Fun, quick, entertaining read! In a sea of books that all read the same, this one stood out with a unique story line and kept me guessing until the end.

Reads like a modern day gothic thriller. This book is perfect for spooky season!

This book felt like it was more horror than suspense which I wasn't expecting. All the characters were so unlikeable or completely undeveloped like Sarah's husband, Joe. I also found it strange that much of the end of the book was from the perspective of a relatively minor character. The writing was decent for a debut author but I just didn't enjoy this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

I'm glad this leans into the haunted house (and haunted person) horror motif as much as I thought it would. I thought it would veer more into thriller territory, and I'm pleasantly surprised by how eerie it is. The twist is somewhat predictable--though the epilogue provides a satisfying counter-twist--and although Lisa M. Matlin has a solid grasp on her narrative there are some annoyingly unresolved loose ends. But, for the most part, this is a deliciously terrifying read about Sarah's physical, mental, and emotional deterioration as she attempts to remodel a house that defiantly resists change.

Loved this book! so many twists and turns it was like being on a roller coaster! Started off a little slow, but it gave you the time to know the characters. This book is so descriptive I could see the blood stain on the floor. You need to pay attention to all the details in the book. There are numerous symbols throughout the book, primarily about birds, that gives you the feeling that things are not going to end well. I love a book that keeps you guessing. Is the house really haunted or not. So many things to make you think that, but...?

Wow, what a FANTASTIC debut novel! This had me hooked from the beginning. I really liked the premise of the story and felt it had great character development. It was gripping and twisty and I really had no clue what was going on in that house! This was a quick read, as I could not put it down. If you’re a fan of haunted house stories, definitely pick this one up!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for the advanced reader copy

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗥 𝗨𝗣𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗥𝗦 | 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 ✨
———
Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for the advanced copy! Officially out now 🎉

Would you ever buy a “murder house” and live in while you fix it up? … NOPE. Our main character Sarah Slade does though.What could possibly go wrong?

𝘜𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺, this didn’t live up to the potential for me. The haunted house genre can be hit or miss. I’ve seen mixed reviews for it so please check it out for yourself!

I was totally hooked with the writing in the beginning! Matlin definitely has a way with words. I was highlighting quotes left and right because our main character “seemed” wise - until she wasn’t.

Towards the middle of the story I started finding it a bit repetitive. I was beginning to miss the writing style that started the book off.

Towards the end I was just overall confused whether it was a thriller or a horror book - or both? I was not a fan of any of the characters BUT they made for great drama because they were all so unreliable.

Overall, it was an okay read! It’s a quick one coming in at around 300 pages. Definitely give it a shot if you’re looking for an easy to read haunted house story.

Sarah Slade is an influencer with tons of fans. Everything she posts gets like after like after like. She a successful couples therapist and a best-selling author with a handsome husband. So what's the problem? Well, she just moved into a murder house where she strange things start to happen, and she thinks her husband is cheating on her.

Look at this cover! Look at it! Surely you want to buy it based solely on that, right? I mean it sold me. Unfortunately, I couldn't love the story like I did the cover. (As an aside dear publishers MORE PINK COVERS PLEASE!) This book relies a lot on onomatopoeia, which is a strange choice for a modern thriller/mystery. It's quite jarring actually, but in a eye rolling way, not in a freaky sort of way. Sarah is incredibly unlikable as a character (and her husband is even worse), and throughout the book she doesn't redeem herself at all. She does a lot of woe-is-me-ing for someone who has literally everything. Hey, no one MADE you buy a murder house. If I had tons of money that is not where I'd go, I assure you. Part 2 of the book really went off the rails (chaos everywhere) and takes a huge suspension of disbelief to be enjoyed. In truth, I think the author's note at the end was a better story than The Stranger Upstairs. I would have liked to see her story fictionalized. I thought Matlin was going for a "Yellow Wallpaper" nod, but unfortunately this was not the case.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC. Sadly, this book was not for me.

This one was a fun read for me. It's been very popular on Instagram, and it has a murder house, so it definitely piqued my interest. The writing was engaging, and I love a story with an unreliable narrator. I thought I knew what was going to happen, and boy, was I wrong. I loved that the author took time to explore mental health and address some of her own struggles in the acknowledgments.

As my own general rule, if I request a book and read the synopsis – I never read it again. This book was a total surprise and in a good way.

Sarah Slade is deliciously human. She’s a calling card to those who don’t fit in and always felt just a little bit… off. I would also consider her an unreliable narrator which is a favorite of mine. The supporting cast was slightly flat, I think if Sarah had at least one good support cast the story would have been just a little more terrifying. The one she did have came in a little too late. I ADORED Reaper – he’s definitely one of those cats that make people not like cats. But Sarah’s love for him – sassy as he is, definitely lent her credit in my book. The scenes with him freaked me out the most because my cats do things that freak me out too. Like when our driveway notifier goes off in the night and they all stare then scatter… freaks me out EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

I did not expect what was really going on at Black Wood House – I’ve never encountered it in any other thriller before. The ending kind of leaves some things in limbo or up to your imagination as the reader and I’m not an overly huge fan of that. Even so, it did encourage reach out to my Instagram book groups to see what my friends thought and once they’re done I’m hoping to chat with them about this one.

I would like to thank Bantam & Lisa M. Matlin for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions shared are my own. Lisa’s note at the end of the book is not only inspiring but worth the read 🖤 thank you for sharing your story.

Wow, wow, wow! There was so much packed into this short book. I won't lie, I did pick this book up solely based off the cover. If you know me, I rarely read the synopsis of a book, I do tend to base off the cover. And I'm so, so glad I did! I was spooked, disgusted, annoyed at times, and couldn't read this book fast enough. For this being Lisa's debut novel she knocked it out of the park. The descriptions of the house, the sounds, the smells, it was a wild roller coaster ride to the senses. I know some people were disappointed by one of the big twists in the book, I thought it was extremely clever and didn't disappoint me in the slightest. Then there was another big twist that blew my mind, honestly the whole book blew my mind. I can't wait to read what this author comes up with next. It's a fast read and never lets up on the twists.

And then just like that, this book has been added to my favorite books of all time list!!! 💕💜💙

Happy Pub Day @lisa_m_matlin !!! I just truly can’t express how much I loved this book! It was eerie and spooky at times, you didn’t know which characters to trust, or if they could even trust their reality! The social media parts weren’t over done making it too meta and those were even some of the lighter more funnier parts that broke some tension!

SIMPLY PUT THIS BOOK WAS FANTASTIC! I said it on my insta story right after finishing that I couldn’t believe that this was a debut novel for this author! It was giving seasoned senior author in the same ranks of Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware, and Alice Feeney!

⭐️⭐️⭐️5⭐️⭐️⭐️

The funniest part of reading this book is that I didn’t even really figure out that it took place in Australia til a few chapters in and I had to use my kindle to define a myriad of words that I had just never heard of, and they kept coming up as “common Australian/New Zealand slang” 😂😂😂 None the less, it was a wonderful reading experience. And it allowed me to gain some new knowledge if I ever get to visit the other side of the world!!

Special thanks to @netgalley @bantambooksuk and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the review copy to read and review before it’s publication date!

#thestrangerupstairs #lisammatlin #bantambooks #randomhouse

I have never read a book that a neighborhood didn't like new neighbors without really knowing them. Didn't really like the characters in this book but that could of been the reason I liked it. The book has it all.

The Stranger Upstairs will give you the creepy crawlies! Its dark story filled with all types of terror and mystery will take the reader down a rabbit hole of fear, suspense, madness and horror. It was delicious!

Sarah Slack a best-selling author and psychologist and her bartender husband Joe decide to buy, renovate and flip a beautiful house in an affluent community. But unfortunately, there is a history to Black Wood House. You see the previous owners were killed. The husband killed his wife then himself as their daughter ran for help. Although the neighbors feel the house should be demolished, Sarah and Joe were able to get the house and its history for a steal.

As Sarah has a plan to blog about the renovations while working as a psychologist, Joe is not so sure about buying this house. He was very set against it. But Sarah feels she and Joe need this. Their marriage is falling apart, and Joe does not want to even try anymore. But both know because of their history, they are stuck with each other. And they are running out of money as they’ve spent most of her book money and even though her second book is due soon; she hasn’t even started writing.

But as they begin the renovations, they both feel the eeriness of the house. Especially Sarah who opts to sleep in the murder bedroom while Joe sleeps on the couch. Sarah starts of hear noises and footsteps. She tries to introduce herself to the neighbors who don’t want anything to do with them. She’s even chastised for buying the house.

Then, she realizes someone has been inside the house, leaving her notes about things no one should know. She begins a descent down a delusion of paranoia even accusing a neighbor of breaking into her house and poisoning her cat. She knows the house wants her there, she can feel it. But as she digresses, she loses her job and begins to relive her past which she has tried to keep hidden from herself.

But nothing could prepare Sarah for what happens next when she discovers a dead body up in the attic. She knows whose it is and what makes matters worse Joe has left her and now she is alone in the house fighting for her sanity.

Could the house be doing this to her? Or is it the ghost of the husband who killed his wife? Do they know she has a lot in common with them? Or is it a neighbor who wants them out. She begins to not make sense, even to herself. She loses sense of time and can’t understand what’s happening around her.

As all the insanity and paranoia comes to a head and with-it Sarah’s secrets which have been hidden for years are exposed. And the body count will rise. Just as it seems it always does at Black Wood House.

The Stranger Upstairs is an intense deep dive into mania and lunacy with a terrifying ending which is so good it will continuously keep you thinking who was the real killer, a person or something else?

Thank you #NetGalley #Bantam #The StrangerUpstairs #LisaM.Matlin for the advanced copy.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.25⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Thriller/mystery📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A captivating psychological thriller that was both creepy and unique.

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Murder/haunted houses
Unreliable narrator
Dark and twisty reads
Unexpected endings

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Blog posts/ newspaper clippings
The cover

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
The epilogue, it just left me unsatisfied
The social media influencer part got annoying
There are some plot holes

𝙵𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:
★ “Maybe it's Maybelline. Or maybe it's murder.”

This book is perfect for people who not only love thrillers, but also love watching HGTV for the latest fixer upper renovations.

The Stranger Upstairs was utterly shocking and I could not put it down. It starts out with a really unreliable, unlikeable narrator, but somehow the author still pulls you in. Chapter after chapter, you will be questioning everything you think you know. I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read more from this author!

Sarah and Joe purchase a house at a good deal. A murder was committed in the house over 40 years ago and they were told it’s been vacant. Sarah and Joe have a lot of secrets, so this is a fresh start. But can a house hold onto its secrets? Is it haunted? This house seems to take on a life of its own. As the book progresses, secrets are slowly revealed and the book becomes much more ominous as Sarah spirals out of control.

If you like creepy, twisted, and a little odd, you will enjoy this psychological read! A perfect read for Halloween season! Sarah is a therapist/author/influencer. Joe is a bartender/gamer. Sarah is a unreliable narrator, very unlikeable, but in my opinion, most of the characters are. I love my endings tied up neatly, but this one still has me thinking about it. Please make sure you read the Author’s Note. This is a debut novel and I look forward to reading Ms. Marlin’s next novel. Love the cover!

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House/Ballantine/Bantam Books for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

Sarah has a booming blog and social media presence. Her and her husband decide to purchase an older house in a well-sought-after town. The house needs a complete overhaul and has a well-known dark past. However, Sarah sees this as an opportunity to keep up her social media following. Once they move in, they quickly learn no one wants them living there, not even the house itself.

Sarah balances her job as a therapist, her marriage, house repairs, and unfriendly neighbors while she tries to figure out why certain things keep happening and what actually happened in her house that no one is telling her.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy. I must admit I was a little confused reading this, but I think that is what the authors wanted. It was the middle of the road for me.

The Stranger Upstairs, by Lisa M. Matlin is a spooky, eerie, tension-packed thriller about Sarah Slade, a pseudo-psychologist and social media influencer who purchases Black Wood House, a haunted house where a grisly murder-suicide took place. Her intention is to flip it, documenting the process, gain publicity and notoriety along the way.

Sarah is married, but her marriage seems to be in trouble, as are her finances and her therapy practice. Her publishing team is also waiting for her next big book, so the pressure is mounting. Not only is her husband not thrilled with this move, neither is the town, who regards her purchase and reno-for-profit as an affront to the couple who died there. The house in itself also seems to have strong feelings about it’s new inhabitants.

This story isn’t necessarily original, and we do spend an inordinate amount of time in the main character’s head, which can be confusing at times and frustrating at others. In addition to the stunning cover, this fast-paced thriller is a chilling, creepy story filled with twists, turns and surprises and will keep you engaged throughout.