The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa Matlin is a great debut psychological thriller. I'm very impressed, particularly for a debut. I look forward to reading more from Lisa Matlin.

When you see houses for sale for a long period of time it could be because it is a murder house. Would this impact you purchasing it? Black Wood house, built in 1889, sits on 400-acres of land. One dreadful day, husband and father, Bill Campbell brutally murders his wife and ultimately himself. The house is left untouched for forty years. Bestselling author Sarah and her bartender husband decide to purchase and flip the murder house. Imagine the potential profit and all the social media fame! At least, that's what Sarah hopes for. Instead, she is met with secretive neighbors, strange incidents, suspicious noises, a less than perfect marriage, and secrets resurfacing from her past. Sarah is a therapist who looks like she has her act together but she has her issues too- besides marital problems, she shops too much, and drinks too much-among other things. Sarah is trying to escape events from her past and keep her disintegrating marriage from unraveling further. The more she tries to control her husband and her new home, the harder they both seem to rebel against her. It’s as if the house resents her as much as Joe does. The ending reveal was such a clever switch up from the readers expectations based on how the story plot points. Good debut. 3.5 rounded up. Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley.

This is we my first book by Marlin. The plot of this book is right up my alley. A murder house with a crumbling marriage the mystery of what’s living up stairs.

There were times when I felt like I really loved Sara’s character. The way she described her thought process in great detail. There were other time where I felt like this was like every other mystery I had read and I just wanted to throw my book! But in the end it was not like any other mystery book I have heard.

Very interesting plot twist. Not sure I cared for it so much and where the story line went after.

However I did love the Suspense and of who Joe was and what was he capable of.

The Stranger Upstairs is Lisa Matlin's debut book, and she did a great job bringing the creepy factor! The setting of the Black Wood House was eerie, and the narrator was unreliable, which kept things interesting. There was a twist at the end I didn't see coming. I didn't overly love this one, but I didn't dislike it, either. 3 solid stars.

Thank you, Random House Publishing- Ballantine, and Net Galley for a copy in return for my honest review.

this book was really good and also thoroughly scared me for the last 20%. i was so intrigued the entire time and desperately needed to understand the crime. literally only 1 out of ~10 predictions was right and that made it even more fun and shocking. unpacking every piece of this story and realizing just how much i was fooled made this such an enjoyable read. i may have been scared, but this plot unraveled in such a well done manner and had me on the edge of my seat.

The type of book that was a right book, wrong time for me. I can see why others may have enjoyed this book, but for me it was just okay. It didn't grasp me the way I thought it would have. Again, doesn't mean its a bad book, I just didn't have the right attention for it.

This book had a bit of everything I hate about horror movies. That said, I still read the entire thing even though I was scared through at least the first half of the book. Haunted houses, things popping out at you, creepy messages, an attic, murders... you name it. If these things are things you like, then this book is for you. And of course, it had that ending that left me creeped out all over again. Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC. 4 stars.

Oh man did I think the synopsis of this sounded amazing. I hit that request button so quickly and looked forward to reading this. This excitement ended pretty quickly, though. I couldn't stand Sarah, hated her. I hated her character so, so much. I hated her as a therapist. I hated her blog, I hated her self-pity parties. I HATED THAT THIS WAS NOT PARANORMAL.!

Would you ever consider buying and living in a murder house? The main driving question in this twisty novel remains. I did not see the plot twist of what was upstairs coming, and it was a bit of a let down if I'm being honest. I did enjoy this book overall and liked the main character - I was rooting for her!
Thankful for the ARC!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this arc. Such a great story and so very hard to put down.

This was a great debut novel by Lisa Marlin. It was thrilling and kept me engrossed the entire time. I will definitely read more by this author!

This is one of those books where up until the end I’m very invested and then something happens that make me slightly dislike it. This is a debut thriller taking place in Australia. I would say this is similar to Rachel Hawkins novels and if you like her books, then this is a great book to read as well.

A social media influencer Sarah Slade buys a murder house to renovate and document for her blog. Ever since her and her husband move into the house, things seem to be going wrong. It’s as if the house doesn’t want them there. Sarah also has a dark past along with the fact that she’s a fraud. This is one of those books where you have a very unlikable main character but at the same time, you can’t help but root for them.

I was terrified to read while reading this. I couldn’t sleep and I couldn’t stop thinking about what was going to happen next. Emily was one of my favorite characters but I was always questioning if she was a good person or not. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in this book and it is so enjoyable. After the haze, I started questioning a lot of things, especially the ending. I really didn’t understand what’s up with the murder house and I don’t believe that there was carbon monoxide poisoning.

I 100% recommend this book to thriller fans. I think this is great and I have enjoyed reading peoples reviews on Goodreads because everyone has a different take on what happened and Sarah’s personality. This is a great summer read as well.

The Stranger Upstairs was a fantastic debut novel. It’s a page turning atmospheric thriller that kept me engaged until the very last page. It also solidified the fact that I was absolutely never buy a murder house.

An amazingly thrilling story. I could not believe what I was reading and never wanted the story to end! Definitely a page turner and very quick read.

Buy a house someone was murdered in?? No thank you! The Stranger Upstairs confirmed my fear of this, but was such a good read.

OH MY GOODNESS!! What an INCREDIBLE debut novel!! Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a creepy psychological/horror thriller that keeps readers engaged to the very end!! When I saw this beautiful cover with all the pretty colors and read the synopsis I knew I had to read this book! However, do not let the cover fool you because the story is haunting, shocking, dark, and twisted. I recommend not reading it late at night like I did because I wanted to put my Kindle in the freezer and might have slept with a light on in my room!😬 There are so many harrowing twists and turns and you will find yourself questioning everything!


I was completely captivated from start to finish! If you are looking for a unique and creepy thriller to read that will keep you guessing then this is the book for you. I highly recommend this book and it deserves a million stars!!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

A therapist and self-help writer with all the answers, Sarah has just bought a gorgeous Victorian in the community of her dreams. Turns out you can get a killer deal on a house where someone was murdered. Plus, renovating Black Wood House makes for great blog content and a potent distraction from her failing marriage. Good thing nobody knows that her past is as tainted as the bloodstain on her bedroom floor. This a dark and disturbing story and full of somewhat unlikeable characters. It held my interest until the end in spite of that and I ended up enjoying the read.

The Stranger Upstairs is a thriller/suspense debut by Lisa M. Matlin. Sarah Slade and her husband Joe need to get away. They purchase Black Wood House (home of a murder/suicide) with the intentions of Sarah recording the remodel on her blog. But from the beginning, things aren't as they seem. Sarah hears noises, voices, and finds notes hidden in her home addressed to her with things that no one else would know. Sarah and her husband are both running from secrets in their past - has someone found out who they really are? And what about the girl that purchased the home before them...there is no record of her purchase and she's gone missing.

This wasn't a hit for me, but it wasn't really a miss, either. I thought that the story seemed a little disjointed in parts and the writing style wasn't for me. I also thought that I didn't really connect with any of the characters except one and she wasn't really in much of the book. I thought that there was a good twist near the end. It wasn't the explanation I was anticipating. But I didn't like the ending. And I think I'm kinda over the whole "the female main character is crazy' trope. But these are just my thoughts and I there are many higher ratings out there. If you like suspenseful stories, creepy settings, unreliable narrators, and unexpected endings, this one is for you.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I thoroughly enjoyed this twisty, dark, atmospheric story! It was very unsettling, in a great way. I was slightly disappointed by the ending, but found this author's writing very engrossing. The Stranger Upstairs consumed me until the last page, and I look forward to reading whatever else Lisa Matlin writes.

Social media therapist and her husband buy a house that no one else wants. It’s the scene of a gruesome crime 40 years earlier.Soon they are doubting their choice to buy this house when menacing messages begin to appear.

There were plenty of twists in the plot that I didn’t see coming and kept the flow of everything moving along nicely