
Member Reviews

Can you imagine being held captive for over 5 years? In this novel, you are introduced to Aidan and Rachel, and their lives as both captor and captured. I found the book very interesting, yet a little unbelieve a few times. I thought it was well written and you will definitely feel for the characters. You will be yelling at the book, but all the while not wanting to put it down

My first thought on beginning this book was, “Oh, great. Another crime against women story.” But that isn’t all this is. And I am here for this.
Aidan is that guy. Nice. Helpful. A killer with a girl in the shed. Waiting to die. But this girl is different. She is determined to get out of this alive and after five long years, she may get a chance.
When Aidan’s wife dies, he and his daughter must move. He really takes Rachel along. Telling his daughter she is a friend of the family who needs a place to stay.
Rachel has convinced him that she is too afraid to even try and escape. And that may be her saving grace. As she gets closer to the daughter, another player enters. Emily has a crush on Aidan, but she has no idea what he is.
This story is told from the viewpoints of Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily, this looks at the psychological impact of what he has done to these women and how they bond together to find the strength to fight back.
A pretty great story for a debut!
NetGalley/ June 20, 2023, Knopf

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars
Aidan seems like the nice local family guy who helps out his neighbors. He’s been hiding the fact that he has been keeping “Rachel” locked in a shed on his property for five years plus other crimes.
I liked how each chapter was titled.
Solid debut by the author.

This was a unique book, and I commend Michallon for writing in English rather than her native French.
The Quiet Tenant is the story of a serial killer told from three points of view: his captive victim, his teenage daughter, and the woman he is seeing. He goes about his daily life as an upstanding citizen of the town, while the three women lead more tortured lives.
This story is described as a "pulse pounding psychological thriller", but I did not find it to be thrilling, nor did it get into the real psychological aspects of a killer a la Notes on an Execution. The first few chapters are engaging, but then it becomes very slow. Most chapters are told by the victim, simply detailing the mundane daily life of someone held captive. They are also written in second-person POV, which can feel very clumsy to read. All character's chapters are very rote, lacking in the interiority and emotionality that brings characters to life. There were parts of this story that were too convenient (why would a successful and calculated serial killer leave a spare key under the pot by the door!?), and the ending was rushed and unsatisfying.
This is an interesting concept, and I will be curious to see what Michallon does next!
Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, NetGalley, and Clemence Michallon for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Such a good read - I really enjoyed this book. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

This was one of those books that you keep promising yourself "one more chapter then bed" and before you know it 2 more hours have passed. I really enjoyed the different POV's. Will definetly be suggesting this.

This was a great book until the end. Ninety percent was focused on ‘the kidnapped Rachel’s’ struggles living with Aiden, and then with his daughter while she plotted her escape. Nothing at the end about Aiden’s arrest, conviction? A few lines about a confession..Noth8ng about Rachel’s reunification with her family. For someone who was missing for over five years, her reappearance was given short shrift.

The Quiet Tenant was an intense read! From beginning to end, I was invested in finding out how it would wrap up, and hoped each character would get exactly what you know they deserve as you’re reading. It’s heart-breaking, anxiety-building, and suspenseful wrapped into one really well written and thought out story. This is one of those reads that offers plenty to talk about in book clubs and would make one hell of a movie!

Having read so many books with this type of subject matter, I was blown away by the originality of The Quiet Tenant. I find it hard to believe that this was a debut. I'm grateful I read it on my Kindle and was able to highlight especially well written passages.
I enjoyed that it was written in the perspective of so many victims. It added dimension to the story without disrupting the tension. I also enjoyed the chapter titles and the themes of identity and survival that run through the storyline.
I would 100% recommend this book to friends and patrons and am excited to see what Michallon comes up with next!

The Quiet Tenant is a five-star book from start to finish. I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. The book is written from the characters' points of view about a serial killer who has hidden his true identity. He has the respect of his community and is able to fly under the radar for a very long time until his latest victim finds the strength and courage to fight her way out of his clutches. I could not put this book down until I had read all of it. It is that good! A great debut for this author. I am looking forward to reading more of her books.

I really enjoyed this book. A dark thriller that rally draws you in. Good strong characters. I really liked how the book was laid out with chapters with different perspectives from the different characters . One that's worth a read

𝑵𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚, 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚, 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒕.
I was really surprised to see the mixed review of this one, but this title worked for me. This book is about Aidan, a serial killer who has murdered eight women, but he is shoved to the background; instead, he comes to life through the narration of three important women in his life--his daughter, the woman he's currently seeing, and the woman he has locked in the shed. When Aidan's wife dies and her parents say he can no longer live in the house, he is forced to move and figure out what to do with Rachel, his prisoner.
The victim's second person narration was jarring and unsettling at first, but it really allowed readers, especially the female ones, to put themselves in this scenario. The narration also created distance between the victim and what was happening to her, like she was seeing these horrific events occur to someone else.
This was a tense, thrilling exploration into both trauma and survival and a chilling reminder that we can never truly know anyone. Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the early read. THE QUIET TENANT will publish June 20, 2023.

Who doesn’t love a thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat? With every chapter you learn more and more of the inner workings of a man who had a secret life where he loves to kill and abuse women… but what made Rachel’s life different that she was spared and held captive while he put on the perfect life in public? So twisted but loved how each chapter was a different person, perspective and allowed you to see how different the situation was in other eyes.

YES YES YES!!!! I LOVED this book!!! Easily will be one of my favorite books of the year! It was gripping, left me holding my breath after each chapter, and was so visual. I felt like I was in the room with all of the characters, watching every scene play out. I LOVE a good serial killer story and this one checked all of the boxes.

I just finished reading this amazing thriller and I have to say, it was insane! It starts off slow, but builds up to become an intense, multi-layered, and absolutely petrifying read that I found impossible to put down.
The story follows Aidan, a well-respected single father who everyone loves in the community. But he has a secret, and he gets away with his extracurricular activities thanks to his position in society. Then there's the mysterious woman who needs to remain hidden and involved with Aidan's life without being discovered.
On the other hand, Emily, the owner of the local restaurant, just wants to be the center of someone's world and finds someone to love. But the question remains: is it safe for her?
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers. Trust me, it's a rollercoaster of emotions that will keep you on edge until the very end. Don't walk, run to get your hands on this one!

I received an ARC of this book from net galley and am SO thankful I did. This was such a wild ride. It was frustrating, heart breaking, anxiety inducing and exciting. I could not put it down. I was rooting for the main character, screaming at her and crying with her. I loved the different POV’s that both helped uncover other parts of the story as well as keep you guessing as to where it’s going next. And the ending tied everything up with a sweet little bow. I loved this so much, exactly what I needed to get me excited to read some more. This one released on June 20 and I cannot recommend checking it out highly enough!!

THE QUIET TENANT is, by far, the most meticulously written book I've read in a long time. It is a quietly terrifying tale of the man, Aidan Thomas, presented from three vastly different points of view. First is the woman; she just wants to live. Second, there is Emily who only sees the skin-deep beauty he wants the world to notice. Finally, there is Cecelia, his thirteen-year-old daughter who is inwardly rebellious and outwardly compliant. The three perspectives present the man as he truly is.
Clémence Michallon has written a tale that begs to be read reflectively. It is not a page-turner as such, yet it is difficult to put down. I always tried to stop reading at the end of a chapter so as to ponder the significance of what I had just read. THE QUIET TENANT is a psychological thriller that is both captivating and horrifying as the psyches of the three narrators is laid bare.
It would be a crime to reveal any more of the story than I already have. THE QUIET TENANT is a book to savor… word by word, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph. It is a book to take to your favorite reading nook, with a cup of your favorite hot beverage, to explore the several sides of Aiden Thomas.

My favorite book of the year so far. This was original, engrossing and kept me at the edge of my seat, especially the last few chapters. It centers around a serial killer who disguises himself so thoroughly not a single person suspects what lurks beneath. He is a single father recently widowed, but also a predator who picks and hunts women with a ferocious intensity. Then by sheer luck he decides to keep one of his prey and renames her Rachel. But this woman has honed her will to survive learning what to say and do to keep herself alive.

This was a ok book. It was gripping from the beginning, with the back and forth between POVs. However, the ending was predictable and the book didn’t leave me wanting more. Some twists and turns would have made this more exciting.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy. Wow! This debut book is shockingly good. I couldn’t put it down. I have read this similar premise before, but somehow she made it new and fresh from the various perspectives. I truly did not know how the ending would come together, but it did and I liked it. I am looking forward to next book from this author.