Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

101 reviews

alexxm13's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-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

4.0

this book is a rollercoaster with all these characters and sometimes difficult to remember as so much is happening and goes back and forth between characters to timeline and can be confusing, also david who is 40 having the ding dong with two 14 year olds and making them pregnant disgusts me and this is why i hate men also with henry and phin i was cheering on with their relationship but then it turned out henry is obsessive and a creep with phin and just wanting to kill him as phin impregnated henry’s sister lucy and to give birth to libby. i feel bad for libby as she was just a baby in which all 4 children/teens abandoned to cover up the murder henry did to his parents and david by drugging them. what seemed like a cult/suicide mission turned out to be a murder by a 16 year old and help of other teens in the house after being trapped for 2 years. i thought it was a good story and twists and turns but the structure of it was too confusing for my to keep hold of.

lisa jewel another jem of a book

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

missbreathing'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I sped through this one in a couple of days because it was so compulsively readable. I’m rating it 4/5⭐️. Some thoughts: 

This was a really intriguing novel. It grabbed me from the start and wouldn’t let go until the very last page. I’m such a sucker for the creepy, decrepit mansion setting. I liked the prose a lot: it was smart and refined. The descriptions could be really lovely, and the characterization felt full realized. There are 3 different POVs, yet they’re all distinct enough that it’s never confusing.

There were some twists, but not enough to make this a really surprising read. The plot delivers exactly what it promises, but it’s rarely surprising. Still, I found myself really interested in how things went down (the HOW is the real question, not so much the WHAT). The first 100 pages or so drag a bit, and it takes a little longer than I would have liked for the dots to start connecting. 

Out of all the main characters, I found Libby the most boring. She’s a bland, rather flat character. I also thought her romantic subplot was 100% unnecessary. Lucy and Henry, the other two MCs are more interesting. I especially intrigued by Henry. He’s such a fascinating character! He’s the very definition of an unreliable narrator. 

I won’t spoil anything, but THAT ENDING. It was so unnerving (I mean this as a compliment to the writer!). I’m so relieved we’re getting a sequel next year because I still have some lingering questions. 

Overall, this was a really intriguing read. Maybe on the less thrilling side for a thriller, but a captivating read all the same. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, and Sexual assault

hibba's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Death of parent

shannonmarie's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Rape

Minor: Abortion

silver_lining125's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Death of parent

avadore's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Raced through the audiobook and was worried it was all being wrapped up a bit too neatly until that bloody cliff hanger ending! No idea if there will be a sequel but I would definitely jump back into these characters lives given the chance. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Death, and Drug use

The descriptions of the diet of the residents of the Chelsea house might be challenging to some people, it is not talked about it terms of eating disorder but its a really restrictive diet that includes discussion about the purity of certain foods.

siob___'s review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

macaronsandmermaids's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Infertility, Blood, and Grief

sadhbhdunne's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Death of parent

__whatemilyread's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, and Blood

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, and Grief