Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

Blackwood House is not your usual fixer upper. The house has sat abandoned for 40 years due to the prior occupants. The new owner is a social media influencer who bought it, in hopes of using it to fuel her content. What she did not expect was her husband to take a break and leave her in the home with just her cat. Did I mention her cat loves to stair up at the attic at random times throughout the night. Shortly after notes start to appear, someone does not want Sarah in this house....

Between the unreliable narrator and the gothic setting, I was sucked in. The layers in this story between the main character and the house kept me guessing throughout the story. Well done Lisa!

This was a pretty good book! Really twisted at times but I never saw the carbon monoxide coming. I don't know about the epilogue with them never finding a leak and the house truly being sentient but that's okay the rest was really good.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was the perfect amount of creepy and twisted. I did not know what to expect going into this book and I ended up really enjoying this book. I loved how twisted our main character was, she was a wild ride. This was a great and suspenseful read that I really enjoyed from beginning to end.

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin - This book was a different type of read yet suspenseful and creepy! The cover is stunning too!


Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the Advanced Reading Copy.

It's a major accomplishment to write a novel and see it published, so bravo to this author for that. "The Stranger Upstairs" suffers from its marketing and leaves the reader expecting a creepy thriller at best. While it's a quick read, the main character isn't likeable and the suspense isn't page turning enough for what the cover promises.

I really like the colors of this cover! It's a very eye-catching cover! That being said, the story fell a bit flat which was kind of disappointing.

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.