A woman in a failing marriage, buys a house no one wants and soon gets immersed in the horrors of the house and her mind. Both she and her husband have secrets and both are not who they say they are. Parts of the book I like and parts were a bit more horror than I like. I would try another book by this author, this one was mixed for me though 3.5 rounded up

It is a book that takes you on a wild ride all the way to the end. We have Sarah who has a dark past and it makes the reader wonder who or what is Sarah running away from. This makes you question is a house truly evil? Can a house do things to make you leave? Is it all in Sarah’s head? Who really is Sarah? Are the people in the town to blame or Sarah or the house? This is why I read the book in a few short days because answers are needed to all the craziness going on. I recommend you pick this book up.

A creepy/psychological thriller that kept me turning the pages! Sarah - a social media influencer -moved to the "murder house" for a fresh start and chance to renovate. Sarah starts to see and hear things that drive her crazy. Things might not be what the seem and she can't trust.

This was a fantastic book! Matlin really captivated me from the beginning and even though this is a fiction book, most of us can really relate to the main character with our lives looking so bright and shiny online but behind closed doors it is a different story. Murder, betrayal, mystery- the things I NEED in a book. This had it all!

The Stranger Upstairs is a dark, creepy, twisty thriller. There are so many suspects and so much back and forth on who is reliable, that I didn't know who to trust, and the subtle hints at something paranormal threw me off further. The big "whodunit" reveal was completely unexpected, and to be honest, I'm still not sure if it was brilliant or if I feel cheated. I was almost starting to feel sorry for Sarah at the end, but then the final chapter totally reversed that. There were maybe two good people in the whole novel, and everyone else was a terrible person, the kind you love to hate. I enjoyed the author's writing style and the way she layered in backstory. I'll definitely read her next novel when it comes out.

First off thank you for the chance to read and review this ARC. This book was beyond creepy at times in the best way. I love an unreliable narrator, so it really delivered in that way for me. I also really enjoyed the interspersed instagram/blog posts and news articles. I would 100% read another book from this author and recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good thriller. My only complaint is I still am dying to know what ultimately happened to Amanda! Also, I can’t leave out that the dedication section had me laughing before I even started the book which was a nice touch!

The Stranger Upstairs
Lisa M Matlin
Pub Date Sept, 26, 2023
Bantam
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
* horror * gothic
For a debut author this is a good start, I was offended by the language, however, and did not see the purpose in using profanity so much.
The book was intense, and kept my attention.
3 stars

I am happy people enjoyed this one but maybe it just didnt have a good impact on me. The pace was too confusing and I know sometimes it is intentional to make it that way so the mystery is there but… this just fell flat.
Maybe I will give it another shot and reread? maybe the second time around it is better.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. This was a super quick page turner that I finished in 24 hours. The story was fast paced, unique, and kept me guessing.

I always enjoy a good thriller about a creepy house and this didn’t disappoint. It also didn’t rely on the cliches and had an unexpected ending. Really enjoyed this as a fun easy summer read!

While I definitely love to love a main character is was hard this time…. But I truly admit I loved to hate her. What a well written character all around and while she develops holding one secret to another, you know she really only cares about what’s good for her and how she is perceived in life. All while routing for her to get what she deserves and trying to figure out one mystery of who she is to what she’s done to is the house haunted, is she crazy or those horrible neighbors.
Loved the concept of this book and it kept me engaged from page one all the way to the end!

The Stranger Upstairs follows Sarah Slade and her husband’s need for something new in their life. Sarah is a bestselling author and therapist. Joe is a bartender. Together they move to the Black Wood House with the idea of renovating and selling it for a huge profit. Nothing goes as planned. The neighbors do not want anyone in the house even though it has been 40 years since their neighbor murdered his wife and then killed himself.
Sarah appears to have it all together with a bestselling novel, a new job as a therapist, a new house and a successful blog. She thinks no one knows her secrets until notes start appearing around the house. She hears footsteps in the attic and her cat appears to be poisoned. She is soon convinced that the house is alive and knows everything. Everything is out of control.
I almost did not finish this book. After reading Lisa Matlin’s detailed and very dark description of the wallpaper I had decided this is too creepy for me but I continued. I am so glad I did. Her descriptions of the scenery allows the reader to feel like they are walking along beside Sarah. Then came the uncovering of the secrets which opened up so many twist and turns. I was so sure I had it figured out. I was wrong.
Thank you NetGalley, Random House Ballantine and Lisa M. Matlin for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This one seriously scared me in the first third of the book. So much so, that I had to put it down and do something happy. Then I settled back in and I was no longer scared, but it was creepy and intriguing. There are quite a few good twists, turns and surprises. And it's hard to believe this is a debut novel. This will be one author to watch!!

Just finished reading this book and it was soo good!! What a thrilling ride and with an ending I never guessed. I love that it dealt with mental health and how Lisa talks about her struggles with mental health at the end. I can best describe this book as psychological thriller/horror that is creepy!! “Who wants to buy a murder house?”
Sarah Slade was an influencer who became an author and counselor. She is unhappily married to Joe do. They have a secret past they are running from and start over in a town called Beacon. They buy Black Wood House, a murder house with the intentions of renovating it and blogging about it. This is a house where 40 years ago Bill Campbell killed his wife Susan, attempted to kill his daughter Janet, and ended up taking his own life. After Sarah and Joe move into the house everything changes. Sarah starts to lose it in this house thinking the house is alive.
What a thrilling crazy ride I genuinely couldn’t put down this book. Thank you Net Galley and Random House for the opportunity to read this book.

4.5 rounded up
Great debut novel!
Murder house and social media, how can you not love it? Great atory and interesting characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Wow! What a debut!

This combines a haunted house trope with a VERY unreliable narrator to perfection, and reminded me of my early favorites of the suspense genre in Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins.

Super unsettling/ eerie vibes from start to finish, the pace never lets up! I will definitely be on the lookout for Matlin’s future releases after devouring this one.

The Stranger Upstairs is a fast and frantic read that keeps you wondering, is this paranormal or psychological? Sarah makes for an interesting, complex, and sometimes unreliable, narrator, with a hidden past that's slowly revealed. There are quite a few elements that are underdeveloped or never explained, which was disappointing, and I wish the spooky aspects had been explored further. In the end, I gave this psychological thriller 3.5 stars.

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin, a creepy, jumbled, fantastically enjoyable read! This story follows Sarah Slade, a therapist who has purchased a "murder house" with her husband Joe. This is the unraveling of an unreliable narrator. I thought I knew exactly what was about to happen, until I didn't! A must read! I would like to thank the author, Lisa M. Matlin, and NetGalley for the complimentary e-galley.

I’m not going to lie, this one was a little hard to keep up with… but I guess that was kind of the point, right? Sarah/Lizzy is going crazy and the reader kind of feels like they are too! The ghosty qualities of this book were unresolved which was frustrating but it’s interesting what happened at the end. I think it was a good debut novel and look forward to what else Lisa comes out with. Sarah/Lizzy was one crazy bitch… but was it her fault… yes and no?

I really enjoyed this book! Just when I thought I had it all figured out, another twist would hit. This book is a quick, but great read - perfect for a flight, day at the beach, or a rainy day inside.

DNF at 50%. Unfortunately this book didn’t work for me. An interesting premise, but an incredibly unlikable main character and a storyline that never quite picked up. By 50% it still didn’t hold my attention and I decided to move on. Would try something else by this author, this one just wasn’t for me.