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hollidayreadswithme's review against another edition
4.0
For more of my reviews, check out my book blog at www.readingreckless.wordpress.com.
Talk about twists and turns! This is the second book that I have read from Lisa Jewell and this work has solidified her as one of my favorite authors!
The Family Upstairs is about a girl who has inherited her biological’s family’s home in an upscale neighborhood in Chelsea. As she goes about claiming her inheritance, she feels that she must find out what happened to her parents, more importantly, what happened in that house and why her mother took her own life.
The writing went back and forth between Libby’s third-person narrative and Henry’s first-person perspective. The really cool part about this is that Henry’s chapters are directly in response to what is happening in the overall narrative. It’s half creepy and half hilarious when he is being sassy. That perspective also allows us to see what the house was like when he lived there. Everything is in question. Why was Libby left alone in the house with three dead people? What happened to the dead people? How did they die? Who are they?
There are so many questions that I found myself a little dizzy but it was for the best reasons. Lisa Jewell has proven again how much she knows about writing intriguing storylines. The systematic manipulation and abuse that occurred just highlighted the distance we have from the people who live next to us. So many bad things were happening in that house and they were in the middle of a bustling city and no one noticed!
This book is perfect for a complicated dark suspense read. Highly recommend it.
Thank you for Net Galley for the free copy in exchange for this review.
Talk about twists and turns! This is the second book that I have read from Lisa Jewell and this work has solidified her as one of my favorite authors!
The Family Upstairs is about a girl who has inherited her biological’s family’s home in an upscale neighborhood in Chelsea. As she goes about claiming her inheritance, she feels that she must find out what happened to her parents, more importantly, what happened in that house and why her mother took her own life.
The writing went back and forth between Libby’s third-person narrative and Henry’s first-person perspective. The really cool part about this is that Henry’s chapters are directly in response to what is happening in the overall narrative. It’s half creepy and half hilarious when he is being sassy. That perspective also allows us to see what the house was like when he lived there. Everything is in question. Why was Libby left alone in the house with three dead people? What happened to the dead people? How did they die? Who are they?
There are so many questions that I found myself a little dizzy but it was for the best reasons. Lisa Jewell has proven again how much she knows about writing intriguing storylines. The systematic manipulation and abuse that occurred just highlighted the distance we have from the people who live next to us. So many bad things were happening in that house and they were in the middle of a bustling city and no one noticed!
This book is perfect for a complicated dark suspense read. Highly recommend it.
Thank you for Net Galley for the free copy in exchange for this review.
nenation's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
sklus's review against another edition
dnfed at page 64.
I already get the sense that it's about a cult and the way the book is heading just doesn't seem interesting to me. It's super slow at this point. It's basically just one of those boring adult fiction books my mom reads with absolutely no mystery (sorry mom lol). I think my time is better spent reading the wikipedia article to see what happens. Just not the book for me, but other people gave it great reviews!
I already get the sense that it's about a cult and the way the book is heading just doesn't seem interesting to me. It's super slow at this point. It's basically just one of those boring adult fiction books my mom reads with absolutely no mystery (sorry mom lol). I think my time is better spent reading the wikipedia article to see what happens. Just not the book for me, but other people gave it great reviews!
aubrey710's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
wandaka's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded to 4⭐️
The characters were all so twisted and evil in their own way. There were some parts where it felt like it was such a drag but it got quite interesting towards the end hence the 3.5 stars.
The characters were all so twisted and evil in their own way. There were some parts where it felt like it was such a drag but it got quite interesting towards the end hence the 3.5 stars.
carajf's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
paum's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
maggiegrizzy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
pureskies13's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25