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.

The Stranger Upstairs was a fast page turner that kept me on my toes, but ultimately was a bit of a let down for me. While this had some unique components and an interesting ending, I am not a fan of any thriller that portrays the female protagonist as crazy/losing her mind - regardless of the circumstances. For this reason, I was a bit frustrated with The Stranger Upstairs from the get-go. There were moments where this was redeemed for me, but not enough to earn a higher rating.

Thank you to Random House for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This book was throwing me around like a rag doll!! So many twists & turns literally obsessed!! I am going to be recommending this book to everyone I know. Definitely a 5/5 star read!

I was so bummed when this book was over, I absolutely loved it from cover to cover. It’s definitely one of my favorite thrillers I’ve read this year. First, the cover is beautiful and got my attention right away. The storyline was unique and intriguing. It was so creepy at times, kept my attention the whole time and I flew through it. Definitely check it out if you’re looking for a fast paced chilling story! I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bantam and of course Lisa Matlin for the advance digital copy for my thoughts and review!

4.5 stars! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House - Ballentine for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review. Lisa Marlin’s debut is out this upcoming September! Super excited my wish was granted for this one.

Thriller lovers, you’ll enjoy the pacing of this one! This one reads SO fast, and before I knew it, I was halfway through the book. This one follows Sarah, a therapist and Joe, who move into a house where a murder has been committed in the past, and things start to unravel quickly. Sarah is quickly painted as a potential unreliable narrator, and you start to wonder what’s going on as her past unravels. Honestly, I didn’t see where this one was going to take me, and there ended up being a few characters introduced that didn’t really have anything to do with anything (but I suspected they might have - wrong), but overall, if you enjoy domestic thrillers that move very quickly, I think you’ll enjoy this!

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC - pick this one up September 26, 2023!

OH MY GOODNESS!! What an INCREDIBLE debut novel!! Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a creepy psychological/horror thriller that keeps readers engaged to the very end!! When I saw this beautiful cover with all the pretty colors and read the synopsis I knew I had to read this book! However, do not let the cover fool you because the story is haunting, shocking, dark and twisted. I recommend not reading it late at night like I did because I definitely wanted to put my kindle in the freezer and might have slept with a light on in my room!😬 There are so many harrowing twists and turns and you will find yourself questioning everything!

Sarah is a social media influencer with a secret past and is starting over. She decides to buy the Black Wood House and renovate it. Quickly, she realizes the "murder house" is more than she signed up for with the peeling wallpaper, strange occurrences, failing marriage and suspicious neighbors. Gradually, Sarah begins to spiral and loses all sense of reality. Is she going crazy or is there someone or something in the attic talking to her? This is a wild roller coaster of a ride!!

I was completely captivated from start to finish! If you are looking for a unique and creepy thriller to read that will keep you guessing then this is the book for you. I highly recommend this book and it deserves a million stars!!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This is the kind of book you read in one sitting.

Of course, It was nighttime and I was reading towards the end of the book. My heart was racing, any sound I heard made my heart jolt and body jump. I was completely captivated and invested in this story.

This was my first, dare I say… scary read?

Sarah Slade is a wannabe instagram influencer/therapist who decides to purchase a haunted house with her husband, Joe. 40 years ago, there was a terrible murder that happened inside the house. The community wants to tear it down but Sarah is confident she can fix this old house up and make a profit. It would be the perfect project for her social media and getting endorsements.

But the house does not want to be fixed. Sarah starts to hear sounds and noises coming from the attic. She starts receiving notes with information only she would know. It doesn’t help that she and her husband have their own secrets and a past they’re running from. Paranoia turns into desperation and Sarah is determined to find out what or who is messing with her.

There were a couple of inconsistencies that needed explanation (what happened to the black Labrador, Winter? And who put the dead rat in the mailbox?)

Other than that, it was an enjoyable, fast paced read that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. If you like elements of horror and twisted characters, this book is for you!

Thank you to Random House - Ballantine, Lisa M. Matlin, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is slated to be published on September 26, 2023.

I’m not one for horror but the premise of this drew me in. I expected a book that focused on the house but this is really more about our narrator Sarah. The author does a great job drawing you in and keeping you unsettled as pieces are slowly revealed and then suddenly we get newspaper articles that are jarring as they are from a future we have not gotten to yet. The pacing was good, even as the events and characters started to repulse the story kept moving forward enough to keep me curious about where it was going. It’s a hard book to write about without giving anything away. If you like the premise and are prepared for dark and twisted characters give this one a try. I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date September 25 2023
This book will keep you at the end of your seat. The main character is a social media influencer with a bad past and failing marriage buys a murder house that had been abandoned for years to try and remodel it and sell it for profit. None of the neighbors are friendly and the main character does not have any friends. This was one of my favorite thriller books of all time. Lots of suspense, anxiety and fear.

Sarah Slade has a plan, purchase the Black Wood House house cheap, fix it up, and sale it for a big profit... but the house has other plans for her! As she and the workers she hired start to expose the bare bones of the house they start to experience unexplainable things, things are downright haunting. Which is to be expected when you start messing with a house that has a murderous past...

As I settled down with The Stranger Upstairs it didn't take long to realize I had stumbled upon a really spooky edge of your seat kind of story... it's well crafted words had me on edge the whole way through. Our heroine has a great plan, but I worried a bit about her safety and sanity, messing with a house with that kind of bad juju is bound to catch up to you... and it does!

This first time read had me gasping in surprise, jumping at every little noise, and dangling helplessly from the edge of my seat the whole way through. I got so wrapped in the words that I forgot about the world around me, and the clock beside my bed telling me I needed to go to sleep... it was impossible to put this one down! And on a side note the loss of Zzzz's were totally worth it! If you like spinetingling tales that hold you captive from start to finish you have to pick this one up!!! Highly recommend!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.

Sarah Slade is making a fresh start. She is a social
Media influencer and she buys a murder house to renovate. What could go wrong? As she starts to renovate she becomes uncomfortable living l the blood stained house. She starts to get creeped out and fears that something is out to get her. Is it her husband , a ghost or is the house against her! This one unfolds slowly and is very satisfying in the end.

I love it when a book makes you wonder what’s REALLY going on, and The Stranger Upstairs does a good job of this. I read through it voraciously, thanks to its easy, short chapters. And, as always happens with these books, there was a twist — and I loved it! Matlin managed to take me by surprise, too, which isn’t easy to do.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Wow. This book was great. I wouldn’t have guessed the ending at all I was completely thinking a different path but I loved the way it played out. This was a great book and will be recommending to my friends!! Will also be looking into this author more as I like her writing style!!

The Stranger Upstairs is a mind bending psychological thriller about an instagrammed and her husband who buy a murder house to fix up. Soon she starts hearing noises, getting notes, and falling apart. What is really going on in the murder house?

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

What a wild story! Sarah, a therapist and influencer, moves into a house where a Violet murder has been committed with the plan of doing renovations and selling the house at a higher price. Her husband doesn’t want to be there. The neighbors don’t want them there. And Sarah starts having strange experiences that are only made worse by her alcoholism. Without saying much more and giving away the good stuff I will tell you that I enjoyed this way more by the end than I thought I was going to. While reading it parts seemed to be way too over the top but in the end all the pieces fit together.

I was drawn to the cover and premise of this book and it didn’t disappoint. My only regret is that I didn’t read it for spooky season bc this story is definitely spooky! Haunted house stories can be so hit or miss, but this was a hit for me. Creepy and atmospheric, it kept me turning pages to find out the secrets. Once I hit the 65% mark, it turned into a one sitting book bc I had to know how it ended. There were a few parts that didn’t come together for me or add up (possible spoiler - why does her husband dye his hair? But she can be all over insta?), but overall those were easy to look past and get caught up in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy and a chance to read this early. All opinions are my own.

"The Stranger Upstairs" by Lisa M. Matlin is a psychological thriller that had its fair share of strengths and weaknesses. While the book managed to captivate my interest with its initial premise, it fell short of delivering a truly memorable reading experience.

One aspect I appreciated about the book was the author's ability to build tension. Matlin skillfully crafted scenes that made me question the characters' motives and left me guessing about their true nature. The pacing was generally well-executed, with moments of heightened suspense that kept me turning the pages.

That definitely got my attention! A murder house? Oh yes.

Sarah and her husband are moving into the scene of a grisly murder. Sarah plans on not only renovating it but also blogging about it to her many followers. Probably not the best idea when her husband is not interested in the least and is harboring a lot of hate for Sarah. But why?

The neighbors are far from welcoming. There are whispers and then the noises begin. Then the notes. Someone wants her gone as well as the house.

It's like the house is really ticked off she is inside. And it just keeps getting worse.

Much like the house, Sarah is also keeping secrets. And they are a doozy! This ending was really good. Sarah is probably the most unlikeable character and yet the story wouldn't be the same if she was.

Great read!

NetGalley/ September 26, 2023, Random House/ Ballentine/Bantam

Sarah Slade is an influencer and therapist who just bought the infamous Black Wood House - aka the Murder House. Sarah's life continues to spiral until she can't take it anymore. Who is on her side and who is against her? And where does the house fall?

This book was good and had a great plot but there were times I found it a bit chaotic and hard to follow. I appreciate the framing of the story as it felt like something I had not read before. Given the build up of the house I loved that it felt like its own character. Maybe the chaotic feeling was meant to be, as the main character was a bit chaotic herself. However it didn't necessarily grab me. I thought that the book was going one direction and it took a sharp right turn. I thought some of the plot from the beginning was dropped and wish that had been continued a bit more. The interspersed media articles were interesting, but am not sure they were necessary in driving the story forward. Maybe one or two, but not them all.

This one was a little slow to start, but once it did, I couldn’t put it down! Sarah moves into a home that was the site of a gruesome murder years before. It has allegedly been abandoned since. Sarah purchases the house as a fixer upper but quickly realizes why the house has been vacant for so long. I was really hoping that this didn’t turn into a supernatural ending, and I was pleasantly surprised. Sarah was so incredibly unlikable, but as the unreliable narrator, she was well written. Secondary characters weren’t developed well and there were too many that ended up being inconsequential. I would rather fewer, better developed characters. Although Reaper the Cat…..best one in the book and well developed!