I enjoy reading psychological thrillers. So, when a psychological thriller ends in my emails, I either accept the request (if it is through a publisher) or buy the book. And that was the case with The Stranger Upstairs.

The main storyline in The Stranger Upstairs centers around Sarah. Sarah is a therapist/blogger/self-help writer who had just bought a house where a man killed his wife, attempted to kill his daughter, and then committed suicide. She and her husband bought the house thinking they would show the renovations step-by-step and eventually sell the home for double what they paid. I felt the storyline was well written when it centered on Sarah, keeping me glued to the book.

Sarah wasn’t a very likable character and wasn’t a reliable narrator. She wasn’t forthcoming with the truth, and what she did admit to was a little suspect. Everything she remembered about her life before she left with Joe seemed skewed, and I honestly couldn’t figure out if she was telling the truth. As her mental health declined, the more I tended not to believe anything that came out of her mouth. By the end of the book, she had me so twisted that I couldn’t figure out which end was up with her.

The whole murder house mystery was intriguing. I could see someone taking an old house with a history, like Black Wood House, and flipping it. There are people out there who would pay good money to live in an infamous house. I also see how a small town would close ranks against a new house owner. Even the nasty jerk whose uncle was the chief of police was believable (there is always that one nepobaby who thinks they rule the town).

The mystery/thriller angle kept me glued to the book. I figured out what was going on with the little nasty things (being unable to get local help, the cold shoulders, and the rat in the mailbox), but I couldn’t figure out the more significant things until almost the end of the book.

My only complaint about the book was the ending. Several twists made sense and explained some things. But I didn’t understand what happened during that last chapter. It just didn’t make sense and left me with more questions.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam, NetGalley, and Lisa M. Matlin for allowing me to read and review this ARC of The Stranger Upstairs. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

I went into this one not knowing much about it, I was just drawn to the pretty cover! Ask yourself: would you live in a murder house! Sarah and her husband Joe don't seem to mind. They plan to renovate this old house and make a bundle when they sell it. Throughout the whole book, I was not sure if I was reading a thriller, mystery, or horror book. Is the house haunted or is there a human stalking the couple? As the plot progresses, the reader learns many surprising things about the married couple. This book kept me guessing all the way through and I really enjoyed it. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a creepy, murder house story!

I really thought this book had a lot of twists that were unique, especially the ending. If you enjoy a real deep psychological thriller then this is a book you should give a try. I will definitely be waiting for future releases from this author.

A interesting and unique adult thriller novel, that I would recommend to anyone who think it sounds good!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher

ᴀʟʀɪɢʜᴛ - ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴀsᴛ ᴘᴀᴄᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜɪs ᴏɴᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇᴠᴏᴜʀ ɪᴛ ᴀʟʟ ɪɴ ᴏɴᴇ sɪᴛᴛɪɴɢ. ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪᴀʀʏ ᴇxᴘᴇʀᴛs, ʙʟᴏɢ ᴘᴏsᴛs, ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴅᴀʏ ɴᴇᴡs ʜᴇᴀᴅʟɪɴᴇs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇʀᴇ sᴄᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴏᴜᴛ. ɪᴛ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ʜᴇʟᴘᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ɢᴜᴇssɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ɪ ʟᴇᴀʀɴᴇᴅ! ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɪɴ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ sᴀʀᴀʜ ᴘᴀɪɴᴛs ʜᴇʀsᴇʟғ ᴀs ᴀ ʙᴀᴅ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴏᴅᴅʟʏ ʟɪᴋᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ. ɪ ᴄᴏɴsᴛᴀɴᴛʟʏ ᴡᴀs ʜᴏᴘɪɴɢ sʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴘᴜʟʟ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏɴ ᴛᴏᴘ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ. ᴀʟsᴏ, ɪ ᴀᴍ ɴᴏᴛ ᴀ ᴄᴀᴛ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ʀᴇᴀᴘᴇʀ!!! ɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴀʟʟʏ, ɪ ʜᴀᴅ sᴏᴍᴇ ᴡɪʟᴅ ᴛʜᴇᴏʀɪᴇs ᴏғ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀs ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴏɴ, ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴀᴅ sᴏᴍᴇ ʜᴏʟᴇs ɪɴ ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴇᴏʀɪᴇs, sᴏ ɪ ᴡᴀs ᴠᴇʀʏ ᴇɴɢᴀɢᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ʜᴏʟᴇs ғɪʟʟᴇᴅ ɪɴ. ʜᴏᴡᴇᴠᴇʀ, ɪ ᴡᴀs ᴋɪɴᴅ ᴏғ ᴀɴɴᴏʏᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴏᴡ ɪᴛ ᴘʟᴀʏᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ. ɪ ᴍᴇᴀɴ ɪ ᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴʟʏ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ᴛᴏ ᴘᴀɴ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴀs ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴅɪᴅ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ʙɪᴛ ᴍᴏʀᴇ. ɪ ᴅᴏ sᴛɪʟʟ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ɪᴛ ɪs ᴡᴏʀᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴇsᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟʟʏ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴏғ ʜᴏᴡ ʙɪɴɢᴇᴀʙʟᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴᴛʀɪɢᴜɪɴɢ ɪᴛ ɪs.

📖 ʜᴜɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ @randomhouse ᴀɴᴅ @netgalley ғᴏʀ ᴛʜɪs ᴀʀᴄ ᴄᴏᴘʏ ɪɴ ᴇxᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴀɴ ʜᴏɴᴇsᴛ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ 📖

The Stranger Upstairs is a debut novel. It’s a psychological thriller that I could not put down. Told by a completely unreliable narrator, this book took me for a ride!

Sarah Slade and her husband have bought the Black Wood House. A notorious murder house where 40 years ago there was a horrific murder-suicide. Sarah and her husband have plans to renovate and then sell the house for a big profit. But perhaps the house has other plans.

This book has some horror, some mystery. It’s told in a multi-media format that uses journal entries, texts, and blog posts mixed into the narrative. I really enjoy when a book is written like that because it propels the story.

This story is told from Sarah’s point of view through most of the book, then shifts to another character’s. This is my biggest complaint because I don’t like when authors do this. That’s a personal preference but it doesn’t do anything to enhance the story for me.

Overall, this is a solid first story from this author and I’ll look for more of her work in the future.

Thank you to #netgalley and @bantambooksuk for the advanced e-copy of #thestrangerupstairs.

This is not exactly my favorite genre, but was well-written. I would recommend it to friends who enjoy this genre. The cover is very appealing.

While I blew through this book at lightning speed, I found the book to be very forgettable. There were certainly aspects that I enjoyed, such as towing the line between paranormal and reality and the hints about Sarah's adolescence and sinister past. But for the most part, I found the characters all frustratingly unlikeable and I was bored by the overdone renovating-a-haunted-house-and-going-insane-while-doing-so trope. The ending felt a bit like a cop out, and frankly I always have a hard time getting into characters who are influencers while secretly living miserable lives.

Thank you Netgalley and and Random House for this ARC! I wish I enjoyed it more than I had, but definitely not a bad read for those who enjoy easy thrillers.

A story that is suspenseful and pulled me in from the beginning. That is how I can describe this story,. Most thrillers take me some time to get into and this story was just that but it will all be worth it at the end.

A good popcorn thriller but just kind of a middle of the road read for me - but overall enjoyed. Thank you Netgalley and Lisa for my review copy!

This was a new author and you could tell, I feel at times oh this book is good, however other times I was annoyed like what is going on. A social media influencer and a bartender husband buy a house that been vacant for years and strange things start happening and once a happy marriage has secrets and lies. I feel as the end is a cop out and unrealistic. It could have been good but not for me!

The ending of the book didn’t leave so in shock but seen how the plot twist unraveled left me a little disappointed. The plot twist was pretty much mundane and that’s something I wasn’t really looking for in this book. I thought it was gonna be something more supernatural or crazy. Don’t get me it was a good story just not enough to wow me.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Yes, yes, yes! One word of advice: go into this story as Blindly as possible and just know you're going on one hell of a ride!

A magnificently written psychological thriller/suspense. This book is everything I hope to read and MORE. Sleep with the lights on and hold your partner close. I love that fact that this story centers around the "house' which is basically the main character. I was definitely fooled by that ending and this doesn't happen often!

That annoying leak that just won't stop, peeling wallpaper, the smell of rot, and a cemetery for a back yard.

The question remain: Would you buy a house you knew someone was murdered in? A house that no one wanted, that sits empty. A house that you drive by 1,000 times and can't look at it because you know you're going to see a scary murderer looking out the window.

5 big, beautiful stars for this fast paced original story!

#TheStrangerUpstairs #NetGalley
A therapist and self-help writer with all the answers, Sarah 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 potent distraction from her failing marriage. Good thing nobody knows that her past is as tainted as the bloodstain on her bedroom floor.
But the renovations are fast becoming a nightmare. Sarah imagined custom avocado wallpaper, massive profits, and an appreciative husband who would want to share her bed again. Instead, the neighbors hate her guts and her husband still sleeps on the couch. And though the builders attempt to cover up Black Wood’s horrifying past, a series of bizarre accidents, threatening notes, and unexplained footsteps in the attic only confirm for Sarah what the rest of the town already knows: Something is very wrong in that house.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for giving me an advance copy.

This book actually scared me a little and I had to read a light rom-com after finishing it! That being said, I give it 5 huge stars!!!

This story veered more creepy than thriller, which is not my favorite. For the right person, it would be a great read. The characters are unlikeable but I think in a thriller, that's ok. Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing-Bantam for the gifted arc

I did
Not finish The Stranger Upstairs. The characters were not believable and the author’s unnecessary use of foul language led me to a DNF.

If you're a thriller fan, this is great in so many ways! It was definitely spookier than many I've read recently and walked the line of paranormal vs reality very well right up until the end. The main character spirals into insanity and is at times insufferable, which makes sense by the end. This book followed a lot of familiar thriller tropes and wasn't anything ground breaking. The final wrap up was a great pay off, but in my opinion, the epilogue kind of ruined it. Overall, I'd recommend to thriller fans.

3.5 rounded down.

Such a creepy psychological stunner! Since I watch a lot of home renovation shows, it made me extra engaged with the plot because of the role that played in this story! It was a bit like a modern day Hitchcock thriller and I was definitely here for all the twists and turns!

Thank you so much Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley for providing this eARC, in exchange for my honest opinions.