When Libby turns 25 and receives a letter saying she's inherited a mansion, she can't believe it. When she was just 10 months old, police found her in her cot after discovering three dead bodies in the kitchen. Neighbors claim there were other children and adults that lived in that house too, so why is the baby the only one left? What happened all those years ago in this house at 16 Cheyne Walk?

Each chapter takes readers back in time before Libby was even born, alternating between the events of the present day. One of the main protagonists, Henry, grew up in that house and gives his account of what happened. I can't tell much more without spoiling anything, but just know this is creepy and disturbing, but I was addicted from the beginning and hated every time I had to stop reading!

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of this book.

I absolutely adored this story with its wild plot and authentic characters. I love any book about cults and this one was no exception.

The following review will be published on my blog (www.blogginboutbooks.com) on 12.23.19:

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to London's posh Chelsea neighborhood to investigate suspicious circumstances at 16 Cheyne Walk. Inside, they were shocked to find three dead bodies, killed in an apparent suicide pact. The four children reported to live in the mansion were missing. Upstairs, a cooing 10-month-old lay peacefully in her crib. What happened to the home's owners, socialite Martina Lamb and her husband? Why did they kill themselves? Where are the children? And why was the baby left behind? With more questions than answers, the authorities have no idea what to think of the strange incident.



In the present, Libby Jones, a young woman who lives in a tiny flat in St. Albans and works at a kitchen design company, turns 25. Adopted as a baby, she's always wondered who she really is. When she receives a mysterious letter, Libby is stunned when she finally receives the answer. Not only does she discover she's the baby left behind at 16 Cheyne Walk all those years ago, but she also learns she's inherited the residence, which is worth millions. Taking ownership won't be easy, however, as Libby's not the only one who believes the mansion should be theirs. As she tries to sort out all the intricacies of who she really is, exactly what she's inherited, and what actually happened on that fateful night 25 years ago, Libby will get shocking answers that will forever change her.



The Family Upstairs, the newest psychological/domestic thriller from Lisa Jewell, tells a compelling, can't-look-away story about secrets from the past coming to horrifying light in the present. The novel is peopled with complex, intriguing characters. Its plot twists and turns, painting an increasingly disturbing picture of a family in crisis. Dark and distressing, The Family Upstairs isn't a light or happy read, but it's so engrossing that it's almost impossible to put down. I sped through its pages, desperate to know what was going to happen next. Although I didn't absolutely love the book, it definitely held me spellbound. I liked it, though, depressing as it is. Not all thrillers thrill me anymore, but this one kept me on the edge. If you're into this sort of thing, give it a go.

(Readalikes: Reminds me of The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware)

Grade: B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for language, violence, sexual content, depictions of illegal drug use, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of The Family Upstairs from the generous folks at Simon & Schuster via those at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Title: The Family Upstairs
Lisa Jewell
Genre: thriller
Page:352
Rating:4.5
Be careful who you let in.

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

In The Family Upstairs, the master of “bone-chilling suspense” (People) brings us the can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets

My thoughts
This is the second book from this author I've read and I have to say that this one might just be my favorite of the two. While it does switch back and forth between times , and while some of the characters seem to be unpredictable and not very believable as well as downright creepy , it made the story that more enjoyable because it kept me wanting to know more and wanting to know the story about what really happened that night. With that said I want to thank Netgalley For letting me read and review it .

Intense psychological thriller that I read in one sitting. Strong characters, multiple viewpoints, and timelines allow the story to unfold in a way that will keep readers quickly turning pages.

The Family Upstairs tells a very twisted tale from three POV. Libby who recently turned 25 and has inherited a mansion that has a very controversial history. Lucy, a single mother of two who is currently homeless and is trying to make her way back to her childhood home, and lastly Henry the more complex of the three. Henry and Lucy are siblings who grew up in the house of horrors and like Lucy, Henry is making his way back to the home in hopes of meeting Libby. Confused yet?

The cast of characters that weave in and out of the story makes it a bit hard to follow at times, but by the end of the story all came together. This is a very complex story about domination and brainwashing. Think The Manson Family dynamic, and how Charles had total control over those that were under his spell. While reading, I wondered just how deep one can fall into the world of the occult at the risk of ignoring their better judgment or the underlying effects on their families.

The children suffered the most. At times, the story was downright heartbreaking and hard to absorb. I had to remind myself that these things really CAN happen, even in modern times.

I enjoyed The Family Upstairs. Since it was a recent @bookofthemonth pick, I’m sure there are several of you that have read it. If so, what did you think? Who was your least favorite character? Do you think Libby was wise in choosing to have developed relationships with Lucy and Henry?

Thank you Atria Books, and Netgalley, for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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This thriller has it all...⁣
✔️A creepy house⁣
✔️a mysterious murder⁣
✔️ missing children⁣
✔️ secret affairs ⁣
✔️multiple and partially unreliable perspectives in different time periods⁣
‼️Bonus‼️A Poison Garden 😱⁣
⁣
I really devoured this book and it’s no surprise. Lisa Jewell writes some pretty gripping stories. I love the ‘whodunnit’ storyline that keeps you guessing. The entire story had me very w hated and it was quite the page-turner. I also enjoyed the cult storyline and the different perspectives/timelines.

Thank you Atria books and netgalley for my e-galley I’m exchange for an honest review.

This book had me guessing the whole time! Lots of twists and turns.
Libby was given a letter in her 25th birthday that was to tell her who her biological parents were.
But then it is a whirlwind start to her new life where she learns more and more pieces of how she came about. The story is told from 3 points of views and has a interesting twist to it. I wouldn’t say it was the best book I read this year and at some times I felt the need to read a heard a little as it got monotonous but there is always a silver lining or is there. You decide. Can be found on amazon or at a book store hear you.

I can always count on Lisa Jewell to give me a story that does not travel in a straight line and never ends like I think it's going to. The family upstairs is group of people who move into a family home and take over everything. The story is told from the point of view of different people, some you are not quite sure how they fit into the main story. Yes, there are several stories here that all meet at the end and give readers a surprise, but satisfying ending.

Lisa Jewell quickly became one of my favorite authors. THE HOUSE WE GREW UP IN is one of my favorite books. I always recommend it; I am now including The Family Upstairs as another great book.

I was completely engrossed in the story and invested in the characters.

Perfect Lisa Jewell, family dysfunction, slightly creepy but a complete and total page turner.

Read this book, you will not be sorry.

Twenty-five year old Libby has been looking forward to finding out about her birth parents but, when a letter arrives it is not the information she was expecting. Instead, Libby quickly learns that she has inherited a mansion worth millions which has been held in trust. The creepy mansion, however, has a dark past; it belonged to her birth-parents who were found dead inside in what appeared to be a suicide pact. Police called to the scene found Libby, just a baby at the time, alive in her crib but, four other children were missing. What really happened?

This is one of those psych thrillers that will keep you guessing from beginning to end. Told from multiple POV both in the past and present, I found it a bit confusing and, the overall story ( dark, cultish) was just not my thing. I do like this author but, this one wasn't a hit with me.

3.5/5 stars

I am a huge fan of Lisa Jewell's books. I sometimes wonder where one can come up with such a wonderful plot. This book did not disappoint. I was hooked from the first page.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa Jewell has quickly become one of my top must-read authors. Whenever she releases a new book, it is automatically added to my TBR list. This book was a good suspenseful thriller. However, it did not catch my attention as much as some of Ms. Jewell's other novels. I actually was left feeling a bit confused at different points. Overall, this book was okay for me. I was left wanting just a little bit more.

Libby Jones has turned 25 and learns she has inherited a house from the family she never knew. The house has a sinister past, and she finds out her birth parents committed suicide in the house not long after she was born. But the real story is not a straight forward as it seemed. For one, she had an older brother and sister who seemed to have just disappeared off the face of the planet. Why did no one find them?

It's a story with lots of plot twists. My only complaint is having two main characters with first names that start with the same letter -Lucy and Libby. For someone like me, when a new chapter starts I sometimes had to refer back to get them straight....although maybe that was part of the author's plan.

I’ve only read one Lisa Jewell book before this one, Watching You, and it was one I enjoyed so I highly anticipated this one. Despite having the ARC I decided to listen to it. The audio was well-done with multiple narrators, which helped keep the characters straight, despite an overly complicated and meandering plot.

However, I would have liked some characters to be more fully developed, especially David who held such power over the inhabitants of the house. Unfortunately, I found most of the characters to be quite vile. Unlikability is not a deal breaker but in this case I found neither the characters or the story to be pleasurable to read, and the ending a letdown.

I will definitely give her next book a try and will dip into her backlist to read more, but this was a miss for me. I’m the outlier so do read other reviews as most people seemed to love it.

Lisa Jewell is an auto-buy author for me. While this book isn't my favorite I've read of hers, I still loved it. The mysterious cult vibe was so engaging and intriguing. I loved the dual timeline and there were plenty of twists and turns throughout the story.

This was an interesting book. I gave 3.5 stars rounded up. It was kinda strange and hard to follow at times. While I was wondering what was happening it was also predictable but didn’t feel quite finished to me. I needed more answers or explanations. I know others have loved this one, it just didn’t work out for me.

Unfortunately I really didn't like this one. It was really weird. The characters were all strange and unlikable, I couldn't care what happened to any of them. The story was just bizarre. It wasn't a thriller at all.

4.5 stars! I really enjoyed this book! It definitely kept me guessing and the twists were really good. I wanted a little bit more from the ending, but the last line was really good and left me with a creepy feeling. I liked how everything unfolded. I will definitely check out more from this author.

The domestic suspense genre is one that I am not sure is for me, and this book as well. It was well written, and an intriguing premise that kept me reading. But it was dark in a way that I don't think I enjoy, especially after 9 pm. That said, now that I am a week out of reading the book, I have to say that I am still thinking about this book. I thought the three POV characters made the book move fast and keep my interest. I'd rate this book a solid 3 stars as a book that I liked (sort of). It is one I would find interesting to talk about, for sure. I think for other people this would rate more than 3 stars, it is just that the darkness of the book is just not for me.