For a debut novel, this was dang good! Our main character is a very flawed individual, but instead of her unlikability being annoying, she was actually interesting. This is an unreliable narrative, so if you like that, I highly recommend this book. I did not guess what was actually going on and there was a twist at the end that I enjoyed.

Such an intriguing hook! Could you ever buy a house where someone has been murdered? With that sort of premise, I was eager to read this book. Therapist/self-help writer/aspiring lifestyle influencer buys a Victorian gothic murder house thinking it will solve all her problems. But she quickly realizes if anything, it’s only making it worse.

The suspense is great, the descriptions fabulously done, the house creepy, although I sometimes found myself feeling sad, as it’s a sad story about a sad woman’s descent into a mental health crisis. There are a lot of twists, and I think readers will enjoy this one if they like an unreliable narrator who slowly loses her sense of reality.

Rating: 2.5

I liked the first 30-40%. It was creepy and interesting and I hated the main character and her husband, but that was the intention. But it went downhill after that, it stopped being creepy and just got boring, even the mixed media element couldn't keep me interested. It felt like the author couldn't decide whether or not she wanted a haunted house story or a drama, and learned a little too much into the drama. The only thing I cared about was the cat.

THE STRANGER UPSTAIRS
Lisa M Matlin

Welcome to Black Wood House!

Black Wood House is a murder house and social media influencer and blogger Sarah Slade has just bought it for way too much money. She has unknowingly bought a nightmare and renovating it will cost much more than she has and much more than she bargained for.

Sarah is a therapist with a few issues of her own. Her marriage might be over. And she might have just landed herself in the middle of a decades-old murder mystery.

What else can she take? Read the book to see.

I liked this one enough. It was right in the middle of the road for me. I appreciated the concept but felt it had been done before and done better.

The storyline followed a well-known path and there weren’t a lot of surprises. If you’re new to the thriller genre or the concept of a murder house then I do recommend this one. Otherwise, I could safely say this one is skippable.

Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Random House Audio, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Bantam for the advanced copies!

THE STRANGER UPSTAIRS…⭐️⭐️⭐️

🏚 BOOK / REVIEW 🏚

Buzzy books are KILLING ME RIGHT NOW 😭. Maybe I am broken, but I have really been struggling with some of the most anticipated reads for fall, including #thestrangerupstairs.

This one started out great but peetered out quickly. It was captivating, the house was creepy, and the mystery behind the deaths in the home was unsettling. That is where the fanfare ends, unfortunately.

I really struggled with Sarah's character. She was unhinged in a chaotic way that made it impossible to connect with her. Not to mention the internal dialogue that left me annoyed more than not. The relationship with her husband was atrocious and did not add or take away from the plot.

And the ending hits you like a ton of bricks because it's so abrupt and not in a good way. A few of the twists in this book could have turned the story around if flushed out more, but this just felt a little cliche to me.

I know I will be in the minority with this one and I am totally bummed out. 😭

This book sets you up for a chilling horror story right from the start, and doesn't disappoint. I've been living in my house for a few years now, and I was still looking over my shoulder while reading this. I love the whole perfect life on paper, not so much in real life, that Sarah has going on for her. Creepy house, rocky marriage, and neighbors that would prefer you weren't there? What else could go wrong? (I won't tell you, you'll have to read to find out). Matlin does an amazing job of building tension and upping the creepy vibe which each new chapter. I was absolutely hooked, and didn't want to stop reading until I knew how it would all end. The perfect read to get you in the spooky season mood!

This book could have been absolutely phenomenal! I felt a little underwhelmed with the ending. I felt like it could have been so much more! Overall, for a debut novel it was solid. If you love thrillers you may feel a little underwhelmed by this one.

A delightfully twisty psychological thriller with a bit of supernatural thrown in. The main character’s flaws make her all the more relatable and I was unexpectedly drawn into her spiraling thoughts. I would recommend for those who like both psychological thrillers and supernatural thrillers.

The stranger upstairs is a fun debut-blending elements of gothic suspense with domestic thriller . Sarah slade is a therapist and influencer who buys a well known murder house with her husband. Sarah is planning on updating the house and chronicling it on her social media, hoping to use the houses history to her benefit and attract followers. However, the house and its neighbors have other plans and Sarah is about to confront her own ghosts from the past she fled.
The story takes many twists along the way and the reader can never quite orient to what’s going on-in a good way! This is fast-paced and a page turner and takes the best elements of both genres into one masterful tale. Can’t wait to see what the follow-up will be!

Thanks to the publisher for providing an arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

When I saw the cover of this one, I had to read the blurb - and when I read the blurb, I had to read the book. A couple buys a house, long abandoned and empty because it was the site of a brutal murder/suicide 40 years ago, for a steal...planning to remodel and flip it, and create blog content in the meantime. But then creepy things start happening, their marriage is crumbling, and all of the neighbors hate them. Yep, I couldn't request it fast enough, and owe a big thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've waffled back and forth on what rating to give it as I read it. The things I enjoyed were the good writing, the spooky setting, and the seriously disturbing things that were happening. I felt truly creeped out a few times, because the scenes were so well written that I was right there inside the scene in my mind. (And side note, there is no way I would have slept in that house alone like Sarah did for so many nights. Couldn't pay me enough). I also didn't suspect part of the ending at all, so that was a nice twisty surprise. The parts I wasn't so crazy about were the unlikable characters, unreliable narrator (not my favorite trope), and just something else that I can't quite figure out but kept me from being fully engaged. Still, though, I wanted to keep reading and find out how it would all end, so ultimately, I settled on 3.5 stars rounded up. This was a solid offering from a debut author and I'll definitely look for her next novel.

This debut thriller will definitely be a hit this spooky season. Don’t let its bright, pretty cover fool you — this book is dark, twisty and spooky. It definitely leaned more horror than I was expecting, but I didn’t find it to be too scary.

What worked — the book is fast-paced, twisty and definitely keeps you guessing. It was a fun, easy read and it definitely delivered on the spooky, creepy vibe.

What didn’t — this book was entertaining enough for me but it didn’t really knock it out of the park. It seemed a little too chaotic, and at times hard to follow. A lot of it was on purpose — as the narrator’s mental clarity unravels, we’re supposed to be unsure of what’s real and what’s not — but a lot of it just felt to me like there was a bit too much crammed in and if it had been simplified a little, it still could have been twisty and fun but a little more focused.

Overall, I gave it 3 stars. I think it will be a hit for many readers, especially those leaning into spooky season, but it was just ok for me.

This book was great! It had a protagonist that you want to hate and you hope she would redeem herself. The ending I did not see coming, and it is terrible and wonderful all at the same time. It was a quick and suspenseful read.

This one was okay, I did not like the final twist and thought that the main character was not the most likable

I thought this book was a really good debut.

Sarah Slade is an influencer, self-help guru, author, therapist, and a fraud. She and her husband, Joe buy a notorious murder house with the goal to blog about fixing it up. Creepy things start to happen, and Sarah realizes that someone or something wants her out. Throughout the whole book, Sarah is on the brink of a breakdown as she slowly starts to lose everything she's built. We come to find out, she hasn't earned anything, she's just taken it, and she isn't who she claims to be.

One of my issues with this book is that there was way too much going on, and it felt like it didn't stick to one theme. We had Sarah's current story, Sarah's backstory, Sarah's breakdown interfering with her job, Sarah's husband disappearing and the marriage crumbling, supernatural things going on, realistic explanations, neighbors who wanted her gone... and the list goes on and on. I felt like there were a lot of plot holes, due to not fully explaining any of them. I would have rather seen one or two ideas that were explored deeper.

The ending of the book feels like it couldn't be decided if there should be a realistic or a supernatural explanation, so it was kind of a combination of both, which felt cluttered.

Overall, it was a fast fun read, and I will definitely check out more from this author in the future.

Twists, Turns and Noises from above play into this debut novel. One that is difficult to put down. therapist Sarah Slade and husband Joe buy Black Wood House, or as it everyone calls it, 'The Murder House'. A thriller at the top of its game.

Murder house? Check.
Social Media Influencer? Check.
Neighborhood with people who don't like you? Check.
Marriage on the rocks? Check.
Shady past? Check.

Buckle up because this book was a thrill!

Sarah Slade is a therapist and social media influencer and decided to buy a murder house in hopes to renovate and make some big bucks all while upping her social media game but so much could go wrong! And oh my goodness did it go wrong!

This was a super quick and thrilling read, and there were moments I couldn't read it in the dark, yes it's the perfect fall read because it's spooky but also thrilling! It will have you wondering what the heck is going on and who can you trust? Also is the house actually alive?!

This was great debut novel!

Thank you Netgalley, Bantam, and Matlin for an advanced readers copy!

The Stranger Upstairs is a twisty, provocative mystery by Lisa Matlin. Sarah Slade and her husband Joe are starting over in an affluent part of Australia. The only way they're able to afford to live there is by purchasing the murder house-where a man killed his wife years ago in a bloody episode neighbors and the community have not forgotten. We soon find out Sarah is a therapist and has written a best-selling book and became an influencer, all helping to pay the bills. Joe is a bartender and their marriage-while portrayed as happy and loving-is fractured. There are alternating perspectives and flashbacks, which serve to knit the story together as it is clear Sarah and Joe are running from something. Strange things are happening in the house: noises, items moved, notes left for Sarah, warnings. Neighbors are mostly tight-lipped but hint that the former owner said the house was making him crazy. Sarah's grip on reality is rapidly loosening and time is running out as she and Joe area about to be exposed. I enjoyed Matlin's twists (some unexpected!) and the setting was perfect for the upcoming spooky season. This is a quick read and if you like mysteries and thrillers, you will want to add this to your list!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa. M. Matlin is the perfect read for the fall spooky season. This book kept me on my toes until the very last page. Read this in a day, couldn't put it down. This was a new to me author and a genre I don't typically read but it is a book I will definitely recommend.

Sarah Slade, a social media influencer who buys the infamous Black Wood House, hoping to boost her following and save her marriage. Both she and her husband, Joe, have secrets from their past, and Sarah is hoping that a new town paired with a new home will be just what they need. They knew going in that the house was the site of a horrific murder. What she didn't know was how unwelcoming her neighbors would be. She also wasn't aware that she might hear things in the night and her hired contractors might experience strange things during the day.

I began to wonder if this book was going to be like The Amityville Horror, but it stands on its own ground. I initially gave this book 3 stars but found myself thinking about it after I turned the last page.

Sarah and Joe are not very likeable characters. In fact, Sarah is a mess and unreliable. She hears footsteps coming from the attic, strange things are happening with her cat, she begins receiving strange messages, and her behavior is erratic. She makes references to her past and slowly readers get a better picture as to who she is and why she and Joe moved. This book beings to take on a creepy feel as Sarah appears to spiral.

Initially I wasn't too sure about this book but as more things were revealed, it began to grow on me. I enjoyed the creepy vibe of this book, the tension that mounted, and impending sense of doom as the book progressed.

I enjoyed that this book was horrific but not bloody or gory although there is talk of blood. It is more of a creepy, haunted, and sinister feeling book. This is a great book to read around Halloween.

The author has a personal author's note at the end of the book. Be sure to read that as well.

3.5 stars

#TheStrangerUpstairs #NetGalley

Atmospheric, creepy, and sinister.

A Seriously Creepy House

Sarah Slade, therapist, blogger, and influencer, purchased a Murder House. Because of the murders 40 years ago, the house has set empty and is quite deteriorated, but Sarah has plans. She’ll renovate the house; it will sell for a good profit, and she and Joe, her husband, will be rich. There are other potential rewards. While she’s renovating the house, she’ll be able to use the experience on her blog. She also envisions the renovated house acting a catalyst to heal her troubled marriage.

The house, however, seems to have different ideas. Things get done, but then something else goes wrong. There are footsteps in the attic. Joe is still sleeping on the couch, and the neighbors hate them. With her dreams evaporting, Sarah, herself, begins to feel crazy. Maybe the Murder House was for sale at a good price, but is it really worth all this anguish.

This is definitely a dark, twisty tale. I loved all the secrets about the house. The descriptions were good and I felt like I was there. I wasn’t as interested in the characters. Sarah seemed too driven. Joe was too meek. The plot pushed them along, but they never did become more likable. The ending was good. It wasn’t expected so that was a positive. If you like creepy old houses with secrets, you’ll enjoy the Murder House.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for this review copy.