One of the first horror books I read. I am scarred for life... in a good way! The intimacy of a nanny and the innocence of children wrapped up in a torturous tale... nightmare and could not stop reading!

This was fantastic!!!

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read it.

This was horror at its finest. It was so gory and revengeful. A young girl comes and is the caretaker for two awful kids. She is getting closer to the family to uncover a secret and she is out for revenge.

This was a perfect blend of goth, gore, and just a girl on a rampage.

4.5 stars!!!

Short and (not so) sweet; but with a major bite! This horror book is FUN and definitely doesn't take itself seriously. The story is told through the "psycho" herself, who, in my mind, seems to have a sick sense of humor... and then some.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy of this book that I have been anticipating to read! My review is my own and unbiased. I'm looking forward to see how this author matures with her writing.

For whatever reason, I've really been struggling with reading lately. Too much to do, not enough time, not enough attention span... this cured that.

The inspiration from American Psycho is obvious, but not in a bad way. This is a quick, punchy read that doesn't let up from the very first page and keeps you hooked. Definitely not as violent as the inspiration, and perhaps a bit more blatantly camp- but again, these aren't negatives, just noted differences.

Enjoyed this so much, I intend to check out the author's other work. Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Victorian Psycho follows the unreliable narrative of a Miss. Notty, a governess, who works for the Pounds. As the story progresses, the depths of Miss Notty's unpredictable and bone-chilling mind come to light as she navigates her role, in the dreary, bleak and gothic atmosphere of Esnor House and its patrons.

As a fan of psychological thrillers and horror, I read this book in a single sitting; it had me captivated from the beginning. This was fresh, unique and nothing like anything I've read before, and would definitely recommend it to those who want to see a descent into madness through the eyes of a woman pushed to ruin.

Thank you to NetGalley and W.W. Norton & Company for a digital advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Links: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213395480-victorian-psycho

Unreal! I was unsure what I was reading the entire novel, and yet I couldn't put it down. Unsure if I liked it or not until the very last page, this book sat with me for weeks after it was done.

Wow! This was.....fun? It feels weird to call something so dark and violent a fun read, but I can't think of a better word to describe it. I loved Victorian Psycho so much, I couldn't put it down once I started. It's definitely not for the faint of heart, some of the descriptions made me a bit queasy! But it is one of a kind and I loved every minute.

Victorian Psycho is absolutely unhinged in the best way possible. I love a good gothic horror book with some gore, female rage, and a dash of dark humor. The prose and imagery is unsettling and vivid yet extremely captivating, making this an excellent quick read. Victorian Psycho is a perfect way to get any reader out of a reading slump!

I received an arc from Netgalley and publisher in return for sharing my review.

For some reason based off of the reviews I thought this would have been wilder.

I will say I loved how unhinged it was, I almost wanted more of that. I sped through it because it was very entertaining, and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

It was delightfully gothic and fast paced, with a charming unhinged women. It's rare I enjoy a women who already unhinged, I usually like to see more of a descent into madness but I liked her. She was weird but fun to read.

What to even say about this one…???

If you like seriously dark humor, a twisted & beyond unhinged FMC, this might be for you!

I’m not even exactly sure how to describe this book. I listened to the audio & that definitely made the story more vivid. It’s pretty short {204 pages} & if you like psychotic {not scary just weird} horror, I’d give it a go!! {read TW though especially if you are sensitive to child unaliving}

I do like dark humor & may have found myself laughing at inappropriate things.

Virginia Feito’s Victorian Psycho is a sly, stylish psychological thriller that creeps under your skin with an elegance befitting its protagonist and a madness that lingers long after the final page. If American Psycho and The Yellow Wallpaper had an unsettlingly well-dressed child raised on manners and martinis, this would be it.

The prose is crisp, almost clipped at times, yet richly atmospheric. Every word is chosen with care and dread. There’s a deliberate vagueness to the time period that enhances the sense of timeless dread, the setting is modern enough to mention telephones, but it’s the kind of world where fur coats and elaborate pastries are still status symbols. That anachronistic tension keeps you slightly unmoored, unsure of exactly where or when you are which is precisely the point.

What makes Victorian Psycho so captivating isn’t just its plot (though the mystery at its core is engaging), but how tightly Feito binds us to Mrs. March’s mind. We are both inside her head and watching her from across the room—intimately close, yet disturbingly distant. Her mental fragmentation is rendered not with melodrama, but with subtle, chilling nuance. One moment you’re laughing at her snobbery, the next you’re watching her grip the edge of reality with white knuckles.

This book may not be for everyone. The pace is deliberate, its horrors more psychological than sensational. But for readers who enjoy unreliable narrators, creeping dread, and character driven suspense, Victorian Psycho is a rare treat. Think Patricia Highsmith with a feminine edge, or Shirley Jackson channeling Hitchcock.

In the end, Victorian Psycho is not just a portrait of madness, it’s a satire of social facades, a critique of patriarchal gaslighting, and a haunting meditation on identity. Virginia Feito has crafted a debut as poised and dangerous as Mrs. March herself.

Thank you to NetGalley, W. W. Norton & Company, and Virginia Feito for the eArc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is pretty wild. Is it set in the Victorian era? Yes. Is it about a psycho? Absolutely yes. This was a bit of a wild ride and extremely bizarre. Not my cup of tea, but as a former Victorianist it did feel very set in its place and time. Would I recommend it? I'm not sure to whom! If you liked Talented Mr. Ripley and really wanted a more obvious psycho killer, well- here you go. It's got great creep factor to it. Everybody is in danger. Is everything real? Maybe, maybe not. But our heroine is one real dark anti-heroine, that's for sure!

*thank you NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest opinion.*

i wasn't particularly a fan of this book. while the premise was intriguing, the execution felt choppy and uneven, which made it pretty hard to stay engaged most of the time. the gruesome descriptions were sometimes intense and made me pull a few faces in disgust—they often felt like they were there more for shock than for substance. overall, the story didn’t flow well for me, and the style left me more disconnected than drawn in.

Okay I loved this creepy little book! It was giving American Psycho, but make it Victorian. It was giving dark and I mean DARK comedy and follows a deranged governess who has come to tutor the two eldest children at a manor house and warns that everyone will be dead by Christmas. Could you therefore call it a Christmas novel? Sure why not 🤔

I would def recommend the audiobook, the narrator did a great job of narrating the manic episodes. And by listening to it you get to question, wait … did she really just say that? As much as the other members of the house did.

Note: It would not be for you if you are triggered by murder and the death of children.

A pretty fun Victorian slasher novel. I recommend it for horror readers that appreciate well crafted characters and have a high tolerance for gore. I would have liked a little more depth, but overall, it had a good twist, excellent stomach-churning descriptions, and I appreciated the interwoven historical fiction elements. This book is worth a look!

As a huge fan of female rage, unhinge characters, and serial killers- to read it in a historical time period is quite fun. It gives a new air of fresh breath to the story. I think what was even better with this were the unexpected few images that were provided in the book as well, I was so delighted to see them.

There were some brief intense moments of violence that slowly build up more and more as you arrive to the dreaded Christmas day. Then how this book ends was absolutely fantastic. Her thoughts of basically showing young girls that they too can kill one day, it is not just a mans world. I did laugh a bit at that.

Side note- I kept picturing the parents in Matilda as Mr. and Mrs. Pounds

I really wanted to like this one, but was left a little disappointing. I did really like the writing style and a lot of the humor, but it felt like it didn’t really go anywhere. Some of the violence was off putting, and it just didn’t really pay off for me. Was still entertaining.

Thank to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book had all the elements I love in horror. Unfortunately it didn't work for me. Which made it harder for me to push through.

Thank you Netgalley for this e-ARC.

This one was hard to rate. Gross and f^cked up is how I would describe it but I also think that's the point? I loved the dark humor but it was hard to be in Winnifreds head because she was such an absolute nutjob. The title was very very appropriately chosen. Reading the feast scene was the first time I have actually gagged reading a book. I don't often re-read books but I think I might have to re-read this and analyze it all again. I did not love this one as much as this authors first novel but would still give it a solid 4 stars.

This book was definitely interesting and the ending was unexpected in a good way. It felt like a short read that kept me gripped to the pages. The horror is described in beautiful prose which doesn’t necessarily make the goriness beautiful, but the way the book is written makes you feel like you’re part of the wealthy Victorian era.