Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The Stranger Upstairs: A Novel by Lisa M. Matlin

39 reviews

amlegomo's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism and Murder

mcpingeton's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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 and Mental illness

Moderate: Suicide and Violence

raesapiga_'s review against another edition

dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Torture, Blood, Murder, and Gaslighting

sassacass11's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Wow! Okay, this book had me reeling. I’m a pretty big chicken, so i started this in broad daylight.. and finished it mere hours later. 

The deeper into the story you get, the more skeletons you get from the story.. and the more unreliable the narrator you’re leaning on becomes.. 

I like how it highlights a lot of mental health issues and has a piece at the end for awareness. Lisa Matlin is courageous for sharing her piece, and i applaud her for it!

I was not expecting the ending one bit! Even though i was sad, i also remain curious about the after..

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Suicide, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Stalking

chris_reads's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Violence, and Gaslighting

Minor: Self harm and Stalking

lucyford's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Once the book picked up after the first hundred pages or so, it was excellent. I really could not have predicted all the turns it took, specifically at the end of the book, but it all fit together and everything was explained logically. It feels very original, and I honestly loved the twist at the end

(the carbon monoxide poisoning

). I will say the first part of the book was dull at parts, but I did like how it picked up pretty incrementally, and the end made it worth it. I am however still a bit confused about

the neighborhood in general and how they acted towards the main character (idk whether to call her Sarah or Lizzy at this point) unless it’s clear that it was also just hallucinations, and also what left Reaper all bloodied on the brink of death

. Anyway, solid horror book and great story!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Fatphobia, Police brutality, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

baileymorgannnn's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

Good debut from the author & I loved her note about mental health. I had some unanswered questions

(like what happened to Janet? That bit about Joe killing Sarah?)

maybe I just missed some things but I wish it would have filled those gaps. Entertaining story overall!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism and Mental illness

belava's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Murder

Moderate: Suicide and Vomit

Minor: Infidelity

courtneyreadsitall's review against another edition

fast-paced

3.0

this was a quick read but the ending felt like a cop out 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicide, and Alcohol

chloecam's review against another edition

dark slow-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

1.0

listened to the audio book on 2.6x speed, unfortunately not for me. appreciate the author's mental health struggles and glad she wrote a book. other than that the plot seemed to go in circles and was very repetitive, I found it very frustrating.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Mental illness, Murder, and Alcohol