I was excited about a home improvement themed horror book, but The Stranger Upstairs didn't work for me at all.

To me, the writing was a little too rambling, the characters were flat and unlikeable and the plot was confusing. I was hoping for an Amityville Horror sort of book but I just couldn't get into this.

If you like books with a comic tone, you should definitely try this. Many people on Goodreads absolutely loved it!

Sad that this was a miss for me, but thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!

Lisa M. Matlin knocked my socks off with this book. The first few pages, I wasn't sure, but by the end of the first few chapters, I could not put this book down. What next? What next? The Stranger Upstairs will not disappoint those who enjoy a good mystery/thriller.
Also, I thoroughly appreciated the Author's Note at the end. Books such as these often leave me wondering how in the world did someone come up with these plots? Thank you, Lisa Matlin, for your candidness, answering my question. I appreciate your honesty and by sharing your story I hope this gives others inspiration.
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing me with this ARC. It was my pleasure to read and provide this review! #TheStrangerUpstairs #NetGalley

This was a twisty, layered domestic thriller debut that sees an Australian therapist/self-help social media influencer buying a murder house with her husband and hoping to profit off of renovating it and sharing about it on her blog.

I loved the depth to this book and the way the house felt like a character itself, the author also kept me guessing and wasn't afraid to go dark as secrets from the main character's past come to light and she tries desperately to keep them hidden. Plus that ending!! Pure chills, it was FANTASTIC!!

Great on audio narrated by Fiona Hardingham, with a not to miss author's note included at the end. Highly recommended for fans of authors like Sally Hepworth, Shari Lapena or Mary Kubica. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

I had really high hopes for this one, and while it did have some pretty good tension building and some good unreliable narrator beats, I was overall kind of underwhelmed with it. For one, our main character, Sarah, is unreliable and that's fine, but she is painted as so unlikable and grating that I couldn't really invest in her too much. I can usually get behind nasty protagonists in stories like this, but it just felt like Sarah was ticking off so many tropey boxes for unlikability that it felt two dimensional. I think that if she had a bit more complexity to her I'd have been able to swallow it better. On top of that, the final reveal underwhelmed me, especially since it seemed to waffle a little bit between two solutions.

THE STRANGER UPSTAIRS was underwhelming, but there was enough meat and potential there that I will definitely be checking out Lisa M. Matlin's next book.

<i>I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

What a waste of potential!

This book is disappointing on so many levels. The characters are unlikeable, the thriller/horror elements are lacking, and the ending is a massive letdown. Add in poor handling of mental health issues and sloppy writing and you have a recipe for disaster.

I love a good thriller! But this story is so chaotic, trying to tackle too much, that nothing comes across as thrilling. We don't feel the town's hatred of the house, Sarah's fear, Emily's concern, none of it. It's just weird.

No one is on Sarah's side in this story because she's a deeply unlikeable character. And while I'm all for evil, morally grey, or otherwise atypical characters, there needs to be a reason for me to root for them. I need to be invested in them in order to care even a tiny bit about what happens to them. In Sarah's case, I just didn't give a crap.

I like nonlinear stories but the jump forward in time via news announcements or articles didn't meld well with the rest. It came across as lazy. As did the additional PoV introduced so close to the end. It would've been more thrilling/horrifying to see those scenes from Sarah's PoV.

And I can't even with the ending! What a cop out! Sure, the epilogue tries to undo a bit of that but it didn't land because I was already so checked out of the story. I just rolled my eyes, skimmed it, and let out a huge sigh of relief when it was finally over.

This isn't worth the time.

I received a digital copy of The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin via NetGalley. The Stranger Upstairs is scheduled for release on September 12, 2023.

Sarah Slade has just purchased Black Wood House, a house best known for the murder-suicide that occurred there years ago. The first owner of the house since the grisly events of the past, Sarah hopes to renovate the house, boost her flagging social media presence, and save her finances and failing marriage. As she starts to work on the house, her recruited builders begin to act strangely, she hears footsteps in the attic, and menacing notes convince her the house and the town around it might be trying to kill her.

The Stranger Upstairs has a solid gothic feel. For me, this was one of the strengths of the story. Sarah finds herself in a creepy house: bloodstains still on the floor, windows that won’t open, strange sounds, odd behavior from her pet, husband, and others who enter the house. The oddities of the house build throughout the novel, which worked well.

The escalation of events in the house puts a great deal of pressure on Sarah, which results in changes in her mental state that read true. This did help me feel for Sarah as the novel progressed. In the beginning, however, Sarah was very tough to connect with as a character. She is very obsessed with social media and her presence there, which I don’t particularly enjoy reading. On top of this, she had a level of self-awareness around her social media obsession that did not ring true. This felt like commentary from the author, which pushed me away from the character.

In terms of plot, there was an interesting set-up here, but many of the plot points as the story continued felt like coincidence, rather than logical progressions of the events. There were also some elements of what was happening in and around the house that were dropped and never revisited or explained. This led to the overall story feeling a bit unsatisfying in the end.

Overall, The Stranger Upstairs is a vibe-heavy psychological thriller with some stumbles in both character and plot.

Familiar thriller tropes executed perfectly...

This book didn't do anything new. But it did exactly what I wanted. And it did it so well. This really was that unicorn book for me. It gave me the experience that I always picture for myself during fall thriller season, but that can be so hard to come by in real life.

I had no idea where this book was going until the very end. The blend of creepiness, paranormal undertones, and just general strangeness created the perfect backdrop for a mystery that was surprisingly compelling. The twists and turns built slowly and were well integrated within the plot. It didn't rely on cheap red herrings, bait and switch moments, or flying off the rails to create feelings of uncertainty.

The book integrated excerpts from social media, news reports, notes, and journal entries to tell the story. Mixing up the way in which the story was told made the reading experience feel fresh and fast paced.

The voice-y-ness of the main character was a real strength of the book. She was cynical, funny, and tortured. I wanted the best for her, but I also kind of hated her. I found her career fascinating and really enjoyed seeing her interact with patients and co-workers. And her cat! I loved her cat.

The main thing keeping this from 5 stars was the ending. Not that the ending was bad. It's just not the resolution I wanted. But, maybe there will be a sequel!

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa Matlin is a mix of a horror story and a psychological thriller. The story centers on Sarah Slade, a self-help author and therapist who buys a "murder house" with intentions of posting the renovation updates online to build her social media presence and accumulate sponsorships. The house was the scene of a gruesome murder years ago and the townspeople would just as soon see the place bulldozed, it may be haunted or is that Sarah's overactive mind playing tricks on her? And will Sarah's attempt at fame result in the secrets of her own past being revealed? What will the stress of all this do to her relationships with family, husband, co-workers, and neighbors?
There's a lot going on here, perhaps too much. I appreciate many of the things the author is trying to accomplish, but characters are underdeveloped, relationships are not fleshed out and left unresolved and there's a lack of commitment to some of the plot lines. I wish she had tried to do a little less and to do it better.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was invited to read an ARC of The Stranger Upstairs and I am so, so glad I gave it a chance. The description put this book a bit outside my comfort zone as I anticipated it might lean towards horror. However, this is a solid mystery/thriller with a lot of extra creepiness factor from the "murder house" that the MC buys with plans to flip.

Sarah Slade is a self-help writer and a therapist, and this murder house is her newest project. She plans to use her social media to share the renovation process and hopefully make some extra money. But things start going awry very quickly, and soon we learn that Sarah and her husband Joe have a lot of secrets that they are hiding- and running from.

I love that I went into this one with very little knowledge of the plot. This synopsis is just what it should be, an enticing tease of what is to come and not too much information at all. Full of juicy secrets and twists big and small, this one was such a fun ride and one I couldn't put down. It was both a popcorn thriller and one with a bit more depth, especially through the lens of the author's note. The only small critique I have is one loose thread at the end, but I don't think a good book has to tie everything up. And maybe it was intentional! Lastly and the icing on the cake, I've never read this final twist before. Given how many books I read in a year and that this is in my top genre, that's huge!

Don't miss this one. I can't believe it's a debut and I am truly sitting on pins and needles waiting for Lisa Matlin's next novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This thriller had me thinking and uncertain the whole way through! The characters, at some point, were all suspicious and untrustworthy. I love when an author can write characters in such a way that I doubt and root for them all at the same time.

Though I felt the story started well, it felt rushed and frantic in the second half and I was not satisfied with the ending. After all that build up, I was hoping for something else! Something more spooky!

Strong debut novel, would recommend as an easy read.

I really wanted to like this one...the premise of the story was freaking AWESOME. Unfortunately for me, the characters were unlikable and I just couldn't get into the story.

Others are giving this one glowing reviews, so I probably wasn't in the correct mindset when I started the book.

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

“𝑾𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒂 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆? 𝑩𝒖𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅!”

Read this book if you like:
👻 Psychological thrillers
👻 Debut authors
👻 Dark humor
👻 Suburban drama
👻 Marriage issues
👻 Haunted houses
👻 Influencers

Social media influencer Sarah Slade is ready for a fresh start. She and her husband, Joe, are the new owners of Melbourne’s infamous Black Wood House, the scene of a murder-suicide 40 years ago. Sarah hopes that the fixer-upper will help her gain more followers on her successful lifestyle blog and Instagram—and distract her from her failing marriage. As the renovations begin on the “#murderhouse,” Sarah and the builders begin experiencing bizarre incidents. Sarah knows there’s only so long she can continue sleeping in the bedroom with the bloodstained floor and listen to the mysterious footprints coming from the attic. When frightening notes start appearing in the house, Sarah is convinced someone or something is out to kill her: her absent husband, her angry neighbors, or maybe even the house itself. The more she remodels the house, the angrier it seems to become, and the more Sarah’s life spirals out of control.

Reading this book was like riding a rollercoaster, with one twist after another. There were so many moments while reading when my heart was racing, and I could feel the hair on my arms rising. This book was so good that I genuinely can’t believe it is the author’s debut novel. The spooky atmosphere and dark humor were just perfection. I read the entire thing in a day, staying up late so I could finish it. This book was a blast, and I highly recommend it for spooky season!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

And a huge shoutout to the author for one of my new favorite dedications: “With no thanks to: Everyone who thought I should get a real job instead of writing my stories. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA suckers!”

Strange happenings in a house known as the murder house that has been empty for years. But is is really empty...The new owner seems to be not wanted by the house; or by any of the neighbors. Too many things going on to be coincidences. But is it something with the house, or is it the people living in it...Good story to keep you hooked to the end to find out what is happening.

Pub date: 9/12/23
Genre: suspense/thriller
Quick summary: Therapist/self-help guide Sarah Slade thinks renovating a murder house is the way to fix all her problems. The house has other ideas...

This was such a fun debut thriller! I was hooked when I started listening on audio, switched to text midway through, and then back to audio to finish this one in two days. Sarah clearly has her own secrets, she's not super likeable, but she was so entertaining to follow. Matlin really captured the creepy atmosphere of the house and added in some great twists. At under 300 pages, this one packs a punch, and it's a great choice for spooky season!

Thank you to Bantam Books for my e-ARC and PRHAudio for the complimentary audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Slade has just purchased her dream house... unfortunately it's a nightmare. She purchases a home where an infamous and brutal murder took place. She had a taste of fame after publishing a huge self help book and wants to springboard off of that and flip this "Murder house" into a big profit. However, things don't go as planned. Renovations keep running into roadblocks, her marriage is on the rocks and all the lies in her past are causing her to spiral down a dark hole. She starts to realize that perhaps something is VERY wrong with this house. Can she break away before it exposes all of her secrets as well?

What a ride... I will admit to not being immediately sucked into this one. Then about one quarter in, I couldn't stop. As you start getting all of these revelations about Sarah and her past, you start seeing the darker past of her husband and the house they purchased. No spoilers, but I felt sorry for Sarah but at the same time really didn't like her at all. What was unique about this one, is that the house itself felt like a character. I gave this one a 3.5 out of 5.

Thanks to Random House Publishing, Ballentine, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This might be one of my favorites covers of 2023!

I wasn’t super invested right away. I didn’t care for Sarah much. It really started to pick up during the second part. I really enjoyed the new articles and blog posts sprinkled throughout. The quick chapters made it easy to read.

The ending was somewhat disappointing as I didn’t think it really explained everything very well.

Before I even get into any thoughts on this book, I want to recognize the author for sharing a snippet of her mental health journey and say I am so glad you were able to climb out of the Dark Night of the Soul, it’s a very hard place to be in.
Ummm, the cover, I love it! I’m a sucker for bright things and this cover is everything! I felt like I was going to love the book right off the bat! (I know, I know, you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover!)

I don’t want to give away spoilers, but I enjoyed the mental health snippets, mixed in with haunted house vibes and then organic nature components added in. I did have a hard time at first getting into the story because I found the main female lead so unlikable, but she got better!

This was a great debut and would definitely read another book by this author.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

4.5/5! This was a great take on a haunted(?) house story. I truly never knew who to trust with what information! Sarah drove me absolutely bonkers, as I believe she was supposed to lol. At first I rolled my eyes HARD at the ending, but the epilogue made up for that 100%!

"Come alone."

Two words that will send shivers down your spine! And that's what author Lisa M. Matlin does over and over again in this debut novel set in a murder house.

Murder House. Not the paranormal happenings like the Amityville Horror, but real actual murders. And Sarah is crazy enough to purchase the house with her husband Joe. She thinks the can flip it and make a tidy profit. The neighbors hate her. And she thinks they're out to get her.

I love where this story went, especially because in my mind it was going somewhere completely different! I would have stopped before the epilogue because I think the story was complete in the final chapter. The author's notes are definitely worth reading!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advance reader's copy.

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin is creepy and suspenseful in all the right ways, perfect for spooky season reading! I was intrigued by the description, and was hopeful that the neighborhood drama would be entertaining. I was not prepared for the chilling, haunted house vibes, nor for the unreliable narrator that presented herself. Happily, this was a perfect read for a rainy fall day.

Too many times, I am disappointed in the endings of similar books, but that was not the case for this one. I was completely surprised by the way it wrapped up, and not displeased with the way Ms. Matlin concluded the story. Well done!

If you love gothic haunted house tales, unreliable narrators, and books that make you question what really happened, look no further than The Stanger Upstairs by Lisa Matlin.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House-Ballantine for the digital ARC of The Stranger Upstairs. The opinions in this review are my own.