How surprised I was by "The Stranger Upstairs." I had read numerous less-than-favorable reviews of Lisa Matlin's debut thriller, so my bar for it was low. But boy, did the book surpass that low bar and then climb a few extra bars for good measure. I found Matlin's story of a murder house set on mentally unraveling its new owner to be gripping, creepy, and unputdownable. A few of the twists and turns caught me off guard, and I was entertained from start to finish. It's one of my favorite thrillers I've read in 2024.


My sincerest appreciation to Lisa M. Matlin, Bantam, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All thoughts and opinions included herein are my own.

Thank you for the copy of The Stranger Upstairs for review! The beginning of this book definitely started off strong and kept my interest but as I kept on reading it got kinda slow and strange. I didnt really connect with the characters much in this story so I wasnt really a fan of any of them.
Overall it was an ok story and hopefully others will enjoy it more then me.

Sarah and her husband recently bought an infamous murder house that she is hoping will reinvigorate her blog and marriage. Sarah and her husband have a shady past that has left them barely able to coexist which leaves Sarah trying to deal with everything on her own.

The house is a huge part of this story and I loved it. The house was so creepy and malevolent. The backstory of the murder suicide in the house and how the neighborhood reacts to Sarah buying the house was the perfect backdrop to what is currently happening in the house. When Sarah is home alone she hears someone walking in the attic, her builders have issues working on the house, and then she starts finding threatening notes. I also appreciated the addition of news stories interspersed through the chapters because it brought more suspense to what was going to happen next.

Sarah's life is truly spiraling out of control with everything that is going on in her personal life and with the house. Added to that is threat of Sarah's past coming out as well as her faltering work life. I loved how the further we got into the story the more unsettling everything became. I never was sure where the story was going or how much further Sarah was going to unravel.

This was a great atmospheric and well paced psychological thriller. I love stories involving houses because the themes of home and how that plays into people's psyches' is endlessly fascinating to me. I'm blown away that this was Matlin's debut and I'm eagerly anticipating what she comes out with next.

A very unique and intriguing storyline that kept me intrigued for the plot only. The main character, though she’s supposed to be, is incredibly unlikable and that makes me uninterested in her development overall. But if you enjoy this kind of character this is definitely for you.

This book reads like an homage to the horror of the 70's and 80's. It reminded me of the Amityville Horror in the best way, with more depth and some cutting humor. If you love Shining Vale, you'll love this. Dark and disturbing, with a couple of killer twists. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoyed this book, it was a very different read and I liked that aspect of it. It was a little creepy but I enjoyed it! 3/5 stars.

he Stranger Upstairs kept my attention throughout the book. I love that the characters were flawed. Their life stories kept me reading.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for my advanced copy.

An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

This story follows a social media star/author and her husband as they are starting to fix up a murder house. I didn't like the MC and she lost my interest in the beginning, so it was a bit of a slow start, about a third in it gets going, but I expected to be grabbed faster.

The writing style wasn’t my favorite & I don’t tend to like books with an unlikeable narrator.

Thank you Net Galley & to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Building a plot around a very unlikable main character can be a tough sell, but I've read books where it ended up working. However, the Stranger Upstairs made the narrator so awful that I really couldn't force myself to give a fig over what happens to her. I did love the murder house plot and felt it really picked up in the second half. I wasn't scared, but definitely invested in unraveling the neighborhood mysteries. If you can get past Sarah and her husband, this is a good fall/Halloween read.

Thank you to netgalley.com for this ARC.
This was a fun, creepy thriller. Set in a small town in Australia with a very unlikeable main character. There are some crazy scenes in this book and you never quite know whether what is happening is reality or imagined. I loved the different premise of this book!

The Stranger Upstairs" is a gripping psychological thriller that delves deep into the human psyche. Lisa M. Matlin’s ability to create an eerie, suspenseful atmosphere and her nuanced portrayal of mental health struggles make this novel a standout. It is recommended for readers who enjoy psychological thrillers with complex characters and an unsettling, immersive narrative.

The Strangers Upstairs kept me on my toes the. entire. time.

This psychological debut is one for the bookshelves at home, easily a great birthday gift for a friend or a book club number.
When starting over in a new home Sarah finds herself in the midst of some suspicious activity. I enjoyed the authors writing style, flow of events and how the characters emotions were shown throughout.

A social media influencer with a secret past buys a murder house to renovate, but finds more than she bargained for behind the peeling wallpaper in this gothic psychological debut.

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?




This was definitely not one of my favorites but it wasn't horrible!
Go into it blind for sure that might make it better for you. I feel like this has been done more than once and maybe that's why it wasn't as great as I was hoping. I loved the whole murder house vibe, I love me a good scare. Overall I liked the book just wasn't my favorite!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Slade made a name for herself with a best-selling self-help book and an active online presence. To most, she's a successful therapist working on her next book. Her newest venture is buying Black Wood House, a well-known murder house, and put it back on the market fully remodeled. To her husband, she's delusional and he's looking for an out. Sarah soon finds the promotions and attention she was counting on with the remodel are not coming and there is very little chance she's going to escape the bizarre accidents, strange notes, and weird sounds in Black Wood House anytime soon. As she loses her sense of reality, Sarah soon starts to suspect her strange neighbors and investigate the whisperings of another woman lost to the house. 

Author Lisa M. Matlin sets up a story that leaves readers wondering until the very end if the source of weirdness is the house is human, natural, or supernatural.  Sarah Slade is set up intentionally as an unreliable narrator, meaning readers are never quite sure if what she's seeing is real or if it is all imagined after major bouts of drinking.  

The Stranger Upstairs is now available.

This was an interesting and unique story! It’s about a couple that buy a house to fix it up for content for their social media. But bad things begin to happen and their lives quickly spiral out of control!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

The concept of renovating a murder house drew me in! This was a great little mystery/thriller.

I did not jive with the writing of this book and the way events were presented to us. The tone also felt off to me on whether it was supposed to be funny or creepy. However, most of the time,

This book had its moments. There were parts that had me completely sucked in and invested and then by the next page I’m over it and I just don’t care. I found it hard to connect with any of the characters, but I still wanted to know not just what happened, but the how behind it.