This story was not what I expected. I felt as though there was a bit of a supernatural side to it. The main character was not relatable, and the ending was unexpected, but I am not sure if it was in a good way.

Sarah Slade was looking for a real deal. The therapist has just purchased a Victorian in the neighborhood that she never thought she could afford! There are a couple reasons that she can afford the house. First of all, it needs restoration. It has sat empty for far too long. Second, it has sat unoccupied, because a murder took place at the infamous Blackwood House, her new home. Sarah has built quite a following on her blog, and she will have quite an audience as she and her husband restore the infamous Victorian. She expects that the renovations will go smoothly, and that maybe she will even be able to fix her decaying marriage at the same time. Everything looks so promising! She moves into the bedroom where the murder took place. ignoring the bloodstain that just won't go away, as she dreams of reselling the house and making some serious cash. However, the renovations don't go as smoothly as planned, and she has made some enemies in the neighborhood. Accidents, footsteps in the attic, and frightening notes all cause Sarah to lose control. Who's living upstairs?

As Sarah starts losing control, the reader is brought deeper and deeper into her life that has become a living nightmare. Excellent character development makes this book come alive! This one will give you nightmares!

A debut novel with a stunningly beautiful book cover, The Stranger Upstairs is listed under Suspense & Thriller and Gothic & Horror. There are definitely creepy vibes as the setting is an infamous, murder house built in the 1800s. 40 years ago, a man killed his wife, then himself, and nearly their daughter but she got away. Yikes. Cue creaky stairs, peeling wallpaper, blood stains on the floor, why not move in?

That’s what social media influencer Sarah Slade thinks. She moves in with her husband to fix it up and document the renovation process for her readers. But, of course, things don’t go as planned. Mystery sounds from upstairs. Ominous notes. And her cat falls ill.

Also, none of the neighbors seem interested in talking to her. Her husband is never around. Oh, and did I mention she’s also a therapist? This part irked me a bit because I felt she should’ve taken a personal leave since her focus was clearly elsewhere, but then again, hey - she’s human, too.

The writing was polished, felt like a seasoned suspense author, and moved along nicely with chapters broken up by Sarah’s updates to fans and news alerts (although the first one was jarring and I had to back and reread a few pages because I was confused). The author did a wonderful job of setting the scene and making the home a perfect character to build suspense.

An unreliable and unlikable narrator is hit-or-miss for me but I kept wanting to follow Sarah’s story and slow unraveling. Turns out she had other reasons from her past to make her extra paranoid. Plus, her husband wasn’t much help in figuring out the mystery of the home. There’s a special kind of person who can sleep in a room where a murder has taken place - and that comes from someone who loves anything true crime.

The buildup was good though the actual reveal was not as exciting. I wouldn’t call it a slow burn, but as someone who enjoys quick-paced thrillers, this was more of a settle-in-and-feel-increasingly-squeamish vibe, but I enjoyed the change of pace.

The Stranger Upstairs is a gripping and atmospheric debut novel by Lisa Matlin that kept me hooked from cover to cover. The story of Sarah and Joe's ill-fated decision to purchase and flip a murder house is both suspenseful and haunting, with twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end.

Matlin's writing is excellent, with vivid descriptions of the creepy old house and its eerie surroundings that made my skin crawl. I found myself completely immersed in the story and had to put the book down twice late at night because I got spooked out.

I highly recommend this book to fans of psychological thrillers and mysteries. However, I do caution against buying a murder house, as Sarah and Joe quickly discover the dangers that come with such a purchase.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. It was a pleasure to read and review The Stranger Upstairs.

Sooooo creepy!! It’s one that definitely will make people want to read with the lights on.

Is it paranormal? Is it psychological? It feels like both.

I didn’t expect to enjoy this one so much. But it’s a perfect mix of mystery and horror.

This was a ridiculous but fun read, it’s completely unhinged and if you don’t spend too much time thinking about it it’s a fast read.

Crazy one! Def needed to keep reading to see what happened. I do wish there was a warning for an animal getting hurt though

I keep telling myself that I’m not going to read a book with an alcoholic main character, and then the description of the book sounds so interesting I can’t resist 😅 overall enjoyed this book, a little creepier than I would typically like. And I was drawn in by the premise of renovating for a blog, so felt like I was missing out on some more of the epistolary writing style that I was expecting, but solid book overall

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin is a wonderful, twisty psychological thriller that will keep you up late into the night. Once, I started reading it, I just couldn't put it down. I had to know how it ended. This is Lisa M. Matlin's debut novel and I cannot wait to read her future books. The Stranger Upstairs will make you feel, nervous, scared, and anxious as you read this eerie thriller. I'm hoping for a sequel. I highly recommend The Stranger Upstairs. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I want to thank the author for writing it, and also to the publisher and Netgalley for approving me. Excellent thriller!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC! This was a quick read that I couldn’t put down - definitely a popcorn thriller that I needed to know the end of immediately. Took off a couple stars as there were a few pieces of the story I would have loved to see fleshed out more and I didn’t feel quite satisfied with the ending. Would definitely say to pick this up to anyone who loves a fast-paced thriller!

A vain social media young women makes some interesting life decisions to fit in and be liked. One of those being buying a murder house to draw more attention from her followers. Needless to say it didn't go as she planned. Seemingly perfect Sarah, married, beautiful, published author, and adored by many social media followers. Behind all of what she shows the world, is a web of lies and secrets.

Creepy, unsettling events start to unfold in Beacon at the Black Wood house. The neighborhood as not as welcoming to the residents. Putting Sarah on a mission to solve mysteries that unfold, while trying to keep her secrets untold.

I really enjoyed this book. Even had trouble sleeping once I really got into it about half way through. I loved the writing. The author gave you just enough to keep going while not letting the story become predictable. I definitely not see the ending coming. It wasn’t until the very last chapter or two that I started to see what was unfolding.

Thanks NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine for this ARC that will be released September 26, 2023!

Thank you NetGalley and Bantam for this ARC of The Stranger Upstairs. I struggled with this book. It was really all over the place and sometimes hard to follow. I found myself skimming past parts of it. It did however keep me engaged and wanting to find out who the stranger was. While it was definitely a plot twist I did not see coming, it really did not seem plausible and fell flat for me.

If The Haunting of Hill House and The Talented Mr. Ripley had a love child, it would be The Stranger Upstairs!
Sarah Slade is officially one of my favorite semi-relatable, yet completely unreliable characters. Her being a Social Media Influencer makes TOO much sense. Black Wood House is quite the treat as well. Is it haunted? Is it alive? Hangry? Or is it just down on its luck and in need of a little tlc?
This is a page turner that will keep you guessing... and then second and third guessing those previous guesses.
Psychological thriller X Murder House X Unreliable Narrarator = ALL THE FUN (and anxiety)!

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!

The second I saw this was a gothic mystery I knew I had to read it. And I was NOT disappointed! Lisa M. Matlin has written a book that had me entranced the whole way through! I could not put this book down. This is a fast paced thriller that had my head spinning! Highly recommended!

The creep factor was definitely dialed up in this thriller. Sarah had just purchased the murder house; it was dubbed that by the neighbors because many years ago a man murdered his family there. She purchased the property to renovate it and sell it for a profit, but the house had other things in mind. Strange happenings occurred and Sarah felt like she was losing her mind. She knew the neighbors disliked her because they wanted the old house razed. They felt the house was depreciating their properties. She felt that someone was out to get her but who? Sarah needed to find out what was going on before she completely lost her mind. The ending was quite mind blowing because I thought I had the ending figured out, but I wasn't even close! A great creepy read which has a great twist.

A great debut thriller from Lisa M. Matlin! Influencer, Sarah Slade and her husband Joe move into their new house, a gorgeous Victorian in her dream community. They plan on renovating and flipping the property for a tidy profit. From the moment they move in, things do not go as planned! Neither the house or the neighbors seem to want the couple here. Rich characters, (most notably the house itself), drive this quick read. Perfect for fans of Joe Hill.

Well, this was unhinged. It was just the right amount of spooky, and you could feel the narrator‘s sanity spiraling with each passing page. It definitely kept me up at night, stealing glances at the dark corners of my room.

The premise of this book was so interesting and I was so excited to see how it all unfolded. It held my attention from the very beginning. This was one of those stories that had me turning a light on and looking over my shoulder. It was creepy and scary and such a great read!

I’m not quite finished with this book yet, but I have not been able to put it down since I started reading it! There are some parts where I feel like I got confused on what timeline I was reading in, like if it was a memory that Sarah was recalling or something that was actively happening to her in the present. I love Lisa’s writing style and how relatable the book is, and her humor is right up my alley. This book has done a really good job at keeping me engaged and guessing at what is going to happen next. Overall I 100% recommend this book to anyone who wants a good mystery. Will def be buying this when it comes out so I can-read it whenever I want :)

I don’t think I’ve ever given 5 stars to a horror/thriller book. Well, this book deserves one. The writing could have been hard as heck to follow, but I was able to keep up with the protagonist as she flipped between personalities and the alternating chapters between characters. I really enjoyed the twist at the end (without giving it away) and how it played into Sarah/Lizzie’s demise.