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shannonjumpreads's review against another edition
Alex is a social media influencer—a rich housewife with twin girls and a husband who happens to be a self-made millionaire. But an unexpected post goes viral on her page and not only gets her cancelled, but sends her life spinning out of control. And then there’s her missing assistant...
Told through alternating POVs,
Told through alternating POVs,
thejessiejoy's review against another edition
2.0
Ridiculous, vapid, and melodramatic. I hated every single character. Plus — I found it hilarious that the author believes the entire world would be captivated by the drama experienced by a 1M-follower influencer for months on end.
hollynichole88's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't see the ending coming, but that's the way I feel about all Kimberly Belle books! I have started getting bored with thrillers because they seem so predictable, but I know I can count on Kimberly Belle to keep me on my toes!
stephisbooked's review against another edition
3.0
You know I love a good influencer book so I definitely had to check this one out. I feel like Belle had a specific influencer in mind and I’m actually reading and enjoying Under the Influence by Noelle Crooks right now and it seems she’s also mimicking the same influencer. I couldn’t trust anyone in this which always makes for an interesting read. Belle’s writing is always captivating but there were too many loose ends in this one for me.
jillsbookishbiz's review against another edition
4.0
B O O K • R E V I E W
The Personal Assistant | Kimberly Belle
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Social media is a huge part of most of our day to day lives. We don’t think about the repercussions of over sharing on the internet, until it’s too late. Alex is an average woman with a comfortable life. While being the wife of a great husband and the mother of two twin girls, she is quickly building her follower count as a social media influencer. She spends her days as “Unapologetically Alex”, inspiring other people through her posts. All this new attention to her pages, she needs a trustee personal assistant to help with her growing fame. AC becomes Alex’s right hand woman, having access to all her accounts, her personal information, and all her secrets. Everything is going great, until a controversial post surfaces from Alex’s account. Instantly she is being harassed and berated by her once loyal fans. She needs AC’s help to cool things down, but AC is no where to be found. Is this all a coincidence? With the police down Alex and her husbands throat, can they convince everyone that they have nothing to do with AC’s disappearance? Can they even convince themselves? You can only hide behind your secrets for so long; the truth will inevitably come out with time.
I really enjoyed reading this! It’s a classic game of cat and mouse, and will keep you on edge until the very end. I thought I had it figured out, but the story unravels in perfect timing & left me saying “whaaaaat”
The Personal Assistant | Kimberly Belle
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Social media is a huge part of most of our day to day lives. We don’t think about the repercussions of over sharing on the internet, until it’s too late. Alex is an average woman with a comfortable life. While being the wife of a great husband and the mother of two twin girls, she is quickly building her follower count as a social media influencer. She spends her days as “Unapologetically Alex”, inspiring other people through her posts. All this new attention to her pages, she needs a trustee personal assistant to help with her growing fame. AC becomes Alex’s right hand woman, having access to all her accounts, her personal information, and all her secrets. Everything is going great, until a controversial post surfaces from Alex’s account. Instantly she is being harassed and berated by her once loyal fans. She needs AC’s help to cool things down, but AC is no where to be found. Is this all a coincidence? With the police down Alex and her husbands throat, can they convince everyone that they have nothing to do with AC’s disappearance? Can they even convince themselves? You can only hide behind your secrets for so long; the truth will inevitably come out with time.
I really enjoyed reading this! It’s a classic game of cat and mouse, and will keep you on edge until the very end. I thought I had it figured out, but the story unravels in perfect timing & left me saying “whaaaaat”
dogcentral's review against another edition
2.0
I saw this listed as a finalist in many of the suspense categories in various media posts so I was looking forward to a good thriller. The author does a great job with the book’s premise, multiple character perspective and building suspense. The big problem is the character Alex is unacceptably and fundamentally lacking in any moral compass or ethical standards. I find these necessary for a likable character or one you can feel empathy towards at any time in the book. Even at the end when she supposedly learns her lesson she goes right back into the social media fray pimping out her family life and her daughters and even people she does not know. She does this because she needs an income, it is her job and she enjoys the attention and freebies. Because of this I had no investment in wanting anything good or positive to work out for this character as she already had been heavily compensated for schlock. Just my perspective. Happy reading in 2023!
bookedwithcourtney's review against another edition
2.0
Who out there has someone you don't follow on social media but also can't look away from? You know the type. The self-proclaimed "hot mess express mom" on Instagram who is all "haha omy guys so rushed today -- thank god I don't have to get out of the car at school pick up" in the caption, but she really looks like a model in her "scattered" photo? That is exactly who stars in Kimberly Belle's thriller, and she goes by @unapologeticallyalex.
I was super excited to read this book. I love junk food social media, watching others spill the tea, and seeing grown women act like they're arguing outside of the high school cafeteria (judge me -- I don't mind). The book starts off fast, and I truly felt like I was scrolling through an Instagram feed and admiring (secretly hating?) Alex's "perfect" life with her husband, twin tween daughters, and her assistant who goes by A.C.
Hang on, because you guys are about to meet Unapologetically (honest) Courtney.
Unfortunately, the content and storyline took a turn from "fake but still believable" to "so dumb and scattered that I can't even remember who is doing what." There are a TON of moving parts, and all of them need some WD40 because things do not move along smoothly regarding Belle's story progression. There's a stripper named Little Cathy, a character going by three different female names, some dude named Richard, kids who apparently vape, a baby given up at birth, guns, and more tequila than necessary.
It's way too much for one thriller. I mean, we all expect those crazy twists and turns; that's why we read the genre to begin with, right? But too many of them makes the story hard to follow, and when the ending is just like a deflating balloon, putting up with the poorly designed thriller road map doesn't seem worth it. I would love to say that the ending of this thriller provides some kind of redemption, but it...doesn't.
One of the novels' redeeming qualities is that the audio version includes a cast of narrators. There's a male narrator for the male character, and there are two different female voices for the two main female characters. This made it somewhat easier to keep track of who was doing what.
I don't recommend this thriller.
I was super excited to read this book. I love junk food social media, watching others spill the tea, and seeing grown women act like they're arguing outside of the high school cafeteria (judge me -- I don't mind). The book starts off fast, and I truly felt like I was scrolling through an Instagram feed and admiring (secretly hating?) Alex's "perfect" life with her husband, twin tween daughters, and her assistant who goes by A.C.
Hang on, because you guys are about to meet Unapologetically (honest) Courtney.
Unfortunately, the content and storyline took a turn from "fake but still believable" to "so dumb and scattered that I can't even remember who is doing what." There are a TON of moving parts, and all of them need some WD40 because things do not move along smoothly regarding Belle's story progression. There's a stripper named Little Cathy, a character going by three different female names, some dude named Richard, kids who apparently vape, a baby given up at birth, guns, and more tequila than necessary.
It's way too much for one thriller. I mean, we all expect those crazy twists and turns; that's why we read the genre to begin with, right? But too many of them makes the story hard to follow, and when the ending is just like a deflating balloon, putting up with the poorly designed thriller road map doesn't seem worth it. I would love to say that the ending of this thriller provides some kind of redemption, but it...doesn't.
One of the novels' redeeming qualities is that the audio version includes a cast of narrators. There's a male narrator for the male character, and there are two different female voices for the two main female characters. This made it somewhat easier to keep track of who was doing what.
I don't recommend this thriller.
sfaircloth's review against another edition
4.0
Just. Wow. The best kind of cat-and-mouse story. Until the very end (the conflict at the end of the book was a little dragged out for me). I love that it ties in the dangers and unhealthy habits of social media without it being a majority of the book. I enjoyed reading this the whole time. When one of the characters got a text message, I actually got chills.