The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell is told from the point of view of three characters: Libby, Henry and Lucy as well as two time periods. Libby Jones has turned twenty-five and receives a letter that tells her the identity of her birth parents and that she has inherited their old mansion in a ritzy area of London.

The plot is set mainly in England and France. Twenty-five years ago, the police found a baby and three dead adults in the mansion. The other people that lived there are gone, including several children. Was it suicide, murder or a combination of both? Where are the other people that lived in the house? What was really happening in this mansion?

The plot is clever and shocking, but it does switch POV and timelines throughout the book. Despite this not being my favorite style of writing, it is a tribute to Jewell’s talent that I still felt it deserved 4 stars. The story is dark, twisted and disturbing as well as being a page-turner. The characters are complex with more depth to them that most authors can inject in a trilogy.

While this is the first book I have read by Jewell, I look forward to reading more of her novels.

Many thanks to Atria Books, Lisa Jewell and Net Galley for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

Great psychological thriller for a weekend at the beach! I was totally engrossed in the mystery and couldn’t wait to uncover the secrets the house and its former inhabitants held! I enjoyed the jumps between the various time periods and perspectives, and loved the opening premise of the “baby” and the inheritance. Lots of twists, some I didn’t see coming. Fans of the genre will definitely enjoy!

*I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This is only the 2nd book I've read by Lisa Jewell, and I am impressed. This story didn't disappoint. It's creepy, atmospheric, and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. I have found both of the books I've read by her to be a little complicated because of the sheer number of characters. I liked the separate POVs of this one and the ending also left a little bit to the imagination. I will be reading more, if not all, by her.

*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
When I saw the description for The Family Upstairs I knew I had to read it. As a first-time reader of Jewell, I had little expectations as to what I'd find between the covers, but I am glad I took the chance. The Family Upstairs tells the story of a wealthy family who open up their home to others. What results is a type of commune, with underlying sinister motives. Jewell creates each of her characters with care, the hallmark of a good novel. It's a bit dark and disturbing, but that's the way I like "em. I'll be reading more of Ms. Jewell in the future!

Libby is beyond shocked when she is notified that she just inherited a massive house in Chelsea, London. Later she finds some crazy stuff about her biological parents and the others who stayed with them. How her parents had died is the question the reader will have to wait till the end. According to her solicitor, both her parents died and her siblings have been missing since the death. Also a lot of other people also lived her family. Who are they?? Why did they live there??

In this book, the house in itself is a major character all by itself in its dilapidated conditions, hiding secrets and definitely creepy. The highly dysfunctional family runs a cult-like living and there are quite a few weird characters as part of this cult. It can be confusing at the start with multiple POVs and different timelines in each chapter but it does eventually make sense later.

As usual with this author, there are quite a few twists and turns and I enjoyed reading this psychological thriller. The author mostly clearly clarifies how each of the characters end up but for one sibling which kind of seemed open-ended. I would have preferred a more established ending for him as he is pretty major character with the creepiest characterization.

Henry and his sister Lucy, the children of London socialites growing up in a large house in Chelsea, suddenly find their world changing dramatically at home. After another family is invited to stay, everything starts to change and not for the good...

Every time you think you've figured out where she's heading, Lisa Jewell throws another curveball at you in this one... and OMG that ending!? Wiping away triumphant, happy tears and wondering if we've come to the end of this incredible story. HIGHLY recommended book and author!

This book equal parts intrigued and infuriated me, which I think was intentional by the author.
It was a great page-turner and I read it in a day. But you do have to suspend some disbelief, I think, but overall this is a great psychological thriller

Such a good book.,The story alone is mind bending but the twists and turns leave you absolutely stunned.
I think I wore out the word "wow" reading this.

Do yourself the biggest favor and pick up this book. So incredibly great.

I don't think the teaser does this book justice. It's a twisted family mystery. As it begins unraveling, more and more complexity to the characters come out. Some whom you expect to be deep, are truly shallow, and petty. Those you think are tertiary, are anything but. All the players have a small role in this crazy story. It builds. You can't put it down. The baby is here to claim her home. Is she ready for what happened within it's walls?

Libby is caught in a whirlwind when, at 25, she discovers she is the heir to a big inheritance and an even bigger mystery.

The reader is given three points of view. We see the present and then two past points of view. Unraveling the details of Libby’s family is like opening a present. A present covered in many layers of wrapping paper.

I enjoyed this book and still had some surprises at the end.

In "The Family Upstairs," a young woman receives a mysterious letter informing her that she inherited a mansion-sized property in Chelsea, London. A rather posh house she's not sure what to do with. All she knows is that the house holds many secrets and with a little bit of sleuthing, she'll discover some truths are better left buried.

There are a fair amount of things I liked about this novel, such as the quick pacing, the entertainment value, and some of the characters. These three things kept me flipping through the pages. That said, the three person point of view didn't work for me, including one set in the past. was confusing and the end, unfulfilling. I felt it it was too pleasant and not what I'd envisioned for the storyline.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy.

Completely engrossing, you won’t stop reading until you turn the very last page. Highly entertaining with excellent writing, this book is a must must read.

This book grabbed my attention from the first page.. It moved along at a fast clip and got stranger as it went along.. Very well done, imaginative story.

4 Stars: The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
-
Thank you to Atria books and Netgalley for a copy of this book.
-
Libby has inherited a house on her 25th birthday. Being adopted, she knew there would be a letter on her 25th birthday, but she did not expect this. What happened in that house where she was abandoned as a one year old?
-
What I Loved: I loved the alternating time lines. It was 100% necessary to tell the story properly unlike lots of novels that now just throw in a timeline change as a "shock". It's a tiring plot mover the more it is used, but Jewell did it perfectly. And speaking of the plot it moved and it moved fast. I loved how the fast pace kept you turning the pages needing to know what happened next. When we left one narrator and went to another I couldn't decide if I was happy or sad because I needed to know what was happening with EVERYONE!
-
What I Didn't: I have a couple issues with one piece of the ending and if you would like to DM me here I would be happy to talk about it. I won't say more for sake of spoilers.
-
Overall this is another solid book by Lisa Jewell whose last three books have been page turners for me. Which means I need to find time to hit up her whole backlist!

Very intriguing story! Starts out strong and stays that way throughout. A real page turner that I couldn’t put down. I had to know what was going to happen next. Really makes you wonder if you know people as well as you think and just how far some people are willing to go to get what they want.

⭐️Book Review ⭐️
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
5/5 Stars


I have already read a few books by Lisa Jewell (Then She Was Gone and Watching You), so I was highly anticipating this gem. Jewell did not disappoint. Yet again, over 400 pages of creepy, disturbing page turning heaven. I was a bit confused at first with the characters and the time periods and then it all came together quickly.


Libby Jones has just turned 25 and found out she’s inherited a multi million pound home in Chelsea-her childhood home. She was adopted as an orphan and doesn’t know her birth parents story.

Henry Lamb narrates much of the past as the son of the original owners of the Chelsea home. He watched his socialite mother change, his father fall ill and their entire lifestyle change when houseguests came- never to leave.


Libby discovers her new home and begins digging into its past. What she finds is unlike anything she could have possibly imagined. Follow her in search of the Lamb family home’s truth.


**Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this book. I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. **

This book was very confusing too me so I am just going to use the blurb as the plot. I thought it was written well.

Be careful who you let in.

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

In The Family Upstairs, the master of “bone-chilling suspense” (People) brings us the can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets.

This one has a slow burn in the beginning and it was so confusing but it eventually made sense. It is told in three points of view, Libby's, Henry's and Lucy's. It also has two different timelines. There are also lots of characters in it so at times it was hard for me to keep track of all of them. When I read a book I don't like to be confused. I like to know what's going on and it takes awhile to know what's going on.

I was not expecting to not liking this one. I did enjoy some parts. I love Lisa Jewell and I loved every book she has written so this was a disappointment. I can't believe I am saying this, but this one was too dark and disturbing for me. This book was very very dark. It is not for every one. I have never read a book that was too disturbing and dark until I read this one. It has lots of triggers which I will put down all of them at the end of the review. I felt like a different author wrote this book. There were some parts that I enjoyed. I did enjoy the ending.

I still can't wait for the next Lisa Jewell book. This is the only book of hers, that was a disappointment to me. The other books I read by her, I loved so much. I am in the minority of this one so I suggest to look at all the other 4 and 5 star reviews. This one just might be the book for you. Lots of others loved this book.

Trigger warnings: If you have a trigger this book has it. Rape, child abuse, animal cruelty, suicide and incest.

Available Now

I want to thank Netgalley, Atria Books, and Lisa Jewell for the widget of this book

It’s been at least 6 thrillers since I’ve found one to be truly compelling, original, and dark. Lisa Jewell’s The Family Upstairs delivers surprises in spades, and just when you think you’ve reconciled the story in your mind, there’s another reconfiguration of the truth, even at the very end. As Libby excavates the story behind her real family, and she discovers the horrifying and tragic elements that ultimately led to her conception, the reader peels back layer after layer of murder, abuse, and the ties that can destroy.

An exceptionally well written thriller with just the right pacing. It kept me up in order to finish, and that’s high praise. I received this book as an advance readers copy, but all opinions are my own.

Wowza. This is such a well written, creepy story, it’s still sending chills down my spine. The Family Upstairs is the story of an unraveling family in the late 1980s and 1990s. Super suspenseful, with many twists that you just don’t see coming. Focused on cults, control, and almost sadistic level of pleasure from said control. Plenty of evil to go around in this page turner. I highly recommend this to all Lisa Jewell fans, and anyone interested in horror, suspense, or general desire for some creepy crawlers down their spine. Five Stars.

I have been a fan of Lisa Jewell’s for a while now, and I’ve always appreciated her skill with building tension. The Family Upstairs got there eventually, but the difficulty I had in connecting with it from the start diminished a lot of that mystery for me - by the time the story really got going I was nearly at the point of disinterest. It made what should have been a quick and exciting read into something I dragged out over a couple of weeks. The hook just wasn’t there for me in the beginning like it should have been. I will continue to read her books though, because I know she’s got it!