Ooo such a creepy read! I did have a feeling this one was going to be a great thriller and I was correct. Must read for all of the thriller/suspense fans out there! Excellent writing as well.

Social media influencer Sarah Slade attempts to revive her failing marriage by buying a fixer-upper and we go on a roller coaster ride that has surprising twists and wow - what an ending!
"That's the thing about marriages, it says. We all know the endings. Endings are loud. But we don't know about the middle."

Readers of a certain age have been terrified of attics since The Yellow Wallpaper, Flowers in the Attic, and every Gothic madwoman in the attic. The Stranger Upstairs gives us an entire house that frightens and chills, but that attic - that attic would have scared Doug Bradley. I found myself reading late into the night with this one and highly suggest this atmospheric, creepy, mulit-layered, murder house tale.
“Don’t be afraid of the truth,” she says. “Be afraid of believing your lies.”

The only thing that I think takes away from the book is the author's repeated usage of "smells like". More than 12 based on my Kindle search, such as "smells like a sweaty sheet/burnt toast/old cheese/melted cheese/vanilla and fear/mint and betrayal.". Some of them were evocative, but eventually the phrase started making me laugh, especially when we got lavender and toast!

Overall I enjoyed this book and appreciate the focus on mental health and Lisa M. Matlin is an author I will be watching out for more books from.

Sarah is a therapist and author who moves into a “murder house” and strange things begin happening from the jump. She doesn’t know who to trust and who is out to get her and if the house itself is trying to harm her.

I could not put this book down! I read it in one sitting because I just had to know what in the world was going on. The twist was a SHOCK and I didn’t see it coming at all.

Overall, I enjoyed the ride that this story took me on and I would recommend it for a quick and exciting thriller.

Thank you so much to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

5 Heart-Stopping Stars!!!

Move over Riley Sager! Lisa M. Matlin might be gunning for your crown!

Decades earlier, a man murdered his wife by smashing a hammer to her head while she was in their bedroom. He then chased after his daughter, who managed to escape but was never seen from again. Finally, the man took his own life in the bathroom. No one knows what compelled the man to commit such heinous acts, but the house where these crimes took place has sat undisturbed.

Until Sarah Slade decides she is going to flip it for profit. A therapist who gained influencer status with the help of her best seller self-help book, Sarah is ready for the next great challenge. The perfect life Sarah showcases online is nothing like the one she’s actually living, though. Her marriage is falling apart, her neighbors are weirdly unwelcoming, and the more she remodels the house the more strange things start to happen. Like the freak accidents the builders are getting in, the footsteps she hears in the middle of the night, and her cat becoming suspiciously sick. It’s almost as if the house doesn’t want Sarah in it.

This book was SO CREEPY! I’m reading this in the middle of the day where the sun is shining and the birds are chirping and I’ll still checking behind my shoulder to make sure I’m safe. Most of the time I find horror books to be more disturbing than actually frightening, but this one managed to get under my skin in multiple ways.

It’s also incredibly thrilling. I swear my jaw was DROPPED the entire time I was reading. Every other page revealed more juicy secrets. I never knew what to expect and luckily the book was just like, “Buckle in, baby. It’s a wild ride, but I can handle it.”

Sarah was incredibly unhinged as a character and quite a shit person, if I’m being honest. Normally, I can’t gel with those types of protagonist and I get irritated by their ways, but whatever the hell Sarah was on I must have been on the same shit cause I was rooting for this girl the whole time. I’m a bit salty about the ending, but I can accept it.

I’m flabbergasted this is a debut and cannot WAIT to see what Matlin will write next. If it is anywhere near The Strangers Upstairs quality I will be very, very (terrified) happy!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for my copy of The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin. This one was intense! I love a good haunted house story and this one was done so well. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a spooky read! Also would definitely check out a sequel, I have a feeling Sarah Slade has more to tell.

In 'The Stranger Upstairs,' Lisa M. Matlin masterfully crafts a tale as spellbinding as it is sinister, inviting readers into the dark corridors of Black Wood House with a narrative that is both atmospheric and chilling. Sarah Slade's journey from a hopeful renovator to a woman ensnared by the haunting legacy of her new home unfolds with a suspense that is palpable, echoing the eerie, psychological depths of classic horror. Matlin's debut is a riveting exploration of the fine line between reality and madness, where the true horror may lie not in the creaking attic above but within the human heart. This narrative, rich in psychological twists and the claustrophobic tension of a house with a morbid history, ensures that the journey through its pages is as unnerving as it is unputdownable.

4 ⭐
Authur~ Lisa Matlin
Genre ~ general fiction 9adult), psychological thriller, thriller, mystery
Setting ~ Melbourne, Australia
Publication date ~ September 12, 2023
Est page Count ~ 278
Trigger Warnings~ Murder, Mental Illness, Alcoholism, Suicide, Animal Cruelty, Infidelity

This debut writer is now on my radar thanks to The Stranger Upstairs. Lisa Matlin has found a way to keep a reader thoroughly engaged with just enough creepiness to keep the biggest scaredy cat wanting more. She might just sneak up on you with an ending you don't see coming, asking yourself "what the actual f%#k?". The mounting tension is this book is palpable with twists and turns galore.

Be sure to read the authors heartfelt note for some additional insight.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam and Netgalley for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

Sarah and her husband Joe think they've scored the deal of a lifetime, buying their dream home for half the price. So what if if a woman was murdered there 30 years ago by her husband? Sarah is a successful therapist, as well as best selling author, and is not afraid of a challenge. But the longer they stay in the house, Sarah goes up against neighbors who don't want them there, mysterious noises at night, frightening notes, and her cat going berserk. What secrets are hiding in this house, and what secrets hide within Sarah herself? This book was bananas. I loved how progressively scarier the book got, and just how real the fear of a house intruder is. I wish it was a little longer, but still a fun book. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 -3.0 The Stranger Upstairs

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for the eCopy of The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin. I would like to congratulate the author on her first published book. That is quite an accomplishment. Unfortunately, I feel like I have read the "let's buy a haunted house and renovate it while creepy things happen," just so many times before. I feel the writing was juvenile and just repetitive . I think the plot, especially in the second part of the book doesn't flow very well, as the main character loses touch with reality. I don't understand why the husband character was even in the novel. The twist was obvious and I feel the author just lost control of the story-telling from there. I think some editing might have helped turn this domestic thriller into more of a horror story,

I absolutely love a gothic haunted house story and this one delivered - so twisty and turny, full of unreliable characters and an absolutely unhinged narrator, who was still super relatable? Truthfully I had no idea where it was going but I was happily along for the ride

The part of this book that hit hardest though was the author’s note at the end that touches on mental health. I won’t get into details because of potential spoilers but god, it made me cry. As someone who’s really been going through it, it was so comforting to read about another person’s struggles, and I so admire how Lisa turned her pain into art

This is the second thriller I’ve read recently that has a depression rep and I’m so just here for it ❤️

Congrats on your debut, Lisa! 👏

I was so excited about this one! Even the book itself is so beautiful!

Whomp whomp whomp…..

So, this was one of those books where I was left wondering if I read the same book as everyone else, because this just wasn't for me.

The story of Sarah Slade who purchased Black Wood House, also known as "the murder house". This house has been empty for 40 years since Janet Campbells father killed her mother in the home and Janet has not been seen since after fleeing the scene. Sarah hopes to renovate the house and sell it for a profit. However, renovating the house has proven more difficult than she anticipated- local contractors aren't willing to work on the house and more. Sarah is a therapist with her own secrets- ones that can be held against her by others (ex: people start leaving notes around her home). Everyone in the neighborhood wants to tear the house down and for Sarah to leave. When sarah learns about another disappearance associate with the house (interspersed news sections where you don't know who the victim until much later). You think you have it figured out, but the author throws in a great plot twist to surprise the reader.

Book has horror vibes for sure and is good for people who like thrillers with more horror vibes (creepy, haunted, sinister). I didn't find myself rooting for any of the characters and this book just gets weird and creepy in the second half.

Loved the personal note from the author at the end

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for an ARC in exchange for a review. Book was available as of 9/12/23!

How do you feel about murder houses? In this novel, our main character buys a house where a family annihilation took place four decades earlier in hopes of renovating and flipping it for a profit. However, the vibes are scary and soon strange things begin to happen.

I enjoyed the unreliable narration even though I did not like the main character. In fact, the more of herself she showed, the less I liked her. Her past was awful, but the present was so odd that I was drawn more and more into the story. As a true crime aficionado, the idea that the house might or might not be haunted or... was also very intriguing. I also appreciated the mental health topics touched on within the book and again in the author's note. While not my favorite story, reading it was still a fun way to while away a weekend. (3.25 stars)

was on the edge of my seat the entire time, wow!!!! this was a fantastic debut novel. didn’t disappoint

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin is a mystery/thriller about social media influencer Sarah Slade. When she buys a house that has a very sordid past, strange things start happening. Is someone responsible or is the house haunted? This story had a lot of unlikable characters, and it wasn't really my favorite. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

This book had more of a “horror” component than I like and just got a little too strange for me. Others have loved it, so I am sure my threshold is just a bit different.

I loved the cover and I love a good haunted house story so I wanted to love this book….and although it had potential, I felt like the ending was unsatisfying and disappointing. There were so many red herrings that the ending felt like a huge letdown. Thanks for the ARC and I will look forward to the next one from Matlin!

This was such a great debut novel!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah buys a notorious “murder house” in hopes that she can fix it up and resell it for a profit. But the house seems to have its own ideas. Are the neighbors plotting against her? Is there something in this neighborhood that can drive someone to murder?

I am not sure if Sarah, or the house itself held more secrets. This story kept me intrigued and offered a lot of great twists and turns. Some parts of this book really gave me the creeps….and I loved every minute of it.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who loves an atmospheric, creepy read where there is a new twist around every corner. However, you might not want your read this one when you are alone at night.

A great thriller. I couldn't believe this was a debut novel! I could not put it down!! Will be buying a physical copy for my library!