This left my pulse racing and I was holding my breath. I haven’t read a book that had me on the edge of my seat in quite a while.
We selected this for our thriller book club and it was a great discussion.

I’m not really in to multi person perspectives, but I really enjoyed how this was written! Although dark, Clèmence’s way of writing is something to be studied! Can’t wait to read more.

Loved the mood and tension! Wish more thrillers would take advantage of the atmosphere!! Enjoyed the messaging about the importance of Womens relationships too!

Oh my god! This book was absolutely fantastic!!! What a freakin debut! I never would have guessed this was a debut, it was that well written.

I read this in one sitting, once I started, I could not stop no matter what! What a fantastic thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire ride! I cannot recommend this enough! One of my top thrillers of the year (if not my top thriller of the year)!

Do yourself a favor and pick this up now if you haven't read it, but make sure to have the rest of the day free because you will not be able to put it down until you're done.

Thank you SO MUCH to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not sure how I overlooked this amazing debut for so long. From the first pages where I was introduced to the woman held captive in a shed for over five years, I read in awe and disbelief how expertly the story developed. The killer’s captive, the killer’s completely unaware teenage daughter, and the killer’s (also unaware) budding love interest, all offer their points of view to inform the reader. But there are other voices too, briefly but vividly providing evidence to this chilling saga. Unforgettable!

The build up was crazy! This book kept me at the edge of my seat, and I loved the outcome….. you think you know you people, lol this man Aidan had a HUGE secret. Wild wild ride.

Thank you NetGalley for the. ARC. What a dark twisted story!! Told from multiple POV. Aiden the seemingly charming family man who is always helpful and beloved in is community. Emily, who has fallen for Aiden. Rachel who was abducted by Aiden. As the story unfolds it was hard to put the book down!!
Definitely recommend!!

Clémence Michallon's The Quiet Tenant is a gripping psychological thriller that explores the depths of human depravity. Michallon's masterful storytelling, vivid descriptions, and psychological insights create a tense and unsettling atmosphere. This is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers seeking a disturbing and thought-provoking read.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

A riveting thriller full of creeping dread and genuine surprises. The interpersonal dynamics and elevating stakes kept me reading compulsively.

This review is full of spoilers, beware.

I found this book, The Quiet Tenant, to be so frustrating. The MC surely was quiet, in all the ways it mattered. We go into the book, if having read the synopsis, knowing that Aidan Thomas is a serial killer and has abducted the titular woman. We also find out that he has a daughter, Cecilia, he's very close with, and a budding relationship with bar owner, Emily. The story follows these three women/girls - the woman in the *insert structure here* aka Rachel, Emily, and Cecilia. There were also several victims who make quick appearances to recount the final moments of each of their lives, respectively. This is done really nicely in the audiobook as there's a full cast.

Now, here are the things I found to be so frustrating - Rachel would not leave. I've never been in such a situation, and I know Stockholm Syndrome is a real thing, but this woman has so many opportunities to leave, and she just... doesn't. She tries to formulate some kind of plan involving the daughter, but I never really understood what that plan was or how she intended it to help her. I guess by the end, it did help that she had his daughter so he brought himself to the police station, but wouldn't he have followed Rachel either way? And speaking of, why Rachel? Maybe I don't understand serial killers, but why did he name her like some sort of pet? Did he rename the others? Did he have someone else in mind he was building the shed for? Why did his in-laws not like him? Surely if they knew what he was up to, they would have reported him. I just don't understand so much.

What I also don't understand is how Emily's experience could be comparable to Rachel's. I never felt that Emily and Aidan got that close. They were never really dating. But how did her life become some chaotic after Aidan was caught. How was her being semi-obsessed with this man, in a way in which she broke into his home twice, make her comparable to a victim who was imprisoned for five years? It just doesn't make sense and it bothered me to no end.

The saving grace for this book, and the only reason I rated it three stars, is because it was done thoughtfully. There are so many trending books and shows and movies that are about women being abducted, r*ped, and murdered, that are really this weird graphic torture porn. The Quiet Tenant is not that. This book is kind of the exact opposite of "You." The reader never hears from the killer, and never sees harm done on the page. You know what's happening, but it's not explicit, and that seemed so intentional. It's the one thing I really liked about this book.

This was a really good thriller, I highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for this ARC!

I found that this one was where the repetitiveness of kidnapping stories got to me. It just was a little too much of the same things happening. I just couldn’t get invested. Dnf around 30% I do know a lot of readers that would absolutely love it, so I recommend checking it out for your self! The writing style was great, so I definitely will check out this authors future work.

Thank you to Knopf and Netgalley for my gifted copy

I enjoyed this book! It was slow going but the multi POV was great! Super interesting although I figured it out pretty early on. Creepy,suspenseful, and so much more to love. I think this is a perfect read for the fall and spooky season especially.

I had a feeling that I’d like this one just based on the description, but I can safely say that I was absolutely blown away by this debut thriller. It’s not action packed or super fact-paced, but Michallon nailed the art of slowly building tension and getting you invested in the story. This novel was atmospheric and tension-filled.

I really appreciated the way the story was written. It’s told in alternating perspectives between Rachel (the kidnap victim), Cecelia (Aidan’s daughter), and Emily (the restaurant owner that Aidan is wooing). Then thrown in are chapters from the viewpoints of Aidan’s other victims. Normally I probably wouldn’t like that as sometimes it can take away from the overall story, but Michallon did it in a really smart way that really enhanced the story. I loved each perspective because it gave all angles of what was happening and meshed together so well. I truly felt so invested in each character.

Rachel has been held captive for years and despite years of brainwashing and trauma, she’s still strong and resilient – adapting to the new situation of living with her kidnapper and his daughter in their house with them. Cecelia is bright and kind with the teenage angst of losing her mom and adjusting to so many changes in her life – including moving into a new home. She forms a tentative bond with Rachel and to Rachel, Cecelia feels like her only lifeline. Emily, on the other hand, is infatuated with Aidan. The man who comes across as utterly charming and immensely devoted to his deceased wife and his teenage daughter. Slowly the two form a connection that leads down a dangerous path – since Aidan is not who he seems to be. Aidan is so well-written. You can easily see how someone could be lured in by him and then on the other hand, is so completely terrifying.

This book gave me literal chills and left me utterly speechless. Not only is it a spine-tingling thriller, but it covers heavy themes such as trauma, grief, and manipulation.

I do get the feeling that this book will divide readers. I think it’s one that you’ll either love or hate. For me, I loved it and seriously cannot wait for whatever Michallon writes next.

Rating: 4.5/5

The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michallon. Pub Date: June 20, 2023. Rating: 3 stars. In this electrifying gritty thriller, the reader takes a journey through the mind of a serial killer and his hostage. The reader gets a first hand look into what it is like to be a hostage to a serial killer who leads a fairly normal life, his daughter included. I found this novel to be slow moving, but engaging in the beginning. By the end of the novel, I felt the story had lost steam and dragged a bit. The descriptions were realistic, the emotions were high and the psychological setting of being a hostage was displayed well. Overall, an okay read but not my favorite. Thanks to #netgalley and #knopf for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a rough one for me. I think it was probably very thoughtfully written, the descriptive, poetic language to describe the most simple of things like laying down on a mattress or a waitress bringing the man a drink is proof of that. I know I'm not in my gruesome thriller era right now, so perhaps this review is unfair, but after reading several others' reviews on Goodreads, I know I'm not the only one who found the editing a bit lacking. The prose is very verbose. This reads more like literary fiction with a thriller/mystery plot. It does not move fast enough for a popcorn thriller but acts more like a character study of a serial killer, his teenage daughter, and the women he keeps locked away. So anyways, I won't hold this one in my memory by any means, but I'm sure some will love it.

2.5 stars

Are you ready for a rant?

I snagged a copy of "The Quiet Tenant" from the publisher on a whim, and this time my impulsivity did not pay off. By no means is the book awful – at the very least, it’s entertaining enough to see the reader through to the finish line – but the women in the story irritated me to no end.

Clémence Michallon takes the oft-told story of a male serial killer holding a woman captive and tells it through the eyes of three women – the victim, his love interest, and his young daughter. So we have alternating viewpoints within the narrative, with the victim’s being the most notable because it’s written in second person – a risk for sure, but it’s effective. It really puts you inside Rachel’s mind and highlights her mental state.

The main problem lies with the woman in love with the serial killer because Emily is just as unstable as he is, only in a different way. She’s crushed on him since she was a teenager, the crush now being a stalker-like obsession. Her chapters read like a flowery, overwrought, bodice-ripping romance novel, and it’s unbearable. I acknowledge this is likely purposeful on the part of Michallon, because who else would fall for a serial killer other than someone with a damaged, needy psyche, right? But it’s way too much.

Secondary to this is that Michallon’s characters make nonsensical choices for the sole purpose of extending the story. It’s like the author tosses all logic and reason out the window. I couldn’t believe some of the victim’s decisions especially, even when considering the psychological and emotional abuse she’s endured.

A real miss for me.


My sincerest appreciation to Clémence Michallon, Knopf, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

This one is hard for me to review. It has a great premises. It was just a little to slow moving for me. I wish there was certain pov to have heard from. The ending left me with more questions. I did enjoy the author's writing style. I look forward to see with this author does in the future.

The Quiet Tenant uses multiple POVs adroitly, telling the story of "Rachel"'s abduction from the perspective of the women closest to the abductor. There are so many thrillers out there, and it's exciting to read one with a unique structure.

The Quiet Tenant is told from the points of view of multiple women in the orbit of a serial killer. The chapters switch from past to present, including adult victims, the man’s adolescent daughter, and a woman who knows him only as a normal person. Winding through it all are chapters in second-person narration that manages not to sound gimmicky, It’s an impressive display of writing skill—in the author's second language, no less—that fortunately never stands in the way of a compelling story. There’s a captive’s desperate need for survival, the suspense of what will happen, and some Megan-Abbott-esque insights into the feelings and occasional small cruelties of young women. You don't want to read about such horrifying situations and such a creep but can’t help picking up the book again to see how it all turns out.

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for a digital advance review copy.