4.0 rounded up to a 4.5! This book had me hooked from the first chapter. Seriously. Had I not had to work or deal with obligations this week I could have finished this book in one sitting.

Social Media influencer Sarah Slade is looking to start over. Her past is ugly, her marriage is crumbling, and she is surrounded by secrets. She decides that purchasing and rehabbing the infamous Black Wood House is just what she needs to start over, build her social media following and ignore her failing marriage.. But the house, having been the scene of a grizzly murder-suicide years before, does not want to be rehabbed. Contractors and workers come and go with mysterious injuries, threatening notes begin to appear, and there seems to be someone or something creeping around in the attic. Sarah quickly learns that the past is not easy to hide from, and not everything wants to be fixed. The more she works to rehab Black Wood House, the more her life and sanity spiral out of control. What secrets are the house (and Sarah!) hiding?

This book had me gripped from beginning to end! What a great debut thriller from Lisa Marlin! She will definitely become a repeat author for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

“The Stranger Upstairs” is a mystery/horror debut novel by Lisa M. Matlin. Our hero, Sarah, a successful author and Instagram influencer, decides to purchase a #murderhouse where 40 years previously a murder/suicide had taken place. The problem is that Sarah - and her husband Joe - aren’t really prepared to fully undertake flipping a house that really needs A LOT of work; too much work for them to handle. There’s also the problem of - so many years later - rumors about the house and occupants. Over time, Sarah becomes convinced that someone (or something) is against Joe and her taking possession of the house - from threatening notes, stand-offish neighbors, and weird house noises and smells. I must admit - I read this book in one day, to the point of not really wanting to put it down. This had me wondering what was going on - was it the unfriendly neighbor, was it Sarah spinning out of control, was the house haunted - but Ms. Matlin’s layering of craziness upon craziness was wonderful. I greatly enjoyed the tension being built up and then, blam, laid out there in on the page, but it still was riding a bit of the crazy train. I did have to look up a bit of Aussie slang - thank goodness for Google. There was also a fantastic author’s note included.

I was lucky enough to receive this ARC from Kathleen Quinlan, Assistant Director of Marketing for Random House Publishing. It was described as a “gothic psychological read”. It was definitely that in the best way. Thank you to Net Galley and Random/Penguin House Publishing for getting this book in front of me. I’m so glad I read it and wouldn’t hesitate to endorse it to others.

Author Lisa Matlin invested a year in constructing the story of Sarah. In my mind this was a year well-spent. Sarah is a “stuck on herself” social media influencer, author, and therapist. She and her husband buy a “haunted” house in an affluent area of Australia. Sarah’s single-minded focus is to use the renovation of the house to make her wealthy and promote her brand. Joe, her husband, doesn’t share her ambition. In fact he seems to have little ambition at all. Their troubled marriage is only amplified by the house, which seems to have a life (dark life) of its own.

The Stranger Upstairs is one of the best thrillers I have read in some time. It had more twists-turns, ups-downs, stops-starts than one serious roller coaster. Alongside the house, which is nearly a character of its own, are the neighbors who don’t seem to understand the meaning of the word neighbor. They want Sarah and the house out of the picture.

Of note, there is a marked use of phrases that some readers may find annoying. For instance, “chewed the inside of her cheek” and “bit her lip”. I didn’t find it annoying, more so redundant. There was also a place where “sandals” were mentioned and in the same scene “boots” as the footwear on Emily, Sarah’s co-worker. Just a couple of editing notes.

Again, I am most thankful to Ms. Quinlan and Net Galley for offering me the chance to read this gothic creeper of a book. Loved it!

This book had me jumping with every noise in my house! The creep factor is definitely there. I enjoyed the storyline and the protagonist. This was a quick read because I couldn't put it down. I recommend to anyone who enjoys a thriller!

What a wild ride! Black Woods house has sat abandoned for decades following the murder suicide of the home owners. Sarah and her husband Joe purchase the house hoping to turn a quick profit and capitalize on Sarah’s instagram fane but the house has other ideas or is it the town.
I really enjoyed this fast paced thriller. There were times where I screamed, don’t go up there. I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy for this honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley a Penguin Random House for the arc of this work!
Sarah Slade has a lot going on and buying the “murder house” to fix up for profit doesn’t seem to help like she thought. This book felt a bit like a fever dream which based on what the main character is dealing with is appropriate. Overall, the premise is a good one. Difficult neighbors, troubled marriage, suspicious sounds keep you on the edge of your seat. I did struggle a bit with figuring out what was causing her instability and how her past worked out on top of all of it . The twist was something I hadn’t expected or even considered! Overall an interesting entry into the thriller genre!

✨Book Review!✨
“The Stranger Upstairs”
Written By: Lisa M. Matlin
Published by: Bantam
Publish Date: Sept 26th, 2023
•••
The Stranger Upstairs was a Netgalley ARC read!
•••
Sarah Slade is a therapist, author of a self help book and a social media influencer. She and her husband Joe decide to move to a new town and purchase a home that has been sitting empty for 40 years after a grisly murder occurred, but at the low sale price, that doesn’t stop Sarah and Joe! With plans to renovate the home and flip it for a profit, Sarah is taking her social media followers along the journey with her. After moving in, Sarah find out that life there, may not be quite was she’d expected. Nothing is as it seems, in the house, in Sarah’s life, or in the town itself.
•••
The Stranger Upstairs is a psychological thriller with lots of intense moments that will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you enjoy being a bit frightened, this is your book. I’m not sure if this is the authors intention, but I felt like this book showed how easy it is for us all to wish we were someone else or had someone else’s life, only to not realize that their life isn’t perfect either. We all have our own struggles but being authentically ourselves is more important now than ever in the age of social media. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone looking for a quick read in this genre! (I will say, I did hope for a different outcome of what was actually happening. But I still enjoyed it as written!) This was a great first book written by debit author, Lisa M Matlin and I am so very appreciative to have been able to read it as an ARC.

1- Characters: 8
2- Atmosphere/Setting: 9
3- Writing Style: 9
4- Plot: 7
5- Intrigue: 9
6- Logic/Relationships: 7
7- Enjoyment: 9

Total Score: 58
58/7 = 8.285
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I don’t think this book was really a mystery…it was frankly scary!! I’d call it a psychological thriller. It wasn’t really my thing. I never really got into the main character or her husband and though the explanation about the carbon monoxide poisoning does make a lot of sense, not just something crazy that isn’t feasible…it wasn’t my cup of tea. I think it had a lot of potential but Sarah went a little too nuts and I lost interest.

This was just okay for me, I felt like they was too much going on that could have been better put into the book.

I struggled with staying interested in this story. There were maybe too many mysteries to solve throughout the story and I don’t feel like any of them were overly compelling to need to know more. Why did Bill kill Susan? Where is their daughter now? What happened to Amanda? Why does no one remember her? What happened to Sarah? What did Lizzy do?

THE STRANGER UPSTAIRS is a twist thrill ride! I absolutely loved everything about this book and I'm blown away that it's a debut. Black Wood house was creepy! It's past history kept me intrigued and on the edge of my seat. Sarah was such a unique character. I really didn't know if the house was haunted or if she was losing her mind. I highly recommend getting a copy. I simply couldn't stop reading and thinking about it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

This is another case of “I sat down to start this and ended up finishing it in one sitting”. I’m usually not a big fan of haunted house books. They always seem so cliche… but this book is completely different. A huge compliment that I can give is that it reminds me of Stephen King’s “The Shining”, in that it’s truly the story of a new environment causing a rapid descent into madness.

Sarah Slade and her husband, Joe, have purchased a #murderhouse. The Black Wood House was the scene of a grisly murder/suicide, in which a child was almost killed as well. The house has sat vacant for forty years when Sarah finds it and feels the overwhelming urge to buy and renovate it for a profit. Sarah is a therapist with a bestselling self-help book, and she is struggling to make money online as a content creator. Those likes and comments mean a lot to her, and hopefully renovating a famed #murderhouse will boost her clout.

Sarah and Joe (fun fact you’ll just have to read: those aren’t their real names) had been having problems before moving, but once they are in the new house, things become magnified. Sarah insists on living in the room where the murder took place (even though the floorboards are still stained with blood), and her husband sleeps on the couch, or just leaves for days at a time. Her cat is also acting strangely, staring at the attic and meowing in fear. Sarah still feels like moving there was the right decision…for awhile…

As the book goes on and on, more and more strange things happen. Sarah’s cat is sick, and so is she. Are they being poisoned? None of the neighbors want to talk to her, her clients are dropping her because instead of listening to their problems, she’s thinking about the house. Soon, Sarah begins seeing and hearing strange things, and finding odd notes all over. I know what you’re thinking - that sounds totally like any other haunted house book. I promise you, this one is fresh, clever and full of suspense with future news articles that act as precursors.

I never thought at the beginning of this book that I’d give it five stars, but here we are. This was fantastically written, had an unreliable as hell but fascinating lead character, and an ending that left everything seeming entirely plausible - not easy to do! This is under the mystery/thriller category, but I’d also call it a horror story. Things don’t have to get gory for a book to be a horror book, and the psychological horror in this is real. On top of all of that, this is a debut!! Five happy stars for a “haunted house” story finally written in a way that I loved.

(Thank you to Random House - Ballantine, Lisa M. Matlin, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be published on September 26, 2023.)

Wow. This is the first book in A while that gave me the heebie-jeebies. Had me crawling out of my skin! I didn't know what would happen next. I loved the variety of characters and the plot!

Thank you to netgalley and they publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4/5 stars

Disclaimer: I received a gifted copy of this book via netgalley and in exchange I am leaving my honest review.
This book comes out in September 2023.
Y'all I don't think I'm ever gonna sleep again after reading this, I'm so serious. This shit was nuts. A whole lot of unreliable narrator goin on. Every chapter Sarah reveals something different from what she tells you about herself, and it makes you second guess things. Sometimes I got confused because of the way time sort of skips around, and I had to reread whatever sections I got confused in, but it didn't really take anything away from the story. This book was intense from the get go tbh.
I still have questions and I finished it hours ago.

*

I could not put this book down. A modern thriller guaranteed to keep you reading til the early morning to see what happens. A couple buys a house, where a man has killed his wife and his daughter goes running for help from the neighbors.

Sarah Slade is the author of a popular self-help book, social media influencer and therapist. She and her husband have just bought Black Wood House - an old Victorian manse in an upscale area that hasn't been lived in for 40 years, not since the brutal killing that took place there and left it to be dubbed "The Murder House." Sarah's plan is to document the restoration on her Instagram as she and hubby begin a new life. But before long, everything seems to go wrong. Their already strained marriage continues to crumble as the restoration doesn't go as planned, the locals aren't happy someone bought the house, and Sarah thinks she hears someone in the attic at night. On top of that, she and her cat always seem to be sick. And then the suspicious notes start showing up. As it turns out, Sarah has long-buried secrets, and the house just might use them against her.
For a debut novel, this book was adeptly written. The tension begins early in the story and never lets up. As Sarah begins to unravel, more of her shaky past is revealed just enough at a clip and the number of suspects increases as the intensity rises. The author does a marvelous job of planting hints, red herrings and misdirections, all while maintaining the integrity of the story. I would say that this has some great twists at the end, but truthfully, you will not be prepared for what the entire second half of the book has in store. I was sure I had everything figured out way early on, but I couldn't have been more wrong or more shocked at how everything turned out.

This book was much better than I expected it to be. A bit hard to get through the first few chapters due to writing style, but the story really picks up. A author buys a “murder house” and weird things start happening. So many twists. Couldn’t stop reading until I finished. Was not expecting the ending at all, definitely recommend this one!

This is one creepy novel! I’m not often kept up at night after reading in bed but this one did just that. Dark and twisty, this is a real pageturner. Congrats on a terrific debut effort! Thank for the opportunity to preview it, NetGalley!

This one kinda left me speechless. The ending completely took me by surprise.. Which I guess is a good thing as that so rarely happens. Not many suspense/thrillers get my heart rate up but this one definitely did! Was on hyper alert of all the sounds going on around me. Lol
I love that it wasn’t predictable. Really enjoyed this. Great debut!! And I really appreciated the honesty of the author at the end. Mental illness is something that so many people, including myself, struggle with. I love that she opened herself up on this very important topic. I applaud her for her courage. Thank you!

Lisa M. Matlin's doubt novel The Stranger Upstairs was a knock out of the park! There was so many twisty turns that I did not see coming! Starting over for Sara and her husband Joe is nothing new. As an influencer Sara is hoping to document the renovations to the murder house, Black Wood House, and sell for a nice profit. Things aren't always the way they seem, Sara is falling behind. She is supposed to be working on her second book, keep her website updated with the renovations and trying to work on her failing marriage. Sara starts losing her patients as a therapist, her husband Joe is never around and now Reaper starts acting weird. Is Black Wood House really haunted or does someone know Sara and Joe's sorted past and are tormenting them? I absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to anyone! It was a quick read and very enjoyable!

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Random House Publishing Group- Bantam, and Lisa M. Matlin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Look for The Stranger Upstairs September 26, 2023