Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
3 lukewarm stars
I really thought I was going to give this 5 stars. It started out strong, I loved the writing style, and couldn't wait to find out what happened next. Then, it just kind of....deflated. Turns out, there was no suspense at all. I'm not sure I would even categorize it as mystery. The ending was very underwhelming. We never find out why he did what he did. We never find out who the other women were. I suppose "the woman in the shed" or "in the house" was a victim of Stockholm syndrome, but that option is never introduced either, so you really wonder why she stayed when she had chances to escape. I hesitate to give this more than 2 stars but, like I said, I did enjoy the beginning and the writing itself..

It was a little slow getting into at first but I really loved this book! I felt a little like Emily sometimes. I knew Aidan was a bad man but at the same time I couldn’t help rooting for him. He was so beloved, but also evil. I’m glad Rachel/May finally got away but I couldn’t help get pissed at her for waiting for Cecelia. She would've been ok if Rachel had just left when she wanted to. Great book, can’t wait to buy a physical copy!

This is a psychological thriller. Aiden is a kidnapper and a serial killer. He has killed many women but one of them, he keeps for over 5 years. This is mostly her story.

Many thanks to Net Galley for a copy of The Quiet Tenant for an honest review.

A lot of people found this to be toooo slow of a slow burn, but that wasn't the case for me. I'm a sucker for multiple POV's. I just love hearing a story through different experiences; in this case, mainly through the thoughts of the kidnapping victim, the girlfriend (wannabe gf really), and the daughter of the pillar of the community (surprise, surprise, isn't that always the case)/a fucking psycho serial killer.

While the writing isn't top tier literary material, I think the author does just fine at telling a compelling and fascinating story. That's good enough for me.

Emily, the girlfriend(-ish, kinda, sorta, not really) character is definitely the most annoying POV- she's irritatingly naive, immature, unlikable, stupid- which would totally be understandable if she had a backstory to explain why she sucks so much, but there just isn't one. Also, she sucks extra lots because she's a creep, like obsessed stalker weird.

Aiden's character is pretty 2-dimensional- he's the reliable dad/husband/neighbor/etc. of the year that would drop everything to help someone in his community. But really, he's just a sad, pathetic, loser man who needs to have control over the women in his life. Gross. Rachel's POV stirred all the emotions-having to read her thought process, her rules, playing to his wants as a means of a survival tactic.

I read this in two sittings, it was hard not to finish it in one! Also, I think this will attract a wide variety of readers :)

Book Title: The Quiet Tenant
Author: Clemence Michallon
Publisher: Knoph Pantheon Vintage and Anchor, Knoph Publishing Groups
Genre: Fiction/Drama
Pub Date: June 20, 2023
My Rating: 3.4 Stars
Pages: 320

Aidan Thomas is a broken hearted widower, a loving father and a serial killer who murdered eight women and has one earmarked for death.

Story is told from the POV of ~
Cecilia- his thirteen year old daughter who has no idea that he is a killer
The Girl in the Shed -now The Woman in the house – he named her Rachel having no idea of her real name. She is the one surviving kidnapped victim and has been chained for five years and Emily - a restaurant owner who is infatuated with Aidan.

When Aidan's wife dies, he and daughter Cecilia have to move as the medical expenses are so great. Aidan is everyone’s favorite handyman an ‘all around good guy’ so a ‘Go Fund Me Account to set up to help him.
Aidan, of course, is concern about moving Rachel. He tells his daughter that she is a "family friend" who needs a place to stay.
Rachel has been held in captivity for five years and isn’t afraid of Aidan perhaps ‘Stockholm syndrome’? She knows what to expect. However, once moved to the new place, she thinks perhaps Cecilia might help her and tries to form a relationship. Next we have Emily who just might help.

This story is listed as
ThrillerFictionMystery ThrillerMysteryHorrorSuspensePsychological Thriller
Hmm I am a big mystery fan and love to trying to figure out whodunit in this case we know immediately. I would describe the genre as Adult Fiction/Drama. Doesn’t mean it is good just not what I was expecting.

Want to thank NetGalley and Knoph Publishing Groups for granted me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 20, 2023.

This book had me SWEATING! I was screaming at the book at the end and I’m not ashamed lol this was an amazing read! And just bravo! 👏🏻👏🏻 this is being released next month and it’s going to be a must read this summer! READ THIS!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. I'm going out on a limb and saying that this book about a woman trapped by a serial killer will likely be my favourite book of the year! I couldn't put it down. Do yourself a favour and read this book. I also love that the author is bilingual and writes in both French and English - how cool, I'll have to check out her French stuff now too.

🤫🔑The Quiet Tenant🔑🤫

✍️: Clemence Michallon
✨:⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖: E-book from @netgalley on my kindle
🗓️: June 20th, 2023

✨my thoughts✨
This was a nice, quick thriller. We have a serial killer and his prisoner of 5 years. This sounded right up my alley and it was good and quick, it held my attention! But in the end I wanted so much more out of it. The whole book I was holding my breath for something to happen and then when it happens… it’s just over. I was hoping for a twist or something I didn’t see coming! I had all kinds of theories and in the end I felt like nothing really happened. This book touches a bit on Stockholm syndrome, the main character was someone I was hopelessly rooting for and simultaneously screaming at her decisions. Was it my favorite thriller? Nope! but was it entertaining and did I fly through it? Absolutely yes! Would recommend if you like multiple POV’s, serial killer vibes, or if you’re a fan of the show You.

What’s your fave thriller??

Phenomenal debut thriller! Haunting, tense and dark, the short chapters switching between several different POVs sucked me in and wouldn't let me go! I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and was even more impressed when I got to the end and realized that the author's first language is French, but she chose to write this novel in English.

A very slow burn, not as dark as I thought it would be…. The last 30% picks up and I really enjoyed. Overall a very good story.

What a fabulous high-paced debut by Clémence Michallon. I devoured this book in three days time. The story is about a kidnapper/serial killer, Aidan, and the points of view of three women in his life, his daughter, a stolen woman, and one who is melting at the seams for the alluring newly widowed town hero. Also, it sneaks in some *spoiler* chapters.

The novel is well written and definitely falls into the psych/thriller trope. It has tinges of physical abuse, mental abuse, and suspense. I would not classify this as a horror, as it does not contain gore, but you truly feel for the female main character. A lot of her personal decisions are agonizing and you just want to reach your hands into the pages to help her on more than once occasion. She's sharp, alert, but it really makes you question, what would you do in her situation?

The one gripe I had about the novel was the lack of motives. How did Aidan choose his victims and what happened to those who he previously murdered? Why was Rachel a different piece of the puzzle and why did she not fit into Aidan's designed plan?

Overall, the book is amazingly detailed enough so that I can feel myself in a scene with Rachel. Aidan was a sick individual who made choices which I am unaware of, but was also the town's hero. It really makes you question who may be the tenant next door.

Recently widowed, Aiden is now taxed with raising his thirteen year-old daughter Cecelia after the unexpected death of his wife.
He's a soft-spoken gentleman that will always go out of his way to help anyone. The town adores him! But like they say, if someone or something appears too good to be true.... However. this was not the expected thriller/suspense novel that I thought I would be reading. 'The Quiet Tenant' read more like a women's filled drama, with one good looking man at the center of all the drama. There was no mystery or suspense in this book whatsoever.
We have alternating chapters throughout this story, all told in the voices of "The girl in the shed", Emily, and Cecilia.
The girl in the shed has been held captive for five years, and is transported to live in the house with our serial killer and his daughter. Now, I know I would not know what I would do if I was in her shoes, but I kept thinking she should move quicker than what she does. Cecilia is the 13 year old daughter of the serial killer, and honestly there's not much that goes on with her. Emily- now this is where the eye-rolls came in. Emily thought she was the serial killer's girlfriend, so she basically decided to stalk him. She was a bit creepy in my opinion. I feel she made some strange decisions as a woman (things I would never think to do). And then we have our handsome blue-eyed serial killer, Aiden. But even after finishing this read, I was left with so many questions: Why did he let her live when all the others died?
What were the things Cecilia had never told anyone but wanted to tell Rachel, though never did? When did Aidan turn to murder...had he always been a killer?
I liked this read. But I never felt the deep emotional connection I expected

A new take on the serial killer thriller/mystery, this book is told from the point of view of three women in the killer's life: his daughter, a new love interest, and his captive. The story mostly focuses on "Rachel," the woman he didn't kill, but instead chose to keep. This book isn't as fast-paced as most thrillers, but we get more insight into the psyches of the captor and captive. Readers of thrillers and police procedurals may enjoy it.

wow I loved this! such a different story than what’s out there right now. if you liked Room by Emma Donoghue, you’ll definitely enjoy this. I went back to read the description of the book to make sure I didn’t spoil anything ahead…

the story follows Aidan and his daughter Cecilia. they live in a small town, where everyone knows each other, and he is viewed in very high regards in his community. after his wife dies, they are forced to move out of their home. this complicates things, because Aidan has had Rachel imprisoned in his shed for the past 5 years. Rachel ends up moving into the new house as a “friend of a friend subletting the extra room”. for the most part, our chapters change narrators between Aidan, Rachel and Emily, the town bartender who is crushing hard on the new widower.

I’m reading a lot of negative reviews about the narration being in second person, but I honestly didn’t give it a second thought.

I was captivated by this as soon as I started - I finished it in one day. this book covers so much, but it does it so well… kidnapping, serial killers, grief & loss of a loved one, stockholm syndrome… i will definitely be recommending it to everyone. make sure to add it to your TBR!

thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is a story about a serial killer who kidnaps women and kills them. Except one who he has kept hidden for the past 5 years. He's a family man and cherished among the community. It's fast past and told in multiple perspectives. I found the storytelling to be unique because one of the perspectives comes from his one victim he's kept alive. Most of that perspective is her inner dialogue that she has with herself. It's a story about survival and perseverance. Highly recommend it!

This was really good and I did enjoy it, I read it in one evening. I wouldn’t say it the most gripping but I overall had a good time

While this was a debut novel, I never would have known. The author of this book did such an amazing job of hooking me with the synopsis of this book and made sure to keep my interest throughout the whole story! I really enjoyed having all of the multiple POVs as well. Overall this was a really good read!

The premise is tough, being held captive by a serial killer. But Rachel who sits in the shed everyday works at learning everything she can about her captor. She works at remembering who she was, not the Rachel he has named her.
But who is this captor? A handsome and now widowed, beloved member of the community. He is also a father to 13 year old Cecilia who craves some freedom herself.
Then there is Emily, a young bartender and restaurant owner. She has fallen for the quiet man that comes in regularly though they haven't spoken much.
These three women will find their power, if they can come together against the monster no one sees behind the veneer.
Reminiscent of The Room, I found myself rooting for Rachel to have a chance to escape. There are footsteps and doors closing to be heard and cellars to be explored and I found myself buying into all of it. I was definitely spooked by the tension Ms. Michallon created within these pages. Great read.

Thank you to Knopf Publishing Group and Netgalley for my early copy. All opinions are my own.

I thought I’d take a break from my romance binge and read a thriller… now I want my romances back!
I couldn’t put this book down. I’m normally pretty good at guessing how a book will end but with this one I wasn’t sure at any point if my guess was correct or I was gaslighting myself to think I was right.

Aiden is a widower with a teenage daughter. He’s very well liked in the community and is who you turn to if you need a helping hand. No one knows the blackness that lingers beneath the surface. a killer just waiting and hiding his time until the next victim comes along.

Cecilia is his 13 year old daughter. She’s shy and misses her mom. Her loneliness hit so different. I couldn’t imagine losing my mom at such a young age.

Rachel , a name given to her by Aiden, just wants to get away from her life for a while. She went through a trauma and had to get through it on her own. That is until a stranger kidnaps her. She never knows when her last day will be, when he will snap and end her but she has to get out.

Emily is a restaurant owner who works the bar to keep an eye on things. A crush on the local good guy turns into a secret relationship. Little does she know the woman she meets in his home will ultimately turn her life inside out.

I wasn’t a fan of the ending. I felt like there was so much suspense leading up to it that there wasn’t enough there at the end. The investigation was glossed over. Everything was just wrapped up in a bow and delivered to you. But it was too tidy.

This was a great break from romances however I’m diving into something so sweet it will make my teeth hurt after this one!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! This was a very well written book. A victim held captive for years, we learn how she survives as long as she did. After some circumstances happen that have the captor becoming more lenient and becoming distracted. How will this end for her and any future victims??