Really enjoyed this book as I have with all this authors books. Found it took me a little while to get into in with the different characters but so glad I stuck with it. Amazing story & loved the strong characters. I’d highly recommend this book.

”What are they hiding” - Let’s set the stage shall we? Three decomposing bodies lie in the kitchen of a large house in fashionable Chelsea. There’s a baby awake in a cot upstairs who’s been well cared for, however the house is empty and there is nobody to be found. So who’s been looking after the baby and where did they go? The chapters flip back and forth to the present day, the past and back again as we gradually get to the bottom of the events that have led us to the baby in the cot and the mystery of the dead bodies and how they got there. This formula has worked well for Jewell thus far in her career, and it really adds those extra layers of mystery and suspense to ‘The Family Upstairs. Lisa Jewell has done it again, a deliciously thrilling read that will keep you hooked from start to finish. It was so hard trying to navigate work and personal life with this book around as I literally couldn’t wait to get back to it whenever I could. The book is set for release on August 8 and I can’t recommend it enough. I’d go as far to say as it could very well be one of the best books of her career. I was gripped from page one!

Delicious. Dark and creepy. Compelling. Everything you could wish for in a book. I devoured it. Lisa Jewell at her best. In fact I could read it all over again.

It would have been a five star read but I got a little confused over who was narrating each chapter at the beginning and in what period.

This was a very enjoyable story with a likeable, relatable heroine who has her entire existence turned upside down when she hits 25. Libby knew she was adopted but had no idea what an amazing set of discoveries she was about to make. The initial naivety of the protagonists is very well done, as is how they changed over the intervening years, succeeding or failing at life, but never losing focus on obtaining an eventually positive future from a disastrous past.

The story is told from three different viewpoints; two present day and one from a past which coloured everyone's future. This worked very well and gradually, as the three stories began to converge, different aspects started to take on more importance and I definitely needed to read a little faster!

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good family based thriller by a very good author.

Not the sort of book I would normally read it took me a while to sort out the characters and realise how it had been written but when I’d done that I was hooked great book good characters ups and downs within the story I would definitely recommend reading this!!

5 Stars from me

What a fabulous book! The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell is a really refreshing and original read - it is literally brimming with layered storylines which pull you along as you turn the pages ever more equally enthralled and appalled.

At one point it literally felt as though the story contained no redeeming characters at all (except Miller, he was ace) as greater wickedness, selfishness, abuse and depravity unfolded. Wow what appalling people the Thomsens were and how utterly weak the Lambs. 

The Family Upstairs has it all, the reader is taken on a veritable roller coaster ride as Libby finds herself a millionaire (isn't that child's dream scenario?) but also uncovers a million questions about her family and exactly what went on in Cheyne Walk. The cult style takeover of the Thomsens was horrible and yet must be some true to what actually happens in those type of situations that we know are all too real. The children who live in the house - whether Lambs or Thomsens are dark souls and I guess a sad product of their awful environment. Across the pond, Lucy's tale is equally unpleasant and we follow her along the way as all roads seem to lead the Cheyne Walk and the 25th birthday of 'the baby'.

Brilliant characterisation throughout and an utterly gripping - if a little disturbing - read.

Synopsis:You thought they were just staying for the weekend. They looked harmless enough – with only two suitcases and a cat in a wicker box.

But soon things turn very, very dark. It happens slowly, yet so extraordinarily quickly.

Now you and your sister must find a way to survive…

It took me a while to get into the book but once I did I was totally lost within it's pages.

Libby turns 25 and inherits a huge house in Chelsea. She's always known she was adopted and starts to research her family. She gets in touch with the journo, Miller Roe who wrote the explosive story about what happened all these years ago....

In the past things change for the worse for Henry and Lucy Lamb when the strangers move in and what follows is an intricately woven twisted tale of secrets, lies, control, hurt, sadness along with hope, love and friendship.

I totally loved it and really recommend (as an aside note I don't really feel the title suits the story).

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. Whilst this book wasn't quite what I expected, I really enjoyed it. The story was gripping and different, and well paced, although I felt there should have been more demarcation between each of the narrators telling the story from their perspective, as sometimes it would jump between narrators without any indication. Whilst they all had clear voices and perspectives, it sometimes took a moment to catch up. Really interesting read.

In the end I loved this book. Taking quite a few chapters to get into the swing of it and connecting with the characters, but I could not put it down and read late I to the night. I would highly recommend it

Wow, just wow!
As a long term fan of Lisa Jewell I marvel at her recent change of direction - its hard to believe that the same writer of Ralph's Party and (my personal favourite) Vince & Joy could take such a dark and complex turn, her books of smiles and romance are now uncomfortable and deep. I love them, but in a completely different way - I want to savour them and read impossibly slowly but I just cant and I devoured this in 2 sittings.

The plot takes you on a journey, letting you in on secrets along the way but always keeps something back for the end. I absolutely love this book, and I'll need to read it again to absorb it all. It was hard to get to grips with at first and I kept flicking back a few pages to check where I was, but I think this is by design - the confusion just drew me into the story even more and the quality of the writing was evident.

I look forward to many more novels from Lisa in the future - but I do wonder what happened to turn her outlook inside out!

Wow wow wow this book was not what i was expecting. There were so many different, interweaving layers to the story and they all came together perfectly at the end. This is the second book by Lisa Jewell i've read but i am definitely becoming a major fan of her work. This book has such a distinct voice and can create a dark, tense atmosphere that leaves you on edge.

When libby turns 25 her whole world turns upside down. Libby always had known she was adopted but when she finds out that she has been left a fashionable house in Chelsea London she cant even to begin imagine what went on there.
25 years earlier three dead body are found in the kitchen of the house with a healthy happy 10 month old baby awake upstairs. Two teenage children missing
The body's have been there for several days, who has been looking after the baby and what on earth has gone on in this house.

Another excellent page-turner from Lisa Jewell. I have read many of her books and this is up there with the best of them. It had me hooked from the start. Having just finished 2 so-so books I think made this one seem even better.
As a number of reviewers have commented the multiple characters initially make it confusing but it soon becomes clearer. Thank you for allowing me to have a preview copy.

Libby has worked hard and saved hard and is on the look-out for a husband. She is an ordinary, likeable young woman. On her 25th birthday she inherits a large house in Chelsea and from there the history of the house, the people in it and their relationship to Libby begins to evolve. The characters are well portrayed and the story unfolds at a good pace with twists and turns making this quite a page-turner (I stayed up far too late to finish it!).
Many thanks to Netgalley/Lisa Jewell/Random House UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Enthralling. Loved the way the story was told through different perspectives and over many years. Would recommend.

Big fan of Lisa Jewell. This book wasn't my favourite of hers, but it's still incredible. Well thought out characters, dark and twisted plot, excellent resolve and surprises and twists right up until the very end.

It wasn't what I expected at all. The POVs from Henry, Lucy and Libby all served their purpose and had me enthralled in their individual lives, and how they would come to entwine. A slow start for me, but quickly became a gripping read.

The Family Upstairs is a mesmerising,enthralling domestic drama/thriller about brother and sister Henry and Lucy Lamb and how swiftly their young lived descended into a living nightmare after two strangers moved into the opulent home in Chelsea that Henry and Lucy shared with their socialite mother and father. A nightmare that culminated with the death of three people and the discovery of a abandoned ten month old baby in the almost empty shell of a once loving family home.

It's also the story of Libby Jones and journalist Miller Roe's investigation into the people who lived at 16 Cheyne Walk after Libby is shocked when she receives a letter informing her that she has inherited the house. The story that they uncover is shocking,twisted and heart breaking and will change Libby's life forever.

The chapters flip back and forth in time and are voiced by Libby,Lucy and Henry in the present day and Henry in the past. The chapters covering Henry and Lucy's younger years were very dark at times and pulled at my heart strings more than once as the story unfolded. It was frighteningly scary how quickly their parents were coerced and manipulated by their sinister,twisted house guests. The characters were well rounded,vivid and diverse,many of them were flawed,some were likeable but quite a number of them were not so likeable for various reasons.

I love Lisa Jewell's books and The Family Upstairs is no exception. It is exceedingly well written,her words flow with ease,drawing the reader into her enthralling story and holding you captive throughout. Once I started this book,I honestly couldn't put it down,I was hooked in from the first page,totally captivated by the twists and turns as the story unfolded before my captivated eyes. It also raises the moral question,are a person's actions excusable depending on the circumstances?. Very,very highly recommended by little old me.

A lovely thriller to get your teeth stuck in.

I was excited to read this after the blurb and I enjoyed it a lot. The story was compelling and it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

A real page turner, following the story of Libby who inherits a derelict old house we learn it's secrets. Definitely a book to read.

This is the second book I've read in the last week where the title was very misleading or wasn't really relevant, but having said that, it was also one of the best books I've read in a while. The complex story line was nothing short of genius, how it all slotted together didn't make any sense until about two thirds or longer into the book. Once you put all the characters into the mix it made sense. But having said that, the journey was amazing. I loved every page and sat up till the early hours once I reached about 80% through it. The well rounded personalities were utterly fascinating and kept you wanting more with each chapter finished. I felt as though I was actually in the house with them and could feel their anguish and pain. I was very sad to reach the end but was also happy that there weren't any disappointments. I highly recommend this book, it stands out as a brilliant work of fiction by this excellent author.