3.5 Stars

Victorian Psycho follows Winifred Notty as she arrives at Ensor House, determined to play the role of the perfect governess to the children of the Pounds family. But as more time drags on, she finds it increasingly difficult to stifle her more violent urges towards those around her.

This book was really unsettling. It was so strange to watch someone completely succumb to every compulsive or intrusive thought. Winifred is a true psychopath, and has absolutely zero impulse control.

It was so surreal to be in Winifred's head - everything felt unreal, like a fever dream. Her lack of emotion and the way she went on as normal in completely abnormal and/or disgusting situations (of her making), was deeply unsettling.

I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting myself into but it exceeded all expectations.
Deliciously dark, comical and had me turning the pages ready to devour more and more of Feito’s writing. I fear I found myself silently rooting for Miss Notty the whole time - one of the most exciting and unique female main characters.

Well deserved 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to experience this early.

3.5 stars!

Imagine if Mary Poppins was possessed by a blood thirsty demon, enter the new governess of Ensor House, Winifred Notty. Winifred is out of her mind, truly. I don’t normally lean towards horror books because I am easily spooked but this one really caught my eye. The title and cover were enough to hook me in and truly, the story was an interesting ride.

It was fast paced and belongs on one of those “Feminine Rage” book tables at Barns and Noble.

Thank you so much Netgalley, W.W. Norton & Company, and RB media for this ARC!

This story was heavy on gore and murder but light on plot and character development. I finished it without caring about the characters or the resolution.

Victorian Psycho: Imagine if Mary Poppins and Elizabeth Báthory were one unhinged young lady.
Winifred Notty is a governess taking care of two children she doesn't like, for employers who lust after (the mister) and despise (the missus) her. The story also gives commentary on how absurd the beliefs of the Victorian times were; the roles of men, women and children and how ill-informed people were.

I can say I genuinely laughed hard enough (at certain macabre scenes) that I had to put my ereader down and compose myself before continuing. I ended up reading the audiobook just so I'd be able to experience it again. So I've read and listened to this book once each, over the last week. Loved it. Fred Notty is such a great character. Can't wait for the film adaptation.

Excellent narrator!

Ok. I read the ARC of Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito recently and rated it 5 stars. Usually I will listen to the audiobook on or after release day. I was excited to listen to an ALC early and was disappointed. I haven’t listened to the narrator before and didn’t like the voice for this specific book. Usually an audiobook enhances the written word and for me, this distracts. ALC was provided by RB media/Recorded Books via NetGalley. I received an advance listening copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC of this book!

To start - this is probably one of the craziest books I've ever read haha.

This was off the wall bananas, but I ate it up in almost one sitting!
It was very good in the weirdest of ways.

This was my first book from this author, but I'll be sure to go back and read other books now.
Her prose is beautiful, and I greatly enjoyed her writing style. It's weird that she could be writing about the horrifying subject matter in this book and I can still refer to the writing and prose as beautiful, but it really was haha.

This book was off the wall crazy, but it was also funny, and together it was woven into a perfect blend of horror fiction. I loved it. I am excited to see it is already being worked on for a movie, though I'm not entirely sure how given some of this was extremely dark subject matter - but I am excited nonetheless.

This is absolutely worth a read if you like horror, probably extreme horror at that. This really is like a gender bent 1800s 'American Psycho' so watch your triggers cause this one is heavy (but so good!)

I went into this pretty blind so I wasn't expecting how dark and disturbing this was. I think "wow" and "what the heck" were the two phrases that went on loop in my mind while listening to this via audiobook. The narrator did a fantastic job and fit the character well. She helped me feel immersed in the story and with this being a short book, I was able to get through it in just a few hours. If you are into female rage (I mean, who isn't really?), dark humour, and some gory moments then I would definitely recommend picking this book up. If you are on the fence, please look up trigger warnings before continuing.

“At 8:30 sharp breakfast is removed, as is my will to live…” Oh my, the sarcastic, dry humor throughout this story is such a treat. This book is wicked in the most delectable way. We follow along with Winifred Notty, an unhinged governess who commits countless atrocious acts without any hint of passion. No, her madness is cold and calculating, hitting a psychopathic vein reminiscent of the similarly named American Psycho. Unlike Patrick Bateman, however, our protagonist is a woman eking out an existence within the staunch propriety of Victorian England, and in a subservient occupation at that. Throughout the novel, Winifred occasionally breaks the fourth wall, making knowing glances to the reader with the assumption that we should, naturally, understand her felonious behavior. Because, how could we not!

I thoroughly enjoyed Feito’s writing style, and look forward to reading more from her. Her prose is smooth and vibrant, and the humor is expertly done, but be warned that the humor is dark, dark, dark, and won’t be for the faint of heart. There is also a satisfying twist toward the end that I did not expect so am almost hesitant to mention (don’t read any spoiler reviews before you finish!)

This isn’t the type of horror that will leave you afraid to turn off the lights, but the protagonist’s casual handling of unspeakable acts will definitely disturb you, and the body horror is plentiful. Horror fans who enjoyed Delilah Dawson’s Guilliotine, Stephen King’s Carrie, or C.J. Leede’s Maeve Fly will particularly appreciate Victorian Psycho.

I am reviewing the audiobook, so would also like to mention that the narrator, Anna Burnett, has a lovely, even cadence and a pleasant voice. She did a nice job of creating a clear separation of characters without any distracting vocal nuances. Her accent was perfect for the “role” of Ms. Notty, and I felt like I was really hearing the character tell her story.

Thank you NetGalley, Virginia Feito, and RBMedia for sending me this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

An interesting riff on subversive Victorian feminist literature, if a bit too sensational for my taste.

I really loved Virginia Feito’s Mrs March, which is the same style of story but benefitted greatly from a far lighter touch. I think it’s tough to make spree killing funny, which is why I struggled a bit more with this one.

It’s not that some of the humor isn’t good (I did laugh out loud at the horrible dinner guests “There’s a chimney sweep stuck in our chimney!”), but that the gleeful murder spree at the end felt like a bit much and really could have used a bit of subtlety and discernment on the part of the killer.

To Feito’s credit, there’s no confusion about the farcical nature of this. She’s taken a picture she out of the Bret Easton Ellis playbook (if that wasn’t already obvious from the title) and gone with the sensory overload, pure sensationalism approach. Not my personal preference, as gore for gore’s sake never works for me even if it’s clearly somewhat tongue in cheek, as is the case here.

This was very short, and I think that was a good call given the material, and the writing is certainly sharp. I preferred Mrs March significantly over this one, but it’s also worth a read.

it fells like we're all waiting for Christmas, which is at the end of the book. And before that nothing happens, except some gruesome and deranged scene. I tried to picture Winnifred as a character with some personality or background that would lead her to be a murderer. But with no success.
i don't understand.

thank you net galley for the copy

Ok WOW I thought all of the 5 star ratings might be a bangwagon everyone was hopping on... Nope. This is just as good as everyone is saying. I will be thanking my peer pressure-er's profusely.
I'm learning I'm VERY picky when it comes to horror (not in the sense that I think others are objectively bad, I just know they aren't for mmeee personally), but this checked all the boxes I didn't even know I had. & bonus points for hilarity, just the right amount. I am so so so excited to have given this a chance.

Editing to add: I was lucky enough to be able to listen to the audiobook in advance as well, and narrator Anna Burnett does a fantastic job. If you like thaking the route, I'd recommend print & audio in tandem. Hearing how Victoria intended this to sound reminded me of doing the same w Clean by Alia Trabucco Zerán.
Victorian Psycho also reminds me a little bit of My Men by Victoria Kielland translated by Damion Searls, though I'm not sure if that's simply recency bias.

{Thank you bunches to Virginia Feito, W. W. Norton & Company, Liveright, Anna Burnett, RB Media and NetGalley for the DRC & ALC in exchange for my honest review!}

I've been seeing some buzz about this one and it's all justified! I absolutely loved this. Think Meave Fly with Victorian sensibilities, I thought that the voice of Anna Burnett was perfect as the narrator, she captured the tone of the protagonist so well. I definitely recommend this on audio.

Ever wonder how things would have been if Mary Poppins was a psychopath? Look no further!

This book was a crazy ride. Creepy, gory, enthralling.

I received an audio copy and the way you can just picture this narrator's face being deadpan the whole time. Perfection.

Super quick read, I couldn't put it down.

I finished reading this book a few days about and as soon as I got approved for the audiobook I knew it was time to reread it again! I had such an amazing time with the audio,I would highly recommend this one to new audiobook listeners. Thank you NetGally and publisher for access to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Wild novella. The type of story that moves so fast and goes to so many bonkers places, that your mouth just sort of hangs open.

Thanks to Liveright and NetGalley for an advance audiobook copy

This book really didn’t work for me. I found myself confused through some of it, as I really don’t think there was much plot development. I was unable to connect with the characters. I listened to the audio, and the narrator did an excellent job.

2.5 stars!

I don't know how to feel about this one. It feels both new and also deeply done-before.

Winifred is the newest governess at Ensor House, but she comes to the job with ghosts at her back and blood in her past. As the house and its occupants begin to rot from the inside out, deaths pile up and secrets are revealed. This is a horror novel...maybe? It might be a humorous satire. Maybe both. I definitely found it more funny than scary but not so funny that I was sure that was the intention. Its title alluding to American Psycho would lead you to believe it's a satire with societal commentary but I'm not sure where the commentary was in Victorian Psycho. The novel no doubt reveals dark parts of the Victorian era but that's not really challenging any public beliefs about the time period. The main character often had these morbid observations (e.g. "The dress was a lovely pink, like lambs' brains.") which just came off super cheesy and heavy handed. I'm also just not entirely sure what happened at the end but I'm also not really sure I care.

Kind of a fun idea, I'm just not sure what it was supposed to accomplish.

Thank you to Virginia Feito and Recorded Books for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Happy reading!

Satirical, funny, descriptive, and horrific. Oh and the ending was brilliant.
I really recommend the audio. The narrator’s accent really drives in the timeframe and setting. She also delivers the story nonchalantly which really makes the story even more fun

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito is a dark, twisted journey into the mind of Winifred Notty, who was recently hired on to be the governess of Andrew and Drusilla Pounds at the dysfunctional Ensor House. The novel is brimming with biting sarcasm and vivid imagery, making it a gripping and unsettling read.

Winifred's wit and sharp observations provide an unsettling contrast to the eerie, grotesque environment she’s trapped in, as her past rises to the surface. I did have to suspend belief a little while reading, but it didn't bother me as I was engrossed in the story. I listened to this as an audiobook and Anna Burnett played Winifred to a T. While this feminist slant revenge story may not be for the faint of heart, it sure was a wild ride. Overall, it was a fast paced book but gave a slow burn of tension culminating in a macabre, yet fitting, finale that left a lasting impression.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Special thanks to @netgalley and @recordedbooks for the ALC.