59 Books Like The Tenant

As a follow-up to Jill Bolte-Taylor's TED Talk "My Stroke of Insight" and previous book with the same title, this is a thought-provoking invitation to sort of befriend our own brain by understanding its functionality and, dare I say, personality.

I often read a serious book followed by a fun novel, then another serious book, and so on. This book is definitely on the serious side (borderline textbook), but fascinating if you're into cerebral stimulation.

I love books that reimagine a story that is well known, challenging reader's assumptions about the characters or the circumstances they find themselves in, while also standing on its own for readers that haven't read the inspiration. JAMES brings Huck Finn's companion to life, giving him wit, intelligence, and agency. I read it twice, back-to-back. Easily my favorite read of 2025!

Another book that I couldn't stop reading. Freida McFadden really came up with a brilliant twist in this story and challenged the reader to really question what it means to be a victim of domestic abuse. There are very often two sides to every story and the truth might not always be as simple as it appears. The writing was immersive and quick-paced, making for an excellent "binge read".

This book is a great example of an unreliable narrator. It's not that Rachel is not likeable - it's that she has a serious problem with alcohol. Taking the reader along through an alcoholic haze...what actually did happen?

I love love love an unreliable narrator! Especially when that narrator is a beautiful, elegant woman who turns out to have the ugliest soul imaginable. I think as a whole, our society tends to be extra afraid when they see conniving evil existing in a female’s mind, especially when she’s physically beautiful and well spoken.

At certain points in this book, I found myself weirdly rooting for Amy and chomping at the bit to see how far her “crazy” would take her. The twists and turns kept me racing through this book and left me wondering at the end, “What happens to them now?!”

If Being Mortal makes you think and I Respectfully Disagree makes you grow, Verity will make you lock the door and cancel your plans. I didn’t just read this book—I inhaled it.

This was my second Colleen Hoover book, and I’m glad it wasn’t my first, because Verity sets an impossible bar. It’s twisted, dark, and completely addictive. I didn’t want to put it down, talk to anyone, or do anything until I finished it.

The story drags you into a psychological tug-of-war between truth and manipulation. Hoover builds tension so thick you can’t tell what’s real and what’s not, which makes it even more irresistible.

I read a lot for work and learning, but Verity reminded me that reading can also be a full-body, fun, suspensful experience.

Read it if: you love thrillers, need an escape, or just want a book that reminds you what obsession feels like—in the… show more.

I loved this book because its true-to-life setting created a situation that I could actually see happening—of course, on my worst day! The curious study in contrast between the characters' dialogue and their unseen motives left desperate cliffhangers with each chapter, leaving me dangling along with them.

The intrigue left me wanting more and the book just “called” me even though I was busy with other things.

Freida is the queen of twists, in my opinion, and this is my absolute favorite of hers. I was completely gripped and it’s one of the only books I’ve ever read in one sitting.

I’ll always remember reading this book because about two thirds of the way through I was convinced I had it all figured out only to have the rug completely pulled out from under me. As an avid thriller reader, I find that a twist rarely blows me away quite as much as this one did. Brilliant.

This is not only an amazing stand-alone psychological thriller, but it’s also the first in a series. I love every single novel in McFadden’s Housemaid series. Her books are twisty. They're dark. And they offer insights into an imperfect heroine. You may think you know what’s going to happen, especially after the first book, but trust me, you don’t.

Our housemaid heroine is struggling to turn her life around, so she takes a job as a live-in maid. Right away, the isolated mansion where she lives and works becomes a character study of the differences between the haves and have-nots. I appreciate that the mega-rich couple she works for doesn’t have a perfect life. McFadden writes realistic, flawed characters that will get under your skin. 

Placing the reader squarely into the mind and sensibility (if you can call it that) of a sociopathic killer, Ms. Highsmith created an entirely new type of thriller; in this case, the reader is not so much concerned with whodunit as to why hedunit. Following Mr. Ripley across Europe and witnessing his extended string of crimes and the extensive web of lies he weaves--and his appreciation for the finer things in life, I was both enthralled and repulsed by his exploits. In a weird way, I admired him and found myself rooting for him. To create the interior life of such a repugnant human being, and to do it so well, is a great achievement in fiction. Not since Humbert Humbert have I read about such a likable criminal.