Published by Random House - Ballantine Genres: Fiction, Horror, Mystery
Format: ARC, eBook
Sarah Slade, a social media influencer who buys the infamous Black Wood House, hoping to boost her following and save her marriage. Both she and her husband, Joe, have secrets from their past, and Sarah is hoping that a new town paired with a new home will be just what they need. They knew going in that the house was the site of a horrific murder. What she didn’t know was how unwelcoming her neighbors would be. She also wasn’t aware that she might hear things in the night and her hired contractors might experience strange things during the day.
I began to wonder if this book was going to be like The Amityville Horror, but it stands on its own ground. I initially gave this book 3 stars but found myself thinking about it after I turned the last page. The book got under my skin like the house got under Sarah’s skin.
Sarah and Joe are not very likeable characters. In fact, Sarah is a mess and unreliable. She hears footsteps coming from the attic, strange things are happening with her cat, she begins receiving strange messages, and her behavior is erratic. She makes references to her past and slowly readers get a better picture as to who she is and why she and Joe moved. This book beings to take on a creepy feel as Sarah appears to spiral.
I enjoyed the creepy vibe of this book, the tension that mounted, and impending sense of doom as the book progressed.
I enjoyed that this book was horrific but not bloody or gory although there is talk of blood. It is more of a creepy, haunted, and sinister feeling book. This is a great book to read around Halloween.
The author has a personal author’s note at the end of the book. Be sure to read that as well.
#TheStrangerUpstairs #NetGalley
Atmospheric, creepy, and sinister.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.