3.75 stars for me!
This thriller is a fast paced book with a splash of suspense. I think one aspect that this book lacked was the character development but the overall plot was interesting and kept me a bit hooked. This book did add a different aspect to a typical haunted house story which I loved and the strange and creepy aspect kept me going. I am not a haunted house fan but this one was a page turner!

This book was extremely slow moving and hard to follow. It was hard for me to get through. I have not read any other books by this author but the description sounded good, however, the ending was disappointing.

I really enjoyed this book. Sarah and her husband Joe buy a home in Beacon, Australia, that is the site of two murders. Sarah is a social media influencer and author who wants to renovate the house and make a profit. Pretty quickly, Sarah starts noticing strange things happening. There are footsteps in the attic and someone might be breaking into the house and writing notes with things only Sarah would know. The terror of what's happening in the house forces Sarah to face the trauma of her past and figure out who, or what is haunting her.

I was also very surprised to read about the author's background and battle with mental health. It took Lisa Matlin ten months to write this wonderful story while she was struggling with her own mental health issues. I commend her and am so grateful to have been able to read this before it was published.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing this ARC!

Sarah Slade, a social media influencer with a hidden past decides to move into a house with a horrifying past. She and her husband plan on renovating and then selling the home. Sarah starts fearing that someone or something does not want them at the house. This book has me anxiously reading to find out what was happening with Sarah, her husband, and the house. Who can you turn to when even the neighbors do not want you there?

What a wild and creepy ride! There’s a lot to unpack here.

Most people wouldn’t purchase a house where a murder occurred, but Sarah Slade did. A therapist and writer, along with her husband, decided to purchase a fixer upper to renovate and sell. There’s a catch, 40 years ago, a murder happened. Upon moving in, Sarah’s life starts to spiral when weird things keep happening like threatening notes, accidents and more.

An unreliable narrator and the amount of tension made this book so thrilling to read! It was fast and will make you question everything you read!

Thank you to @netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Publication date: September 26, 2023

Make sure you have some time when you start this book… because you won’t be able to stop! This book drew me in with its beautiful cover and the inside was even better. This is one of those books that no matter how many times you’ve “figured it out” there is always more waiting for you in the next chapter.

This DEBUT novel for Lisa Matlin is a must read!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Book release: Sep. 26.

Review of Uncorrected eBook File

Question: When can a buyer purchase a long-vacant house for as much as fifty percent less than its listing price? Answer: When the house’s past includes a murder within its walls.

Sarah Slade, despite warnings to the contrary, sees Black Wood House as an opportunity. A social media goldmine if she posts all the ongoing renovation work on her site. A place to fix up and sell at a huge profit, or perhaps rent out. Either way, she insists that the house chose her.

But, maybe, working beside her husband, Joe, to renovate the house will help repair her marriage, too.

Only, none of the neighbors want Susan and Joe in the house. No one wants the house renovated and workmen are refusing to come anywhere near the notorious house. And, if anything, her marriage may actually be on even shakier ground than it was before.

Adding to Sarah’s difficulties, strange things are happening, as if the house wanted Sarah and Joe gone, too.

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Cynical Sarah is a bit difficult to like, but she is a well-drawn and believable character. The best-selling author/therapist is quite duplicitous.

The creepier-than-creepy aura of Black Wood House fills the unfolding story with apprehension and tension, keeping the lights lit wherever readers happen to be turning those pages. But the house isn’t the only holder of secrets.

As unexpected revelations twist the story more and more, readers will find themselves caught up in Sarah’s nightmare. Lovers of good horror stories [and even of haunted house mysteries] will find much to appreciate in this atmospheric creep-fest.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley
#TheStrangerUpstairs #NetGalley

This was a fun read, one that is out of my comfort zone as I stay FAR away from anything that has haunted elements. I just don't enjoy paranormal or ghostly encounters. However, this worked and was enjoyable.

A page turner for sure! I’m not a huge fan of the “haunted house” books, but this one was pretty decent.
When Sarah and Joe buy a #murderhouse as an answer to their ongoing problems, it didn’t quite work out that way. A house with a history. The previous owner killed his wife, the last owner is missing, and now the house seems be getting to Sarah. Is she crazy? Does the house want her out?
Make sure you grab this one when it releases September 26th.

A heart-pounding and compelling thriller! I LOVED this book, it was so well-written I was hooked from the first chapter. I couldn’t guess what was going to happen next and it was such an enjoyable and dark read. This is a banger of a debut novel and this author will be an immediate instant read for me from now on! I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Wow i absolutely thought this book was great. Thank you netgalley. Im so happy i got a copy of this book. The last few books ive read have been not so good this book from page one grabbed me in and had me invested in the story i just wanted more and had to find out what was going to happen next. This would be a book i would buy. When i think of a thriller this is what i think of .

4 stars

Creepy level - solid 5 stars

Told mostly from the point of view of the main character, it is hard to tell what is true and what is not. Although I thought I had this figured out, the twists were definitely surprising. Worth the read on a lazy summer day.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and honestly review.

I received and ARC copy of The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa Matlin from NetGalley.

I absolutely loved reading this book! It had an eerie feel to it the entire time. What happens when an influencer sees a murder house on the market? She buys it of course! 40 years ago, a murder-suicide took place in the home and has sat seemingly vacant since. When Sarah and her husband move in and try to renovate the house, it seems that something sinister is lurking within the walls. Can a house truly have feelings .. can it make people do menacing things? Will it drive a person crazy to do unspeakable things? When Sarah begins receiving notes of things that no one else could know, she believes that someone .. or something... is out to kill her. As she dives deeper and deeper into madness and drowns that madness with alcohol, we have an absolute mess of a person that might not be able to perceive reality anymore. Is there a simple explanation, or does something more sinister lie in this town where she is made to feel unwanted from the start? Is someone really trying to kill her or is the house literally making her crazy?

Anyway! I enjoyed this and it was a wild ride. I enjoyed how there were diary entries and articles and blog posts scattered throughout the book in which we are able to piece together a bit of the past, present and future. This was a fun book to read and I look forward to reading more books by this author!

This book is a unique thriller that had me on the edge of my seat until the very end. Right from the beginning, Matlin has you asking what is going to happen next. I enjoyed how there was different storylines within the book. One follows the mystery behind Black Wood House, and the other follows the life of Sarah Slade and her husband Joe. I started out being sucked in by the history of the house, but was even more intrigued when finding out that Sarah and Joe were hiding some secrets of their own. I also enjoyed that there was some foreshadowing with the articles that were placed at the end of select chapters. There are so many twists and turns in this story. I am someone who loves mystery/thriller novels. That being said, because I read so many I can normally guess the ending within the first few chapters. That was not the case with The Stranger Upstairs. With each chapter that I read, I found myself asking more questions that receiving answers which I enjoyed because it made me want to keep reading until the very end.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Everything from the characters. dialogue, plot and setting were well depicted. This is a great thriller that I will be recommending to my friends when it comes out!

Wow. I rarely give 5-star ratings but I really loved this book! I highly recommend buying it when it comes out in September!

I thought I had it all figured out at the beginning but more and more details began emerging. This book gave me nightmares (in a good way!) and was so unsettling. It’s hard for a book to scare me but I was thoroughly creeped out!

I can’t believe this is Lisa Matlin’s debut novel. It felt so well-rounded and had so much feeling in it. Excellent writing and I hope to see more of her work.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review!

I could not put this down. I enjoyed every single twist and turn and thought I had it figured out about three times. I did not. The author’s writing is very relatable and flows wonderfully with the story. I especially related to the theme of mental health. Can’t wait to recommend this one when it hits our shelves!

The Stranger Upstairs-A great debut novel! Enjoyed this book immensely- keeps you on the edge of your seat! There were a few parts that seemed confusing but it all made sense in the end! Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa Matlin and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this ARC. Can’t wait to see what future books by this author are like!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Random House for sending me an advanced copy of this in exchange for a honest review.

This book felt more horror at times than a thriller, especially with the topic of mental illness and a "house" that makes people commit murder. i did enjoy it. the writing at times did creep me out to the point where i don't plan on reading another thriller for awhile after this. If that was the authors intent. then congrats.


I recommend this if you enjoyed Haunting of Hill House.

So glad this publisher/author approved my wish for an ARC, because WOW this kept me hooked the whole time. I devoured it in the same day I started it. I was constantly wondering what the heck was going on, if Sarah had done X-Y-Z, if these other characters had truly played a role in the chaotic happenings of Black Wood. I loved this and recommended it to other fans of thrillers in my online book club! It’s hard to believe this is the first book of this author because it was so well written and you just couldn’t put it down!

Sarah is an influencer, and she buys a "haunted" house with a plan to document the renovation on her platform. But when she moves in, she finds that maybe the haunting is real. Scary crazy unexplained things start happening, and she wonders if she made the wrong decision. This was a psychological thriller, but not my favorite. Thanks @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy. #thestrangerupstairs #lisamatlin #thriller #psychologicalthriller #hauntedhouse #bookstagram #booklover #reader #bookblog #lovetoread #fictionreader #bookreview #bookrecommendation #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #takeapagefrommybook #readallthebooks #booksbooksbooks #netgalley