Lisa Jewell has been one of my favourite authors for a long time (since her first novel - Ralph’s Party), however, in recent years her novels have changed direction and The Family Upstairs is the latest in a series of psychological thrillers, each I have devoured, and each was better than the one before.

Once I started to read about Libby’s inheritance of a large house in Chelsea, on her 25th birthday, I was hooked. The Family Upstairs tells the story of a family of four who, when the children were young, welcomed another family into their home; and their lives. There are several narrators flipping from the families secrets long ago, to the lives of the children of those families to the present, when Libby starts to unravel the pieces that led to her inheriting the house in Cheyne Walk.

I loved this book and the complex relationships it unleashes. I give it five stars and I thoroughly recommend it.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for letting me read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was an okay read. It felt a bit of a stretch in the means of being realistic. I enjoyed piecing the puzzle about who was the baby, but if you read carefully it's easy to understand.
I think what I loved most was the effort of the single mother who was trying to stand together with her children, in France,it really moved me.
But I didn't enjoy the parts that was set in London so much. I would read Jewell's future books.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

The police are alerted to the sounds of a baby’s cry from a large fashionable house in Chelsea, London. They find three bodies, dead for days. Upstairs is a healthy baby. It’s an enigma. Who has been looking after the baby? Is this a suicide pact, as a note suggests, or is it something else entirely?

Years later, more than one person is drawn back to the house. The baby is now a woman, aged 25 years. She’s inherited this magnificent house. But it comes at a price. Others may look for her there as the house’s layers of mystery are slowly and shockingly peeled away.

Lisa Jewell is the master of stand alone psychological thrillers and this is proven yet again by The Family Upstairs, which I found to be utterly compelling and engrossing, in a kind of voyeur sense, perhaps, but this darkly disturbing novel is as catchy and addictive as you could desire.

We’re given a bunch of lives to follow, and we spend time with them in the present day and in the past. The narrative moves between certain characters and between the years. It’s a complex structure but this is an author who has no trouble at all controlling, manipulating, an array of plot threads, each as fascinating as the next.

I don’t want to give anything away about the plot or the people. It’s a joy to watch it all unravel before your eye. But, at the heart of this book is 16 Cheyne Walk, with its several floors, many rooms and multiple hiding places. There’s barely a room without a secret, barely a space left untouched by its extraordinary past and we explore them all.

This is a dark novel with some dark themes. For several of the people in the novel the normal rules and codes of life don’t apply and Lisa Jewell shows us exactly why in the most beautifully-written and punchy prose. I loved The Family Upstairs. It kept me company through a couple of very hot, sleepless nights, but it wasn’t just the heat that kept me reading. I could not put this marvellous book down.

Other reviews
Then She Was Gone
Watching You

I'm a huge fan of Lisa Jewell's later books especially the darker fiction (Then She Was Gone, I Found You and Watching You) so I was thrilled when I saw she has a new book coming out on 8th August.

The Family Upstairs is probably her darkest book yet (I'm visualising Lisa writing this book in pitch black with a miner's helmet it's that dark!).  It's also quite disturbing, uncomfortable and addictive too as I read it in one afternoon.

I saw Lisa talking on a panel at the Harrogate Crime Festival this year about the inspiration behind the book and she told the audience she was in France one summer at a posh restaurant/beach club and saw a bedraggled woman with 2 young children sneak into the establishment and use the shower facilities which made her wonder where they had come from and what their story was and this planted a little seed in her imagination and the result was The Family Upstairs.

The book is narrated by several of the main characters each with a fascinating story and a dual timeline which keeps the reader guessing and turning those pages eager to find out more.  Libby lives and works in St Albans and on her 25th birthday she inherits a mansion in Chelsea.  When she visits the now dilapidated and run down house she discovers something horrifying about her past and her family.  Lucy lives in France with her two young children and dog, she's homeless and desperate to protect and provide for her children at any cost and Henry, the third narrator, grew up in the house in Chelsea with his parents and sister and some extremely unsavoury and disturbing house guests.

I loved this book and devoured it almost in one straight sitting.  If you like dark, disturbing and uncomfortable psychological thrillers then I would recommend The Family Upstairs

I've not long discovered this author and have read and loved every book of hers I have read to date. I still have a way to go with her back catalogue but I'm determined to fill the gaps as, up to now, they've all be winners! This book was no different and I read through start to finish in a day, only putting it down to eat, make coffee, and the other necessary!
We start in the past, 25 years ago when Police enter 16 Cheyne Walk and find the bodies of three people. Two are identified as the Lambs, a wealthy couple who owned the house. The other body is of an unknown man. There's a note suggesting suicide and which also asks that their baby is taken care of. A 10mo baby who is subsequently found alive and well cared for. But where are the other children rumoured to have been living there?
Back in the present and Libby is celebrating her 25th birthday and with that milestone comes a letter. An important letter that informs her that she is now the owner of 16 Cheyne Walk and, as such, is now a very wealthy woman. And so begins a bizarre tale of the time running up to the night of the suicide which is so convoluted and intricately plotted that anything more I mention here will spoil things for others. Suffice to say it held me so much in its thrall that I refused to put it down, rejecting my usual night out in favour of finishing what has to be one of the best (out of 200) stories I have read this year.
One thing I do have to say it that there are quite a few characters who are all introduced in a short span of time. The book also flits about a bit and is narrated by several characters in different times so I would recommend that you start the book when you can dedicate a fair chunk of time to really get into it. That said, it doesn't take too long for it all to click. And when it does... well... off it all goes like a bullet train, ramping the tension up and up until all the secrets have been revealed. But that's not quite the end. One person's truth may not necessarily be the whole truth. And that last line... Not that there isn't a defined ending to the book. We do end up knowing what is what and who is who, there's just some things that are still a little blurry, a bit ambiguous, left for the reader to figure out and make their own mind up methinks. Sounds odd but believe me, it's perfect.
All in all, a racking book that ticked every box for me. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is a cracking novel from a very good writer, well-written, fast-paced and intriguing. The starting point is the discovery of three corpses in a large house in Chelsea, and the realisation that there is an abandoned baby there too. The characters are fascinating, the many threads of the tail overlap convincingly and the revelations are stunning!

This one was hard to put down. The main character inherits a house in Chelsea, which really kick starts the search for answers to what happened in her childhood and led to her adoption and subsequent descent into near destitution.
It is compelling and well written, quite dark at times. Told from multiple perspectives, the twists and turns unfold to reveal the dramatic events and actions of the past that shaped them.

In a fashionable house in Chelsea a baby is awake In her cot, well fed and cared for but by whom Three bodies have lain dead for 3 days. Fast forward 25 years and Libby inherits that house. She soon finds the past encroaches on the present. This book is fast paced and very creepy. All the characters are well developed and fleshed out making the reader feel as though they know them. The book has many twists and turns and draws you into the story which at times I found a little bit gothic and very sinister. Told from multiple perspectives the book delves into family secrets . This is the first book by Lisa Jewell I have at and although I enjoyed at times I found it a bit unsettling but that is down to the nature of story and is subjective. Many thanks to NetGalley and to Random Books for the ARC

This is such a good read, be prepared to read the book in a day as you will not want to put it down.
Libby Jones, at the age of 25, inherits a house in Chelsea. The house will change her life in more than material terms.
As the book progresses, Libby discovers exactly what happened at 16 Cheyne Walk over 25 years ago.
The story is quickly retold through three narrators - Libby, Lucy and Henry and the reader learns of what became of the wealthy Lamb Family..
This is a compelling family drama and is gripping, tense and well written.

3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4

There are three stories entwined in this book. Story one is about Libby, she's twenty five. She had been adopted and has now inherited a large family home from her birth parents. She's about to learn some terrible events that led to her being adopted. Story two is about Lucy. She is a single mother of two children who is trying to get back to Britain from France. She has no money and they are living on the streets. But what are the reasons behind Lucy wanting to return home? Story three is about Henry. It's told twenty years ago. It tells what happened to his family when people started moving into their Chelsea Mansion.

The story is told from Libby, Lucy and Henry's point of views. As the plot unfolds, we learn the truth about what happened at 16, Cheyne Walk and how it impacted everyone's lives. The story does get a bit confusing at times, but then it all comes together and makes perfect sense at the end. The pace is quite slow. The story also covers rape, child and animal abuse, miscarriage and suicide, so not everyone will want to read it. A decent enough read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and the author Lisa Jewel for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
Thanks @netgalley @lisajewelluk and @randomhouse for my ARC
Publication date 8th August 2019
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An ARC from one of my favourite authors of all time! Super excited. Lisa Jewell just gets better and better. For this novel She has ventured a little on to the darker side again. This book was seriously good and definitely worthy of a five star rating. So many tales inter woven over decades and each chapter alternates between characters and past and present. Very clever and also really easy to follow.
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I simply could go on gushing about this book. It’s complex and clever and really somber at times but it’s fantastic. The characters are so well written and I completely empathised with Libby, the main protagonist who was searching for answers from her childhood. Along the way we definitely meet some shady and malevolent characters and there are twists and shocks throughout. Truly brilliant. A big five stars xxx

I am not a huge fan of Lisa Jewel: I usually find her books readable but far-fetched and contrived. The Family Upstairs is no exception. It's certainly fast-paced and intriguing, with plenty of elaborate twists and a satisfying ending. There are a few plot holes but if you are prepared to suspend belief, it's a compelling story, quite creepy in places.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK publishers for the ARC.

I could not put this book down and read it over two days. I was bordering on resentment if anyone came near me that looked likely to interrupt my reading!

The story is told from three points of view. Libby, who knows she is adopted, suddenly at 25 discovers that she has inherited a very large house in Cheyne Walk, Chelsea. We also hear from Lucy and Henry who lived in that house as children. At first living a very normal life for that neighbourhood where money was no object and they had nice clothes, possessions and schooling, Then their mother starting making some strange friends who came to stay and never quite left.

The story is told in differing timescales over the past 25-30 years but it well-written so it is usually obvious who is doing the telling and in what time period. There were many things to keep the reader hooked and I just didn’t want to put it down. I did start guessing the ending about two thirds of the way in but even that didn’t detract from my enjoyment as there were still many plot twists to keep me hooked from start to finish.

This is my third Lisa Jewell novel having really enjoyed Then She Was Gone and Watching You. I am delighted to see there are many more for me to savour and she is most definitely on my favourite authors list.. With thanks to NetGalley and Cornerstone, Penguin Random House UK for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An absolute classic from Lisa Jewell, covering a unique storyline that is well written and engaging. A couple of dark twists that only with someone who has an equally twisted mind could have dreamt up. Really good book.

I looked forward to Lisa Jewell's latest offering, having read her two previous novels. This one was a departure and at first I was a bit confused as to whom the characters were and how they were related ( no pun intended).
Slowly though, things made more sense and my interest was spiked.
As I was drawn in, the story gathered momentum. Uncomfortable reading at the turn of events kept me reading as did the surprises.
An unusual read and one I would recommend.

Oh my word, what a book! Lisa jewell is probably my favourite author and this is, I think, her best book since she moved to the dark side. The characters are fantastic and I particularly enjoyed Henry's contribution to the story. And what a story it is - I honestly could not stop reading and read 80% in one sitting, only putting it down because my eyes refused to stay open any longer. The characters were so real, I could see them perfectly in my mind and I had to know what the heck was going on. Best book of 2019 so far for me!

What a weird (but in a good way!) book this was to read storyline wise. The storyline is something you could imagine happening in real life! Normally I am not a fan of books jumping from present to past, but in this case, because of the storyline it worked excellently. Very happy to recommend it.

I received an ARC of this book via net galley in exchange for an honest review. I have started out by giving this book a 3 star rating but lets see how my review reads.

Libby a 25 year old woman adopted at an early age receives notification of an inheritance that she had at least some knowledge of. What she didn't know was the enormity in financial terms of the bequest and the history behind it. Libby was found alone in a house where 3 bodies were discovered, victims of a supposed suicide pact. Taking a colleague into her confidence Libby and Dido search for the journalist who covered the original story and together they try to piece together Libby's history.

The rest of the story is an explication of what happened between then and now. Lisa Jewel writes well, her books are very easy to read but in this book she has failed to build the suspense or thrill expected. The only real intrigue is in when Libby meets a man getting into her inherited property via a ladder onto the roof.

There is some increasing tension towards the very end of the book and I feel as if jewel is preparing us for a series or perhaps a trilogy. I am not sure that I would want to read more unless the suspense was constructed more fully

Another absolutely cracking read from Lisa who is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. Her books never disappoint and this one was no exception. It had me hooked from start to finish with some wonderful twists and turns. I certainly didn't know what to expect and the ending was fantastic. Highly recommend this book.

A rather complicated psychological thriller with the narrative being told by three separate people - all coming together at the end.

Ms Jewell is a fine writer with vivid descriptions of people and places: using metaphors such as night being as 'dark as damsons' and the sky 'detergent blue'.

The story centres around 25 year old Libby who has inherited a large house in Chelsea that was the scene of a possible set of murders. She knows she has a brother and sister, but these were apparently not written in to the trust document that gave Libby sole ownership. There are other lovely, and other sinister characters, but no spoilers from me.

Not only was it a complex book, Ms Jewell has a fixation with characters whose Christian names begin with the letter"L". A bit like herself?

Thanks to Net Galley and Cornerstone for the chance to read and review.