A horror book about a character’s shady past and a haunted house and creepy, secretive community? Yes, please!

This book was incredible and well-written. I was captivated by the story plot and how things get complicated and twisty.

Thank you NetGalley & Lisa M. Matlin for honoring me with the ability to receive an ARC of The Stranger Upstairs. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Stranger Upstairs. If you are interested in reading about a spooky haunted house, this is the book for you.
A social influencer, Sarah, decides to do that. She believes she can take an old house but not just any house. One where a murder took place and renovate it all for her audience.
Things don’t go as planned and she gets a lot more than she bargained for in this eerie novel. Plenty of bumps in the dark. Quick read! 3.5 stars

I just finished “The Stranger Upstairs” and I’m conflicted. The book started out strong, but then really jumped the shark plot wise.
The main character was completely unlikeable and so obviously having a mental breakdown that it was so hard to believe that she was ultimately the villain.

Loved this book. I read the last part really fast because I couldn’t wait to see what happened and was hoping for the best. I loved to hate the social media obsessed lead character Sarah Slade and her terrible husband Joe. There were lots of things going on in this book that left me wondering what was coming and I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it last night. I would say very suspenseful and am giving this a solid 4 stars! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!!

Great scary book! Totally unreliable narrator, I loved it! Lisa Matlin has a way with words and a good sense of humor. The story was not funny, however, the narrative was modern and somewhat ironic, with the protagonist as a famous influencer who gets in over her head after buying a haunted mansion in an upscale town, trying to expand her followers, make a killing flipping the house and fit in with the locals.
I loved the "Before" and "After" inserts with the news headlines. It really peaks the reader's interest and keeps the plot going. And what a creepy ending....

This book was my first by this author but definitely won’t be my last. I loved it so much and I love a compulsive page turning thriller. Def recommend.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️

"Most people sweep monsters under the bed. I pull the covers back and let them crawl in." - Sarah

Reading The Stranger Upstairs was like watching a slow-moving train wreck of destruction - oh how I wanted to look away but I was fascinated by the flames! Black Wood House was the perfect creepy setting for the plot, with the added delight of a town deeply set in its ways and steeped in old money.

Sarah may be the most morally corrupt main character I've read in quite a while. Her narcissism and foulness were downright captivating. She held my attention from page one and the more I learned about her past, the more I questioned who I was rooting for in the end, Sarah? Or the house?

Joe was a hard character to understand, especially because we only saw him through Sarah's eyes which were unreliable at best. Their relationship was rocky from the start and it doesn't look like anyone is innocent in their marriage.

Social media and its role in self-esteem added a deeper layer to the plot that I wasn't expecting. Sarah was admittedly dependent on validation from strangers to justify her self-worth and normalcy. Her character stands as a stark warning sign that we never truly know the true lies that hide behind curated content.

"I love the little likes, heart emojis, and congratulations. I feed off that puerile bullshit. Without it, I starve." - Sarah

None of the characters in the book seemed to be able to move on from their past mistakes. They all were so wrapped up in the past that they continued to dig their own graves until they dropped right in.

Lisa M. Matlin proved herself to be an enchanting storyteller. Despite her awfulness, even I found myself flip-flopping between feeling sorry for Sarah and wishing she gets what she deserves, holding my breath to the end. There were so many twists and unsettling turns, I was always questioning what was fact or fiction.

I’m still not sure what to think about Black Wood House, the town of Beacon, or especially Sarah herself. Did Black Wood drive Sarah to madness or was she in the grips of insanity all along? Grab this book as soon as it comes out, you won't be disappointed.


*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this one! Sarah Slade is an influencer, a self-help writer, and a therapist. She buys a creepy old house (it has sat empty for 40 years after a husband killed his wife, tried to kill his daughter, and then committed suicide in the bathroom) that she plans to restore and flip for a big profit. She intends to keep her followers updated on her progress.

I honestly can't say too much about the plot without giving away spoilers, but I loved the upbeat social media posts sprinkled throughout a dark, rather sinister story of Sarah's experiences in the house and the uncovering of her sordid history.

I also liked that the ending legitimately surprised me! Writing a thriller that is hard to put down AND has real plot twists is a true feat.

really enjoyed this book! What a great thriller as Lisa Matlin's debut book. It begins with a not so happily married couple buying an infamous Murder House for 50% off the going rate. What a bad idea on so many levels. Why would you want to do that? Aman killed his wife in a bruta way, and then tried to kill his daughter, but she escaped. After that, he killed himself.I sure wouldn't want to. The wife Sarah Slade writes a blog about the renovations they're doing the house; but from the start its as if the house says "why are you here? We don't want you here! Go away!" And after living there just 3 weeks strange thing things begin happening, especially when Sarah is home alone. There's so many twists and turns in this book. I didn't see the end coming. Check it out for scary good read! I highly recommend it! I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Ughhh. Y’all I had such high hopes for this one. 😩

The Stranger Upstairs is about a married couple whose marriage is having issues moving into the infamous Black Wood House where a horrible murder took place. It sounds just like something I would absolutely love to read. I really couldn’t stand the main character Sarah. She annoyed me so much. I actually didn’t care for any of the characters in this one. It was good paced book that I kept reading because I wanted to see what happened. I didn’t really like the ending at all.

I know I’m probably the minority in this one so if this one has been on your radar check it out for yourself or other reviews on it because you might love it.

This book had all the set-up for a great plot but ultimately fell short for me. I would have liked more focus on the house itself, the renovation process or the history of the house. There was too much going on with the protagonist's backstory, issues at work, alcoholism, dying marriage, etc. that weren't explored enough to feel cohesive.

Heads up for animal lovers... there was enough iffy content in this book that I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is sensitive to that.

Spooky and delightful! Loved this book and the haunted house premise. I was actually scared reading some parts but that didn't keep me from turning the pages. Highly recommend!

The book that I needed to help lift me out of a book slump!

Sarah and her husband Joe decide to purchase the Black Wood House. The house has a reputation as the scene of a horrific murder-suicide. The neighbors all want to demolish the house, while Sarah wants to fix it up and turn a profit with a resale.

Part haunted house horror, part domestic thriller, The Stranger Upstairs checked all the boxes on what I want in a thriller to read! I was on the edge of my seat from the very beginning, waiting to see how this one would end. Speaking of the ending (no spoilers), I was so impressed with how the author wrapped up with the epilogue, eliminating all plot holes and delivering it with a pretty bow 🎀

Huge trigger warning regarding mental health in this book! I feel that the author handled it with care (read the authors note) but I would highly discourage reading this if you’re sensitive to a character that struggles with mental health or suicidal ideology.

Read this if you like:
👻Spooky horror elements
🏡Domestic, psychological thrillers
⚡️Fast-paced
🕵️‍♀️Mystery that will keep you guessing

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin is not at all what I had expected it to be, it's almost darker. Sarah Slade is a popular social media influencer, who is working as a therapist and has written a successful book. She decides to purchase a house in an affluent neighborhood that is known as the Murder House. The home is this victorian mansion that has sat empty for years. She plans on renovating the home and documenting everything on social media. As things unfold, we learn that the creepy house is more than that and an actual health threat to all who have lived there. Sarah's crafted life unravels quickly and truths come out as she tries to hold all of her lies together. At times the story was confusing, things that happened did not make sense or was not explained clearly, i.e. a plumber was trying to fix the shower, however he ended up screaming due to an injury and never comes back again, no clear information on how he hurt himself or why that affected him not coming back. The home was sold to Sarah and her husband but no clear information was shared about other owners, and the terrible neighbors were all so unwelcoming and kept so many secrets. The story kept going down different avenues of madness that really took the reader in for a ride. The story line went rapidly into a darker descent that had me thinking about it days after finishing the book. It was not at all what I had expected the outcome to be. Despite a slow start, and some drawn out sections, the story is a great read. Thank you #NetGalley and #Random House Publishing #Balantine Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I think readers that are new to the thriller genre will really love this book. Personally I've read so many books, I think ive read a similar story. That being said, all my questions were answered and the plot was interesting.

Murder house? Haunted house? Part-time social media influencer and therapist who is 100% an unreliable narrator trope and it's not even close to trying to hide it? SIGN ME UP!

THE STRANGER UPSTAIRS gives us one of the most morally grey and batshit narrators of all time and it took me just a second to settle into her mind. But once I was there I couldn't stop reading and I just needed to know what SHE would do next or what the HOUSE would do to her next. Like... what in the Amityville Gone Girl Social Network is going on here???

Full of twists and turns, The Stranger Upstairs easily held my attention the whole time. Once or twice I got a little mixed up with who/what was going on but... I won't say anymore than that and also don't let that be a deterrent. The plot all works out!

Addictive thriller and I cannot wait for more from this author!

This was a wild book. The characters, especially Sarah, felt unhinged to me, and there was a lot of suspense and crazy twists. I read it pretty quickly - the urge to know the truth behind the backstories and what happened was big!

Social media influencer Sarah Slade and her husband have just bought a house in an upscale area--sounds great, right? Well, the reason they can afford the house is that it was the scene of a grisly murder decades before. And Sarah's life is quite different than the one she presents to her followers; she's hiding some big secrets that will completely upend her "perfect" life if they come out.

This books does a great job of mixing psychological suspense and horror; you're never quite sure whether Sarah's imagining the problems that keep cropping up with the house or whether there's something more nefarious going on.

I'm not a fan of unlikeable protagonists, so Sarah's character didn't really work for me. And her husband is a bit of a cipher, but I expect this is deliberate.

Although I didn't love this book, I think that's just because it wasn't a good match for me; if you are a fan of creepy books with unlikeable protagonists, this is the book for you!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

A fast, fun, gasp-inducing read. I usual steer clear of haunted house books but this one was different. I did take a few chapters to finally get into this book. Sarah was a fantastically complicated character. I couldn’t tell if she was losing her mind or someone was out to get her. While classified thriller I would say this leans towards horror. Thank you to Random House - Ballantine, Lisa M. Matlin, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be published on September 26, 2023.

Wow! This threw me for a loop.
I admit, it took me too long to get through this. I was confused and not hooked immediately. I am glad I started reading it again.
A haunted house with a terrible history. Living in an old funeral home myself, I was worried about negative energy. Reading this gave me goosebumps a few times.
I am from the US, so reading a book from Australia confused me a bit. I did have a hard time connecting in that sense. I definitely connected in the mental illness department.
All in all, I am happy I finished this book. I didn’t rate my review based on my connections to the story. I rated it a 3 due to being confused until I was about 60% of the way through. The ending was good.