This is a new release from Jewell, a very successful British author known for 'Then She Was Gone', 'I Found You' and 'Watching You' among others. This is another domestic thriller. It is told in two time periods, present day and 25 years earlier. Libby who is adopted, receives a letter on her 25th birthday telling her about her inheritance from her birth parents - a very large house in the heart of London. Twenty five years ago her parents and another man were found dead of suicide in the house. She was discovered in a crib in good health, but the other teenagers that lived in the house were never found. In chapters set in the past we learn some of what really happened in the house, while in present day we follow Libby as she explores her new house and discovers its secrets. I enjoyed this one and found the twists and turns surprising and entertaining. Fans if the genre should not be disappointed.

This felt less like a psychological thriller and more like a dark family mystery. The story was revealed a bit too slowly for me and I didn’t find it to be a satisfying payoff at the end. There were many characters, and the story is told from different perspectives and timelines. Other readers have found this engaging, but I started to lose interest. I disliked the cliffhanger ending.

4.75 stars out of 5 stars

I would like to thank Netgalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Libby Jones was adopted as a baby and for her whole life she has wondered her she really is. Shortly after her 25th birthday Libby receives a letter she has been waiting her whole for for. She will finally know where she comes from. Her life has not been horrible but she has never known who she truly is. However, opening the letter leaves her with even more questions.

What she knows is that twenty five years ago police were called to a house at 16 Cheyne Walk complaining of a baby crying. What they found was three dead bodies from a murder suicide and evidence of a cult. Though there were reports of children being seen going in and out none of the children were there except for one baby girl by the name of Serenity Lamb, aka Libby Jones.

As we flash back to the past as Henry tells us in first person the events that led up to the demise Libby's birth parents. We also hear from Libby and Lucy, both in third person.

This is a really well written mystery that will make it almost impossible to put down.

After a slow start with lots of characters to keep track of, Lisa Jewell's The Family Upstairs really takes off. The various character storylines converge and, as the pieces fall into place, a horrifying story is revealed.

This book is a quick read, although maybe not quite believeable. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars-- I'm giving this an extra half star for being effectively creepy and damn it, this time of year, I want to be creeped and spooked! I was attracted to this on the strength of the description (past mystery in a spooky ass house? yes please), and I think it mostly delivered what I wanted from the premise. That said, I think this got a little off track after a very strong start, and while I mostly liked where things ended up, I think this could have benefited from some trimming out of fat. This also has a present tense narrator in one of the POVs, and that was not my gig. All in all, a solid fall read and darker than what I expected based on what I know from the author's previous work

People are warped and twisted. And sometimes… they produce children who are even more so.

Lisa Jewell weaves a tale of greed, lust and sheer insanity in her latest thriller, “The Family Upstairs.”

Set in London, the book begins with Libby Jones, adopted as an infant, finally finding out who her birth family is. Unbeknownst to her, she is also inheriting a mansion worth millions of pounds. However, everything comes with a price… and this house is no exception.

Surrounded by mystery, the house has been vacant for decades. Years ago, the owners were found dead and their children missing… except for a baby upstairs who appeared to have been well cared for.

Meanwhile, in France, a destitute mother of two sees a reminder on her phone: The baby is 25. What the heck? Just who is the baby and what does she have to do with this homeless woman? You will have to read to find out more and discover the truth behind the mystery. It’s well worth the time!

The book winds up nicely and the ending is shockingly satisfying. However, there is an opportunity for a sequel. Hoping that’s what Lisa Jewell has in mind. I want to know what happens next!

Publication Date: November 5, 2019
Genre: Suspense, Mystery, Adoption, Cults
Cover: Great
Rating: 5 stars
Source: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!
#TheFamilyUpstairs #NetGalley

This was a very confusing book for me. Told from three points if views and varied in time periods. I like thrillers and I do like dysfunction but it was a little confusing for me to get into.

This was such an amazing read that I couldn’t put it down. It went everywhere with me. To the doctors office, the dentist, the eye doctor. IT WENT ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE. I was so sad when it ended that I immediately went and bought more books from this author!

Excellent book. I read it in one day, it drew me in that much. I love a good thriller/suspense/mystery. This one had a little bit of it all, mystery, murder, psycho tendencies, controlling crazy characters you just can't stand, and cult mentality. Loved the little cliff hanger ending on the last page...

A lot here to like. The story weaves back and forth between narrators and time. Libby knows she is adopted. She finds out on her 25th birthday that she was not just adopted, but found as a baby as the only survivor in a cult suicide. Looking into it, she finds it is not that simple. There are other children. Missing for 24 years are her family. And there is an unidentified body next to her parents. Then we have Lucy. She is living under an assumed name, barely scraping by. She knows the baby is 25 now and she needs to get back. The male narrator is unnamed, but there is a pretty good idea of his identity. They slowly come together to the same place both narratively and personally. Fast paced. Never got bored.

3.75 stars.

I picked up The Family Upstairs at just the right time. I could feel myself sinking into a bit of a reading slump after reading a few books that just didn't catch my attention like I hoped they would. This thrilling novel had me reading fast and highly entertained. It took me a bit to get the characters straight, but I enjoyed that each one was different and engaging.

The Family Upstairs has a very gothic feel to it, and for some reason it kept reminding me of A Series of Unfortunate Events. The movie, not the books--since I've never read the books. Maybe it's the big, old house, which becomes its own character in the novel. And the largely ignored children.

While thrillers aren't my go-to genre, I enjoy them when they're mysterious and fast-paced. The only reason this one didn't get 4 full stars from me was because the ending was a bit convoluted and took me out of the story. But it did have a great last line!

"The Family Upstairs" by Lisa Jewell is a long book (over 400 pages) but it is such a great read that I finished it in just a few hours. It is the story of Libby Jones who, soon after her 25th birthday, learns that she is to inherit a mysterious mansion in a posh London neighborhood. Libby is adopted and soon discovers the unusual and dark history of both the mansion she's inherited and her birth family.

This book is told from several points of view throughout different timelines which may be confusing to some readers, but I found it to be an effective method to build the suspense of the story. I think it all came together quite nicely at the end. The plot was intriguing and kept me interested and turning pages. Ms. Jewell's writing is richly detailed and makes the characters come alive to the reader. I did not anticipate the plot twists ahead of time which kept the book interesting and exciting.

I have not read any of the author's previous works, but I am now a Lisa Jewell fan and will be reading everything she has written. Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the privilege of reading this entertaining book and for introducing me to an author whom I haven't read.

"Socialite and husband dead in suicide pact. Teenage children missing; baby found alive."

Libby is now 25 years old and has aquired her family's abandoned house, a family she doesn't know. She goes about trying to find out more about her family and what really happened to her parents.

The story felt long but in a good way. It was never slow. I just kept wanting to turn the pages. The suspense made me really like that it was written in multiple POV. I don't always like that style. This book definitely lived up to the expectations I had based on all of the hype.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. This is the first by this author I have read, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was afraid of a try-too-hard, absurd-twists-shoved-down-my-throat type of read. Turns out, it was pretty original, entertaining, well-written, suspenseful, and clever. I will be trying more from Lisa Jewell now that I know to expect better than some of the cliche' psychological thrillers out there.

The family upstairs completely captivated me. I read it in two days because I just couldn't stop reading. I wanted to know what in the world happened to this seemingly normal family to cause them to go from normal to bizarre and from bizarre to dead.

From the outset, we know that Libby was adopted before she was a year old. She knows the circumstances of her adoption. Her parents died in a murder suicide in their home in Chelsea. On her 25th birthday, she inherits that home. Of course, she's in shock. Who wouldn't be? You're a 25 year old woman selling kitchens one moment and the next, you own a house worth millions. A house full of secrets and darkness...questions that have never been answered came from that house. But that is just the beginning.

This story is told from the perspectives of Libby and her unknown siblings Lucy and Henry. I don't want to tell you too much about Lucy and Henry because "Spoilers, Sweetie." Lucy and Henry were gone when their parents and an unknown male were found at least 3 days after their death in a house with a baby who had clearly been cared for during that time, And the once opulent house was basically bare. Right away, you know Lucy and Henry are going to have some serious issues.

You have to read The Family Upstairs to find out not only what happened in that house but also where Lucy and Henry have been and what their lives are like as a result.

The Family Upstairs is great if you are a fan of psychological thrillers. It's got lots of crazy circumstances, and there were several twists that I didn't see coming. The book leaves you with several questions, but I guess that is good. You can deduce from the novel what you think is going to happen. It definitely left me thinking!

Not every riveting book has to begin with a thrilling kick start. Some, like The Family Upstairs, can start softly. In some ways, I like slow burn novels better. Clever authors know how to ratchet the tension bit by bit until the reader is on the edge of her seat.

I have to admit that, at first, I was a little confused. There are three separate stories woven together, but it took me a while to figure out who was telling what story and how they related. I was on the verge of frustration, but then I had a breakthrough. Once the story picked up speed (about a third of the way in) I couldn't stop reading.

The Family Upstairs tells the story of a mysterious suicide pact that left four adults dead and a living baby in a crib. The events leading to that event are some of the most traumatic I've ever read about. One of the main characters, David, is a horrible, menacing man, but the others find his charm irresistible and do his bidding. Only the children know the truth, but they're forbidden any contact with the outside world.

Lisa Jewell has written a marvelous book, but the reason for my four-star review is that the end felt clumsy to me. It isn't bad, but I wanted some of the characters to get their just desserts. Libby, the character I liked the best, is a good soul, but the others are downright wicked. I would have liked to see at least some comeuppance for their crimes.

Overall, though, this was an excellent, creepy read, and I recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa Jewell and Atria Books for this ARC.

Lisa Jewell is one of those authors who never, ever disappoints with her stories. This was an amazing book. I thought I had the ending figured out, but nope! A well paced, very interesting story.

4.5 Stars Rounded UP!!!

My first Lisa Jewell and a perfect read for October. Dark, creepy and disturbing (but not in a way that makes it hard to read).

I was very fortunate to receive a copy of this back in May and I was so excited because it's Lisa Jewell. There isn't a soul around who doesn't love her books. Since I apparently have lived off the grid for the past 5-6 years, I had never read any of her books. So this was my chance! Then in July/August some early reviews from trusted book friends started coming in...some really good reviews and some not as good. It had too many characters, it was hard to make sense of the timeline - I saw both of these comments mentioned repeatedly. Well, thankfully the warnings helped set the stage and both were a non-issue. (Also, maybe my ignorance on her previous works?) Whatever the case, DO NOT BE AFRAID. Very early on, the book establishes a pattern and a back and forth that helps with the rapid fire character introduction when you first start. You can easily get the lay of the land and the puzzle pieces start to fit together.

I'm going to skip the summary and leave that to others. Gather round and let's discuss! I loved the short chapters. Normally, they bother me because they break up the pace of the book and I feel disconnected, but in this case it heightened the suspense (the steady and slow drip of information) and worked well with the frequent change in perspectives. The way the book was structured was also very clever in building the curiosity of WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED in this house!!! To put is in Google Maps terms, I felt like we began with a super zoomed out, satellite view of everything and with each chapter the mouse scrolled closer and closer until we were right on top of that house. It was so ominous and delightful at the same time I almost wondered if something was wrong with me.

My only criticism (which prevented the full 5 stars and is slightly spoilerish so don't read ahead if you want to wait until you finish) is that I wanted to know MORE about some of the characters. (view spoiler)

I am very skeptical when it comes to thrillers so I know I would have skipped this book if it were ultimately my decision alone. Without receiving this directly from Atria, I would have missed out on this awesome reading experience and future ones as well. So thank you, Ariele!

TW: Somewhere in the last 80 pages or so there is a troubling scene with a cat. Luckily, it's short and you know it's coming so skim that if necessary!

Thank you to Ariele Friedman at Atria Books, NetGalley and Lisa Jewel for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Review Date: 10/23/19
Publication Date: 11/05/19

I had never read anything by this author before, and I probably would not have picked up this book based on the description (stories of children in peril are not very bearable for me) but honestly I flew through this - a great thriller with shifting perspectives and timelines that really worked! I am definitely more interested in checking out earlier work by the author having read this.

A wealthy family allows some people to “temporarily “ stay in their home. This leads to years of abuse and eventual ritual suicide. Or was it murder?

The main character, Libby, finds out she was an infant who survived the this tragedy and has now inherited the house. While she doesn’t seem to experience much growth, I did like reading the stories of the teenagers who lived in the house during the time of the abusive “commune.”

I found the ending a bit predictable and lackluster, but did enjoy the overall writing and atmosphere. I gave the story 3.5 stars.

Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC of this book, which comes out November 5.