Wow! I genuinely don't know how to sum up this book! Bloody brilliant? Heart stopping? Hugely intriguing? None of that seems enough!

Lisa Jewell has become a master at her craft and her last few books, as she crossed over to the dark side with The Third Wife, have been just epic! She has been top of my Books of the Year list several times and is a strong contender again this year.

The Family Upstairs has richly developed characters that all wind together seamlessly as the story unfolds. They all keep you guessing about where they fit and I actually gasped so loud I scared the dogs when it finally made sense.

Family is a complex thing and getting dynamics right and making everyone believable can be so difficult. Lisa does this perfectly. I felt a huge range of emotions as I read this book and I didn't want it to end. No, scratch that. I couldnt wait for it to end. For 2 reasons; one, I wanted my life back as I just couldnt stop reading. And 2, I needed to know how it would all wrap up.

It's 3am and my head is still spinning. Bloody brilliant!!

I have to say this is not my most favourite Lisa Jewell book. I wasn’t hooked from the outset as I normally am and found it slow to get going. Overall, I did enjoy it but she sets the bar so high that it just fell a little flat for me. And I absolutely hate open ended closes to a book unless there’s going to be a sequel. 3.5 stars is a fair rating I feel. Thanks to the author, Netgalley and Century for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Libby inherits a rambling run-down house in Chelsea on her 25th birthday. Having been adopted as a child, she sets about, aided and abetted by a journalist, to improve her knowledge of her family history.
Unexpected events are uncovered, as the novel alternates between Libby’s voice in the present, and that of her parents, their two children and their dubious lodgers in the past.
As always, Lisa Jewell tells a fascinating tale, rich in characters and atmosphere. Her straightforward conversational style intensifies an unusual gothic story. Yet another perfectly structured page- turner from this writer.
With thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK Cornerstone

I think I’ve read every book by this author and they just keep getting better and better! This one certainly didn’t disappoint. I was gripped from the start and practically read this in one go! Recommend highly!

I never repeat the blurb - you can read that. This was an enjoyable tale, well written and crafted with an intriguing premise from the start. Great characterisation and plot development, if perhaps a tad unlikely at times. Up there with the writer's other works.

I wanted to find out what happened in this book but I didn't like some of the characters which made it hard going at times. I liked the premise of the story but didn't feel it flowed.
I've read other books by the author which I have enjoyed more than this one.

The first few chapters of the book are told by different characters, which is confusing as there seems nothing to connect them. As each short chapter closes, the next begins told from a different perspective, which is frustrating as you feel you are just becoming accustomed to the characters and story, then it seems to change direction. Consequently it takes a while for each character's story to take shape and become more interesting.

All centers round a mysterious old mansion in Chelsea and leads into a story about children being abused by a strict, disciplinarian cult father figure, and hardships endured by the family. There are several different elements to the story, consisting of narratives from different timeframes, skipping between the present and past.

In my opinion, there seems to be too many characters involved in the story, with some using different names, which made it difficult to understand what or who was involved. I had to keep skipping back pages to familiarise myself with some of the characters as the story unfolded. This made it difficult to become completely involved with the book.

It is a dark, depressing story about a family suffering hardship and deprivation, thrilling at times, but quite complex.

I loved the way the plot of this book unfolded. The strong characters were very relatable. I really enjoyed it. I love all this author’s books.

Thanks to Netgalley and Lisa Jewell for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

Not upto the authors usual standard. A little too unusual and hard to follow despite a really interesting premise

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell a four-star read that was almost a five. I enjoyed the drama and suspense it was so enthralling, but I got a little confused by all of the storylines and characters. This is dark and disturbing, but more thrilling than scary. The writing as always if great and if there wasn’t so much going on in the beginning then this would be such a great story.

How to describe this story; it's about a family of 4 who live a reasonably normal life dad,mum,son and daughter the children go to private schools, their huge house is full of opulent furnishings and dead animal heads on wall
The children Henry and Lucy like their life but their father is taken ill and stops going to work so I turn the children stop going to school which is odd but they don't mind!
Then random people visit the house like Sally and David and thief two children Phin and Clemency,the problem is they don't leave, add in a few more like the very strange bird like creature called Birdie and a guy called Justin who makes a herb garden
Over time Henry's parents seem less in charge and David takes over running the house and then the real problems begin David is harsh and mean he makes them give up their food and their clothing and eventually their beds and shoes, Birdie makes them all black tunica to wear, almost like cult members Henry thinks.
After a few years of this abject misery clemency is announced to be pregnant with David's child and a beautiful baby girl is born they name her serenity
When she is adopted at 10 months old she knows nothing of this story until a solicitors letter drops on her mat.
Will she solve the mystery that has surrounded these 4 children all their lives ??

Wow, this must be Lisa Jewells best book yet. I absolutely loved it! It's mesmerising and disturbing and it brought a lump to my throat. It is one of my favourite books this year.

Thank you NetGalley for my copy.

A family of 4 living happily in London but then lodgers move in! Fast forward 25+ years and Libby is 25, she receives a letter asking her to contact a solicitor about her inheritance.

As usual Lisa Jewell keeps us in suspense until the end.

An excellent read.

Well what can I say another lisa Jewell masterpiece, love her books and this was no exception, gripping from start to finish, a great story with a great set of charecters, couldn't put it down

Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

Henry and his sister Lucy had quite a privileged upbringing – a private education, a beautiful London home with all the trappings. That is until pop singer Birdie moves in. Then her boyfriend Justin. Then everyone else. Life is never the same again.

This is a well written book with a well constructed plot & great characters. Henry’s world is taken over by other people who are welcomed in by his Mother in an attempt to “find herself”. He watches as their life is taken over and their Father diminishes to dust. It is very clever the way the reader watches Henry’s world disintegrate & how he seeks to rebel as he gets older. You can’t help feeling that this situation has twisted Henry somehow.

The story flits between several threads which I had no problems in distinguishing. Written in the first person we have Henry’s recollection of the past and the loss of his childhood. Alongside this we follow Libby and Lucy in the present and written in the third person – Libby as she learns she has inherited a house and needs to discover who her birth family are. Lucy is on her uppers living from hand to mouth in Spain with two children in tow. Each thread is interesting and a story in itself & they are very satisfactorily bought together at the end.

I very much enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the characters & seeing what they had made of their lives from difficult circumstances. I enjoyed the clever way in which Henry tells the story of how his family lost their identity. There were just a couple of little niggles for me where things didn’t sit quite right but otherwise I loved it.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

Fabulous!! Love Lisa's books. This did not disappoint and I read the book in a couple of days. Please keep writing! Thanks for the opportunity to read the book

I have to be honest now - I've read a lot of Lisa Jewell and usually can't wait for a new book from her - but The Family Upstairs left me a little cold. Don't know if it was just me but I found the first part of the book/characters very confusing and had to keep re-reading back pages just to keep up with who-was-who. I certainly wouldn't classify it as a thriller as it just didn't thrill me at all! The protagonists were awful....clearly psychopaths...but the whole book just seemed to drag on and on with the story told from multiple POV's. Sorry Ms Jewell - not even CLOSE to your usual high standards. Oh how I HATE myself for saying that, however I did promise an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Having read Lisa Jewell before, I always look forward to the next novel. ‘The Family Upstairs’ is brilliant. An original story with numerous twists and turns keeping me intrigued and alert right up to the last page.

A well cared for baby is found in a house in a fashionable part of Chelsea, Cheyne Walk, with three dead bodies in the kitchen looking like a suicide pact. It appears as if the house was run by a cult but there is no explanation as to who has been looking after the baby.

Fast forward twenty-five years and the baby, Libby (Serenity) returns to claim her inheritance, which is the house, worth several million.

The narrative is told from Libby’s point of view in the present day when arriving at the house and how she uncovers the background, along with a journalist who investigated the house several years ago and from the historical view.

Henry and Lucy Lamb used to live in the house as children when their parents seemed to invite a couple to stay, and then another. A ‘normal’ existence disappeared rapidly for the two children along with all of their parents’ money and possessions.

The story from past to present is complex and clever. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and Lisa Jewell for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Brilliant Read, highly recommended.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
Having read a number of Lisa Jewell’s psychological thrillers I was looking forward to starting this book and I wasn’t disappointed. The story opens on the 25th birthday of Libby Jones and we learn that she has been left a house in Chelsea which is worth in the region of 7 million pounds. Having been adopted at the age of 10 months Libby had tried to visualise how her parents died and what her life had been like. She had imagined them dying in a car crash. In truth they had seemingly been involved in a suicide pact and left Libby (or Serenity as we discover she is named) alone in the huge house.
The story of what led to this terrible event is revealed through chapters set in the past and the story of what is happening in the present is also gradually revealed form various perspectives. With the help of an investigative journalist Libby begins to unravel her tangled past but there are many mysteries to be revealed. The book did have some genuinely surprising moments and the ending was interesting.
A gripping story which has you desperate to find out what is going to happen next and will keep you reading late into the night. There were a couple of things I thought could have been more fully developed; I was surprised that there was not more about Libby’s adoptive family and what life had been like for her and I was fascinated how one of the characters had survived the intervening years and felt there was a lot more to discover about them. I would like to make it a 4 1/2 star review.
Many thanks to the publishers and to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

A Chelsea mansion house plays centre stage in this psychological thriller which sees Lucy inherit it as she approaches her 25th birthday. Adopted Lucy discovers she has a past and family she knew nothing of and on entering the house learns from the solicitor that she was discovered as a baby abandoned in a house with three decomposing bodies.
The story shifts through time frames to the family who lived in the house before Lucy was born and is told through the words of the different characters. Sometimes a little confusing as time frames and characters seemingly merged from time to time but I managed to decipher this and keep up with the plot
The house is home to a slightly quirky but wealthy family who are unhinged by the arrival of a manipulative and abusive but charismatic man who works his way in with devastating consequences.
I enjoyed the cultish angle of the story and the impact on the characters. It was at times a little unbelievable but it is a story after all and I could imagine a great mini series for TV coming from it.