marytalbot 's review for:

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin

4.0

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The Stranger Upstairs is one of those stories in which you find yourself rooting, at times, for a character who doesn’t quite deserve it. Sarah Slade is cynical, secretive and kind of self-destructive. Her private thoughts and behavior when no one is watching make you wonder how she managed to become a social media darling. She is determined to flip creepy, decrepit Blackwood House, despite its violent history, without the support of her increasingly distant husband, and without the perks of now-withering influencer stardom. As last ditch efforts go, Blackwood House is impressive, even with its eerie vibes and propensity to slam doors. What better way to regain what she once had than revitalizing a murder house and turning a handsome profit? Sarah soon reveals what really lies beneath her Instagram-ready veneer and gets in her own way, but she is so earnest in her desire to make something good from the bad things in her past. She is complex and tortured, and it turns out, the definition of an unreliable narrator, but you believe her. After all, she’s not the crazy one.

I couldn’t read this one at night! Author Lisa Matlin’s descriptions of Blackwood House as a sinister, heaving presence that feeds off Sarah’s growing madness called for reading in the bright light of day, but those details are also what made the house feel like a character in it’s own right. The story felt part murder mystery/part supernatural thriller but with an ending so rooted in logic, I definitely did not see it coming. There are a few threads I’d have loved to learn more about, but overall this was a fun read and fabulous debut from Lisa Matlin.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Bantam/Random House Publishing Group for access to this advanced reader copy!