This was not what I was expecting at all. I truly thought I knew where this was going to go and I was entirely wrong. It was a mix of chaos and turns. This was a murder mystery with a side of more. I felt like I couldn’t trust anyone including my own assumptions and that for me makes for a good mystery/thriller especially when it is a psychological one and this was indeed.

This was a well-written, engaging book that kept me guessing. It didn't quite have the vibes that I expected, but I think that was me and not the book. 4 stars

This was an interesting read. I liked the writing and it had strong horror vibes, but I think it was just a little too dark for me at the moment in time when I read it. I love that it took place in Australia, but I really didn't care for the characters. I don't mind not liking the characters, usually, but I wanted to feel more of a connection to this story than I did. I did love the cat!

This was a wild ride.. still not even sure I have it all figured out. Love a good haunted house and this delivered. I was guessing til the end and couldn't put this one down.

This was a different spin on a classic haunted house tale that was well written for a debut

Thanks to net galley for my copy for a honest review.

I tried this thriller and I just couldn't get into the story. It may be a me thing and not the book, hopefully if I pick it back up I may enjoy it more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Creepy house? Check. Unreliable narrator? Double check. The Stranger Upstairs is a twisty, eerie read that keeps you guessing. Lisa M. Matlin’s debut nails the spooky vibes with a main character you’re never quite sure you trust. If you like dark secrets, mental unraveling, and houses with a past, this one’s for you.

Short synopsis: Sarah buys an old murder house to renovate for her blog.

My thoughts: This was a very atmospheric/bingeable read, very fast paced and left me questioning what was really happening.

That being said, the ending left me scratching my head and wanting for more. I’m a little over the FMC relying on alcohol and pills to escape their mental pains. That being said, I did like that she eventually confided in a mental health professional.

Read if you love:
* Haunted Houses
* True crime
* mental health rep
* Blogging and renovating

I will admit that up until about a third of the way through the book, I was not that into it. Luckily, I kept reading. This book is so atmospheric. You can actually feel the cold, picture the bloodstains. There are numerous symbols throughout the book, primarily about birds, that pretty much tell you that this is not going to end well, but for whom? Is the house haunted, or is Sarah just crazy? Once I got to about forty percent, I finished the rest in one sitting. I loved the creepiness, the twists and characterization. Sarah is not an easy protagonist to figure out, but once you do, you will have to decide for yourself if she is haunted, a victim of circumstances or just plain psychopathic. I'd love to hear what you think!

Congrats to the author on publishing her debut novel. I was honestly going to rate this 2 stars until the afterword of the book so now I’m leaving 3 stars but I had some thoughts when I first finished this book, and not all were good.

The setting of Black Wood house and the mystery about what happened there was good. A cat as a side character is always good! But the reason for what happened at Black Wood in the present was a bit crazy and unbelievable, I don’t want to give spoilers but I mean WHAT was the cause? Certain things are needed for that to happen and Sarah made zero comments about anything that would cause that. And OMG Sarah has to be THE most unreliable and annoying main characters of any book I have ever read!

This booked is labeled as horror and a haunted house story so if you’re putting off reading it because of those 2 labels let me reassure you it’s a very light haunted house and horror story.

Do I recommend this book? If you enjoy mysteries with very unreliable narrators set in creepy possibly haunted houses then yes I do. It was entertaining enough just not the level of horror I was expecting.

**Thanks to the author and Ballantine/Bantam for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.**

A chilling psychological thriller about a woman renovating a murder house — and losing her grip on reality. Dark, intense, and unsettling.

This was an enjoyable first read. I really liked the plot, and characters. I would read another book by this Author.

This was a very fun and entertaining read. It kept my attention the entire time. It was definitely a hate all the characters read, but I find that fun. A few parts were genuinely scary as well. I would definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for a scary, easy read.

I really wanted to enjoy this one, but it was kind of boring? This didn't scare me, which was disappointing. I had hoped that there would be some renovations in the story and she would maybe find something creepy while doing it? But nothing. It was a quick read which was good because I wanted to know how it would end and the ending was okay, but again it was all just kind of boring.

An atmospheric thriller set in a supposedly haunted house that a true-crime influencer buys to flip — only to find herself unraveling faster than the wallpaper. Creepy, psychological, and layered with mental health themes, it’s perfect for fans of Verity or Home Before Dark.

The biggest issue I have with this book isn't entirely the author's fault, but I couldn't really ignore it. From very early on in the book(specifically from the first time a post-it note appeared), I knew exactly what the twist was going to be. This story was very clearly inspired by a super viral reddit post from a while back and while the author did a very good job building on it to turn it into a full-length novel(and I do want to be very clear about that, while the basic idea likely came from that post, the author did a lot to make it her own), she kept just a few too many details so in my opinion anybody that has seen that post will see the ending coming a mile away.

I do like that the author added on to the story to make it seem like there was more to what was going on than meets the eye with the house, but I don't feel like that got fleshed out enough and it felt like it was just sort of left hanging in the end.

I also really liked the story of the main character. There were a couple loose ends that I feel could have been tied up a little bit better(or left out), but overall it was very well done. I also felt like her story and the story of the house were well paced together as well. It didn't feel like either was being slowed down or sped up to match up with the other. They were both going at the right speed and unraveling in the right ways at the same time.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. Once I started it, I couldn't sleep until I finished it, even though that meant staying up until 4am. I will definitely be checking out more from this author in the future.

I like the main character and her story and personality. Some parts seemed far fetched but the twist in the end make it all make sense!

A therapist with a faltering career and rocky marriage buys a Murder House to flip. What could go wrong?

I had a good time with this. It had many of my favorite things in a thriller - an unlikeable main character, unreliable narrator, and a creepy setting. This required a great deal of suspension of disbelief, but if you're able to do that, it was a fun read. I think it was a bit heavy-handed on the plot twists, and there was a character introduced that we never really had closure on what happened to them. I was left with other questions too, like what sort of background checks do they have in place for therapists in Australia? Anyway, for what it was, I enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the ARC.

The Stranger Upstairs completely pulled me in. The atmosphere is chilling in the best way, and I found myself flying through the chapters, needing to know what was going to happen next. There’s a perfect balance of psychological tension, slow-building dread, and truly unexpected twists.
The main character is complex and often unsettling, which only adds to the story’s suspense. I really appreciated how the plot kept shifting—just when I thought I had it figured out, it took another turn. It’s dark, gripping, and so well-written. If you're into thrillers that get under your skin and keep you guessing, this is one I’d definitely recommend. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while—and absolutely looking out for whatever the author writes next.

The Stranger Upstairs is a thriller/haunted house story set in a town outside of Melbourne. Sarah and her husband Joe purchase the "murder house" where decades earlier a husband bludgeoned his wife to death and almost did the same to his daughter. Sarah planned to remodel the house and sell it while keeping a blog off the experience. Soon after arriving strange things start happening that threaten her plans. Is someone just trying to get her to move or is this person out to kill her?

The premise of this book is interesting but the execution is not great. Sarah is such an unlikable character that I really do not care about what happens to her. This also causes nothing to really be suspenseful which is not what you want for a thriller. The structure of the story did not help either. One of the reasons I did not like Sarah has to do with how annoying she becomes over the 3/4 of the book where everything is slow and repetitive. This is a structure issue. Do not give me 75% of a story where nothing really develops and then have everything happen in the last quarter. Maybe this would work if the character was not so flawed that you wished for bad things to happen to them.

Maybe there are some people that would not find this a problem but I could not recommend this book to anyone.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of The Stranger Upstairs in exchange for an honest review. So many twists and turns for me with this one, as it all came together at the end, points throughout the book left me confused at times and questioning what I’m reading. Overall, was just alright for me.