Kate has finally decided to pursue her dreams, leaving her old life behind, enrolling in music college, and moving into a new home. Her landlady, Amy seems nice although over time Kate begins to feel a bit stifled by the attention from her. As things in Kate's life begin to spiral out of control, she wonders what is wrong with her, or if it could be caused by the room she is in, or even Amy. Kate must investigate to find out what is really going on... and what she finds is truly a nightmare.

A brilliant book that keeps you turning the pages. Thrilling and tense, with a good set of characters and story. The ending is great! Recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS

Kate has moved across the country, abandoning her steady job to pursue her dream of music. She takes a room with Amy, a protective and caring landlady.

At first, Kate is grateful to have a friend, but Amy's presence becomes more and more stifling. Then, as Kate's life starts to spiral downwards, she begins to doubt whether Amy is really a friend after all.

The core plot of The Tenant is simple yet effective; the idea of one not being comfortable or safe in their own home is deeply unsettling and is the antithesis of the values a home is supposed to represent.

Whilst the basic premise is effective, the detail of how it is fleshed out is where the first hurdle comes.

Kate is pressured into taking diazepam by Amy. This kind of thing does happen, and it isn't unheard of for people to share prescription medications, especially for that sort of thing. The issue comes from the fact that Kate is a librarian - not a profession known for its three day ragers and cocaine off the reshelving trollies. Further, when it is established that Kate is taking these pills, the next time it is explicitly mentioned is referring to her as addicted to them. Not impossible but it's a big leap to suddenly have with nothing ramping substance abuse issues up.

The climax of the book all happens within the last 50 or so pages, and as a person who reads blurbs, I knew something was going to happen, I just wasn't sure what. So when things started to become a little more clear, it was not difficult to connect the dots. I wish the tension was there for longer, as it feels like there's an absolutely massive (90% or so of the book) buildup for a disappointingly brief climax.

Some of the language Lester chooses is also slightly odd - two instances that spring to mind are Kate saying "I'm not at ease" rather than "I'm not comfortable" or "I'm uncomfortable", and "I too had things to be getting on with". Whilst both are perfectly correct, it isn't a way it speaking I come across often so it acts as a minor stumbling block in the flow of the page. It almost makes me think that Lester is American; especially when you consider the fact that there are some Americanisms in the text - for example the antidepressant 'Seroxat' rather than the generic paroxetine that would be prescribed in the UK. Of course, there's nothing wrong with a US writer writing books set in the UK, but you would expect them to know something as fundamentally British as the healthcare system being totally unlike that of America, surely?

The biggest hurdle for me is the clear breach of professional boundaries between Philip, Clara and Kate. It feels almost alien that teaching faculty socialise with undergraduate students and invite them to parties in their homes. I didn't study music so I have no idea what it's like in that field, but in my precious humanities that would be very unusual - and somewhat suspect.

The book also has a selection of minor typographical errors, particularly missing punctuation. But who isn't guilty of that. It doesn't - to me at least - detract from the story so it's not something that bothers me, but I thought it worth mentioning in case it bothers someone else.

In summary, I would not recommend The Tenant to people who are serious thriller readers, but I would recommend it to people who like to dip their toe into other things. It isn't Shakespeare, but I don't think it's trying to be either. My gran would probably quite like it, but that isn't exactly high praise.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗸𝘂𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄.

Enjpyed this book, Interesting twist at the end, perhaps could have been introduced a little sooner and expanded on!

An enjoyable psychological thriller that kept my attention throughout, although I don't know how much I'll remember about it in a few weeks. So good for entertainment value but not a story that is highly original or innovative.

I did enjoy this book to a degree, but i found the plot a bit predictable. The way the characters behaved was a bit predictable too.

Intense psychological thriller which kept me entranced the whole way through and held my attention throughout x

Huge amount of thanks to NetGalley and inkubator for an advanced copy of this book!
Kate is starting over and following her dream of becoming a music teacher. She finds a room in a home owned by Amy, who will be her landlord. Amy is strict. Amy is forward. Amy is weird.
As Kate settles into her new life, Amy becomes a constant presence. When Kate starts to experience frightening blackouts, she wonders if actions from her past are rearing their ugly heads. Although she tries to keep going with her new path in life, she has several setbacks and Amy is always there to lend a helping hand. As she searches for answers, she finds much more than she bargained for.
This was a pretty good thriller. It was a little predictable, but it held my interest. Publication day is May 8th

Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the eARC.
This was a slightly creepy book that definitely held my attention. At first I felt sorry for the protagonist; she wanted a new start, having.left behind a difficult situation. She rents a room with a woman in an old dilapidated house and from the first you feel uneasy with her landlady. On top of her nervousness going back to college to study music, having to perform on the piano in front of an audience turns her into a bundle of nerves. She starts drinking and things turn worse. By that time I got irritated with her naivety and knew things would come to an ugly head. There are a few inconsistencies in the story, but other than that it was a good, suspenseful story.

Lots of sweet tea, getting drenched in the rain and shoddy memory, that is The Tenant in a nutshell!

I was torn on how to review this book, so I had to settle for 2.5 stars rounded up.
It only took me a day to get through it, so it was keeping me company and I truly enjoyed the author's writing. However, I felt like the substance of the plot and the strength of the characters was somewhat lacklustre.

I kept guessing throughout what could be the 'twist' and my guess was not correct! So, it was fun to see what the ending brought.

This was my first book from Angela Lester, but I feel like I might give it another try and read another book of hers if she comes out with a new one :)

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

Misery type thriller that examines an intimate living relationship between a tenant and landlord. I was on the edge of my seat with this thriller. There’s something about a story that takes place in an area where you’re supposed to be safe that makes it even more sinister. I highly recommend this read!

I read this in one afternoon. I enjoyed it. The plot had the thrills but wasn't overly complicated and for this type of book that is always a winning formula.