Libby has always known that she was adopted as a baby, but when she reaches her 25th birthday, she inherits not only a large house in Chelsea, but the mystery of how her parents died. Were they part of a cult or were they murdered?

This was an interesting, if slightly creepy, story, with the plot moving from Libby’s discoveries about the house and her family, to a first person telling of the events three decades earlier. Gradually the details become clearer and the secrets of the dwelling are revealed. The characters are well fleshed out, the settings are real and the plot is quite original.

I’m not usually a big fan of dark dramas, however I found myself compelled to keep reading, as I wanted to discover more and see how the story would end. Definitely recommended and will look out for other Lisa Jewell novels.

GOSH
What an absolutely brilliantly written book

How the plot unfolds with the turn of each h page is just skilful and captivating
It is dark, twisty, sinister, unpredictable and unputdownable

Highly recommended

Thank you netgalley, Lisa Jewell and Random House, Cornerstone for allowing me to read and review this book.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this frightening novel

wow a chilling read...a well to do family with money to burn suddenly take in strangers, but when some others turn up for a few days things begin to change and not for the better....

a young woman inherits a house on her 25th birthday and then suddenly things are never the same again...is she really the baby found 25 years ago in an empty house with 3 people who killed themselves... a cult killing

but how has she survived those days where they lay dead and she was fed and changed... a chilling tale unfolds

I've long been a fan of Lisa Jewell's writing, so was looking forward to reading this latest one. It certainly didn't disappoint. 25 years ago, 3 people were found dead in a London house, apparently a suicide pact. In an upstairs bedroom is a baby, clean and fed, but no one else. Neighbours said that there were other children living at the house, but they seem to have disappeared off the face of the earth. This is the story of what happened leading up to those events, and what has happened since. I don't want to give away the plot, which is intriguing and will keep you on the edge of your seat. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

I received my ecopy from Netgalley, thank you.

I have long been a fan of Lisa Jewell and The Family Upstairs definitely didn't disappoint. This is a family drama, with the emphasis on drama, a great plot and engaging characters.

As I progress towards the end of a particularly enjoyable novel I usually hope that the ending is not too conveniently, and usually disappointingly, pulled together just for the sake of neatness. However, as the conclusion was drawing nigh, in this instance I felt so invested with the characters that I was desperate to know what the outcome for each of them was. Lisa Jewell actually concluded the story with great finesse, it was perfect.

To my mind the only downside to this story was that I was sometimes confused by the narrative but that is probably more to do with me than the author.

Excellent. Dark and twisted, I thoroughly enjoyed this family drama - the characters were really well described and the split narrative worked perfectly.

I have read and enjoyed this author’s novels before and liked them more than this one. I found it hard and slow to get into and only really began to enjoy it over halfway through but then a few twists and turns to keep me interested until the end. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

The Family Upstairs was quite simply a brilliant piece of writing. It feels dark and sinister whilst intriguing and entertaining. From the first page I was immersed in the plot and couldn’t stop turning the page.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and the author for the chance to review.

This is the first book I have read by this author, but it won't be the last, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story is told year's apart and weaves perfectly to the present. I will be recommending this book.

I have read Lisa Jewell novels before and this one was totally different to her usual style. Quite a psychological thriller that I felt was a bit disjointed to start. I read the book really quickly but did not really engage with the plot. Enjoyable nevertheless.

It’s Lisa’s 25th birthday. Nothing unusual about that you may say. But she has just inherited a mansion 16 Cheyne Walk in Chelsea. Lisa was adopted as a child. First, she thought it was a joke. But she agrees to see the mansion. Once beautiful, but now lies empty and abandoned and in disrepair.
In the past Harry Lamb and his sister Lucy live in 16 Cheyne walks. In the life of luxury with lots of treats and attending private schools. When one day two strangers visit the house for a visit, but they never leave. The strangers seem to take over the house and the people in it. The neighbours think that the house has turned into a place for a cult the beautiful furniture etc are sold off to charity. When one day, the police are called because they can hear a crying baby. The baby is well cared for but, when the go into the kitchen, they find 3 decomposing bodies.
Thank you, Random House UK Cornerstone, and NetGalley for a copy of The Family Upstairs. I have read a few Lisa Jewels book. I did enjoy this but, this is not one of my favourites. This book has a good original plot, but the only character I liked was Libby. I liked her side of the story but, the story involving the rest of her family I didn’t care much about. It also didn’t grip me like her last book did. 3.5 stars from me.

A page turner, well written and engrossing. It's the first Lisa Jewell book I read and won't surely be the last.
I appreciated the gripping plot, full of twists and turns, the well written cast of characters, and the general atmosphere full of secrets and enthralling.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This isn't the first time I've read a book by Lisa Jewell and and it certainly won't be the last. This one had me hooked right from the start and kept me gripped right to the end

I love the characters, they were so engaging and beautifully crafted.

The novel explores elements of family dynamics, expectations and the generations. One could also say culture, taking a literal sense of the word.

The character of Lucy is central to the story. Her voyage of discovery about her birth prior to adoption, takes the reader through a gripping psychological thriller.

Plenty of red herrings along the way. At times I was reminded of the writings of Arthur Ransome.

This is the first novel to which I have awarded 5 stars so far this year.

I give my thanks to NetGalley and and Random House (Century) for a copy of this book in exchange for this review.

A book I read in one sitting with breaks to go out in the sun ( kindle taken ) and Irn Bru top ups ( and maybe bikkies too!! )
From page 1 it demanded to be read, drew me in and there was nothing I could do until I had finished it ( and what a last line!!!) , this powerfully dramatic story of family life had me completely under its spell from the first sentence
A tale of wealth living in the most luxurious house in Chelsea to sleeping under motorway brdges in France, jealousy, love, dysfunctional families, cults, abandoned babies, riches gained and lost, families re-united, psychopaths and narcissists and pretty much everything else was like going from 0-100 in seconds and staying there through every page
The story is flawlessly told, wonderful characters, some to love, some to hate, the narration so on point and the descriptions eye waveringly real it all adds up to make this one of the best books read this year
A perfect combination of all that makes a good book great, you need to read it, its truly brilliant!
10/10 5 Stars

What an amazing, dark, sinister, gripping story with many many unexpected twists throughout. Lisa Jewell has written a story abounding with family secrets that ge5 uncovered at a perfect pace throughout the book.the characters are alive to the reader and I sat and read this in one sitting as it was so well written. It was unusual to have different narrators and varying time frames within the same chapter but after a very short while I found this increased my interest. I adored the final chapter which brought everything to a closure.
Highly recommend this book. As it is Lisa at her best.

Dark, sinister and totally enthralling! A fascinating and twisting thriller, a book you cannot put down!
Libby receives an unexpected inheritance on her 25th birthday, and what an inheritance! A house on Cheyne Walk, Chelsea- suddenly she is rich! Adopted as a baby, she knows very little about her birth family and this inheritance will tell her more than she could ever believe!
This is a fab book with a dark storyline. Set in two time periods 30 years apart, we follow the story of Libby and her family and what really took place in the house on Cheyne Walk. And as the people from the past start to converge on Cheyne Walk, the protagonists meet up!
Another great book from Lisa Jewell!

I have read Jewell's previous book and I really enjoyed it. This is why I was drawn to this new title. It was different from any other book I've read: sinister, melancholic and provocative. A recommended read for anyone interested in dark secrets and even more dark characters!

What a page turner! Filled with secrets and family drama this is a tensely plotted book that I devoured in one go. A house in Chelsea lies dormant except for 3 rotting corpses and a healthy, happy baby. If the residents have been dead for days, who's taken care of the baby? And what happened there? Decades later, Libby inherits the house and it's mysterious past. Can answers be found? Now if that description doesn't hook you I don't know what will! Gripping, dark and delightful, I loved it.

I’m really lucky in that I often get sent books to review several months before their publication date. I’m usually pretty good and add them to my reading schedule and plan to read them just before the launch date. When The Family Upstairs arrived on my kindle three months early I managed to restrain myself for about a week and then I had to read it straight away. I’ve been desperate to share it with you all for the last two months!

It is Libby’s 25th birthday. She has just been told by a solicitor that she has inherited a large expensive property in Chelsea. She had always known that she was adopted but Libby had no idea who her “real” family were. She soon discovers that the house has a dark history. She was discovered upstairs in a cot and there were three bodies downstairs, presumed to have died in a bizarre cult suicide pact.

The story is told from the perspective of three characters. Libby coming to terms with her new “past”, searching for information about her family and the house. Lucy lives on the street in the south of France. Her existence is solely to try and provide for her kids and keep them away from her abusive ex-husband. When a calendar alert reminds her that “the baby” is now 25 she realises that she has to do anything that she can to get back to Chelsea. Henry is the cool and collected narrator. He lived in the house and knows exactly what happened to the inhabitants and how they ended up in the black robes in the kitchen. He is not always the most reliable voice.

Jewell has always been fantastic at conjuring up fantastically three dimensional characters and making them leap off the page. With her most recent books she has moved more to a darker type of book with a twist and The Family Upstairs has this in spades. Once I started reading it was a real struggle to put it down and go to work! Clear your diary, make yourself comfortable. The Family Upstairs is waiting for you…

Supplied by Net Galley and Random House UK in exchange for an honest review.

I’d like to thank Random House UK/Cornerstone and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Family Upstairs’ by Lisa Jewell in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Libby who was adopted when a baby has been left an inheritance by her birth family, a house in Cheyne Walk SW3. On researching the history of the house, Libby discovers that the bodies of Henry and Martina Jones and another man were found in the kitchen and a well-nourished ten-month-old baby was in a cot upstairs - Libby was the baby and her name was Serenity Jones.

When I started reading ‘The Family Upstairs’ it sounded exciting and the type of thriller I’d enjoy and although the start was promising it wasn’t enough to keep me reading, in fact I fell asleep in the middle of it! I’ve reached the half-way mark and realised that I’m not interested in any of the characters, or what happened in 16 Cheyne Walk, and I have no desire to continue. From reading other reviews I must be the only reader who hasn’t liked this book which is a pity as I’ve read others by Lisa Jewell which I’ve enjoyed, but this one just didn’t grab my imagination.