Review: The Stranger Upstairs

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Ballantine - Bantam for the early copy of this novel. Below you'll find my honest review.

I'm majorly impressed. You guys, this is a DEBUT novel, and it reads like a seasoned pro wrote it. Seriously... it's got the right pacing, the right character depth, the right amount of horror and reality, the right plotting, the right balance of darkness and hope, the right point of views and perspectives. I can't help but be jealous, as an aspiring writer myself, of what Lisa Matlin has created here. I also can't wait to be able to say I was a fan from before day one, and follow her works for years to come, because trust me, she's going to be one to watch.

This novel was almost impossible to put down. I read it late into the night, finishing it and then being unable to sleep afterwards. It has the perfect chapter endings for that "just one more chapter" compulsion that leads to one or two sitting reads, and it definitely, absolutely paid off in droves for the time I invested into it.

I also loved how real she was in her acknowledgements at the end. It really inspired me to keep pushing on with my writing.

Highly recommended for fans of horror, thriller, haunted house, neighbor drama, relationship issue, secrets and lies revealed slowly kind of books. Heck, I recommend this for everyone who loves a good story. Pick this one up and you won't be disappointed.

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