A captivating, can't put it down thriller. Aidan appears to be the ideal family man man and neighbor, an image he carefully cultivates. No one would imagine the secrets he hides in his shed and basement. The author has crafted a brilliant tale. The voices of women who have been snared in Aidens web intermitantly pop up to attest to Aidens activities. Through it all you root for Rachel as she just tries to stay alive another day.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Reminiscent of THE ROOM but with additional characters and more of a backstory.

Aidan Thomas is a beloved member of his community. A recent widower, the lineman is a devoted father to his 13-year-old daughter and is always willing to help a neighbor in need.

But he's also a serial killer, and at the book's opening, is keeping his ninth victim, Rachel, in his garden shed. When the death of his wife forces him to move, Rachel somehow convinces him to take her with him. And fooling his daughter that his "family friend" is coming to live with them as a tenant, he does so, thinking Rachel is already so brainwashed, there's no way she could escape.

As Rachel tests the boundaries of her new captivity and develops a tenuous relationship with Aiden's daughter, Cecelia, a new woman comes on the scene: Emily, a local restaurant owner desperately in love with Aidan since she was a teenager. And as Emily becomes closer to discovering Aiden's secret, she puts Rachel in more danger.

Wow...

Let me start by admitting that I was ready to DNF this book very shortly into reading. It had a couple of things that I really don't like: characters' full names being repeated several times over a few pages, and 2nd person narrative (probably the most divisive of all POVs?). But something kept me reading. I think it was a curiosity of Rachel's fate and the fact that Knopf graciously gave me a NetGalley copy of this ARC to review.

I'm so glad I kept with it! The Quiet Tenant ended up being a book that literally made my heart pound over the last half of it.

I think this was helped by the fact that Clemence Michallon put this entirely in the perspective of the women in Aiden's life (Rachel, Emily, and Cecelia), rather than his own, and chose to make Aiden a devoted family man. I think we can all remember interviews of friends/family/neighbors of real life serial killers. You know how they always say, "I can't believe he did this/he was so gentle/quiet/nice to me," etc. etc.? That's exactly what we have here. In thrillers/horror/suspense I usually read, there's no question of the bad guy's badness. But here the creepiness is in how "normal" Aiden acts, and Rachel's survival is always in question.

I'd definitely recommend this one, and would suggest to keep with it if, like, me, you're on the fence about continuing. This was a great read.

Special thanks to Knopf, for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for a review through NetGalley.

Absolutely amazing. Even though there are multiple POVs, I was still able to understand and keep up.
There are some triggers such as SA, and abuse. Overall, it was a good read.

A woman is being held captive and the man has named her Rachel. He ends up moving and Rachel has convinced him to take her along. Her only reason for doing the things she does is to STAY ALIVE. She ends up staying in the house with her kidnapper and his daughter named Cecilia. Cecilia has no idea who she is or what her dad has done. All she knows is that "Rachel" is renting out a room in their house.

Ah!!! This was bananas!!

This book was told in four perspectives: the woman in the shed, the daughter, the new girlfriend/love interest, and the victims.

This was a such a tense story! I read it in one sitting because I needed to know how it was going to play out 😅

The multiple POVs definitely made the whole story have an edge to it. I really enjoyed this!!

Within the first few chapters of this book, I was invested. The writing format was beyond different than what I am used to, but in a way it grabbed me in more. Getting to read different storylines from past and present and also different characters made this book a wonderful read. There wasn’t many twists, which usually I need and love most about thrillers but for this one, I don’t think my heart could of handled twists with everything that was going on. I for sure would read this authors next book!

Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review. It’s about a serial killer who keeps one of his victims alive. She starts out in a shed but then moves into a house. Every so often a chapter is about one of his other victims. Then there’s Emily, a restaurant owner/bartender who gets close to the serial killer without knowing he’s a killer, he is just a widow with a teenage daughter whose an upstanding citizen, little do the town know.
I enjoyed this book. I do wish there was more about what happened after the arrest and from the teenage daughters perspective on what went down. But an excellent book. Sometimes with Emily’s perspective it could drag on, like her somewhat obsession with him was getting a little annoying. I give this book 4 stars.

This book is incredibly clever; I was hooked from the very beginning!

It’s a story about a serial killer (Aidan) told from the POV of his victims, his 13-year-old daughter, and his girlfriend, and the juxtaposition between how the three of them experience Aidan was brilliant! Things that seemed innocuous or mundane on the surface had potentially profound impacts on each of them and it was fascinating to watch it all unfold.

Another thing the author does so well is she centers the victims. I wouldn’t say this book is an indictment of society’s obsession with true crime, but it flips it on its head and forces us to look at, know, and remember the people victimized by the killers “we’ve” become so obsessed with. She shows us how easily someone can fall prey to a person who doesn’t fit the stereotypical mold of a predator in spite of the numerous, infamous examples we’ve seen to the contrary (like, Dennis Rader, Ted Bundy, etc.). And, for me, she expertly points the finger at the unrealistic expectations placed on victims – that serves no purpose other than to make society feel better about their victimization – while simultaneously creating a scenario where the reader (aka me!!) placed said expectations on the victim. Case and point. It was so well done.

I loved learning about the characters and witnessing their lives, but about halfway through the intensity really picked up and didn’t let up until the end of the book. I couldn’t put it down! Honestly, if life and adulting hadn’t gotten in the way this would have been a one-sit read for me.

Like all books, this one won’t be for everyone. It’s heavily character-driven (with strong character development!), one of the POVs is told in the 2nd person, and it’s a literary psychological thriller. But all those things worked perfectly for me. I can’t think of anything that would’ve made this a more enjoyable read. It was outstanding!

Huge thank you to Knopf Doubleday Publishing for the arc!

This is creepy, haunting and horrific. Please look out for trigger warnings…. But if you don’t mind them, this is the book for you.

Try to go into this one as blind as possible.

This is a really solid debut thriller! Rachel is “The Girl in The Shed” and Aiden Thomas is the reason she’s there. Aiden is a serial killer, he’s also a widow and a devoted father to Cecelia. Rachel isn’t sure why he’s kept her alive in the shed for 5 years. When Aiden and Cecelia have to move, Rachel thinks this is it for her. But Aiden moves Rachel with them and forces her to pretend to be a tenant renting a room in their new home. When local bar owner Emily becomes smitten with Aiden, and Cecelia starts to befriend Rachel, things get complicated.

Packed with suspense, my heart was literally beating from my chest as I read, wishing Rachel would find any window for escape. We do also get tiny passages from Aidens other victims, which I would’ve liked to either see be longer and more detailed, or eliminated altogether, as they didn’t really add anything to the overall story.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow this one kept me on the edge of my seat! I read this in two sittings and could not stop until I found out what happened. This book literally had me screaming WHAT ARE YOU DOING? If you love fast paced thrillers, this one is for you. Definitely a different spin on a serial killer story.

This book was...very underwhelming. The story had a lot of promise, the characters were fine, but there was something missing for me. The book was well-written, though a bit wordy at times. There was no twist and the story played out exactly as you'd expect. I guess overall this story just fell a bit flat for me.

The Quiet Tenant is an English debut novel written by French author, Clemence Michallon. Told from multiple points of view, this book blew just me away. The writing had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I could not put it down.

Rule number five of staying alive outside the shed: He must need you at least as much as you need him.

This book is a great psychological thriller about a serial killer, his girlfriend, his daughter, and the girl in the shed. Trigger warning for sexual assault.

Thank you Netgalley, Clemence Michallon and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A woman has been kidnapped and forced to live in a shed for over 5 years. Forced to be called “Rachel” a name that is not her own. But things are about to change soon, her kidnapper/serial killer has decided to let her live inside his home with his daughter.⁣
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When I got approved for this one I was beyond excited, I mean with a summary like that who wouldn’t want to read The Quiet Tenant. I did really enjoy the plot, but I had some issues with the writing style it just felt so impersonal that it was hard to connect to the characters.⁣
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I wish it had been worded differently but besides that I think this was a good read! The Quiet Tenant releases June 20th!

I was very excited to read THE QUIET TENANT as it came highly recommended. It did take me some time to get used to the second person point of view. I did find the story engaging, but nothing was surprising that shocked me. I was hoping to get more out the ending. Maybe an epilogue?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Um. Sigh. I don’t think this was the one for me. I found the writing to be choppy and the characters to be headache inducing. The premise was there but the execution could definitely have been done a lot better. Thank you Netgalley & publishers for this ARC!

"The Quiet Tenant" is going to be a great hit of the year. I could not put it down! The pacing and the use of the second person draws you into the story and keeps you turning the pages as fast as you can.

A serial killer, his family and a woman he keeps hidden from his family. I’m definitely in the minority with my 2 star rating but I could not connect with any of the characters. DNF at 15%. Not for me! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my review.

This is a book that has you on pins and needles the whole time. Every single chapter reveals just a little more of the lives of the characters. Rachel, who's been held captive. Emily, who could be a love interest or a target. Cecila, the daughter who adores and fears her father. Then our leading man, Aiden, beloved by all in town yet keeping some very dark secrets inside his house. All throughout this story, you sit on edge as Rachel tries to adapt to her new living situation. How will she cope? Will she survive. Fantastic debut novel. Add to cart immediately. Thank you Netgalley and the Knopf team for the advanced copy of this book.

This book had me shaking in my boots while leaving me wanting more!!! OH MY LANTA!!! Read this if you want something that makes your heart stop but also keeps you wanting more even when it’s over!