The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Things to know about me: I am a huge sucker for an unreliable narrator, particularly if alcohol is involved, and I like unlikable MCs. Check and check for this book.
Unsurprisingly, the first thing that attracted me to The Stranger Upstairs was the cover. I’m shallow. Seriously, can we just take a moment to drink in these colors?
Next was the synopsis, which sold me on the idea of a social media influencer buying a murder house to renovate for content. And with gothic vibes!?
We love that. Additionally, it’s from a debut author and is set in Australia. We love that even more!!
Unfortunately, due to over-extending myself, and I didn’t get to it as quickly as I wanted to. Then the reviews started rolling in and some of them weren’t the greatest.
I started to get nervous. I started to prioritize other books over this one. It was a whole thing. Having now completed this, I wish I would have read it sooner. I thought it was so much fun; a gripping page-turner!
In this story we follow Sarah Slade, a therapist, who is also gaining some traction as a lifestyle influencer.
Black Wood House was once the scene of a grisly murder-suicide, and now it’s Sarah’s latest pet project. She and her husband need a place to start over, and due to its murder house status, they’re able to procure Black Wood at a ridiculously low price in a highly-desirable neighborhood.
Sarah’s idea is to renovate it and she can use the renovation as constant content to attract new followers, helping her to reach the next level in social media status.
Her husband, not a fan of purchasing the house in the first place, can hardly stand to be there. He doesn’t understand Sarah’s determination with this project.
Once the builders, hired on to help with the reno, begin acting strangely and having unexplained accidents, it appears maybe Sarah’s husband is on to something about the malevolent nature of the house.
Nothing is shaking Sarah though, not even the threatening notes that begin showing up for her. Someone doesn’t want her there. Is it the house, or someone else and is Sarah really willing to risk everything just for content?
There are so many layers to this story, but you’ll have to read it to discover all the little avenues Matlin takes us down. Admittedly, the writing style took me a minute to get used to, as it didn’t flow quite the way I expected.
However, after reading the entire story, I sort of feel like the way it was written matches Sarah’s personality perfectly. It’s like viewing the world through her eyes and I not only came to enjoy it, but I became extremely invested in it.
If I had to compare it, I would say the style reminds me of Mona Awad’s style, particularly in All’s Well.
I was extremely intrigued by the house and Sarah’s motivations for being there. I did feel like the house had a lot of Amityville vibes, but it wasn’t a turn off for me. I actually quite liked that.
Sarah, as a character isn’t particularly likable, and you might even classify her as unreliable, but I don’t need to like characters to enjoy a story. Additionally, as mentioned above, I love an unreliable narrator, so I think this story was just set-up to work for me.
I also really enjoyed the mystery behind what was happening with the house. It had a great, is it supernatural, is it not-intrigue to it that I always enjoy.
As Sarah is coming more unhinged the longer she stays in the house, she’s also simultaneously trying to figure out what is going on. I thought Matlin did a great job keeping the intensity up throughout and making Sarah’s investigations into her circumstances believable.
I think as far as debuts go, this one is very strong. I think if this is the kind of story that usually works for you, you should absolutely give this one a go. It’s tense and gripping throughout, with a very interesting conclusion.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Bantam, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I am really looking forward to reading more from Lisa M. Matlin!