Got to love a good murder house story! This one was an interesting mix of thriller and mystery, with a strong and clever twist at the end. The writing really made the creepy and eerie house come to life and the pacing was a good combination of scary bits mixed with on the edge of your seat reveals/plot.

This one had all the workings to be one of my favorite reads of the year, but there were a few things that kept me from loving it. I love the concept of a marriage crumbling inside a newly purchased murder house, but I didn't feel the tension I was meant to feel. It all just kinda fell flat. It was a middle of the road read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

I saw a lot of chatter about this one online so I was excited to read it. I didn’t think it was great but it also wasn’t bad. There is a pretty satisfying twist at the end but overall I could’ve taken or left this one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Stranger Upstairs
By: Lisa M Matlin
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group Bantam
Pub Date: 9/12/23

I’m just not sure what I think about this one. I can’t decide if it’s a mystery or a thriller more than likely a combo of the two. When a social media influencer and her husband buy a house they really can’t afford things start to go horribly wrong. Not only does the house have its secrets but so does the couple who bought it. This house has claimed the lives of at least 3 people and possibly a 4th. You spend a great deal of time wondering about who's coming in the house to torment Tim and Sarah but you will eventually learn that nothing is as it seems. It was definitely interesting enough to keep you wondering what was really going on. Thanks to Random House , NetGalley and Lisa M Matlin for this ARC.

This was a thrilling read that kept my heart racing, and my mind! When Sarah Slade purchases a house where a murder occurred, she never imagined the journey it would take her on.

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa Matlin is a great debut psychological thriller. I'm very impressed, particularly for a debut. I look forward to reading more from Lisa Matlin.

When you see houses for sale for a long period of time it could be because it is a murder house. Would this impact you purchasing it? Black Wood house, built in 1889, sits on 400-acres of land. One dreadful day, husband and father, Bill Campbell brutally murders his wife and ultimately himself. The house is left untouched for forty years. Bestselling author Sarah and her bartender husband decide to purchase and flip the murder house. Imagine the potential profit and all the social media fame! At least, that's what Sarah hopes for. Instead, she is met with secretive neighbors, strange incidents, suspicious noises, a less than perfect marriage, and secrets resurfacing from her past. Sarah is a therapist who looks like she has her act together but she has her issues too- besides marital problems, she shops too much, and drinks too much-among other things. 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. The ending reveal was such a clever switch up from the readers expectations based on how the story plot points. Good debut. 3.5 rounded up. Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley.

This is we my first book by Marlin. The plot of this book is right up my alley. A murder house with a crumbling marriage the mystery of what’s living up stairs.

There were times when I felt like I really loved Sara’s character. The way she described her thought process in great detail. There were other time where I felt like this was like every other mystery I had read and I just wanted to throw my book! But in the end it was not like any other mystery book I have heard.

Very interesting plot twist. Not sure I cared for it so much and where the story line went after.

However I did love the Suspense and of who Joe was and what was he capable of.

The Stranger Upstairs is Lisa Matlin's debut book, and she did a great job bringing the creepy factor! The setting of the Black Wood House was eerie, and the narrator was unreliable, which kept things interesting. There was a twist at the end I didn't see coming. I didn't overly love this one, but I didn't dislike it, either. 3 solid stars.

Thank you, Random House Publishing- Ballantine, and Net Galley for a copy in return for my honest review.

this book was really good and also thoroughly scared me for the last 20%. i was so intrigued the entire time and desperately needed to understand the crime. literally only 1 out of ~10 predictions was right and that made it even more fun and shocking. unpacking every piece of this story and realizing just how much i was fooled made this such an enjoyable read. i may have been scared, but this plot unraveled in such a well done manner and had me on the edge of my seat.

The type of book that was a right book, wrong time for me. I can see why others may have enjoyed this book, but for me it was just okay. It didn't grasp me the way I thought it would have. Again, doesn't mean its a bad book, I just didn't have the right attention for it.

This book had a bit of everything I hate about horror movies. That said, I still read the entire thing even though I was scared through at least the first half of the book. Haunted houses, things popping out at you, creepy messages, an attic, murders... you name it. If these things are things you like, then this book is for you. And of course, it had that ending that left me creeped out all over again. Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC. 4 stars.

Oh man did I think the synopsis of this sounded amazing. I hit that request button so quickly and looked forward to reading this. This excitement ended pretty quickly, though. I couldn't stand Sarah, hated her. I hated her character so, so much. I hated her as a therapist. I hated her blog, I hated her self-pity parties. I HATED THAT THIS WAS NOT PARANORMAL.!

Would you ever consider buying and living in a murder house? The main driving question in this twisty novel remains. I did not see the plot twist of what was upstairs coming, and it was a bit of a let down if I'm being honest. I did enjoy this book overall and liked the main character - I was rooting for her!
Thankful for the ARC!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this arc. Such a great story and so very hard to put down.

This was a great debut novel by Lisa Marlin. It was thrilling and kept me engrossed the entire time. I will definitely read more by this author!

This is one of those books where up until the end I’m very invested and then something happens that make me slightly dislike it. This is a debut thriller taking place in Australia. I would say this is similar to Rachel Hawkins novels and if you like her books, then this is a great book to read as well.

A social media influencer Sarah Slade buys a murder house to renovate and document for her blog. Ever since her and her husband move into the house, things seem to be going wrong. It’s as if the house doesn’t want them there. Sarah also has a dark past along with the fact that she’s a fraud. This is one of those books where you have a very unlikable main character but at the same time, you can’t help but root for them.

I was terrified to read while reading this. I couldn’t sleep and I couldn’t stop thinking about what was going to happen next. Emily was one of my favorite characters but I was always questioning if she was a good person or not. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in this book and it is so enjoyable. After the haze, I started questioning a lot of things, especially the ending. I really didn’t understand what’s up with the murder house and I don’t believe that there was carbon monoxide poisoning.

I 100% recommend this book to thriller fans. I think this is great and I have enjoyed reading peoples reviews on Goodreads because everyone has a different take on what happened and Sarah’s personality. This is a great summer read as well.

The Stranger Upstairs was a fantastic debut novel. It’s a page turning atmospheric thriller that kept me engaged until the very last page. It also solidified the fact that I was absolutely never buy a murder house.

An amazingly thrilling story. I could not believe what I was reading and never wanted the story to end! Definitely a page turner and very quick read.

Buy a house someone was murdered in?? No thank you! The Stranger Upstairs confirmed my fear of this, but was such a good read.