BOOK REVIEW: THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS

Author: Lisa Jewell
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

The Family Upstairs publishes TODAY in the US – and you want to check this one out ASAP. Thanks so much to the publisher and author for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was my third Lisa Jewell book and I swear, she just keeps getting better and better. Honestly, the first one I read by her I thought was okay. The second one was a lot better. And then The Family Upstairs just blew me away. I couldn’t stop reading it!

Jewell weaves together an incredibly intricate terrifying tale: in the present day, Libby Jones has just turned 25 and learned of her inheritance from her biological parents, who died when she was a baby. She becomes the owner of a mansion, easily valued at several million dollars. But along with the house, she also starts to discover more about her birth parents…which just leads to more questions than answers.

25 years ago, Henry lived with his parents and younger sister. They lived a fairly normal life, until a family needs a place to stay for a few nights and ends up moving in to their home. And never leaving. Who are these people? What do they really want? And what happened to everyone in the house all those years ago…because when Libby was found, she was the only one still there – at least, the only one alive.

With a plot like that, is my rating breakdown even necessary for you to want to read it?!?! Oh…it is? Okay, fine, let me gush some more about this book:

RATING BREAKDOWN

Plot – 2/2: I LOVE me a good atmospheric thriller full of batshit crazy people – and let me tell you, this one has some DOOZIES in it. The mansion setting just made the story that much more unnerving – especially as the story goes on and you learn more and more about what happened in the past.

Writing – 2/2: The one thing I’ve always loved about Jewell’s work is her writing, but I think this one just is at a whole new level. The suspense she builds in how she structures the chapters, moving between characters and times – it is the perfect recipe to make you say, “just one more chapter – I have to know what happens next.”

Thrills/Suspense – 1.5/2: Yes, I’m getting ridiculous with this point system, but I can’t give this book less than 4.5 stars. The thrills and suspense are REAL – the reason I’m not giving it full marks here is because there was one small loose end that didn’t get tied up as much as I wanted and it’s going to haunt me forever now.

Characters – 1.5/2: Okay, this is rather unfair of me probably, but because I was reading this on my Kindle, I struggled in the beginning with keeping up with who was who. Jewell introduces a LOT of characters…and two of the main ones are called Libby and Lucy. And my brain just couldn’t keep up, and since I wasn’t reading a physical copy I couldn’t easily flip back and forth to keep track. So, for choosing two similar names rather than naming one of them something like Susan, she looses another tiny portion of a point.

Feel – 2/2: I was messaging my friends as I was reading because of all the feels this book was giving me. Not only the suspense-y feels, but it makes you think about family connection, friends, and how far you would go to protect the ones you love – there were several moments throughout that I found myself empathizing with a character that I thought I would never be able to understand, which is the sign of an amazing book.

Two half points off (sorry lol) for a total of 9/10 points and an awesome 4.5 star read. The Family Upstairs is one of my new favorite thrillers of the year – Lisa Jewell continues to rise through the ranks of my go-to authors! Go get your own copy and enjoy!

Happy reading!

First of all, I need to say that this is the best Lisa Jewell I have read to date. For a person who has a strict bedtime of midnight, I will tell you now that The Family Upstairs had me up until 3AM (my Keurig sure did get a work out later that morning).
1994. 3 adults are found dead in a mansion in Chelsea. We soon find out who two of the adults are, but who is this mystery man found dead with them? Where are the children who lived there? While the Lamb family was found dead downstairs, a little baby girl was found alive upstairs. Who did she belong to? So many questions, but soon all will be revealed…
Present day. A big grand old home sits abandoned. The tragedy of what happened there is beyond belief. Now 25, Libby Jones stands to inherit it. With the help of her friend and a journalist, she finds out all the creepy secrets that were hidden from her.
Told from 3 different points of view: Libby, Lucy, and Henry; we slowly uncover what happened in the home and where the lost children really are.
Be warned, there are a lot of characters, but soon you’ll get to know them all.
The Family Upstairs has all the suspense, dysfunctional characters, with a side of creepiness that any mystery fan would love. Yes, this is the shortest review I have even done, but I don’t want to give too much away. Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital copy. Enjoy!
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Prior to her 25th birthday, Libby knew nothing of her past except the fact that she was put up for adoption. On her 25th birthday, she discovers that she is to inherit a mansion -- a mansion that was home to three suicides and missing children. Moreover, she was the only known living survivor of the tragedy and was found -- still in her crib -- by the police in the aftermath.

Although a bit confusing to get a handle on all of the characters introduced to the story, the premise kept me reading and I'm glad I did. I could not put this one down -- a real page turner.

This book was an interesting combination of family drama, mystery, and suspense. The plot jumps all over with "then" and "now," following different characters as Libby (and the reader) tries to unravel the mystery of the giant, eerie house she's inherited and her connection to it. The descriptions and characterization carried the twisty plot, which should have felt melodramatic and yet felt creepily realistic thanks to Jewell's excellent writing. I'm really struggling to review this book, probably because it was one of those books that I was so immersed in at the time that I wasn't thinking critically about it. So yes, that about sums it up: it was just one of those books. Take a deep breath before you dive in.

Libby Jones was adopted when she was just a baby and she had always wondered what happened to her family. Then, at the age of 25, she is informed that she has inherited a London mansion and her family history is revealed to her for the first time. It will take further investigation to determine why she was found in her crib with three bodies on the kitchen floor, in the very house she has just inherited.

The Family Upstairs is a creepy, atmospheric story told from several points of view. There is plenty of suspense to keep the reader turning page after page. Every character is well-developed and they all add a great deal of depth to the story. Ms Jewell has managed to put all the pieces together and, as a result, has created an enjoyable, well-paced, and spooky tale that won’t disappoint. She has certainly made a fan out of me. 4.5 stars for sure!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

This was classic Lisa Jewell and so of course I loved it. She gave me just enough to be curious about all the pieces. But not enough to clearly see how they all fit together, and he revelations just kept coming. Reading The Family Upstairs was like picking at a thread on a sweater until you’ve unraveled the entire garment.
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This book has a cult! Which I know a lot of people are curious about. I liked the cult aspect of the story because it gave a new twist to the “family drama.” I will say, I thought the cult was a supporting part of the story and not the main star. I think if you go in expecting it to be heavy on the cult, you’ll be disappointed. Also, there are several characters introduce right away who have similar names. It was a little difficult to keep everyone straight, but after a few chapters I knew who was who.
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I thought this book was definitely more on the mild end of the thriller spectrum. For me, it held more mystery than suspense, but I still loved it. I enjoyed the creativity in how the storylines fit together. I felt like the twists were there, but added subtle surprises not big shocks. Thank you again to Atria Books for providing me with a free copy via NetGally.

**Reviews on Barnes and Noble and Amazon posted under HaylieBeth00.

I have to admit, I was pretty confused at the beginning of this book. There are three narrators and it took me a while to figure who they were and how they were linked together. Once more of the pieces fell into place, I began to the enjoy their stories more.

This book wasn’t fast paced but I loved the way the alternate points of view slowly weaved together. It all felt very ominous and threatening. We had questionable narrators, whisperings of a cult, and lots of twists.

If you are looking for a fast moving unpredictable creepy thriller look no further. Lisa Jewell masterfully weaves together the stories of three people who last saw each other 25 years earlier when they were children. Short chapters, each told from the perspective of one of the three, and a story that twists and turns kept the pages turning often long after I intended to keep reading (a couple of nights I read until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore).

In some ways this story reminded me of Flowers in the Attic (in a good way and still very much its own story). This is my favorite book I've read so far by this author. The characters are well developed and the story never drags.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Atria Books, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

 
My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

Libby Jones just turned 25.  She is stunned to learn that she has just inherited a mansion in London.  Knowing she had been adopted as a baby, she often wondered what had become of her family.  The lawyers provide her with her birth name.  Apparently she is Serenity Lamb, and further investigation provides astonishing information.   At the age of 10 months old, she had been found in her crib at the house that she just inherited.  Three dead bodies lay on the kitchen floor, looking like a suicide pact among a cult group.  The other children that apparently lived in the house were gone.

Libby decides to work with journalist Miller Roe to find out what really happened in that house....which she finds a tad creepy.

Others are now aware that "the baby" is now 25 too, and they feel that a reunion is in order.

 
My Opinions:  

I have read three or four of Lisa Jewell's books, and they always earn 4 or 5 stars from me.  This was no different.  It was a fast and entertaining read.  I liked how the author chose to tell the story from different points of view.  Libby and Lucy's were current, and Henry told the story from his childhood.  It came together quite well, and I followed easily.  There was a slight feeling that Henry may be over-compensating with his truth-telling, and it became evident that Lucy was not perfect either.

The plot was intriguing, and somewhat original, with enough suspense to keep you turning the pages.  I had anticipated the twists, but they were still good.

I absolutely loved the ending.

Yikes, wow, and holy moly! This book is freaky. Very, very, creepy and classic Lisa Jewell. Is it just me, or did she go a tad darker with this one? The novel made me feel scared, uncomfortable and a tad squeamish at times. And well, since it’s a thriller, I’d call that a success! If you enjoy reading about the ins-and-outs of cults, then Jewell’s latest has your name all over it. I’ll never fully understand how some people can be so easily brainwashed, but it obviously happens. With multiple perspectives and alternating timelines, Jewell describes how the life of one ordinary family was turned upside down after welcoming another family into their home. Plenty of drama, lies, darkness and mystery. The Family Upstairs is sure to be a fan favorite. Grab a copy today!

Told from three different points of view, we get Lucy, Libby and Henry, varying time lines and some twisty goodness. Jewell has a way of making her reads immediately compulsive. The tone is set at the very beginning and you keep turning page after page trying to figure it all out.

I found myself being initially more interested in Lucy's story line and not as intrigued with the rest but then that would switch to Libby and then to Henry as the chapters progressed. Each story line becoming more clear with each page and that ending.... oh my. I do love that dun dun dunnnnnn moment for sure. I did feel the ending got a little bit **too** convoluted as we see how the whole story unfolds.

Another excellent piece of work from this author, who is one of my faves. Honestly, I didn't feel it ran as smoothly as prior novels I have read of hers. I found myself immediately drawn in, then lost a teeny bit of interest in the middle but then it absolutely picked up speed and I couldn't stop reading. While I did see some of the red herrings and figured out a few things, nothing came out completely shocking.

This felt like a blend of family drama/cultish/thriller mish mosh and I think will be a bit divisive within the thriller community. I still can't wrap my head completely around how I feel about it but what I do know is that yes, I would recommend this book. Yes, it's Jewell and she's an autobuy author for me and I love her brilliant mind. I highly recommend And Then She Was Gone and Watching You, but let's face it - if you like thrillers, you read Jewell. End of story.

This book was so interesting!
I love how you followed all these characters and how they all showed you a different viewpoint of this life. It was twisty and dark and I loved every minute of this book!
Grab a copy and clear your schedule.
#thefamilyupstairs #netgalley

I tend to find Lisa Jewell’s novels to be a hit or a miss. And even at one point, I debated whether or not, I should give her novels up completely. Thankfully I didn’t since The Family Upstairs is my new favourite Lisa Jewell novel!

The novel revolves around 3 characters: Libby, who has just inherited a house for her 25th birthday, Lucy, a homeless mother and Henry, the only son of a wealthy couple. The mystery of the novel wasn’t how the 3 characters were linked, but how they would be connected in present day. I loved how each story was unique, but still flowed together.

4 calculators out of a potential 5. So happy that I decided to go for The Family Upstairs. It’s a thrilling ride that you should check out!

Thank you to Netgallery and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lisa Jewel did not disappoint with this one!
This dark and twisty domestic thriller kept me absolutely glued to the page.
The subject matter is very dark and heavy. Keep that in mind when picking up this book, but I thought Jewel did it well.
Told through 3 different points of view, with 2 in present day and one in the past. I found each voice was distinct and I could keep up. Sometimes when you have a multiple POV story there is at least one character who’s chapters you wish you could skip but I did not find that with this book. Each chapter and character brought something interesting even if it was small.
While I ultimately ended up guessing most of the twists before they were confirmed it still has enough mystery to keep me entertained.
Lisa Jewel has definitely solidified herself as an auto buy author for me.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

I have been a fan of Lisa Jewell for some time now and was extremely fortunate to pick up a copy of this latest one at BookExpo this past Spring...this book was one that was high on everyone's list as galleys were gone in 7 minutes! So that early morning sprint to the booth was well-worth it.

I loved the way this story was told, with the multiple points of view and alternating time lines. You have three characters and you aren't quite sure what their connections are, but of course you know at some point that their stories will connect and it's fun trying to figure out just how and why until it's revealed. I also found that I was equally invested in all three characters which isn't always the case when there are multiple points of view. I loved that all three were flawed, troubled characters - it made them all more interesting!

I love a good dysfunctional family drama. This book focuses entirely on that and boy is it a doozy! It delves into some dark stuff and we find out just what happened at this house so long ago. And because of the dual timelines, we sometimes get dual revelations happening, where we are finding out things from "What Happened 25 Years Ago" and the "Today Plot" almost side by side. It really helps to add to the suspense and tension, propelling things forward. There is just a hint of gothic undertones to this book with the creepy garden and use of dangerous plants and the large dark house full of secrets.

I can't recommend this book enough...it's gripping, disturbing and compulsive read from one of my favorite authors!

3.5

I was really excited to read The Family Upstairs but I sadly didn’t love it. Told in different perspectives, we slowly get to piece together the days leading up to the day three people were found dead with just a note. Ten month old Libby was found healthy in a different room and was later adopted out while the rest of the people who lived there were gone.
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The different perspectives helped explain what happened in the book which is something I really appreciated. I also liked how it had short chapters and how we slowly saw how the three narrators intersect. I just went in with hopes of getting something different from what I got. I guess I just hoped it would go in a different route than the one it did. I wanted more cult. However, I know many have loved this books and I’m sure many more will continue to love it.
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Thank You to @netgalley & @atriabooks for my review copy.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewel is a book about a young woman who turns 25 and learns she has inherited a large mansion with a sordid past. The mansion could be worth millions, and that money could change her life, but first she has to unlock the mystery of her birth family that lived there, and how they died.
Libby was found as an infant in a crib when police were called by neighbors who hadn’t seen any activity in her house for a while. Three adults dressed in odd cult-like robes were found dead in the kitchen with a note that indicated a suicide pact.
The first half of the book was good, but the second half was amazing! Once I hit the halfway point I knew I couldn’t be able to put it down until I finished it! The characters were all fascinating and complicated and the twists just kept coming. The book is told from multiple perspectives, including an unreliable narrator that I think was the BEST part of the book.

If you like enthralling whodunnits, dark family noir, and CULTS, this is the book for you!

This book was an easy 5⭐️ and may be my favorite book of the year! It’s releasing this week, November 5, so be sure to pick up a copy and put it at the top of your TBR!
Thank you to Lisa Jewel, @atriabooks, and @netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

*TW: child abuse, rape, animal cruelty, domestic violence, termination of pregnancy*

I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this one, so I figured I’d write out my thoughts.

At this point, I’m aware that Lisa’s books often get marketed as thrillers and turn out to just be domestic dramas. So that was expected and on that realm, didn’t disappoint! It was tense this entire environment in which these kids (and adults) are living in. However, I feel that because this novel tries to be a few different genres, they weren’t properly balanced and the story could get quite messy as it shifted from one story to another.

I liked some of the darker elements (which I could’ve done with some warning beforehand) and again, liked the drama, but overall it just felt tedious. It felt like it was going nowhere, felt like it was just going to keep going in circles. There was never any real twist to make this story worth it in the end either. Just a lead-on that made me very curious, but not excitedly wishing for more pages of the book.

All in all, it read fast and I wanted to know all of the secrets and how the stories connected, but it didn’t hit the nail on the head for me and unfortunately, the essential slow burn was just too long a wait.

The baby is twenty-five.

With these words, the lives of 4 individuals will change, all over again.

Almost twenty-five years ago, the bodies of three adults were found, apparently dead in a suicide pact. They wore black robes and no shoes, leading police to suspect they were in a cult. There had been reports that other adults and children were also living in the house, but a thorough search turned up no one else . . . except for an infant girl, who had been cared for.

For those twenty-five years, no one else showed up at 16 Cheyne Walk in Chelsea, a fashionable neighborhood in London. No one showed up there until Libby Jones turned 25 and got a letter from an attorney saying that the house had been held in trust for her. Adopted as an infant, Libby had a good life growing up, not perfect but pretty happy. But she inherited the house at 16 Cheyne Walk, because she was that infant that the police had found.

Before Libby can decide what to do about the house, she wants to find out the truth of what happened to her parents. Were they really in a cult? Did they really kill themselves? And who took care of her until the police showed up? She starts her search for answers by finding the journalist who first reported on what the police found in the house that night. Their journey to find the answers they have both waited 25 years for is a powerful step forward to insight and healing for several different families.

Lisa Jewell’s moving new thriller The Family Upstairs is a crazy patchwork of present and past, of secrets and truths, of growing up and growing hopeless. Told in alternating perspectives from Libby in the present, Henry in the past, and Lucy in the present, we slowly get to piece together what happened in the house all those years ago.

The Lambs were a happy family, well-to-do parents with a son and a daughter. But as the riches dried up and they had to make sacrifices to stay in their beautiful house, the family took in boarders and cut back on expenses. Instead of the fancy school they were enrolled in, the children were home-schooled. The family rented out the house for a music video. They stopped taking long trips. They stopped buying all the latest fashions. But there is a long road between budgeting carefully and taking part in a suicide pact in a house bereft of all luxury, all comforts, all hope. What exactly happened, when the other family moved in upstairs?

The emotional journeys of all the children in this house is crazy and disturbing and moving and brilliant in a way that only a master storyteller can offer. Lisa Jewell’s ability to craft such a compelling tale is a testament to her skill and hard work, and we are all the better for it.

If you are looking for another creepy thriller for fall, or if you want a story about a family more disturbed than yours before you have to spend the holidays with them, or if you just love a powerful suspense story from a master, then pick up The Family Upstairs. But be careful picking it up, because it’s almost impossible to put it back down until the last page.

Galleys for The Family Upstairs were provided by Atria Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Where do I even start with this latest Lisa Jewell nugget of goodness!? I am a HUGE Jewell fan and have been for years. This was my absolute FAVORITE from her to date! It's so twisted, warped, mysterious and chilling. Easily the best book I've read this year.

This story alternates between past and present and is told from 3 separate 3rd person perspectives. As the story starts in present day, we learn about Libby, who learns on her 25th birthday she has inherited a Chelsea mansion. She uses this house as a jumping off point to find out who she is and where she came from. The search for the truth on why her family left her as a baby is a mystery slowly unraveling...

The next perspective is also present day in Lucy's life. She is a mother of 2 living on the streets of France. "The Baby" just turned 25, and she is desperate to get her and her kids to London for the occasion. We learn about her past, why she left England all those years ago, and her reasons for staying gone so long.

Lastly, we get Henry's perspective from the past. Why have this group of mismatched adults moved into his parent's mansion? Why are they no longer allowed to go to private school or even leave their house? What lead up to them being found dead in the kitchen in matching, homemade clothing?

This was a haunting, dark, twisted, rich read. If it's your first Jewell novel, take the leap and start with this, then browse my blog for more Lisa Jewell book reviews! You'll love them all! If you've read her work before, read this and let me know what you think!

This is a hands down 5 star read for me! I have read it twice already! It is set to be released here in the U.S. tomorrow, November 5! Pre-order now so you can read it ASAP! Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for allowing me the eARC to read and give my honest review.



Happy Reading!