A review by trifi
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No

3.0

Giving 3 stars because it really, really just wasn't my thing and the only reason I finished it was because I didn't want to leave it unfinished, but I also don't want to rate it too low in case it's somebody else's cup of tea. From the synopsis it seemed like a crime thriller, but it turned out to be about family drama. A whole lot of it. With a manipulative liar and his victims/accomplices scattered about, who were also kinda the main cause of the family drama.
There was also romance in it, surprisingly, which afair was not mentioned anywhere. Not a lot of it, but it was incredibly obvious and I could sense it from a mile away (and I don't even read romance!)
And for some reason, the book felt very fanfiction-y? It also seemed a lot like a fever dream.