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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
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.
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.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting ending.
If this book was a food it would be a packet of forgotten saltines that got crushed at the bottom of your bag.
Crushed, much like my heart was when I reached the end when nothing remotely interesting or unpredictable happened in the entirety of this book.
Crushed, much like my heart was when I reached the end when nothing remotely interesting or unpredictable happened in the entirety of this book.
I refuse to rate this lower than 3 stars simply because of the author’s note at the end.
But, from an editor’s perspective, this debut needed more heavy handed revisions. Too much repetition, too many clichés, and so many plot holes.
The cover is gorgeous. The writing has decent bones. The story could have been incredible. But this is “unreliable narrator” pushed a bit too far, for me. Plus, the ending was so unsatisfactory.
I hope this author continues to write and works with a team who can help her rein in some of these grand ideas so we get a more succinct, engrossing, unique read next time!
But, from an editor’s perspective, this debut needed more heavy handed revisions. Too much repetition, too many clichés, and so many plot holes.
The cover is gorgeous. The writing has decent bones. The story could have been incredible. But this is “unreliable narrator” pushed a bit too far, for me. Plus, the ending was so unsatisfactory.
I hope this author continues to write and works with a team who can help her rein in some of these grand ideas so we get a more succinct, engrossing, unique read next time!
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one was decently interesting and entertaining. However, I feel like it suffered from being an obvious debut and kind of fell flat. There was some continuity errors in the plot in my opinion and the character choices were not the best. I do think it missed the mark on what I had expected and what it was marketed as. I also feel like there are a good number of plot points that don't get wrapped up. And the repetition was way too much!
Definitely a decent, easy, spooky thriller in my opinion. I don't think I would consider this as a horror book.
Definitely a decent, easy, spooky thriller in my opinion. I don't think I would consider this as a horror book.
Quick Synopsis:
The Stranger Upstairs gives off immediate horror-read vibes. The quick synopsis is Sarah Slade, a therapist, and Instagram influencer, buys a murder house to renovate and use as the substance for her upcoming book. Sarah’s life holds many secrets, including her past and crumbling marriage. As she begins to redesign the home, the home seems to fight back. The storyline details her decaying life’s plans inside her newly bought decaying home.
Characters:
The Stranger Upstairs’ MC, Sarah Slade, essentially introduces herself as a shopaholic and alcoholic. She also admits to recently purchasing the murder house, seemingly to get more engagement on her social media platform. Sufficed to say, the beginning of the story screamed unreliable narrator, and I was hooked.
Storyline/Pacing:
As the story continued, I struggled with how much I detested Sarah Slade’s narration. She oozed sociopathic tendencies, and for some reason, that slowed the pacing for me a bit. That said, the momentum speeds up about 40% into the story when Matlin begins interrupting each chapter with news stories foreshadowing upcoming events.
Author:
This was a well-written debut novel. I appreciated Lisa M Matlin’s candidness in her afterword, and I will look for more reads from her.
Overall:
In general, this was a good mystery/thriller read, perfect for the approaching Halloween season. I’d suggest this one to people who like creepy paranormal or atmospheric thrillers.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars
Disclosure:
Thank you to Netgalley and Kathleen Quinlan at Random House Publishing Group for the digital review copy. All opinions are my own.
The Stranger Upstairs gives off immediate horror-read vibes. The quick synopsis is Sarah Slade, a therapist, and Instagram influencer, buys a murder house to renovate and use as the substance for her upcoming book. Sarah’s life holds many secrets, including her past and crumbling marriage. As she begins to redesign the home, the home seems to fight back. The storyline details her decaying life’s plans inside her newly bought decaying home.
Characters:
The Stranger Upstairs’ MC, Sarah Slade, essentially introduces herself as a shopaholic and alcoholic. She also admits to recently purchasing the murder house, seemingly to get more engagement on her social media platform. Sufficed to say, the beginning of the story screamed unreliable narrator, and I was hooked.
Storyline/Pacing:
As the story continued, I struggled with how much I detested Sarah Slade’s narration. She oozed sociopathic tendencies, and for some reason, that slowed the pacing for me a bit. That said, the momentum speeds up about 40% into the story when Matlin begins interrupting each chapter with news stories foreshadowing upcoming events.
Author:
This was a well-written debut novel. I appreciated Lisa M Matlin’s candidness in her afterword, and I will look for more reads from her.
Overall:
In general, this was a good mystery/thriller read, perfect for the approaching Halloween season. I’d suggest this one to people who like creepy paranormal or atmospheric thrillers.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars
Disclosure:
Thank you to Netgalley and Kathleen Quinlan at Random House Publishing Group for the digital review copy. All opinions are my own.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A little hard to get into, especially at the start. Felt like a lot of plot points could’ve been explored more or at least touched on again. Did enjoy the mix of character POV, news articles, blog posts, diary entries, etc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'll give it a 3.5, but it was a rough 3.5. I felt dissatisfied with the conclusion and just kind of feel sad after finishing. I did enjoy the setup of the creepy house. But, I will say I was a little lost with some of the environment building because I've never been to Australia. The writing was good and I loved the little news excerpts throughout.