Dark, mysterious, and filled with twists and turns, I LOVED The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell. Soon after her 25th birthday, Libby receives a letter in the mail that she has been waiting for that will tell her about who she really is. She was adoopted and knows nothing about her birth family. However, what she doesn't know is that other people have also been waiting for this time, and have some seriously chilling motivations which are all connected to who she is.

I couldn't put this one down and was so satisfied by the ending. If you like really spooky thrillers, this book is definitely not to be missed!

This was one of the most enjoyable reads I’ve had in quite a while. It started a little slow and the jumping back and forth between characters and time frame was annoying at first, But once I had the characters sorted in my head that style was fine. But what a fascinating, tragic, heart lifting, and yet evil story. The novelty of not quite knowing who is “good” and who is “bad” really added to the story. Even the mostly “good” characters did some pretty awful stuff, but what a little murder if the victim was a horrible human being?

I highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy.

This gothic story is my second read of Lisa Jewell. She did not disappoint again. There are three different points of view that makes you question if this is going to turn out ok or not, because you already know that there is cult activity that has resulted in four deaths, but why would a baby be a lone and the other kids are missing? I loved that it kept you guessing until the very end.

As the title suggests, this is a book about a family but the type of family and the secrets they hold, slowly unfold into a story that I could not easily predict, which is a good thing!

The Family Upstairs is told from alternating points of view and jumps back and forth between the present day and the events of the past. Normally, this type of book frustrates me but here, I found it to work quite well.

One thread has Lucy on the street with her two young children. What happened to her? Why are they homeless? Another, involves Libby, a young woman who was adopted as a baby. She’s just been informed that she’s come into quite a large inheritance which makes her extremely curious about her past. In the last thread, we are introduced to the “family upstairs” and the sinister things going on that are revealed in pieces, bit by bit. ALL OF IT is related.

The Family Upstairs was THE book everyone was reading over Thanksgiving break and for once, I joined in. It took a little bit of time for me to get into the flow of it. All the time jumping slowed me down until about half-way through, when I began to turn the pages faster because it was all coming together in a way that piqued my interest.

I’ve read one other Jewell book, The Girls in the Garden and that was also very good. I remember adding all her books to my Kindle after reading that one, and I was not wrong to do so. I really like her style of writing. There’s a pulse to her work, a bit of tension that I enjoy but it’s not predictable or silly. I am loving these types of reads these days.

When reading the book I could definitely feel for Henry. I dislike when we have people staying with us. It feels like I am restricted in my own space and also means I need to play hostess instead of just lounging about. I love having visitors and do deal with the discomfort, but it definitely made me sympathize with poor Henry.

Libby has never known her real family. She was adopted as a baby and has been waiting for her 25th birthday, hoping that it will finally hold answers to the questions she wanted to ask for so long. What ensues is an investigation into the history of the house and its inhabitants.

A story that fluctuates between past and present, with multiple different views on the events of the past. You discover what happens when you make the mistake of letting the wrong people into your house. People that not only make themselves at home, but end up taking over everything you have ever known.

Libby had been waiting for her twenty-fifth birthday for as long as she could remember. For that was the day that she hoped that she would get some answers. As an adopted child, there has been a lot of unknowns in her life. But instead of getting information about her parents, she gets a letter she is inheriting a mansion in one of the most desirable areas of London. That starts her down a path of trying to figure out the truth about her family. The mansion has a dark history when Libby was just an infant the police were called to the mansion where they found three dead adults and the crying baby in her crib. There had been other children in the home, but they were nowhere to be found. A suicide note was found near the bodies and there was a talk of the home being the location of a cult. So what really happened at 16 Cheyne Walk?

The Family Upstairs was such a good book! There are a lot of different narrators, but you are unsure of who is who in some situations and not every narrator. The timeline also jumps around, so you have to be careful to not get lost. I really liked Libby as the main character. She is an innocent person in this story because not all the characters are innocent. She teams up with a local reporter, Miller, to try to piece together the story of what happened at the house. Lucy is one narrator and her life since leaving the house has been anything but easy. She has one goal in mind, getting back to England and her baby, and she will let nothing stop her. The story builds to a pretty strong and somewhat shocking conclusion, both in the past and in the present. - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS

Bottom Line - Lisa Jewell is making quite the name for herself as an author of psychological thrillers. The Family Upstairs, her latest effort is one of her best yet.


Details:

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
On Facebook
Pages: 352
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: November 5, 2019
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley for the free book in exchange for a review.

This book was such a whirlwind.

Leaving as much to mystery as possible, here's what I will tell you: I went into this book expecting a gripping mystery, and while there is indeed mystery in these pages, what really makes it shine is a story that picks apart the mundane, daily decisions and moments of life in community which ultimately lead down a path of self-destruction. This is a story about a family that, through confused generosity, ill-placed priorities, and changing values, become embroiled in, essentially, a cult. It's a story about what happens in the aftermath of said cult, and how the chaos of one generation's decisions trickle down to impact others.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read for me, and I was pretty enthralled throughout. It has the familiar intrigue of a Lisa Jewell book, but was also unlike any other book I've read by her.

Four out of five stars.

The Family Upstairs is a twisted, multifaceted story that will keep you guessing to the very end. With strong, compelling characters and an engaging plot and premise the book will keep you up reading and thinking about the ways in which we intersect and impact the lives of others - even when we don’t realize it.

Lisa Jewell has done it again and this might be my favorite! I finished this in one sitting! This book was full of family drama, suspense, and a bit creepy! I enjoyed the way Lisa Jewell wove so many characters together with lots of twists and turns. The story is told from different points of view and different timelines but it was not at all confusing. The ending was quite satisfying.

Disappointing read! I’m upset that I feel this way since I was so excited to read this because I love Lisa Jewell! I skimmed the last quarter of the book because I was bored :/ I don’t know, it wasn’t the fast paced type of thriller that I’m used to. I won’t give up on this author and will be reading other books of hers.

This was nothing like I had expected when I first read the description, but it was still such a good story. Sometimes it was a little hard for me to follow but my confusion never lasted long. It was exciting, unpredictable and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Had so many twists and turns that it kept me guessing right up until the end.

Lisa Jewell's books are great mostly in part to the fact that she gets readers to invest in the characters. They are all so rich in the right amount of detail. The fact that this is such a well crafted thriller only makes it better.

Lisa Jewell never fails to disappoint with her style of writing that keeps you turning pages and guessing until the very end. The Family Upstairs is full of suspense as we meet Libby Jones who has just recently learned that she has inherited the abandoned mansion on the Thames that belonged to her birth parents. As she delves deeper into the story of her family, it couldn't get more complicated and full of many more questions than answers.

I always enjoy Lisa Jewell's work and love that I can count on her books to quench my appetite for an intriguing story filled with twists and turns.

I received this book courtesy of Atria Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Libby turns twenty-five, she receives the documents she's been waiting for-papers with the identity of her birth parents, and the announcement of the empty mansion she has now inherited. She also finds out that even though she was found as a happy healthy baby in the upstairs of the house, downstairs three people were dead and the other children had vanished. As Libby explores her past, she finds it colliding into her present in ways she never expected.

This book kept me guessing from the very start! Just when I thought I had something figured out, Jewell completely turned everything on its head. I startled my dog a few times by gasping out loud. Despite being completely exhausted, I curled up on my couch reading for hours to finish this book, because I had to know where everything was going.

At first, I found the jump in perspectives a little confusing. But this didn't last long, and didn't affect my enjoyment of this book.

Definitely read this book! I might recommend a hard copy edition so you can flip back and forth in the beginning if you get confused a little, but a few chapters in you will not be able to put this book down. And that last sentence...it still gives me chills.

SPOILERS
Having read a few books by Lisa Jewell, I kind of knew what to expect. As usual, she takes her time to set the scene and introduce the characters to the readers. The narration has nice flow from one chapter to another, from one narrator to the next. Present and past mixes very well and do not distract each other. Lisa Jewell tries to keep the intrigue of who is Lucy and what part did she take in the horrible story decades back, but I figured out if fairly easy.

It is a very solid, well-written thriller. Horrendous story about people and power, dysfunctional families and broken kids with twists and turns. It even leaves on an open note of Phin's and Henry's relationship, which I highly appreciate as it made me speculate and come back to the story after I finished it. However, I wasn't thrilled enough.

Thank you Negalley and Atria Books for e-ARC The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell in return of my honest review.

3.5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐💫
The Family Upstairs was an interesting enough suspense thriller to keep me coming back to pick up the book again, but not captivating enough to have me wanting to read it in one sitting. It was told from multiple points of view, and while I found the character development to be satisfactory, I didn't find myself feeling connected to any particular character at any point in time.

There were creepy elements to the story, as well as strange and disturbing. I felt the author did a fine job setting the mood. I felt the buildup was done well leading up to the conclusion, but the actual conclusion sort of fell flat. I was underwhelmed.

Overall, I thought The Family Upstairs was okay; worth a read. However, it wouldn't be my top recommendation for Jewell's novels.


*Complimentary copy for review provided by Simon and Schuster Canada. All opinions expressed here are honest and entirely my own.*


**TW: This novel contains rape, child abuse, and other subject matter that may be triggering to some readers.**

4.5 stars

Lisa Jewell is a wonderful writer and when I saw this book come up for review, I needed little convincing.

The cover is beautiful and the premise for the story sounds great as well. This is my first read by her but I am not a stranger to her books. I have a couple of friends who have read them all and are constantly thrusting the latest Jewell release into my hands.

I decided that this was going to be my first read by her and I couldn’t be more excited. Plus it was all over IG and it was also the Book of the Month pick so I knew this one was going to be a big read going into the holiday season.

Summary
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. (Summary from Goodreads).

Review
After I burned through The Cruel Prince series in like days, I wanted something that I wasn’t going to rush through, that I was going to take my time enjoying—well for that I picked the wrong book.

This was another fast paced, fast read for me. I was once again up late into the night and early in the morning to read this one. It was so good and read so incredibly fast. There was part of me that was worried that this book was over hyped and that I might not like it. I also saw that some of the die hard Lisa Jewell fans didn’t like this one as much as some of her others, but since this was my first experience, I thought it was a wonderful read.

This book unfolds over three different POVs. At first it was a little disorientating, but ultimately I loved seeing how everything came together to create a unique view of the larger story. Though I was a little confused in the beginning, I quickly adjusted and it was smooth sailing for the rest of the book.

I loved how the characters were so well developed and truly chilling. It was a fascinating character novel that I had a hard time putting down. As I said, it was fast paced and I finished it in a matter of days over the Thanksgiving break. I loved it and can’t wait to see what else Jewell comes up with next and I am adding several of her other books to my growing TBR. If you love psychological thrillers, this is an author you don’t want to miss.

Book Info and Rating
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published November 5th 2019 by Atria Books
Free review copy provided by publisher, Atria Books, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Genre: thriller, domestic thrillers

My favorite Lisa Jewell book to date! This book is an incredibly plotted journey with dual time periods, multiple narrators, and a mystery that unfolds like a carefully made origami sculpture and I was here for all of it. I enjoyed the characters, their viewpoints and the twists were genuinely surprising and enjoyable to me. An excellently entertaining book I would recommend to anyone looking for some compelling reading.

This was such an interesting and creepy book! When I started it I thought..”why did you do this to yourself again? You don’t even like domestic fiction!” But this one was good! I definitely didn’t figure it out early which is usually the case. Now I need a friend to read this so I have someone to discuss it with!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Lisa Jewell has done it again. The Family Upstairs is a riveting, creepy, twisted story that kept me completely engaged all the way through. Told from the perspective of three equally compelling characters, I couldn't wait to figure out what had happened in the past and how it led them to where they are today. I will read anything Jewell writes. She's a thriller writer at the top of her game.