The story of Sarah Slade who purchased Black Wood House, also known as "the murder house". This house has been empty for 40 years since Janet Campbells father killed her mother in the home and Janet has not been seen since after fleeing the scene. Sarah hopes to renovate the house and sell it for a profit. However, renovating the house has proven more difficult than she anticipated- local contractors aren't willing to work on the house and more. Sarah is a therapist with her own secrets- ones that can be held against her by others (ex: people start leaving notes around her home). Everyone in the neighborhood wants to tear the house down and for Sarah to leave. When sarah learns about another disappearance associate with the house (interspersed news sections where you don't know who the victim until much later). You think you have it figured out, but the author throws in a great plot twist to surprise the reader.

Book has horror vibes for sure and is good for people who like thrillers with more horror vibes (creepy, haunted, sinister). I didn't find myself rooting for any of the characters and this book just gets weird and creepy in the second half.

Loved the personal note from the author at the end

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for an ARC in exchange for a review. Book was available as of 9/12/23!

How do you feel about murder houses? In this novel, our main character buys a house where a family annihilation took place four decades earlier in hopes of renovating and flipping it for a profit. However, the vibes are scary and soon strange things begin to happen.

I enjoyed the unreliable narration even though I did not like the main character. In fact, the more of herself she showed, the less I liked her. Her past was awful, but the present was so odd that I was drawn more and more into the story. As a true crime aficionado, the idea that the house might or might not be haunted or... was also very intriguing. I also appreciated the mental health topics touched on within the book and again in the author's note. While not my favorite story, reading it was still a fun way to while away a weekend. (3.25 stars)

was on the edge of my seat the entire time, wow!!!! this was a fantastic debut novel. didn’t disappoint

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin is a mystery/thriller about social media influencer Sarah Slade. When she buys a house that has a very sordid past, strange things start happening. Is someone responsible or is the house haunted? This story had a lot of unlikable characters, and it wasn't really my favorite. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

This book had more of a “horror” component than I like and just got a little too strange for me. Others have loved it, so I am sure my threshold is just a bit different.

I loved the cover and I love a good haunted house story so I wanted to love this book….and although it had potential, I felt like the ending was unsatisfying and disappointing. There were so many red herrings that the ending felt like a huge letdown. Thanks for the ARC and I will look forward to the next one from Matlin!

This was such a great debut novel!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah buys a notorious “murder house” in hopes that she can fix it up and resell it for a profit. But the house seems to have its own ideas. Are the neighbors plotting against her? Is there something in this neighborhood that can drive someone to murder?

I am not sure if Sarah, or the house itself held more secrets. This story kept me intrigued and offered a lot of great twists and turns. Some parts of this book really gave me the creeps….and I loved every minute of it.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who loves an atmospheric, creepy read where there is a new twist around every corner. However, you might not want your read this one when you are alone at night.

A great thriller. I couldn't believe this was a debut novel! I could not put it down!! Will be buying a physical copy for my library!

This book was absolutely jaw dropping. I gasped out loud when I got to the twist and I couldn’t believe it. This book was definitely worth the read and I look forward to more from this author.

Would you buy a house with a sordid past? Sarah Slade certainly would.

Sarah and her husband purchased Black Wood House where a grisly murder, attempted murder, and suicide took place 40 years ago. Her intention was to rennovate and flip the house, while raking in the sponsors on her social media. But as they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. As soon as Sarah and her husband Joe move into the house, things start to go sideways. Their marriage, which was already slightly on the rocks, starts to disintegrate faster and faster, contractors refuse to work on the house, the cat starts freaking out, and Sarah starts hearing noises in the attic. Is the house haunted, or is history repeating itself?

Things I Liked:
-The pacing! This clipped along at a nice rate, adding to the unease of the story by never really letting you settle into comfort that you know everything that is going on.
-The general concept of murder house - one of my favorite thriller/mystery/horror tropes!

Things I Wasn't As Much of a Fan Of
-The "bomb dropping" that happend within the story. We're solidly in the narrative, and then out of seemingly nowhere a news article gets inserted into the story about two bodies being discovered on the property. This was SO abrupt it nearly gave me reading whiplash. Instead of coming about naturally in the plot of the story, it felt more like the author realized we were x pages into the story and we needed to have some sort of twist or shocking event happen. But it had no lead up and left me super confused at first.
-Plot holes. Oy. There are several, some larger than others, and lots of loose ends not tied up nicely at the end.
-Overly convenient ending. The end felt...trite, almost. It was overall too convenient that things "happened" to wrap up the way they did. Not to mention it ended on another twist-ish with no payout. It was frustrating.
-Sarah's job as a therapist. I can suspend disbelief to a certain amount (and it's often required of thrillers), but the idea that a woman with absolutely no qualifications, no degree, and no experience not only got a job as a therapist, but actually maintained that job AND maintained clients while ALSO being an alcoholic was too far for me.

Wow! This thriller kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It wasn’t what I expected but it was definitely what I needed and helped me get out of a reading slump.

3.5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam for the ARC copy of this one!

I really enjoyed the creepy atmosphere that this book gave. I was hesitant at first with where this was going, but honestly I loved how it ended. Like it's frustrating, but in such a good way! Gave it that extra little bump to the story.

I was definitely engaged with this story, but unfortunately there were some questions for me at the end still for some of the actions during the book. A couple parts didn't quite add all the way up, so it left me wanting a bit more from the story to truly elevate the reading experience.

I do highly recommend reading the Author's Note at the end of this one. I don't typically do this, but this one is absolutely worth it and makes this story a little sweeter for sure.

First time reading one by this author after seeing it posted on some book club sites. I thought it was a decent read and I will definitely check out something else by this author.

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and Bantam books for my honest review.*

An wannabe influencer with a very sketchy past and a husband who is trying to get away from her buys a house that was the site of a very gruesome murder-suicide 30+ years ago. And then it seems like she is being stalked, but is it her husband or the neighbors or the house? The only thing that makes sense is that she is losing control of herself and the house and her job and....

I did enjoy the novel, but when I was starting the book I was feeling like it was paranormal in a way. It was far from paranormal. There was a lot of second guessing about what could be causing the issues, but it did make a lot of sense at the end. But the influencer's past seemed to stay muddled throughout.

Good writing and suspenseful. I think that a lot could have been done with the story, but some things were rushed.

Reading challenge category: 2023 Booklist Queen: Bottom of your to-read list

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC ebook.This was an ARC that I was automatically given and didn't request, so it got shoved down my TBR list.

Sarah Slade is a self-help author and influencer who buys a "murder house" with her husband in hopes of gaining traction by blogging their renovations. Her marriage is on the rocks, the house is falling apart and more expensive to fix, and her secrets are starting to come out. Strange noises in the house and in Sarah's mind make her question everything.

For a debut novel, this was 'okay.' Parts of the story became convoluted toward the end. I think there were too many ideas smooshed into one that should have been narrowed down better. I also think that the story would have been better without the epilogue: <spoiler> I wish that the story would have been left at carbon monoxide + mental illness; NOT fake carbon monoxide + mental illness + haunted house.</spoiler> The insertion of <spoiler>paranormal</spoiler> at the very end of a book is one of my least favorite tropes.

I'm in between a 3 and 4 star rating. First let me say I am super impressed this is the author's debut novel. Wow! If you're looking for something dark, twisty, sinister, creepy with an unreliable narrator you'll want to throw out of that haunted murder house window, then this is your book!

The setting is fantastic! You have this murder house that is beyond creepy. People keep getting murdered here and no one can explain why. Even worse, the neighbors don't even want to acknowledge some of the horrors going on. The author does an excellent job of making this house scary, gothic and creepy. You honestly don't know if something paranormal is going on or if there's a reasonable explanation for all the bizarre behavior. You could not have paid me a million dollars to sleep one night in that house. So kudos to the author for the detailed plot development. There are so many twists I wasn't sure what was real, what was left or right.

Then you have the characters - your unreliable narrator Sarah, who to be honest, drove me as batty and she is crazy. There is Joe, her husband and a complete waste of space. And then the not so helpful neighbors. There were so many times the story gets muddied. And so many times I was screaming 'Just get out of that dumb house!' I didn't know whether to be angry, frustrated or just pull my hair out. (Which all of these reactions makes for a good story).

The ending was a complete surprise to me. As a reader, I love it when that happens. Having said that, I do believe some of it was quite a stretch of reality.

Overall, it was a fun book to read. Exciting, creepy, twisty. If this is the author's debut novel, I believe more great books are to come from her.

My thanks to Netgalley, Lisa Matlin and Random Bouse Publishing Group - Ballantine for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was horrific but not bloody or gory although there is talk of blood.
It is more of a creepy, haunted, and sinister feeling book. This is a good book to read around Halloween.
Sarah Slade is an influencer, author, and therapist! She bought a gorgeous Victorian house in Melbourne. The Black Wood House was a real bargain since it had been vacant for 40 years because of a murder that took place. Sarah wants to blog her journey on the renovation and make a handsome profit reselling it.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This cover was initially what made me want to read this book. This is a good psychological thriller. Parts were predictable but overall a good debut novel. I love when the house is a character on it's one. I did not like the MC but I think that adds to the book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

I liked this book for the fast-pace and dark atmosphere. I wasn't quite sure where the ending was going, but we got there eventually. I felt that the ending left more to be desired and don't know if it was setting up for a sequel or just wanted readers to make their own guesses to what happened next. I thought the concept was original but the main character was a bit annoying. Overall, a quick read with a good twist!

This novel follows Sarah Slade, an influencer who is renovating a "murder house." The text is interspersed with her blog posts which adds some texture to the novel, as well as news articles set in the future. This was a short and quick read for me. I am not always crazy about novels set in Australia, but that was a small element of this story. Sarah is an unreliable narrrator and seemingly always holding something back. The dynamics between her and her husband are also interesting and help to move the novel forward. The twist at the end was interesting and not something I easily came up with on my own. Would recommend to all thriller readers.