4.5 stars

Synopsis: A story of a serial killer as told through the POVs of the women who are closest to him, including the woman currently held captive, his daughter, and his current love interest.

Thoughts: This debut was a slow burn with a persistent sense of tension. I would not necessarily call this a page turner; however, I found that I was pulled to keep going, curious as to how it would all unfold. The audiobook has a full cast, which really enhanced the experience. Rather than a sensationalized captivity story, it is clear the author strove for a more authentic and realistic portrayal of trauma, manipulation, and survival, which I appreciated.

Read if you like:
-Notes on an Execution
-Room
-Multiple POVs
-Stories about serial killers and captivity

DANGIT. That was something else.

I am so thankful to Netgalley, Clémence Michallon, Knopf Books, and PRH Audio for granting a digital copy and audiobook access to this locked room thriller that had me screaming into my phone, rooting for the MC to ESCAPE. The Quiet Tenant is set to hit shelves on June 20th, and YALL, don't sleep on this one.

Our unnamed MC can't remember much of her life after being abducted, but she does know that her captor, Aiden refers to her as Rachel, and she's just one of several missing and then murdered women. After many escape attempts, she has learned to survive by staying put and abiding by her predator's demands. Her predator, Aiden Thomas, is a recent widower and father of his curious daughter, Cecilia. He is also new to town and flirting with the local bartender, Emily.

One Word... Messy.

We hear from multiple different MCs -- Emily, Cecilia, "Rachel", and the numbered murdered women, all helping to piece together the mystery that is this book.

The Quiet Tenant is basically the love child of My Lovely Bones and Room, because you'll be biting your nails and chewing your lip, hanging on for justice where it's due.

This book 😍

Have you ever put a book down, thinking it wasn’t for you, started to get curious about it again, read it, finished it, and rated it 5 stars?

The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon was that type of book for me.

I will say that Rachel’s point of view is told in 2nd person and that was hard for me and why I initially put the book down. However, as I got more involved in the story it stopped bothering me and just kind of fit.

This thriller was scary and tense but also got to the core of these characters and I really liked that. It wasn’t just a cookie-cutter thriller, while those are fun, this book went a bit deeper. 5 stars!!!

Aiden Thomas appears to be a hard working man who is devoted to his daughter and ailing wife. But appearances can be deceiving, especially in this case. For five years Aiden has held a woman hostage in his shed. He is a kidnapper and a serial killer who usually disposes of his victims in a short period of time. For whatever reason, Aiden has kept this woman (who he calls Rachel) alive. When his wife dies, Aiden and his daughter Cecilia are forced to move to a new place and oddly he decides to bring Rachel with him under the guise of a family friend/tenant. Meanwhile, a local restaurant owner named Emily has developed a crush on Aiden who seems to reciprocate her feelings. But does she have any idea what she is getting into? Will Emily become his next victim? This novel is told in three different voices; Rachel, Cecilia and Emily. As the story escalates, it’s a race against time for Rachel who is forging a bond with Cecilia and who has been made aware of Emily. She struggles to find a way to escape, but also to keep the other two safe. This was such a great read! I absolutely devoured this novel! 5 solid stars from me!

The Quiet Tenant is such a unique book. The story turns the classic serial killer thriller on its head by decentering the male villain and letting the women surrounding him tell their stories. Aidan Thomas is a beloved widower in his small upstate NY town where he lives with his thirteen year old daughter, Cecelia….and the woman he is holding captive in his spare bedroom. But holding women captive may not be the only secret penchant Aidan holds. This book is told through the eyes of the captive woman, Cecelia, Aidan’s love interest, and Aidan’s past victims. The fully female perspective of every aspect of this story is deliciously different than any thriller novel I’ve ever read. I especially appreciated how the horror of the captive woman’s situation was adequately and heartbreakingly conveyed without gratuitous descriptions of sexual violence. Both a pulse-pounding thriller and an interesting perspective on the female experience and true crime I absolutely could not put this book down. The Quiet Tenant is an amazing English language and thriller debut by Clemence Michallon. Her writing is crisp and succinct but also brimming with heart and perfectly vivid settings. I cannot wait to read more of her work. Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

A unputdownable, page turning thriller, that is realistic enough to keep you up at night! A serial killer by night, a loving member of the community by day, with qualities that we’ve seen on true crime netflix documentaries. Seeing the perspective of his victims and his hostage, was just the right balance to keep the reader invested!

3.75
I think this might suffer from being marketed strangely. It's label as a thriller and there are definitely some messed up and thriller-y things happening. But it reads more of a sort of literary character study in this specific scenario. It reminded me a bit of Notes on an Execution. The reader also doesn't get many answers as to why the man has killed who he kills, nor is there ever a question of a who he is. I could see this being frustrating, because he is who the lives and perspectives of these women revolves around. Still, though, this isn't his story. It's about the women. There's alterations between first and second perspectives, which I also really liked. This book places the reader in the place of the victim(s). An interesting choice and one that I think payed off. I just went into it expecting a thriller and came out with something that was kind, but mostly wasn't.

This book is everything I love in a thriller. If it’s not already on your TBR— add it now.

This book grabbed me from the first chapter, and I could not put it down. I devoured it in two days. I HAD to know what was going to happen. The tension was written so incredibly well, and I loved all the POV’s and how they worked together to tell the whole story.

Read this if you like…
- absolute page turners
- domestic thrillers
- psychological thrillers
- multi-POV’s
- if you liked ‘Room’

This is a debut from @clemencemichallon, and I think it goes without saying, I’ll be reading whatever she comes up with next! Is this one on your radar? I think it’s the perfect summer thriller and could be this year’s ‘Hidden Pictures.’

Fantastic! Atmospheric. Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Multiple povs- the woman in the shed, the man that keeps her there, the man's teenage daughter and the woman who is meant to be his next victim. Looking forward to the next book this author writes!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Woof. This is more of a 3.5 stars for me, but I rounded up because of the really cool premise and execution. Points docked for stilted writing style and a middle that could use some tightening up. The lead character is the quiet tenant, a woman who was kidnapped by someone who we discover has definitely done this before. The twist: he has a young daughter who knows a woman is living in their house but doesn't suspect that she's being held against her well. Fascinating psychological study, told with lots of tension/suspense.

The Quiet Tenant is about a serial killer who has chosen to keep one of his suspects alive and imprisoned in a backyard shed, who he calls Rachel. Now on the exterior, Aiden seems like a hardworking, family man, but as the reader you see the real side. Things get a bit tricky when he is forced to move and bring Rachel with him. This is where his two different lifestyles collide, and I am telling you right now, you do not want to miss it!

I enjoyed how this book is told from three different perspectives (never his) - Rachel, his daughter, and a woman who he takes a liking to in the new town. It was a book that I did not want to put down. I was rooting for Rachel and his daughter to escape the evil environment that he endures.

Congratulations to Clemence Michallon for writing such a great debut novel!

Rachel has been hidden in a shed for years but one day her capturer lets her out and says she is allowed to live in the house with him and his daughter. What unravels is a really tense and fast paced story of survival.

Aidan is a serial killer, but this book is not about him. It’s about the women in his life. It’s told from the POV of Rachel, his daughter Cecilia as she becomes suspicious of this woman living in her house and Emily, a local waitress who becomes enamoured by Aidan.

This book is so good, it reminded me a bit of Notes on an Execution in the way it took the story of an awful man and centered it around the women in his life instead. I was hooked straight away and raced through it desperately wanting to know what happens next.

It’s a very dark and bleak read though so be aware of that before going into it.

One of the best thrillers I've read this year! Very original, both the writing style and the points of view in the story. The story of good guy/nice neighbor Aidan, who also happens to be a serial killer, is told mainly by the young woman he has held hostage for the last five years, as well as his teenaged daughter, and a local woman/wannabe girlfriend/possible next victim. Was so close to five stars, but I wanted a little more afterstory following the denouement.

Wow oh wow, what an exciting book! I didn’t want to stop reading! I was hooked from page one! Highly recommend this one!

This just wasn't for me. It reminded me of a lot of other books and didn't grab me at the same time. I finished it, but it wasn't noteworthy for me. I was very disappointed with the ending. I'm glad other reviewers seem to like it though!

WHEW 😅 if you like thrillers and reading about a serial killer, mark your calendar for this one!! It is dark, twisty, creepy, and intense.

I am shocked this a debut thriller! It had me captivated from the beginning and I couldn’t wait to read more.

Aiden is a hard working father who is loved by his whole town. But little does everyone know, he is a kidnapper and serial killer. He kidnapped Rachel 5 years ago and has her confined to a shed. After Aiden’s wife dies, he and his daughter have to move. Rachel moves to the new house with him and is forced to participate in “normal” life so Aiden’s daughter doesn’t become suspicious.

This book is told from 3 different POV’s, Rachel, Cecelia (Aiden’s daughter) and Emily (restaurant owner who develops a crush on Aiden).

I don’t think I’ve read a book quite like this. I love that we never hear the killers perspective and it’s all told by women. It is tense, creepy and just made me feel uncomfortable.

If you want an intense, page-turning thriller, check this one out June 20th!!

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf Publishing Group for this eARC in exchange for a honest review.

This isn't the usual murder mystery or thriller. There are puzzle pieces to put together, but most of this story centers around the psychological experience a group of women endure when they come into contact with a serial killer. Told from the victim's perspectives, it was an interesting way to tell the story and an engaging read.

Clear your schedule because once you start this book you will not be able to put it down until you get to the heart pounding chilling conclusion. It’s everything you want in a serial killer murder mystery.

2.5 stars

The Quiet Tenant seemed like it was going to be right up my alley. The premise was good and the hype was too but it fell flat. It took me forever to read because I just wasn’t interested enough. I hated that the chapters featuring the woman’s perspective didn’t have a name while the others did. I also found it all very surface level. What happened to his wife? What was “the woman” like before? What about Emily? His daughter? It was so slow and I just really didn’t care what would happen. Had it not been an ARC I wouldn’t have finished this title.

How can I describe a book about a captured woman as amazing? Not sure...but Michallon achieves it! Stylistically compelling, propulsive, visceral, all of the adjectives for this one. A beautiful book.