Sarah is a social media influencer who buys a murder house to fix up. She wants to use the house for social media engagement and hopes to turn a large profit after it’s renovated. From the beginning, there are creepy spooky gothic vibes all around.

There is pushback from the community over her buying the house, unexplained things start to happen, her husband is always absent, she receives mysterious notes, and secrets start to slowly unravel.

This was a fun haunted house story. It was well paced with a good ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what a debut! Kudos to you Lisa Matlin! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"The Black Wood House" or #murderhouse as it's known to it's neighbors in Beacon is notorious for the murder/suicide that happened there many years prior and the house has remained vacant ever since. Along comes Sarah and her husband Joe, although I include him reluctantly as he is never there and takes off for days/weeks at a time. What good is he? Sarah and Joe seem to have their own secrets and are running from their past.

Legend has it that Bill Campbell killed his wife in this house and attempted to kill his own daughter, and then kills himself. The floorboard in Sarah's bedroom remains stained with blood. Strange things start to happen. Sarah hears footsteps in the attic, her cat Reaper seems afraid, and Sarah starts to believe the house doesn't want her there.

This was haunting and creepy and keeps you guessing. I loved the tension built up in every chapter.
Sarah appears to be descending into madness. Is she an unreliable narrator or is it the house? This is a debut novel and was very impressive! 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐!!!

I received this ARC as a surprise gift and am so very thankful to Random House - Ballantine and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this book prior to publication. Thank you!

Thank you to Random House - Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First of all, what a gorgeous cover! The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin is a creepy thriller about a haunted house. The story revolves around Sarah, who has just bought and moved into an infamous murder house. Black Wood House was the site of multiple murders, and Sarah is set out to renovate it. But when sinister events keep piling up, will Sarah finally acknowledge that the house is haunted? Or will she persevere through the renovations?

Here is a creepy excerpt from Chapter 1:

"Welcome to Black Wood House.
This is the front door Janet Campbell burst out of. This is the barren yard she ran across, fleeing for her life. Those are her cries echoing down the lonely street for forty years now.
Don’t kill me. Don’t kill me. Don’t kill me.
Upstairs is a bedroom with bloodstained floorboards. This is where Susan Campbell bled to death, and this is where I’ll sleep. Some people think that’s messed up.
I am not some people."

Overall, The Stranger Upstairs is a creepy thriller that will appeal to fans of The Haunting of Hill House or The Woman on the Train. One highlight of this book is the haunted house and horror vibes, which would make this the perfect Halloween read. There are plenty of creepy notes and dark attics to go around. Another highlight of this book are the jaw-dropping twists and reveals. I finished this book in one setting because I could not put it down! If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of thrillers in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in September!

Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out… you’re proven wrong. Theres twist after twist and The Stranger Upstairs will leave you with your jaw on the floor. I read this in 2 days, simply because I couldn’t put it down - If you’re trying to get out of a reading slump, I highly recommend reading this.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House publishing for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book reminds me of an Agatha Christie novel! The way the story played out and the hidden mystery made this read a page turner! There were a few redundancies, but even with that, this was excellent!

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book early and to Netgalley as well! I read this in one evening as I could not put it down - if you get the chance to do the same, please do. This book is one of my favorite kinds of reads and it quenched my thirst so well. Definitely adding this author to my favorites list.

This book is amazing! I’ve spent the entire day reading it! So much for adult responsibilities. Seriously just clear your day before opening this book.

Wow!! I have been on such a great roll lately! I have been choosing such great books to read. I’ve had so many 5 star books lately and The Stranger Upstairs was no exception. I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and I could NOT put it down. It was such a fun, fast paced thriller, I am so surprised that this is a debut novel for @lisa_m_matlin. Sure didn’t seem like it. (Also I read the author’s note and what a fun down to earth author she is. Love her 💕)

This was a story about a Instagram Influencer, Sarah, who has bought Black Wood House. It’s an old house, where a double murder took place many years before and has remained empty ever since. Well, Sarah and her husband Joe move in with plans to renovate and then turn a profit. Both trying to run away from past mistakes. However, after the double murders, the house has been said to be haunted, and Sarah starts noticing strange things happening. She’s hearing footsteps up in the attic, someone is leaving her notes about things only she would know about. The neighbors don’t want her there and neither does the house itself. 😱 She starts to think the house is talking to her. Is it or is it simply that Sarah is losing her mind?
This is a crazy ride and I tell you, I could not put this book down. I had to keep going and going. Every time I planned on stopping, the cliffhanger chapters kept me wanting more. This was a haunting ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars for me!!

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhousepublishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! Everyone needs to buy this book when it comes out. It’s a great one!
Pub Date: September 26, 2023

Were you lucky enough to get an ARC of this book? Have you read this one yet? What were your thoughts? I’m dying to discuss with someone.

This was a great book! I love creepy houses; and so much was happening. I was hooked throughout the entire book trying to figure everything out and I was emotionally satiated in the end. The Stranger Upstairs is well written and is a fascinating read that I absolutely loved and highly recommend. I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my unbiase opinion.

The Stranger Upstairs was a fun read that I enjoyed once I got to the middle part of the book. The first part of the book was a bit slower paced than I had anticipated, but the middle and end went by quickly. I’ve been wanting more female characters like the main character and Lisa Matlin delivered! I can’t say more without spoiling the book, so you’ll have to read it for yourself.

Not only is this one of the best debuts I have EVER read, but it just may also be my favorite book of the year! Now having said that, I am also very upset. I'm upset because this was so freakin' good that I cannot just start a new book. Nothing will even come close to measuring up after this! Also, I wasted the beginning of this book worrying if it would be a supernatural story or not. With few exceptions, I hate those. About a quarter of the way in, I realized I no longer cared if it would be or not. It was just SO GOOD!!! Oh geez, where to even start? The twist of what's actually going on was something I have never before read. Completely original! And that says a lot as I am pushing 60 and have read a LOT of thrillers. The main character has issues. Serious issues. We are fed little bits and pieces here and there throughout until we finally learn the truth. I loved that a cat, Reaper, was a big part of the story. Also, so many red herrings to think about and keep you guessing. The epilogue was true greatness! I'm just going to stop here because I do not want to give anything away. Oh wait! One more thing! Read about the author at the end. Lisa Matlin suffers from mental illness and her story is interesting also. I hope, hope, hope that she has more books up her sleeve as she is on my MUST READ NOW list after just this book!

THANK YOU to #NetGalley for this MUCH appreciated ARC! All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram, Facebook and other retailers and social media sites upon publication.

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin
Wow, alot going on in this book. I thought I knew what was going on but then it would take a turn. Interesting read, kept me turning the pages. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this and leave my opinion.

This started off strong but slowly fell apart with the the protagonist, if you could call her that. I felt like some anticipated scenes were skipped over, never to be mentioned again leaving you wondering what happened. Potential spoiler: There's also something I usually get a little annoyed with in stories where the protagonist is telling you their story and past and states what happened and then changes the story a few different times. We aren't there, we are not part of the story and for me, there is a better way to throw in twists than that. Otherwise an overall okay read. Three Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this ARC.

This was a tough one for me. I liked the idea and the mystery part of it, but it was hard to keep reading and lot didn't make sense. Way too much emphasis on her puking; it felt like I read that over and over. Also, her husband is almost non-existent and I don't think he was fully explained. I would try another book by this author to see if it was just this particular story.

Thank you for the ARC NetGalley!

Definitely read with your lights on. This one is creeeeepy! Never really knew what exactly was going on and I enjoyed every moment of it. All my guesses as to outcome were completely wrong. Creepy and twisted. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of the book. All opinions in this review are my own.
4.5

This was such a thrilling read! There is horror, mystery, and suspense throughout the book. It really gave me chills, which I loved. Sarah Slade hints at her dark past, keeping you hooked on finding out exactly what she has been through and done. She has moved into a house with an awful history with her husband and we get to see her navigate her marriage struggles and the issues she starts to encounter after their move. Her hopes of flipping the house turn out to be more difficult than she imagine and her complicated past does not help. Sarah is a complex person, who is not all good and acknowledges her bad. This really reminded me of The Watcher, but better.

The writing in this book is great and the characters are well-written, so I felt so much emotion toward each of them. The only error I saw, was around the 63% mark when there was a space and period missing between sentences.

4.0 rounded up to a 4.5! This book had me hooked from the first chapter. Seriously. Had I not had to work or deal with obligations this week I could have finished this book in one sitting.

Social Media influencer Sarah Slade is looking to start over. Her past is ugly, her marriage is crumbling, and she is surrounded by secrets. She decides that purchasing and rehabbing the infamous Black Wood House is just what she needs to start over, build her social media following and ignore her failing marriage.. But the house, having been the scene of a grizzly murder-suicide years before, does not want to be rehabbed. Contractors and workers come and go with mysterious injuries, threatening notes begin to appear, and there seems to be someone or something creeping around in the attic. Sarah quickly learns that the past is not easy to hide from, and not everything wants to be fixed. The more she works to rehab Black Wood House, the more her life and sanity spiral out of control. What secrets are the house (and Sarah!) hiding?

This book had me gripped from beginning to end! What a great debut thriller from Lisa Marlin! She will definitely become a repeat author for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

“The Stranger Upstairs” is a mystery/horror debut novel by Lisa M. Matlin. Our hero, Sarah, a successful author and Instagram influencer, decides to purchase a #murderhouse where 40 years previously a murder/suicide had taken place. The problem is that Sarah - and her husband Joe - aren’t really prepared to fully undertake flipping a house that really needs A LOT of work; too much work for them to handle. There’s also the problem of - so many years later - rumors about the house and occupants. Over time, Sarah becomes convinced that someone (or something) is against Joe and her taking possession of the house - from threatening notes, stand-offish neighbors, and weird house noises and smells. I must admit - I read this book in one day, to the point of not really wanting to put it down. This had me wondering what was going on - was it the unfriendly neighbor, was it Sarah spinning out of control, was the house haunted - but Ms. Matlin’s layering of craziness upon craziness was wonderful. I greatly enjoyed the tension being built up and then, blam, laid out there in on the page, but it still was riding a bit of the crazy train. I did have to look up a bit of Aussie slang - thank goodness for Google. There was also a fantastic author’s note included.

I was lucky enough to receive this ARC from Kathleen Quinlan, Assistant Director of Marketing for Random House Publishing. It was described as a “gothic psychological read”. It was definitely that in the best way. Thank you to Net Galley and Random/Penguin House Publishing for getting this book in front of me. I’m so glad I read it and wouldn’t hesitate to endorse it to others.

Author Lisa Matlin invested a year in constructing the story of Sarah. In my mind this was a year well-spent. Sarah is a “stuck on herself” social media influencer, author, and therapist. She and her husband buy a “haunted” house in an affluent area of Australia. Sarah’s single-minded focus is to use the renovation of the house to make her wealthy and promote her brand. Joe, her husband, doesn’t share her ambition. In fact he seems to have little ambition at all. Their troubled marriage is only amplified by the house, which seems to have a life (dark life) of its own.

The Stranger Upstairs is one of the best thrillers I have read in some time. It had more twists-turns, ups-downs, stops-starts than one serious roller coaster. Alongside the house, which is nearly a character of its own, are the neighbors who don’t seem to understand the meaning of the word neighbor. They want Sarah and the house out of the picture.

Of note, there is a marked use of phrases that some readers may find annoying. For instance, “chewed the inside of her cheek” and “bit her lip”. I didn’t find it annoying, more so redundant. There was also a place where “sandals” were mentioned and in the same scene “boots” as the footwear on Emily, Sarah’s co-worker. Just a couple of editing notes.

Again, I am most thankful to Ms. Quinlan and Net Galley for offering me the chance to read this gothic creeper of a book. Loved it!

This book had me jumping with every noise in my house! The creep factor is definitely there. I enjoyed the storyline and the protagonist. This was a quick read because I couldn't put it down. I recommend to anyone who enjoys a thriller!