, especially for the Luddites among us, the book is well paced with a slow reveal start and then a galloping finish. Be warned- not one to read late in the evening as it will keep you up all night seeking resolution!

Jo is recently divorced and staying in a friends flat. The flat is controlled by home assistant. If you have a smart device like Alexa then this might feel close to home. The Assistants seem to know things about Jo, is she losing her mind. Fast paced, will keep you gripped to the end with an unexpected twist. Would really recommend