This is a fantastic novel. Sarah is totally crazy and keeps readers on their toes. Sarah and her husband Joe are living a fabricated life. They buy a house in which a murder was committed and she gets caught up in the entire drama of the place. Readers will have to keep track of what is truth and and what is lies as Sarah spins tales to suit her narrative. This is truly a gem of a story if it doesn’t give you nightmares.

A page turning, spine-tingling, Amityville Horror meets American Horror Story: Murder House thriller. The Stranger Upstairs gave me literal goosebumps on my arms. It was everything I am looking for in a thriller. I couldn't read it fast enough. How, this book isn't marketed as a horror book, I don't know, but it is so good! Every time I thought I was going to be let down, or that I was going to guess the twist, Lisa M. Matlin said, no, no, no, trust the process. Everything lined up and played out perfectly, and her author's note at the end of the book really tied in so well with the storyline. What an amazing debut novel! If you take one recommendation from me this month, let it be The Stranger Upstairs. Go read it now!

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Lisa M. Matlin for the eARC.

The Stranger Upstairs is out now!

I really enjoyed this book! I had such a fun time with the Aussie setting. The beginning really made me think I was reading a version of the Amnityville Horror. I definitely liked how we saw Sarah’s gradual slide into the craziness. I was not prepared for that ending. I loved the snippets of newspaper articles that would never give so much away but left you wanting more! The writing style was unique as well! I really enjoyed this book!

"The Stranger Upstairs" is a riveting and spine-tingling thriller that grips you from the very first page. This book takes readers on a suspenseful journey into the world of secrets, deception, and the chilling unknown.

The protagonist, Sarah Slade, is a therapist and self-help writer with a seemingly perfect life—a beautiful Victorian home in an ideal community. However, the house she's purchased comes with a dark history, marked by a murder that stains its past. Sarah's decision to document her renovations on her blog adds an intriguing layer to the story.

As the tale unfolds, Sarah's life takes a nightmarish turn. Her marriage falls apart, her neighbors become hostile, and the house seems to harbor malevolent forces. The authors masterfully create an atmosphere of tension and dread, blurring the lines between reality and illusion. Sarah's descent into paranoia and the unraveling of the house's secrets keep readers on the edge of their seats.

"The Stranger Upstairs" is a psychological thriller that delivers a relentless sense of unease. It's a rollercoaster of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the final, shocking revelation. The narrative is both captivating and disconcerting, making it a must-read for fans of the genre.

This book is a haunting exploration of the human psyche and the hidden horrors that can lurk just beneath the surface. "The Stranger Upstairs" is a gripping and unforgettable tale that will leave you questioning the boundaries of reality and fiction.

For fans of Home Before Dark by Riley Sager but not nearly as spooky. This was a super quick read - I think I read it within 24 hours. Matlin includes mental health struggles and mixed in some marital issues in a way that isn’t overwhelming. I really wasn’t a fan of the characters… Sarah and Joe are just kind of blah. The only one I liked was Emily because she is just so sweet and caring.

Being under 300 pages, it was pretty easy to get sucked in and I liked how the author incorporated news articles and blog/diary entries from Sarah. I never felt the overwhelming foreboding or heart racing that I enjoy in a thriller though which was somewhat disappointing.

I look crazy. But I'm not. I'm not.

If you're looking for a spooky book for Halloween, this is the right one. As I was finishing last night, I started to get a little nervous and pulled my dog closer (he's a 8lb shih tzu who runs away from loud noises). Sooo easy to say that he wasn't going to protect me lol.

The format of this book was different, in a good way. The chapters would switch between a news article heading, a blog post, or the POV from the main character (Sarah). What caught my eye first with this book was the cover, I mean look at it!! Also I am a sucker for bright colors and pretty covers (oops).

Now the main question: Would you purchase a house where someone was murdered? Even if it was over 40 years ago? for me, that's a HARD NO.

Only Sarah doesn't think so; this is the opportunity she's been looking for to increase her social media following. (of course, social media influencer logic). I didn't think I was going to like the main character, but she grew on me. I have SUCH a hard time getting into a book when I dislike all the characters ugh. But Sarah has secrets you'll want to find more of. Not only is she struggling to keep up her influencer profile, but also dealing with marriage troubles. They can be summed up with this sentence from the book. (view spoiler)

I wish there was more background of maybe even a POV chapter from the husband's side. I would have loved to know more of his thoughts into the situation behind purchasing a murder-suicide house... Now if you're told to not sleep alone in this house multiple times by the neighbors would you listen?? or think others are trying to make you paranoid??

The pacing was good overall, keeping a steady pace however I felt there were some areas that could have been polished up a bit. For example, Sarah's job situation I felt like it was just thrown in there during certain moments when it seemed to benefit the plot. The last 20% everything started to come together into a bigger picture, but the build up to the ending was good! I wanted to know who was doing what. The news article chapters would reveal something from the future or the past (depending where you are in the book) & I NEEDED to find out the answers. It's a fairly quick read if you *1. don't read at night (unless you like the heebie jeebies) & *2. give yourself the time to read in the midst of life.

The ending was left with a good lil twist to leave the reader to sit there and think hmmm... I wonder?? Overall, I highly recommend this book during this season!! It's less than 300 pages, spooky vibes, a lil twists (which is ALWAYS needed in thrillers - especially the type you don't expect).

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.