Deliciously dark novel. There was a blur between the lines of hallucinations and reality that permeated this novel and the volley between both kept me on my toes the entire time. I loved Ms. Notty's boldness, merciless vengeance and the lengths she would go to enact her version of justice. And little Drusilla completely took me by surprise because what?!? This was my first novel by Virginia Feito and I don't think it will be my last. It was pure chaos and moments of "ummm, what?" and I loved every gruesome moment of it.

4.5 stars

This was a BANGER. I will be honest, I was only interested at first because I saw Margaret Qualley was cast in the movie adaptation, but now she's not in it anymore which is tragic, but her loss really. This book had me in tears laughing at things that normal people would be really stressed out by, and what more could you want?

Winifred Notty has just arrived at her new job as a governess for the Pounds family in 1800s (Victorian, duh) England. The entire family are varying types of obnoxious, but don't worry, Winifred is here and nothing good will come of that. I don't want to spoil anything, but if you enjoy sardonic humor, jokes (are they?) about eating children, and rich people being terrorized but with a background of antique wallpaper, this is for you. It's short and snappy and dark and hysterical, but with gorgeous writing. I'll definitely be reading this author's other work and anxiously waiting for the movie. I may even reread before then on audio, because I bet the delivery of some of these lines is worth experiencing in multiple formats. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The story is set in a snowy manor at Christmastime, it follows Winifred whose polished exterior hides a chilling inner darkness. Feito blends period style with sharp psychological insight, exploring repression, gender, and morality. Bold, unsettling, and laced with dark humor. This was definitely an interesting read!

I recognize that this is a horror novel, but I really do not have the stomach for animal cruelty. I'll just stick with the Brontës from now on.

This was a wild ride and I enjoyed every second of it. The absolutely unhinged POV and dark humor made this a five star read.

I feel like I may need to revisit this in the future because it didn't resonate as much I anticipated. Probably a mood thing.

This book was so much fun and so disturbing! It instantly made me want to read other works from Virginia Feito.

This book felt so unorganized and far-fetched. I did not enjoy this one, unfortunately. I read "Mrs. March" and it was a meh for me as well, but I was hoping for something better this time. I don't feel like this one met my expectations. I was looking for something spooky and suspenseful but I feel like this was gory and all over the place.

A gothic Victorian setting, kids that are absolutely entitled and terrible, a literal psychotic governess who stalks the estates halls and dreams of feasting on corpses; I mean, what are we missing? This was a crazy ass book.
Winifred Notty is the new governess for two children in an exquisite estate. Her only duties are simple: teach the kids and keep them in line, try to be normal and discreet. But, that’s not Winifred at all. She is there for revenge against those that have wronged her, and anyone who stands in her way is fair game. Nobody in that home - not the tenants, guests, nor the servants - will survive Christmas. Winifred will use her psychosis to her advantage, and create the ending she desires.
Quick, carnal, batshit insane. I can’t wait to see what A24 does with this! Good for her!!!
3.5/5

This book just wasn't really for me. It was a quick read, so I was able to get through it, but I think a lot of it went over my head and I had a tough time keeping track of what was going on.

I think people who are fans of wild and quirky horror stories will enjoy this one.

Incredible book from start to finish. Executed absolutely flawless. Obsessed with the FMC. Easiest five stars I’ve given this year! Highly recommend!

Meave Fly with Victorian sensibilities, I really enjoyed the sarcastic tone of the protagonist and had a lot of fun with it.

I was taken off-guard almost on the first page of this book. I thought at first it read like a man writing from a woman's perspective, but that quickly changes, and I was sucked into the story.

Winifred does not hide her strangeness from the reader, but does still have her secrets. You really start to feel sorry for her as she tells us her life story and we see how she is treated at the hands of the Pounds family.

This book reminded me of Sweeney Todd - garish, gruesome, but entertaining. Virginia Feito definitely keeps the story in the Victorian period, both with dress, food, description of child-rearing, and the actual dialogue of the characters.

I read that this book is being turned into a movie. I'm excited about this and feel that film is a much better medium for Winifred and her crimes.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

I truly wanted to love this, American Psycho but make it Victorian England and female. We follow Winifred Notty, the new governess for the Pound family.

Here come my qualms with this. To start, the writing didn’t jive with me. I typically struggle with historical fiction of any kind so I knew this was going to be difficult for me but I still wanted to try one with a horror angle. Without giving anything away, that causal switcheroo was quite far fetched for me, I don’t know I rolled my eyes. Dragging bodies around, harder than we think. I guess I could account for adrenaline? But seemed unlikely to me. Typically with horror I have no issues suspending disbelief but maybe theI was too hung up on the Victorian era/the need for historical fiction to feel plausible more so than other time frames. I couldn’t stay invested. I was bored. The shock factor of the blood and gratuitous gore didn’t bother or phase me. I just wanted something different.

This is so eery and well done and, at times, even funny! The author does a great job handling this subject and tackling some very, very weird themes. I recommend this to a very specific subset of people but I really enjoyed it and want to read during Halloween time 👻

This was an unforgettable ride. I don't know if I liked it--do much gore. But I sped through. Readers familiar with gothic literature tropes will get the most out of the book.

Pre-Read notes

This is another one I wanted to read because of its perfect cover! I hope they never change it. Also, I liked the play on American Psycho in the title, though I don't think the books are similar. But it is a fun story, creepy, horrifying in different subtle ways. The mood and tone are perfect for a Gothic slasher.

Final Review

Review summary and recommendations

A lot of ableist sentiment front and center in this book. That's as much a problem with my beloved horror genre as it is with this story and how Feito chose to tell is. If you're sensitive to ableist depictions of mental illness, this probably isn't for you. If you're a depraved horror fan, this one is for you. If you're both, like me-- well, I warned you, but you're still going to try it, huh?

Reading Notes

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. Great concept, except I disagree with the suggestion that the book is in the style of American Psycho by Brenton Easton Ellis. Most importantly, these two authors' informing understandings of psychopathy are at odds.

2. Can we just take a moment to admire that cover? Super creepy! That alone made me ask Netgalley for this one!

3. There are some pretty grissley scenes of murder and mayhem in this one, all of which is pretty great horror fare. This first person narrator is very cold so it's pretty wild to get all this information from such a dispassionate perspective.


One quibble:

(This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.)

1. I feel like this one couldn't make up its mind whether it wanted to be about mental illness and psychopathy, or about evil. It conflates them a great deal, which really is ableist. A significantly large portion of psychopaths and sociopaths never kill anyone. And mental illness is not evil.

2. Also, I have to say, I get what this author is trying to do, but it's a very poor imitation of American Psycho by Brenton Easton Ellis. American Psycho carefully relates the deterioration of a man's sanity. This book, by comparison, is nothing but a murder romp with an unreliable narrator, an effect that was not executed well, at that.

Rating: 💄💄💄 /5 dangerous girls
Recommend? sure, unless you don't like ableism
Finished: March 17 '25
Format: accessible digital arc, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
🔪 murder thrillers
🕯 Victorian setting
👠 frightening women

Thank you to the author Virginia Feito, publishers Entangled Publishing, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of VICTORIAN PSYCHO. All views are mine.
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thank you to netgalley for the e-arc. this book is NOT for the faint of heart, nor for people giving it their first shot at a horror novel. i really liked this, thought it was well written and that the gore/horror aspect was not just used for a reaction. i would read the future books that Feito puts out.

This was a very interesting book. I do want to note that when I say the characters aren't loveable, I'm not saying that as a bad thing about the book; these characters aren't really meant to be loveable. The main character is literally a murderous psychopath and the rest of the characters are mostly dissolute rich assholes who take advantage of everyone around them. I don't think you're really supposed to sympathize with any of them or find them at all likeable, though you can enjoy reading about their shenanigans, especially Winifred's. Her unreliability as a narrator also added to her unlikability; you just couldn't trust almost anything she said or thought. I enjoyed the several twists and turns throughout the book, especially with regards to Winifred's motives in coming to Ensor House, though the big twist of her accomplice at the end did throw me for a loop: I just didn't feel like there had been enough set-up to really plant the seeds that that character would be like that. It was a bit too much of a leap for me. I suppose it could be another case of Winifred's mind playing tricks on her again and maybe her accomplice didn't really help her with any of that big finale, maybe she did take that character prisoner for those several days until the police arrived and Winifred just thought they were in cahoots. Anything could really be possible given the state of Winifred's mind.
Overall, this was a very interesting if disquieting book, but I think that's what the author was going for in the end. I imagine that it's meant to be similar in style to American Psycho but alas, I've never read the actual book, I've only seen the movie, so I can't judge if the effect was successful or not. But it was a fast and somewhat enjoyable read, though not exactly what I was expecting when I first picked it up. But the ride was certainly interesting and I'd be down to see what else this author has up her sleeve.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this read relatively blind. This read took me on a wild ride, Ms. Notty has been hired to be governess to the children of the Pounds. Unfortunately, Ms. Notty has a penitent for obscene darkness. More than a few scenes shocked me and made me question what the heck I was reading. Definitely recommend for fans of horror and splatter punk. Plenty of shock and gore.