Told in three strands, two present day and one past, this is a complex weaving together of a house with a troubled past. Libby, adopted as a baby, inherits at age 25 the house her birth parents had left to her - the house where they were found dead, along with the body of a third stranger, and she was discovered alive and healthy in her cot. As Libby tries to find out the truth about what happened in that house, the two other storylines creep ever closer, each one led by a character who also needs to return to the house and resolve what happened. My favourite aspect was the past storyline, which slowly twists and turns to reveal a comfortable, well-to-do Chelsea family infiltrated by controlling strangers who gradually take over. It’s dark and twisty and enjoyable, but there was a very involved subplot that I wasn’t sure added much - perhaps it was a sort of red herring. But overall a good psychological thriller.

A really well written thriller that kept me guessing!!! Rare for a seasoned mystery and thriller reader. Loved the multiple points of view and the switching of past to future; this made for a great, engaging puzzle read. Deep and complex enough to keep me hurtling through the pages needing answers. I enjoyed the mysterious darkness in this Jewell novel. my cup of tea! Enjoyable and likeable characters, depth in the plot and a sinister tone to the compelling family drama.
A very happy reader!

At 24 years old Libby Jones is just a typical young woman, working and scrapping by with life's little luxuries when she can afford them. At 25 years old Libby Jones is informed that she has inherited an almost mansion type house in Chelsea worth a few million. Libby also finds out about how she had been found and adopted as a baby. Not even close to the story she had been told as a child.
Meanwhile in France Lucy tells her two children, Marco 12 and Stella 5 that they have to get to the UK to meet the baby who will be 25 years old now.
The third cog is Henry Lamb, who tells the story of the house his parents, his sister and he use to live in. The privileged lifestyle, wanting for nothing and comings and goings of the wealthy friends of his parents with regular outings with his socialite mother. Then one day people came to stay, just for a little while he is told but life will never be the same again.
This is one tremendous story and it unwound and came together with perfection. When Libby opens the door to her inheritance, it is like walking back into the house twenty-five years ago. Everything is like it was the day it was locked up with the exception of three dead bodies which had long been removed and when a water pipe had to be mended. But someone was in the house, she heard them.
The story unfolds with chapters that piece together how life had been for the family and the drastic changes that were to take over all of their lives. In present-day Libby is determined to find the truth about so many unanswered questions from the past.
This is one mesmerising book that I absolutely adored. Each chapter from the past grew darker with a sense of sheer helplessness for the children as times goes on. I felt so frustrated that I could have burst. How could this happen? Why didn't someone know? But who really wants to get involved in other people's business? I read so much of the later chapters with a hand over my mouth, unable to believe what I was seeing, and I don't mean words. The pictures in my mind were strikingly vivid and real but I couldn't, not look.
I am bowled over and absolutely loved the end, even the shiver it put down my spine! Just pure magic!
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

Rating 3.5

In a beautiful riverside house in Chelsea London there is a baby girl in her Harrods cot in the upstairs bedroom. She is well-fed, clean and cared for.

In the kitchen below lies three decomposing bodies. Close to them is a hastily written note and they have been dead for quite a few days.

So who was looking after the baby and where are they now?

Libby has turned 25 and has now been contacted by the solicitors of the family who lived there as she now owns the property. She discovers she was the baby left behind and no-one else ever came forwards to claim the estate. With the help from a journalist who wrote a piece on the story, she sets about trying to find her family.

This story is told from multiple POVs, flipping between the past leading up to the bodies being found, and the present but I found it was confusing at times working out whose section I was actually reading. Sometimes it was clear, other times it took a good few paragraphs for it to click into place.

There is also a section where Libby is describing her work colleague, Dido and five times in a row the author starts each sentence "She knows..." and another time one after another the use of "unexpectional" is used twice.

Apart from that, thoroughly enjoyed the story, bit dark at times, though as you read it you understand why.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

Oh my word. This book was sooooo messed up, and I was *mostly* here for it.
 
The book cycles through three different POV, as well as flicking from past to future (depending on which POV you were in), this built tension and drama really well for me, but could also be confusing in working out where I was (in time/place) or whose section I was actually reading. Despite this, I felt compelled to read on to figure out what was going to happen next, most excited to cycle back to my favourite POV (Henry's) so I could learn what on earth was going on and who this family upstairs was!
 
I found I didn’t really know what was going to happen, which was refreshing in a thriller for me. Often when thrillers try so hard to provide you with twists, they miss the mark, so I was glad about how this one unfolded. Unfortunately, it lost a star, because for some reason that I can't really put my finger on, it was annoying me at the same time as me kind of enjoying it. Does this ever happen to you or is it just me?! I'm also not as hyped these days for the unreliable narrator trope as I used to be since certain books kind of killed it for me, but I did enjoy how this one was done.
 
This is my first read by Lisa Jewell; I honestly didn’t know what I was expecting and I was pleasantly surprised with what I read. I'll definitely be reading more by her in future. The book was written really well and for the most part, I didn’t want to put it down, in particular the last 30%ish of the book which I stayed up way later than usual to read, purely to get my answers!
 
4 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley, Lisa Jewell and the Publisher for an advanced copy of this in exchange for an honest review!

Good grief! Such an amazing story, so many surprises. Imagine what a multi-million pound inheritance would do to change your life - and if it arrived out of the blue, what repercussions it might have? It turns Libby's life upside-down because she is not who she thought she was, at all. The story is of the house, and what happened there, but it is also Libby's story. I was enthralled and captivated by this book, and what a very good thriller it is. A very good read.

In a large house in London’s fashionable Chelsea, a baby is awake in her cot. Well-fed and cared for, she is happily waiting for someone to pick her up. 

In the kitchen lie three decomposing corpses. Close to them is a hastily scrawled note. 

They’ve been dead for several days. 
Who has been looking after the baby? 
And where did they go? 

I loved the sound of this book. The story is told from the point of view of the different characters, and to start with I found it a bit confusing to follow. For me it was also a bit of a slow start but once it started to develop I couldn't put it down. There was an eerie, unsettling feeling about some of the characters, and as parts of the past are revealed you start to question just how realiable their accounts are.

After a slow start there were enough twists and revelations to keep me gripped to the end. Thankyou to netgalley and random house UK for my arc in exchange for my honest review

Another amazing story by Lisa Jewell. Great storyline and characters with lots of twists and turns. A fabulous conclusion with a twist right at the end. Will he, won't he??

An intriguing,complex and complicated novel with great characters and a few twists at the end. Thoroughly good read.

I am a big fan of Lisa Jewell. This book started off well, but I found that it was a little slow and repetitive in the middle with a predictible ending. Still a good read, but not her best.

Really good Lisa Jewell book. Loved the pace, darkness, creepiness of it. Writing is engaging and addictive as usual. I'd read any book from her.

Thanks so much Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

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