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erinbrook's review against another edition
4.0
Oh I boy is this one we should all be reading. Not only is this a domestic thriller, but it also involves pretty important conversations surrounding social media influencers and the impact this has on their families.
While I found the ending to be quite abrupt, I absolutely flew through this book and was invested from page one.
While I found the ending to be quite abrupt, I absolutely flew through this book and was invested from page one.
rachelirvin's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
1neverendingtbr's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
edgarstarr's review against another edition
2.0
I was going to write a review on this book, but I already forgot everything that happened in it
thephdivabooks's review against another edition
3.0
An influencer’s life spirals out of control when a viral post that she is certain she didn’t post goes viral on her account, attacking another influencer. I am a fan of Kimberly Belle and I always make sure to grab her latest, though some have wowed me more than others. I really enjoyed The Personal Assistant, particularly knowing the context in which it was written and the message that Belle was sending through the story.
Narrative and Plot
Alex Hutchinson is a 39-year-old mother of twins and an Instagram influencer. Her husband Patrick has stepped up as the man of the house and acts as a father to the twins in the absence of their own father. Patrick is also a local celebrity, working as a nightly news personality talking about finances. When Alex hits a million followers on Instagram, she has a night out with her personal assistant AC to celebrate that ends in more than a few black holes.
When Alex wakes up the next morning, it is to a viral post that she has no memory of posting in which she calls out another influencer with derogatory language and implies she is stupid. Suddenly Alex finds herself at the center of a media storm—fans are calling for her to be cancelled, brands are pausing their contracts, and people are sending hate messages. Meanwhile Alex’s personal assistant AC has gone missing, and the police are investigating what happened. Alex and Patrick were the last to see her.
When the messages to Alex increase in severity and her address is leaked, Alex doesn’t know how to get out of this. But it seems that Patrick is also being targeted by anonymous hate. Though Alex doesn’t know it, Patrick worries that the attacks may be directed at him, not Alex. Patrick has something he is hiding, and he is desperate to cover up any clues that link him to AC.
The story is narrated largely by Alex, Patrick, and a woman named Anna Claire who worked at a divey motel and began dating a wealthy man who ends up hiring her to help him with his shady business deals. Is Anna Claire really “AC”, or are the initials a coincidence? Who is the wealthy man who helps her out? And how does Anna Claire’s story connect to what is happening to Alex?
My Thoughts
Kimberly Belle always takes me on a ride with her books. She’s had some that I literally couldn’t put down, some that were a bit of a miss for me, and some that may not have the compulsive thrill of my favorite books by her, but that carry a message that resonates none-the-less. I would characterize this book in the latter category. It didn’t rank in my top tier of her books, but I enjoyed it and think it will resonate with many readers. Some of the twists I definitely caught onto before the reveal, but others were a complete shock. I had a decent idea of where the book was headed and it delivered on what I anticipated.
I did find the characters a bit one-dimensional. I loved the message that Belle was sending with the book—that at the end of the day focusing on what is meaningful in life is more important than anything else, and that often includes family or those we love. I never really found Alex, Patrick, the twins, Anna Claire, or AC to have a ton of development and that detracted a bit from the book.
The story was entertaining and did carry a nice message. The plot itself had a few holes that I couldn’t quite reconcile and the ending was completely fantastical in a way that was both entertaining and a bit distracting. The final scenes after everything unfolds make the book what it is. Belle doesn’t ever end on a shocker, she likes to round out her stories and I think it works for her books.
Overall, pick this one up for the entertainment and if you enjoy stories about the dark underbelly of influencing. I also liked the message about family, and I liked the way justice played out in the story. Not a top read for the year, but an entertaining story that I enjoyed.
Narrative and Plot
Alex Hutchinson is a 39-year-old mother of twins and an Instagram influencer. Her husband Patrick has stepped up as the man of the house and acts as a father to the twins in the absence of their own father. Patrick is also a local celebrity, working as a nightly news personality talking about finances. When Alex hits a million followers on Instagram, she has a night out with her personal assistant AC to celebrate that ends in more than a few black holes.
When Alex wakes up the next morning, it is to a viral post that she has no memory of posting in which she calls out another influencer with derogatory language and implies she is stupid. Suddenly Alex finds herself at the center of a media storm—fans are calling for her to be cancelled, brands are pausing their contracts, and people are sending hate messages. Meanwhile Alex’s personal assistant AC has gone missing, and the police are investigating what happened. Alex and Patrick were the last to see her.
When the messages to Alex increase in severity and her address is leaked, Alex doesn’t know how to get out of this. But it seems that Patrick is also being targeted by anonymous hate. Though Alex doesn’t know it, Patrick worries that the attacks may be directed at him, not Alex. Patrick has something he is hiding, and he is desperate to cover up any clues that link him to AC.
The story is narrated largely by Alex, Patrick, and a woman named Anna Claire who worked at a divey motel and began dating a wealthy man who ends up hiring her to help him with his shady business deals. Is Anna Claire really “AC”, or are the initials a coincidence? Who is the wealthy man who helps her out? And how does Anna Claire’s story connect to what is happening to Alex?
My Thoughts
Kimberly Belle always takes me on a ride with her books. She’s had some that I literally couldn’t put down, some that were a bit of a miss for me, and some that may not have the compulsive thrill of my favorite books by her, but that carry a message that resonates none-the-less. I would characterize this book in the latter category. It didn’t rank in my top tier of her books, but I enjoyed it and think it will resonate with many readers. Some of the twists I definitely caught onto before the reveal, but others were a complete shock. I had a decent idea of where the book was headed and it delivered on what I anticipated.
I did find the characters a bit one-dimensional. I loved the message that Belle was sending with the book—that at the end of the day focusing on what is meaningful in life is more important than anything else, and that often includes family or those we love. I never really found Alex, Patrick, the twins, Anna Claire, or AC to have a ton of development and that detracted a bit from the book.
The story was entertaining and did carry a nice message. The plot itself had a few holes that I couldn’t quite reconcile and the ending was completely fantastical in a way that was both entertaining and a bit distracting. The final scenes after everything unfolds make the book what it is. Belle doesn’t ever end on a shocker, she likes to round out her stories and I think it works for her books.
Overall, pick this one up for the entertainment and if you enjoy stories about the dark underbelly of influencing. I also liked the message about family, and I liked the way justice played out in the story. Not a top read for the year, but an entertaining story that I enjoyed.
rebelkiss's review against another edition
4.0
I wanted a slightly different ending but wooo what a ride
edgarstarr's review against another edition
2.0
I was going to write a review on this book, but I already forgot everything that happened in it
chloescool's review against another edition
mysterious
3.5
started off good, but got boring. Too much going on. a lot of “that’s a stretch” going on
_kayrae's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Loved the concept. I kept hoping that the end would have some sort of reveal that would make the previous 200 pages feel more interesting than it was. Sadly that did not happen.