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A review by house_of_hannah
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I can't remember for the life of me where I heard about this book, so I went into it with no expectations or preconceived notions. I was pleasantly surprised when this book gripped me, and did not want to let go ! I was completely enthralled from the very beginning, and I ended up reading the last 2/3 of it in one go. However, the twists and turns went into some odd directions.
So this is another book that has multiple POV. (How do I keep picking these up ?) There is also two different timelines. Thinking back on it, it did make me feel like I was reading two different books, as one of the POVs is very removed from the other two.
The last 50 pages is where the book lost me. I thought this was going to be a very solid 4 star read for me, but then there was a reveal that just did not sit well with me. (I will discuss it in the spoilers below) The characters then act OOC to create an ending that just does not make much sense. It felt really unbelievable, but I only knocked off half a star, as I really loved the rest of the book.
I was really having a good time with this book until it decided that one of the twists should be a 41 year old man impregnating a 14 year old girl. It kinda lost me at that point, and the rest of the story kinda went downhill from there. It's disappointing, because I loved the buildup to the end, but then it just fell flat and was completely unbelievable.
Something else I really do not understand about the ending is how trusting everyone is. The main character, Libby, thinks someone is living in a room in her newly acquired house. She has a journalist with her, Miller, to try and catch who this is. It turns out to be her long lost uncle (who introduces himself with another name at first). Libby and Miller go to his place to learn more about what happened at the house. The next day they are locked in the room they slept in. They also believe that he may have drugged them, and they for sure think he took their phones and tampered with them. After all of that Libby immediately trusts this dude when it's revealed that he's actually her uncle. No one questions his actions, and they all become one big happy family. It is truly bizzare to me.
So this is another book that has multiple POV. (How do I keep picking these up ?) There is also two different timelines. Thinking back on it, it did make me feel like I was reading two different books, as one of the POVs is very removed from the other two.
The last 50 pages is where the book lost me. I thought this was going to be a very solid 4 star read for me, but then there was a reveal that just did not sit well with me. (I will discuss it in the spoilers below) The characters then act OOC to create an ending that just does not make much sense. It felt really unbelievable, but I only knocked off half a star, as I really loved the rest of the book.
Something else I really do not understand about the ending is how trusting everyone is. The main character, Libby, thinks someone is living in a room in her newly acquired house. She has a journalist with her, Miller, to try and catch who this is. It turns out to be her long lost uncle (who introduces himself with another name at first). Libby and Miller go to his place to learn more about what happened at the house. The next day they are locked in the room they slept in. They also believe that he may have drugged them, and they for sure think he took their phones and tampered with them. After all of that Libby immediately trusts this dude when it's revealed that he's actually her uncle. No one questions his actions, and they all become one big happy family. It is truly bizzare to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Confinement
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Miscarriage, and Pedophilia