If you’re having trouble finding a home you can afford in this real estate market, there’s a really affordable property available…as long as you don’t mind that 4 people died there and the house is trying to kill you.

It’s a creepy book.

3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

The Stranger Upstairs hooked me from the beginning, mainly because the main character Sarah showed who she was from the beginning. The book didn't open upon a perfect wife with a perfect life and slowly unravel; things were already unraveled and they just got worse from there.

I have had a hard time focusing on reading recently, but this sucked me in.

Sarah and her husband have bought a house with the idea of renovating it. Things do not go easily for them though, and strange, awful things begin happening around them, especially Sarah. As she tries to figure out what is going on, the reader finds out more and more about her life before the buying the house, and it is disturbing to say the least.

The end was not what I expected--I always form theories as I read, and I wasn't nearly right with any of them. I love books that keep me guessing.

Thank you to the publisher and #NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Usually, I love an unreliable narrator, but Sarah Slade is crazy and as unhinged as they get. Since the book is told mostly from her viewpoint, I wasn’t sure if her mental health was getting worse or if she was making up stories with evil intent. I had a bit of trouble following the story, so it decreased my enjoyment of the novel. I think some of the back story was unnecessary and confusing, but overall not a bad read.

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕣 𝕌𝕡𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕤
𝗟𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝗠. 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻
Thriller
268 pages

Sʜᴏᴿᴛ Sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs

Sarah and her husband buy a run-down house that hasn’t been lived in since a gruesome murder occurred many years before.

The sense that something is off starts when they arrive at their new home. Besides the house's strangeness, many other things are off in their lives. Will they survive?

Mʸ Tᴴᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀs

I read The Stranger Upstairs with a book group, although I was late to the game, so I didn’t get to join in the great discussions. Most of the group enjoyed the book.

Even though there are some questions I have that weren’t answered in the story, I couldn’t wait to find out what was going on with this house. Was the house alive? Were the neighbors involved in the hubbub? What the heck is going on with Sarah and her husband? They are oddballs, for sure.

The story does a great job of grabbing your attention and making you want to keep reading to see what the heck happens. The only character I liked was Emily, Sarah’s co-worker. Everyone else was nasty, a liar, a cheater, or just plain strange. I didn’t understand many of Sarah’s decisions. She made everything more complicated for herself and others with her stupid choices.

If you love a good thriller that throws in some red herrings, this is one for you!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing this ebook for me to read and review.

A couple move into a spooky house. Scary random things start happening, strange notes/threats, noises upstairs. The couple separate and she's left to piece together what's going on in her new house. I absolutely adore her cat Reaper and honestly, he's the most likeable character of this book. She's convinced the town wants to drive her away because they want to tear the "Murder house" down. Things are definitely not what they seem, especially the lead characters. I found the ending only average at best, possibly because I've read other plots similar to this one. I received a free copy for my honest review from NetGalley.

Wow! What can I say about this beautifully haunted novel? I LOVED this book and this story! Truly haunted and creepy and I mean look at that cover people! It’s gorgeous! Highly recommend this fantastic haunted novel!

Things start to go wrong shortly after Sarah Slade and her husband buy Black Wood house, a beautiful old house in a great community. As the renovations start, her neighbors are not happy that someone has bought the house that they wish to tear down. As her and her husband become more and more estranged, she starts to see that something is wrong with Black wood house.

A good story that keeps you guessing what will happen next. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest opinion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Wow!! This was such a great psychological thriller that had be on the edge of my seat the entire book!

Sarah and her husband decide to buy and renovate the Black Wood house. A house that had a previous murder/suicide in it. They can’t wait for all the social media fame and attention it will get and then they’ll get a great profit when they sell it. Soon she realizes it’s not quite what she signed up for. There are secrets, lies, and weird things happening. Is she just being paranoid or is something else going on?

This was such a unique and creepy book! I loved every minute of it! What a wonderful debut novel from Lisa M. Matlin! I can’t wait til her next book!!

This was a wild ride and you will love it!

📘: The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin
🗓️: September 12, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa M.Matlin and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Reviewed on NetGalley and Goodreads.

A social media influencer buys a "murder house". A notorious house where a gruesome murder took place many years ago. Their bodies, buried on the land. Her dream is to fix it up and put it back on the market, all the while documenting it on social media. But the town.. and the house.. dont want her there.

This book reminded me of the show "the watcher" in some ways. The author did a good job writing a tense atmosphere.

I ultimately rated this 3 stars because I started to skim about half way thru. Although a twist was revealed in part 2 it took a while to get there. I didnt particularly like any of the characters and was frustrated by the FMC. I also needed more pivotal scenes to propel the plot forward.

Good for spooky season but not my fav.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy! I enjoyed the book, especially during this time of the year! The cover definitely drew me in, however, the story fell a little flat for me at the end.

To be honest, this is the closest I've come to DNFing a book in a while. Super unlikable main character, no "twists," nothing scary happens. Bland ending. I wouldn't recommend this.

Thank you kindly to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for the eARC to read and review! (And my apologies for the late review!)

This was quite claustrophobic and ominous—a perfect read for creepy season! There’s a fluidity to the prose that makes 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝑼𝒑𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒔 easily bingeable. The suspense was built up nicely and I couldn’t help but jot down my theories as I read.

I really would’ve liked to have seen Emily’s POV a lot sooner though; it felt abrupt so late in the game. There were a few more things that could’ve been wrapped up in the end, as well as a significant overuse of the word ‘flicker’ (or variations of it)…so 3.5 stars rounded up for this debut. I look forward to more from Ms. Matlin!

𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗛𝗬 𝗤𝗨𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗦:
“Most people sweep monsters under the bed. I pull the covers back and let them crawl in.”

“Don't be afraid of the truth.... Be afraid of believing your lies.”

A creepy ghosty book is always something I will pick up. We are given an unreliable character as she and her husband but a house that is famous for a murder. Strange things start happening and I was onboard. The writing was ok and could have been a little bit more engaging. The characters were great and you felt the anxiousness and nervousness as things started to unvail. The ending was not what I wanted it to be.

Wow!! This is was the perfect spooky season read. I love when you’re reading a book, but you have no idea where it’s going! I love a good haunted house book, but this one is a little different than any other I’ve read.

Fast paced thriller that kept me guessing. The main character and her unhinged ways gave me chills just as much as the creepy house. I had some thoughts about the husband but was way off. The entire book gave off creep factor and dark vibes until the very end.

I wouldn’t be sad if there’s a sequel about this house.

Thank you NetGalley and Bantam Books for gifting me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review of The Stranger Upstairs.

I have to say, I was immediately drawn into this one. It was intriguing-- the idea of a murder house and the "supernatural" aspects. But my interest quickly halted. Things became too bizarre. The main character was insufferable. There were plot holes. Then it all ended abruptly and unbelievably.

This simply just wasn't the book for me, but I can see why others enjoy it. It was by no means awful, in fact, it was quite entertaining until the last 100 pages. I just think it could have been a little bit more thought out and developed.

I very much enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and the story kept me engaged throughout. I would recommend this book to others. Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

The Stranger Upstairs was a great debut novel for Lisa M. Matlin. I cant wait for her future books as I am an instant fan. I loved the creepy feel of noises in the attic as well as the background story for the previous residents. The whole book I was wondering whether history was going to repeat itself or if Sarah was going to be able to pull through. Great story overall as it kept me up until I finished the book and get the answers I needed.

Are the neighbors out to get her? Is the house haunted? Is she crazy? This book had me playing out all the scenarios in my head!

In a book that’s sure to make one rethink every future home-buying decision, debut author Lisa Matlin has written a super creepy story that examines what happens when a homebuyer’s intentions don’t line up with what the house itself wants!

Successful lifestyle influencer and author Sarah Slade and husband Joe have purchased Black Wood House, where forty years ago Bill Campbell murdered his wife Susan with a hammer and attempted to kill his daughter before ending his own life. Sarah’s ambition is to renovate this murder house and rely on a future buyer’s morbid curiosity to make a tidy profit.

In reality, Sarah is trying to escape events from her past and keep her disintegrating marriage from unraveling further. The more she tries to control her husband and her new home, the harder they both seem to rebel against her. It’s as if the house resents her as much as Joe does. Maybe even more.

As menacing notes appear around her home and her new neighbors eye her with suspicion or outright contempt, Sarah’s paranoia steadily increases. Floorboards in the attic creak at night, her cat Reaper begins acting strangely, a builder she’s hired has a bizarre accident, and to make it all worse, she learns of another mysterious disappearance related to her new home that no one in town will talk about or even acknowledge.

What starts off as a simple house-flipping scenario turns into an increasingly bizarre fever dream from which there may be no escape for her. Can she outrun the ghosts of her past and present before she loses her mind … or her life?

I listened to this on audio while reading along on my Kindle. The story is told almost entirely from the single POV of Sarah, admirably narrated by Fiona Hardingham. I would’ve appreciated some variation in her male character voices - they all sounded identical - but apart from that I thought she did a good job.

There were interspersed news sections that detail a new crime that was committed at Black Wood House … the reader isn’t told who the victims are until much later, adding a nice suspenseful mystery to the story. The book definitely leads you to think in a certain direction, but kudos to Matlin for taking the story in a direction I NEVER suspected! The ending reveal was such a clever switch up from what I’ve come to expect from stories like this. I grew a little bit tired of hearing only from Sarah for so much of the book, but the ending made up for it!

This was a solid debut effort from Lisa Matlin, and I’ll definitely watch for what she writes next. One last thing: the author’s note is really thoughtful and worth a moment to read!

★★★ ½ (rounded to 4)