After the first few pages, I was hooked.
I barely put the book down until the end. Talk about a scary and disturbing ride! A serial killer decides to keep one of his victims alive, and this is her story. I didn't mind the various viewpoints from different characters in this book. What matters is, how can she survive? Although not much detail is given to the serial killer elements, the psychological cat-and-mouse game between the imprisoned victim and her jailer is well done. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Unbelievably great writing. Great storytelling. Each chapter increases your fear bit by bit until by the last quarter of the book you're kinda freaking out.

I think just about every woman has experienced a man who gave you the creeps yet you couldn't quite say why. Someone who looks good on the outside but your instinct says don't trust. Don't touch. Don't be alone with. The ones who don't listen to that instinct are his prey.

This is cleverly told from three different aspects: a dead victim, a live victim, and a daughter victim. The daughter is a different kind of victim than the other two.

I literally cannot wait for a second book by this author. And a third and a fourth. I was extremely disappointed to find out that there was not a backlog of books of hers for me to hunt down.

This is a new voice and one that is loud. Ten stars.

Wow what can I say about this book? A true thriller that had me on edge until the last page. A tale of a serial killer from the perspective of his victims and daughter was like nothing I’ve ever read and amazing done.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This is honestly one of the better thrillers I have read as of late, I was hooked right off the bat! I found this book to very well-written and easy to keep up with. As a true crime junkie, reading through this just gave me so many flashes of real life stories. Makes you think that how you really don't know anyone truly beyond what they present to the world. Definitely had my blood pumping a few times during some tense moments. I'd give it a 4.25

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for this incredible advanced reader copy that would not let me put it down this week! What a story. Who is Aidan and why does Emily find him so appealing. Aidan’s deep, dark secrets will leave you astonished and angry, Will the woman get away and his secrets spill out? Read and uncover this shocking ending to a story that hooks you from the first paragraph.

The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon is a thrill ride that grabbed me from the beginning and never let go until the very end! A story following a serial killer told in varying point of views - his victims, his love interest, his daughter, and the one woman he took and kept alive, it’s like nothing I’ve ever read. The character building was outstanding and every word was so descriptive that I felt like I was part of the story. I was on the edge of my seat through the entirety of the book and filled every pocket of free time reading it until I was done. I’m truly astounded that this was Michallon’s debut novel. Her writing is simply amazing. I highly recommend this book! Thank you so much to NetGalley and the Publisher for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is my favorite of the year so far!!

WOAH!
When you start this intense, heart stopping story, there is a very real possibility that you will not be able to quit reading it!
It demands your attention even when you try to put the book down!
There is horror, abuse and psychological trauma as a serial killer takes a victim and keeps her on his property. for years.
She is there for many years while losing her identity and life she once had.
She can only wonder when it will be over?
The drama plays out as this serial killer is the one person that nobody in the town would ever imagine and people respect and truly like.
The novel is detailed and is told by three main people alternating chapters.
It is very well done!
Read it and make sure you keep the lights on!!

Thank you to @NetGalley and to @Knoop,Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for this ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review!
Ten scary stars!!!

Pub date: 6/20/23
Genre: thriller, mystery
Quick summary: Aidan is beloved by his community, but he's really a kidnapper and a serial killer. THE QUIET TENANT tells the stories of women he's victimized, despite his attempts to silence them.

If this description sounds like NOTES ON AN EXECUTION, you're not wrong. But don't worry, this book is different from last year's buzzy serial killer novel. THE QUIET TENANT is a much faster read that keeps you on the edge of your seat, whereas NOAE was more of a character study. But it's not a horror story - Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily bring humanity and light to the book.

I read this one on a plane and couldn't turn the pages fast enough. It's a strong 4 star read for me (the ending could have been a bit stronger), and I recommend it to readers who like their thrillers a little different than the usual domestic suspense.

Thank you to Knopf for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I didn’t love “The Quiet Tenant.” Yes, the writing is competent. But too many elements of the story strained credulity. I just didn’t buy it.

It’s the story of serial killer Aidan Thomas told from the points of view of some 11 different women: Cecilia (his daughter), Emily (a woman bartender infatuated with him), Rachel (a woman he kidnapped five years ago and has kept prisoner ever since), and the eight women he has murdered. A majority of the novel is told by Rachel, the kidnap victim in the second person (e.g., You walk into a room. You sit in the chair. You stare at the TV., etc., etc.).

But Rachel has too many chances to escape for me to believe the story. I realize there’s such a thing as “Stockholm Syndrome,” but her reasons for staying rather than running away, for me, didn’t hang together. This made it tough for me to care about the character, what happened to her, or whether or not she managed to escape. And the device of having her tell her story in the second person seemed more gimmicky than revealing or necessary. After a while, it simply became annoying.

Having Aidan’s now-dead victims write short descriptions of their encounters with him, for me, added nothing to the story and further negatively impacted its credibility.

I also found the story too long (probably by a quarter) and that it dragged in places.

I'm giving this two-and-half stars rounded up to three because the prose is competently handled.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an electronic ARC. The foregoing is my honest, independent opinion.

This book really had me turning pages to find out what was happening. It was quite disturbing and even more so written in second person. That took a bit of an adjustment to get used to. I found the ending a bit underwhelming and quick. Would have liked so more info on the daughter. Kept alluding to her secrets and trauma and did not delve into it especially at the end of the book.

The Quiet Tenant is a debut thriller by Clémence Michallon and it is a hit. When I started this novel, I immediately had to know how it was going to end. I dreaded having to stop reading it when I needed to go to work and it kept me up late at night. I was entrapped in the story of the Quiet Tenant. I was not disappointed when I quickly reached the end.
The story centers around three woman who are involved in a serial killer's life, the captive, the daughter, and the admirer. It is told from the point of view if each of these, with it mainly centering on the life of the captive. The plot is fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat. The only negative I saw was that there were a few details that didn't make sense, like the captive never having to pee or the daughter never talking or spending time with friends. I also questioned why the wife never knew about the shed because I'm a wife and I'd want to know about every inch of my property. However, despite that I found the story to be worth the read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

4.5
What a great, immersive thriller! Immersive because one of the POV's is written in second person and YOU are that person. YOU are the person that is locked up and held captive. It was so personal because the book was talking to YOU. Such an interesting way to read!

Let's back up. What do you need to know about if you want to read this book? Well, that cover is a good leader into the plot. You were kidnapped and have been held captive for years at the behest of a man who visits you and keeps you handcuffed at all times. There's a lot that goes through your head as your will slowly declines. Opportunities to change your fate arise, but the mind is a tricky thing. You allow them to pass....will you ever escape?

But there's more to the story. There are other points of view. Some of them are other women who met your captor and are no longer, you are the lucky one....?

While this plot is sinister, evil, and heartbreaking, the topic itself is handled well. I was never scared, never grossed out, bad things happened but in a very closed door way. You know what's happening, but it's handled in a sensitive way.

Why not a full 5 stars? There were a few plot holes or incomplete ideas that weren't fully formed. Some points of unbelievability. But all in all, a great read! A very bingey debut by French author Clemence Michallon I look forward to what she offers us next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the advance e-copy of this book.

I loved this page turner!! I can't even find the smallest thing to nit pick about. Okay, I can, I wanted to have more of an epilogue, maybe a sequel??

I don't want to give anything away, but this story is told by multiple viewpoints, present day as well as from various times in the past. Make sure you read the headers for each new chapter so you know who is talking.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel. I enjoyed it very much.

*Thank you to @NetGalley and Knopf Publishing Group for the advanced ecopy of this book. Publication date 6/20/23 *

WOW! I don't want to risk spoiling a thing, but I could not put this book down. An interesting POV, using second person, made the narrative very compelling. It was also interesting to find out that this is Clemence Michallon's first book in English (as opposed to her native French. As with all Mystery/Thrillers, this may contain triggers for some people so please do your research before reading.

4.5 stars (due to the difficult subject matter)

Incredible narrative from the point of view of a kidnapped woman that has been held in a limbo existence for 5 years. Her captor is a man above reproach in his community, who saves his brutal side for her. She is not his first victim, nor his last. The story is actually the narrative of all the women he has victimized, although no-one else's suffering has lasted as long as Rachel/May. He assigns her a new identity and takes her with him when his wife dies and he moves with his daughter to a new home in a small town, Her situation is precarious, always a step away from death in one direction and escape in the other. Her strength and methods of coping are inspirational. She is a character that sticks with you as she finds a way to persevere through everything thrown at her. This is a gripping tale that seizes you and holds you captive til the end ... see what I did there?

This book was just ok. I don’t know what all the hype is about because it’s just your average thriller. Would recommend but not outstanding.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely
tore through this one - it’s brilliant -
couldn’t put it down.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


I write haiku reviews on Instagram but am happy to provide more feedback!

I really enjoyed this book. Although the story line was a bit drawn out and the ending was rushed. Overall I liked and would recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this. After a few books putting me in a slump this one kept me on edge.

There are some unnecessary parts, but that seems to happen in almost all thrillers.

For the author's first time writing a book in English I think she did rather well!

First off, thank you to @netgalley for providing me this ARC and I’m voluntarily leaving my review!

Alrighty, so for this one I’m going with 3 stars. The premise of this sounded super intriguing; about a serial killer narrated by those closest to him which included his 13-year old daughter, his girlfriend, and the one victim who he has spared. Aidan Thomas seems like a great father, and everyone in town seems to love him, but he has a dark secret that he’s been keeping from everyone; he’s a kidnapper and serial killer. This book is supposed to talk about the psychological impact of these crimes against women that he’s committed and the bonds these women shared. I enjoyed the book, but I was expecting a lot more with this and I felt like I had many unanswered questions. The ending also felt super rushed to me and there’s a lot of things that I would have wanted some further explanation on. Overall, not a bad read, I was just a little disappointed