Thank you to Knopf publisher and net galley for a copy of The Quiet Tenant. This book was intense in the beginning but, I felt it could of been shorter. The main character is the guy next door, the hard worker, a father of a daughter. But he is another person that a few people get to know. It is a thriller I love the title a friend suggested it and she was not wrong but, I felt it was a little drawn out.

Thank you Knopf and NetGalley for my e-ARC in en change for an honest review. I give this novel 3.5 stars. I did enjoy it and I was not expecting the ending. However, it felt a little dragged on to me. Why did Aiden keep her for so long? The motive was really never answered other than “he was too nice” he kept killing after her though so why hold on to her still? The book was still a quick read and still a pretty good book. I recommend trying it out to see the story unfold!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Clemence Michallon, and publisher Knopf for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest review!

As a woman, this is probably one of the most terrifying books I've ever read. A book about a serial killer told from the perspective of his captive victim, teenage daughter, and new romantic interest? I really appreciated how Michallon centered women's voices in this story, as it not only worked well and was important but also increased the ickiness factor in reading. I enjoyed "Rachel's" chapters the most, as I felt her story was the best developed and complete. This book truly had me on the edge of my seat the entire time reading, and there were several parts that I didn't expect. I wish Cecilia would have had more chapters because I appreciated the juxtaposition of her teenage voice against the older women. Emily, I personally couldn't stand reading about, but I understand the purpose she served in the story. This book was a solid 3.5 star read for me, as it was a great thriller, but parts of the ending and not meshing with the writing of some of the women's perspectives has me rounding it down. I do think this was an important story to tell and truly shows the power of women and the universal horrors that we have to face together.

4.5 stars. Amazing debut. A story about a serial killer - narrated by the women in his life. Rachel (the victim he let live) is quiet strength; Emily (potential new girlfriend) just wants to be noticed and loved; and Cecelia (his 13 year old daughter) is still suffering the loss of her mother. SO good - I loved the characters, the story, everything. This is both a thriller, and the story of surviving trauma.

"Aidan Thomas is a hard-working family man and a somewhat beloved figure in the small upstate New York town where he lives. He’s the kind of man who always lends a hand and has a good word for everyone. But Aidan has a dark secret he’s been keeping from everyone in town and those closest to him. He’s a kidnapper and serial killer. Aidan has murdered eight women and there’s a ninth he has earmarked for death: Rachel, imprisoned in a backyard shed, fearing for her life.

When Aidan’s wife dies, he and his thirteen-year-old daughter Cecilia are forced to move. Aidan has no choice but to bring Rachel along, introducing her to Cecilia as a “family friend” who needs a place to stay. Aidan is betting on Rachel, after five years of captivity, being too brainwashed and fearful to attempt to escape. But Rachel is a fighter and survivor, and recognizes Cecilia might just be the lifeline she has waited for all these years. As Rachel tests the boundaries of her new living situation, she begins to form a tenuous connection with Cecilia. And when Emily, a local restaurant owner, develops a crush on the handsome widower, she finds herself drawn into Rachel and Cecilia’s orbit, coming dangerously close to discovering Aidan’s secret."

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

I think readers are either going to like this book or hate it. It's very dark. It's very disturbing. It's scary in that you never really know the people in your town. I enjoyed a lot but didn't love it due to the dark material.

Aidan Thomas is someone everyone loves when they see him. He is a family man and a dad. Seems perfect, except he has a dark secret. He is a serial killer that has murdered women (not giving anything away, that's in the synopsis of the book). His life gets turned upside down when his wife dies. He and his child must move out of their house, the only problem is who he has hidden away in the shed behind his house.

'Rachel' was kidnapped 5 years ago by Aidan. For some reason, he has kept her alive. Now that they have to move will he keep her alive?

As I said, this is a disturbing book. I enjoyed the character development of 'Rachel'. How she changes throughout the book. That was about the only character development I noticed. Everyone else pretty much stayed the same.

Beware that there are trigger warnings: kidnapping, abuse (emotional, physical, and sexual), rape and murder.

Tentative Publication Date: June 20, 2023

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for the E-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

🙂 Happy Reading 🙃

#netgalley
#knopfpantheonvintageandanchor
#ClemenceMichallon
#TheQuietTenant

I read a LOT of horror and thriller novels. This psychological thriller had my pulse racing! I was completely invested in the characters and couldn't wait to see how it all turned out in the end. I was not disappointed. If you're looking for a character driven journey with lots of obstacles and "how are they going to deal with this" moments, this is the book for you!

This is a great read! If you only read one thriller - let it be this one!!

Great plot, interesting read through the perspective of the 4 main characters. It kept me turning the page all the way through! Heart pounding final chapters.

Everything a thriller needs to be!

🔑🔑🔑🔑🔑 / 5

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I think this is my favorite read of 2023 thus far. I truly loved everything about this story and couldn’t put it down! The author is such a skilled writer, but she also perfectly incorporated so many important themes that I appreciated. As a young female, this story made me feel validated and heard because it’s about a serial killer, but he’s never given a voice. Instead, the story is told from the POVs of the women in his life. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, and I held my breath for the last 10% of the book. I can’t believe this was her debut thriller, and I’m so excited for her next one!

This is quite a page-turner, very creepy and disturbing. I felt a bit traumatized by the end. Fans of darker stories should really like this one. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I saw some absolute rave reviews of this novel on bookstagram, so I decided to request it on Netgalley and was lucky to be approved. I was interested enough at the beginning, although I didn't like the 2nd person writing. It did feel a bit repetitive, but I was in the mood for a good thriller.

By 16% though, I still don't care about the characters and feel like I know what's going to happen, so I'm DNFing. I know the man the different characters are describing are all the same man - the serial killer. This doesn't feel like an original plot line. Thanks anyway for the ARC - I'm glad others are enjoying it but it's clearly not for me.

If you like super slow burn thrillers, and I use that word loosely here because I never got true thriller vibes, with a unique premise this may be for you. There was so much here that I liked, the authors style was really quiet and the way the story was told was powerful. It’s fun to get the viewpoint of a killer in thrillers but there is something really interesting about getting the POV of the women in the serial killers life that gave me chills and definitely grabbed my attention. I was into this one for the majority of the time, the alternating perspectives, the sense of dread and the subtle writing was good for me. The slow burn aspect was ok, I have no patience lol but I was still hanging in but ultimately it was truly a character study that somehow still left me wanting to know more about the characters in the end? Just sort of an odd experience for me overall but I do think this will find the right audience and it will probably be people who enjoy slow burn literary dramas with light suspense.

Lets get my blood pressure back to normal first.

I am not someone who typically picks up a thriller but this idea sparked my interest and I was properly terrified.

“Rachel” is taken and held captive for years. Usually in the shack, but family man (serial killer!) Aidan is forced to move him, and daughter and decides to bring captive-Rachel along. I was holding my breath the entire book.

This book is told from the POV of Rachel, his daughter Cecelia and his possible girlfriend/next victim. I can’t believe this is her debut novel - bravo.

This is the story of a serial killer, told from 3 different perspectives: his daughter, his girlfriend and a victim. The different views converge to paint a picture of a frightening, cold, evil man. The pacing is more of a slow burn than a propulsive thriller, though the ending had me on the edge of my seat and very stressed out. I liked hearing from the women in Aidan's life vs hearing from him, especially his daughter and his victim. Emily, his "girlfriend" was the weakest viewpoint and I found it difficult to connect with her and her decisions. I would have appreciated a little more insight into why Aidan was the way he was, but overall it was a solid read. 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4. Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very interesting book. It dealt with some very dark themes, but didn't dwell on the horrifying aspects of crime and instead focused on the will of one woman to survive.
This is the story of a woman who has been held captive by a man for years. When he tells her he must move, she fears he will finally kill her and so convinces him to bring her with him to his new home. She is forced to act as though she is just renting a room from her captor in order to deceive the man's daughter. The reader also sees the action unfold from the point-of-view of Emily, a restaurant owner who would love to pursue a relationship with Aidan, a man who comes to her restaurant once a week. Will the kidnapping victim escape? Will the man's daughter discover the truth about her father? And will Emily discover the truth about Aidan?
This book is slow but compelling. I was completely drawn into the story and found myself nervous for our heroine multiple times. I also found myself incredibly annoyed with Emily multiple times!
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a thought-provoking thriller.

This was such a fun psychological thriller! I loved the concept, and it really kept me interested the entire time. I liked how we got so many different perspectives, although the second person POV was a bit jarring until I got used to it. The ending was a bit too wrapped up for me, but if you’re looking for a quick thriller I would definitely recommend this one! On a side note, I actually can’t believe this is a debut novel from someone whose first language isn’t English; it was very well done!! I will definitely look forward to more by this author!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the opportunity to read before pub day on June 20th!

I’ve been in a reading slump for a few months now and THE QUIET TENANT was just what I needed to get myself out of it. It’s a slow-burning thriller, but somehow the pacing still made me fly through the book. If I didn’t have responsibilities, I’m fairly certain I would have finished it in one sitting.

The story is told from multiple points of view, which I sometimes take issue with. However, Michallon handled it perfectly and each point of view really lended a different angle to the story. Having Rachel’s POV told in second person was also a unique take that, in my opinion, makes the story even more immersive as it puts you in her shoes.

It’s hard to say much about this book without giving spoilers, but I will say that if you enjoy a slow-burning plot without a lot of violence or gore, I would definitely recommend picking this one up! Personally, I wasn’t ready for it to end and will definitely be picking up future novels from Clémence Michallon.

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Story opens with a blurb from the woman in the shed….definitely peaked my interest and kept me wanting to read. I mean normal ppl don’t keep a woman in the shed…..The next chapter is from Emily’s perspective, at first i found her to be interesting, further along in the story she’s a bit annoying and you just want to knock her in the head and say pay attention!!!!
So several perspectives are throughout the story, the woman in the shed, Emily, Aidan’s daughter—Cecelia. I mean i see some of the complaints written on the second perspective point of view from the storyline. I reviewed mainly off the story kept my interest, I wanted to keep reading and enjoyed the story throughout!!

Thanks to Netgalley for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4.5
Pub Date: 6/20/23

[potential spoilers ahead]

“Rachel” has been held captive for the last five years in a shed by a nameless man. They have a frequent routine, which is thrown off by the death of the man’s wife. The man & his 13-year-old daughter is having to move, & “Rachel” is going with them as a “friend of a friend” who is “subletting a room.” She starts to become close to the man’s daughter & forms a plan for both of them to escape.

Cecilia is grieving the loss of her mother & the loss of her childhood home, & now a strange woman is moving in with her & her dad. She starts to warm up to Rachel & begins to see her as an ally, especially when she doesn’t have any friends or any opportunity to leave the house. Her dad loves her & does nice things for people, so she does what she can to make things easier for him.

Emily looks forward to Tuesdays & Thursdays at the restaurant bar, because Aiden Thomas always comes in for a Cherry Coke. She’s had a crush on him since she was a teenager & knows his reputation as a wholesome family man & the town’s handyman. They’ve had this silent routine down, but things get spicy between them after he randomly takes one of the bar's coasters.

The Quiet Tenant was ultimately about survival with a new take on the serial killer narrative. Through these main POVs, the author creates an amazing juxtaposition of the same man & does a great job of using second person in Rachel’s chapters to show her dissociation.
Though the synopsis mentions “bonds between those women that give them the strength to fight back,” I didn’t feel like that was the driving force for any of the characters’ actions, especially for Emily, who was clueless the entire time. I was honestly annoyed at how obsessed Emily was with Aiden, & the lengths she went to to become “closer” to him. I understand & appreciate that we needed to see his appeal in the “real world,” but Emily’s infatuation went a bit too far for me.

I do wish there would have been more of a focus on the aftermath from Rachel's perspective, rather than Emily's, as we were along for more of Rachel's journey than Emily's, & it was a bit more compelling & traumatic.

I LOVED the short chapters, & I was constantly on the edge of my seat. It was unputdownable, fresh, dark, & disturbing.

“Everyone has had an aid in Thomas story “mine happened at 13” this is the one of the first things the bartender Emily says when her POV starts. She is in love with Eathan but Eathan has a secret. He has a woman who he’s forced to call herself Rachel and her name is accompanied with the speech saying that he found her he saved her life ET see. He also has a daughter Cecelia it’s to be honest I found her POB‘s pointless. That wasn’t the only thing I didn’t like about this book I found the writing was over the top like the example I gave at the beginning of this review also more than once the kidnapped “Rachel“ could’ve got away but chose not to. This sounded like it was going to be an awesome read but unfortunately with the over the top writing the 13-year-old Emily having a crush on a grown man who fixed her dad‘s freezer seemed a bit much in the fact that the only happiness she got was the two times he came in to the restaurant to get a cherry Coke and she was the owner of the spaghetti restaurant and the bartender… I mean I guess stranger things have happened but if your restaurant is doing that good why can’t you hire a bartender I don’t know that it’s just a minor point but something that irritated me and add it to the “Are you serious” vibe of the book. We also get POBs from his victims that didn’t get to liv in his house for years I just think it could’ve been so much better andit really makes me sad that this book turned out to be a disappointment as it was one of my most anticipated books of the summer but you win some you lose some and it wasn’t all bad because I didn’t finish it but could’ve been so much better. I received this book from NetGalley please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

The Quiet Tenant was a slow burn that never really had a major climax or twist but that didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying it. There were moments of perfect tension throughout and I thought the multiple POV were done well. I enjoyed hearing, albeit briefly, from the other victims of the serial killer, I thought that was pretty clever. The audio was so well done, each character done by someone different which added to the overall effect and the ending was also really satisfactory so I can’t help but recommend this one if you don’t mind a slow burn.