The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Marlin
Published by Ballantine Blanton
Release date September 26, 2023

Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Pace: 5/5
Suspense: 5/5
Overall Enjoyment: 5/5

OMG! I am still trying to process what I just read. This was the fastest that I have ever read a book before and while I know I have said that this is the best author I have read, I absolutely mean it this time.

Sarah Slide, Instagram influencer, therapist, and writer, has just bought the house of her dreams with her husband Joe. A Victorian in the community that she loves and their goal is to renovate, and flip it. The house has a name because of its previous owners, The Black Wood House. And boy does it have a history. A history of death. However, something ominous has other plans and Sarah now must figure out what she wants to do. Take on the spirit that is haunting their home, or run from it all together. The only thing is, Sarah decided to document the whole experience on social media. Can she figure out the house’s past?
This was a very well written thriller that put together all of the things that today’s society wants to see,ghosts, murder houses, and social media but it is done in such a manner that it will scare the crap out of you. I was fully engrossed in this one and finished it in record time. There is no predictable ending here either but do not read it in the dark. The end will cause your heart to race. It will take you on one hell of a ride.

Thank you to NetGalley as well as the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

Whew this one was a wild ride! It was creepy, thrilling and full of secrets. I loved the twists and didn’t expect them at all! This was a fast-paced read and it kept you wanting more!! This book definitely gave me Amityville Horror vibes and had me slightly scared. 👻

Sarah Slade is an Instagram influencer and therapist. Her and her husband, Joe, buy Black Wood House which has a dark and chilling history. The previous owners were both brutally murdered in the house and the crime totally rocked the town. Sarah and Joe hope to move in and start renovating so they can flip it, sell it, and make a profit. Creepy things start happening and everything goes down hill from there.

This is Lisa Marlin’s debut novel and it was a great read! Definitely add this to your TBR if you like thrillers with some paranormal vibes as well.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for a honest review!

Sara is a bestselling author and therapist and also a social media influencer who promotes wellness, when she decides to buy a murder house and renovate it to sell for a profit with her husband. What could go wrong? Well a lot. And it seems like everyone involved in this story has secrets. I though it was just ok.

The Stranger Upstairs
By Lisa M. Matlin
Pub Date: 26 Sep 2023
Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thriller
Rating: 4.5/5

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin is full of mystery and suspense. This psychological thriller kept me intrigued by its eerie atmosphere and unexpected twists. Matlin's writing takes you on an enthralling journey and masterfully captures the haunting atmosphere of a Stephen King novel.

Synopsis:
Social media influencer and best-selling author, Sarah, buys Black Wood House with her husband Joe. When strange events occur in the house, Sarah quickly realizes its sinister history. This house was the site of Bill Campell's brutal murder of his wife, which led to his suicide forty years ago. Now faced with terrifying events in the house, Sarah must resist Black Wood House's dark past. Sarah's plans were to restore Black Wood and turn it quickly for a large financial gain. However, the task turns out to be far more dangerous than she had anticipated. Sarah soon finds herself in a terrifying battle against the ominous forces of the house. She must decide whether to confront the past or run from it.

Thank you @NetGalley, and @randomhouse - Ballantine, A Bantam Mystery Box, #storiesandsuspects and Lisa M. Matlin for my beautiful complimentary copy of this incredible book. I appreciate your kindness.

#TheStrangerUpstairs #LisaMMatlin #RandomHouse #Abantammysterybox #StoriesandSuspects #Gifted #bookmail #NetGalley

Absolutely blown away. This book was brilliant. I couldn't put it down and the last 100 pages will have you on the edge of your seat & holding your breath.

This book is about a woman named Sarah who is a social media influencer that decided to purchase Black wood house also known as murder house to renovate it and sell it with her husband Joe. Everything seems well on the surface but things start to unravel for Sarah quickly.

I loved the vivid imagery and the way the author makes you feel what Sarah was going through. I don't think you could ask for a better debut novel I can't wait to read more.

Wow, that was the most unhinged thing I've read in a long time 😂😳🙃

When Sarah and her husband Joe buy a "murder house" to renovate and flip for profit, they get a little more than they bargained for. The house has a dark past and despite all the warnings, they dive into the renovations head first.

I have super mixed feelings on this one, so I'll share the main things I liked and disliked.

Likes:
-The cover, I mean come on 😍🌺
-Readability: I could noooot put this book down, it was like a train wreck i couldn't take my eyes off of
-Debut author: I love that there's a crazy new author in the thriller space and loved her author's note

Dislikes:
-Sooo much cussing that it was a huge distraction from what was going on, like a ridiculous amount
-Some pretty big plot holes (that or I'm just very confused)
-Ambiguous ending : this could be a positive for some people but I'm still left scratching my head 🤔

I think readers will have very polarizing views on this one and am excited to see what everyone thinks!

Thanks so much to Ballantine Books for the ARC. This will be available on September 26th.

Wow! What a debut novel. I loved it! This had me hooked from start to finish. I would not change a thing about this story and would definitely recommend to anybody who will listen. If you think you have this figured out, I promise you, you don't.
Sarah, a social media influencer/therapist/ best-selling author, buys Blackwood House with her husband. 40 years prior, Bill Campell brutally murdered his wife in this house, then ended his own life as well. Sarah's goal was to renovate the murder house and sell it for profit. Once they are moved into the house nothing goes as planned. Sarah starts receiving threatening notes, thinks her cat is being poisoned, thinks her neighbors are out to scare her out of the house and her clients start leaving her. Has some discovered Sarah's darkest secrets or is Blackwood House slowly making her lose her mind?
Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine for the ARC.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an advance copy of this book in return for my honest opinions.

It was a fantastic read.. I could not put this book down it was so good!! I need a physical copy like yesterday!!

Would you renovate a famous murder house and document all the changes online? This is what Sarah Slade and her husband has decided to do. However, Sarah is all in, her husband, not so much. As the renovations start, odd things in the house begin. Sarah's life begins to unravel and she tries to find out what exactly happened in the house to find out how to start all the odd things.
A very disturbing book that has so many twists and turns, you will be hooked until the end.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars out of 5!

The Stranger Upstairs was a real page turner and I ended up finishing this book in 1 day! This book was filled with a lot of twists and turns and really was unpredictable. I really liked the ending of the book and it really fit with the style of the book. You know this is going to be a great story when a haunted murder house is being renovated!

Sarah and Joe are married and recently bought a haunted house to renovate, The Black Wood House. Sarah is a best selling author/ instagram star who will be documenting her renovations. She also is working as a therapist. As they start the renovation process, weird things start to happen in the house. We also find out Sarah is hiding a lot of secrets. What could go wrong? Turns out, a lot!

This is an excellent debut book for Lisa M Matlin. If you are looking for a psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of the seat this book is for you!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Yes yes yes! This book is absolutely brilliant! I devoured it in a day.

I loved the main character, Sarah. She clearly struggled with undiagnosed mental health issues and disorders as a child leading her to think she was weird and, with the exception of her sister, have no friends. With no support, she found her own coping mechanisms, but they weren't ideal. And voila, we have a messed up adult, doing her best, that you can't help but root for, even though she exhibits toxic behavior. She's not the most reliable narrator which I also adore.

This book was unpredictable. I read a lot of thrillers and can often see "twists" coming a mile away. Everything I suspected here was wrong! I was delightfully surprised by the ending. Twice.

Also, I don't do spoilers, but the one thing I have to say is that her cat, the a-hole that he is, lives happily ever after. I cannot stomach animal abuse/ death not even in fiction and I was really nervous for Reaper a couple times. I was so thoroughly enjoying the book, but thought about quitting because I've had unpleasant images put in my head by authors before and have no interest in it. For those that share that sentiment, you can read on, Reaper is fine.

This is one of those books that draws you in and takes you for a wild ride. What a phenomenal debut. 👏

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Lisa Matlin and Bantam/Penguin Random House for the ARC.

Review to be posted closer to pub date on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Bookstagram. Already on Goodreads.

There’s a house in Australia that doesn’t want to be fixed…

Sarah Slade, former social media superstar & therapist, has recently purchased a murder house & has plans to revamp her image by posting play-by-plays of the renovations in the hopes of flipping it for an enormous profit. But real life isn’t as rosy as she’s making it seem online: the neighbors aren’t happy about the fact that Black Wood House is still standing, Sarah’s husband isn’t sleeping in the same room with her anymore, her cat keeps acting like he hears someone in the attic, someone’s dropping cryptic hints about knowing her secret past, & strange things have been happening all over the house…

This is one amazing debut! The snarky comments & well-placed swear words in the running monologue of Sarah’s thoughts (I enjoyed sharing a name with the main character) were fantastic, and the news articles spaced throughout the book foreshadowing bits & pieces of what’s to come were eerily perfect. I loved that this was set in Australia, the descriptions of all the wildlife made you feel like you were there. Definitely going to keep an eye out for this author’s next book!

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Sarah is a therapist who buys a house in a picture-perfect neighborhood. The house is known as The Black Wood House, and it contains a very ugly past. Sarah is a lifestyle blogger and she feels the mysterious house will encourage more followers. Crazy things begin to happen during construction. The house becomes a character in itself. This novel is dark and twisty and will not let you rest until you finish it!

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ARC of this title in exchange for my review.

Overall, I was disappointed in this one. I thought it might be enjoyable, but the author didn't flesh out the characters enough and the main character was just too much. I really can't think of anything good to say, and can't think of anyone to recommend this title to.

2 stars for 'it was ok' (really should be 1 star, though.)

This book is full of twists and turns. Of course we knew there would be a good story because Sarah Slade the main character decides to renovate a murder house. She is a therapist and self-help writer who believes that she knows everything. Her life quickly becomes a mess. Is it her own doing or is the murder house hiding secrets? Read to find out you will not be disappointed.

Sarah Slade, a therapist, author and influencer, and her husband Joe have purchased Black Wood House and plan to restore it. The house was the scene of a murder many years earlier and has been abandoned since. All is not as simple as it appears and things begin deteriorating almost from the onset. Workers won’t do anything with the house because of its history. Sarah’s mental health has also deteriorated and Joe has, for all practical purposes, stepped out of the picture. Sarah also has many secrets she is protecting and hiding. She is drinking excessively and beginning to lose time. Interestingly, the author did go through a mental breakdown during the period she was writing the novel. It is a psychological thriller and a remarkably well done one. Thanks to Net Galley and Bantam for an ARC for an honest review.

Woah. This book takes you for a RIDE! You’ll feel like you’re being gaslit the whole way through. It’s intense and such a quick read!

Yes, I did like this debut, "The Stranger Upstairs", about Sarah, a pop therapist/blogger who buys a murder house, "Black Wood" to renovate with her husband & help boost her fading influencer status, but gets a bit more than she reckoned with. The MC was totally unlikeable, but I think that was the point, but the gothic creepy house setting was very well written! Recommend for the atmosphere & I appreciate that it was quick and on the shorter side. My thanks to Net Galley & the publisher for the complimentary DRC - my please to review :)

I really wanted to like The Stranger Upstairs but there was something that I just didn’t vibe with. I’m not sure if it was the writing or the characters, but this was not for me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review.

The Stranger Upstairs is truly a psychological thriller. I was questioning the reliability of the main characters many times throughout this thriller! There were definitely parts during the middle where I started to get a little bit scared of the house myself, but I found the twists and turns to keep me engaged!

I will admit, the ending was very underwhelming. I like the psychological aspect, but I was hoping for a bang of an ending and this one made me think, “really???? This whole book just for that….” For that reason, I give this book 4 stars and I would recommend to my friends!

Thanks to Netgalley, Random House, and Lisa Matlin for this ARC!