Thank you Netgalley & Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for an Arc in exchange for an honest review.

What an Incredible debut novel, can’t wait for more from this author. I was completely captivated from start to finish. If you love spooky stories this one is for you!

This was a quick read for me but I had a hard time getting invested. The story follows Sarah Slade and her essentially non existent husband Joe and their quest to “flip” a murder house. We quickly see Sarah unraveling trying to figure out who is tormenting her from inside her house. The twist at the end was a little unexpected but overall this book just fell flat for me. I did appreciate the authors note at the end. Special thanks to netgalley for the arc.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin.

When an influencer is that desperate for attention that she and her barely attentive husband buy a house that is notoriously the town's murder house...what can go wrong??

Listen, I'm not opposed to reading a story with unlikeable characters, sometimes it can make the story even more delicious. But when you start out with someone so unbelievably vapid, someone posing as a healthcare provider yet clearly means harm, someone who will stop at nothing to get attention online...okay, yeah it still sounds pretty enticing.

But I still didn't care for this book. It moved too slow, the characters were whiny and SO dumb, and the plot just did not grab me.

I really wanted to like this book and the first half really captivated me. However, the second half went really off the rails and was hard to follow/believe the plot line.

Typical domestic thriller with an unreliable narrator. Why do I keep falling for these books? The writing was good and the author did make me want to find out who “The stranger upstairs” was. However, I was not surprised by the ending. I do have friends who will love it and I will recommend it to them.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This book was ok. I was interested the first half and then I lost interest. I think that is because I was expecting this to be a horror novel. By 1/3 of the way through I figured out that there were no scares to be had.

I was really excited to read The Stranger Upstairs and ultimately found it to be a slight above average read. It is a mixture of a thriller with touch of supernatural thrown in at the end, which I didn't particularly love. I usually find that paranormal explanations feel lazy and too imaginative and take away from the realness of the drama leading up to it. I did enjoy the ending despite that aspect though. I thought this was very evenly paced and held my attention from the get-go. The main character Sarah was very frustrating at times and I didn't particularly connect with her. I wish she had been a bit more well rounded as a character and not quite so one-dimensional. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2 stars.

There was a scene in this book that really triggered me involving the cat.

It was an interesting psychological thriller that up until that point kept me interested but after that scene I kinda lost interest.

Sara and her husband buy a scary house for a low price because a murder happened there. She plans on using the history of the house to promote herself since she is an influencer. Sara started hearing things and got super paranoid and she just annoyed me. Add to that there were articles in the book that referenced things that hadn't yet happened. which took a lot of the suspense away, unfortunately.

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.



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The Stranger Upstairs
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Lisa Matlin

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Random House Publishing and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Sarah Slade is starting over. As the new owner of the infamous Black Wood House—the scene of a grisly murder-suicide—she’s determined that the fixer-upper will help reach a new audience on her successful lifestyle blog, and distract her from her failing marriage.

But as Sarah paints over the house’s horrifying past, she knows better than anyone that a new façade can’t conceal every secret. Then the builders start acting erratically and experiencing bizarre accidents—and Sarah knows there’s only so long she can continue to sleep in the bedroom with the bloodstained floor and suffer the mysterious footsteps she hears from the attic.

When menacing notes start appearing everywhere, Sarah becomes convinced that someone or something is out to kill her—her husband, her neighbors, maybe even the house itself. The more she remodels Black Wood House, the angrier it seems to become.

With every passing moment, Sarah’s life spirals further out of control—and with it, her sense of reality. Though she desperately clings to the lies she’s crafted to conceal her own secrets, Sarah Slade must wonder . . . was it all worth it? Or will this house be her final unraveling?

My Thoughts: For a debut novel, this was incredible. Sarah Slade buys a house where the famous Black Wood murders occurred. The cover is what drew me to this story. While a psychological thriller, it is also a spooky, haunting horror story. Sarah is a social media influencer and wants to renovate this house. Named the Black Water Murder House for the famous murders that occurred here. Bill Campbell brutally murders his wife and then commits suicide. The house just sits after this unable to be sold. When some strange occurrences start, the wallpaper peeling, her failing marriage, and the questionable neighbors, she realizes quickly this is more than she signed up for. Sarah starts to lose her grip on reality not knowing what is real and what her mind is imaging, and starts to really spiral. Is there something sinister going on? Or is Sarah on the brink of a psychiatric break?

This story is narrated in a third person POV by Sarah. When you think of characters, you think of the people in the story, however, the house is its own character in this story. The house has a constant leaky faucet, the peeling creepy wallpaper, noises from the attic, and the decaying smell, then there is of course, the creepy, spooky attic. Sarah is a complex character that has her own secrets that she does not want exposed. Then there is her husband Joe, with their shaky marriage that needs an overhaul. The neighbors, oh the noisy, suspicious neighbors, who are not very welcoming. The house is the main character for this storyline. The characters were created with depth, mystery, were intriguing, and creatively woven throughout the story. The author’s writing style was complex, layered, suspenseful, twisty, and brilliant. The book gives off a gothic vibe, similar to a Stephen King novel. The author provides an author’s note at the end and discusses her own mental health struggles and how healing it was to write this book, which is so brave of her to do.

The Stranger Upstairs is an atmospheric psychological thriller that is captivating, creepy, spooky, suspenseful, and full of tension moments that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and make you want to sleep with the light on. This is another perfect book for the spooky season. Once you start reading or listening, it is hard to put down and you want to finish it in one sitting. There were some plot holes that were not tied up, hence the 4 ⭐️ rating. Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I highly recommend.

This is a hard review to write. There wasn't anything wrong with the story, but I just didn't get invested in it. It was creepy and did make me want to keep reading. It heavily relied on the mental health trope - which is my least favorite. The ending left me with some questions, which was the point, but I do like when thrillers wrap up at least a little.
Overall, it wasn't bad for a debut author and I would be interested in reading her next book

The Stranger Upstairs is a good murder house thriller with a bit of a different ending than I am used to. It starts off strong when Sarah Slade moves into a house where a notorious murder happened years ago, with the intent to renovate the house and blog about it in an attempt to keep her audience engaged in her social media platform. The neighbors are are not happy about Sarah and her estranged husband buying the house, as they feel the house brings down their property values and they would just like to have the house demolished. Sarah begins losing it - at work, she can't concentrate, she feels sick and has constant headaches, at home, she hears noises and finds strange notes and feels that her neighbors are breaking into her house. Her life is spiraling out of control, and throughout the story, we find out bits and pieces from Sarah's past, which make her, quite frankly, unlikeable. The story wraps up with an interesting twist, and I like the author's note at the end. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

I ended up listening to this one on audio, and I really enjoyed it! I have to say I did predict one part of the plot twist, but not both. Overall, the characters are horrible (which is a classic trope in thrillers), but super entertaining. I was completely entertained, which was exactly what I wanted.

One of my October reads. When I was finished, I knew exactly the reader friend I was going to pass it along to.

Positives:
Unreliable narrator
Atmospheric murder house and attic as the prime setting
The beautiful cover
Strong writing and pacing a satisfying ending (kind of a twist)

Negatives:
I didn't care much for the main character

"The Stranger Upstairs" is a gripping psychological thriller that invites readers to take a journey into the darkest corners of the human mind and an eerily unsettling Victorian mansion.

Sarah Slade, a therapist and self-help writer, seems to have it all together, but her life is anything but perfect. The intriguing premise of a murder house purchase sets the stage for a tale that blends domestic drama with spine-tingling suspense.

What truly sets this book apart is its ability to plunge you into the depths of Sarah's unraveling psyche. As the renovations of Black Wood House progress, so does Sarah's descent into a maelstrom of paranoia and fear. Her character is expertly crafted, making her inner turmoil palpable, and her past secrets add layers of complexity to the narrative.

The atmospheric tension in "The Stranger Upstairs" is relentless. From the ominous footsteps in the attic to the threatening notes, the story keeps you on edge, always questioning what's real and what's imagined. The house itself becomes a character, harboring secrets and horrors that lurk in every corner.

Lisa Matlin displays a masterful command of suspense, deftly building an atmosphere of dread that lingers long after the final page. The pacing is impeccable, with each chapter delivering a new revelation or twist that propels the story forward.

As Sarah's life unravels, so does the line between reality and delusion, and readers are left guessing until the very end. "The Stranger Upstairs" is a rollercoaster of emotions, a psychological puzzle, and a haunting exploration of the human capacity for darkness.

In a genre often saturated with clichés, "The Stranger Upstairs" stands out as a refreshingly original and deeply unsettling read. If you're a fan of psychological thrillers that keep you guessing until the final page, this is a must-read. But beware, once you enter Black Wood House, there's no turning back.

This is a quick and easy read. It gave creepy thriller vibes. A great debut and I will definitely be looking out for more from this author. For the record I would not have spent a minute in Black Wood House.Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my review.

I'm always a sucker for a good murder house tale. This narrative flows quickly and easily, and makes you feel as though you've always known Sarah: there are bits of snarky commentary about social media, her clients, and observations about the world at large.
The plot speeds along, with the house terrifying Sarah and the author keeping things pretty close to the vest UNTIL we are tossed a news article, seemingly out of nowhere, revealing that two bodies had been found near the property, unidentified. I'm okay with this as a device and it was certainly shocking, but for some reason it felt a bit jarring as a reader...and I think the author could have held this information back a BIT longer rather than a natural, shocking progression
Once the next set of reveals happens though, this book TRULY turns from a 'things that go bump in the night murder house thriller', into PURE psychological thriller territory.

This book was a little spooky, but ended up with a quite anticlimactic ending.
It was twisty and kept one guessing to the end.
Good debut novel, just not my favorite

One murder house, one social media influencer, one rocky marriage and a neighborhood of people that hate you. WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?!

Well......... A lot it seems.

Sara is a bestselling author and therapist and also a social media influencer who promotes wellness, when she decides to buy a murder house and renovate it to sell for a profit with her husband, she thinks she has everything in hand. Little does she know that her whole life is about to be turned upside down. Strange noises, intrusive thoughts, menacing neighbors and a marriage that is on the verge of imploding. Sara is keeping too many secrets and she may have finally run out of luck.

I was really excited to read this book, but I will admit I was left disappointed. I really liked the premise and it's why I wanted to read the book but unfortunately, I found myself not being able to invest in the story. There really isn't one character I could find myself rooting for and the one sympathetic character that was in the book wasn't fleshed out enough for me to form an emotional connection with. The writing style was enjoyable but there was too much exposition for my liking and not enough actual pivotal action scenes that propelled the plot forward and the ending left me feeling kind of unsatisfied.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine group for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
*
Okay so this might be one of my favorite books of this year! This one kept me guessing the whole time and kept my heart racing! It was so perfect for spooky season and I didn’t want to put it down! I can’t even believe that this is a debut novel because of how amazing it is and how captivating the storyline is. It reminded me of The Amityville Horror movie (which is one of my favorites and I rewatched this weekend). Overall, this is one that I would DEFINITELY recommend and cannot wait to see what Matlin comes up with in the future!

Think you know dark, psychological thrillers? This one put me on my backside. We follow Sarah, a successful writer and wannabe influencer, who is running, along with her reluctant husband, Joe away from her hometown and something she carries guilt over. Unfortunately, they are running toward Black Wood House which was the scene of a murder and most recently, a mysterious disappearance. The neighbors resent them and believe no one should have bought the house; some want it torn down as it’s bad for property values. Sarah is losing it. She’s under pressure to flip the house, build her following, save her marriage and her sanity. It’s a lot and her coping mechanism of falling into the bottle isn’t going well. She’s seeing things, hearing things and is increasingly becoming isolated as Joe spends more time away from home. It’s a recipe for disaster and I did not see the ending coming.