Wow! The Stranger Upstairs is quite the debut. Bravo to author Lisa M. Matlin for writing an absolute wild ride of a first novel!

Influencer Sarah Slade is married and about to renovate a “murder house.” Black Wood House is the scene of a violent brutal murder decades earlier and it’s the perfect project to exploit on social media for likes and sponsors. Naturally, nobody is thrilled about her plans and life as she currently knows it is slipping away.

Again, I’m so impressed that this is a debut novel! It was well written, well executed, and well planned out and timed. The book becomes more urgent with each page. The twists are truly shocking to me and there are several of them! It wasn’t your typical out of left field twists that seems unrealistic or just for shock value.

Sarah’s (the main character) descent and character development from moving into the house to the end of the book is truly wild and manic and as the reader you can truly feel it.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes fast paced thrillers that keep you guessing and have you checking over your shoulder.

Lastly, the Author’s Note was heartbreaking and also shining with resiliency. This is such a powerful statement and I hope it reaches all who could benefit — do not skip it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Random House - Ballantine, and Lisa M. Matlin for giving me the opportunity to read this Advanced Reader Copy. I can’t wait to purchase this when it comes out September 26, 2023.

Thank you to Random House Publishing/ Ballantine Bantam and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book officially releases in September and, if you don't pick up another book for the spooky season, get this one. It's such a great read, and it blows my mind that it's a debut novel.

I read this entire book in a day. I could not put it down because I had to know what was happening.
Was Sarah Slade suffering from mental illness? Was she being stalked by her neighbors? Was she just paranoid? Or was Black Wood House actually haunted? Outside of the mystery aspect, the atmosphere and pacing created this feeling of unease and eeriness. There were certain points that had my skin crawling. (The weird wallpaper and bloodstain in the main bedroom being a big one).
And the characterization of Sarah Slade was so well written. She was a complex, nuanced character that I loved to hate. The house, too, was such an entity. Was it actually haunted though? Read and find out.

Just a few stray thoughts:
**The cover of this book is STUNNING!! And, fortunately, you can judge this book by its cover.
**The author's afterward was wonderful. Definitely give it a read as well. Lisa M. Martin was very candid about her struggles with mental illness, and I found it so inspirational that she would allow herself to be vulnerable and open herself up to the audience in that way. Makes me like the book even more.. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

Incredible Debut Novel!

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin is an amazing debut novel. And here is why:

- Atmospheric thriller with an eerie house as a central character
- Blogs and podcasting incorporated in an artful way that moves the story forward
- Psychological issues/mental health
- Love/hate with the main character
- Ending that will keep you guessing

Follow Sarah Slade's mysterious and creepy story as she purchases a "murder house" with plans to renovate, share the journey on her blog, and make tons of money. All while showing up snobby, rich neighbors who act like mean girls from high school. The house takes on a life of its own, and this book will keep you up all night reading until the very end.

This will be a favorite read for me for 2023 and I am grateful to Lisa M. Matlin, Bantam, and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy. I am writing this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

#lisammatlin #strangerupstairs #bantambooks #murderhouse #thriller

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the eARC The Stranger Upstairs.

The Stranger Upstairs was a well written modern suspense story. I liked how the author included peoples addiction to social media as apart of the story. I think her adding that element had me hooked from the start. Most people have their favorite creators and reading this book felt like you were reading about one of them.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

I could not put this book down. There were so many twists and turns that just when you thought you had a handle on what was going on, the story would throw another curve ball at you and knock you for a spin. I Imagine it’s a lot like Sarah Slade must have felt as her life unraveled at the murder house. There was really only one likable character in the whole book, but the complexity of even the unlikable characters kept me interested in their story and left me hoping for them. This was a fun read!

As soon as I read the synopsis I knew this was going to be a good one!

Sarah buys a murder house that has been abandoned for the past 40 years, although she finds out maybe it hasn't been fully abandoned. She plans to fix it up in order to gain followers and sponsors.
Sarah and her husband move in and quickly learn that things are not as they seem.

The story is interesting and has a creative twist. I was completely unable to guess the ending and I love that about a book. I loved the atmospheric read with an unreliable main character.
This is an amazing debut and I highly recommend grabbing this one! The author note at the end is very touching and brought me to tears. Something I did not expect after reading one heck of a thriller.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"The Stranger Upstairs" creates a sense of dread and suspense through the main character's confusion when strange things start to happen in her new house. Fast read, and well-paced suspense. I would recommend this for readers who enjoy mysteries set in (possibly) haunted houses. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Such a good read! The Stranger Upstairs is a good mix of creepy haunted house, mystery, thriller and suspense. Let me also mention the twists! Just when you think you’ve figured it out, another twist comes. The ending was really good and the whole atmosphere was provided enough creepiness to have me peek over my shoulder a few times.

Sarah Slade and her husband Joe are starting over. They purchase the Black Wood House in hopes to renovate and flip it. However, there is one problem; the Black Wood House is tainted by a grisly murder/suicide that happened there. Sarah isn’t deterred; she believes this purchase and renovation will help her gain new followers on her blog (and also help her fix her broken marriage).

Soon, Sarah begins finding threatening notes and creepy things begin happening in her new home. She doesn’t know who to trust anymore and slowly she feels like she spiraling into madness. The more she pushes to hasten the remodel, the more things begin to keep happening. Sarah begins to wonder if this was all worth it, or will she end up dead like the previous owners?

The release date is September 26, 2023; perfect for the Halloween season!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC.

While the Stranger Upstairs is a dark psychological thriller, I cannot justify the principles endorsed in it and definitely not the successful protagonist ending. The book does encourage never giving up but does it have to be at others expense?

Book: The Stranger Upstairs
Author: Lisa Matlin
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, Bantam
Pub Date: September 26, 2023

This is a GREAT book and a fast read! It takes your attention and doesn’t let go. All I wanted to do was read until I finished the book. You will love it from beginning to end and won’t be able to put it down. It’s a very different haunted house story. While Sarah is not an honest person I loved her and I somehow rooted for her despite all the lies. She was addicted to social media and the attention. At one point she says, “the more likes I get the less I bleed.” (We all know that person.) The plot was very believable and the characters were likable despite their flaws. I never know how to express this other than to say the dialogue was real. It sounded like me talking. Some books just sound fake when it comes to conversation but this was a normal with someone sarcastic, witty and a dark sense of humor. My kind of person. I don’t even like cats yet I was invested in Reaper as much as Sarah was. The twists and the way the story came to life was genius. She has a great way of building tension and pulling you chapter to chapter. The author done a wonderful job making you feel just as scared as Sarah was inside that house. I was screaming don’t go into the attic! It definitely keeps you guessing until the end and the end was perfect! Not one disappointment with this read. This is author Lisa Marlin’s debut book and she definitely set the standard high for her next book. Bravo!

Thank you Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is September 26, 2023.

Wow. I *loved* this book. I just knew I would, and I did.

I won't over review it, since it won't be published until September, and will have to remind myself to review closer to then.

I'll say this is an impressive debut for Lisa M. Matlin, and I can't wait to see what comes next. The story was thrilling, and moved at a perfect pace. Blog posts and news stories were interspersed throughout, but it didn't annoy me the way that usually does. The twists were fun, and the ending 🤯 I vacillated between hating and loving Sarah. Ultimately, I don't know if she's a morally gray character or darker (I'll call her Sherwin Williams Peppercorn), but the parts to do with her struggling mental health hit different, and had me convinced Lisa was writing from personal experience. Her Author's Note confirmed as much, and was one of my favorite parts of having the opportunity to read this book.

I can't recommend this book enough. Available September 26th 2023!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballentine, Bantam for this e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing House for the eARC.
Sarah Slade and her husband move into the Black Wood House, which twenty years ago was the scene of a murder, suicide and severe wounding of a couple and their daughter. Sarah hopes she can fix it up and sell it for a profit. Her husband isn't enthusiastic at all and doesn't help much. As she works on the house she gets the distinct feeling it doesn't want to be overhauled. Her marriage suffers, her beloved cat is acting strangely and her marriage is in trouble.
The couple have secrets that seem to haunt them
and Sarah feels terrible, she feels disconnected and wonders if she is suffering from the flu. Plus, there are scary notes as well as noises upstairs at night.
I loved this book, couldn't stop reading! Also, the foreword and afterword by the author are great. All in all a must read, highly recommended!

4.5 ⭐

I do have to say I hated Sarah but that made me love the book even more. Lisa M. Matlin did a fantastic job writing a character you hated but still wanted to read the book. I loved how she wrote about mental health and how she didn't make it cliche. There is a big trigger for me in this book was animal sickness and there is animal death in the book but it isn't the MC cat. I really could have read this book in one day but I did need to take breaks to get my anxiety down (in a good way). I do think this is a good book for people just getting into thriller/horror. The twist and turns had me on the edge of my sit and I loved it. I really can't wait to read more from Lisa M. Matlin.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.

The concept of this book is so very, very delicious, but I honestly couldn't make it through more than about 25%. The main character, Sarah, is so hideous, so horribly unlikable.... I just couldn't tolerate it any longer. Maybe if I saw something, ANYTHING, redeemable in her, I'd probably really enjoy reading this. Since I don't see it, I can't read any further, plain and simple. I'm sure this will appeal to many readers, but sadly, not to me.

I absolutely love when I’m unable to guess the plot twist and have genuine shock when I finally read it. That’s exactly what this book did to me. Shocked didn’t even begin to describe it, I was basically in jaw-on-the-floor disbelief.
This has to be one of the best haunted house stories I’ve ever read and I enjoyed every suspenseful second of reading it.

Sarah and her husband have just moved into a house with a gruesome past. Black Wood House has been unoccupied for 40 years, and Sarah and Joe seem like the perfect couple to take on renovating it and make it the perfect flip. However, if there’s one thing you’ll learn very quickly with this book, it’s that absolutely nothing is what it seems.
The neighbors aren’t welcoming and don’t hide the fact that they don’t want Sarah there and would rather see the house bulldozed which leads to Sarah having some strained relationships with them.
As Sarah spends more and more time in the house and unexplainable things start happening, it effect all aspects of her life.

When I say you need to read this book and find out for yourself what happens to Sarah, I mean it. 4.5 starts, I loved this.

Huge thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an incredible debut!! An enjoyable blend of intrigue, mystery and horror that totally gave me the creeps. The house, the townspeople, the cat, Sarah herself! Just take your pick. This book was crazy!! I was nervous as hell while reading and of course my notorious leg-shaking movement was in full effect. Not knowing what is real or imagined, person or supernatural being? What a fun ride! I flew through this book in a day, and I just want to go back and read it all over again. I love how the author spaced out her reveals, not leaving it all for the end. It made the story even more intense! The ending was not what I expected but bittersweet at the same time. I think that all my questions were answered but I still feel like I have questions. LOL! This is a compliment to the author for messing with my head. I will definitely be looking forward to any and all future books by Matlin. I highly recommend that you read this fast-paced thriller as soon as possible!

Thank you to the author, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for allowing me digital access in exchange for my honest opinion!!

Sarah buys a 40 year old house that a man murdered his wife and tried to murder his daughter. All the neighbors want the house torn down and are not welcoming. Then strange things start to happen is it the house, is it ghost or is it all in her head? This was an entertaining and quick read. Found it to be a little wordy at times but kept me reading and guessing.

This book was WILD. A page turner for sure. Sarah is a social media influencer/therapist who bought a house with her husband Joe where a murder took place. She had a goal of renovating and selling it. But the house and townspeople have other plans…

I loved the way this book was written, piecing together news stories, diary entries, and Sarah’s narration. I do wish we’d gotten the other person’s viewpoint sooner in the book, but it definitely worked. The twists were good!

Pick this one up on pub day. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thriller? Horror? A little of both? This was a phenomenal debut! The Stranger Upstairs brought all the twists, the eery suspense, the creeping claustrophobia, and even a touch of gothic horror. I loved how we got glimpses into Sarah’s mind through her Instagram posts, website updates, and diary entries. The interspersed press releases also kept me guessing about how everything went down at the end. This book gets an A+ for atmosphere. I’ve still got goose bumps. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.