"The house doesn't want you here..."

So begins the story of Sarah and her husband Joe, who have just moved into Black Wood House with their adorably disgruntled cat Reaper. Previously the site of a brutal crime and a mysterious disappearance of the previous owner, strange things start happening to the couple after they move in. Threatening notes, dead rats, and things that go bump in the night... not to mention the fact that everyone in town seems to be in on a secret not shared with the Cosgroves. But what is out to get Sarah and Joe - is it paranormal activity in the house, leftover from its heinous past? Is it the neighbors, desperate to drive the newcomers back to where they came from? Or is it something more sinister?

Matlin's debut novel hooked me in from the very first page. She has an easy to follow, approachable writing style peppered with brilliantly vivid depictions of the setting. The tension builds steadily as the book progresses and I could feel Sarah's confusion, distrust, fear, and disorientation as the story unfolds. Throw in a few twists that will make you question every word you've read up to that point, and you've got a masterful page-flipping thriller from beginning to end.

Overall, 4 out of 5 stars! The ending had a lot going on - without giving away any spoilers, the author could have chosen any one of the variety of things she ties together and still had a satisfying ending, but the combination is sure to leave you stunned. I haven't stopped thinking about this book since I finished!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC! This title will be available everywhere in September 2023.

This was a pretty interesting read, focused on Sarah and her husband Joe who buy a house that was the scene of a brutal murder a few decades ago. Turns out that the house may be haunted and the neighbors don’t want anyone living there. Sarah already has some pretty serious issues coming into the book, and something about the house is making her spiral into madness.

I didn’t think the synopsis really explained the book well because Sarah had issues walking into the story that were pretty apparent to begin with. I also didn’t feel that I got a good idea of the dynamic between her and Joe- why was he so willing to move to a new town when he doesn’t even want to be with her and how did their relationship deteriorate to the point where the book begins? I also thought that depictions of Sarah’s sister left me wanting more info about what she was really like; I felt that the various references to things that had happened didn’t jive with each other. That all being said, the spookiness of the house and the things that were happening were really well done, and I appreciated the extra level of creepiness from the cat; all cat owners know that they can freak you out good in the middle of the night.

Overall, I could have used more character development but overall I thought the book was pretty good, bringing both spookiness and suspense. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Forty years ago, a man viciously murdered his wife, attempted to kill his daughter and then committed suicide in Black Wood House. The gothic style mansion, with its bloodstains and haunting history has been empty since then, falling slowly into disrepair. Enter therapist Sarah Slade who, with her husband Joe, buys the house and plans to write a blog as she painstakingly renovates each room. The house will be gorgeous, it will sell for a huge profit and Sarah’s blog will make her rich and famous. The house has other ideas.

This is all I will say without spoilers. This is a debut thriller and what a thriller it is! I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The pace is at first deliberately slow and narrated in the present. Brief newspapers stories from the near future give clues as to what has occured but then you see the events as they really happen. It’s a technique that had me turning pages as fast as I could. Buy or borrow The Stranger Upstairs! When you are finished, be sure to read the Author’s Note. And, Lisa Matlin, I can’t wait to see what you write next! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Lisa M. Matlin for this ARC.

This book!! Wow, you have to read this! It kept me up most of the night to finish it!!
I just reviewed The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin. #TheStrangerUpstairs #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Looking for a thriller with a web of lies spun so tight you don’t think it will ever unravel, until that one piece of thread comes loose and everything comes undone? Then this is the story for you. It will keep you guessing and wondering until the final pages. Sarah Slade and husband Joe Cosgrove aren’t your ordinary couple. Their marriage is failing and Sarah, being the therapist she is, wants nothing more to fix it. Will buying the infamous Black Wood Murder House do that for her? Or will her plan utterly backfire?

Lisa had me gripped right from the beginning and I couldn’t put it down until I had all the answers. There are the perfect amounts of creepy and madness sewn through the pages of this book. 5 out of 5! I definitely can’t wait for more!

Social media influencer Sarah Slade and her husband have just purchased a murder house. Forty years earlier, Black Wood House was the scene of a gruesome husband-wife murder-suicide, and it’s said to have been vacant ever since. The townspeople would rather bulldoze the house to the ground, but Sarah just knows she can renovate this house for clicks and likes and validation.

But the longer she stays at Black Wood House, the worse things seem to get. The neighbors are antagonistic and against the house being fixed up, and even the house itself seems like it doesn’t want to be repaired. Then the scary notes appear… someone seems to know an awful lot about the things Sarah wants to hide. Because the house isn’t the only thing in this story with a grim history, Sarah has a dark past of her own.

Lisa Matlin’s debut novel is an absolute trip! Part horror, part thriller, and all fascinating, I could not put this book down! I’m not a haunted house kind of girl, but the strange and creepy goings-on in this house had me hooked. As Sarah spirals out of control and gets sicker and sicker, she becomes more and more of an unreliable narrator, which is my favorite kind of narrator! I loved the blog posts and the way the articles interspersed in the chapters foreshadowed the mystery with such a sense of foreboding. I totally did not see the ending coming AT ALL!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books for providing me an advance copy of this book.

I had a great time reading this book. While the characters weren't exactly likable, you'll found portions relatable. I think people will find this different angle on life as an influencer to be a breath of fresh air. I'm proud to say I didn't see the twist coming at all but loved what the twist was! I think thriller and horror readers will enjoy this one!

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Sarah Slade, a therapist and author, purchases an old home that was the site of a murder suicide 40 years prior.

While fixing up the home with her estranged husband, posting the progress it online, it soon appears the home does not want to be fixed.

Decent read with many twists, but the main character was not one to emphasize with.

I really liked this horror/ thriller. Great for a quick weekend read. It will keep you turning pages late into the night!

This is a solid book from a debut author. You can tell right off the bat that something isn’t quite right with the protagonist Sarah. She and her husband, who clearly have issues, have bought a home in which a famous murder took place 40 years prior. Sarah is a therapist who “fixes people” and now she plans to gain fame by fixing the house.

It doesn’t take long to see this plan isn’t going to work and that Sarah has a lot to fix about herself. There are lots of side comments about what has happened in the past so the story is intriguing but not so opaque that it’s frustrating. But it’s also the kind of story where I worry the resolution and explanation will never live up to the groundwork of the main mystery.

Overall, I’d say the conclusion is pretty satisfying, but that something preventing be from giving the book an outright rave, though it’s a definite recommend.

The authors writing style was a bit different than what I’m used to. She is more real life true talk. The storyline was engaging and sent me down a path of always guessing the twist. The ending was a bit tricky for me to follow. Overall a great thriller.

Sarah Slade, therapist and social media influencer, is looking for a fresh start. She and her husband purchase a "murder house," planning to document the renovations of the home that they are hoping to sell for a tidy profit. Simple, right?

From the start, nothing goes according to plan, and the more that Sarah learns about the history of the home and the neighbors' reactions to it, the worse everything gets. No one wants to set foot in the home, much less complete the work that needs done (and simultaneously keeps compounding.) Sarah can feel everything in her world sprialing, and her past crashes into her present.

With an ending that you don't see coming, this book is a slow burn that ignites, leaving readers looking forward to the next novel by Lisa M. Matlin.

Let me start my review by saying that I have never read a book quite like ‘The Stranger Upstairs.’

The story starts with influencer, Sarah Slade, moving into Blackwood house, the site of a grisly murder 40 years earlier. Sarah and her (reluctant) husband, Joe, are going to renovate the house and document it on her social media page. However; the house doesn’t want to be fixed.

It’s not long after moving in that strange things start to happen. Sarah starts hearing noises and finding unsettling notes around the house. After asking around town it becomes clear that the entire town seems to be keeping a secret.

The book relies heavily on Sarah being an unreliable narrator and boy is she an insufferable one. Sarah Slade is the most unlikeable main character that I have read in a long time; but it really plays into the story well. The book is definitely what I would call a slow burn horror. The entirety of part one it feels like you are waiting on the other shoe to drop. Once it hits part two you start a quick descent into madness.

All in all, I enjoyed the book. I felt that it left a few things unanswered, but nothing that is a detriment to the story. Just made me question the moral code of the entire town of Beacon.

The book is a great telling of an unusual mental health disorder. It’s not one I’ve ever seen discussed in any sort of media before. And at times the story read like beautifully unhinged prose.

Read the book! You won’t regret it!

Wow! First off, look at that cover!! Gorgeous! The writing was fabulous as well. I am so shocked to hear that this is Lisa M. Matlin's first novel, she wrote better than most seasoned authors. First off, I loved the set up of this book...creepy house, failing marriage, stressful job just a recipe for disaster. Also mix in that the MC is HILARIOUS, she had me cracking up even at the serious parts. This book gave me "Amityville Horror" vibes with the house making the residents crazy. I also really enjoyed the news article segments throughout the book it made the ending all that more surprising. The best part was even when everything "wrapped" up at the end there was that still lingering thought of "are we really sure?". Great book!!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC! Lisa M Martin’s debut novel, The Stranger Upstairs, is not to be missed. Great psychological thriller with many twists you don’t see coming.

This was an intriguing thriller that I could hardly put down. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read and review. The story line was scary and baffling to me. A great "haunted" house story with vibes of Fixer Upper.
Sarah and her husband buy and move into a house where tragedy occurred many years earlier. A man murdered his wife, attempted to murder his daughter and then killed himself. They intend to renovate the house and sell for a large profit as it is in a popular neighborhood.
The neighbors and the neighborhood were as creepy as the house itself. Clearly no one believes this scheme will work out well. I was mystified by the relationship between Sarah and her husband but this was revealed as the story went on. The plot was clever and the ending intriguing.
There are many twists to this tale and the characters are UNRELIABLE! It felt like a wild roller coaster ride.
The writing was easy to follow and well done.
I did quite enjoy this book and recommend it for those who enjoy domestic thrillers - think Riley Sager and A J Finn. Great Netflix material as well.

WOW!!! I was hooked from the start and read it all in one day! Absolutely loved that it kept me guessing and all my theories were wrong. Highly recommend!!!!

Run to your nearest bookstore and buy this book! This was a thriller that had twists that kept on surprising me up to the very end. I kept thinking about this book when I wasn’t reading it and couldn’t wait to pick it back up to find out what happens to Sarah Slade and The Murder House; and let me tell you I didn’t see any of it coming. I can’t believe this is a debut, I’ll be looking out for more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for proving me an ARC in return for my honest feedback.

I read this in one day! I loved it and couldn’t put it down. Black Wood House was creepy! I wasn’t sure if the house was haunted or Sarah was losing her mind. It definitely kept me guessing. The ending was great.

𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬. 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐧, 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐲-𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧. 𝐎𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞.

Most people wouldn't buy a murder house to renovate and document its progress on her Instagram, but Sarah Slade is not most people. 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐝. 𝐈 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐥 𝐢𝐧, Sarah thinks smugly.

A therapist and author of a bestselling self-help book, Sarah has just bought Black Wood House, the cozy Victorian home in which a man bludgeoned his wife to death with a hammer and tried to do the same to his daughter, who managed to flee the house only never to be seen again.

Sarah needs a distraction from her failing marriage, and this renovation and flip will bring her the cash and the adulation from her followers that she so desperately craves. But the problems begin almost immediately...her husband becomes more and more distant, and he refuses to sleep in the master bedroom whose floors are still stained with blood. She is having difficulty concentrating at work, the neighbors are suspicious and withdrawn, but worst of all, the house is speaking to her. It feeds off of her vitriol and secrets, and Sarah has an abundance of secrets.

This book truly got under my skin. Sarah's deeply unsettling personality changes, the menace of the house (which was most definitely a character in its own way), and the heightened sense of paranoia and tension had me reading long past my bedtime, forcing me to save the last 20% for daylight. A stellar thriller that will have you questioning everything and everyone. A huge thank you to NetGalley and Bantam/Random House Publishing for this early read. THE STRANGER UPSTAIRS will publish September 26, 2023.