Having read previous solid thrillers by Jewell, I know she constructs plausible plot lines, creates tension, and develops interesting characters. In her latest, she continues her streak. Set in England as always, Libby is a young woman, just turning 25, whose life as a kitchen designer is staid and rather boring. Yet when she receives a letter telling her that her birth parents left a home for her to be given on this birthday, it sets into motion a long deliciously twisted trail of who Libby really is as well as her intriguing family members. This is an easy read that will keep you turning pages.

This was a fascinating suspenseful tale told from multiple points of view. This was a quick read and I hated to put it down because I really wanted to know what happened. I loved the shivery ending.

As a fan of Lisa Jewell's books, I was excited to learn that she had authored a new novel. This book, however, was lacking some of the suspense that I've come to expect from Jewell's writings. It was hard to keep track of the various characters and I found it challenging to root for any of them.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Over the years, I have read a few of Jewell's books - and have several more on my shelves waiting to be read. I quite enjoyed this one that pulls in the reader from the very start - with 25-year-old Libby receiving an inheritance from her birth parents - a mansion in Chelsea. Soon, she's digging into not only the history of the house, but the mystery of the conditions in which she was found.

The story unfolds over multiple perspectives, containing a few genuine surprises as well as some more expected turns regarding the cult-like inhabitants of the house under the leadership of a controlling man. It's well-written, with an ominous pacing that makes this a perfect October read for those who don't want something more traditionally horror, as it is never really frightening. I had a hard time putting it down and quite thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I feel that the characters were fully drawn, with the aftereffects of their dark childhoods plainly written on their presents. I really enjoyed it, though I do wish that the ending had included a bit more. But, I think that not wanting a book to end is probably a sign of just how much you enjoy it! I definitely am looking forward to seeing what Jewell will write next!

To begin with, allow me to see your "She Has a Name" and raise you “so do all these dang neighbors and families and couples” in today’s book titles. You’d think they lived next door to a creeper like me who just wants to peep them but never actually meet them!

Second, I requested this book because it had a house on the cover. The version I received had hemlock or some shit instead, but trust that the house cover auto-request truly is a sickness that I have to fight tooth and nail to avoid. Bonus when I discovered it was by Lisa Jewell who I have really enjoyed in the past. But that’s all I knew. I just assumed it was going to be some “ drunken unreliable narrator on a train in a window who may or may not be gone” type of storyline. When it turned out to be maybe about a cult. . . . .welllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll . . . . . ALL YOU SINNERS STAND UP SING HALLELUJAH!

The story here is presented by siblings Lucy and Henry and “the baby” Libby. Libby has just turned 25 and inherited what is known as The Chelsea House (basically code name for mansion) due to no one else on the trust coming forward in time to claim their share. The remainder of the story tells the family history, the house’s history and all of the goings on that occurred between the now and the back then when the parents and another man were found dead.

If you are looking for a lot of action and plot twists, this might not work for you. But if you enjoy slow rollers and family secrets it might be just what the doctor ordered. You’ll probably find the big reveal to be pretty obvious if you are an avid thriller reader, but it didn’t make me any less entertained while I was reading. Lisa Jewell has become a go-to-gal for me. I’ll happily auto request anything she puts out at this point – even if there isn’t a house on the cover ; )

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

On her 25th birthday, Libby Jones receives two surprising and life–changing pieces of information: the identity of her birth parents and the news that she has inherited a massive, abandoned mansion in London. But there is so much more to the story! Libby also learns that, twenty-five years ago, she was found as a crying infant, alone in the house along with three dead bodies after an apparent suicide pact. The other children living in the house have disappeared. Where are they? What happened to her parents to cause them to die? And who is the strange other dead body lying beside them? I’ll stop there, so I don’t give away too much, but I really enjoyed this book. The story is thrilling, creepy, and takes you in many surprising, twist-y directions. It was very tough to put down, and was one of the best thrillers I’ve read this year.

I have a confession to make: I am a sucker for a good domestic suspense novel. Nothing makes me happier than a dark and soapy multigenerational mystery, and nobody excels at the genre like than Lisa Jewell. Her characters are reliably unreliable, and her mysteries are unnervingly twisty, and she manages to do all that without sacrificing well-developed relationships and emotionally-layered characters. Which is quite a feat, especially in her latest when the book, which also happens to feature poisonous gardens, creepy cults, acid trips, and mass murder!

Libby Jones was adopted as a baby and grew up wondering who her birth parents were. Now an adult, she is stunned to receive a letter not only informing her who her mom and dad were, but also notifying her that she is the sole beneficiary of their abandoned London mansion. Said mansion just happens to be the location where her parents were found dead 25 years ago (of course!!). As Libby begins to unravel the secrets around her parents’ deaths, she soon suspects she might not be the only relative looking for answers

Told from three alternating points of view, The Family Upstairs is a fast-paced whodunit that will keep you guessing until the final delicious sentence. If I had any issues with the book, it would be that my productive Sunday afternoon came to a screeching standstill when I naively thought it would be a good idea to start this unputdownable read. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

What a great book! Lisa Jewell does not disappoint. This book combines a few of my favorite things; mystery, thrillers, cults, and suspense! The "cult" element added something new to the mystery genres I'm used to reading and it also kept me guessing till the end. I highly recommend this book and cant wait for more from Lisa Jewell since they all have been amazing.

4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a disturbing, dark, suspenseful and atmospheric story! Lisa Jewell has done it again with the The Family Upstairs. A very unique tale about family history and all of its secrets.

Although I’m a big fan of Jewell’s books, I was hesitant to read this after seeing so many of my friends’ mixed reviews. I didn’t know what to expect, so I kept an open mind. I’m so glad I did!

The three POVs in the book really made it awesome for me. Between that and the short chapters, I found myself having a hard time putting this book down. I just had to know how these character’s chapters came together in the end. I loved each of their stories and found them quite fascinating.

If you love Lisa Jewell or just love a good family mystery, this book is for you. There are no shocking twists, but lots of good stuff here.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and Lisa Jewell for my advanced copy to read and review.

The creep factor in this book gave me chills and kept me engaged. Much of the mystery surrounds what went wrong in the past and the signs of a cult suicide pact. I fell in love with Lisa Jewell's books when I read "Then She Was Gone" and I opened this one up on my Kindle app with relish. The story is told from the POV of three of our major players. Two timelines are current, one in the past. One or more of our narrators has definite potential to be unreliable and we uncover this as the narrative progresses. Much of the mystery surrounds what went wrong in the past to leave three dead adults, four missing teenagers, and the signs of a cult suicide pact. It fell short of five stars as at about 80%, I started to wonder if this was all there was. The ending gave me goosebumps and made me decide to stick with four stars. Would definitely recommend to fans of Ruth Ware and Clare Mackintosh. A great read for a cool fall evening!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa Jewell has done it again! I love the way her stories unfold and how captivating they are. This one was told from 3 viewpoints of likable characters. It has all the twists and turns of a good mystery novel. It was predictable at times, but the story was so strong it didn't matter. Libby was adopted and inherited a house when she turned 25. She had no clue what her biological family was like or who they were. With some help from a friend and an investigative journalist, she finds out all the disturbing details about the family upstairs and what her family went through.

“Oh f***!” Those were my exact words when I read the last sentence of The Family Upstairs! Just like Then She Was Gone, this is a sick, twisted.... and awesome tale! I don’t want to give any spoilers so I’ll suffice it to say the ending begs for a continuation.
The first half of the novel is a slower burn, building the picture of the background story, told in alternating timelines. It lays the foundation well, and succeeds in building the anticipation of what is to come, some of which you can guess, some which comes flying out at you toward the end!
Thank you Atria books and NetGalley for the free review copy. Pub date November 5th!

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewel #jaylammreviews

Libby just found out that she was inherited a house. Not just a house, the house she was found in as in infant. The house her parents were found dead in...

After reading Jewell's Then She Was Gone last year, I was hooked on this author. I love the short chapter, multiple POV and surprising endings. The Family Upstairs was another good one! I really liked that this was not the typical thriller. It had all these layers of story that she kept revealing. This book has three storylines going on, but the author does such an amazing job interweaving everything. I was interested in all three storylines- which is rare. The story wasn't all that shocking or unpredictable but I really enjoyed it. I felt like a fresh idea for a thirller- I haven't heard this story before.

A unique and entertaining modern day gothic thriller.

SUMMARY
Libby Jones just turned 25, and one day shortly after she returns from work to find a letter that will change her life forever. In this letter, she learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned gothic mansion on the banks of the Thames River in London‘s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood. The house is worth millions.

Twenty-five years ago police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived they found a healthy, happy ten-month old baby in a crib. Downstairs, in the kitchen, three bodies are lined up on the floor, all dressed in black. The four other children reported to live at the house were gone. What happened in this house? Were there other adults? Where are the other children?


REVIEW
THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS is a complex psychological thriller. The writing was suspenseful and draws you into the story. The complexity comes from the story being told from three different perspectives with varying timeframes. Libby’s perspective is told in the current day as she become acquainted with the creaks and groans and history of her newly inherited house.

The second perspective is from Henry, who was one of the children who had disappeared from the house. Henry’s chapters take us into the gothic mansion in the late 1980’s. He tells us the story of how slowly and yet quickly his parents and house changed after “they” arrived. The story Henry tells is vexing and unsettling.

The third perspective is from Lucy, a homeless women in France, with two kids and a dog. She was another one of the children who had been in the house back in the day. Her story is also told from the current day perspective, and she is willing to do anything to get back to that house in Chelsea, even make nice with her violent ex-husband.

Initially, the reading was difficult, adjusting to the various perspectives, and the large number of relevant characters. With the exception of Libby, the characters were while well-developed, either weak, unlikable or downright creepy. It was a quick read for me once I got into it and I found THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS fairly original and moderately entertaining.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Simon & Schuster
Published November 5, 2019
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

Lisa Jewell has turned into one of my gotos even though I am a relatively new fan. With books like Then She Was Gone and I Found You she has cemented herself with unique plots, flawed characters and lots of twists and turns.

The Family Upstairs is a fast-paced book that delivered on all levels I love. While this one was a little darker with an almost Gothic feel I struggled to put it down. With its (sorta) mansion style home and told from a number of POVs I was introduced to a cast of characters where not many were likable but they were well developed making the story all the more intense.

There are a number of characters, predominately in the back story, and it wasn’t hard to follow along. Again I found a unique plot that kept me guessing, with lots of twists and turns just reinforced my feelings about Lisa Jewell, definitely an author I highly recommend.

My thanks to the publisher (via Netgalley) for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love stories that are told in multiple perspectives. This book is just that - you get to experience the story through the lenses of Henry, Lucy, and Libby, at different moments in time. Strange things happened in the Chelsea house, and as you read the book you start to understand just how strange they are. Another page turner by Lisa Jewell that I just couldn’t put down.

I’m afraid this wasn’t among my favorite books. The story had a slow and lengthy start. The altering between timelines – present and past – became confusing in excessive jumping around, which caused it to be disjointed and distracting.

Also, with the exception of Henry, who was granted a ‘Henry’ heading when the chapter was narrated by him, I usually had to be a page or two into the chapter before I knew who the chapter was about. All the narrators could have used ‘Name’ headings.

There were some pros in that the story did keep me interested. But there were some cons too such as, it took too long for the two storylines to come together, the villain was more of a jerk than a villain, and I don’t think the title fits the story.

One test for me to determine a successful book is my wanting to get back to it after not reading for a while. I was never too anxious to get back to it.

As usual, I’m grateful to NetGalley, the publisher, and Lisa Jewell for the opportunity to read and review The Family Upstairs.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. I didn't know what kind of mystery or thriller it would be but wow! A very dysfunctional family + suffocating home atmosphere + three story lines that all connect at the end. Some things that were revealed were a little shocking but considering what this family went through, I don't think it's out of the realm of possibilities if it had happened in real life. If you like dark mysteries, then you may enjoy this one!

Tells the story of an unexpected heiress to a neglected, multi-million dollar home in Chelsea and how she and the house are intertwined with the death of her parents and an unknown man. Told from multiple viewpoints (which at times can be very confusing), the plot unfolds slowly through the first half of the book. It picks up and the back half of the book is impossible to put down (stick with it!). Such a twisted, layered story that leaves you wondering how it will end long after the last page. Loved it!

This was my first Lisa Jewell novel and now I completely understand why she has such a following!

The Family Upstairs checks off all of the boxes. It opens on a dark vignette, shrouded in mystery. A gruesome trio of corpses, an abandoned baby, and more questions than answers, greet the officers who come to investigate an anonymous tip in an affluent neighborhood. The story is narrated from multiple perspectives, twisting and turning through the physical and emotional trauma leading to that fateful day. Fast-paced, with well-developed characters, and a bit of an edge, The Family Upstairs is the ideal read for a chilly fall evening!