I'm always so wary of hyped books, I never know what to expect, so I try to go in as blind as I can. And I did this with Assitstant to the Villain, too. I knew very little about what's the story about apart from it being a booktok sensation and everyone raving about it.

Assistant to the Villain is a very average book for me. I think I have an idea why it is so well-loved, but I do not feel the excitement. It is a good story, I might even say original in the way it presents the villain. However, it also lacks purpose. From the very beginning, it is very clear where the story goes. It just takes an unexpectedly serpentine road to get there with some plot points that don't really go anywhere. The plot development is very, very elementary. It is clear from the beginning that there is something unknown, the villains' story or plans, for example. And it is revealed very slowly presented as surprises. But they it is not really shocking because we always knew that something was there. In a way, the twists in the story don't feel very twisty. So, all in all, it is not the story that keeps the reader continuing.

It's the characters that make this story interesting. Evie is a very ordinary main character for most of the story. She falls for his boss, but of course she doesn't realize it, she takes too much upon herself, and she expects respect naively from a person she knows is the Villain and then throws a tantrum when she doesn't get it. Just the usual.
A promising character is the Villain. We also have some of his POV chapters, which definitely makes the story a lot more interesting. He is really villainous when it comes to unaliving and doing very bad things to people. That is a fact. Even if it's clear, he has an origin story that made him like that. 

I think this wickedness and cruelty mixed in with his growing tenderness towards his assistant is what most readers are captivated by. Let's be honest, the 'bad boy' trope is beloved by a lot and the 'bad boy tamed by the ordinary girl' trope is one most women have daydreamed about at least a couple times in their lives.

The book is definitely trying to be humorous. It was a hit or miss for me. Some jokes and situations were funny or even endearing. Others, mostly Evie's sarcastic comments, not so much. It felt forced sometimes that made it a little bit cringe.

I appreciate the wide set of supporting characters. They definitely propelled the story forward. My favourite is definitely Kingsley, the frog. He's a much needed comedic relief with his signs.

Overall, it is an okay story. And I think the second book has potential after the ending of this one.