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A review by joyceheinen
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
In a large house in London’s Chelsea, a baby lies awake in her crib. Fed and cared for, she waits happily for someone to pick her up. In the kitchen lie three bodies. They have been dead for several days. Who took care of the baby in the meantime? And where has this person gone?
Adopted Libby Jones receives a letter: she inherits a luxury mansion in Chelsea. It should have gone to her biological brother and sister, but they never claimed it. Libby, born Serenity Lamb, is the baby that was found 25 years ago. The mysterious deaths were claimed to be part of a suicide pact, but is that the whole truth? Libby wants to know what happened back then and with the help of an investigative journalist she is determined to uncover the truth.
The synopsis got me interested, it’s a popular book and author and I was curious if I would agree. And “The Family Upstairs” had many elements I like in a thriller: multiple timelines, different POV’s, a family mystery, someone looking into their past. Unfortunately, I can’t say that I enjoyed this book as much as most people did.
Don’t get me wrong: “The Family Upstairs” is a very creative thriller. You’re left in the dark for a very long time. But I wasn’t invested in the characters and found it dull at times. It is mysterious, but it’s not an exciting thriller. I felt no tension and I was not on the edge of my seat. And somehow, parts of the ending felt implausible and unrealistic.
I took me a while before I could truly say that I didn’t really enjoy this book, I always find this very difficult when it’s a book that a wide range of people love so much. And by no means is this a bad book, I just didn’t like it. There is a second book, which I’m not interested in. I do want to dive into more Lisa Jewell books, because I enjoyed her writing style.
I’m really sad about not liking this book, I really expected I would.
Adopted Libby Jones receives a letter: she inherits a luxury mansion in Chelsea. It should have gone to her biological brother and sister, but they never claimed it. Libby, born Serenity Lamb, is the baby that was found 25 years ago. The mysterious deaths were claimed to be part of a suicide pact, but is that the whole truth? Libby wants to know what happened back then and with the help of an investigative journalist she is determined to uncover the truth.
The synopsis got me interested, it’s a popular book and author and I was curious if I would agree. And “The Family Upstairs” had many elements I like in a thriller: multiple timelines, different POV’s, a family mystery, someone looking into their past. Unfortunately, I can’t say that I enjoyed this book as much as most people did.
Don’t get me wrong: “The Family Upstairs” is a very creative thriller. You’re left in the dark for a very long time. But I wasn’t invested in the characters and found it dull at times. It is mysterious, but it’s not an exciting thriller. I felt no tension and I was not on the edge of my seat. And somehow, parts of the ending felt implausible and unrealistic.
I took me a while before I could truly say that I didn’t really enjoy this book, I always find this very difficult when it’s a book that a wide range of people love so much. And by no means is this a bad book, I just didn’t like it. There is a second book, which I’m not interested in. I do want to dive into more Lisa Jewell books, because I enjoyed her writing style.
I’m really sad about not liking this book, I really expected I would.