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!

This book was absolutely jaw dropping. I gasped out loud when I got to the twist and I couldn’t believe it. This book was definitely worth the read and I look forward to more from this author.

Would you buy a house with a sordid past? Sarah Slade certainly would.

Sarah and her husband purchased Black Wood House where a grisly murder, attempted murder, and suicide took place 40 years ago. Her intention was to rennovate and flip the house, while raking in the sponsors on her social media. But as they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. As soon as Sarah and her husband Joe move into the house, things start to go sideways. Their marriage, which was already slightly on the rocks, starts to disintegrate faster and faster, contractors refuse to work on the house, the cat starts freaking out, and Sarah starts hearing noises in the attic. Is the house haunted, or is history repeating itself?

Things I Liked:
-The pacing! This clipped along at a nice rate, adding to the unease of the story by never really letting you settle into comfort that you know everything that is going on.
-The general concept of murder house - one of my favorite thriller/mystery/horror tropes!

Things I Wasn't As Much of a Fan Of
-The "bomb dropping" that happend within the story. We're solidly in the narrative, and then out of seemingly nowhere a news article gets inserted into the story about two bodies being discovered on the property. This was SO abrupt it nearly gave me reading whiplash. Instead of coming about naturally in the plot of the story, it felt more like the author realized we were x pages into the story and we needed to have some sort of twist or shocking event happen. But it had no lead up and left me super confused at first.
-Plot holes. Oy. There are several, some larger than others, and lots of loose ends not tied up nicely at the end.
-Overly convenient ending. The end felt...trite, almost. It was overall too convenient that things "happened" to wrap up the way they did. Not to mention it ended on another twist-ish with no payout. It was frustrating.
-Sarah's job as a therapist. I can suspend disbelief to a certain amount (and it's often required of thrillers), but the idea that a woman with absolutely no qualifications, no degree, and no experience not only got a job as a therapist, but actually maintained that job AND maintained clients while ALSO being an alcoholic was too far for me.

Wow! This thriller kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It wasn’t what I expected but it was definitely what I needed and helped me get out of a reading slump.

3.5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam for the ARC copy of this one!

I really enjoyed the creepy atmosphere that this book gave. I was hesitant at first with where this was going, but honestly I loved how it ended. Like it's frustrating, but in such a good way! Gave it that extra little bump to the story.

I was definitely engaged with this story, but unfortunately there were some questions for me at the end still for some of the actions during the book. A couple parts didn't quite add all the way up, so it left me wanting a bit more from the story to truly elevate the reading experience.

I do highly recommend reading the Author's Note at the end of this one. I don't typically do this, but this one is absolutely worth it and makes this story a little sweeter for sure.

First time reading one by this author after seeing it posted on some book club sites. I thought it was a decent read and I will definitely check out something else by this author.

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and Bantam books for my honest review.*

An wannabe influencer with a very sketchy past and a husband who is trying to get away from her buys a house that was the site of a very gruesome murder-suicide 30+ years ago. And then it seems like she is being stalked, but is it her husband or the neighbors or the house? The only thing that makes sense is that she is losing control of herself and the house and her job and....

I did enjoy the novel, but when I was starting the book I was feeling like it was paranormal in a way. It was far from paranormal. There was a lot of second guessing about what could be causing the issues, but it did make a lot of sense at the end. But the influencer's past seemed to stay muddled throughout.

Good writing and suspenseful. I think that a lot could have been done with the story, but some things were rushed.