Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin

20 reviews

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

I had seen people talking about this book, and I decided to pick it up as one of my Book of the Month selections.
"The Stranger Upstairs" is a haunted house story that follows Sarah Slade. Looking for a fresh start, Sarah and her husband buy the infamous Black Wood House, a home in which a grizzly murder-suicide took place decades before. None of the neighbors seem to want the Saldes there, and the house also seems to be resisting them. But Sarah is determined to make this investment work. Unfortunately, something sinister is interfering with her plans, and she might not actually make it out alive.
I was slightly disappointed in this story. At the beginning I was really hooked, and I was invested in Sarah's story as well as what was happening in the house. However, as the story progressed, and more was revealed, I got bored with the story. I did ultimately appreciate the ending, but it was not an impressive enough twist for me that it completely saved my reading experience.
 

Sarah is a morally gray, very complex character that I found to be quite interesting to read from. I think from very early on it is evident that there is something off about her, but as the story progressed it was wild to see just how unstable she really was. She went from being arrogantly annoying to concerningly detached from reality. One thing I did not understand about her character was the fact that she was a social media influencer. She set out to document her renovation process online, as well as share bits about her life, but she did not really keep up with it in the book. I think with the plot twist of her "slipping into other people's skins" it makes sense that she would want the validation from people online, and this idea of her being an influencer could have been a really interesting plot point. Unfortunately, she has a fulltime job as a therapist that we hear far more about.
The ultimate reveal that the house was emitting carbon monoxide was really clever and very well done. I did not see that coming until right before it was revealed to us. Sarah's descent into madness and symptoms from the carbon monoxide poisoning were so easily explained by other things in her life.
The idea that the house is actually haunted was a little under whelming and I felt like it was not fleshed out enough to be a plausible excuse for what was happening. This could have been a really interesting twist to the story, that the house is poisoning its residents because it does not want new owners, but the author did not do enough with it. All that is really touched upon is that when people enter the house, they feel that the house does not want them there. 

 
Overall, this was a fine book, and I would recommend reading it during spooky season. I do think it is executed amateurly, but I am still interested to see what Lisa M. Matlin writes next. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Murder, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, and Grief

Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

Minor: Self harm and Infidelity

sadieruin's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty

kaylamarch's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

2.0

Update a few hours later: the more I think about this book, the more confused I get and the more frustrated I get by the unanswered questions. Who sent the DVD? What was the relevance of Amanda and Sarah/Lizzy looking so much alike? Like, why was that even a plot point? It was made out like Lizzy/Sarah and Amanda had similar sketchy backgrounds and looked so much alike, I assumed there must be some relevance there, but there never was. Why would none of the town talk about Amanda? Why was her disappearance so covered up? Where did Janet go? What happened when Lizzy/Sarah found herself holding a bloody hammer? Why was it bloody? What did she do?
There were far too many unanswered questions, so I’m lowering my rating to 2 stars. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty

walenchao's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, and Stalking

Minor: Vomit

beckyremillard's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Mental illness, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Infidelity, Murder, Self harm, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Alcoholism

yalibrarianjen's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

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: Violence and Alcoholism

Moderate: Animal cruelty

Minor: Infidelity and Suicide

kris386's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Infidelity, Mental illness, Vomit, Stalking, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, and Death

Minor: Animal death

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, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Murder

katiemack's review against another edition

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

3.75

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I'm glad this leans into the haunted house (and haunted person) horror motif as much as I thought it would. I thought it would veer more into thriller territory, and I'm pleasantly surprised by how eerie it is. The twist is somewhat predictable--though the epilogue provides a satisfying counter-twist--and although Lisa M. Matlin has a solid grasp on her narrative there are some annoyingly unresolved loose ends. But, for the most part, this is a deliciously terrifying read about Sarah's physical, mental, and emotional deterioration as she attempts to remodel a house that defiantly resists change. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Murder, and Mental illness

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Death

Minor: Infidelity