I would like to thank NetGalley and Knopf for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

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Aidan Thomas isn’t just a newly widowed father who is a popular figure in his hometown, he’s also a kidnapper and serial killer. This story is told by Rachel, the woman he has had imprisoned in his shed for five years; Emily, his current love interest; and Cecilia, his teenage daughter.

This book is intense. It reminded me of Room (the movie, I haven’t read the book) in some ways. It’s somehow both a slow burn and a very powerful page turner. Toward the end, I couldn’t have stopped reading if my house had been on fire. Put this one on your list, and read it as soon as possible.

Reading the summary of this novel does it no justice. This is a very dark murder and even psychological thriller. The chapter titles are great and you really want to pay attention to them throughout. This book teaches you how strong a completely defeated person can still be. It also shows how you never truly know who a person is. Aidan is the guy everyone around town loves and he loves to help others when needed. Though he has several dark secrets that no one would have guessed not even his own family. Then there is the woman in a shed and then so many other places who just wants to survive. I highly recommend this book if you like a twisted mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the digital ARC of ”The Quiet Tenant” in exchange for my honest opinion.
This book was a dark thriller that left me questioning whether I wanted to leave my house again. Unfortunately we learn that monsters like Aidan often hide in plain sight within our communities. The plot moved at a good pace and really picked up speed in the last 100 pages. I was left wondering how Aidan’s daughter Cecilia was not more suspicious of Rachel’s presence in the home and never questioned why she only came down with her father for meals and never left the house. Kids that age tend to question everything. I would also have liked chapters from Aidan’s point of view to just gain understanding of the why behind his behavior. I would recommend this for those who like this genre.

I’m sure you’ve seen this cover floating all over bookstagram, and I’m not entirely sure what else I can add to the on-going buzz. The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon definitely deserves all of the hype and attention that it’s been receiving, that’s for sure. But sadly, it wasn’t a five star read for me. I must say that my expectations were extremely high. I was expecting a masterpiece, but wasn’t overly wowed, unfortunately. So, how would I best describe this book? I’d call it a dark, twisty, slow-burning character study on one individual told through the eyes of three different people in his life. Oh, and did I mention that the individual is a serial killer? Eeek! The plot is very unique and told in the most intriguing way. Michallon definitely gets bonus points for creativity and execution. I’ll absolutely read this author again, no doubt about it. My biggest complaint is that it wasn’t as thrilling, suspenseful, or horrifying as I was expecting it to be. I found it pretty tame, actually. Did I want more blood, guts, and gore? Yeah, maybe a little. I wanted to be creeped out and scared shitless, but sadly wasn’t. If you enjoyed Room by Emma Donoghue or The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean, you’ll definitely want to check this one out. With all that said, it’s definitely a book that I’d recommend reading—for the uniqueness alone. I honestly haven’t read anything like it before. The Quiet Tenant is available now, and it gets 4/5 stars from me!

I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. With all the rave reviews for this I was expecting an excellent read. The book was fine. It held my interest but honestly this was another book that just was lack luster in the end. The whole story seemed to build to where we would get a banger of an ending or some big plot twist. That never happens. It’s all just very straight forward and never gets your pulse racing or you turning the pages furiously.

I enjoyed this debut thriller for its dark and suspenseful atmosphere and complex plot. Three different narrators explore every facet of this eerie story in gritty terrifying detail.

Michallon takes an everyday man, a good Samaritan by all accounts, and gives him a dark and sinister soul; one that preys on women in the worst way. The depth of depravity he hides is captured beautifully by the narrative of Rachel, his captive but the true deception is captured by others around him; the ones that see him as the ‘good guy’ he presents. Truly chilling.

I kept waiting for a chapter from Aidan but soon realized his actions spoke louder than any words or inner thoughts could.

Definitely a page-turner and one I’m recommending to my friends/followers. I’ll be looking for more from this author in the future.

My thanks to @PenguinRandomHouse & @AAKnopf for this gifted copy.

It took me a little bit to really get into this one, but I will say that I was pleasantly surprised. At about 100 pages in I found myself reading every chance I could get because I wanted to find out what happened. I really enjoyed the writing style of this novel!

This was just ok. It didn’t really feel like a thriller to me. More like general fiction with a bit of mystery. I think I just expected more.

Utterly fascinating. I was quickly drawn into the world of the woman in the shed, watching her survive everything that was being done to her was fascinating. I didn't really like Emily, I thought she was a weaker character and some of her early chapters read as very juvenile. But as the story moved along and she became more entangled in the plot her chapters improved.
The ending had me on the edge of my seat for multiple chapter waiting to see if all the women were going to survive. And the way everything was wrapped up at the end was good. It wasn't all neatly tied up with a bow, which would have been too perfect for the this story. But instead it was left a little open and messy, yet all the important questions were answered.
I really enjoyed this.

I'm really glad I waited to rate this book. When I finished I kind of thought...well, that was ok. However, I haven't stopped thinking about this book. And with most thrillers, I enjoy them and devour them pretty quickly, but this slow-burn is still resonating with me.

Chilling and haunting, and it totally reminded me of Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugard. I recommend.

The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michallon

Aidan Thomas is a well-respected and hard-working man in his hometown. But no one knows that he has a very dark secret; he’s a kidnapper and a serial killer. He has murdered 8 women total and has a 9th (Emily) he’s planning for but there’s also Rachel – who he imprisoned in his backyard shed. When Aidan’s wife dies, he is forced to move with his 13-year old daughter Cecilia. Aidan moves in Rachel into their new house as a “tenant”, he figures after 5 years of captivity, Rachel is too brainwashed to escape but things don’t go as planned.

I was not prepared for how creepy this book was in the best way possible! We go through multiple points of view; Rachel, Cecilia and Emily. Mostly the chapters alternate between Rachel and Emily. The contrast of their feelings for Aidan was beautiful written. Have you ever watched a scary movie and you’re yelling at the main character to NOT GO INTO THE HOUSE?! That was me with Emily’s chapters. Overall, it was an unique, creepy, and a thrilling book and I hope you love it!

A great thriller debut by Clémence Michallon that would be right up the alley for fellow fans of “airport novel thrillers” such as Gone Girl and The Girl on a Train. A small sleepy town crime thriller with elements of psychological drama, Focusing the multi-narrative structure on the victims was an interesting touch, but one you need to settle into when you first begin reading. Giving the women a voice and female gaze against the male antagonist certainly brings different layers to the unraveling tension and plot, but I do feel like the story runs out of steam halfway through. The Quiet Tenant plays out similarly to a season of You, but if it were with a female lead (and not a likable psycho like Love lol). Definitely a solid recommendation for fans of the genre and any of the titles I mentioned within my blurb.

FANCAST:

Director: Jane Campion/David Fincher
Aiden Thomas: Jake Gyllenhaal/Oliver Jackson Cohen/Chris Abbott/Lee Pace
Emily: Daisy Edgar Jones
“Rachel”: Elizabeth Olsen/Riley Keough
Cecilia Thomas: Ariana Greenblatt/Violet McGraw
Mayor: Jonathan Banks/Clark Peters

"I have to move," he says. Again, you must ask: "What?" A vein pulses at the back of his forehead. You have annoyed him.
"To a new house."
"Why?"
He frowns. Opens his mouth as if to say something, then thinks better of it. Not tonight. You make sure his gaze catches yours on his way out. You want him to drink in your confusion, all the questions left unaddressed. You want him to feel the satisfaction of leaving you hanging.
Rule number one of staying alive in the shed: He always wins. For five years, you have made sure of it.

"Rachel" is who she is supposed to be. But it isn't who she is. He took her and recreated her to who he wanted. She is a prisoner. She never knows when he'll tire of keeping her alive.

He is so well liked and admired in the community. A father. A widower. A serial killer - but there is only one person alive who knows that part.

This is a great story - very creepy and keeps you on your toes!

The serial killer version of the room. This one follows three woman who's lives are intertwined with Aiden a well liked family man beloved in his small town who happens to be a serial killer. The daughter, the girlfriend, and the current woman that he decided to hold captive for 5 years instead of killing her like the others. Dark/twisty sign me up.

This one started slow but the premise had me intrigued and it finally started to pick up the pace about 1/3 of the way in. More psychological than thriller as this was a slow burn.

I loved how this was told from three female perspectives without a goddamn peep from the rapey/kidnappy/murdery dude. I agree with some of the negative reviewers in that the prose was a bit overwrought, but it somehow still worked for me, and I thought the story was fast-paced and upsetting in all the ways I enjoy. This was a strong debut, and I will happily read anything else Michallon writes. Also, this needs to be made into a movie, immediately.

To his whole community, Aidan Thomas is a highly respected citizen. He’s a dad and recent widower. He helps others regularly. You couldn’t ask for a better person to live in your town.

To the woman who has been held captive for five years in a shed at the far back of his property, Aidan is a monster. He keeps her handcuffed and rapes her every night. He’s done all he can to make her submissive to his will, including insisting she use a name he chose for her.

“Rachel” also knows he is a serial killer. For some reason, he hasn’t killed her yet. So she holds on to a glimmer of hope that someday she will break free.

When he is forced to move out of his longtime home with that shed, Aidan takes Rachel with him to his new rental home. He puts her in a bedroom and tells his teen daughter, Cecilia, that Rachel is a family friend who needs a place to stay.

Life has now changed dramatically. It may be almost time for Rachel to find freedom.

The Quiet Tenant switches viewpoints between Rachel, a woman in town named Emily who falls for Aidan, and Cecilia. As the story progresses, bonds form between them in different ways, and Aidan’s carefully curated life veers toward toppling.

This book slowly builds suspense as readers wonder how/if Rachel will escape. But it’s not just a story of suspense; it’s an exploration of the effects of trauma on the women in the story. Each has been hurt in different ways. Each has an opportunity to find inner strength and reclaim who she is. Like its namesake, the book is often quiet, even as the tension ratchets up a bit at a time. I was definitely curious about how things would play out, but I wanted just as much to know how these women would survive what they went through.

A gripping book.

I found The Quiet Tenant to be a story that really pulled me in,and had me rooting for the characters until the finish. The author made an interesting choice to use three points of view to describe our killer and kidnapper at the center of the story: his daughter, his prisoner, and a girl who wants to date him. Plus past victims make occasional and brief appearances. Reading other reviews, this didn't work for some, but I found it a really inventive and interesting take on a story that has been told before in a different form.

Rachel is Aiden's only victim who has survived, and it's been for five years. He's killed others, but he has kept her alive to continually abuse nightly. Rachel has learned to totally subjugate herself in order to stay alive. In the later part of the book when Rachel is given ample opportunities to run, it is hard to understand why she wouldn't, but I think the author did a pretty credible job of getting into her head and explaining why she was terrified to do anything other than what has been working to keep her alive for five years.

The woman at the bar whose name escapes me was annoying, but I've known women like her in my life, sadly. They are willing to do anything and change anything about themselves in order to draw a man's attention. She was aggravating but her character was well drawn out and explained.

Lastly, the daughter who had zero suspicions about her father, was used partially to explain how Aiden passed notice as a serial killer and appeared to be a nice guy to those around him.

I like original ideas and I felt this debut author took some chances and put a new spin on what could have been a familiar story.

Thanks to NetGalley, Clemence Michellan and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A few of my friends read this and told me how fantastic it was and boy were they right. The dynamic between Aiden, Rachel, Emily and Cecelia was great. At first I struggled a little with Rachel and Aiden's 'relationship', especially when they moved and he allowed her to be part of the family in small ways. Thankfully Cecelia helped Rachel realize that she was a human and not just a thing for Aiden to play with.

It was more than a little scary to realize how someone could portray themselves as one thing but had such a dark secret. A fast paced thriller that I couldn't stop reading.

I am telling everyone I know to read this book. A story of a serial killer told from the perspective of the women in his life, his captive, his daughter, his chosen next victim, and the woman he has already killed.

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. One of my best thriller reads for 2023 so far! This was everything I love in a thriller dark, sinister, disturbing characters I was completely hooked from the first page and I still cannot stop thinking about it days after finishing it. I was drawn to its unconventional premise, the double life of Aidan our serial killer had me captivated and wondering just how it was all going to end. The story revolves around four key characters: Rachel, a kidnapping survivor who endured five years of captivity, presumed dead, abandoned, neglected, and forgotten. She's not the first victim of the serial killer Aiden Thomas, but she's the only one who managed to escape. Aiden is a cunning, manipulative, and highly dangerous chameleon who disguises himself as a decent human being—a grieving man, a devoted father, and a broken-hearted widower. His 12-year-old daughter, Cecilia, remains blissfully unaware of her father's true identity, hidden behind his flawless facade. She is innocent and unsuspecting. When circumstances compel Aiden and Cecilia to move to a new residence, he convinces Rachel to accompany them, presenting her as an old friend and a quiet tenant to his daughter. Rachel, in order to survive, must follow Aidens rules while seeking a way to establish a connection with Cecilia and help her escape. The fourth character, Emily, she is in love with Aiden and thinks he is the nicest man on earth and just perfect for her. Aiden manipulates and gaslights her, skillfully controlling her like a puppet master as Emily becomes increasingly obsessed with him with each passing chapter. This was a well paced thriller that had me so wrapped up in it it was all I could think about when I wasn't reading it. To describe it as an addictive psychological thriller read is simply not enough but its all I have. #thequiettenant #clemencemichallon #netgalley #tea_sipping_bookworm #goodreads #thriller #getlitsy #thestorygraph #bookqueen #bookstagram