This book was ridiculous The writing style was strange and bizarre. I pretty much skimmed the last half of it. I am shocked that this book has already been optioned for a feature film. Who knows maybe the film will be better than the novel, but I'm amazed at all the glowing reviews. This book insulted my intelligence. It was dumb, campy, and redundant. Stay far away from this novel.

When Winifred arrives as the new perfect governess, the new masters of the house seem a little… off. Maybe a little too obsessed with anatomy. Followed by meeting the servants, awkward moments, and just a curious comment of eating the children. Is it all imagination or is this the reality?

I liked the moments the author broke the third wall- letting the unreliable narrator of Winifred share her humor with the reader. Every tiny thing is written in detail but perhaps, a little too much. At times, the writer was trying to think for the reader, which isn’t always my favorite. Even though this is considered fast pace, the story felt slow but perhaps that had more to do with not a lot happening in the progress.

As a novella, this felt accomplished. I struggle with endings in some novellas, when it seems like an unfinished story but didn’t get that from this one. There’s some unexpected, if chaotic, humor at the end and I would have liked if it had been more throughout the story. It’s a fitting title.

I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have received an advanced copy of Victorian Psycho from the author, NetGalley and W.W. Norton! 🫶

“It is early fall, the cold is beginning to descend, and in three months everyone in this house will be dead.”

Victorian Psycho had me hooked from the moment I read the first line in the story! 🖤 I immediately was intrigued and just had to find out more. It also is one of the craziest and wildest stories I have ever read! 🙀🙀 Winnifred Notty appears to be the perfect governess when she shows up to the governess for the Pound family. However, appearances are not as they seem and Winnifred is no Mary Poppins. She’s been through so much trauma in her life from when she was a child and she has a major dark side to her that’s clawing its way to make its appearance as she slowly descends into madness. Definitely be sure to check out the trigger warnings for this story before reading because this story is not for the faint-of-heart! ⚠️ If you love gothic horror, an antiheroine FMC, Coraline and Tim Burton vibes, and American Psycho vibes then be sure to check out this book!

"They won't like me, I think. They must like me. They will remember me."

Delightfully dark and deliciously upsetting - this book points out the absurdity of inviting someone into your life to rear and care for your children, sleep under your roof with unlocked doors and unconscious souls, to dine at your table and live under your watchful gaze. Do you really know who you bring into your house?

Winnifred is the new governess invited into the Pounds house. She is to watch after 2 children - the younger male heir, and the older teen daughter. She is excited and awed to be here.

But this story is dark quick. I devoured it, shaking my head in surprise as Fred's darkness unfurls and we see who she really is. There is a definite shift in the last 10%, as we rush to the final shocking conclusion. I am sad that I missed this author's previous work - I will definitely be reading more!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Victorian Psycho is what happens when gothic fiction and psychological thrillers have a slightly unhinged, overly dramatic love child. The premise is fantastic—Victorian-era intrigue, psychological unraveling, and plenty of eerie atmosphere. Virginia Fieto clearly knows how to set a scene.

Some plot points felt like they needed a bit more meat on their bones, and the prose, while beautifully descriptive, occasionally bordered on “Okay, we get it, the candlelight is flickering ominously.”

Overall I had a great time. If you love gothic vibes, psychological turmoil, and violent outbursts then this is for you.

An interesting riff on subversive Victorian feminist literature, if a bit too sensational for my taste.

I really loved Virginia Feito’s Mrs March, which is the same style of story but benefitted greatly from a far lighter touch. I think it’s tough to make spree killing funny, which is why I struggled a bit more with this one.

It’s not that some of the humor isn’t good (I did laugh out loud at the horrible dinner guests “There’s a chimney sweep stuck in our chimney!”), but that the gleeful murder spree at the end felt like a bit much and really could have used a bit of subtlety and discernment on the part of the killer.

To Feito’s credit, there’s no confusion about the farcical nature of this. She’s taken a picture she out of the Bret Easton Ellis playbook (if that wasn’t already obvious from the title) and gone with the sensory overload, pure sensationalism approach. Not my personal preference, as gore for gore’s sake never works for me even if it’s clearly somewhat tongue in cheek, as is the case here.

This was very short, and I think that was a good call given the material, and the writing is certainly sharp. I preferred Mrs March significantly over this one, but it’s also worth a read.

This was the longest 200 page book I have ever read in my life. I fell asleep several times reading this. I found it so hard to care about what was happening because the pacing was so slow. You’re never given much time to emotionally invest in any characters because there is no development for any of them. It takes a while to get to a lot of the gore and the really creepy content. There’s not as much of it all throughout the book as I expected there to be it’s mostly towards the end. The one thing I did like is that it’s written as if the narrator is speaking directly to the reader. Also, given that the narrator is completely unreliable you’re left to wonder a bit if what they say is happening is actually what is going on.

A brilliant novel that is diabolical, creepy, and will leave you guessing what you just read. Beware of who you hire to take care of your children. You might end up with a lot of regrets.

The Pounds family are all terrible people. Notty's observations are quite funny and also disturbing. The first strange sentence I read, I had to pause and reread. Yep, that says what I thought it said...the further I read, the more curious I became. What the heck is going on with this woman?
I couldn't help but to read sentences aloud to my husband because they were terrible, but yet so nonchalant. I couldn't help but laugh throughout...(what does that say about me I wonder?).
There were a couple of twists that threw me for a loop. Just a lot of really unexpected scenes.
This was a fun read and the novella size was perfect!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for an early copy of this book!

I enjoyed #VictorianPsycho a lot. It was as funny as it was depraved. A typical novel about a governess is turned upside down into twisted revenge. Feito's keen use of imagery was as excellent as it was disgusting in parts. 4.5 stars. I rounded up.

"It is early fall, the cold is beginning to descend, and in three months everyone in this house will be dead."

Winifred Notty has just arrived at Ensor House to serve as the governess for the Pounds' family. She has searched for a long time to find the Pounds family. While passing the days tutoring the Pounds children, Drusilla and Andrew, Winifred tries to keep her violent imagination in check. She finds the children entitled and stupid, but she must continue and have patience. Christmas is coming and she has a very special gift planned for all those at Ensor House.

This book was my ideal horror - I love the gothic, Victorian vibes and the callous and dark humor of the main character. It was a quick read (208 pages) filled with devious humor and gore. The inner dialogue of Winifred is purely psychopathic and shocking but in the best way. If you don't like gore, then this one is not for you. The writing style is a little different but played to the thought process of the main character perfectly. You start to lose what is real or imagination as Winifred holds back her inner desires. This was a fun dark comedy horror following a woman seeking vengeance.

Thank you Netgalley and W. W. Norton & Company, Liveright for the ARC for review!

3.75 stars

How is one to possibly resist this horrifying cover and this amazing title?

As one might expect from that aforementioned title, this book features an aptly named Victorian psycho. Winifred is a governess, but she is no Jane Eyre. This character has a lot of thoughts and feelings - and participates in specific actions - that any typical person would consider utterly disturbing. While I'm grateful I won't ever interface with her in life, I'm thrilled I got to spend some time in her absolutely warped mind. This is all made even more appealing by the fantastic setting: GREAT sense of time and place here.

This is not a read for the delicate, but if there's a little darkness in you, you, too, may enjoy getting it out in a safe, vicarious manner!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: What a wild ride. I would have never requested or picked this book up if a friend didn't encourage me too and I'm not really sure why that is. I loved this. If you have read the book Maeve Fly, you will enjoy this. If you are a fan of any of the following please consider picking this up.

*murderous women
* revenge
* dark humor and satire

Things to be aware of, there is extensive animal harm, body horror, very dark themes and gore. The author uses those moments to form characters and aspects of the story, it did not feel tasteless. The ending was like a set of fireworks, it was amazing. And the very last line is one you won't forget. I highly recommended this just make sure you've considered what I warned about above.

I enjoyed this book so much! I loved Mrs March when it came out but this book felt completely different. Darker, creepy, wholly enjoyable

Nope. I tried. I tried again. Then I gave up. I appreciate a good horror novel and I'm not adverse to a bit of gore but this just went too far for me, Interesting concept but it just wasn't my cup of tea and I DNF. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Winifred Notty is the new governess at the Ensor home to two children Drusilla and Andrew. She comes with a purpose to destroy the family by all means necessary. It's so weird to say I had a good time reading this one. There's babies being murdered! I should not have had a good time, but the author did an amazing job at combining the eerie gothic setting with one of humor & satire.

When they say psycho, they mean psycho! Certainly dark, eerie, and creepy, we follow Miss Notty who experiences an extreme devolution in psyche and carries out the ultimate revenge. I enjoyed how the plot and pacing of the story followed where the character was at, the longer the story goes on the more devolved she becomes. The discussion of inherent evil and darkness in unlikeable and disturbed female characters is something this does really well. The tone of the writing was so unique and combined horror and dry sarcasm that made for a fun reading experience. Definitely not for everyone, but if you like a kooky crazy woman who is not afraid to get her hands dirty, Miss Notty might be right for you!

Thank you to W.W Norton and Company and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy in Exchange for an honest review

This was a wild ride from page one and I loved every second of it!

Victorian Psycho is dark and disgusting in all of the best ways. The book explores human depravity with incredible irony and humor, and the pace makes it impossible to put down. The setting of a spooky, sprawling mansion is perfect, too. Feito's use of imagery and description is masterful and makes this an immersive read.

Plus: feminine rage and Christmas??? This hits it all.

I am a little conflicted on how I feel about this one. On one hand, I loved the obvious ties to American Psycho with a female protagonist wrecking just pure chaos on a family estate. I laughed out loud several times at some clever quips delivered in just a super unique name. But for some reason, I remained a little removed from this story and I had to force myself to pick it up. When I did, I was glad, but I felt disconnected from the story. I am not sure if it is because the clearly major divide of the MC or the setting but I wished I had that drive a little more.

Winifred Notty is one of the most deliciously wicked characters I’ve encountered. Dry, witty and unabashedly evil, she delights in sharing her tale.

I enjoyed this a great deal. Highly recommended.