The Assistants will be published by Penguin on May 3, 2016. Alright! Something other than the primary election to look forward to!
This book is hilarious and fun. Imagine being a 30 something, overqualified assistant to a media mogul with more money than you would ever even dream of having. What if there was an honest mistake, and a $19,000 reimbursement check came across your desk. It would completely pay off your student loans, so that you might be able to save a little money and move out of your tiny, dumpy apartment where rats run in the walls and the ceiling leaks.
Meet Tina Fontana. This is her story. Her boss, Robert Barlow, is the CEO of Titan Corporation, and he lives and breathes money. She makes a decision to use money to pay off her student loans, which snowballs into a major mess as more and more assistants find out about it and want in on the benefits. Her boss spends thousands of dollars on a pair of socks without even a thought. He would never catch on to their scheme…or would he? The stress of trying to keep the secret and to keep from getting caught is turning her into a worried mess. Meanwhile, Kevin, the hottest guy in her building, whom she is scared to speak to and ogles from afar, starts to take an interest in her. As they start dating, she finds it even harder to keep things from him. Especially since Kevin works in the legal department at Titan. The group of women that Tina, who used to consider herself an island, becomes close to are quite hilarious and unique. Probably my favorite is Emily, Tina’s new best friend and roommate. Emily’s wit and sarcasm are enough to drive Tina mad, but she comes to love her anyway. As the women become more involved in their robin-hood like scheme, they realize that something has to give at some point, and it’s only a matter of time before the cat is out of the bag. The ending is not what I expected, but it’s great!
I found myself laughing out loud at the way the must mundane scenes and objects are described in this novel. Just wait until you read how Emily describe the rain bubble on Tina’s apartment ceiling! Also, the description of Margie, another employee at Titan is priceless. And, not to be forgotten, how Tina describes Robert when he props expensive shoe up on her desk.
Well done, Camille. I can’t wait to see what other stories you come up with in the future.
Librarian Laura 