Sarah Slade and her husband Joe just bought a murder house, with plans to renovate and flip it as quickly as possible. The only problem is, the house doesn't WANT to be fixed. And they have other problems too: the state of their marriage, their hostile neighbors, the secrets they share that are literally ripping their lives to shreds. When Sarah starts finding menacing notes inside the house with personal details on them, she's determined to find out who is doing this to her and how to make them stop before they ruin the picture-perfect life she's fabricated.

This was such a compulsive read! I finished it in a few hours, because I simply HAD to know what was going on. And I didn't even come close to guessing! Sarah is a truly unlikable character in my estimation, but character connection doesn't matter so much for me in a thriller. I did love her spite-filled cat, Reaper, though. The house itself is creepy and dark, and I wish we had gotten even more gothic vibe, because what was there was great. Fantastic debut, looking forward to more from Lisa M. Matlin!

Thank you to Lisa M. Matlin, PRH/Bantam, and NetGalley for my advance digital copy.

Wow! This had me so paranoid while reading in bed late at night! This is an incredible debut. I loved the author and the story so much more after reading the author's note, which I highly recommend.

This is about a social media star moving into a murder house. (By the way, that's a detail that really cuts down on price in case you were wondering.) This famous therapist is not exactly truthful about her peaceful life. Her marriage is breaking up, and she often ends each day passed out amidst empty wine bottles.

One thing that I loved about this book is how it picked up fast. What I mean is, I'm always so impatient for the scary parts to start happening, and this almost immediately satisfied my inner demon. I loved the whole vibe of this story and am hoping to see more from this author!!

Out September 12, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

This was another one of those “the cover made me choose it , but the blurb sold it” type of books. I really enjoyed the creepy vibes throughout this book. Perfect for upcoming spooky season. My mind was constantly turning trying to figure out the next twist and turn. I really wasn’t a huge fan of the FMC as I just found her to be really annoying and self-centered, but it all makes sense when the book comes full circle and all the secrets are revealed. I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for an advance copy of this title in return for an honest review.

So many things I liked about this book! But in other areas it could have used a little less or a little more! Will definitely recommend & read more works by Matlin! Perfect book for the Fall creepy season! 3.5 Stars


Description
Most people wouldn’t buy an infamous murder house to renovate for fun . . . but Sarah Slade is not most people.


A therapist and self-help writer with all the answers, Sarah Slade has just bought a gorgeous Victorian in the community of her dreams. 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 and a decent distraction from her failing marriage. Good thing nobody knows that her past is just as filthy as the bloodstain on her bedroom floor.

But the renovations are fast becoming a nightmare. Sarah imagined custom avocado wallpaper, massive profits, and an appreciative husband who wants to share her bed again. Instead, the neighbors hate her guts and her husband still sleeps on the couch. And though the builders attempt to cover up Black Wood’s horrifying past, a series of bizarre accidents, threatening notes, and unexplained footsteps in the attic only confirms for Sarah what the rest of the town already knew: Something is very wrong in that house.

With every passing moment, Sarah’s life spirals further out of control—and with it, her sense of reality. But as she peels back the curling wallpaper and discovers the house’s secrets, she realizes that the deadly legacy of Black Wood House has only just begun.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I found "The Stranger Upstairs" by Lisa M. Matlin to be a creepy, chilling & creative debut thriller that had me hooked right away & kept me guessing until the very end.
I can't wait to read more books by this author in the future.

Haunted house on steroids'. This was good mystery with a little fantasy. The love story was lacking.

I liked the ending but did not love the e3pilogue.

I received this galley from NetGalley.

A house can’t be evil…can it? So many twists and turns in this story. Writing style would be akin to a mash up of Riley Sager and Simone St James and it does not disappoint. The main characters are almost a story within a story as one eagerly reads to go deeper into their backgrounds and what led them to present day. Overall a great read and one you don’t want to put down. 4.25/5

A creepy read with great elements of horror and descriptive language. Character development was on point, but I kept wishing that I liked someone enough to root for them.

This is a fast paced, easy read that you will breeze through in one sitting. I can't say I am the biggest fan of the main character but, I also think her unlikability was needed for the story. The ending wrapped up really fast so I wish there was a better thought out end.

OMG this book was SO good! I stayed up all night reading it because I could not put it down and had to know what happened. It kept me guessing all the way up until the end. Every time i thought I knew what was happening I was wrong. I have been looking forward to this book to come out since i saw it online and have been stalking it online looking at reviews on Good reads and when I saw on Netgalley I thought I would request it, not expecing to get it, and when I found out i was approved I was so excited, I immediately dowloaded it and started reading. I promise you wont be disappointed if you read this book. I can't wait to read more books by this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a really good debut novel from this author! It was page-turning and creepy. A perfect spooky season read for those who would love a haunted/murder house element with a twist. Also, perfect if you like reading books with an unreliable narrator.

The story is about a social media influencer turned therapist who buys an infamous murder house with the hopes of renovating and flipping it for a profit. Throughout the book she unravels as strange things start happening within the house and with interactions with her neighbors.

The main protagonist is unhinged and not very likable, but in an interesting way. There were parts in her narration that was unexpectedly comical, so it was fun to read the things she’ll say to herself in her narration.

The ending was twisty and I loved how it seemed things came to a full circle. I have little to be critical about, but if anything, there were some plot points that I wished had more of a concrete resolution because I felt like there were some unexplained lose ends, concerning the protagonist’s family background. To this point, I also wanted her backstory to be a little more fleshed out so the reader can understand better why she is the way she is.

Aside from that, this was a fun read and definitely recommend to those who love a creepy story!

The Stranger Upstairs was a great psychological thriller debut. I loved the setting of this book which is a haunted house that had a gruesome murder in it 40 years ago. Sarah, the main character, is a social media influencer who goes into the house to fix it up. This book kept me guessing until the end and was a book that kept me up late into the night. I look forward to what Lisa writes next! I recommend reader's check this out in September once it is released!

Synopsis: When social media influencer and best-selling author Sarah Slade decides to renovate a long-abandoned house for her blog, she expects it to be easy and fun. But the infamous Black Wood House has other ideas. The site of a horrific murder forty years ago, no one has wanted to set foot in the house since. And as Sarah begins to hear strange noises in the attic and receive threatening notes, she realizes it may have been for good reason.

Thoughts: This debut was a solid attempt at a thriller, but there were a few areas it fell short for me. To start with what I loved - the premise was really great and had me excited to check this one out! I enjoyed the setting of the abandoned house, and the vibes were super unsettling right from the start. I was legitimately creeped out during certain parts! Now on to what I didn’t like - the characters were all either so unlikeable I couldn’t relate (looking at you, Sarah) or just not fleshed out enough to really understand their motives. The backstory that was revealed was a little odd, and the big twist just didn’t quite work. I think it could have been really great if some holes were filled in and the ending came together a little more solidly. If you don’t mind stretching your imagination a little, then this one is still a decent creepy read!

Read this if you like:
🏚️ haunted houses
🏚️ marriage drama
🏚️ unreliable narrators
🏚️ paranoia

What a great debut novel! A creepy psychological thriller that grabbed me from the first chapter and didn't let go until I had read straight through. A murder house and an unstable occupant kept me guessing as to whether she was just paranoid or someone really was out to get her. Full of unexpected twists, this is a quick, enjoyable read. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam Books for an advanced reader copy.

This was the definition of a psychological thriller. Is the main character crazy? Is the town working together to drive out the newcomers? Is the house haunted? Is there someone secretly living in the attic? The possibilities are endless.
When Sarah and her husband buy the “murder house”, they are sure they can fix it up and make a nice profit. They soon find out this may be impossible. Sarah seems to be unraveling under pressure, her marriage is hanging by a thread, and the town seems to be hiding secrets.
I love how open the possibilities are in this book. I loved the ending and how unique it was. I didn’t see it coming until the last second. I could have done without the epilogue though. I thought the ending would have been amazing without it. Overall an amazing book.

DNF at about 33%
I was expecting a spooky little thriller, but this was more horror than I prefer. It struggled to draw me in and I unfortunately couldn’t get into the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, author, and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

t took me a hot second to get into the book. Sarah is a fabulous character. Morally grey and deeply sarcastic and cynic. She was fabulous in her own way. After the first few chapters, the pace picks up. I had no idea what was going on and who to believe. The news paper articles and blog posts were quite clever. There is tension, paranoia and a hell of a creepy house. It was brilliant!
The only thing that was a put down for me was Reaper. I was fearing all through the book for the cat

The Stranger Upstairs takes a classic horror premise - a young couple moves into a murder house with the intention to flip it only to find it haunted AF- and… doesn’t do much new with it.

I enjoyed the beginning and some of the middle because the suspense was well-paced and sufficiently creepy, but as the story went on and the twists mounted and the main character was revealed too unlikeable for even me to defend, it all got to be too much. Plus, there were several threads left hanging and an epilogue that served no purpose.

Very entertaining and suspenseful thriller. The characters are all very unlikeable, which wasn't a bad thing for me. I had a problem with the ending. overall enjoyable, just not memorable.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

NetGalley ARC | TWs for suicide, murder, hurt/sick animals (the cat will be fine; I promise), alcoholism, and more

Oooooh this going to be the perfect fall release just in time for Halloween. If you love evil but lovable kitties, haunted houses, and books filled with untrustworthy and despicable characters, this one is for you.

I especially loved that Sarah buys a murder house to distastefully flip and get social media endorsements for - setting the tone for who she really is. You kinda hate her, but she makes you laugh... and do you really want her to die (the inevitable fate of living in that creepy home) or come out on top?! And if you want her to survive, what does that say about you...

This is a stellar debut novel, and I look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Bantam, for a free advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Read our full review on The Uncorked Librarian website here: https://www.theuncorkedlibrarian.com/new-book-releases-2023/

Or, find this title on our haunted house reading list here: https://www.theuncorkedlibrarian.com/haunted-house-books/