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A review by boomwormbrittany
The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.0
The Stranger Upstairs follows social media influencer Sarah Slade who has bought a notorious "murder house" with the intention of flipping it for profit. But when the lies she has built her life on starst to unravel, she starts to wonder what else is living in the house with her.
I really wanted to like this book because I like the premise of these type of thriller/horror novels. Something about haunted house stories always intrigues me. But this book really fell flat for me.
I also want to acknowledge that the author did go through a very rough time in their life and I am so happy to hear they are doing well now. Now on to the review.
First off, I like unlikable main characters. I actually find them very intriguing to read. However, this unlikable main character was just plain awful to read from. There was times I was so confused by her actions and how she was supposed to be normally that when she started to lose it, I didn't know what her actual personality was. I feel like if we spent more time with how she "normally" was versus when she went off the metaphorical deep end, that would have benefited this.
What ultimately made the rating of this book for me was the amount of loose ends that were left untied. I don't expect all loose ends to be tied up in thrillers or horror novels, it's best to leave some things unsaid. But there were so many threads started in this book then just dropped a few chapters later. I like unpredictability but this felt like it was a bit unmoored.
I would be interested to see how this authors work grows as they continue to write and publish. This was just an okay thriller/horror novel for me. I would say if you are interested to pick it up and I would be interested to see what this author writes in the future.
I really wanted to like this book because I like the premise of these type of thriller/horror novels. Something about haunted house stories always intrigues me. But this book really fell flat for me.
I also want to acknowledge that the author did go through a very rough time in their life and I am so happy to hear they are doing well now. Now on to the review.
First off, I like unlikable main characters. I actually find them very intriguing to read. However, this unlikable main character was just plain awful to read from. There was times I was so confused by her actions and how she was supposed to be normally that when she started to lose it, I didn't know what her actual personality was. I feel like if we spent more time with how she "normally" was versus when she went off the metaphorical deep end, that would have benefited this.
What ultimately made the rating of this book for me was the amount of loose ends that were left untied. I don't expect all loose ends to be tied up in thrillers or horror novels, it's best to leave some things unsaid. But there were so many threads started in this book then just dropped a few chapters later. I like unpredictability but this felt like it was a bit unmoored.
I would be interested to see how this authors work grows as they continue to write and publish. This was just an okay thriller/horror novel for me. I would say if you are interested to pick it up and I would be interested to see what this author writes in the future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicide, and Toxic relationship