If you are into fast pace psychological thrillers you will love this roller coaster ride. The Stranger Upstairs if the debut novel from author Lisa M. Matlin that follows Sarah Slade, a social media influencer thirsty for a different kind of follower. Sarah purchases a house where a horrific murder/suicide happened thus the great price. She wants to renovate it and sell it for a profit but what she doesn't know is how her life will change forever. Everything from strange noises, weird "accidents" within the renovating crew, racing thoughts and paranoia attacks poor Sarah. She believes even the house is out to get her.
Between hateful neighbors, a crumbling marriage and a murder house that should've been let alone is making Sarah confused between what is real and what is not.
This book will capture you from the beginning. It's an easy read that will keep you guessing. Highly recommended for horror/thriller fans.

This is a debut psychological novel about mind games, sticky notes and unlocked doors. They’re watching you. It was much darker and more chilling than I expected. I have relatives who do home renovation and construction so I’ve always been around it. This book was an obvious choice because I love mysteries and thrillers that draw me into the concept of the story. Sarah’s home project idea seemed sound to me.
She rather impulsively convinced her husband, Joe, to buy Black Wood House as a quick way to make a profit. The stigma of a historical family tragedy there seemed overblown to her. She’s going to use her social media to draw followers into the project. She didn’t anticipate the amount of vitriol from the locals. Everyone warned her about buying the murder house. The new neighbors won’t acknowledge her, speak to or welcome her. In fact, the neighbors want her and the murder house gone. Why not call the police? Well someone is related to the sheriff in this little enclave. Sarah is spiraling from all the pressure, her work and personal life are crashing towards the bottom. She can’t trust anybody, she’s becoming physically ill, steadily slurping her wine, hearing things and feels watched. What really happened before to that poor family and has someone else lived here? The house is adamantly letting her know she isn’t wanted here. She has one nice lady from work who seems to care about what happens to her, will she make it in time?
There were a few little things I pieced together and figured out, but not enough to prepare me for the stunning ending. I loved Sarah’s obstinate cat, Reaper. That personality was priceless! Lots of shady characters and red herrings kept me guessing. The author addressed the importance of mental health in a bone chilling suspense filled story. A notable first effort from an author I’ll watch for.
A digital advance reader copy of “The Stranger Upstairs” by Lisa Matlin, Published by Bantam Books, was provided by NetGalley. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

Thank you to NetGalley, author, and publisher for this ARC!

What happens when a couple whose marriage is on the rocks buy a murder house. This a pretty typical thriller in my opinion. I was so excited to read this, because the blurb really hooked, and I wanted so desperately to REALLY like this book but it fell very flat for me.

It felt predictable for a thriller, the shocking moments weren’t that shocking, and I feel like if you are going to make a main character unlikable then the writing and plot had to be on par and it just wasn’t for me.

This was a fast paced edge of your seat great summer read! I honestly did not know where this was going and did not anticipate how everything ended up going down. The ending was a bit diabolical in the best way.

Sarah Slade and her husband Joe just bought a murder house. Sarah is a social media influencer and is looking to hit it big by flipping this house for her followers to see and then see it for some cash. We realize right away that Sarah is putting on a front. Her and her husband are not sleeping in the same room and are barely speaking at this point. He was not on board with this decision. They have a past that keeps flippantly being mentioned and you want to know what it is. Sarah is a therapist who seems to be fueled off of the couples who aren't doing well. She just seems a bit off. And then things start happening to her in the house. One of her contractors gets injured. Her and Joe have a moment with some wallpaper that all gets undone by some unseen force. She starts receiving notes along the lines of "What would your followers do if they knew who you really were." She hasn't been sleeping. Her cat goes missing and then shows up seemingly poisoned. The bottom line is what is really happening in the Black Wood house.

In the meantime, she makes nice with one of her coworkers who really seems to want to help her. Sarah confesses EVERYTHING to her- her past with her family, her past with Joe, all of the dirty secrets she has been hiding. Emily realizes what is going on before we all do, but when she goes to warn Sarah everything goes to hell.

I liked the mental twist at the end. I really didn't see that coming. I liked that the spooky aspect was somewhat believable- not that I am not a fantasy fan. I just wasn't sure where this was heading. Overall, I would recommend this read! Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for a copy of this ARC!

We follow Sarah as she decides to purchase Black Wood House, a creepy home where a murder occurred 40 years prior, in order to renovate it, sell it and hopefully make a profit. Initially, this sounded like something right up my alley. Who would be crazy enough to not only purchase a murder house, but LIVE in it?! I was totally invested at first, but then things started to drag part of the way through and some of that initial excitement was lost for me.

This book had all the main elements of a thriller - unreliable main character, unlikeable characters, twists, drama, secrets…but for some reason, it still didn’t work for me. I feel like many of the underlying themes have been done so many times in other thrillers, that it made this one stand out a little less. (Even though there was SO much potential with the creepy house vibe)!! There was also a lot going on for much of the story and the shifting timelines on the included newspaper clippings made things a bit confusing and disjointed. I did like reading the extra clippings, but I feel like the timeline could have been better established so I knew when certain things were happening.

Overall, I still thought this was a quick and exciting read!

The Stranger Upstairs had such a cool concept but the execution didn’t quite work for me. Sarah Slade isn’t supposed to be a character you like and that’s fine with me. But she seriously has not even an ounce of anything redeeming to where you can excuse her poor choices and behavior. She was completely insufferable and came across more juvenile than her age.

The writing is very repetitive, very repetitive, very repetitive. I was so tired of all the sentences and phrases that were repeated several times. It took me out of the story and I couldn’t focus on anything else. This story never really grabbed my full attention and I’m so bummed because I had high hopes!

I would have loved more details and really didn’t care for the reasoning behind the strange happenings. It was a bit of a letdown and felt unoriginal.

While this book wasn’t for me - I could see how people would enjoy it. I realize the author spent a lot of time writing this and I really appreciated the author’s note.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Young couple buys a house where murders have taken place. The price is too good to be true and we soon learn why. Seriously creepy moments.

This book is a must for all psychological mystery fans!

Sarah Slade doesn't start out as a likable character but i was rooting after awhile.

Sarah and her husband buy a "murder" house in a fancy are with the idea of flipping it and making a bundle. But soon after moving it the house appears as it may be huanted. They also are not welcomed to the neighborhood with welcome arms.

Anyhow, read it, you will think me

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

Black Wood House has set empty for years, since the gruesome murder of a wife by her husband. Sarah Slade, self help guru, thinks fixing Black Wood is just what her social media feed needs. Therapist by day, she lies her way through fixing other people's lives. Noone knows her certificate is a fake. Struggling in her marriage and buried deep in a web of lies, Sarah has to figure out a way to survive.

Black Wood doesn't want to be fixed though, soon Sarah is in a world of pain. She begins seeing things that aren't there, having blinding headaches, and vomiting. Sarah immediately assumes that the neighbors must be doing it. They've wanted Black Wood bulldozed since the awful murders. Sarah has to figure it out before her deepest secrets come to life. Noone can know who she really is or her whole life will come crashing down.

Lisa presents a chilling tale of a house with creepy bones. This book is for you if you like ghost vibes and potential psychosis. Sarah is unstable, could it be the drinking, medication, or just her past catching up with her. Sarah is an unreliable character who instantly makes you question her sanity. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. This will make a great spooky season read.

The Stranger Upstairs
by Lisa M. Matlin
Pub Date: 12 Sep 2023

Congrats to debut author, Lisa M. Matlin for her excellent writing of "The Stranger Upstairs"! I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to her next one.

The Stranger Upstairs is an amazing story that has many twists and turns, It was terrifying and chilling in some places, I couldn't put it down. I truly was on the edge of my seat while reading it.

Synopsis:

A therapist and self-help writer with all the answers, Sarah Slade has just bought a gorgeous Victorian in the community of her dreams. 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 and a decent distraction from her failing marriage. Good thing nobody knows that her past is just as filthy as the bloodstain on her bedroom floor. With every passing moment, Sarah’s life spirals further out of control—and with it, her sense of reality. But as she peels back the curling wallpaper and discovers the house’s secrets, she realizes that the deadly legacy of Black Wood House has only just begun.

Thank you to #Netgalley, #TheStrangerUpstairs and #RandomHousePublishingGroup for providing me with an E-ARC of this wonderful book.

I really enjoyed this book and the way the anxiety ratched up throughout. Although i hasn’t read anything by this author previously, i enjoyed her style of writing and will look for future books! Not only was the plot engrossing, but the character development, revealed slowly, was also good. Recommended for general purchase.

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin is a psychological thriller about the purchase of a house where forty years ago a brutal murder was committed. In fact, there is still a blood stain in the bedroom that is a reminder of the long ago murder. A married couple decides to purchase the house and fix it up with the hope of a considerable profit. Is the house haunted? Is the married couple totally aware of what this house is all about? Mental health as well as the supernatural are explored in this novel. Read until the very end and do not be scared!! Thank you to Lisa M. Matlin, Random House and NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Stranger Upstairs.

I love haunted house stories (or anything haunted, really) and the premise totally sucked me in.

Sadly, this didn't work out for me for a number of reasons:

1. The writing isn't great; repetitive, and how many times does Sarah refer to Joe as "my boy?" Too many.

I do commend the author, who is honest with her struggles with mental illness, on finishing her first novel during a time when she was going through a lot.

Writing a book is hard enough, but writing one while you're dealing with mental illness just makes it harder.

2. The relationship between Sarah and Joe is poorly developed, barely fleshed out.

I'm still unable to suspend disbelief that they were run out of town because of what happened to Sarah's sister.

Is that what happens in small towns?

3. Sarah is unlikable, and though I don't mind unlikable characters, they do have to possess a quality I do admire/respect. Are they sly? Devious? Machiavellian?

Sarah is a con artist, plain and simple. She's a liar, struggling to survive by coasting on her lies and fake identities. She's nothing special.

4. I wasn't scared or surprised by anything that was happening. The creepy notes, Reaper disappearing, Sarah's 'real' identity, what she and Joe did - ho hum. All formulaic tropes typical of the genre.

5. I don't like the ending, the reason behind Sarah's breakdown and deterioration. I hoped the house was akin to Amityville or the devil made me do it, stuff like that.

Overall, a good premise with tons of potential but wasted on unlikable characters and poor development of the haunted house theme.

First half really good, than just fizzled. Turned into something that I wasn't expecting .
Thanks to NetGalley for advance copy

I love spooky house books so I really thought this would be my kind of book, despite the MC coming off in the blub as not great. I should have gone with my gut and passed on this book, I have a very difficult time enjoying a book who's MC isn't likable. Sarah just was not a character I wanted to spend time with and as the story progressed the ending was just weird. Not weird like, different so it's awesome but weird as in not great.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

Does anyone really buy a "murder house” and not expect repercussions? Seems like our character didn’t do her due diligence before she made this purchase.
   Podcaster Sarah Slade and her husband bought this money pit with plans to flip it and make a bundle. Little did she know of the emotional and visceral connections between the neighbors and the victims that resided in this home. Stories of ghosts are widespread in the community and Sarah soon finds herself constantly trying to dispel this theory.  Ghosts are usually more subtle than leaving dead rats in her mailbox.            
   She is convinced it is a neighbor who is behind these scare tactics. Their home appraisals have taken a downward turn since the killing. Nothing short of her leaving and then having the property razed will return value to their homes.
   This is a creepy mystery with a bizarre ending that will make so much sense in the end..stick with it. Do people really go up dark attics alone, with no lights because they hear a noise??? You’ll be yelling at the character as I did.
   It’s a winner.

This was an impressive debut novel and I look forward to another book by Lisa Matlin.

Sarah, a social media influencer, author, and therapist, purchases a murder house hoping to increase her social media presence and turn a profit. From day one, the house appears to not want its new homeowners and Sarah begins a mental spiral as the house takes hold of her psyche. Sarah has a past that seems to haunt her as much as the house, a failing marriage, and a job that should help her keep it all together but the house and the town seem to have other plans.
There were parts that dragged on a bit but overall it was well paced and there were a couple of small twists.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley, and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kudos to Lisa M. Martin for such a great debut novel! This psychological thriller / horror novel was creepy and scary. Lots of scary things happening in this murder house.

Description:
A social media influencer with a secret past buys a murder house to renovate, but finds more than she bargained for behind the peeling wallpaper in this gothic psychological debut.

Sarah Slade is starting over. As the new owner of the infamous Black Wood House—the scene of a grisly murder-suicide—she’s determined that the fixer-upper will help reach a new audience on her successful lifestyle blog, and distract her from her failing marriage.

But as Sarah paints over the house’s horrifying past, she knows better than anyone that a new façade can’t conceal every secret. Then the builders start acting erratically and experiencing bizarre accidents—and Sarah knows there’s only so long she can continue to sleep in the bedroom with the bloodstained floor and suffer the mysterious footsteps she hears from the attic.

When menacing notes start appearing everywhere, Sarah becomes convinced that someone or something is out to kill her—her husband, her neighbors, maybe even the house itself. The more she remodels Black Wood House, the angrier it seems to become.

With every passing moment, Sarah’s life spirals further out of control—and with it, her sense of reality. Though she desperately clings to the lies she’s crafted to conceal her own secrets, Sarah Slade must wonder . . . was it all worth it? Or will this house be her final unraveling?

My Thoughts:
Who wants to buy a murder house? Not me for sure. Sarah has aspirations of boosting her social media influencer status and thinks renovating the house will help. She runs into a lot more than she expected. There are twists and secrets from the past. The atmosphere in the house caused me to shiver. I don't know how she could stand to stay in it. I would have run screaming! The tension-building was perfect for the story. The plot moved well and only slowed down a little in a couple of places. I didn't like Sarah nor her husband, but the characters were drawn perfectly for the story. I really liked Emily though - she just seemed so friendly and caring. This thriller will keep you guessing for sure. I recommend to anyone who likes psychological thrillers, horror, or haunted houses.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on September 12, 2023.

A psychological thriller with supernatural leanings that reaches farther than the reader expects it to go. Debut author, Lisa M. Matlin, has created a spooky story that had me screaming "don't look in the cradle!" I admit, this book had me enjoying the creepy vibe.
Sarah Slade is a self-help influencer, a paid marriage therapist, and now a home renovator with a less-than-happy husband. Buying the infamous murder house isn't sitting well in the community but Sarah thinks she can make big bucks for little outlay. Only problem is no one wants her here including the house itself.
As the house renovation takes many turns for the worse, so does Sarah's mental health. What is unknown is what is causing the breakdown: the notes, the noises, the threats, the job pressure, or discerning what is real or imagined.
Addressing mental health throughout the story, the end notes by the Author also shares her own struggle with suicidal thoughts and mental well-being. In the notes, Ms. Matlin encourages the reader to reach out for help.

A terrific debut from an author to watch.

Thank you to Penguin Random House for inviting me to read an early e-copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

A house where someone was murdered. A social media influencer who's faking more than just a perfect life. A Stepford-style Australian community where all is not as it seems. These elements come together into a delightfully creepy novel.

After Sarah buys a "murder house" to renovate and promote on social media (with the goal of turning a tidy profit at the end of the renovation), her life really starts to fall apart. Is the house haunted? Are the locals messing with her? It's unclear what's really going on and Sarah's mental health unravels as she tries to solve the mystery of what - really - is happening in her house. This book will keep you guessing until the last page, in a good way.