The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

Norma’s Review

Creepy, crafty, & atmospheric! Lisa Jewell sure knows how to tell a story!

THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS by LISA JEWELL is a dark, disturbing, twisty, and suspenseful page-turner that is so cleverly written. I’m thoroughly impressed with this one and it definitely kept me glued to the pages right to the very end. I love how cleverly subtle and obscure she is. She withholds just enough to keep you hooked and wondering, surprising you totally with the end reveals.

The story is told from three equally compelling points of view in short chapters that I absolutely loved and completely held my attention. The short chapters steadily ratcheted up the suspense for me and I was equally invested in each point of view while I was reading, never wanting to jump forward to the next narrator.

She has this ability to make you forget what you think you know…..her writing is very hypnotic that way. I was thoroughly entertained with this one and I would highly recommend it!

I purchased this with an Amazon Canada gift card that I won on Instagram. Thank you so much, Amelia!

Brenda’s Review

After seeing some mixed reviews for The Family Upstairs, I was a little worried one of my favorite authors has turned to the dark side in more ways than one. I am so glad I decided to give this a try for myself because I had nothing to worry about. Lisa Jewell continues to do no wrong with this devoted reader. 

Lisa Jewell is moving a little towards the darker side from what this “Lisa Jewell reader” has come to expect. However, I have moved a little ok a lot to the darker side myself, so I think she and I still make a great match. She still has all those significant elements that make for her signature suspenseful style with those well-layered unpredictable plots and reveals and twist that come just at the right time to figure some things out. 

The Family Upstairs is a compelling family saga with devilishly, deliciously chilling narrative along with disturbing dark characters. I enjoyed the three POVs along with the different timelines that had me questioning the reliability of some characters. The last few pages are so chilling and I loved every one of them. I was left feeling delightfully chilled to the bone with how it all came together. I highly recommend it. 

I received a copy from the publisher on NetGalley.

Lindsay’s Review

Deliciously dark, creepy and twisted!

Lisa Jewell does it again! I loved this highly suspenseful, spine-tingling tale! This author is SO extremely consistent in her writing. She has the ability to suck me into a storyline from the first chapter barely letting me up for air before the last sentence. This book was such a treat and a great escape during these stressful and isolating times.

The engrossing plot is dark and disturbing – it involves a wealthy family, an eerie old mansion house, a creepy cult and several strange and peculiar characters.

If you like edgy, dark, eerie stories filled with mysterious, foreboding atmosphere and secretive, intriguing characters, then this is the book for you! It was excellent! I absolutely cannot wait to see what this author comes out with next!!

Thank you to my lovely local library for the loan of this novel!