I didn’t know what was going on half the time.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a good job. I’ve listened to some of J.D. Barker’s other audiobooks before, but I hadn’t tried anything paranormal from him. I enjoy a good ghost story now and then, and I liked that this one didn’t get overly bloody or demonic. At times, it gave me a bit of a 1408 or Black Phone vibe.

The premise is interesting — a high school kid named Spivey inherits his grandma’s island. Sounds pretty cool, right? But of course, things start to get weird.

The beginning had me hooked, but somewhere in the middle, I got a bit lost. I couldn’t always follow what was going on, and at one point, I looked down, thinking it had to be almost over, only to see there were still seven hours left.

Thankfully, the story pulled me back in as it approached the end, and I started to understand what was happening. I’m still not sure how I feel about the main character’s final decision, but that’s something for you to decide!

One thing I enjoyed was the author’s note about the real-life inspiration for the town and the island. It honestly sounds like a really cool place to visit.

Thank you to NetGalley and to RBmedia for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook early.

This was kind of a mixed bag for me. I thought some of this was really eerie and I wanted to see how everything played out. I didn't really see any of the twist(s) coming until they happened. The beginning was intriguing and the ending was satisfying. So I enjoyed all of that. This is my first JD Barker novel and I can see why people would really like his work.

But ultimately, this didn't totally work for me. For one, this was too long in my opinion. Barker seems to be a bit on the long-winded side and there was too much extraneous detail and too many scenes where the plot got lost. I stalled out on this audiobook for like a week around the 40% mark and it was a bit of a slog to get through until the 70% mark. I also didn't really care for any of the characters. I mean, plenty of them were dealing with a lot and I felt nothing for any of them. I think part of the problem for me specifically is that I was underwhelmed by the female characters. None of them were very compelling and they were all pretty one note.

I had requested this because I love horror and because I really like Michael Crouch's narration. I don't get to check him out as often as I'd like because there isn't a ton of overlap in our Venn diagram of my audiobook interests and his audiobook narrations. He did a great job capturing both the horror and the teen angst/coming of age parts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC.

When Billy’s best friend Spivey inherited an island off the coast of New Hampshire, everything began to unfold. The house is full of post-it reminders, and the mystery surrounding it hooked me right away. There are these strange rules tied to the house, and soon enough, Spivey starts adding his own set of rules. The whole place gives off some serious creepy vibes, and as the story unfolds, the horror and supernatural really start to kick in. The narrator, Michael Crouch, does an amazing job bringing the characters to life. His tones and inflections are perfect, making each character stand out. This book is great for anyone who loves horror, mystery, friendship, loyalty, and paranormal elements. I also really enjoyed listening to the author’s afterword. It was fascinating to learn that some of the events in the story were actually based on real events.

J.D. Barker's Something I Keep Upstairs is a chilling blend of supernatural horror and coming-of-age drama that immerses readers in a haunting tale of friendship, sacrifice, and ancient evil.
It's All About Books
Set in the sleepy coastal town of New Castle, New Hampshire, the story follows seventeen-year-old Billy Hasler and his best friend, David Spivey. When David inherits a mysterious house on a nearby island from his estranged grandmother, the duo, along with their friends, sees it as the perfect summer escape before college. However, the island harbors dark secrets, and their idyllic retreat soon spirals into a nightmare as they awaken an ancient evil that has influenced generations.

This was a super creepy and engaging listen. J.D. Barker really knows how to build tension, and the audiobook narrator did a great job bringing the story to life. I liked how the book mixed psychological suspense with just the right amount of supernatural creepiness.

The main character was interesting, and the pacing kept me hooked the whole way through. Some parts felt a bit familiar, but overall, it still managed to surprise me. Definitely a solid pick if you're into dark, eerie thrillers.

Suspenseful, shocking and enthralling are just a few ways to describe this story.. I was listening to this audiobook, however I feel like even if I was reading a hard copy it would still affect me the same way. I had to stop a few times to let my anxiety calm down. Actually found myself saying that’s not a good idea a few times, like when the Sheriff went to get into the car.
Was really hard not to cry while I was at work listening to the last hour or so.
Overall this story had me in all the feels… Good job J.D. Barker!

Absolutly amazing! The details in this books, takes you and makes you part of the story. It feels like you are watching a movie. This could be a movie....
Thanks J.D., an defnitly must read for any thriller readers.

J D Barker perfectly captured the quiet picturesque coastal town while giving an unsettling tale of friendship and malevolence.

Something I Keep Upstairs followed a 17-year-old Billy Hasler and his friend David Spivey who spent their summer on a remote island and inherited a mysterious house that became a chilling site of an ancient evil adventure.

I appreciated how Barker delved into the themes of friendship, sacrifice, and the darkness lurking beyond human understanding. I also loved how Barker set up the unsettling atmosphere with vivid descriptions. The daunting ambiance was set in the sleepy coastal town of New Castle, New Hampshire and almost acted as another character within the story. The sinuous landscape was more than a backdrop, it enhanced the eerie dread that pervaded each chapter. Even more, this tale felt like a carefree summer adventure on an inherited island house with friends before it quickly morphed into something much more sinister.

Aside from enjoying the haunting landscape, I had a challenging time connecting with the characters. The characters lacked development, but luckily, the narrative made up for it. I’m not sure if the disconnect was due the underdevelopment of the characters, their lackluster personalities, or a combination of the two; or perhaps it wasn’t either of these factors. Fortunately, even though I had didn’t connect with the characters as I would have liked, that didn’t take away from me enjoying this ominous tale.

Overall, the steady pace, themes, and unsettling landscape made for an entertainingly creepy young adult mystery thriller. If you enjoy young adult slow build tension filled mystery-thrillers, you may find this intriguing read.

Thanks to Net Galley and RB Books for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Audiobook Review: Something I Keep Upstairs by J.D. Barker
Narrated by Michael Crouch

I received this audiobook from NetGalley, and I truly appreciate the opportunity to discover and read new authors and share my thoughts.

This was my first book by J.D. Barker, and it was quite an experience. The audiobook is lengthy, clocking in at nearly 16 hours, and while some parts felt like they could have been trimmed, the story maintained a gripping atmosphere throughout. Just when I thought I had things figured out, a twist emerged that I did not see coming, which made the journey worthwhile.

The narration by Michael Crouch was excellent. His youthful voice brought authenticity to the teenage protagonist, Billy Hasler. I recognized his voice from previous audiobooks, and upon checking, I confirmed he has narrated other notable titles. His performance added depth to the characters and enhanced the overall listening experience.

The story follows seventeen-year-old Billy Hasler, who, along with his best friend David Spivey, spends the summer on a secluded island in New Castle, New Hampshire. What begins as a carefree adventure quickly turns into a chilling ordeal as they uncover the island's dark past and awaken an ancient evil. The narrative explores themes of friendship, sacrifice, and the unknown, making it a haunting and thought-provoking read.

Overall, Something I Keep Upstairs is a compelling psychological thriller that kept me engaged. Despite its length, the story's twists and atmospheric setting made it a memorable listen. I'm glad I had the chance to experience J.D. Barker's work and look forward to exploring more of his novels.

Thank you again to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook!

The narrators were just Ok.

The storyline was really confusing, I was really into it at the beginning but it lost me somewhere in the middle with the back and forth with the past and present, dead people, zombies, and such. I wasn’t into it towards the end but I had to finish it.

The ending left me like “huh” what did I just listen too… not my favorite read and not in my top 5.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance listener version of this book.

I was hoping for more of a suspenseful thriller, whereas this should definitely be marketed as a horror book. I will absolutely recommend it for my advanced 14 year old students, who can handle the themes and mature topics--horror is a genre that they crave.

Listening to the book may be negatively impacting my review, as the chapters did not have any sort of indication of who was narrating what, which made it hard for me to follow. The reader's voice and intonation also didn't change enough from chapter to chapter in order to better facilitate my following of the *twisty* plot line.

I also feel like the story loses track of itself and goes off on a few different side-quests. Overall, it was a decent read, and I'd bet my horror-loving students would enjoy it. Just didn't hit the mark for me, a middle aged woman.

This was a great read. Kept me interested the entire time. I finished this in two days. I liked the author note at the end, I thought that was funny.

Great audiobook. I was locked in! The narration was wonderful. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this audiobook.

This book was very long and it seemed long there were times I got confused at the characters cause they were present and past. The narrationwere good. it had a lot of people in there that didn’t make it and that was a little frustrating. I wish there were more survivors.

WHAT DID I JUST READ 👀👀👀

But ok for real, that was a unique, twisty concept of a haunted house, and I am here for it! It was creepy, it was twisted, and kept me guessing till the end. This would actually make one heck of a creepy movie too! Loved the story of friendships, love and sacrifice. Nothing was what it seemed and I didn’t want to stop reading to see what came next! My only complaint was it was a tad long, but the destination was worth the journey! The narration by Michael Crouch was fantastic as well.

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for my ALC in exchange for my honest feedback!

This is the first I've read from Barker and I really enjoyed it! I felt it was well written and he nailed it on the character regression.

Surely nothing good can happen when a teen inherits an island all to himself. There are no adults or responsibilities - a perfect summer get-away for him and his friends. But there is an odd set of rules that have been laid out in the inheritance and post-it notes all over the house, reiterating the rules. What are the consequences of breaking these rules? Well, that remains to be seen...
Billy and his friends start to dig into the history of the house and unearth more than they bargained for.

This was a great supernatural story with spooky scenes that left me yearning for an explanation. It was eerie and confusing at parts, but I felt it wrapped up nicely in the end. As I mentioned, I really enjoyed this and thought Barker's writing was above par and comparable to other great authors, such as King!

Thank you to NetGalley and Recorded Books for the advanced audio copy of this book. Publishing May 13th!

Was this my favorite JD Barker book? No. But it was good. The story was entertaining without being too far fetched (for a supernatural book). I like how all the little things came together in the end. And how things that happened in the beginning came back at the end (like the dream). I love when books do that.
The audio was great. Narrator was great. No comments on those.

The narrator, Michael Crouch, did a fantastic job bringing this book to life. I really liked the premise and the setting. The story is based around a creepy house on an island off the coast of New Hampshire. I was immediately drawn in! As the book progressed, I had a harder time connecting with the characters. I didn’t really like any of them. I did like how the book ended. It wasn’t quite what I expected. Overall, this is a good book for those who like a good mystery and following the lives of teenagers in a haunted house story. I will definitely be checking out another J.D. Barker book in the future. Thank you NetGalley and RBMedia for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Something I Keep Upstairs had some good ideas and creepy moments, but it felt way too long and kind of all over the place. The shifting perspectives got confusing, and I found myself zoning out more than once. There are definitely flashes of something great here, but it gets a bit lost in the chaos. Worth checking out if you’re into moody, slow-burn horror—just go in with some patience.

I was excited for this one—the premise had all the makings of a gripping haunted house thriller. A creepy island, an ancient evil, and a summer of no rules? Count me in. But instead of an eerie, immersive horror, I got a tangled mess of plotlines that never quite came together.

The story constantly shifts direction, introducing twists that feel random rather than earned. Just when I thought I was getting a handle on things, another subplot would pop up, making it hard to keep track of who was who and what was actually happening. Some of these side stories were interesting on their own, but the way they were layered made everything feel muddled and disjointed.

The audiobook didn’t help. I kept losing focus, distracted by the lack of flow. By the end, I wasn’t even sure I fully understood what had happened—and not in a fun, *mind-blown* kind of way.

A haunted house story should leave you unsettled, but for the right reasons. This one just left me frustrated.