This one was a bit of a head-scratcher for me. What exactly was the point? The main character is a complete fraud and does all kinds of weird things ... that are explained ... then a bit undone in the end? And the epilogue? Just didn't make much sense, sorry.

This review was also published on Goodreads.

Thank you netgalley for this novel.. I kept seeing so much hype and people reviewing the ARC for this novel and having it as well i had to read it and im so glad i did.. First i want to say how much i LOVE the colors in the cover its so pretty but lets get to the story the main character was a mess but i loved her usually im very picky about books following a house or a haunted house etc but this thriller was so fast paced and had twists and turns and i loved that it took place in australia i love australia so im glad to see this book took place there. This novel follows a woman and her husband moving into a house that had a murder happen years ago and the people in the small town want it gone demolished.. they feel it has alot of bad energy and things happen inside it etc... so the main lead finds herself defending the home and going up against the people who are trying to demolish it after she purchased it.. She feels like she is being watched etc after finding notes inside and hearing noises and such.. shes also on the rocks with her husband so as everythings unfolding the main lead starts spiralling i could not put this down it was such a page turner honestly. Thriller fans read this one im sure you will like it. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. Great job!

This debut book delivered. The tone of the book from the first page had goosebumps rising on my arms. It is fun when you have a suspected unreliable narrator and are trying to sort her out along with the mystery of the house. A book that makes you question what that noise was in your own house is a win. I look forward to more from this author.

I finished this entire book, and I will not be giving feedback on The Stranger Upstairs. I do not read scary novels very often, and this one could give Stephen King nightmares.

Regardless, I apologize, and I am not the right person to review this book positively. I didn’t like the story, and it’s scary, and I hope to sleep this evening. My apologies.

Absolutely amazing debut novel! I'm immediately adding Lisa M. Matlin to my 'must read' list. I had so many theories and guesses as to what would happen, and I wasn't even close to guessing correctly.

If you’re looking for a creepy and eerie read this fall- pick this up! Set in an abandoned murder house, there were moments that had me seriously spooked while reading. As the main character Sarah, loses control, I didn’t know who or what to believe throughout this twisty psychological thriller. The middle was a bit slower paced but when the story picked up, so much was revealed. I also loved the mix of blog posts and news articles in the book. Overall, this was a great debut novel and I can’t wait to see what Lisa M. Matlin comes up with next!

I was here for this book. A murder house, unreliable narrator, subtle hints to sketchy backstories— all my vibe. I enjoyed the flow of this book and found myself zipping through it.

Sarah Slade (except that isn't her real name) is a social media influencer and therapist with a best selling self help book, but her own life is a mess and her history isn't what she tells people. She and her husband have bought a house in a rich and much-sought-after neighborhood outside of Melbourne, a "murder house" that has sat empty since the murder/suicide and attempted murder of the last owners, 40 years ago. Sarah plans to use the renovations on the house as fodder for her social media accounts and website and to flip the house for a nice profit, but the house doesn't seem to want to be "fixed", the neighbors don't want them there, and Sarah soon seems to be losing her grip on reality. Matlin's first novel is a very well-done gothic suspense. Sarah is the kind of character that is hard to sympathize with, making it hard to really like her, but she grew on me over the course of the book and I loved the twists --I totally had no idea where the story would end up, but thoroughly approve of the end.

Sarah Slade, social media influencer with a past, buys a house with a dark past to renovate with hopes of making a good profit and get a boost with her followers. Black Wood House was the scene of a grisly murder-suicide 40 years ago and Sarah hopes this fixer-upper will save her ratings, her reputation, and her relationship. But does the house want to be fixed? Sarah feels an energy from the house and feels it chose her more than she chose it. When mysterious things start happening, she worries someone is after her, especially when she hears the footsteps upstairs in the attic. Will this house help her or be her downfall? Will her past she is running from come out?

Whew, this was a creepy thriller. At times I questioned why I was reading this after dark. This really was a great debut! I don't feel there were many slow points in this book, it got going and held that momentum throughout. There are a couple of passages from news articles included during the story that help build up what is to come, and I liked that, I felt it gave the reader a little sneak peek of something coming up. The twist wasn't huge, it wasn't the kind that made the reader gasp. Given the past of Sarah Slade, it seemed fitting, but I don't want to reveal too much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Stranger Upstairs is Lisa Martin’s debut novel and man did it take me for a ride. This is the story of Sarah who buys Black Wood House, a house known for its tragedy. Insistent on renovating it and turning a profit, Sarah and her husband move in. Things don’t go as planned, someone is threatening Sarah, taunting her even but who? As her mental health continues to decline, the book has plenty of likely suspects and as the story unravels so many of them could be at the center of it all. This story get me guessing till the end and I’m still here sitting stunned at how it all played out. If you enjoy a dark twisty thriller then definitely check this out.

3.5 stars! This one was pretty quick and pretty good, I couldn’t put it down, actually. But the ending, it just didn’t do it for me. Worth reading because it’s fast, but I wanted some twisters that didn’t come. The anticipation though - whew! I basically loved to hate the trainwreck that is Sarah but I could NOT look away.

I love a good creepy thriller (especially when I’m not expecting it to be creepy!) with eerie and untrustworthy characters and the author NAILED this one! While reading this one, I kept coming up with different twists and turns the author could possibly do and yet I was still shocked at the end! I do, however, wish it had been a little more eventful at times! I think it was a little dull in some places and could’ve used a little more backstory and/or point’s of view from different characters but other than that, this was a very entertaining and quick read!

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a creepy, twisty and turny tale that kept you guessing until the very end. Sarah is an influencer who is determined to make a fortune by renovating a haunted house. She has some secrets from her past that are going to come back to haunt her.

Sarah feels like she’s alone…her husband is not on board with her decisions and isn’t around much, the neighbors and community are not very kind to her and things begin happening at the house. Are they really happening or is it her mind playing tricks on her?

Just when I thought I had it figured out…the story took a new direction. Very intriguing and captivating read.

🫣🤯 OH. MY. WOW.

What a RIDE! I loved every second. Hooked from the start to the end! I enjoyed the news stories mixed with the website updates. The complexities of the main character were so intricately woven. I’m a sucker for a “haunted house story” but the validity of this one made it believable, fun, and extra spooky!!! A new auto buy author for me!

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, 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 realized that a new façade can’t conceal every secret. 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. Sarah Slade must wonder was it all worth it? Or will this house be her final unraveling? This a very unique and creepy psychological thriller. It is a fast paced read that kept me wondering all the way to the end. I'm looking forward to another book by Lisa Matlin. If you like scary things with your psychological reads then you will love this book.

You are going to want to keep an eye on this author and read this book! This book was just absolutely fantastic! I love a good unreliable narrator and it is coupled with so many secrets that you just don’t see coming. I thought I figured out this book numerous times and was just so wrong. Please make sure to read the author’s note at the end, she has poured her heart out and put a personal touch to this book.

Sarah Slade and her husband have just bought their dream house in an exclusive neighborhood. They got the deal of a lifetime and plan to renovate it and sell it for a profit. There is a catch though, a gruesome murder took place in this house decades ago and no one has lived there since. The neighbors want this house demolished so they don’t have to deal with the cursed house. Sarah has other plans though and is going to document the renovations on social media to her many followers she gained after writing a self help book. Sarah thinks this will be so easy and fun until she starts hearing noises and receiving strange notes. Is this house really cursed or does someone Sarah gone for good?

The Stranger upstairs - Lisa M. Matlin

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Blogger/therapist and her husband buy a murder house in an area they could not have otherwise afforded, and their lives start a downward spiral as soon as they move in. What is with all the weird happenings in their new house, and the things that go bump in the night, AND why are all their new neighbors so VERY UNwelcoming?

Did they just sign away their futures, and their marriage so that they could revamp a haunted house that seems to resist every change they attempt?

Are the hauntings due to corporeal or ethereal intruders? Why does everyone in the community (including the house itself) want them out?

If you find these questions intriguing, pick up a copy of this novel to find out the answers to these questions and more.

This entertaining and captivating novel should equally delight both fans of atmospheric haunted house mysteries as well as fans of domestic/psychological thrillers.

A crumbling house with a sordid past, bought by an ambitious social media personality and her reluctant but lovable husband. That would be the version of events posted on Sarah’s blog for her many followers to see. In truth, it’s more like A crumbling house with a sordid past (and a haunted soul) bought by a(n alcoholic) social media personality (who is not what she seems) and her husband (reluctantly), (who is likewise not what he purports to be). Sarah Slade has worked very hard to cultivate an image of herself and her life for public consumption by her many social media followers - and she feeds off of their approval. I couldn’t put this book down as I watched Sarah’s carefully constructed facade come crumbling down while I frantically tried to figure out if the house was haunted, if Sarah was crazy, or if there was an outside conspiracy at work.
On a deeper level, there’s a lot to unpack here about shared grief, about running from a past that is forever catching up to the present, and about the importance of mental health. There are no graphic descriptions, however there are some significant depictions of the effects of alcoholism and unaddressed mental health issues. As a debut novel, I think it’s great. I would read more from Lisa Martin.

Sarah Slade. therapist and self-help writer, has just bought a gorgeous Victorian home. Turns out, you can get a killer deal on a house where someone was murdered. Plus, renovating Black Wood House makes for great blog content.. Good thing nobody knows that her past is just as filthy as the bloodstains on her bedroom floor. The renovations turn out to be a nightmare, however. Nobody wants to come work on Black Wood House, for everything that they manage to get done, it either somehow gets undone or they find something else wrong, her husband is still sleeping on the couch and barely speaking to her, and the neighbors hate them and have been leaving threatening messages for them, hoping to drive them away. Then there are the unexplained footsteps in the attic, her cat has been poisoned, and Sarah has been getting sicker every day that she has been living in that house. Something is seriously wrong with Black Wood House, and as Sarah’s life spirals further out of control, it is apparent the deadly legacy of Black Wood House has only just begun.

This reminded me a lot of the Netflix show The Watcher. It not only had the spookiness of the haunted house but also the creepiness of the way the neighbors colluded to run her (and anyone else who tried to live in that house) away. The book is a combination of blog posts by Sarah, news reports once dead bodies are found in Black Wood House, and then the main storyline. There is a trigger warning for alcohol abuse, depression, and mental health issues, as the main character struggles with all three of these. Overall, this is a good book that will keep you guessing as to the identity of the victims, and as to whether Black Wood House is truly haunted, or a ploy by the neighbors to keep people away.

Thoughts

This had a lot to keep it interesting. It has a lot i don't like in thrillers, like the characters keep hinting towards something but never saying what it is, a woman being unreliable because of drugs or alcohol, and a bad therapist trope.

I think in the end that is what brought it down for me but it was interesting enough that I didn’t want to dnf it right away. I wanted to see where it went. So I think that says a lot about it. And because of that I think a lot of people will really enjoy this one.

And the author's note in this one is a good one. It's an important one. And I am glad she gets to laugh in all the suckers faces.