I’d like to thank HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Girl Upstairs’ written by Georgina Lees in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Suzie and Emily live in flats in the Angel, Islington, Suzie on the ground floor and Emily upstairs. Suzie likes peace and quiet and gets distressed when everything Emily does is noisy from walking in her high heels on thin wooden floorboards to entertaining men and playing pop music loudly into the night.

‘The Girl Upstairs’ is about two neighbours and what happens when for no apparent reason Emily stops making a noise and Suzie starts to worry that something has happened to her. When I read the description this book sounded exactly what I like to read but it was so slow that I found it difficult to get into and skipped over bits to try to hurry it along. I didn’t like Emily who I thought was inconsiderate although I could empathise with Suzie but quite honestly I didn’t have any interest in either of them and realised I had no desire to find out what was going to happen. I know that other readers have enjoyed it so it’s most likely me making a bad choice of books to read as it didn’t grab me at all.

I found The Girl Upstairs to be a bit of a slow burner but it still managed to keep me wanting to read more. It doesn't have lots of twists and turns, just enough to keep you reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

I really didn't know what to make of this book. It was interesting enough to keep me reading but nothing out of the ordinary. Then I got to the end and the twist was so unexpected it turned everything I was thinking on its head.
Well written and clever however the pacing could be improved.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Girl Upstairs leaves me of two minds. On the one hand, I hated Susie. She is often that character that just does all kinds of stupid things for no actually good reason. I hate Emily. She is self-centered and rude. Yes, Susie has loss. She projects. She is a mess. Emily has had a shock. She is naive and a serious glutton for punishment. She is a mess.

What would have happened if these two messes had lived in a home together and gotten out of their own heads for more than a few minutes? They might have become friends. They may have saved each other. They may have both gotten out of this.

That is my second mind. The what if. It is the what if that won out.

The Girl Upstairs is the story of neighbors, Suzie and Emily. Suzie is a lonely depressed widow in her mid thirties who lives on the bottom floor. Emily is a young college graduate who lives on the second floor. In the beginning, we learn about Suzie, her grief, and her growing annoyance at Emily’s noises. Suzie eventually confronts emily about the noise and even makes an official complain regarding the noise. Not long afterwards, she goes to deliver a package to Emily’s apartment and gets the feeling that something is not right. This begins Suzie’s amateur sleuthing and involvement in finding out what happened.
The first half of the book was fairly good. It was relatively fast paced and I was concerned with what happened to Emily. Then there were parts written from Emily’s point of view. This may have worked better if it were written in a dual point of view from the beginning, but coming at midpoint just made Emily’s voice feel disconnected from the overall story. It felt like an afterthought as opposed to being fleshed out. It was full of red herrings and led to a pretty predictable conclusion. I know everyone wants a “twist” ending, but this just felt anticlimactic.

Suzie lives in the ground floor flat of a property in london. I’m the flat upstairs lived Emily. She had been there the last 7 months and although the neighbours had never actually met Suzie knew her. She knew her routines, what she drank, the different food she ate and on what days. Unfortunately for Suzie, Emily was noisy and when they finally meet it’s not under the best circumstances.

When Suzie realised she’s not heard anything from upstairs in a while, she suspicious. But does knowing the movements of Emily, or lack of, mean she actually knows her neighbour?

I really liked the sound of this book when I spotted it. It is full of mystery and intrigue and you are drawn into the story from the very start. At first I didn’t like Emily much, I really felt for Suzie but as the story progressed I warmed to her, particularly when I got to the parts or the story from Emily’s perspective. It was completely captivating and I enjoyed every minute. Plenty to get you thinking and some unexpected twists too.

If you love a twisty thriller, you’ll love this!

Wohooooo! Y'all, what a crazy thriller this one was! Excellent writing style and the main character really did show you so many twists and turns in her actions. Crazy but worth the read!

I liked the opening very much:

I heard Emily before I saw her. The harsh smack of heels against cheap wooden floorboards. The loud phone calls. The incessant music.
I knew Emily before I met her. Discarded receipts in our communal hallway. Sticky leftovers in the shared food waste bin. Wine shop vouchers in the letterbox.

Already there is repetition and metre that draws the reader in. The neighbour is unseen to a large extent but is brilliantly enigmatic. An idea forms as to what kind of person she is based on the observations of the neighbour who lives in the downstairs flat. When the noise stops it becomes obvious that the girl upstairs is no longer there, and nobody seems to care whether she is missing or not. Except for the neighbour.

This is an intense psychological story about loneliness, grief and obsession. Set in London, the book shows how how being in a crowded city can leave people feeling alone and invisible. Told in the first person perspective, the book is introspective, details the mundane and yet is never dull. Well paced, easy to read, tense and engrossing. Recommended for those who enjoy psychological thrillers.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book wasn't for me, even though i read this one quite fast, the pacing was rather slow, I didn't care much for the characters, i don't think the book gives out much information on them to get me invested. It did start off solidly, but dipped in the middle and fell flat at the end. I’m not saying this was a terrible book because it was enjoyable in parts and i really did like the story line, it had so much potential, but was predictable. I think this book would be a great read for someone just starting out with thrillers who hasn't read a lot of them yet. I imagine a lot of people will enjoy this one. It just didn't grab me.

I loved the premise and the idea of this one. The synopsis really drew me in. Unfortunately I did not look forward to picking it up. after a bit. The pacing of the book was slow and it took too long for me to get into it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an unbiased review.
A really good thriller that tackles a number of social issues including how well do you know your neighbours and how lonely a big city like London can be.
When her neinghbour disappears without a trace Suzie initially tries to assist the police with their enquiries and as they fail to make much progress she starts delving into the case herself to the point where it almost become an obsession for her.
Had me gripped fairly early on in the book and kept me hooked and wishing for more throughout.
A very enjoyable thriller.

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

The Girl Upstairs By Georgina Lees - Publication Date - 9th December 2021

Susie lives in a flat in London. A flat she once shared with her husband. As the story goes on, we find out what happened.
Emily has moved into the flat upstairs. It has a high turnover of tenants but susie has contacted the landlord on several occasions because of noise etc. Susie isn’t coping with life at the moment and feels the need to involve herself in things she shouldn’t!

Being honest, when I started this book I wasn’t sure it was for me BUT before long I genuinely was gripped and needed to know what happens next! The story is told from Susie’s point of view and then nearly half way, we have input from Emily also. Her point of view of what we had read from Susie. I liked that about the book. I don’t want to say too much and spoil but plenty to keep you reading this book!!

Thanks #netgalley #harpercollins #onechapter #georginalees #thegirlupstairs

An outstanding debut,with the wow factor! Totally believable and convincing I couldn't put it down and had me reading late into the night, with so many twists and turns and wow moments! Can't wait to read more from this author. A suspenseful psychological thriller not to be missed.

Special thanks to Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion..

Funny this book sounds a bit like my life now but not exactly. I liked the book enough and the flawed characters (as I am flawed as well). We have Suzie who lives alone on the bottom floor and we don't know exactly what is wrong with her she has addictions (me), she has worried family members (also me) and she lives alone (not me). She is a sort of depressing pessimistic character (I'll take the depression but not the pessimism). Soon enough Suzie ( me) gets a neighbor upstairs named Emily (Jessica in my life). Now this is something Suzie gets out of her depression for. She can hear everything going on upstairs through the thin walls. Just as I do with my neighbor upstairs here. I think I'd prefer Emily as my neighbor to my real neigh or Jessica but Emily is LOUD. Suzie hears Emily's conversations, her climbing around in high heels, when her water is running, what she's talking about, and playing loud music after 11pm. The nerve. But it gets depressive Suzie moving. Complaints are made, she gets a broomstick and bangs on the ceiling and this sort of becomes Suzie as reason to get out of her slump. This is where Suzie and I differ. I don't make my neighbor my life and yet I have to listen to her having sex and her pillow talk makes me want to vomit. She gulps and howls like a dog, think that old 80's movie Porky's!Ok enough about me and my neighbor (Hi Jessica)!!!

All of a sudden, the noise stops and Suzie is relieved, then perplexed and when a package comes for Emily, Suzie brings it upstairs to find Emily's apartment open and everything a mess and disarray. If I were Suzie, I'd be enjoying the quiet solitude, but Suzie is much stranger than me and wants to know what happened to her neighbor? Why Suzie, why did you stick your head were it doesn't belong?

This book reminded me as I'm sure it will others of another book and Netflix movie starring Amy Adams.hint, hint. Anyway, the twists were seen a mile away, but that's ok. Wait, no its nt! I'm deducting 1 star for that. Anyone who wants more of a book about a character study, this book is definitely for you.

If I knew a book could be written AND published about this, I'd have written a book on my neighbor a long time ago. Its definitely more juicy in the sex dept. J.k.well, no not really. 3.4 stars rounded down to 3 strangely similar to my dreadful neighbor upstairs stars!

There is a great plot hiding within the pages of this book, but it just never really materialises.

Told from the point of view of Suzie (the downstairs neighbour), we learn that her new neighbour Emily is inconsiderate and constantly disturbing her peace. When the loud music, loud sex and raucous girls nights in suddenly cease, Suzie becomes suspicious that Emily's disappearance is more sinister than her family and the police believe it to be, and determines that she will find out what happened to her.

This is very much a character driven book. Suzie has secrets of her own, and is clearly suffering depression. However, I just didn't feel any emotional connection to her whatsoever, and the low key maker in which her past is revealed only added to the sense of detachment I felt towards her. Whilst what she suffered does go someway to explain what compels her to find out what happened to Emily, all I could think was how at odds her dogged investigation is when she had never engaged with Emily other than to complain about her noise, or to instigate a complaint to the council about her behaviour.

The second half of the book introduces Emily's voice, but this adds little to the plot other than to throw in some weak red herrings. Again, there is no depth to her character for me to form an attachment to.

When the truth about what happened to Emily is revealed in the final few chapters it seemed to come from nowhere, and felt very rushed, so there wasn't even a satisfying conclusion.

A definite case of the wrong book for this reader.

My thanks go to the publishers and NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

Loved this book. I read it really quickly and hadn’t read this author before. We’ve all had an irritating neighbour who we wish would disappear and I’ve said this before but how well do you really know anybody. You know what they tell you that is all.

This is a slow burn of a thriller which some may find a little too slow. However the short chapters lend it a faster pace and kept me wanting to read on.

The story is sad and deals with the effects of grief. It also made me think deeply about how well we know our neighbours from the bangs and bumps we hear through the walls or floors. Do their routines, take away choices and music volume define who they are and what they are dealing with in life?

I thought the plot was well crafted and provided all the elements needed for a satisfying thriller. It kept me guessing and I didn't figure out what happened until just before the reveal. I certainly didn't see the final twist coming. However if you want something fast paced and full of action this probably isn't the book for you.

How well do you know your Neighbour’s?
Susie lives in a ground floor flat and has been plagued by the noise that the Emily who lives in the flat above.
Not only does she here her walking around the flat but loud music a party and arguments cause Susie to complain first to her landlord and then to the council.
However, when Emily goes missing and the police and family do not seem to care. Susie who has her own reasons tries to find out what has happened.
This is one of those mystery thrillers that is mor than a missing person story, as it also deals with loneliness depression amongst other things
Firstly, let’s take the character of Emily who goes missing, at the start of the book you only see her through Suzie’s eyes. Which means you see her as someone who seems to have a perfect life particularly when you only see her through the Instagram, account.
Even her parents say she was spoilt, however as the story goes on you get to see more of her personality.
The other main character in the novel is Susie who lives on the ground floor, at the start of the novel is suffering from depression, and all you know of the cause is that her husband does not live their anymore and the last words they spoke were part an argument.
As well as Susie not wanting her family, to come and see her or going to visit them herself.
But as the story moves along you get to see how Susie starts to deal with her depression as she tries and find what has happened to Emily
All This make The Girl Upstairs by Georgina Lee a mystery thriller that is a cut above the averahr and well worth the read

Not for me. I found it too predictable and the characters unformed.

That said, some reviewers liked it so maybe give it a chance.

I

Suzie lives alone, downstairs from Emily. Suzie knows all about Emily although they've never really met. One day Emily goes missing. Suzie doesn't think the police are doing enough to find her and starts her own investigation-some of which to me is a little bit annoying and far fetched.. A quick read that drip fed me just enough information to keep me reading to the end.
Thanks to NetGalley , the author and publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.