4 Stars for Lisa Jewell's creepy new thriller, full of secret identities, cults and... murder?

Told from three points of view (always my favorite), the mystery behind Libby's parentage and why she has just inherited a mansion come to light in this tautly paced thrill ride. Of course, like all other mystery inheritances, this house is not without problems - including the fact that a cult suicide took place there years before leaving two children missing and one baby (our Libby) alone.

Jewell does an excellent job of building suspense, throwing in believable red herrings and timing the reveals accordingly. This is only the second book I've read from Jewell but I am certainly eager to check out more from her backlist!

I became a fan of Lisa Jewell’s writing when I read Then She Was Gone, early last year. Her writing is seamless and reads with such ease. This is exactly what I found again while reading The Family Upstairs. From start to finish I was enthralled with the story and characters. She has really perfected her craft and has what I often find missing from some of the other big hitters (i.e. Ruth Ware). I went in fairly blind and I’m so glad I did. There was an aspect to this book that I always love seeing in a story-line so I was very pleasantly surprised. I suggest you do the same and just enjoy the ride. If you’re like me, you will absolutely breeze through this fabulous book.

This is a brilliantly written novel that I could not put down. The story is told from three different point of views and I found it very easy to follow. This book kept me guessing at what was going to happen next and I was wrong every time. I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next!

This book was good. I found myself getting confused as to which character was speaking. The author skipped back and forth and there were so many character. I have enjoyed Lisa Jewell’s other books and don’t think it was quite as. Involved with characters. Boy, those intruders certainly were greedy. And the talked about giving to charity. The only charity they knew was themselves. David was pure evil. He had done this same thing several times before. He was found out but this family was weak. Not of their own fault. Fathe,r Henry had two strokes and David was a very good con man. Dad couldn’t throw them out and mom was besotted. Enjoyed this book. Found myself looking back to see who was talking.

The Family Upstairs is told in 3 perspectives, we have Lucy, a single mom to a tween boy and a young girl. She's been struggling for years and is homeless. She normally makes her money busking with her fiddle until some teens broke it. Now she needs to pay the repair bill so she can get her children off the streets.

Then we have Libby, who tells our main story about inheriting a house upon her 25th birthday. As she researches her long lost family, certain horrors come to light. It appears they were in a cult, and her parents died as part of a suicide pact. But she doesn't have the whole story and she wants to know more.

Lastly, we have Henry, and his story is mostly told in the past. His parents are the ones that own the house on Cheyne Walk, and he's watched his family descent from a wealthy, to-do family, to practically nothing. With ill health and no possessions, this man David that his mother has welcomed into their lives is tightening the reins with every day, and Henry fears none of them will make it out.

Libby is the center of our story because as an infant, she was the lone survivor of what happened on 16 Cheyne Walk. Her brother and sister were never found and so she has no way to really piece together this mystery of what happened and why she was left behind. I think out of the three views of the story, Henry's was the one that was the most bone-chilling, because we watch this man David completely take over their lives, and Henry's mother is just so enamored with him, she not only lets him do this, but she thinks it's an absolute blessing. Even though Libby is at the center of the story, she doesn't stand out as a character compared to Henry and Lucy.

I read some other reviews that people didn't much care for the varying timelines and points of view, but I'm a big fan of authors giving the readers just enough to keep them needing more and that's exactly what Jewell has done here. We need to find out what really happened. We want Libby to put together the puzzle, we want Lucy to find that better life for her children, and we really want Henry to get out of the hell that is his life.

I loved watching the story come together and I think Jewell did it incredibly well. We have a huge cast of characters, and if you're paying attention, it's easy to put together the family tree of who's who. I found myself screaming at David's mother, the nerve of just letting the family slip into nothing because she's putting her happiness before her husbands and her children. Dark and creepy, The Family Upstairs was a super fun read.

The Family Upstairs is a dark, twisted psychological slow-burner of a thriller which will have you trying to unravel the pieces right til the end.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell is Available November 5, 2019

Libby Jones receives notification that she has received an inheritance from her birth parents shortly after her twenty-fifth birthday. Adopted at 10 months old, she knows nothing about her biological family except that her parents died in a car crash. When she meets with the lawyer she finds that she has inherited a house worth millions and along with it a dark and mysterious past. Told in alternating viewpoints this book slowly reveals pieces of the puzzle and the history of the house and her biological family.

This book had a great pace that kept me turning the pages. I had no idea what was going on for at least a third of the book when things started to come together but I was still a little surprised at the end. It had a few unexpected turns and the characters were creepy. I think this is my favorite of Lisa Jewell's books so far and I have read them all.

Thanks to NetGalley and Century Publishing for the advanced reader's copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. Look for "The Family Upstairs" from your favorite book store on November 5, 2019.

Lisa Jewell is the master of the can't-put-it-down thriller! Typically, I love to listen to her novels on long road trips to keep me going, and even though this wasn't an audiobook, I had the same experience of desperately needing to know what would happen, so I read this book in one day! It was fast-paced, disturbing, and very smart in its twisty disclosure of clues. Perfect for anybody who loves a good mystery.

Oof sorry, this one did not work for me. I’m a Lisa Jewell fan, have loved her books in the past, but this one just never gelled for me. Not a thriller as much as a family drama, but I never found myself caring about the characters or their stories. It pains me to write this because I’m so grateful for the chance to read a new book by a favorite author, but opinions are only worth something if they’re honest! Will certainly read anything else Jewell writes in the future.

I absolutely loved this book. I usually read a couple books a week, but this one had my full attention. Lisa Jewell is my new favorite author. The way this story evolved and changed through the various narrators perspectives was flawless. Each person was interesting and added to the unease of the story. Well done! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

A short break in your skincare and beauty to discuss this truly awesome book recommended by @omgbart —This is one of the best books I’ve read all year. Without giving too much away, as this book is at its finest due to the “edge of your seat” writing style, the plot alone which unravels in a deliberately frustrating (in a good way!) way as you read is extremely layered, as are the characters, and keeps you wanting more. I couldn’t put this book down and never wanted it to end, though of course it did—but ended perfectly. The interesting writing style, flashing without warning from narrator to narrator, past to present, and more which I don’t want to reveal as it’s truly special, caught my attention immediately. I read a lot of true crime, crime fiction, mystery, etc. and this fit in beautifully within those genres (plus a little something extra if cults are your thing). A truly special book from the brilliant mind of @lisajewelluk —available for purchase on November 5th! #netgalley

This book by celebrated author Lisa Jewell was interesting, but she could have told the story in far fewer pages. The plot dragged throughout but picked up at the end and was filled with characters I couldn't get myself to care about. Maybe it was just me.

Readers will quickly want to follow the rabbit trail to find what is behind the message, 'the baby is 25.' This story is told from three different points of view and sometimes gets rather confusing. Lucy, Libby and Henry each have a very different voice in this intriguing tale. The house in Chelsea definitely had secrets that surprisingly no one could imagine and everyone seemingly ignored. Recommended!

This book was just okay. I love Lisa Jewel, but this book was confusing at times.It is the story of the Lamb family and how when David Thomsen moves into the house he takes over their lives. Told from the perspectives of four children, Henry, Phin, Lucy and Libby. It was hard to follow at times. The characters are complex but well developed. I got to know each one of these people. It was a very creepy book. The children are locked in their rooms, given little food , as David manipulated everyone. The further I got into this very twisted tale, the more I enjoyed reading it. This was not the best book that I have read by this author, however, it did keep me turning the pages. It is very devious and there are many twists. Overall I did enjoy the read simply because I love this authors writing. Very dark and twisted psychological thriller. It's worth the read because well, it's Lisa Jewel.

Libby Jones always knew she had been adopted, but was surprised to receive a letter from a lawyer on her 25th birthday, saying they needed to discuss her inheritance. Curious about her birth family, and not expecting much, she went to the appointment, only to learn she had inherited a house in the fashionable Chelsea district of London. Stunned, she and the attorney walked to the house, which had been boarded up since the tragedy, where Libby – then Serenity – had been discovered in her crib, with the decomposing bodies of her parents and an unidentified man were lain out in the kitchen, victims of a suicide pact.

Henry Lamb’s father had money, his mother Martina was beautiful, and Henry and his sister were well aware of the status their home on 16 Cheyne Walk in Chelsea afforded. When his mother allowed Birdie and Justin to stay upstairs, just for a day or two, Henry was disgusted by these strange people who played the fiddle for a living. They were odd-looking, unkempt, and Henry could not understand what his socialite mother saw in them. But when the Thomsens came to stay, Henry somehow knew that their safe little world would never be the same.

I love Lisa Jewell’s work, and this book was no exception. It kept me in suspense, guessing about what had happened to Henry Sr and Martina, why Serenity was abandoned in her crib, what were those people upstairs really planning…and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This book begs a sequel, though…what happens with Henry? And with Phin?

Quite a disturbing look at families enmeshed and intertwined. Children subjected to one man’s narcissism and adults inexplicably drawn to his dark, controlling charisma. Serenity, the lone live survivor as an infant of a mysterious murder, unsolved for years. The children, scattering to the winds, but always thinking about the infant left behind. All keeping tabs on her in their own way until she returns to them through the house they fled. Sad, unexpected and a wonderful read.

Lisa Jewell has written another page turning mystery/thriller The Family Upstairs. I loved the perspectives of the different characters and trying to figure out what was going on in this house. I'm not sure where Lisa Jewell gets her ideas to write these novels but I can never get enough and she always leaves me with my mouth hanging at the end!

I absolutely loved this book. I give very few 5 star reviews but feel that this book deserves it. The storyline is so complex and interesting. Upon reading I could picture the house in the story. I’m hoping there is a continuation of this story. Love this author!!

Any book that Lisa Jewell writes lands on my TBR pile, so I was glad to get a preview of this one! The story has a lot characters which took me a while to keep straight, but they all came together in an way that was unexpected but made sense. Even though the plotline is written in a way so that the reader knows the outcome, the suspense kept me turning pages to find out how it was going to get there. Even though the book had some pretty dark themes, it was resolved in a way that was optimistic for the main characters, who definitely deserved a happy ending after everything they went through.

Lisa Jewell has a way of writing some really creepy stories! It starts off as a semi normal family but soon more people start to move into their mansion. Told in 3 different points of view, and you don't quite know how they are all connected! Libby, Lucy, and Henry all were so different but in the end they are intertwined in the mansion where horrible things happened. The house atmosphere was so creepy you could feel, the family slowly start to change and become more cult like. I really enjoyed the little twists throughout the end, and I hadn't saw a lot of it coming. I loved the way it was all tied up at the end and I was surprised how it ended! It did feel a little longer for a thriller but it was an enjoyable ride and I can't wait to read more from Lisa Jewell!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.