I really liked this book. Its a thriller but leans more towards creepy horror type story. I definitely got spooked a few times and creeped out in my own house! The writing style is different which took some getting used to but overall a really great story.

REVIEW: The Stanger Upstairs

Lisa M. Matlin's The Stranger Upstairs offers a chilling tale of a haunted house with a dark history. The novel's atmospheric setting and eerie events create a suspenseful atmosphere, and the protagonist's growing paranoia keeps the reader on edge.

However, while the plot is intriguing, the pacing feels uneven sometimes, and the resolution may leave some readers unsatisfied. The characters could have benefited from further development to make them more relatable and engaging.

Overall, The Stranger Upstairs is a solid psychological thriller that will appeal to thriller lovers, but it may not be as groundbreaking or memorable as some other haunted house tales.

Thank you, Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam, for the free advanced copy for my honest review!

A social media influencer with a secret past buys a murder house. This book was a rollercoster, with some okay highs and low lows. I was annoyed a few times as well as enjoying the books storyline.

The ambiance of the Black Wood House was unsettling, and the narrator was questionable, and certainly unreliable which kept me entertained. The ending featured an unexpected twist that caught me off guard. I didn’t entirely enjoy this one, but it is a good choice for spooky season

Thank you to Netgalley and Lisa Matlin for this arc in exchange for my honest feedback and review.

New and upcoming thriller author Lisa Matlin writes an unreliable narrator thriller for her debut novel.
Sarah Slade and her husband have purchased Black Wood House in hopes of renovating and selling the home for a nice profit. Black Wood House has a very sketchy past including at least one murder. The neighbors hate the home and want to see it torn down. Sarah is a practicing therapist and a self-help author/social media influencer. Sarah's past may be catching up to her once and for all.

I enjoyed this thriller. There were several times when I was deeply engrossed and had to find out what happened next. I love the tease of a body being found and not knowing who it was. It was a great way to keep the reader engaged. I enjoyed this book overall and rate a 3 star lead. Only reason I did not rate higher is due to trying to make the reader believe she was hiding a past but was popular on social media and even wrote a best-selling self-help book. Why would she move, change her name, dye her husband's hair if she wasn't planning on really hiding? That part made no sense to me. However, overall I did enjoy this book.

I liked the mystery in this one, and the unreliable narrator. She kept hinting at a backstory, and it was satisfying when it was revealed. I suspected everybody in this one, and was totally surprised by the culprit. I liked the ending, and the way news stories and blog posts were woven in throughout.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

Blackwood House is not your usual fixer upper. The house has sat abandoned for 40 years due to the prior occupants. The new owner is a social media influencer who bought it, in hopes of using it to fuel her content. What she did not expect was her husband to take a break and leave her in the home with just her cat. Did I mention her cat loves to stair up at the attic at random times throughout the night. Shortly after notes start to appear, someone does not want Sarah in this house....

Between the unreliable narrator and the gothic setting, I was sucked in. The layers in this story between the main character and the house kept me guessing throughout the story. Well done Lisa!

This was a pretty good book! Really twisted at times but I never saw the carbon monoxide coming. I don't know about the epilogue with them never finding a leak and the house truly being sentient but that's okay the rest was really good.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was the perfect amount of creepy and twisted. I did not know what to expect going into this book and I ended up really enjoying this book. I loved how twisted our main character was, she was a wild ride. This was a great and suspenseful read that I really enjoyed from beginning to end.

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin - This book was a different type of read yet suspenseful and creepy! The cover is stunning too!


Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the Advanced Reading Copy.

It's a major accomplishment to write a novel and see it published, so bravo to this author for that. "The Stranger Upstairs" suffers from its marketing and leaves the reader expecting a creepy thriller at best. While it's a quick read, the main character isn't likeable and the suspense isn't page turning enough for what the cover promises.

I really like the colors of this cover! It's a very eye-catching cover! That being said, the story fell a bit flat which was kind of disappointing.

How surprised I was by "The Stranger Upstairs." I had read numerous less-than-favorable reviews of Lisa Matlin's debut thriller, so my bar for it was low. But boy, did the book surpass that low bar and then climb a few extra bars for good measure. I found Matlin's story of a murder house set on mentally unraveling its new owner to be gripping, creepy, and unputdownable. A few of the twists and turns caught me off guard, and I was entertained from start to finish. It's one of my favorite thrillers I've read in 2024.


My sincerest appreciation to Lisa M. Matlin, Bantam, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All thoughts and opinions included herein are my own.

Thank you for the copy of The Stranger Upstairs for review! The beginning of this book definitely started off strong and kept my interest but as I kept on reading it got kinda slow and strange. I didnt really connect with the characters much in this story so I wasnt really a fan of any of them.
Overall it was an ok story and hopefully others will enjoy it more then me.

Sarah and her husband recently bought an infamous murder house that she is hoping will reinvigorate her blog and marriage. Sarah and her husband have a shady past that has left them barely able to coexist which leaves Sarah trying to deal with everything on her own.

The house is a huge part of this story and I loved it. The house was so creepy and malevolent. The backstory of the murder suicide in the house and how the neighborhood reacts to Sarah buying the house was the perfect backdrop to what is currently happening in the house. When Sarah is home alone she hears someone walking in the attic, her builders have issues working on the house, and then she starts finding threatening notes. I also appreciated the addition of news stories interspersed through the chapters because it brought more suspense to what was going to happen next.

Sarah's life is truly spiraling out of control with everything that is going on in her personal life and with the house. Added to that is threat of Sarah's past coming out as well as her faltering work life. I loved how the further we got into the story the more unsettling everything became. I never was sure where the story was going or how much further Sarah was going to unravel.

This was a great atmospheric and well paced psychological thriller. I love stories involving houses because the themes of home and how that plays into people's psyches' is endlessly fascinating to me. I'm blown away that this was Matlin's debut and I'm eagerly anticipating what she comes out with next.

A very unique and intriguing storyline that kept me intrigued for the plot only. The main character, though she’s supposed to be, is incredibly unlikable and that makes me uninterested in her development overall. But if you enjoy this kind of character this is definitely for you.

This book reads like an homage to the horror of the 70's and 80's. It reminded me of the Amityville Horror in the best way, with more depth and some cutting humor. If you love Shining Vale, you'll love this. Dark and disturbing, with a couple of killer twists. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoyed this book, it was a very different read and I liked that aspect of it. It was a little creepy but I enjoyed it! 3/5 stars.

he Stranger Upstairs kept my attention throughout the book. I love that the characters were flawed. Their life stories kept me reading.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for my advanced copy.

An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.