✨Book Thoughts✨
The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin
Pub Date: September 12, 2023

What I Liked
~Once you get into this one you can’t put it down.
~You’ll dislike the MC, as she’s the unreliable MC, but then you’ll wonder if you should like her.
~So many twists.
~The spooky murder house.
~The unfriendly neighbors.
~The anonymous notes.
~Not knowing what is real and what isn’t.
~Reaper, the cat.
~Town secrets.

What I Didn’t Love
~ The slow start.
~In the end I wish there was more to it than what we got.
~I felt like there were some unanswered things.

Thanks to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I loved the creepy vibes the house gave off. I will definitely recommend it to friends. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

I loved this book! I will definitely recommend it. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨

ᴛʜᴇ sᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ ᴜᴘsᴛᴀɪʀs ʙʏ ʟɪsᴀ ᴍ ᴍᴀᴛʟɪɴ

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️// 5

I swear every character in this book was unreliable and sketchy. I didn’t know who to trust, even towards the end!

Updates throughout the book are written as a blog post before its revealed by the main character, which keeps you totally engaged and not wanting to put it down because you have to know how it got to that point.

At times, I felt that what was happening was making me go crazy too 🤪 but overall I loved this one and kinda hope it turns into a series or movie!

***ARC Review***

Special thanks to NetGalley, Lisa M. Matlin, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the advanced copy!

This was a pretty good debut novel! Lisa did a great job writing this from the perspective of Sarah Slade, newest owner of the Black Wood House. Is it Sarah that's crazy? Becuase there's no way houses make people crazy ... right? You'll have to read to find out!

I wish I got a little more background on Joe and Sarah. You get a little from them about what happened to Sarah's sister, but not a lot which kind of made Joe's characted not needed in the story. The epilogue was kind of cool. Overall this was a pretty good book and I would reccommend to a friend! It was the perfect story to kick off spooky season.

Happy Reading!

This book was unlike any book I have read before. The author did a great job portraying the creepiness of the house, and definitely got my heart pounding.
I feel like I still have some unresolved questions after finishing the book, but it was a solid read.

3.5 stars

Thank you Net Galley and publisher for the early access for an honest review.

I was so drawn in by the book description. I heard good things and was so excited to read it.

It was definitely chilling and the author did such a good job at making you think different theories about what was happening. I found myself not wanting to read alone in the dark 🤣

The main character Sarah I felt was brave. I would never buy a house where a murder happened but I understood the want to save her marriage. Start over somewhere new and bond over home renovations.

I loved the blog entries and the news articles thrown in between chapters. It really built up the story in a good way.

In my opinion, the ending fell short. I was very disappointed in the reveal of what what was happening. So that’s why I rated it the way I did. The build up was great though.

Definitely a spooky pick for the fall season 💀

Sarah, a social media influencer, buys an infamous murder house with her bartender husband, Joe. After only a night, the house starts feeling like more than just a house and Sarah's secrets start boiling over.

Wow! What a wild ride!

There are a lot of things to like in this book but be warned: none of these characters are likable. But that's the point of it. You're not supposed to like them, in my opinion. Sarah is well laid out and has LOTS of problems that push her story forward. And that's the central thing of this book: everyone has secrets and they don't want to stay hidden.

The atmosphere of this book is amazing. There were chapters that my heart was literally pounding because of the anxiety. The setting of the murder house and everything that comes with it is so well done. You really start to get the feeling that the house itself is evil.

All in all, this is a good atmospheric and anxiety inducing thriller!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted copy. My reviews are always honest.

3.5 stars rounded up.

The stranger upstairs had me questioning my own sanity at one point. Sarah our main character and narrator has mental unstability and it is portrayed through the writing so much that at some points you just really don’t know what’s going on, what’s the truth or what’s being made up by her mind. I didn’t particularly enjoy this writing but can see how others would. The story is unique and not your average run of the mill thriller, for a debut this author knows how to write creepy into the story. Really enjoyed the authors note and it cleared a few things up about the writing style. Definitely would read more by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random house publishing for my pre approval to read in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book was crazy. I don’t read a ton of thrillers, but I’m glad I picked this up. The main character is a social media influencer and decided to buy a murder house in the hopes of extending her career and turning a profit. But the house has different ideas and Sarah and her husband have skeletons in their closets that are starting to come out. This was a book that the twists and turns were not what I was expecting. I definitely enjoyed this one.

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin is a typical, predictable thriller. It follows a very unlikeable narrator, Sarah Slade, who has just moved into Black Wood House with her estranged husband. Weird things start happening around the house as they attempt to renovate it. The house is the location of a horrible crime and two people died in it years prior to Sarah moving in. The more time Sarah spends in the house, the more her life falls apart. There are very few enjoyable characters in this book. One of them is a cat named Reaper. I found it easy to see where this story was taking us. This is a meh read for me. It had what I consider a dissatisfying ending. I’m sure I will be in the minority in my opinion. The book is twisty and is a great example of a gothic thriller. I think the more books like this I read, the harder it is for me to find them special. For what it is, I would say this is a 3/5 star read. I ended up with 2 copies of this book. I have an ARC and BOTM copy. This book is going to be published on September 12th, 2023. I do recommend it if you don’t read a lot of these kinds of stories. It is a solid book for someone new to the genre. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me access to an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review will be found on Instagram and Goodreads indefinitely.
Instagram book reviews @CandaceOnline

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I was completely surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I will preface by saying that I read the reviews and some stated it was a typical haunted house story. As someone who hasn't read too many, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sarah was one of the most unhinged characters I've read, and meant as an unlikeable protagonist, however I kind of found her refreshing. She owned her messiness and problems. She didn't apologize for them.

The settings were described with enough detail to paint a clear picture and it lent to the creepiness. I felt like I could see what was described and even smell what was described.

My favorite parts of this book are spoilers, but I will say there were a lot of twists I wasn't expecting, and the writing kept me completely engaged. I devoured this book and loved the ending SO much. It was dark, spooky, and fun in the most fucked up way. I'm shocked this is a debut and I'll happily pick up another Lisa M. Matlin book if she writes more.

This was a fast-paced, unsettling read for me. On one hand, it was a thriller about Sarah, a social media influencer who decides to buy a "murder house", a home where a brutal murder occured, with the intent to reignite her career and possibly save her marriage as well. Sarah wants to fix up the house, breathe life back into it, chronicle the process on social media and hopefully resell the house for a profit.

The book is set in Australia, a setting I love and the story itself is somewhat compelling for a thriller. But the narrative reads partially as a deep descent into mental illness and I couldn't help but feel for Sarah as she tried to somehow deal with her own demons, her financial situation and her failing marriage.

Sarah Slade is an influencer who has written a best selling self-help book. She has now bought a murder house with her husband to fix and flip and document on her website. Strange things start happening in the house; what’s going on?

I thought I was struggling with this book because I had a lot going on this month, but the truth is that it just wasn’t for me.

1) This is the second “haunted house” book I read this year and I didn’t care for either one of them.
2) This is the 5 billionth unreliable narrator book I have read and I AM OVER IT.

I skipped many pages just to get to the end to find out what happened, which is never a good sign.

That all being said, I appreciated the note from the author at the end and it made me feel bad that I didn’t jibe with her book. This is definitely a case of it’s not you; it’s me. I just wasn’t the right audience for it.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

Oh my goodness, this one was UNHINGED. I could not put it down and was entertained all the way through. I can’t believe this is the author’s first novel; she did great and I look forward to reading more from her.

Of course, the cover is gorgeous, but the storyline is genuinely haunting and twisted. This is the type of book that keeps you mentally pointing fingers at people, and makes you wonder just how much you can trust, and who. This is the perfect book to pick up this spooky season!

The MC, Sarah Slade, is quite an interesting character. I wasn’t fond of her, really, but her past was rather complex and that made me curious about her.

Read this one if you enjoy:
- unreliable narrators
- fast-paced books
- haunted houses
- marriage drama

A special thanks to the author for her lovely author’s note, and for being so honest with us. A truly lovely note, and I felt her on the doggy pictures request.

Thank you so much Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group, and the author for this ARC.
Pub date: 09/12/23

Find me on Instagram: coffeebreakwithrachel

Wow Wow Wow. I started this book and almost gave up but with first time reading a novelist I kept going and going and going. Once you start getting into this book you can't stop as you have to know what the heck is going on. I'm still not sure I really know but....
It is strange, creepy and weird but well worth reading. Kudos to this first-time author. Keep going Ms. Matlin. Thanks for giving me the creeps when I hear a weird noise in my house!

Wwoowwwww!!! This was her debut novel and I cannot WAIT to see what else she comes up with! Sarah Slade is a renown psychologist who purchases a “murder house” with her estranged husband in a perfect town to cash in on publicity during renovations and ultimately a big payday when it sells. But as she begins to chronicle the harrowing process, every aspect of her life begins to spiral out of her control. What day is it? She begins to lose track of her time and sleep and the house itself seems to have a growing sinister plan of its own. I was totally sucked in to this crazy story! I received this ARC read from NetGalley for agreeing to give an honest review.

Let me start by saying, isn’t this cover the most beautiful cover ever?! Don’t let it fool you. This is not a happy story. As I was reading I went from wondering if this is a ghost story, or our main character is crazy. I had many other theories going on as well….is this book like a Black Mirror episode? Is someone hiding in the attic? Soooo many thoughts that it kept me reading. Were any of my theories correct? You have to read to find out! I have heard you either love or hate the ending…..I am curious to know which spectrum those of you are who have finished this already. I love a good u reliable narrator, and this one had it done right! Except….I could have done without her having a drinking problem. But what can you do? This is a debut and was excellent! I will totally read her other books when they come out!

I also loved how vulnerable the author was in her author’s note at the end. She shared how she went through a mental breakdown constantly thinking of suicide when she was partway in this book. Thank you for sharing your story.

“𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐝. 𝐈 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐥 𝐢𝐧.”

The Stranger Upstairs is a debut psychological thriller following Sarah Slade, the new owner of Black Wood House, who plans to renovate the mysterious murder house. Sarah was such a chaotic hot mess of a character. She was morally grey, sarcastic, and even unlikeable at times, but I was here for it. This one has lots of twists and turns, some which I guessed and others I never saw coming, and had me hooked until the end. 4⭐️

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕋𝕠 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥:
🏚️Creepy murder house
💔Marriage issues
🖤Unreliable narrator
🔀Twists & turns
🔨Psychological thriller

“Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me”

Sarah Slade is a self-made therapist, best-selling author, and social media influencer who buys a house that has stood vacant for over 40 years because of a brutal murder. Her goal is to renovate the house, record the process on her blog, and then resell for a profit. What could go wrong? The book’s premise was intriguing, and I was entertained enough to hang on until the end, but I think the author tried too hard to do too many things: a creepy atmosphere, an edgy, unreliable main character, haunting past secrets.

The result felt sloppy: glaring plot inconsistencies, unrealistic characters, and odd dialogue. And the ending felt flat and was unsatisfying. It seemed the author was going for shock factor at the expense of good writing.

The cover is beautiful, but the pages between need more polish. Readers looking for a bit of spooky and bizarre circumstances will enjoy this book but must be ready to suspend their disbelief.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam for providing me with an advance copy of this book. My review is voluntary and reflects my honest opinion.