I had never come across this New York-based author and her oeuvre before but I am glad that an ARC of The Tutor was available, as it proved such a good read. Courtney Psak presents us with the travails of the fictional New Yorker Caldwell family consisting of married couple Rose and Grant who live with her son James. This small nuclear family decides to move to Palm Beach to help care for Grant’s mother who has been diagnosed with the onset of Parkinson’s Disease. To allow James the best possible schooling, Rose and Grant engage the services of a tutor by the name of Isabel. It soon turns out, however, that her motives might be more than pursuing educational excellence and that there might be less than wholesome reasons for her desire to be close the Caldwells that will plunge them into danger. You will find yourself turning the pages of this novel at ever-faster speeds as Isabel’s true identity and her motives are gradually revealed. Brilliantly written – I am grateful to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of this amazing novel!

This was one of those thrillers that you will have no clue where it's going from the beginning. It's incredibly easy to read, which I loved with a thriller, the characters are well written, you love some you hate some. The ending really threw me, I'm usually good at guessing endings but this was a real blindside for me and I loooved it. I'll be looking for more Courtney Psak books to read in future

ha wow. are we ready for a thriller like this? yes yes yes and yes some more! what a corker. such skilled writing, plot, and characters drawn out for you in the perfect way to get you truly hooked to following this story. you are hooked from the very first pages. i was in. i was sitting. and i was in and sitting until id finished and it wasn't a hardship.
i love coming across books like this! ones that are just so good. there are brill thriller around at the moment but every now again you get some ragingly good ones. this was one of those.
we are bought to the ,Calewell family in this book. there is the husband Grant and the wife Rose. they also have a son called James. they move house to be nearer his mother who is becoming quite poorly. Evelyn has Parkinson's but she also seems to have an edge of something towards Rose. we also then get to Isabel who has also moved to the same location and quickly befriends the family to the point she becomes the sons tutor. but why does she seems to want to get this close, this friendly, this... something feels off. shes becoming a little, not alot close to things she shouldn't be. does she not see the boundaries she is crossing?
this book keeps you guessing on all the layered whys. you are pulled in several theories and directions and Courtney does a great job of keeping us excited throughout and wanting then needing to know more. and then you reach the point that life outside the books filters out and you are just the "please do not disturb this reader" person sat in a huddle, head in book, not stopping for noone or nothing. i was ready for every single secret and mask to fall out of this book. it was brilliant.

This is my first book by this author, but it certainly won’t be the last. This is a very good domestic thriller that comes packed with twists and a fabulous ending.

I could not put this book down from page 1, it had me totally hooked.

Twists and turns galore, this is when you find out Mother in Law is not all she seems to be.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book.

Great domestic suspense with fun twists. This is my first book by this author, and it won't be my last. Psak's writing reminds me of Sally Hepworth. Great job!

This was such a good read, I read it in two sittings. The story follows the Caldwell family, Grant and his new wife Rose, her son James and his mother Evelyn. Living in an apartment in NY, Grant Rose and James move to Palm Beach to be nearer to her mother who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. They live in a huge mansion by the beach and as the story unfolds, secrets do too. We also me Isabel, a teacher who has followed them to Palm beach and who befriends the family and starts tutoring James. But why does she want to be so close to the family? What secrets is she hiding? Who is she really?

This book kept me guessing to the very end. The twist at the end took me totally by surprise and it was soo good. Everything you thought you had sorted in your mind, the hints and tips from others in the book led tou to believe one thing and no, not what you expect at all.

I loved the characters, the settings sound idealistic and dream worthy and the plot was really good.

Four stars because I still have questions!!

Courtney Psak’s The Tutor is a thriller novel set to be published by Hodder and Stoughton on the 7th of August 2025.

3.5 stars

In the novel, we follow three very different inter-linked women who all move from New York to Palm Springs.

First, there's Rose, a widow who recently remarried a rich man called Grant Caldwell and moved with him and her teenage son James to Grant's mother's other home (yes, they're that rich), a mansion in Palm Springs. Second is Evelyn, Grant's mother, who has Parkinson's (hence the move) and seems to have it in for Rose, and lots of other secrets she's hiding. And finally, Isabel, a woman who is trying to get into their lives for unknown reasons, starts working as a Maths teacher at James' new school, and then quickly becomes his tutor.

Why is Isabel so keen to worm her way in to the family's lives? What is Evelyn hiding? And does someone know what really happened in Rose's childhood?

This one took a while to get going for me, I wasn't really invested until a few chapters in. The initial chapters from Isabel's perspective were kind of confusingly written, too, which made it more difficult and I definitely found the Rose sections the most interesting to start with. It takes until around a third of the way through to pick up, and the half way mark to really get going. The final third in particular is when the action really heats up.

The prose is generally good, although there are some sections which are syntactically odd. Perhaps this is a US/UK issue, but I can't say I have heard any Americans make some of the syntactic choices Psak makes.

I really enjoyed this story, actually, and the mystery was actually pulled off really well. The characters are interesting, especially Evelyn, and while the plot took a while to get going, it did end up really intriguing me.

Definitely worth giving a go if you like a fun, tense and twisty but not too taxing mystery/thriller.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book! Now, on to the feedback:
I really enjoyed this book—it was an entertaining and fast-paced read. The premise of a woman marrying into a wealthy, entitled family is always intriguing, and the dynamic between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law added a compelling layer to the story.

That said, I felt the character development could have gone deeper. The mother-in-law’s drastic personality shift after the big reveal felt abrupt and hard to believe. Since we had access to her POV, I would’ve appreciated seeing more complexity—perhaps glimpses of the softer or more conflicted side of her earlier on. Her decision to act with such hostility toward the daughter-in-law didn’t quite make sense, especially given her ultimate motivations.

Similarly, Isabel’s arc felt underdeveloped. Her decision to confront the family came a bit out of nowhere, especially considering how little time she’d actually spent with Grant. I would have liked to see more buildup and emotional grounding in that moment to make her actions feel earned.

Despite these flaws, the story kept me engaged throughout. It’s a compelling domestic drama with great potential—just needed a bit more nuance in its character execution.

This is an amazing read and I truly loved every twist and turn that was thrown my way. It's the kind of psychological thriller I love: about a family where you suspect not everyone has the best of intentions and behind their rich, respectable veneers lurk murky secrets and possible betrayals. This is a really exceptional debut and I'm so excited to see what Courtney Psak writes next - a solid five star read.

Intricate lies and secrets woven together in a gripping story of love, loss, subterfuge and intrigue.

This was suchhhh a good read! It was full of so many twist and turns that I did not see coming. I thought I knew what was going to happen and BAM here it goes! The secrets and the lies are coming left and right!

Wow! I loved it! A real page turner!
When Rose marries Grant she has no idea that very soon they would move from their home in New York to live with Grants ailing mother, Evelyn, in Florida. As Rose, her son, James, and Grant settle into their new home, Evelyn dominates their lives with her overpowering and secretive behaviour. Then Rose, keen for her son to do well at his new school, hires Isabel as a tutor. But Isabel has secrets of her own…
An excellent psychological thriller with an abundance of twists and turns… right up until the very end. Definitely one to read… and never forget!

A good thriller with lots of twists and turns. Be careful who you trust and who you let into your lfe. A great easy read on a long air travel , Thanks to to NetGalley for ARC.

Never allow anyone into your home without thoroughly checking them out. There are plenty of secrets and twists and turns in this book.

Great book. Was up all night reading it. I loved the characters & the storyline. I totally recommend reading this book straight away, the twists and turns are fab. Definitely 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Courtney Psak’s The Tutor is a tense psychological thriller that explores the dangers lurking beneath seemingly perfect suburban lives. Rose, a devoted wife and mother, believes she is doing the right thing by hiring Isabel, a talented tutor, to help her son James settle into their new Florida home. But Isabel’s charm soon begins to feel unsettling, and Rose senses there is far more to her visitor than meets the eye.

The story skilfully builds suspense, peeling back layers of trust and deception in a way that keeps readers on edge. Psak’s writing captures the anxiety of losing control in your own home and the fear of betrayal from within. With sharp pacing and an ominous atmosphere, The Tutor examines themes of trust, obsession, and the lengths people will go to protect their families.

A chilling and compelling read that will linger long after the final page.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. I gave it several attempts and got to around 15%.

I feel as though the writing style made it very confusing to me and I struggled to follow along at points. After around the 10% mark I felt as though not much had really happened and I was still quite confused as to what I was reading. I really really hate to dnf a book but I feel as though I gave it the best shot I could.

*No review will be shared to my socials or good reads.

If I could give more than 5 Stars I would!! Talk about a game of cat and mouse! Rose has hired a tutor for her son James. Isabel is your typical sexy, brilliant, flirtatious tutor who seems to be taking an inappropriate liking to Rose's husband, Grant. What does she want? Is she want to be Rose? Does she want her family for her own?

I loved everything about this book. I could not put it down! Twists, turns and everything I would want in a thriller. This book was a quick read and page turner. Add this one to your collection asap! You WILL NOT be disappointed!

Thank you NetGalley for the eArc.

Wow wow wow! The twist at the end blew my mind! Absolutely gripping and hard to put down! Addictive! Couldn’t of predicted this at all.