One of the most intense, unsettling, page turning, edge of my seat books that I've read this year.
I was so invested in the outcome of the story that I wanted to keep reading even when I needed to go to sleep
Definitely a "one more chapter and then I'll put it down "type of book.
Great debut novel and I look forward to the her next book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

This was horrible. This was painful to read and finish honestly. I'm giving it two stars versus one, because I did finish it and actually wanted to see how it ended. But man, reading this book made me beyond frustrated. Like throw my Kindle across the room, blood pressure elevated, this is so dumb frustration.

Okay so the synopsis, we have a serial killer, who kidnaps a woman and forces her to live in his shed for five years while his family is unaware of her existence the entire time. He unexpectedly has to move to where she is now being held captive inside his home with him and his daughter.

This may be a spoiler for some if you still want to pick this book up, but I feel I need to explain my frustration so just a heads up. "Rachel" had multiple opportunities when she could have escaped or told someone she was being held hostage and she didn't!! I understand Stolkhom syndrome. I understand being scared out of your mind or being so messed up you can't fathom leaving somewhere you've been held forcefully for five years. But what in the world?! Get out! Instead she stays with him for whatever reason. Dumb.

Also, I did not care for the writing style this author chose. It was too choppy and didn't flow. I could understand maybe the chapters of the other women he was killing being choppy to give you that disoriented, ramp up the suspense feeling. But not for the entire book.

I should have went with my initial gut instinct and DNF this book the first time "Rachel" missed her chance to escape. I honestly was hoping she would take the next chance and then she didn't. This was just a bad book and I can't recommend anyone reading it.


**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

I thought this book was a little difficult to get into and that some of the wording was confusing. Afterwards I read that English was the authors second language and that made sense. The story started out a little slowly for me but about a quarter of the way in I could not put it down. Excellent storyline and characters I cared about. I would recommend this story.

This was a compelling read and I ended up staying up very late reading it to finish! I would definitely recommend if you are interested in the premise.

Wow, the hype for this debut psychological thriller truly is warranted!! For fans of Room, this story features a serial killer and the women in his life - his daughter who he loves devotedly, his girlfriend AND the one victim he's spared for some reason and keeps locked up in his house. Told through alternating POVs this one will have you on the edge of your seat right to the pulse-pounding ending!! Great on audio too with a full cast of narrators. MANY thanks to NetGalley for an e-arc and @prhaudio for the complimentary June ALC in exchange for my honest review!

This is, without a doubt, the best book I've read this year. I couldn't put it down - the tension was insane. It made me love and hate all the right people. I really liked the structure, and the use of the second person really added to the namelessness of the main character. Very clever. I would be keen to read more by this author, and I'm very grateful that I got to read this via Netgalley. An absolute MUST read! Especially if you liked Room, Into the Darkest Corner, Girl on the Train etc.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC of this thriller. I wasn't the biggest fan of the writing style. The short sentences, multiple POVs, and the plot was unbelievable. I can't explain without spoilers, but I just didn't get what our MC was thinking. It was hard to finish, but I did it! I did have to skim towards the end to get through the extra words and cliches.

This was really good besides me not liking books written in second person. Going behind the brain of a serial killer always makes an interesting read. And hearing the point of views from people directly involved with a serial killer even better.

The premise of the Tenant was great, and it hit the mark 60% of the time! I thought the second-person point of view was a unique touch for Rachel — a woman who had been held captive for five years. It makes sense that a person experiencing that much trauma would dissociate in some ways. I also thought the small town setting where everyone thought Aidan was the world’s nicest guy helped to solidify how good he was at hiding his true nature. Finally, the last half of the novel kept me on the edge of my seat and literally had my heart racing at times.

However, there were two major issues with the story. First, the story was a slow burn. Nothing really happened in the first half of the novel, and I had to keep pushing myself to read through it. I also disliked the characters. I was frustrated with all of them at times, but Emily was by far the worst. She didn’t seem to have a true purpose in the story and her erratic behavior was just weird. Overall, if you are looking for a fresh take on the serial killer thriller, The Tenant is worth checking out.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5 stars)

4.5 ⭐️

Firstly, super impressed that the authors first language is French and she wrote the entire book in English!

Now, let’s get to it!

The premise of this book centered around a well loved, always willing to help the community, loving husband/father who has a dark secret. He was a serial killer who stalked his victims and saved mementos. But kept one of his victims alive and imprisoned.

I loved that the story took you through the different perspectives of the women; the victims, the love interest/potential next victim and the daughter.

There were so many moments of this book that captures the epitome of a great thriller. The writing was done so well that you could envision the scenery and the emotions of the character. There were moments of “oh no! And crap! Or please don’t let this be her end. Oh thank god! Why would you do that! And oh no, again!”

I think the aspect that I enjoyed the most was the point of view of the “woman in the shed”. The author did a great job of displaying the inner turmoil and emotions that this character felt. The sadness, fear, empathy, protective and the rage.

I’m looking forward to another book by this author!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf publishing group for the ARC!”

I loved this book! What an amazing debut! It had me on the edge of my sea, so intense, my stomach in knots. I felt like I was in the story, living it. I can't wait for more books by this author! Thank you so much for the opportunity ton read this book!

4.5 stars

Synopsis: A story of a serial killer as told through the POVs of the women who are closest to him, including the woman currently held captive, his daughter, and his current love interest.

Thoughts: This debut was a slow burn with a persistent sense of tension. I would not necessarily call this a page turner; however, I found that I was pulled to keep going, curious as to how it would all unfold. The audiobook has a full cast, which really enhanced the experience. Rather than a sensationalized captivity story, it is clear the author strove for a more authentic and realistic portrayal of trauma, manipulation, and survival, which I appreciated.

Read if you like:
-Notes on an Execution
-Room
-Multiple POVs
-Stories about serial killers and captivity

This book 😍

Have you ever put a book down, thinking it wasn’t for you, started to get curious about it again, read it, finished it, and rated it 5 stars?

The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon was that type of book for me.

I will say that Rachel’s point of view is told in 2nd person and that was hard for me and why I initially put the book down. However, as I got more involved in the story it stopped bothering me and just kind of fit.

This thriller was scary and tense but also got to the core of these characters and I really liked that. It wasn’t just a cookie-cutter thriller, while those are fun, this book went a bit deeper. 5 stars!!!

Aiden Thomas appears to be a hard working man who is devoted to his daughter and ailing wife. But appearances can be deceiving, especially in this case. For five years Aiden has held a woman hostage in his shed. He is a kidnapper and a serial killer who usually disposes of his victims in a short period of time. For whatever reason, Aiden has kept this woman (who he calls Rachel) alive. When his wife dies, Aiden and his daughter Cecilia are forced to move to a new place and oddly he decides to bring Rachel with him under the guise of a family friend/tenant. Meanwhile, a local restaurant owner named Emily has developed a crush on Aiden who seems to reciprocate her feelings. But does she have any idea what she is getting into? Will Emily become his next victim? This novel is told in three different voices; Rachel, Cecilia and Emily. As the story escalates, it’s a race against time for Rachel who is forging a bond with Cecilia and who has been made aware of Emily. She struggles to find a way to escape, but also to keep the other two safe. This was such a great read! I absolutely devoured this novel! 5 solid stars from me!

The Quiet Tenant is such a unique book. The story turns the classic serial killer thriller on its head by decentering the male villain and letting the women surrounding him tell their stories. Aidan Thomas is a beloved widower in his small upstate NY town where he lives with his thirteen year old daughter, Cecelia….and the woman he is holding captive in his spare bedroom. But holding women captive may not be the only secret penchant Aidan holds. This book is told through the eyes of the captive woman, Cecelia, Aidan’s love interest, and Aidan’s past victims. The fully female perspective of every aspect of this story is deliciously different than any thriller novel I’ve ever read. I especially appreciated how the horror of the captive woman’s situation was adequately and heartbreakingly conveyed without gratuitous descriptions of sexual violence. Both a pulse-pounding thriller and an interesting perspective on the female experience and true crime I absolutely could not put this book down. The Quiet Tenant is an amazing English language and thriller debut by Clemence Michallon. Her writing is crisp and succinct but also brimming with heart and perfectly vivid settings. I cannot wait to read more of her work. Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

A unputdownable, page turning thriller, that is realistic enough to keep you up at night! A serial killer by night, a loving member of the community by day, with qualities that we’ve seen on true crime netflix documentaries. Seeing the perspective of his victims and his hostage, was just the right balance to keep the reader invested!

3.75
I think this might suffer from being marketed strangely. It's label as a thriller and there are definitely some messed up and thriller-y things happening. But it reads more of a sort of literary character study in this specific scenario. It reminded me a bit of Notes on an Execution. The reader also doesn't get many answers as to why the man has killed who he kills, nor is there ever a question of a who he is. I could see this being frustrating, because he is who the lives and perspectives of these women revolves around. Still, though, this isn't his story. It's about the women. There's alterations between first and second perspectives, which I also really liked. This book places the reader in the place of the victim(s). An interesting choice and one that I think payed off. I just went into it expecting a thriller and came out with something that was kind, but mostly wasn't.

This book is everything I love in a thriller. If it’s not already on your TBR— add it now.

This book grabbed me from the first chapter, and I could not put it down. I devoured it in two days. I HAD to know what was going to happen. The tension was written so incredibly well, and I loved all the POV’s and how they worked together to tell the whole story.

Read this if you like…
- absolute page turners
- domestic thrillers
- psychological thrillers
- multi-POV’s
- if you liked ‘Room’

This is a debut from @clemencemichallon, and I think it goes without saying, I’ll be reading whatever she comes up with next! Is this one on your radar? I think it’s the perfect summer thriller and could be this year’s ‘Hidden Pictures.’

Fantastic! Atmospheric. Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Multiple povs- the woman in the shed, the man that keeps her there, the man's teenage daughter and the woman who is meant to be his next victim. Looking forward to the next book this author writes!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Woof. This is more of a 3.5 stars for me, but I rounded up because of the really cool premise and execution. Points docked for stilted writing style and a middle that could use some tightening up. The lead character is the quiet tenant, a woman who was kidnapped by someone who we discover has definitely done this before. The twist: he has a young daughter who knows a woman is living in their house but doesn't suspect that she's being held against her well. Fascinating psychological study, told with lots of tension/suspense.