Thanks to Netgalley for giving me a pre-pub copy in exchange for an honest review. Look, I love books that feature Victorian history, womens' history, social mores, murder, mystery, psychosis, etc. So I hate to admit that I really couldn't get into this one, basically for the same reasons that I dislike American Psycho. (I assume the title - at the very least - is a reference to that book.) However, I know everyone is going to disagree with me and this will likely be made into a movie.

This is an odd story. It is good but very odd. If you are looking for a read that will just confuse yet delight this the story for you. Winifred is a unique character whose disposition just grows throughout the tale. While there is a lot of foreshadowing this book still surprises. I will say I did find it odd to include two pieces of art at unique spots in the book. I would have either liked more art or no art at all.
Thank you so much to W.W. Norton & Company and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

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I wish I liked this more, but I have to admit that I was bored. This is a short one but it was too far on the absurd side for me to be fully invested. It's a shocking tale in description and I love an unhinged FMC, but it fell short for me overall. The ending is good and probably the most exciting part of the book. I didn't like the diary-esque writing, and I mostly wanted to read American Psycho instead. Hopefully the screen adaptation brings it to life in a different and more engaging way!

Thank you to @netgalley and WW Norton & Co. for the arc! Victorian Psycho comes out on Feb. 4th. 🌻

I thoroughly enjoyed this Victorian satire. The writing is compelling and I couldn’t tear myself away from this cheeky and gorey little book.

This is the last book I finished of 2024 and talk about going out with a bang(er). I LOVE THIS BOOK.

Victorian Psycho follows Miss. Winifred Notty as she sets off to Ensor House as the new governess for the Pounds family. If you think the children and their parents are unlikeable, wait until you meet the guests arriving for Christmas.

This book was everything I wanted. It was moody, unapologetic, completely psychotic (very fitting), graphic and yet somehow cozy all at the same time. Maybe that says more about me than the story or our main character, Winifred.

As a reader I enjoy main characters who you aren’t necessarily supposed to root for but can’t help but do so anyway. This was the case for me in Victorian Psycho almost at the onset of the novel. I couldn’t help but be in Winifred’s corner even if I winced and said “oh girl” out loud a few times. I quickly became desensitized to her actions though, so these reactions were mostly in the beginning.

I appreciate how fast paced the story is. It doesn’t take long before the reader is in the thick of the action and it feels like everything is wrapped up at the end even faster. I’m a greedy reader and I wanted more from the ending because I feel like there’s so many questions I wanted answers to. This was probably my only issue with the storyline and once again this is my own problem.

Thank you to @netgalley and @w.w.norton for making the eARC available to me in exchange for an honest review. Victorian Psycho is out February 4th so mark your calendars. You can’t miss this one.

If Jane Eyre and Patrick Bateman had a child, it would be Winifred Notty. Probably psychopaths are not new and, though I’m no expert, they must have existed forever, including Victorian England. This is a historical period that fascinates me, and Feito brings it to life in all its dark glory. The dissonance between the rigidity of such a society and the modernity of Winifred’s thoughts and actions makes for an engrossing, twisted read. Despite being a monster, I found her likeable and immediately connected with her sense of humor. I loved the little details, from unimportant domestic arrangements to the bizarre funerary customs. The author has clearly researched the time period and incorporates it into the story to give it an extra level of atmosphere that makes it feel like you are there, breathing the rarified air and eating the food that is now disgusting to us. The plot is original and truly addictive. It is a very disturbing book and many parts are gross, mainly because it’s written so vividly. The author doesn’t fall into the trap to make Winifred too modern, despite everything, she is a woman of her time. A truly great novel.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/W. W. Norton & Company | Liveright.

As a huge fan of Fieto’s debut, Mrs. March, I was ecstatic to get my hands on her newest book. Victorian Psycho is the casual musings of a female psychopath and charge of two wealthy children. She is cool, calm, and cruel and hasn’t a care in the world, aside from Kill! With hilarious prose and fourth-wall banter, this maiden is delightfully murderous. Darkly humorous and sharply witted.

My first eARC! Thanks #netgalley
#VictorianPsycho was so much fun! Very gory and violent yet funny and, in a very weird way, quite charming. Winne is a governess with many intrusive thoughts, which she often lets win, and I am here for every single one of them! I wished we had a little more time with Winnie, but I thought the ending was wrapped up quite nicely. On sale Feb 4!
#gothichorror
#victorianpyscho
#bookworm
#bookstagram
@netgalley

I was happy to have an advanced copy of this novel from NetGalley & their publisher.

I wanted to love this book. It gave me all the things I liked. A unreliable narrator, violence, a nice little twist, etc. However, It felt too fast. I didn't feel like I could really get into the book and by the time I was sold, it ended. It felt too short for the subject matter that she had wanted to discuss. I felt there could be so much more that could've been expanded on.

With that being said, I did enjoy the story as a whole. There is a wonderful balance of horror and humor that helped me enjoy Feito's writing.

I absolutely loved this book. The characters were written quite well and the plot was entertaining and kept me captivated the entire read

I am so glad to have started my year off with a bang with this 2025 release (set to publish February 2025)

If an unhinged FMC driven story is your thing- this book should be on your radar. Given the subject matter, please check for trigger warnings, because this book does not shy away from the mean spirited violence with a twist of absurdity; you'll be squirming, cringing and laughing hysterically all in the same breathe

The plot is simple enough, essentially readers are trapped inside the psyche of a madwoman as we follow her around in her new role as governess for the Pounds children at the Ensor House. Winifred's dark sense of humor and offputting charm makes witnessing her awkward interactions with the Pounds family and staff ridiculously hilarious. As the story unfolds we start to learn why Winifred has found her way to the Pounds. A pretty standard unhinged woman narrative but the Victorian setting provides a unique back drop that will set this story apart from other stories you may have read with a similar premise.

There was a bit of a lull during the second act, but I found that the conclusion of the story is worth the wait and a great payoff. I cannot stress enough to check trigger warnings, this story has some pretty violent scenes that are described in great detail that may be upsetting to even the most seasoned horror readers. I have been recommending this book to book friends and highly recommend this to readers who enjoyed OtessaMoshfegh's Lapvona. Books have completely different premises, but I couldn't help but be drawn back to that book while reading this one. Very similar tones with humor and the satirical nature of the characters.

Thanks so much to #netgalley, the publisher, and author for an arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a wonderfully dark, gothic, Victorian book. Feito’s writing in this book is exceptional. It is descriptive, dark, and haunting. The metaphors and descriptors employed by Feito are disturbing and addictive. Her prose is poetic, but accessible, descriptive and easily read. The characters in the book are wholly unlikable and that works perfectly for this tale. Winnifred, the main character, is unsettling, disturbing, psychotic, sarcastic, and overall just perfect. This book is truly diabolical, it is disgusting, and bloody, and full of visceral and dripping imagery. But it is truly engaging and addicting. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. I just had to keep turning pages to find out just how far things would go. This is a macabre tale that is chilling, cold, and deeply unsettling. You will absolutely regret it if you don’t read this one.

This book follows Winnifred Notty, who ends up becoming the new governess at Ensor House. Her two wards: Andrew and Drusilla, both incredibly spoiled children and according to Winnie complete idiots. At the beginning of the book, Winnie states that everyone will be dead in the house within three months. We follow along, this short novella, as Winnie creates havoc in the household.

I didn't enjoy this book at all. I was excited for the horror and gore, but instead I was just met with a writing style that I could not follow. Also I felt like a lot of things that happened were just not plausible. Murdering a baby and it's mother didn't notice it was a different child completely plus all the blood that would have been sprayed - how did she manage to clean all of that so quickly. It doesn't make any sense and I get it is a fiction novel, but still cut a different part of the baby instead of the artery then. I thought the book could have been much better as the premise was incredibly interesting and who doesn't love a good psychopath, especially a female one.

I know that the book is being published in a few weeks, but if possible I would flesh out the narrative more - it felt like it hopped around a lot and left a lot of holes in places.

I did like all the killing though. I laughed out loud too at some of the things Winnie said.

I went into this expecting a satire and so that lens is what framed most of my reading experience. This book has so many quotes that if done correctly with the upcoming film, could become a cult classic like thrillers like “Megan’s Body” and other slashers of that sort. Think Wednesday Adams meets Joe from You except Winifred is infinitely more funny and personable despite maybe or maybe not being an axe murderer. When they ask her if she has any repentance for her crimes as they carry her up to the gallows all she can say, in what, to me at least, alluded to Marie Antoinette’s own execution, was: “It was grand. It was all grand”.

The first half of this book dragged but from the end of act 1 onwards it was such a fun ride. At times I found myself struggling to piece together some of the micro elements of the text to understand what the author was trying to say altogether. Fred has religious trauma, childhood trauma, abandonment issues and is also very hyper sexual. How do all of those elements play together? Why is the emphasis on her sexuality so important in framing her as a Victorian Psycho?

At times there were phrases that felt not of the time like when Mr. Pounds referred to Fred as a “fat bitch”, or Fred’s constant quippy sexual jests. Of course all of these elements come together to create the out of place-ness Feito was going for when creating the characters and the story at large, but I’d love to be able to hear more from the author herself on how all of that blends together and why those elements are so important because if we take them out, we just have a story about a nanny who kills. But hey, even that, was still funny as f**k.

3/5 stars. Such a fun short read.

This was the most fun I've had with a horror in a minute. The main character is like an evil Amelia Bedelia. You know those stories that follow a woman's descent into madness? Ms Notty is already mad. A victorian governess with an ulterior motive tries to fight her darker, slasher urges (and fails in a delightfully miserable fashion).

Thank you to NetGalley & W.W. Norton & Company for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book may not be for everyone. Definitely trigger warning for this.

This book was a great winter read for me lol I kept laughing, I don't know what that says about me. A perfect unhinged, deranged, and hilarious Christmas historical gothic horror thriller read if that's what you're looking for! Yes to all these descriptions! It was very atmospheric and gothic. The characters are very off putting but the inner dialogue of the main character's kept me second guessing on the situation and people. This is a rather short book so the pacing was perfect for me. The conclusion was unexpected but satisfactory to me. I might just buy myself a physical copy of this book when it releases because this story is quite hilariously memorable to me. I hope the film adaptation will be just as good if not better.

It is only January and I think this will go down as the weirdest book I will read in 2025. Victoria Psycho hits every single category that this is listed as - gothic, horror, gore, and mystery. I am still mulling over what I read.

Highly unsettling and deeply disturbing, Victorian Psycho will sit with you for days. The perversion of the main character, Winifred Notty, is on par with Hannibal Lecter and Patrick Bateman. If you are someone that does not handle gratuitous violence I suggest passing on Victorian Psycho. If you are a horror or thriller fan like myself, this book is perfect for you. I have a special place in my heart for gothic horrors or period horror pieces, and this book hit all criteria for me.

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

“It fascinates me, the fact that humans have the capacity to mortally wound one another at will, but for the most part, choose not to.”

Okay, take Mary Poppins but make her like Patrick Bateman from American Psycho and you will get a good idea of what to expect in this Victorian era story of the governess, Winnifred Notty.
Wild and snarky with sharp wit and inappropriate humor that just feels so wrong for the time period but it is just hysterical. There were multiple times that I was glad I didn’t have a mouthful because I would have spit it all over my Kindle.
Blood splatters, maggots crawl and no one escapes the lunacy that is Miss Notty. (Yes, there are several humorous names that fit their personality). She is a sociopath with sass.
I would have liked to make a better connection to any of the characters but that would be my only complaint.
“the experiences I lived there will remain with me until the day I die, right until the very moment I look down upon the shadow made by my dangling feet on the gallows floor.”

In Gothic literature, a governess is to be well-behaved, innocent, demure, well-mannered, and unseen. They are to tutor, amuse, and keep the children from bothering the adults. Envision Henry James’ unnamed governess from The Turn of the Screw, or Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. They epitomize the tragic, chaste, and repressed women who—due to loss of station or parents—find themselves in dire straits. By her own admission, Ms. Winifred Notty—the governess in Victorian Psycho-- is headstrong, wicked, immodest, uncouth, and quite large. Think of someone who is part evil governess Madame de la Rougierre from Uncle Silas (Sheridan Le Fanu), and part serial killer and bather-in-virginal-blood, Countess Elizabeth Bathory.

Ms. Notty arrives at Ensor House to work for the Pounds’. As the governess, she is to tutor Andrew (to prepare him for boarding school), and Drucilla (to make her marketable for marriage). However, the feral children have their own plans. They are used to doing what they want, whenever they want. If this was Mary Poppins, our governess would apply doses of love, kindness, and gentle prodding to turn these children around. But Ms. Notty has her own set of plans that do not center on being kind to children. She has a more sinister reason: to ensure that everyone in the household will be dead by Christmas.

If we are to believe her, Ms. Notty has left a trail of blood and death behind her. She also seems to hallucinate. Can we believe her? Is she a murderer, misunderstood, or mentally ill? Does she really eat babies? Should the Reverend and Mrs. Pounds be concerned (where is the maid, by the way)? Should they cancel their Christmas celebration consisting of a fortnight of overnight guests? People with wonderful Dickensian names such as: Mr. and Mrs. Fancey (nee Poncy); Art Fishal (artificial?); Mrs. Able; the widow Mrs. Manners (“the notorious Dowager); and the maid, Miss Lamb (ready for the slaughter).

This novella is packed with wit, dark humor, and a protagonist who pulls you in with her internal dialogue and observations. She is intelligent, no-nonsense, and—as her name implies—quite naughty. She’s the kind of unreliable narrator that makes you feel sorry for while also making you chastise yourself for doing so.

I think anyone who likes their Gothic literature to be dark, and stay dark, would enjoy this thoughtful and humorous novella.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Liveright for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Utterly horrible, but I suppose that's the point! Virginia Feito doesn't hold back (and neither does her dastardly heroine). It's smart, disgusting, and weirdly funny in all the right places. Definitely a "what the hell did I just read" situation. But then, what did you expect?