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lucyford's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Once the book picked up after the first hundred pages or so, it was excellent. I really could not have predicted all the turns it took, specifically at the end of the book, but it all fit together and everything was explained logically. It feels very original, and I honestly loved the twist at the end (the carbon monoxide poisoning ). I will say the first part of the book was dull at parts, but I did like how it picked up pretty incrementally, and the end made it worth it. I am however still a bit confused about the neighborhood in general and how they acted towards the main character (idk whether to call her Sarah or Lizzy at this point) unless it’s clear that it was also just hallucinations, and also what left Reaper all bloodied on the brink of death . Anyway, solid horror book and great story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Addiction, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Violence, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Vomit, and Grief
Minor: Gaslighting, Police brutality, Bullying, Fatphobia, Abandonment, Body shaming, Cursing, and Stalking
lovelymisanthrope's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I had seen people talking about this book, and I decided to pick it up as one of my Book of the Month selections.
"The Stranger Upstairs" is a haunted house story that follows Sarah Slade. Looking for a fresh start, Sarah and her husband buy the infamous Black Wood House, a home in which a grizzly murder-suicide took place decades before. None of the neighbors seem to want the Saldes there, and the house also seems to be resisting them. But Sarah is determined to make this investment work. Unfortunately, something sinister is interfering with her plans, and she might not actually make it out alive.
I was slightly disappointed in this story. At the beginning I was really hooked, and I was invested in Sarah's story as well as what was happening in the house. However, as the story progressed, and more was revealed, I got bored with the story. I did ultimately appreciate the ending, but it was not an impressive enough twist for me that it completely saved my reading experience.
Sarah is a morally gray, very complex character that I found to be quite interesting to read from. I think from very early on it is evident that there is something off about her, but as the story progressed it was wild to see just how unstable she really was. She went from being arrogantly annoying to concerningly detached from reality. One thing I did not understand about her character was the fact that she was a social media influencer. She set out to document her renovation process online, as well as share bits about her life, but she did not really keep up with it in the book. I think with the plot twist of her "slipping into other people's skins" it makes sense that she would want the validation from people online, and this idea of her being an influencer could have been a really interesting plot point. Unfortunately, she has a fulltime job as a therapist that we hear far more about.
The ultimate reveal that the house was emitting carbon monoxide was really clever and very well done. I did not see that coming until right before it was revealed to us. Sarah's descent into madness and symptoms from the carbon monoxide poisoning were so easily explained by other things in her life.
The idea that the house is actually haunted was a little under whelming and I felt like it was not fleshed out enough to be a plausible excuse for what was happening. This could have been a really interesting twist to the story, that the house is poisoning its residents because it does not want new owners, but the author did not do enough with it. All that is really touched upon is that when people enter the house, they feel that the house does not want them there.
Overall, this was a fine book, and I would recommend reading it during spooky season. I do think it is executed amateurly, but I am still interested to see what Lisa M. Matlin writes next.
"The Stranger Upstairs" is a haunted house story that follows Sarah Slade. Looking for a fresh start, Sarah and her husband buy the infamous Black Wood House, a home in which a grizzly murder-suicide took place decades before. None of the neighbors seem to want the Saldes there, and the house also seems to be resisting them. But Sarah is determined to make this investment work. Unfortunately, something sinister is interfering with her plans, and she might not actually make it out alive.
I was slightly disappointed in this story. At the beginning I was really hooked, and I was invested in Sarah's story as well as what was happening in the house. However, as the story progressed, and more was revealed, I got bored with the story. I did ultimately appreciate the ending, but it was not an impressive enough twist for me that it completely saved my reading experience.
The ultimate reveal that the house was emitting carbon monoxide was really clever and very well done. I did not see that coming until right before it was revealed to us. Sarah's descent into madness and symptoms from the carbon monoxide poisoning were so easily explained by other things in her life.
The idea that the house is actually haunted was a little under whelming and I felt like it was not fleshed out enough to be a plausible excuse for what was happening. This could have been a really interesting twist to the story, that the house is poisoning its residents because it does not want new owners, but the author did not do enough with it. All that is really touched upon is that when people enter the house, they feel that the house does not want them there.
Overall, this was a fine book, and I would recommend reading it during spooky season. I do think it is executed amateurly, but I am still interested to see what Lisa M. Matlin writes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Murder, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Minor: Self harm and Infidelity
kris386's review
mysterious
medium-paced
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Infidelity, Mental illness, Vomit, Stalking, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, and Death
Minor: Animal death
beersbooksandbooos's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I do have to say I hated Sarah but that made me love the book even more. Lisa M. Matlin did a fantastic job writing a character you hated but still wanted to read the book. I loved how she wrote about mental health and how she didn't make it cliche. There is a big trigger for me in this book was animal sickness and there is animal death in the book but it isn't the MC cat. I really could have read this book in one day but I did need to take breaks to get my anxiety down (in a good way). I do think this is a good book for people just getting into thriller/horror. The twist and turns had me on the edge of my sit and I loved it. I really can't wait to read more from Lisa M. Matlin.
Thank you Netgalley for the book in exchange for an honest review
Thank you Netgalley for the book in exchange for an honest review
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
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