You are going to want to keep an eye on this author and read this book! This book was just absolutely fantastic! I love a good unreliable narrator and it is coupled with so many secrets that you just don’t see coming. I thought I figured out this book numerous times and was just so wrong. Please make sure to read the author’s note at the end, she has poured her heart out and put a personal touch to this book.

Sarah Slade and her husband have just bought their dream house in an exclusive neighborhood. They got the deal of a lifetime and plan to renovate it and sell it for a profit. There is a catch though, a gruesome murder took place in this house decades ago and no one has lived there since. The neighbors want this house demolished so they don’t have to deal with the cursed house. Sarah has other plans though and is going to document the renovations on social media to her many followers she gained after writing a self help book. Sarah thinks this will be so easy and fun until she starts hearing noises and receiving strange notes. Is this house really cursed or does someone Sarah gone for good?

The Stranger upstairs - Lisa M. Matlin

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Blogger/therapist and her husband buy a murder house in an area they could not have otherwise afforded, and their lives start a downward spiral as soon as they move in. What is with all the weird happenings in their new house, and the things that go bump in the night, AND why are all their new neighbors so VERY UNwelcoming?

Did they just sign away their futures, and their marriage so that they could revamp a haunted house that seems to resist every change they attempt?

Are the hauntings due to corporeal or ethereal intruders? Why does everyone in the community (including the house itself) want them out?

If you find these questions intriguing, pick up a copy of this novel to find out the answers to these questions and more.

This entertaining and captivating novel should equally delight both fans of atmospheric haunted house mysteries as well as fans of domestic/psychological thrillers.

A crumbling house with a sordid past, bought by an ambitious social media personality and her reluctant but lovable husband. That would be the version of events posted on Sarah’s blog for her many followers to see. In truth, it’s more like A crumbling house with a sordid past (and a haunted soul) bought by a(n alcoholic) social media personality (who is not what she seems) and her husband (reluctantly), (who is likewise not what he purports to be). Sarah Slade has worked very hard to cultivate an image of herself and her life for public consumption by her many social media followers - and she feeds off of their approval. I couldn’t put this book down as I watched Sarah’s carefully constructed facade come crumbling down while I frantically tried to figure out if the house was haunted, if Sarah was crazy, or if there was an outside conspiracy at work.
On a deeper level, there’s a lot to unpack here about shared grief, about running from a past that is forever catching up to the present, and about the importance of mental health. There are no graphic descriptions, however there are some significant depictions of the effects of alcoholism and unaddressed mental health issues. As a debut novel, I think it’s great. I would read more from Lisa Martin.

Sarah Slade. therapist and self-help writer, has just bought a gorgeous Victorian home. Turns out, you can get a killer deal on a house where someone was murdered. Plus, renovating Black Wood House makes for great blog content.. Good thing nobody knows that her past is just as filthy as the bloodstains on her bedroom floor. The renovations turn out to be a nightmare, however. Nobody wants to come work on Black Wood House, for everything that they manage to get done, it either somehow gets undone or they find something else wrong, her husband is still sleeping on the couch and barely speaking to her, and the neighbors hate them and have been leaving threatening messages for them, hoping to drive them away. Then there are the unexplained footsteps in the attic, her cat has been poisoned, and Sarah has been getting sicker every day that she has been living in that house. Something is seriously wrong with Black Wood House, and as Sarah’s life spirals further out of control, it is apparent the deadly legacy of Black Wood House has only just begun.

This reminded me a lot of the Netflix show The Watcher. It not only had the spookiness of the haunted house but also the creepiness of the way the neighbors colluded to run her (and anyone else who tried to live in that house) away. The book is a combination of blog posts by Sarah, news reports once dead bodies are found in Black Wood House, and then the main storyline. There is a trigger warning for alcohol abuse, depression, and mental health issues, as the main character struggles with all three of these. Overall, this is a good book that will keep you guessing as to the identity of the victims, and as to whether Black Wood House is truly haunted, or a ploy by the neighbors to keep people away.

Thoughts

This had a lot to keep it interesting. It has a lot i don't like in thrillers, like the characters keep hinting towards something but never saying what it is, a woman being unreliable because of drugs or alcohol, and a bad therapist trope.

I think in the end that is what brought it down for me but it was interesting enough that I didn’t want to dnf it right away. I wanted to see where it went. So I think that says a lot about it. And because of that I think a lot of people will really enjoy this one.

And the author's note in this one is a good one. It's an important one. And I am glad she gets to laugh in all the suckers faces.

✨Book Thoughts✨
The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin
Pub Date: September 12, 2023

What I Liked
~Once you get into this one you can’t put it down.
~You’ll dislike the MC, as she’s the unreliable MC, but then you’ll wonder if you should like her.
~So many twists.
~The spooky murder house.
~The unfriendly neighbors.
~The anonymous notes.
~Not knowing what is real and what isn’t.
~Reaper, the cat.
~Town secrets.

What I Didn’t Love
~ The slow start.
~In the end I wish there was more to it than what we got.
~I felt like there were some unanswered things.

Thanks to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I loved the creepy vibes the house gave off. I will definitely recommend it to friends. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

I loved this book! I will definitely recommend it. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨

ᴛʜᴇ sᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ ᴜᴘsᴛᴀɪʀs ʙʏ ʟɪsᴀ ᴍ ᴍᴀᴛʟɪɴ

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️// 5

I swear every character in this book was unreliable and sketchy. I didn’t know who to trust, even towards the end!

Updates throughout the book are written as a blog post before its revealed by the main character, which keeps you totally engaged and not wanting to put it down because you have to know how it got to that point.

At times, I felt that what was happening was making me go crazy too 🤪 but overall I loved this one and kinda hope it turns into a series or movie!

***ARC Review***

Special thanks to NetGalley, Lisa M. Matlin, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the advanced copy!

This was a pretty good debut novel! Lisa did a great job writing this from the perspective of Sarah Slade, newest owner of the Black Wood House. Is it Sarah that's crazy? Becuase there's no way houses make people crazy ... right? You'll have to read to find out!

I wish I got a little more background on Joe and Sarah. You get a little from them about what happened to Sarah's sister, but not a lot which kind of made Joe's characted not needed in the story. The epilogue was kind of cool. Overall this was a pretty good book and I would reccommend to a friend! It was the perfect story to kick off spooky season.

Happy Reading!

This book was unlike any book I have read before. The author did a great job portraying the creepiness of the house, and definitely got my heart pounding.
I feel like I still have some unresolved questions after finishing the book, but it was a solid read.

3.5 stars

Thank you Net Galley and publisher for the early access for an honest review.

I was so drawn in by the book description. I heard good things and was so excited to read it.

It was definitely chilling and the author did such a good job at making you think different theories about what was happening. I found myself not wanting to read alone in the dark 🤣

The main character Sarah I felt was brave. I would never buy a house where a murder happened but I understood the want to save her marriage. Start over somewhere new and bond over home renovations.

I loved the blog entries and the news articles thrown in between chapters. It really built up the story in a good way.

In my opinion, the ending fell short. I was very disappointed in the reveal of what what was happening. So that’s why I rated it the way I did. The build up was great though.

Definitely a spooky pick for the fall season 💀

Sarah, a social media influencer, buys an infamous murder house with her bartender husband, Joe. After only a night, the house starts feeling like more than just a house and Sarah's secrets start boiling over.

Wow! What a wild ride!

There are a lot of things to like in this book but be warned: none of these characters are likable. But that's the point of it. You're not supposed to like them, in my opinion. Sarah is well laid out and has LOTS of problems that push her story forward. And that's the central thing of this book: everyone has secrets and they don't want to stay hidden.

The atmosphere of this book is amazing. There were chapters that my heart was literally pounding because of the anxiety. The setting of the murder house and everything that comes with it is so well done. You really start to get the feeling that the house itself is evil.

All in all, this is a good atmospheric and anxiety inducing thriller!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted copy. My reviews are always honest.

3.5 stars rounded up.

The stranger upstairs had me questioning my own sanity at one point. Sarah our main character and narrator has mental unstability and it is portrayed through the writing so much that at some points you just really don’t know what’s going on, what’s the truth or what’s being made up by her mind. I didn’t particularly enjoy this writing but can see how others would. The story is unique and not your average run of the mill thriller, for a debut this author knows how to write creepy into the story. Really enjoyed the authors note and it cleared a few things up about the writing style. Definitely would read more by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random house publishing for my pre approval to read in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book was crazy. I don’t read a ton of thrillers, but I’m glad I picked this up. The main character is a social media influencer and decided to buy a murder house in the hopes of extending her career and turning a profit. But the house has different ideas and Sarah and her husband have skeletons in their closets that are starting to come out. This was a book that the twists and turns were not what I was expecting. I definitely enjoyed this one.

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin is a typical, predictable thriller. It follows a very unlikeable narrator, Sarah Slade, who has just moved into Black Wood House with her estranged husband. Weird things start happening around the house as they attempt to renovate it. The house is the location of a horrible crime and two people died in it years prior to Sarah moving in. The more time Sarah spends in the house, the more her life falls apart. There are very few enjoyable characters in this book. One of them is a cat named Reaper. I found it easy to see where this story was taking us. This is a meh read for me. It had what I consider a dissatisfying ending. I’m sure I will be in the minority in my opinion. The book is twisty and is a great example of a gothic thriller. I think the more books like this I read, the harder it is for me to find them special. For what it is, I would say this is a 3/5 star read. I ended up with 2 copies of this book. I have an ARC and BOTM copy. This book is going to be published on September 12th, 2023. I do recommend it if you don’t read a lot of these kinds of stories. It is a solid book for someone new to the genre. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me access to an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review will be found on Instagram and Goodreads indefinitely.
Instagram book reviews @CandaceOnline

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I was completely surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I will preface by saying that I read the reviews and some stated it was a typical haunted house story. As someone who hasn't read too many, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sarah was one of the most unhinged characters I've read, and meant as an unlikeable protagonist, however I kind of found her refreshing. She owned her messiness and problems. She didn't apologize for them.

The settings were described with enough detail to paint a clear picture and it lent to the creepiness. I felt like I could see what was described and even smell what was described.

My favorite parts of this book are spoilers, but I will say there were a lot of twists I wasn't expecting, and the writing kept me completely engaged. I devoured this book and loved the ending SO much. It was dark, spooky, and fun in the most fucked up way. I'm shocked this is a debut and I'll happily pick up another Lisa M. Matlin book if she writes more.

This was a fast-paced, unsettling read for me. On one hand, it was a thriller about Sarah, a social media influencer who decides to buy a "murder house", a home where a brutal murder occured, with the intent to reignite her career and possibly save her marriage as well. Sarah wants to fix up the house, breathe life back into it, chronicle the process on social media and hopefully resell the house for a profit.

The book is set in Australia, a setting I love and the story itself is somewhat compelling for a thriller. But the narrative reads partially as a deep descent into mental illness and I couldn't help but feel for Sarah as she tried to somehow deal with her own demons, her financial situation and her failing marriage.

Sarah Slade is an influencer who has written a best selling self-help book. She has now bought a murder house with her husband to fix and flip and document on her website. Strange things start happening in the house; what’s going on?

I thought I was struggling with this book because I had a lot going on this month, but the truth is that it just wasn’t for me.

1) This is the second “haunted house” book I read this year and I didn’t care for either one of them.
2) This is the 5 billionth unreliable narrator book I have read and I AM OVER IT.

I skipped many pages just to get to the end to find out what happened, which is never a good sign.

That all being said, I appreciated the note from the author at the end and it made me feel bad that I didn’t jibe with her book. This is definitely a case of it’s not you; it’s me. I just wasn’t the right audience for it.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

Oh my goodness, this one was UNHINGED. I could not put it down and was entertained all the way through. I can’t believe this is the author’s first novel; she did great and I look forward to reading more from her.

Of course, the cover is gorgeous, but the storyline is genuinely haunting and twisted. This is the type of book that keeps you mentally pointing fingers at people, and makes you wonder just how much you can trust, and who. This is the perfect book to pick up this spooky season!

The MC, Sarah Slade, is quite an interesting character. I wasn’t fond of her, really, but her past was rather complex and that made me curious about her.

Read this one if you enjoy:
- unreliable narrators
- fast-paced books
- haunted houses
- marriage drama

A special thanks to the author for her lovely author’s note, and for being so honest with us. A truly lovely note, and I felt her on the doggy pictures request.

Thank you so much Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group, and the author for this ARC.
Pub date: 09/12/23

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