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A review by annawhite
The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin
4.0
The Stranger Upstairs comes out at the end of September 2023, and is the perfect spooky Fall read. The book centers around a Sarah, an Instagrammer and therapist with dubious credentials and a heap of personal problems. She and her husband buy the home where a murder occurred many years ago in an expensive neighborhood with hopes of renovating the house and flipping it.
The house is a central character in the book, and it is oh so creepy. The writing constantly creates a sense of tension and unease. As a suspenseful and frightening Fall read I think it works well. Unfortunately, I found all of the main characters entirely unlikeable. In fact, my favorite character was Sarah's hate filled cat.
I'm giving this book 4 stars, because it is very good at what it is--a novel fueled by an angsty, unreliable narrator and good writing. Ultimately however, this was darker than I prefer and therefore did not rise to the level of 5 stars. That said, I have no doubt it will be successful upon publication later this year.
Thanks to Netgally, Lisa Matlin, and Random House Publishers for providing an ARC of htis book in exchange for my honest review.
The house is a central character in the book, and it is oh so creepy. The writing constantly creates a sense of tension and unease. As a suspenseful and frightening Fall read I think it works well. Unfortunately, I found all of the main characters entirely unlikeable. In fact, my favorite character was Sarah's hate filled cat.
I'm giving this book 4 stars, because it is very good at what it is--a novel fueled by an angsty, unreliable narrator and good writing. Ultimately however, this was darker than I prefer and therefore did not rise to the level of 5 stars. That said, I have no doubt it will be successful upon publication later this year.
Thanks to Netgally, Lisa Matlin, and Random House Publishers for providing an ARC of htis book in exchange for my honest review.