I'm late to the review party here but this deserves all the plaudits it's been receiving - every viewpoint works, everything makes emotional sense, and it's so tense at the end that I had to put it down and walk around for a minute. I'll be recommending it everywhere.

A true psych thriller in every sense of the phrase, The Quiet Tenant took off from the very beginning and continued on a steep uphill path, right up to the conclusion. A great read and an author to WATCH!

Thank you for sending me a copy of The Quiet Tenant. This by far was a very interesting story and how it was told in a different POV. Usually im used to 1st POV type books but this one was different. Pretty sure its as 2nd POV by using "You" as the POV standpoint. Anyways. This book was definitely interesting and I was definitely curious about the woman who was taken by Aidan. You are captured by her story and the other characters involved. This is a book where you need to find out what is going to happen, especially the woman who is held captive by Aidan and if she will escape or not. Will she find help?
I will say this book could of had more action and more excitement to make the story better but still overall it was a page turner for sure.

The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ARC - Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor/Knopf Doubleday Public Catalog!

Is it true you can never truly know someone? That’s the case with Aidan Thomas, who is seen by his small town as a hard-working widow raising his 13-year-old daughter, Cecilia. However, the story begins with “the woman in the shed” where the reader learns Aidan has kept the woman he named Rachel captive for five years. To complicate his life even more, Aidan’s in-laws sell the home where he and his wife lived, so Aidan and his daughter move. Aidan has to keep Rachel from escaping and takes her with him. He tells Cecilia that Rachel is a friend who needs a place to stay for a while. Aidan keeps Rachel in an upstairs bedroom handcuffed to a radiator when she isn’t downstairs with him and Cecilia. Aidan frequents the local bar where he meets a bartender named Emily. Emily and Aidan start seeing each other, and Emily finds it strange that another woman lives at Aidan’s house, so she starts snooping. Events lead up to some ludicrous situations, but overall, I enjoyed the book and that it was told from the three different females’ points of view.

✨THE QUIET TENANT REVIEW

4⭐️

This book hooks from the start! You’re pulled into the “world” of “Rachel” who has been held captive for 5 years. She’s been locked in the shed of a well liked man, Aiden, in a small town. You see the sad story unfold from multiple pov’s.

This book kept me on toes and had me turning the pages fast! Not only we’re there hard parts to read, but also so many frustrating parts! I was screaming at “Rachel” soooo many times! I wanted her to do something, but she would do the complete opposite!!

Overall, it was a gripping story and very well written! I think a lot of people will like this book!

When I picked up this book, I had no expectations of it getting me out of a reading slump. In fact, I intended to read it as a way to quickly fall sleep. I ended up staying up till the early morning to finish it in one go. It was that good! The next night I decided to reread it with more intention and I found all the tiny bits that I had missed on my first time around. The second read was just as satisfying.

There are the books meant to thrill you and bring you to the edge of your seats. Those are fun but also leave you emotionally distant from the events that took place. Not bad. It did what it needed to do but you’re not invested in the characters either. In fact, you probably ended up hating all of them. You know the books. Then there are those taken from true crime headlines that you think “ this can happen to anybody.” And in fact, history has shown us that it has happened time and time again otherwise, we wouldn’t have true crime podcasts. I admit that I may have read The Quiet Tenant at a time where I was more sensitive to the cruelty of humanity-I had just dig deep into the Amanda Barry, Gina Dejesus, and Michelle Knight case. And so The Quiet Tenant gave me chills and stayed with me for awhile.

It has taken some time for me to write this review. While normally I don’t care how others feel about books, I was "eh" by some of the reviews. Some showed disdain toward the protagonist. “Why didn’t she leave?” “If it was me, I would never”. Calm down. God bless you for never having been in this situation. I wouldn't know what I would have done if I was abducted. I sure hope my fight AND flight response would kick in but maybe my freeze and appease would have been stronger. Who knows. Some positive reviews even pointed out that she must have had Stockholm Syndrome. Research will inform you what Stockholm syndrome really is ( based on a bank robbery in Stockholm). Failure to leave a threatening situation and learning to appease your captor is not Stockholm Syndrome. That’s survival. After years of abuse, rape, and torture you learn to appease. You wouldn’t call the “ girl in a box” case Stockholm syndrome, would you?

Some reviews felt it was overwritten, too waxing of poetry, pointing out to a particular passage in the book in which the protagonist steps out of the shed after 5 years of captivity. So what she noticed dew on the grass? Why wouldn’t she notice something that she hasn’t experienced in years? I totally get that some people don’t like the writing style. I understand. Truly. At first, I disliked the way the author chose to write the perspectives until it clicked for me as to why she did it. So trust me, I get it. That said, I have also read lots of first hand victims experiences and with each one of them there are vivid memories they latched onto. Call it a heighten state of awareness, call it flashback memory, or even just reminding yourself that you’re alive. Whatever you want to call it, there are reasons why our brain latch onto certain memories. So if you’ve been kidnapped, held captive for years, SA repeatedly and made to piss in a can you can talk about the grass under your feet all you want.

And quit saying it’s women’s fiction cause it’s slow. Have you not read Peter Hellers’ The River?!?

Also, beware the “ pillar of the community” type. Bad news.

Obviously, trigger warnings abound. It’s an uncomfortable read. I couldn’t stop thinking about actual cases.

It’s worth a few minutes to read the author’s acknowledgements at the end. Brava to writing her first English book (she’s French). Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for sharing this book’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book was incredible. I LOVED the different perspectives this book was written in. The suspense of this book was INSANE. This was such a fantastic thriller. I devoured this in a day. I highly recommend! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Quiet Tenant tells us the story of a woman who was kidnapped and kept for years, first in a shed and then into the kidnapper's home until she finally makes a move to save her life. "Rachel" as he called her, only knew how to survive. She knew not to make him mad and knew not to ask questions. She actually had grown accustomed to sleeping on a sleeping bag on the shed floor. Even when she finally made it inside the house, she preferred the floor to the bed. Somehow, Rachel made it from the
secret shed girl to friend to his daughter, Cecelia, once he moved Rachel into the home. Aiden had adored his wife. They had a special bond, the three of them did. But what his wife didn't know, was Aiden had a secret life outside the confines of their family home. After Caroline passes away, Aiden and Cecelia are forced to move, bringing Rachel with them. As life around them keeps happening, Aiden has to trust Rachel more and more. He uses technology against Rachel, hoping it will keep her scared and too afraid to make any moves against him. Will Rachel ever see her family again? Or will she end up like the other women that had been in his life?
The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michallon had me from the first chapter! I loved this book! Suspenseful and intriguing, this book kept me up at night, saying just one more chapter. My only let down was the ending. I really wanted more than what Michallon gave me. I also wanted to know more about the other eight women who all had their own little chapter throughout the book. There is more story there, I just know it. There could definitely be a part two, talking about the daughter, Emily, Rachel, the other eight women, and possibly the wife. I will definitely be looking for more works by Clemence Michallon and will be recommending The Quiet Tenant to others. Special thanks to NetGalley, Clemence Michallon and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor Publishing for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. One of my favorite books of the year! This one definitely got me out of my book slump! 4.5 stars for me #TheQuietTenant #NetGalley

This book was a propulsive psychological thriller that describes the life of a serial killer told from his daughter’s perspective, his girlfriend and his victim that he’s held hostage for the last five years. This will be a top thriller of the year for me for sure!

Synopsis:
Aidan Thomas is a quiet, hardworking , family man that everyone in his small town adores. Especially now that his wife has passed away, people in town are bending over backwards to help the man that has always lent a hand to so many in the community. But what the townsmen don’t know is that Aidan has a dark side. Beneath the facade of the kind man lies a cold blooded serial killer.

The reader learns about Aidan from his thirteen year old daughter’s perspective, who see’s her father as a hero, and her only remaining family, his girlfriend Emily, that owns a local restaurant and his latest captive, Rachel, that he’s had in his custody for five years. Throughout the course of the book these three woman’s live will intersect and never be the same.

My thoughts:
This book was on fire! It will definitely make my top ten in books and maybe top three in thrillers specifically! This book was so well written and just confirms you never know what evil lurks behind closed doors or a seemingly nice man. I went in blind and as with many thrillers I feel like that is the best way! The book has a satisfying ending and ties all the loose ends up!
Thank you to @prhaudio

I AM OBSESSED. Easily one of my favorite thrillers of the year. I loved everything. The suspense, the short and quick chapters and the intensity woven in every page. I loved it!

I only want to read about this level of hopelessness in fiction books. I only hope that no woman ever had to be in situation while we all know that there must be someone at this moment held captive because someone lost hope on them or assumed that she wanted to disappear by choice.

Can any of you truly imagine what it must feel like to be like the quiet tenant? Doing certain things and saying certain words to receive less punishment, sleeping on the floor because comfort is beyond her, having the opportunity to run away but being afraid of failing. While reading you might scream at the pages “run” but try to understand the hesitation. Survival is always more important.

I liked the storytelling in this book, especially if you are listening to podcast episode for Ariel Castro, the horrendous dude known for his abduction of 3 women and keeping them for 10 years. Might be little triggering for people who had been abused, but it’s too good to miss out

4 stars!

"The Quiet Tenant" by Clémence Michallon gripped me from start to finish. I enjoyed the heck out of this book, which I am a little shocked about because I hate the fact that many thrillers and mysteries thrive in and on the suffering of women. Luckily, Michallon has a way with words, using them to squeeze readers into a chokehold of despair, claustrophobia, terror, and fight or flight. This book will leave you wondering what you'd do in a situation like this, forcing you to ask yourself if you'd survive as long as the characters do. I found my heart pounding more than once while reading this novel. The multiple points of view actually worked in this book's favor. I liked seeing the story through the eyes of Aidan's daughter Cecilia, his "girlfriend" Emily, and the woman in the shed. I wanted to scream at the characters so, so many times! My god, Emily... she needed to get smacked upside the head into understanding how dangerously close she came to her life ending! UGH! There is something so sinister about a man like Aidan, a respected member of his community who is always quick to lend a helping hand, but secretly has kidnapped and killed and stolen women from their lives. You could have an Aidan living right next door to you and you'd never even know it. It's a captivating idea to tell the story of a male murderer through the eyes of the girls and women within his proximity. I will definitely be suggesting this book to anyone who needs a recommendation.

Thank you to NetGalley, Clémence Michallon, and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

This book was so interesting coming from multiple POVs- from a serial killer’s victims and other women close to him. It builds slowly and I felt tension the whole time I was reading it wondering what was going to happen and when people would find out about the monstrous things this guy was doing. I was pleased with the ending. I will definitely read this author again!

I really enjoyed this book! It was intense but such a great premise and I loved the alternating viewpoints. This book kept me engaged and I couldn’t wait to see how it all ended. Definitely recommend.

TITLE: THE QUIET TENANT
AUTHOR: Clémence Michallon
PUB DATE: 06.20.2023 Now Available

Aidan Thomas is a serial killer hiding in plain sight - unassuming man, a father, and a man grieving the loss of his wife. But he is hiding a dark secret and is keeping one victim alive in captivity.

Debut author Clémence Michallon tells a story through the voice of Rachel a woman kept in captivity who is smart enough to convince Aiden into keeping her alive gaining his trust, Cecilia his 13 yo daughter, Emily a bartender with a raging crush on Aiden, and the POV of each of the murdered victims.

I found the chapters gripping, dark, and quite claustrophobic. I find that the author really understands the psychological aspect between the captive and the captor - that I found myself yelling - leave now please! The book also read like a movie and that ending was quite the scene, that is heart pounding, and very thrilling.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading this author’s future works.

Pulse pounding! This was a fascinating look at a serial killer through the eyes of the women in his life.

A book that will have glued to the pages once you start reading. A woman named Rachel who is not her real name is held captive in a shed. You feel her anxiety while you are being told the story. She is looking back on how she was taken years ago. Now her captive is explaining to her that he needs to move because his wife has died, she talks him into taking her with him and she agrees to all of his terms. You find out that Adian Thomas is a family man, a hard-working man, and well-liked in the community. He also has a daughter. He is also looking for another victim and you hear about the others before her and some after her, why has he kept her alive? Then the story really begins with two sides and you get a deeper look into her captive. This is a really good book with good characters.

The Quiet Tenant is unlike anything I have ever read before. It made me so uncomfortable but in a good way, thanks to the amazing writing. I wanted to scream at the characters at some points out of frustration but I love how it ended.

Aidan seems to be the charming small town Dad, and widower. He helps around the town and the town respects him. Aidan has a secret, he has killed and is planning to do so again. There is one female he has not killed, "Rachel" lives in the shed in the back of Aidan's house. When Aidan's wife dies he is forced to move and takes Rachel with him where the arrangement is she is a tenant renting a room in their house, she will join Aidan and Cecilia at meals and the rest of the time be handcuffed in her room. During this time Aidan is targeting Emily as his next victim.

I loved the perspectives, written through the eyes of Cecilia, Rachel, and Emily. Very interesting psychological thriller.

I found this book infuriating at times. I found myself shouting at Emily in my head several times. ‘You’re next! He’s going to murder you!”. How was she not getting the psychopath vibe? Aiden was creepy & Emily was throwing herself at him. So overthinking it & needy. ‘The woman” was my favourite character. She went along with some crazy things to survive. When Aiden asked her to provide child care during Christmas break I couldn’t even believe it.
I really enjoyed the different viewpoints from the various characters and how they went back and forth between the main storyline and the other victims. This was a pretty good book which kept me interested even though it was a bit far fetched.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin RandomHouse Canada for a copy of this book in exchange for my review.