The Assistants

By: Camille Perri

Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie

Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

A wry and astute debut about a young Manhattanite whose embezzlement scam turns her into an unlikely advocate for the leagues of overeducated and underpaid assistants across the city.

Tina Fontana is the hapless but brazen 30-year-old executive assistant to Robert Barlow, the all-powerful and commanding CEO of Titan Corp., a multinational media conglomerate. She's excellent at her job and beloved by her famous boss - but after six years of making his reservations for restaurants she'd never get into on her own and pouring his drinks from bottles that cost more than her rent, she's bored, broke, and just a bit over it all.

When a technical error with Robert's travel-and-expenses report presents Tina with the opportunity to pay off the entire balance of her student loan debt with what would essentially be pocket change for her boss, she struggles with the decision: She's always played by the rules. But it's such a relatively small amount of money for the Titan Corporation - and for her it would be a life changer….

The Assistants speaks directly to a new generation of women who feel stuck and unable to get ahead playing by the rules. It will appeal to all of those who have ever asked themselves, "How is it that after all these years, we are still assistants?"

©2016 Camille Perri (P)2016 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Jorjeana Marie puts this diverse and hilarious cast of New York characters through their many-accented paces like Dorothy Hamill landing a triple axel. In every paragraph. Her warm, bright tone creates just the right mood, and her pacing, balancing humor and looming disaster, is perfect." (AudioFile)

“Anyone who’s ever struggled to pay down a student loan and make the rent on that rat-infested apartment will savor this wry, keenly observed debut.” (People)

“Five pages into reading The Assistants, you know Perri has a hit on her hands.... Nine to Five meets Thelma and Louise - except nobody dies at the end, rape is student debt and nearly every woman we meet is a survivor.” (The New York Times Book Review)

Too Relatable

For starters: The narrator was fantastic. She made each character come to life and easy to visualize. The story was a modern Robin Hood, based on circumstances many can relate too unfortunately. The ending, however, may or may not be believable- you decide for yourself.

Good summer read!

Good summer read! If you ever worked for a large company as anything other than a executive - please read this now! Funny and Smart.

Never underestimate the power of people who don't hold a fancy title!

Loved it

I loved this book! It never lost my attention, I couldn't wait to get back to it when free, and I'm sending a copy of it to my daughter right now.

Nice Covid diversion

I enjoyed this book. Classic Robinhood tale of have and have nots! Great to listen on a rainy day and enjoy some of the real and ridiculous bits of the story.

Love the characters!

Such an easy reach! Light hearted novel with great, likeable characters. Performance was excellent.

Cute - would make a good movie

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, it was an interesting topic.

Would you recommend The Assistants to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes - for a light summer read

Any additional comments?

The Assistants is a cute, light, beach read. Not sure how realistic it is - but who cares?!

Entertaining, fast read

Would you consider the audio edition of The Assistants to be better than the print version?

n/a

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Assistants?

When Tina took charge of the website/ took charge of Robert.

Have you listened to any of Jorjeana Marie’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No she was good though.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I could have.

Any additional comments?

The ending was predictable, but really nice.

Perfect summer read

Loved the plot, characters and performance. Great listen for the beach, long walks and pool side this summer!

Fabulous story!

I love this book! I, myself, am a assistant to someone in a powerful position. I could really relate to her job. The story has great characters, realistic storyline, and is really fun! I would highly recommend this story. Especially if you are or have even been someones assistant.

love this book

Any additional comments?

This book was AMAZING. I just loved it! I have been telling so many people that they NEED to read it. It is a fun, engaging story about what it would be like to take advantage of somebody else's mistake and to pay off ALL your student loans with a click of a few buttons. Would you take the chance to live debt free or would you fix the error and continue to the chisel away at the debt for what feels like the rest of your life??? There were so many times that I laughed out loud and thought to myself "What would I do?" The cast of characters in this book was just fran-freakin-tastic...a mix of misfits, that seemed to fit together. It was so fun watching the dynamics play out as the stress of the situation increased. I could see this as an AMAZING blockbuster movie! Actually, that is what I really want to see. It was one of my favorite books that I have read in a while. There was humor, love, friendship, shenanigans and fun galore (as well as some significant stress). I cannot wait to see what Perri comes up with next, because folks, this is her debut...there could be more of this awesome coming down the hatch!!! Aren't we so lucky??? I sure think so... 5 HUGE stars