Last year, I read and enjoyed Catherine Chidgey’s Remote Symphony, so I was eager to read an ARC copy of her newest novel, Pet, to be published in paperback by Europa Editions in early August.

Pet is a delicious little psychological thriller told from the viewpoint of 12-year-old Justine, an altogether unreliable narrator. Well-written and well-paced, the story has enough twists and turns to keep you turning the pages. (Once begun, I couldn’t put it down!) There are a couple of quite odd sub-plots that didn’t seem to fit the narrative, but they weren’t enough to detract from the overall storyline. Compelling and satisfying, this is a quick read sure to delight readers who don’t mind an ambiguous ending.

Thank you to Europa Editions and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on August 8, 2023.

4 stars

I was hooked on this one immediately. I was like trying to hide my phone so I could read this without people noticing. This book really nailed childhood, the lost pen, the eye balls, feeling of mud in your limbs as you panic a little. It is perfection.
It also just perfectly illustrates grief.
I liked it.
Every character is well developed.

Thank you to NetGalley & Europa editions for sharing this title~

TL;DR: Pet by Catherine Chidgey is worth your read! Set primarily in a small Catholic community in 1984 New Zealand, the story follows Justine, who, like every other girl in her class is enamored with their young and beautiful new teacher, Ms. Price. Justine is thrilled when Ms. Price chooses her as the latest class pet-- only to find herself in the middle of suspicions about a class thief and a tragedy surrounding a fellow student.

This book will make your skin crawl. Because we see everything through Justine's eyes-- who is 1) 12 years old, 2) completely infatuated with this authority figure and 3) suffers from a seizure condition-- a lot of what we are told is fuzzy, fragmented, fraught. The pacing is incredible & it will keep you in that hazy world until the very end.

It's got my stamp of approval <3

This psychological thriller had me hooked from the start and I ended up breezing through it in less than two days! 📚 Chidgey's descriptive style paints a vivid picture, making the characters and scenes come alive.

The protagonist, Justine, is beautifully crafted—misunderstood and fragile, her struggle for approval from her elders will hit home for many of us. The concept of 'teacher's pet' is explored in such a unique way, subtly revealing how impressionable young minds can be. Despite guessing the ending early on, the journey was no less captivating, speaking volumes about the power of Chidgey's storytelling.

Set to release on August 8th, 'Pet' is a thrilling exploration of childhood, betrayal, and the consequences of guilt. Watch out for this one - it's a rollercoaster of a read!

[3.5/5] book full of catholic guilt!

this was a solid thriller! set in 1980s new zealand (and alternating with present day), a young girl falls deep under the spell of her magnetic new teacher. once things in their classroom start to go missing and people starting pointing fingers, it really unravels.

I thought this novel was set up really nicely. the author did a great job at introducing the teacher, Mrs. Price, and showing how all of the students in her class are falling over one another to get in her good graces and how subtly Mrs. Price is able to manipulate and cross boundaries with her students. This mixed with the heavy hand of catholicism and racism, it creates a really sinister tone. And the book definitely gets darker from there.

I also enjoyed our narrator. I always appreciate when authors can write children POV without falling into the YA genre. This is definitely an adult novel but she's able to keep the naiveté and innocence of the protagonist, but also treating her as a fully developed and autonomous character..

I thought the first 75% of the book was really captivating, but once the darker twists started to come into play, I found it a little less grounded of a novel. These large and upsetting moments didn't really seem to get the weight I thought they needed and it wrapped up pretty quickly. There were some loose ends (some intentional that I didn't mind) that I thought could have been dove into a bit better. Perhaps it was because as reading this book, I could see where it was headed and once we got there, it didn't build quite as much as I had hoped.

fascinating story about a woman’s experience with a teacher who is not as great of a woman as she seems! very suspenseful and I did not see some of the twists coming! overall really enjoyed this, but I didn’t feel 100% satisfied with the ending and am a little confused about the abortion subplot ? I would recommend this for fans of psychological thrillers when it comes out next month!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A teacher comes to a small New Zealand village and has a lasting impact on her students. Justine, a young girl who lost her mother, is particularly vulnerable and is infatuated with the beautiful young teacher. When her widowed father meets the teacher, romance blossoms. Tragedy ensues.

I love teacher stories. They seem to run a spectrum from the kind and firm teacher in E.R Braithwaite's To Sir, With Love to the manipulative Miss Brodie in Muriel Sparks The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Catherine Chidgey's Pet is definitely on the Brodie side.

Set in New Zealand - 1984 and 2014 - Pet tells the story of Justine. Now a grown woman, Justine looks back to her twelfth year. Her mother had just died and her father was falling apart. At least Justine had school to look forward to as she and all the girls in her class longed to be Mrs.Price's pet. She seemed to have an inner set of students that she favoured and once you were in, you'd do anything to stay.

I really liked this book and would classify it as a thriller (although some reviews say that it wasn't thrilling enough for them so I'm just putting that out there for hardcore thriller readers). Mrs. Price was a piece of work and, although I dreaded the outcome, I just couldn't look away. I also love that the book is set in New Zealand because I don't often find books set there.

Thanks so much to #netgalley and Europa Editions for this ARC. It comes out on August 8th!

Fine. Not as good as remote sympathy. Not a fan of 1st person narration but I see the blurb appeal and will still include it on my channel as a recommendation to others.

I thought this sounded fascinating by the synopsis, but perhaps I got my expectations up too high. This wasn't what I was expecting at all. This fell flat for me.

Not many books keep me up late on a work night, but "Pet" did; I simply had to finish it before I could turn in. From the beginning you know that something dark happens, but while some of it seems easy to predict, much more is not. What I found most interesting were certain leitmotifs that became apparent only by the end, adding depth to what in lesser hands could have been a plot-driven potboiler. And as in Chidgey's "Remote Sympathy," which I also loved, the writing is almost sculptural in its precision.

Thank you, NetGalley and Europa Editions, for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I did not want to put this book down and kept reading far after my bedtime! Initially, the story was reminiscent of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, but it quickly evolved into something much more sinister. Chidgey captures the dynamics of pre-adolescent friend drama, loss, and navigating the complications of adult relationships when one is still seen as a child well, and balances the narrative’s past and present timelines skillfully. Thank you for the opportunity to read this advanced copy!

Pet astounded me, page after page, with its literary narrative, suspenseful tone, and dual timelines. I wouldn't *quite* classify the novel as a thriller, per se, but it certainly was suspenseful and delivered its fair share of twists and turns. Catherine Chidgey's pacing was superb and aided in the different facets of the story coming together seamlessly.

Given the nature of Pet, I don't want to share too much about its plot. I went into the novel blind and didn't know what to expect from the story; and this is how I suggest you read Pet, too. It just makes the twists that much twistier. However, (these aren't explicit spoilers but they will provide deeper insight into the book and its central character, so read on with caution!) I will say that Chidgey weaved the story together so skillfully that she essentially deceived me into falling into Mrs. Price's orbit as if I were one of her students. Was the martyrdom goodbye note-writing activity shady as heck? Yes, it was. But Justine's narration made the activity not only believable but permissible, too. And having a student cut off Susan the axolotl's injured leg and forcing the class to watch? It's undoubtedly disturbing and inappropriate, but through Justine's eyes, it's just another valuable learning opportunity taught by her favourite teacher. It's not until the end of the book that I sat back and recounted all of these twisted occurrences and realized exactly what Chidgey had accomplished, and for that, I commend her.

I was blindsided by how much I enjoyed Pet, so much so that I have difficulty describing my affection towards the book. For me, this is the hallmark of a memorable read.

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of Pet by Catherine Chidgey to review. All thoughts are my own and are not influenced by any third party.

This was fun, the storyline was interesting and definitely kept you engaged throughout the book and I really enjoyed the dual timeline. The writing was a bit difficult for me, and I thought that around the halfway mark this started to get repetitive. I wouldn't really call this a psychological thriller, since I don't think it had enough suspense or plot twists for that genre. But it was still a nice quick read.

PET is highly recommended for fans of smart, stylish thrillers and literary fiction. This is one of those rare books that combines suspenseful, intricate plotting with wicked smart prose. While the subject matter is disturbing and the ending did not feel completely satisfying to me, that's pretty subjective. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, which had me on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. I felt incredibly anxious, which is a testament to the author's immense talent. Chidgey's characterizations are brilliant and her scene-setting is evocative. And I know I mentioned the plotting already, but wow, this multi-faceted story is composed like a beautiful jewel-like puzzle.

An unexpected, utterly refreshing delightful read. Beautifully written and instantly engaging. Loved it!

This was such a great psychological thriller, I enjoyed the concept and how well it used the topics of other themes to create the story. It was a realistic approach to it and the characters didn’t feel flat. Catherine Chidgey does a great job when writing this and it left me wanting more.

One of my favorite stories so far this year! I tried to go to sleep at about 50% left and I wasn't able to! I kept reading until 3:30AM because I had to finish this gem. Chidgey has crafted an epic book that had me fully invested in the characters and plot. The pace was superb and I hadn't read anything like it before. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars!

Wow, this book is amazing! It is a psychological thriller set in 1980s New Zealand, in a class of twelve-year-olds who worship their charismatic and mysterious teacher who takes turns favoring her "Pet" students. It is gripping, suspenseful, taking on themes of power, trauma and betrayal. There are moments where I held my breath, so caught up in where the narrative was taking me.. Highly recommended for readers who enjoyed "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," or stories of schoolgirls/adolescents and the dangers and (sometimes) sinister motives behind favoritism. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! #Pet #NetGalley