lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
- 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
"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.
Spoiler
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.
Spoiler
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.
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
beckyremillard's review against another edition
- 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
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
louiepotterbook's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Self harm, Death, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Mental illness, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
Minor: Infidelity and Death of parent
yalibrarianjen's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Suicide, Stalking, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Bullying, Violence, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Emotional abuse
cammaleahh's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Violence and Alcoholism
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Infidelity and Suicide
paisleypetty's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death, Murder, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, and Vomit
Moderate: Police brutality and Eating disorder
theoceanrose's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Minor: Infidelity, Death, Violence, and Murder
dev921's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Cursing, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Blood, Infidelity, Murder, Animal cruelty, Death, Gaslighting, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
jeniwarren's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Violence and Alcoholism
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, and Suicide
yourbigsistersbookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Death, Murder, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, and Violence