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A review by cheesy_reader_77
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
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? It's complicated
3.0
My book club gave this book a 3.1. This book felt like it wanted to be good but it could never really get over the hump of just alright. One of my members didn’t like the characters. This book has multiple narrators and one of them turns out to be an unreliable one which was not favored. The author went into detail about things that really didn’t matter and left the more important things flat and 2 dimensional.
***SPOILERS***
The book lost points when the author decided to write the gay character as the stereotypical gay villain with the heart broken trope. The book was called the family upstairs but it was more “family comes in and takes over a whole house super easily” the title didnt really do the book justice.
In all honesty, this book was a disappointment. The author set up great plot twists and opportunities for something to happen many times and it just fell flat. It felt like when a roller coaster goes up the hill clicking and then it just never really drops. The book could have also benefited from having less characters and having actual character development or get deeper with some characters as it leaves you wondering a lot. Overall, it was interesting while we were reading it but it is not a book that will stay with us, its not a book that we would think about really ever or we will talk about, it left little to no impression.
***SPOILERS***
The book lost points when the author decided to write the gay character as the stereotypical gay villain with the heart broken trope. The book was called the family upstairs but it was more “family comes in and takes over a whole house super easily” the title didnt really do the book justice.
In all honesty, this book was a disappointment. The author set up great plot twists and opportunities for something to happen many times and it just fell flat. It felt like when a roller coaster goes up the hill clicking and then it just never really drops. The book could have also benefited from having less characters and having actual character development or get deeper with some characters as it leaves you wondering a lot. Overall, it was interesting while we were reading it but it is not a book that will stay with us, its not a book that we would think about really ever or we will talk about, it left little to no impression.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Rape