I read this gradually, as part of an Instagram group read, and the way the coordinator broke up the chapters left me hanging on the edge of my seat every single day. So many questions! Loads of red herrings! So much to talk about and try to figure out! All of which lent itself to a super fun, engaging read. It did feel like there were a lot of loose ends and unanswered questions by the end of the book, but I still had a great time reading this and really look forward to reading another book by Matlin in the future!

(3.5 rounded up)

Buying a murder house is a good idea in theory But Sarah Slide quickly finds out she took on much more than she bargained for in Stranger Upstairs. Sarah Slade is a lifestyle blogger who wanted to mix up her content and grow her audience. She thought buying the infamous Black Wood House would be her ticket to leveling up. It only takes a few hours until she realizes her dream is much more of a nightmare.

Everything you imagine could go wrong in a murder house starts to happen to Sarah. She starts hearing footsteps, receiving frightening letters, and fighting with her neighbors; all the while her marriage is falling apart.

She is determined to get to the bottom of what’s happening- but will it be too late?

I devoured this book and just couldn't get enough! From the horror element to watching Sarah slowly go mad to seeing the mystery unravel, I was totally into it!

Black Wood house was creepy and almost a character itself. I loved the descriptions and how the house basically rebelled against being updated.

Sarah was such a complex character and I loved how her secret past was revealed in bits and pieces. It was so hard to tell if she was an unreliable narrator (she was always drunk and definitely losing her mind) or if the house was truly haunted or if the townsfolk of Beacon were just tormenting her. I always love a good story about an influencer and while this was such a small piece of the book, I did still enjoy that aspect. I also loved that she was a therapist so we got her self-assessments as well as seeing her visibly decline.

I loved that we got different formats for the narration. For example, we heard from different characters and we also got blog posts, social media posts, and news articles. The way information was conveyed and the non-linear timeline really captured my attention and piqued my interest.

If you love a good mystery/thriller with horror elements, this one cannot be missed.

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for the copy.

Sarah Slade purchases an old Victorian house a steep discount and has high aspirations of renovating the house, then selling it to make a ton of money. The whole process is being documented on her Instagram that handles therapy advice. As the house is being renovated, Sarah’s life is going down hill from her marriage to her work.

The book definitely had some twists and turns. Unexpected surprises that you don’t see coming.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy!

I really liked this book. I totally never would have guessed the ending either. I’ve been in a little bit of a reading rut and haven’t really been able to get into a lot of books lately but this one really helped me get out of it. This was the first book I read by this author and I am excited to read more of her work.

The Stranger Upstairs is a chilling thriller that keeps you wondering if there is paranormal activity, sheer bad luck, or something, or someone, more sinister at play.

While this was a chilling read, I felt it lacked that nail biter plot line that would have kept me hooked from start to finish.
It definitely did have a creepiness about it!

While I liked, didn't love, The Stranger Upstairs, I do look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Bantam Publishing, for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Posting to Barnes & Noble and Amazon awaiting approval.

I did not enjoy this story. I think the social media influencer storyline is over done for me. I know that it gets some younger readers, but I am starting to avoid books that mention this.

Sarah Slade is a fixer. The author of self-help books, a therapist and blogger, she and her husband Joe have bought an abandoned murder house and she is determined to fix that too. Forty years earlier a husband stabbed his wife to death, attempted to kill his daughter and finally committed suicide. The neighbors would prefer that the house be bulldozed. From the very beginning there are problems, both with the renovations and her marriage. Their bed has been set in the room where the murder occurred. There are still blood stains on the floor and Joe prefers the couch to their bed. As the days progress, Joe becomes even more distant. Then Sarah discovers the first note that refers to secrets in her past. Sarah and Joe are not who they seem. They have known each other from school, when Joe was dating her sister. A mystery surrounding her sister Lizzy had them change their names and appearances and leave town. Now someone is taunting Sarah with nots threatening to reveal her past.

Wallpaper filled with birds that seem to glare at her, locked doors that she finds opened, creaking steps from the attic and worsening headaches threaten Sarah’s sanity and her job as she becomes increasingly paranoid. The one soothing presence in her life is Emily, the therapist with an office across from hers. Sarah discovers that someone else lived in her home a year earlier. No one will talk about Amanda, who just disappeared one day, although Amanda’s former friend reveals that she began receiving notes shortly before she was gone. Lisa Matlin steadily increases the tension as Sarah begins to unravel. Discovering Amanda’s fate and the mystery surrounding Lizzy is guaranteed to keep you glued to the pages and listening for strange sounds as you read. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for providing this book for my review.

This book caught my attention from the very beginning and kept me pretty attentive the entire book through. I enjoyed the authors writing style and how they broke up the story time line with the news alerts and blog posts. The author makes the story very believable and makes you feel like you are just another character involved in the book. I'd definitely be interested in reading more from this author in the future. I'd recommend anyone Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for the advanced copy. I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

A house of murders, purchased by a new family in the hopes of redoing and making money. But the evil is greater and the danger is real. Sarah is a mess and has a trait of becoming others as her own personality is weak. With wine and pills her life is deteriorating at a rapid pace, hurting others and herself. I felt the power of the author in my feelings for Sarah as a damaged person with hidden issues. It also invoked an uneasiness for the character in me.

What a great debut by Lisa M. Matlin! I love an unreliable narrator, and this book kept me on the edge of my seat. Just creepy enough to have me glancing around while I read, not so much that it kept me up at night.

The Stranger Upstairs gave me the creeps, in all the good ways. I loved being being scared and entangled in this one.

I could not put this one down! Creepy! I loved the plot of this one, and honestly it was so well written that I felt like I was living in this story. Do yourself a favor and read this!

I tried really hard to give this book a chance but it was only a 2.5 star for me. The whole concept and storyline were super interesting, and I was captivated by the plot. I also enjoyed the narrator of this story, as she was engaging and interesting. So I believed this book had so much potential. Although the plot line was interesting, the exestuation fell short. Also, another thing that was frustration for me was the ending. I felt like after all of the suspense, it was a huge let down. I was expecting and wanting more.

I’m a sucker for a good cover and THE STRANGER UPSTAIRS has a great cover.

I just wished I enjoyed the pages in between more.

I have been struggling with thrillers lately so I am starting to think it’s me, not them.

I listened to this one on audiobook and the narrator was fine. This was a fast paced story, engaging, and kept me wanting to learn more.

However, it just didn’t work overall.

The concept is compelling: a social media, self help author/therapist and her husband buy a house with a history in the hopes of renovating it, documenting the renovations, and making lots of money. The commentary about social media likes and stardom was really interesting and I almost wish this was fleshed out just a little bit more.

The unreliable alcoholic therapist trope is played out, but I found something engaging with our MC. Mostly just her secretive past.

The marriage plot like was uninteresting. The cat was the best character. I actually loved the haunted house story line a lot. The ending was fine, though I didn’t like it initially, having sat with it for a few days, I find I do like it overall.

I will probably read from this author again. While I wasn’t blown away by the story, there was something there that kept me reading. Even if it was just the cat and the haunted house.

Black Wood House has lain vacant for years, going to rack and ruin. The neighbors want to bulldoze it, but Sarah Slade, social influencer, wants to renovate it, after all, buying a murder house is cheap! The Beacon neighborhood is a desirable area, but Sarah does not find any allies there, even her husband isn’t on board. When Sarah finds out that there was another buyer not so long ago that’s gone missing, even she starts to question her choice. Soon Sarah begins to spiral. Finding notes about her past, a past that she’s carefully hidden send her nearer and nearer the edge. There’s someone in the attic, she’s sure of it, and the house itself is talking to her! Will Sarah be able to transform Black Wood House before she becomes its next victim? What a creepy, twisty debut that Matlin has graced us with. Pages turn quickly as Sarah descends into darkness, a darkness she might not be able to escape! Thank you to Bantam Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This was my first read from Lisa Matlin and I can’t say I loved it but I definitely didn’t dislike it. I enjoyed the pace as I was continuously eager to figure out what was going on in the Blackwood House. Was it supernatural , was it a crazy neighbor, was it all in Sarah’s head? I definitely did not expect the ending and enjoyed the twist, but really disliked the main character Sarah, and hoped she got what she deserved at the end. This was a fun quick read with some scary moments, perfect for the fall, 3.5⭐️

Thank you for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this title via NetGalley.

This one gives vibes of a modern day Lizzie Borden. This is part paranormal, part domestic suspense and a few mysteries that propel the story. I had no idea where this one was headed and while I liked it at the beginning, the longer I read, the more I could take or leave it.

The best part is it is a unique story. The worst part for me is it got a little too out there for me. But I’ve seen rave reviews, so make sure and see what they had to say and figure out if this book is for you.

Sarah Slade is a successful therapist, author, and blogger, and now she’s embarking on a new project – the renovation of a house where several murders occurred. After sitting on the market for years, Sarah is determined to flip the house and make a killing (no pun intended) on the resale. But first, she has to deal with unexplained noises, neighbors who hate her, and a crumbling marriage.

There’s a lot going on in this book and not necessarily in a good way. There’s lots of illogical reasoning (buy a house and save a marriage?), a missing homeowner, bizarre accidents, and Sarah’s life cratering all at the same time. As a therapist I would have expected her to handle things a bit better. In the end, I didn’t find the characters very appealing and I really wasn’t too invested in what happened to them. As a result, I didn’t enjoy The Strange Upstairs as much as I would have liked. NetGalley provided an advance copy.

This book scared the sh*t out of me. And I loved every minute. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the nightmares — and I don’t even live in an old house!