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chloecam's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Mental illness, Alcohol, and Murder
booklvrkat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Layer upon layer is revealed in this horror-slash-psychological thriller. Sarah makes a remarkable number of bad decisions that will make you wonder if she is truly unstable. Unreliable narrators have become the *chefs kiss* of storytelling and this tale by debut author, Lisa M. Matlin, excelled at this technique. There are disturbing moments, a cat named Reaper (foreshadowing?), and some uninvited visitors to which we aren’t introduced. Leaning more to the horror side, this story at once pushed me away and then gripped me so hard I didn’t want to stop. If you like to guess story endings this one is going to surprise you, and I’m interested to hear what you think.
Moderate: Gaslighting, Murder, and Mental illness
thesubtleartofreadingalot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Minor: Murder, Alcohol, Mental illness, and Suicide
ashleyj_reads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Murder, Blood, Death, and Violence
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Mental illness
The writing is absolutely brilliant. Not once did I correctly suspect the final outcome of this story. A slow burn, but fast-paced read. I'm looking forward to reading more from Matlin!cyndi1966's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, Infidelity, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, and Violence
kbeucler's review
2.5
Moderate: Murder, Alcoholism, and Mental illness
katyannreads's review
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Murder, and Mental illness
star_maps's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Murder, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
lovelymisanthrope's review
- 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
"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.
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
d0505's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Stalking, Alcoholism, and Mental illness
Minor: Infidelity