Thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. I heard about this debut from @crimebythebook on Instagram, and I was intrigued by the synopsis: Upstanding community man is really a serial killer and kidnapper. He has kept a woman in the shed for 5 years, but when his wife dies, he and his 13-year-old daughter are forced to move, so he brings the woman with him. Told from the perspectives of the woman, the daughter, and a woman in the community with a crush on him, and interspersed with a POV of each of the women he has killed. I was drawn in immediately by this book, and the short chapters helped the pages to turn fast. The writing was compelling and the story was unique. This is a slow-burn, complex psychological thriller, and I am still thinking of these characters. This was a 4.5 star read for me!

Thank you to the tagged publisher & @netgalley for my #gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review!


✨𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐈 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤?

This was just OKAY for me. I did enjoy how dark, sinister, and claustrophobic this book was, and the premise of the story was great. What compelled me to want to pick this book up is the cover itself, as it is so eerie, spooky, and really grabbed my attention! After reading the synopsis I was even more intrigued and knew I had to get my hands on this one! Unfortunately, for me, this was about all that was enjoyable in this book.

✨𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤?

The lack of mystery, as we knew from the start what the premise is about. Also, this one is told from second-person POV, which annoyed me. I will say that I felt like not much happened in this book, and there was no real twists or excitement to keep me fully engaged. It definitely lacked the mystery, suspense, twists, and thrills for me. At times I even struggled to continue on as it was pretty slow and lacked any sort of climax. The ending was pretty disappointing as well and left me feeling very underwhelmed and with more questions than answers.

✨𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤?

If you enjoy a unique psychological thriller give this a try, just know that there is a definite lack of ’thrills’ and ’twists’ throughout this one before diving in, that way you are not left disappointed like I was.



𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:
⭐️⭐️⭐️3/5

I was excited to read this one, based on what I had been hearing about it. It was enjoyable, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. The premise was an interesting one—a woman (named Rachel) is kidnapped and held hostage for five years in a backyard shed by serial killer Aidan, an “ordinary father in a small town”. When his wife dies and he has to move to a new house with his daughter Cecilia, he moves Rachel into his house. The ensuring story is told in second person POV which was a bold choice, and I’m not sure how I feel about it still. The chapters are told in the perspective of Rachel, Cecilia, Emily (a bartender that has a bizarre crush on Aidan) and the other women he killed. Overall I enjoyed the story, but felt the addition of Emily’s part unnecessary. If you can get past the second person POV, it’s a solid thriller. 3.5 stars

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher of this book for providing me with an early copy of the book to review! Before requesting this book, I read through many of the polarizing reviews on GoodReads. Ultimately, I decided that the premise of the book was interesting enough for me to give it a shot. And, I’m certainly glad that I did. I would classify this book as the perfect, easy to read, summer book. It’s an easy read that kept me engaged throughout the entire book. In addition to enjoying the book, I thought the premise of the book was unique, following the story of a woman who had been kidnapped and held hostages for an extended period of time.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would give it a solid 4/5 stars.

Aidan Thomas is raising his daughter on his own because his wife has died. He is a devoted father and a beloved figure in his community. However, unbeknownst to anyone — including his wife while she was alive, his daughter, and the townspeople — he is a serial killer. Although a serial killer living a seemingly normal life is not a unique premise, using three POVs to tell his story (the woman whom he has captured but not yet killed (Rachel), his13-year-old daughter Cecelia, and his new girlfriend Emily) certainly is. This rather distinctive way of getting into Aidan’s mind and moving the plot along makes for a great read! The Quiet Tenant is a real page-turner, and I definitely look forward to reading more from this author.

This immersive story focuses on a woman who has been held captive by a man for five years. I was on the edge of my seat as she contemplates how and when (and if) she should attempt escape.

❤️I absolutely could not put this down! (I had to obviously, but I could have easily read it in one or two sittings.)

⚠️I'm really not a fan of stories involving serial killers, and I was unsure about how I'd feel about this one. However, killings aren't the main focus here, and it doesn’t contain the graphic, gory detail that I tend to steer clear of.

Thank you to Knopf and @NetGalley for my ARC!

The name he gives her is Rachel. She has been held captive and abused by a serial killer for five years in this story that is mostly told from the POV of his victims. Before “Rachel” and after taking her, he has killed. Aidan Thomas is a quiet, beloved lineman/handyman; he helps people out all the time. His wife has recently died and he is left to take care of his daughter, Cecilia. A forced move results in “Rachel” having to meet and spend time with Cecilia even while she is still a captive. Emily is a local restaurant owner who develops a strong crush on Aidan. Will she spoil Aidan’s secret? Chapters are also from the POV of Cecilia and Emily.

I have a policy that I will not DNF a novel, no matter how much I want to. I will stick with it to the end in the hopes of finding some redeeming quality and sometimes I am pleasantly surprised. Although the last roughly quarter of the novel picked up for me, I found most of it unpleasant. The author presents the serial killer and the main victim from a unique perspective and the reader learns more about the inner workings of Rachel’s mind and her adaptation to the situation than the psyche of a serial killer. I found humanizing this monster very disturbing.

While this was an uncomfortable read for me, there are many who will find it compelling. And I do credit it with its unique perspective.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
3 lukewarm stars
I really thought I was going to give this 5 stars. It started out strong, I loved the writing style, and couldn't wait to find out what happened next. Then, it just kind of....deflated. Turns out, there was no suspense at all. I'm not sure I would even categorize it as mystery. The ending was very underwhelming. We never find out why he did what he did. We never find out who the other women were. I suppose "the woman in the shed" or "in the house" was a victim of Stockholm syndrome, but that option is never introduced either, so you really wonder why she stayed when she had chances to escape. I hesitate to give this more than 2 stars but, like I said, I did enjoy the beginning and the writing itself..

It was a little slow getting into at first but I really loved this book! I felt a little like Emily sometimes. I knew Aidan was a bad man but at the same time I couldn’t help rooting for him. He was so beloved, but also evil. I’m glad Rachel/May finally got away but I couldn’t help get pissed at her for waiting for Cecelia. She would've been ok if Rachel had just left when she wanted to. Great book, can’t wait to buy a physical copy!

This is a psychological thriller. Aiden is a kidnapper and a serial killer. He has killed many women but one of them, he keeps for over 5 years. This is mostly her story.

Many thanks to Net Galley for a copy of The Quiet Tenant for an honest review.

A lot of people found this to be toooo slow of a slow burn, but that wasn't the case for me. I'm a sucker for multiple POV's. I just love hearing a story through different experiences; in this case, mainly through the thoughts of the kidnapping victim, the girlfriend (wannabe gf really), and the daughter of the pillar of the community (surprise, surprise, isn't that always the case)/a fucking psycho serial killer.

While the writing isn't top tier literary material, I think the author does just fine at telling a compelling and fascinating story. That's good enough for me.

Emily, the girlfriend(-ish, kinda, sorta, not really) character is definitely the most annoying POV- she's irritatingly naive, immature, unlikable, stupid- which would totally be understandable if she had a backstory to explain why she sucks so much, but there just isn't one. Also, she sucks extra lots because she's a creep, like obsessed stalker weird.

Aiden's character is pretty 2-dimensional- he's the reliable dad/husband/neighbor/etc. of the year that would drop everything to help someone in his community. But really, he's just a sad, pathetic, loser man who needs to have control over the women in his life. Gross. Rachel's POV stirred all the emotions-having to read her thought process, her rules, playing to his wants as a means of a survival tactic.

I read this in two sittings, it was hard not to finish it in one! Also, I think this will attract a wide variety of readers :)

Book Title: The Quiet Tenant
Author: Clemence Michallon
Publisher: Knoph Pantheon Vintage and Anchor, Knoph Publishing Groups
Genre: Fiction/Drama
Pub Date: June 20, 2023
My Rating: 3.4 Stars
Pages: 320

Aidan Thomas is a broken hearted widower, a loving father and a serial killer who murdered eight women and has one earmarked for death.

Story is told from the POV of ~
Cecilia- his thirteen year old daughter who has no idea that he is a killer
The Girl in the Shed -now The Woman in the house – he named her Rachel having no idea of her real name. She is the one surviving kidnapped victim and has been chained for five years and Emily - a restaurant owner who is infatuated with Aidan.

When Aidan's wife dies, he and daughter Cecilia have to move as the medical expenses are so great. Aidan is everyone’s favorite handyman an ‘all around good guy’ so a ‘Go Fund Me Account to set up to help him.
Aidan, of course, is concern about moving Rachel. He tells his daughter that she is a "family friend" who needs a place to stay.
Rachel has been held in captivity for five years and isn’t afraid of Aidan perhaps ‘Stockholm syndrome’? She knows what to expect. However, once moved to the new place, she thinks perhaps Cecilia might help her and tries to form a relationship. Next we have Emily who just might help.

This story is listed as
ThrillerFictionMystery ThrillerMysteryHorrorSuspensePsychological Thriller
Hmm I am a big mystery fan and love to trying to figure out whodunit in this case we know immediately. I would describe the genre as Adult Fiction/Drama. Doesn’t mean it is good just not what I was expecting.

Want to thank NetGalley and Knoph Publishing Groups for granted me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 20, 2023.

This book had me SWEATING! I was screaming at the book at the end and I’m not ashamed lol this was an amazing read! And just bravo! 👏🏻👏🏻 this is being released next month and it’s going to be a must read this summer! READ THIS!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. I'm going out on a limb and saying that this book about a woman trapped by a serial killer will likely be my favourite book of the year! I couldn't put it down. Do yourself a favour and read this book. I also love that the author is bilingual and writes in both French and English - how cool, I'll have to check out her French stuff now too.

🤫🔑The Quiet Tenant🔑🤫

✍️: Clemence Michallon
✨:⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖: E-book from @netgalley on my kindle
🗓️: June 20th, 2023

✨my thoughts✨
This was a nice, quick thriller. We have a serial killer and his prisoner of 5 years. This sounded right up my alley and it was good and quick, it held my attention! But in the end I wanted so much more out of it. The whole book I was holding my breath for something to happen and then when it happens… it’s just over. I was hoping for a twist or something I didn’t see coming! I had all kinds of theories and in the end I felt like nothing really happened. This book touches a bit on Stockholm syndrome, the main character was someone I was hopelessly rooting for and simultaneously screaming at her decisions. Was it my favorite thriller? Nope! but was it entertaining and did I fly through it? Absolutely yes! Would recommend if you like multiple POV’s, serial killer vibes, or if you’re a fan of the show You.

What’s your fave thriller??

Phenomenal debut thriller! Haunting, tense and dark, the short chapters switching between several different POVs sucked me in and wouldn't let me go! I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and was even more impressed when I got to the end and realized that the author's first language is French, but she chose to write this novel in English.

A very slow burn, not as dark as I thought it would be…. The last 30% picks up and I really enjoyed. Overall a very good story.

What a fabulous high-paced debut by Clémence Michallon. I devoured this book in three days time. The story is about a kidnapper/serial killer, Aidan, and the points of view of three women in his life, his daughter, a stolen woman, and one who is melting at the seams for the alluring newly widowed town hero. Also, it sneaks in some *spoiler* chapters.

The novel is well written and definitely falls into the psych/thriller trope. It has tinges of physical abuse, mental abuse, and suspense. I would not classify this as a horror, as it does not contain gore, but you truly feel for the female main character. A lot of her personal decisions are agonizing and you just want to reach your hands into the pages to help her on more than once occasion. She's sharp, alert, but it really makes you question, what would you do in her situation?

The one gripe I had about the novel was the lack of motives. How did Aidan choose his victims and what happened to those who he previously murdered? Why was Rachel a different piece of the puzzle and why did she not fit into Aidan's designed plan?

Overall, the book is amazingly detailed enough so that I can feel myself in a scene with Rachel. Aidan was a sick individual who made choices which I am unaware of, but was also the town's hero. It really makes you question who may be the tenant next door.

Recently widowed, Aiden is now taxed with raising his thirteen year-old daughter Cecelia after the unexpected death of his wife.
He's a soft-spoken gentleman that will always go out of his way to help anyone. The town adores him! But like they say, if someone or something appears too good to be true.... However. this was not the expected thriller/suspense novel that I thought I would be reading. 'The Quiet Tenant' read more like a women's filled drama, with one good looking man at the center of all the drama. There was no mystery or suspense in this book whatsoever.
We have alternating chapters throughout this story, all told in the voices of "The girl in the shed", Emily, and Cecilia.
The girl in the shed has been held captive for five years, and is transported to live in the house with our serial killer and his daughter. Now, I know I would not know what I would do if I was in her shoes, but I kept thinking she should move quicker than what she does. Cecilia is the 13 year old daughter of the serial killer, and honestly there's not much that goes on with her. Emily- now this is where the eye-rolls came in. Emily thought she was the serial killer's girlfriend, so she basically decided to stalk him. She was a bit creepy in my opinion. I feel she made some strange decisions as a woman (things I would never think to do). And then we have our handsome blue-eyed serial killer, Aiden. But even after finishing this read, I was left with so many questions: Why did he let her live when all the others died?
What were the things Cecilia had never told anyone but wanted to tell Rachel, though never did? When did Aidan turn to murder...had he always been a killer?
I liked this read. But I never felt the deep emotional connection I expected

A new take on the serial killer thriller/mystery, this book is told from the point of view of three women in the killer's life: his daughter, a new love interest, and his captive. The story mostly focuses on "Rachel," the woman he didn't kill, but instead chose to keep. This book isn't as fast-paced as most thrillers, but we get more insight into the psyches of the captor and captive. Readers of thrillers and police procedurals may enjoy it.