The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin, a creepy, jumbled, fantastically enjoyable read! This story follows Sarah Slade, a therapist who has purchased a "murder house" with her husband Joe. This is the unraveling of an unreliable narrator. I thought I knew exactly what was about to happen, until I didn't! A must read! I would like to thank the author, Lisa M. Matlin, and NetGalley for the complimentary e-galley.

I’m not going to lie, this one was a little hard to keep up with… but I guess that was kind of the point, right? Sarah/Lizzy is going crazy and the reader kind of feels like they are too! The ghosty qualities of this book were unresolved which was frustrating but it’s interesting what happened at the end. I think it was a good debut novel and look forward to what else Lisa comes out with. Sarah/Lizzy was one crazy bitch… but was it her fault… yes and no?

I really enjoyed this book! Just when I thought I had it all figured out, another twist would hit. This book is a quick, but great read - perfect for a flight, day at the beach, or a rainy day inside.

DNF at 50%. Unfortunately this book didn’t work for me. An interesting premise, but an incredibly unlikable main character and a storyline that never quite picked up. By 50% it still didn’t hold my attention and I decided to move on. Would try something else by this author, this one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley! This was a wild ride. I love anything spooky, and this one was just unpredictable and kept me guessing the entire way through. I read it in 2 sittings.

First off thank you #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I did find the the setting and premise of the book interesting and kept me engaged. Overall though I couldn’t get past the main character. I do not like her and she was way too similar to many other mains in other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine-Bantam for this Advanced Reader Copy, in exchange for my honest review.

When Sarah Slade and her husband, Joe, buy Black Wood house, the site of an infamous murder, they know that it is not accepted by the town. But things begin to really take turn when Sarah feels her sanity slipping away. But what is the cause, is it the neighbors that are so unhappy about the house being purchased, is it her husband as their marriages is slowly ending, is it the former owner who mysteriously disappeared or is it the house itself?

Overall, this was a good book. It is a quick read. I enjoyed the gothic aspects of the story. I appreciated the author’s notes at the end about her own mental health. Thank you Lisa Matlin for your bravery and vulnerability in sharing your journey.

Great debut novel.

“Most people wouldn’t buy an infamous murder house to renovate for fun. But Sarah Slade is not most people.”


Personal review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Woah, this book was twisty and dark. I love a good haunted house story as well as the next person, but this house seemed to be eating away at the main character, Sarah Slade, the more the story and renovations went on. What started as a social networking way to make easy money in an affluent neighborhood, turned into a dark and suspenseful ride that kept me gripping the book and wanting more! I loved the complexity of the main character, as each layer was revealed!! I received an early copy of this novel from Bantam Books in exchange for my honest opinion! Look for the book on shelves September 26, 2023.

Synopsis: 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 decent distraction from her failing marriage. Good thing nobody knows that her past is just as filthy 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 wants 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 confirms for Sarah what the rest of the town already knew: Something is very wrong in that house.

I had no idea where this story was going or what was going to happen to the main character! She was a great, well developed unreliable main character. The story had several big plot twists and turning points that kept me guessing and kept the story fast paced.

Fantastic debut! This was such a great read that I got sucked in immediately. It's well paced, entertaining and beautifully written. Main character Sarah Slade is awesome. I thoroughly enjoyed her cynical perspective and even though she was a bit unreliable, her narration was refreshing.

The setting of a murder house and a neighborhood where outsiders aren't welcome was great and there was an increasingly creepy atmosphere throughout. I was somewhat surprised by the ending. I had an idea of where it was going but wasn't quite sure. I've read a lot of thrillers so not much surprises me anymore, but the writing here is so good I questioned my own thoughts.

It's been a while since I enjoyed a thriller this much. I look forward to reading more from Lisa Matlin in the future.

A huge thank you to Lisa M. Matlin, Bantam and NetGalley for providing this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Stranger Upstairs Review!

Thank you so much Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for this gifted e-read in exchange for an honest review! The Stranger Upstairs is out September 26, 2023!

When a house is considered a “Murder House”, you can almost always guarantee I’ll pick it up! Also, this cover was stunning. 😍The Stranger Upstairs was a 3.5/5 ⭐️ for me! Unreliable narrators are always fun and I didn’t really have a clue where this was going due to that. I wasn’t much of a fan of the characters and the whole towns people was a little cheesy. I also thought the ending was super abrupt and unexpected. That was the main reason for the rating!

Synopsis: Sarah Slade is a hot mess who is dealing with a rocky marriage while being an unqualified marriage therapist herself. On top of all that, she decides to buy a a murder house and fix it up. That should solve all her problems! 👍🏼

I really enjoyed this thriller! Crazy mess of a main character, Sarah Slade, is a self proclaimed therapist and influencer who buys a murder house to remodel and make a profit. But things don't go according to plan.
At first, I thought it would be another haunted house supernatural been there read that story. But this one took quite a twist! I would recommend!
Thank you, Netgalley, publisher, and author for the ARC!

This was an impressive debut novel with all kinds of twists and turns that kept me guessing.

Sarah and her husband by a house that is famed for a murder-suicide that happened 40 years earlier and hasn’t been lived in since. Sarah puts on a facade of a happily married therapist excited to begin renovations on the home with her husband, but secrets quickly start being revealed and everything begins to unravel.

The creep factor was high in this book with the ominous vibes the house gives off. It was so well done, there were times I was trying to read before going to bed and decided to save it for an afternoon read. It kept me guessing and turning the pages quickly to find out what was happening and who could or couldn’t be trusted. It got a little bit difficult to follow and untangle at times, but my interest wasn’t lost. I did still have some questions I wanted answered or given more detail about, though it didn’t take too much away from the story. Overall, this was a good, creepy thriller that was a quick read.

Ok, buckle up. This book was a wild ride. Phew!

Characters: well, I think we can all agree that Sarah is a despicable human being. Wowwwww. She’s a complete psychopath. Maybe that’s not the right DSM diagnosis, but it’s not like she would know anyway 🤨 Joe? He’s a spineless idiot, for lack of better descriptors. The neighbors? The coworkers? Horrible lot of people. Emily and the cat? Literally the only characters who I was rooting for.

Setting: oh the infamous Black Wood House. The murder house. I made the mistake of reading this at night and definitely regretted it. There were parts of this book that read like psychological horror, and parts that were just psychological thriller. The setting was downright creepy.

Plot: Deception, deception everywhere. I wish the storyline with the blogging had gone further, simply because I’m obsessed with influencer thrillers right now. Alas, it didn’t, and I thought the ending was rushed, or could have used more detail to prolong it, or something. There was a lot of buildup to it, and I was a little underwhelmed but not completely.

Twist: I was glad for that twist instead of the direction I fully expected it to go. I was shocked by the epilogue and realized there was a lot of hinting toward that side of the story throughout.

Other thoughts: This was a really twisty book and really made me think! Once I got into it, I didn’t want to put it down.

Definitely didn't see this ending coming...although you learn, almost immediately there are two unidentified dead bodies! Sarah, the train wreck protagonist, and her husband Joe have a marriage in trouble, and we gradually learn why! Renovating a murder house doesn't seem to be bringing them together!

Wow. What a ride this book was! I thought I disliked all the characters, turns out, there was a reason. I could not put this book down, and was so surprised at the ending. I definitely recommend reading it.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read this advanced copy.

I requested to read and review this book for free from Bantam an Imprint of Random House Publishing Company. This book has many twists and turns that you will want to see what happens next! I would have never guessed the ending at first! This book has drama, mystery, suspense and some thrill action. Charwcters Joe and Sarah buy a house with history for a great price. But is it too good to be true? Can they renovated and make money of this property or lose everything. Who can you trust? Can a house be haunted? Can something or someone be poisoning people or others around you? This book can be read anywhere but by a mature reader.

I really wanted to like this one but it was a miss for me. I wasn’t able to connect with the characters as everything felt too distant.

I loved this book! I had no clue what was gonna happen next and loved every minute. It was creepy and crazy!

I can’t wait for this author’s next book!


Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book. The description had so much promise, but unfortunately the execution just didn't work for me. I felt the narrative kept circling around what was going on with the house and how people in the town were or weren't involved and the issues of what the main character's husband was actually up to. It seems like stronger editing could have helped to flesh out several elements of the plot that seemed to languish. The end of the book where an additional point of view was brought in to help tie up a few loose ends felt off to me. Parts of the ending felt like a serious reach and the author left some questions outstanding that I felt should have been resolved.