Lisa Jewell has written a very dark and creepy story filled with scandal, secrets, abuse and mystery. A quick read that kept me intrigued and guessing until the end. Full of crazy family dynamics!
Thank you to NetGallery for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is the fourth book I’ve read by Lisa Jewell and I can honestly say that I like each one more. This one, then, was the best so far. Unlike her other books, there was nothing slow book about this one. It started fast and interesting and kept the same unrelenting pace until the end, when it suddenly got a bit crazy. If you like thrillers, this one is a must read for the summer.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the EARC I received in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Let me start this review by saying, I’ve been a fan of Lisa Jewell’s books since I was in my 20s when she was writing “chick lit” like Ralph’s Party. I found her writing to be easy to read, but of a higher caliber than others in the genre.

For the last several years, she’s switched over to mysteries and while I’ve enjoyed them all, I think her latest offering, The Family Upstairs, may be the best one so far.

Libby Jones is living a quiet life outside London when she turns 25 and learns she has inherited a home in the posh Chelsea neighborhood from her biological parents who died when she was 6 months old. She grew up believing that her parents had died in a car accident, but the inheritance of a home that has been abandoned for 25 years leads her to trace down the truth about her parents – and her siblings.

The chapters flip between Libby, her older brother and her sister. Her brother tells the backstory of the house and how Libby ended up abandoned in a fancy crib with three adults dead in the kitchen. Her sister is homeless and struggling in the South of France with her two children and dog. And they return to the house on Cheyene Walk to greet the baby they had to leave behind decades ago when they were young teenagers trying to survive.

There are cults, poisonings and murders. And because it’s Lisa Jewell there is a little love story thrown in. I read this book in about 2 days, so it was a quick, easy and enjoyable read.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy through Net Galley.

When Atria books sends you an ARC of the new Lisa Jewell novel - what do you do? You drop everything your doing and read! I really enjoyed this book a lot - it was quite suspenseful and I just needed to know what happened in that house and why it was so important to return when the baby was 25. This novel was very well written by one of my favorite authors ever Lisa Jewell. It was told from multiple points of view at different periods of time- from Libby (aka the baby), Lucy and Henry(as an adult and as a child) . I thoroughly enjoyed it and as always Lisa Jewell did not disappoint!

What a sinister and heartbreaking read. I cleared my weekend for The Family Upstairs, but I actually only needed one night. Lisa Jewel never disappoints.
Henry and Lucy Lamb lived a childhood that was privileged, but which quickly descends into madness. Left behind in the aftermath is a baby. When the baby turns 25 and inherits what is left of their former life, the secrets come tumbling out.

I read a lot, usually starting a new book every two or three days. But once I started reading Lisa Jewell's new novel The Family Upstairs, I didn't stop until I read the very last word, some 5 or 6 hours later. I loved it! I was absorbed by the narrative and how various points of view would finally come together. The POVs start with Libby, who has just turned 25, and learned that she has been left a multi-million dollar (deserted) house in Chelsea that was once owned by her birth parents. All she knows of them is that they were involved with some "cult" and were found dead in an apparent suicide pact along with an unknown man when Libby was just an infant.

The next character we meet is Lucy, a woman living hand-to-mouth in the south of France along with her two small children. Lucy's connection to Libby isn't revealed until the final quarter of the novel. And finally, we meet Henry, whose story is taking place in the past. It begins with Henry as a young schoolboy living with his sister and parents in an opulent house in Chelsea. They're living a good life of wealth and privilege when his mother invites a couple of strangers into their home. These strangers are quickly followed by another strange couple with two children, and Henry's life is suddenly turned upside down. It's clear that Henry's childhood home is the home that Libby has inherited, but what his relationship is to Libby and how Lucy fits in are the mysteries that Jewell so deftly tells in The Family Upstairs.

Jewell weaves an intriguing story, and brings Lucy, Libby, and Henry to life. As their lives and various storylines build to convergence, Jewell throws in myriad twists and turns. She is a talented author, and I think this was her best to date. The Family Upstairs is a psychological thriller that I highly, highly recommend.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an electronic ARC in return for an honest review.

Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgally for review purposes.


This is the second book I've read by Lisa Jewell and I can happily say I'm definitely adding her to my author list. I'm stoked she has so many books out that I can now binge and enjoy to my heart's content while she still comes out with more!!!! Exciting times indeed.

Now the first book I read by her was Watching You and I was completely in love with that. This book had the same style, effortless writing and definitely bingeable - I didn't want to put it down. That being said I think my main fault with this was i didn't care much for the characters or get invested in them. I still love how they're can be a ton of characters but you know who each and every one is, so I'm happy about that.

Also while this is entirely me the book made me feel weird? It kind of almost made my head hurt, like it made me feel uneasy. While id usually love that in a book, the way this feeling was this time wasn't enjoyable. Maybe it was the cultish vibes or maybe it's because I'm not feeling great in general, who knows 🤷

The mystery at the heart was solid though and I felt like I had an idea of what went on but wasn't sure. Once you do start figuring it all out it doesn't seem obvious, it seems like Jewell set this up intentionally for you to now piece it together.

Very well written and very enticing. Just a little iffy for me. Would recommend trying though!

Four in a half stars

I enjoyed this thriller, suspense novel, with its unusual setting and plot. The story is primarily told from the point of view of young people and teens manipulated and at the mercy of deluded parents and their adult friends. How the different characters manage to weather the storms and maybe even survive is quite intriguing.

Libby inherits her birth parent's house at the age of 25. Located in prestigious Chelsea, Libby finds the house enormous and interesting - but in disrepair. Also the garden is quite unusual. She also finds out that her parents may have been murdered along with another man inside the house. Since Libby's brother and sister have not been found (or they may even be deceased) her attorney tells Libby that the estate is hers, alone.

Meanwhile, we meet Lucy, relatively homeless, in France. She has a daughter, Stella, and a son, Marco. Along with their dog, the three of them have been living on essentially nothing since Lucy's fiddle - her means of support - costs too much to repair. She receives an e-mail "The baby is 25. This springs her into action to go back to England. After obtaining money from her abusive ex-husband, the three of them (and the dog) start their journey.

Libby meets with a journalist who had already done a story on the "historical" goings on in the mansion, but now he wants the inside scoop. And what a scoop it is...

An unexpected ending!!! A great summer read.

Many Thanks to Aria Books and NetGalley for a rollercoaster ride.

THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS was slightly confusing at first, primarily because we are introduced rather quickly to three different narrators as well as two time periods. However, the story does eventually come together with Jewell's trademark twists and turns. As the novel progresses, it becomes easier to distinguish the POV characters and I was pretty anxious to find out the solution to the puzzle. The ending, while twisted and a bit morbid, was very satisfying. Fans of dark gothic-style suspense stories should love The Family Upstairs!

The Family Upstairs is a crazy ride full of twists and turns and an ending that is SO UNBELIEVABLE I think I am going to have to read it again to make sure I didn't miss anything.
I will admit, the beginning is a little disjointed- there are many players in this game, and different time periods. BUT, it all begins to come together and begins to add up beautifully.
The story revolves around the beautiful Lamb home, which is full of beautiful antiques and furniture. Henry and Lucy Lamb live a charmed life within its walls, and Henry is looking forward to beginning secondary school.
That all changes when David Thomsen, his wife Sally, and their two children move in. Everything begins to unravel and the consequences are devastating for all involved.
I loved this book so much. The ending is amazing and is by far the best Lisa Jewell book I have read. HOLD ON through the beginning as the story begins to take shape, you will not regret it!

Lisa Jewels book always draws me in keep me turning the pages.The Family Upstairs was particularly full of twists and turns kept me guessing till the end.Highly recommend this chilling read. #netgalley #atriareads.

A great, compulsively readable story told from alternating perspectives. This book continually toggles between the present and the past when something decidedly wrong went down in a house. You, the reader, are left picking up the pieces to figure out what happened and how things fit together.

This is my second Lisa Jewell book, and I must say she's a hell of a writer. She certainly gets interpersonal dynamics and knows how to write relationships well. This book also has excellent pacing. I regularly found myself barreling through a few more chapters because I wanted to follow up on a big reveal or clue.

I loved that this book managed to genuinely surprise me (at multiple points). That was mainly due to one of our three narrators being quite unreliable. Their perspectives on the past are tainted by having been a self-absorbed teenager at the time and not being able to fully grasp the complexity of the situation they found themselves in. Their perspectives on the present are tainted by not being completely honest with their motives. While I didn't see this character as a sociopath per se (which might have been a wee bit more interesting) they certainly were unstable enough to make the story a wild ride.

Anytime I give a book a high ranking I have to ask myself, "why not five stars?" After thinking things over while I write this review, I'd say that this book is probably more like a 4.5 for me. I can't find much that I DIDN'T like. I think ultimately I was left with questions about David and Birdie that I wanted answered. But we don't get those answers in this story because none of our three narrators really KNEW them or their motivations, even though those motivation are a huge driving force in the story. That was a little frustrating.

Aside: I'm not loving the promotional blurb for this book. I don't even remember the "cat in the wicker basket." What an odd tidbit to highlight where there are so many other ominous things to mention!

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Lisa Jewell sure delivered in this spine-tingling suspense novel. The Family Upstairs is told from different points of view flipping between present-day between Libby and her life as she inherits a huge gloomy house from her family that she never met, and Lucy as she struggles to make ends meet living on the street. The story also flips back in time from before "The Baby" was born. All of these voices and stories come together, but keep the reader guessing right until the very end!
Highly recommended!

*I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I genuinely love this author but this is twisted and morbid even for her, even for the genre. I know for many reader’s this is not a bad thing. I enjoyed the book but there were a few times I had to take a break because I felt queasy. 3.5 rounded up

Not as good as her other novels, but nonetheless a decent read. Would recommend. Plot was unique characters believable, and her writing as always very good,

The Family Upstairs might seem a little confusing at first, with there being two different timelines and three POVs. However, after the first 25 pages or so it all starts to come together perfectly. I highly recommend hanging in there!! This book is filled with some crazy family dynamics/drama and a great amount of twists & turns. I don’t want to spoil it for future readers so I will not go into detail because I feel like anything more will ruin the reading experience of this fast passed mystery. Going in blind is what I did and this book took me in a totally different direction then I thought it would. Add it to those TBR stacks!!





Thank you to the publisher @AtriaBooks and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.



Release date: 10/29/2019

Lisa Jewel never disappoints and all her books are so different than the last! This one was equally pleasing as I had no idea where it was going. It's a little bit gothic, a lot creepy, but has wonderful characterization and a storyline that will keep you guessing until the end. Told from multiple perspectives, the novel allows us to see the unfolding of the family secrets when siblings get a cryptic text, "The baby is back". The 'baby" is 25-year-old Libby who has just inherited the family estate in London, but how will she get there as she is presently homeless with two young children? Enter siblings Lucy and Henry whose story about their family, crazy upbringing, fiendish characters, and cult-like setting set the ominous tone that follows throughout the book. I was delighted to get my hands on this ARC as it lives up to Jewell's reputation for fine storytelling!

I love Lisa Jewell, and this book is another winner.

The book is told from three perspectives, one of which is a 25 young woman who learns she was a survivor of what might be a suicide pact between her parents and an unknown adult male. As the survivor, she has inherited an expensive house in an affluent part of London. When she begins exploring the house she discovers plenty of questions and few answers.

Weaving through time, the book slowly presents the family who used to live in the house, the young woman's life now, and slowly reveals layers and layers of secrets.

I know this is vague, but the book is very tightly plotted, and I want to give nothing away. LIsa Jewell is a gem of an author, and, trust me, she is worth the read. The atmosphere, dialogue and plot are all excellent.

Thanks to NetGalley.com, the author and publisher for my advanced copy.

Wow! This is Lisa Jewell's best book yet!! I started it and ended it in no time because I couldn't put it down. I began it before going to work, read it during work when I could, came home slept for two hours before I got up and wanted to start reading it again. Its that good! I will admit that its a bit confusing at first with the different pov's but after 30 pages or so things begin coming together. Three different pov's, a couple different timelines, a whole lot of mystery, twists, shock moments, and a family dynamic that will keep you guessing. READ IT!!

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.