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.

This book was great! A mystery, spooky, enough to have my waking up thinking about it. It’s rare I find a book that’s actually pretty spooky so I absolutely loved this. The writing style is great and easy to read. The characters are believable. I loved her weird cat. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

This book creeped me out. An horror/Thriller that you won't know what will happen next nor guess. It made me wary of everyone including the heroine tbh. It's a great debut novel, I can’t wait for what the author will write next.

This is a fast paced, disturbing, well written suspense thriller. Even now I don't know what was real and what was paranoia. I'll probably be giving second glances to neighbors and co-workers for the next few days!

This story definitely kept my attention. The only thing keeping it from 5 stars for me is the fact that the main character was so unlikeable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I don’t quite know how to describe this other than to say this book is a bit of a sh*tshow (no pun intended since the author’s favorite word appeared to be sh*t in the first few chapters- I’m a-okay with cuss words but that was a bit excessive). The main character in this book is a mess but the house and it’s creepiness redeems things a bit. I did appreciate the author’s note at the end along with her bravery to face the topic of mental illness head on.

The Stranger Upstairs was such a creepy book. Very unsettling atmosphere compounded with an unreliable narrator.

Holy Cow, this book had me in it’s web and I could not get out! The story follows Sarah Slade a therapist who has just bought a home with major issues and were not just talking renovations! Black wood house is a notorious “murder house”. It is where a husband brutally murdered his wife. As if the house itself is not interesting enough, Sarah marriage is falling apart and her neighbors aren’t exactly welcoming either. When Sarah starts getting notes and hearing footsteps things get weird fast. You question everyone in this book even Sarah as her mind starts to deteriorate .

For a first time novel, I have to tip my hat off to the author Lisa Marlin. Lisa’s writing had me on the edge of my seat i cant wait to read her future novels. This book really helped me get out of a reading slump. The book starts off hot and keeps that pace the whole time. I will definitely be buying a hard copy of this for my bookshelf!

5 stars all around! If you are in a reading slump like I was, I highly suggest picking this book up. You will not regret it!

Release date in September 26th (just in time for spooky season).
Thank you so much NetGalley and PenguinRandomHouse for giving me the chance to read this!

Black Wood House has a sordid past, and anyone who moves there has had to face a grim reality: is it haunted? Or is something else nefarious happening? I really enjoyed this story and it kept me thoroughly entertained. 4/5 stars.