This story is focused around an agoraphobic landlady and her small group of tenants who she has thoroughly background checked, or so she thinks. You never really know a person, do you? Friends and foes are unrecognizable in this fun and twisty read!

Thank you to M A Hunter, NetGalley, and Boldwood Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Tenants by M A Hunter

It’s been 5 years since Eve has left the confines of her apartment complex after suffering a brutal attack. Despite being an agoraphobic, she tries to be the best landlady and keep her tenants happy. Tension arises between 2 tenants and before Eve can intervene, one is dead and the other missing. She also suspects someone has been breaking into her flat.

I really enjoyed this book, the plot twist was unexpected but I do feel the ending was rushed.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. This was a very suspenseful read and definitely raised my anxiety towards the end. It was a little slow for me around the 60% mark but picked up around 80%. Can you imagine a secret passageway in an old building? How creepy and fun. After finishing this book I'm still undecided if I like Eve, the main character or not. Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the advanced copy.

When Eve is left a block of flats following her dad's passing she is eager to look after the tenants, even if they are not aware of this and this means earwigging through the walls. What else would she do with her time having not been outside for years?
Strange things start to happen that has Eve, her family and
Tenants questioning her sanity.
When one of the tenants is found dead and another one missing of course all eyes are on Eve. She has to do whatever she can to prove her innocence and show she hadnt lost her mind.
The book that keeps you guessing and also not too sure what to believe, plenty of surprises and twists.

Book Review 📚
Title: The
Author: M A Hunter

While The Tenants had an intriguing premise, it didn't quite hit the mark for me. The pacing was slow, and it took a while for the story to really pick up. I was hoping for more twists and turns to keep me hooked, but they never fully materialized.

Thank you NetGalley, Boldwood Books and M A Hunter so the eARC!!

Publication Date: August 18th 2025
Rating: ✨✨

#TheTenants #NetGalley

Eve is agoraphobic and hasn't been outside in five years due to experiencing a terrifying crime where the perpetrator was never caught. She spends her days keeping watch over her tenants, to her they feel like family. When one of the building's occupants turns up dead, Eve intends to find the killer, even if it means she puts herself in the crosshairs.

While the plot of The Tenants is initially interesting, I found parts of it dragged and I was often tempted to skip ahead to solve the mystery (though ultimately I did not). While there were lots of twists, I found the main character of Eve hard to root for and the ending a bit much. A perfectly serviceable thriller, but not my favorite. 3 stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This book was amazing. I really liked Eve, I know most people do not, however, I relate to her with my own agoraphobia! I was shocked to see another book talking about it. I have only read one other thriller where a MFC struggled from it. I will recommend this to my friends and family when it comes out.

This book was more intense and atmospheric than I had expected it to be which led to an incredible reading experience. Eve wasn't super likeable but I did enjoy the story and the ending was fantastic.

In The Tenants, M.A. Hunter invites us inside a building where nothing is as peaceful as it seems—and where the caretaker isn’t just tending plants, but quietly watching everyone who walks the halls. For five years, he hasn’t stepped foot outside. This building is his entire world. So when a tenant is found dead, he knows something’s very wrong… and maybe more dangerous than the outside world he fears.

What starts with unsettling curiosity quickly spirals into tension, paranoia, and haunting revelations. Secret meetings, a mysterious past, and police questions push our narrator to the brink, and readers are taken along for the ride. Hunter’s writing is sharp, immersive, and builds the kind of creeping dread that keeps you flipping pages well past bedtime.

This isn’t your typical psychological thriller—it’s claustrophobic, intimate, and layered with the kind of character depth that makes you wonder who’s watching you through the walls. For fans of domestic noir and suspense that seeps in slowly, The Tenants is a brilliant, unnerving treat.

Thanks to NetGalley, MA Hunter and Boldwood Books for the ARC.

M.A. Hunter delivers a gripping psychological thriller that will have your mind spinning until the final page. From the first chapter, you’re pulled into an atmosphere of creeping dread and uncertainty—caught between gaslighting, suspicion, and the terrifying possibility that the narrator is losing her grip on reality. Even as the truth begins to surface, the twists keep coming, and the final revelations hit hard. With morally gray choices and tension that never lets up, The Tenants is a dark, twisty read perfect for fans of domestic thrillers that don’t play fair.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC. This is my honest review.

Eve Pennington hasn't been outside for 5 years, due to agoraphobia. She owns a block of flats that she inherited from her father. The block used to be a hotel and there are secret passages that Eve uses to check that all is well with her tenants. When one of the tenants is found dead in his flat, events take a dark turn. Weird happenings cause Eve to fear that she is going mad. The shocking twist at the end reveals details of Eve's past and the reason for her agoraphobia.
This is a brilliantly plotted psychological thriller with a diverse range of characters. A great read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Boldwood Books, M A Hunter and Netgalley for the eArc of The Tenants.

I've read a few of M A Hunter'd books and I really enjoy both her writing style and her section of characters that seem a little unhinged! The Tenants is no different as we are introduced to such characters who maybe unreliable narrators, mental heath issues and phobias, gaslighting and the morally grey!

Our MFC, Eve, inherited a building from her Father. She loves taking care of her tenants. What they don't know that Eve has secrets, she knows their comings and goings. When they need help. Always there when they need something. Eve is also agoraphobic. She can't take a step out of the door but all is ok as she runs a web design business from her flat. After a fateful night, one of her tenants is found dead in his flat and Eve is determined to get to the bottom of it. with dire consequences.

I loved this book, its medium paced throughout the book until you get to the last 3rd and it like a boulder rolling down the hill! With short chapters, medium pacing, we get great character building with the tenants in the building which builds as the plot moves forward. Everything happens within the building itself which makes for an atmospheric, claustrophobic psychological thriller. The twists are well executed and there is some great foreshadowing. You will find that you will want to read just one more chapter and before you know it, you are pulled in. Hook, line and sinker!

4.5 stars for Storygraph, 5 for other review sites.

This book follows protagonist Eve, the live-in landlady of an apartment block. Always wanting to help her tenants, there is sometimes the overstepping from being helpful to intrusive. Eve is agoraphobic with the belief that danger only lives in the outside world, but when one of her tenants dies, she realises there is more to fear inside these walls.

This was overall an enjoyable read. It was quite a steady pace throughout, and although Eve could be frustrating at times, I found the tenants more so. The main let down was the very twisty ending which seemed a bit haphazard going off in different directions.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Eve and her tenants in this story. Even though I didn't find her very likeable it worked. I didn't see the twist or the ending coming but was left satisfied. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC!

Okay this book was sooo good. I LOVED how unique the plot was for a thriller, but it was done so well that it made the book just amazing. 𝜗𝜚 ࣪˖ ִ𐙚

4.5 stars

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓟𝓵𝓸𝓽 𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡

Our narrator is a landlord for 6-ish tenants. She's absolutely perfect, tending to their every need. But what happens when one of her tenants turns up dead?

The plot itself, without giving spoilers, was perfect. everything tied together so well, and I loved it so so much.

𝓜𝔂 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡

Like I've already mentioned, I absolutely adored this book. The plot was so unique and special and it helped to create a thriller like I've never read before. Normally for me when I read psychological thrillers, they follow a very similar structure and plot, and while that usually does keep me hooked, I loved reading something new and unique and reading a different style of thrillers.
⋆. 𐙚 ˚⤷ Just for reference, I usually read thrillers in the style of Frieda Mc Fadden

I loved how everything just fit. The whole story just fit in so well, but not in a way that seemed and rushed and unreasonable, and just stated to conclude the book. It seemed very thought out, and I felt as if I was reading a creation that had time and effort spend in it, instead of a rushed first draft, which sadly many thrillers feel like these days. It was nice to read something that felt so complete.

That being said, if you do like thrillers of a different style, or Frieda's book, you can definitely still enjoy this. I know it was different that the thrillers I was used to, and I LOVED it.

𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓠𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼 𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡

⋆˙⟡ˋ°•*⁀➷ " 𝕀’𝕞 𝕒 𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕞 𝕓𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕡𝕖𝕠𝕡𝕝𝕖 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕠𝕟𝕝𝕪 𝕣𝕦𝕟 𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕪’𝕣𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕤𝕖𝕕"

Is this foreshadowing I see?

⋆˙⟡ˋ°•*⁀➷ "‘𝕀 𝕕𝕠𝕟’𝕥 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕙𝕠𝕨 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕠 𝕚𝕥, 𝕓𝕦𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦’𝕣𝕖 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕗 𝕘𝕦𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕚𝕒𝕟 𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕝, 𝕕𝕠 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥?’"

Eerie...

⋆˙⟡ˋ°•*⁀➷ "𝕀 𝕔𝕒𝕟’𝕥 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕚𝕥 𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕞𝕪 𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕤 𝕕𝕠𝕟’𝕥 𝕘𝕖𝕥 𝕒𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕘."

WHY IS EVERYTHING SO EERIE. Looking back at all these quotes I realise that everything is just soo eerie. BTW I'm not trying to spoil or foreshadow anything, so please don't read into it and think I'm being eerie and mysterious.

𝓕𝓲𝓷𝓪𝓵 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡

Absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to everyone.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Boldwood books for the ARC, and Thank you all for reading my review!

Eve hasn't set foot outside her building in five years.
Struggling with agoraphobia, she rules her apartment complex from within, obsessively ensuring her tenants live in harmony. She's the landlady, the protector-or so she believes.

But there's more to Eve than anyone knows. Somehow, she always seems to know what's happening behind closed doors. Complaints are handled before they're voiced.
Conflicts resolved before they escalate. How does she do it?

Then a tenant turns up dead.

As paranoia sets in, Eve begins to suspect she's the next target. But with secrets of her own and a growing fear that someone-or something-is always watching, Eve starts to unravel. In this building, the walls don't just have ears... they have eyes.

This story paced well and once you discover more details of Eve's past and her family you start to understand her obsessions. Enjoyed the surprises and phycological twists in this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books publishing for my ARC copy and for my honest review.
Expected Publication date: August 18, 2025

This was an average book , not very suspenseful and not the best characters . Having said that I didn’t guess the ending and did read the whole book . It may appeal to other readers but only 3 stars from me

I liked this, but I do feel there may have been one too many twists. I found the book well-written and the characterization very good, but in my opinion, the ending was disappointing. Also....what happened to the cat? Rounding up to 4 stars from 3.5. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author.

The Tenants introduces Eve, our protagonist battling agoraphobia and a shadowed past, striving for connection as a live-in landlady. She wants to help her tenants, observing them through secret passages with genuinely kind intentions.
This precarious balance shatters when the investigation into a tenant's sudden death threatens everything Eve has built. Is it connected to her past?
The novel cleverly builds tension, drawing you into Eve's escalating paranoia and the mystery surrounding the death and subsequent sinister events.
While the plot's later twists occasionally become a little messy, the never ending suspense and the morally ambiguous Eve make for an enjoyable psychological thriller with a constant stream of surprises.

Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood books for this ARC!

This is a good locked room mystery. Eve is a landlady who inherited a small building which is rented out to multiple tenants. she has agoraphobia.

When one of her tenants dies she gets sucked into a mapicious campaign by mysterious people who are out to get her. The book keeps us guessing till the end and nicely ties down the plot. All in all a great book!