Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin

41 reviews

book2kel's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

if you love a book that causes you to constantly make predictions, I think you’ll enjoy this one! 

My book theme for this October is anything that involves a haunted house. This was my BOTM for September so It obviously made the list. I’m currently on Pg.183 and making my way through the last 100. so far i’ll say this has been an enjoyably fast past read and has kept me entertained all day. I did find the main character a annoying and It’s not as spooky as I’d hoped it would be when diving in (so the “haunted”house theme took the back burner with this *for me*). I made an annotation in the beginning of the book that stated and I quote “not here for the marriage problems (don’t care) only the haunted house” but the mystery around Sarah, the house, (and its occupants)  has kept me reading and guessing (I found myself having so many different “OMG! I got it! It’s ___,” moments. The constant mentioning of the birds (not wallpaper) felt out of place at times every time they’ve been mentioned I’ve been like “okay…”

(Cont.) finished the book and really enjoyed the last 50-85 pages.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Murder

Moderate: Infidelity and Suicide

louiepotterbook's review against another edition

challenging dark tense 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? Yes

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting

Minor: Infidelity and Death of parent

yalibrarianjen's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Stalking, and Gaslighting

erin_knor's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I was going back and forth whether to say this was a 3⭐️ or 4⭐️ but the epilogue helped make this a 4. This book was creepy and mysterious, and though some parts I question, it had me hooked all the way through.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Suicide

caidyn's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

On one hand, I really enjoyed this. On the other, it's a great one-read book. In some ways it was predictable, in others it was unique. Overall, I did enjoy reading it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Mental illness

Moderate: Death

maregred's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Infidelity, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Gaslighting

Minor: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Death of parent

cammaleahh's review

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty

Minor: Infidelity and Suicide

paisleypetty's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Eating disorder and Police brutality

mommyandme_bookclub's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Fast-paced and highly addictive. This was a great debut from Lisa M. Matlin. I found myself eagerly turning the page with each twist of the plot and the impending doom that awaits on the next page.

The Stranger Upstairs delivers with surprising turns, an overarching sense of deed, and even a bit of dark humor.

If you’re in the market for a debut psychological thriller, check this out.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism

Moderate: Mental illness and Suicide

debhawkins's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Mental illness

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Murder