How do you retain your sense of reality when every semblance of normality has been stripped away? Every family has its secrets and ‘The Family Upstairs’ has more than most. This enthralling psychological thriller makes for compulsive reading.

WOW

What a book!

Clever would be an understatement.

And those last pages left me with chills.

The concept had me intrigued and the execution had me captivated.

I COULD NOT put this book down.

Just who are the family upstairs?

A cult? People who've lost their way trying to start again?

Lies are told, families get tangled up in a web of them and it's hard to know just where the truth really lies.

What we do know is that it all leads back to a baby.

A baby who was left abandoned twenty five years ago and now seems to be the time when all will be revealed but is it all as first appeared?

I was fooled and I think other readers will be too.

A must read.

I absolutely love anything Lisa Jewell does. She’s been one of my favourite authors since I discovered One Hit Wonder years ago so I was really happy to be accepted for The Family Upstairs.

As expected it was a fantastic book which I couldn’t put down. I read it in one evening and can’t wait for it to be published. It’s a book I’ll read again and again.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

A gothic feeling horror story, develops slowly and winds its way into your brain.

At first, I found it hard going and I spent the first quarter of the story wondering if Jewell had lost her shine, then suddenly the characters fell into place and I raced breathlessly to the end.

Genuinely loved it. Genuinely will read again.

The Family Upstairs is an absorbing read, although I must admit to being rather confused initially with all the different characters and different places that jumped from one to the other instead of a seamless transition or at least a little warning.
I think others have written a better synopsis than I ever could without giving away any spoilers.
An atmospheric story with some surprising and interesting characters, for me not totally gripping but I still kept turning the pages wishing to know what was to come.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

A really good read but not as good as her previous ones it was a bit far fetched and unbelievable but did keep you reading as wanted to find out the end of the story loved the characters and felt sorry for them overall quite a good read.

Modern gothic story starts with a baby found in a dilapidated Chelsea house. She is alive and well, but there are three decomposing bodies downstairs. 25 years later, she inherits the house and comes back to try and find out what happened there.

A modern cult of personality and child cruelty unravels in a gripping story with strong characters.

I have only read a couple of Lisa Jewell books so wasn’t sure what to expect from this one. I have to say I really enjoyed it. It was a tad confusing at first as it jumps from present day to the past all the way through but I soon got to grips with it and it turned out to be a really good read with some good twists in it. It’s perfect for a rainy day snuggled up, so much so I read it in two sittings. I would recommend this book to everyone.

I love Lisa Jewell! All her novels move u or worry for the characters as layers are pulled apart mysteries are unravelled and characters outcomes shown through the past .how they get where they don't,the tragedy's of childhood and the lack of controll we can have when we are little
I thoroughly was involved and was drawn in from the start.how does a very wealthy functioning family lose it all Inc themselves so quickly .
You feel worried for the children and at times I dreaded where it was going but though dark it's not heavy.
This is a page turner where u don't skim u read as though I want to know the end you are invested in each characters journey . u want to see how it all pieces together and what happens.one character Henry in particular who was though well drawn became rather ambiguous and doubts creep in as to wether u know him
Roll on the next Lisa Jewell novel

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. It is really hard to say too much about this book without giving away some key things, However, this really is one fantastic read, I struggled to put this down, reading for hours at a time!

The story centres around Libby, who was adopted as a baby, everything is normal in her life until she reaches her 25th birthday and opens up a letter which will change her life forever and bring up the past in the most profound and disturbing ways.

Libby takes on the help of a well respected journalist called Miller (what a guy!), and begins a journey to discover the secret of her early life, triggered by the ‘letter’ she received. The story also touches upon a woman called Lucy and her children who have literally down hit rock bottom and are living shoddily on the streets of Nice. There is also a key character Called Henry who tells the story from his own point of view and brings the book together.

This really is one amazing book, its not usually the type of book I would choose to read, but I found it truly gripping, it really is one great thriller. The author also has a wonderfully descriptive style, that really brings the book to life and the way that it is written from several viewpoints really gives the book some depth. This is one of the best books that i have so far read this year!

I have loved Lisa Jewell's last couple of books and I think this is even better!

Libby celebrates her 25th birthday and inherits a huge house in Chelsea with a very dark secret.

Libby sets out to find out the truth about what happened to her family and uncovers unimaginable secrets.

Too much info will spoil this! But it's a great thriller and I'll definitely be recommending it to friends.

Thanks Netgalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review

Lisa Jewell has once again done herself proud! I read this more or less in one go and what I particularly like about her writing, is that she doesn't waste time, energy and paper by going into huge reams of description. She gives enough background for the reader to be able to picture the story without becoming bored. I confess that I have skipped large sections of novels recently due to overwhelming amounts of description but with this I read every word. There were a couple of very small things that didn't add up for me (which I won't go into for fear of spoiling) but overall an entertaining and interesting tale. I would happily read her novels every day if she could produce enough!

I have never read a book by Lisa Jewell before but after reading this book it won’t the last. It had me hooked from the first page and I read it in two sittings. I love the characters and it had lots of twists and turns. The story is narrated in the voice pf three of the main characters so you get to view events from different perspectives. Love it!

A new novel from Lisa Jewell is always an event to be relished. The Family Upstairs is a rather dark, but incredibly readable, tale of abuse, obsession, death, scandal, secrets, and a big house in Chelsea.

Libby, adopted as a baby, leads an ordinary life until her twenty-fifth birthday opens up the past in unimaginable ways. With the help of Guardian journalist Miller Roe (love him), Libby sets out to discover the secrets of her own history. Meanwhile, a woman called Lucy and her children are literally down and out on the streets of Nice. And a man named Henry narrates the story of his extraordinary past...

It’s really best to know no more than this when you start reading... there are a few spoilery reviews out there which thankfully I managed to avoid. I always find it enhances my reading enjoyment to know next to nothing before starting a book, and that’s definitely the case here.

A beautifully crafted, always intriguing story which kept me engrossed throughout. Fantastic.

An atmospheric and gripping story that kept me absolutely hooked from page one. Jewell handles a complex family, multiple narratives and unreliable narrators with a deftness that allows the reader to never feel confused about who/what/when is happening. The perfect read for a cosy weekend!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the review copy. This is an unbiased review of the author's work and style. If you want plot lines and spoilers please see the publishers blurb and other reviewers' reports.
This is my first Lisa Jewel but it will not be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about the book. The author's style is authoritative and compelling. I was carried along at first puzzled as to what was going on then intrigued by the plot's development and finally hooked by the mystery.
It has been a long time since I have read a new to me author and so enjoyed the experience. If you are looking for a straight forward tale with introduction of the characters, the telling of the tale and a predictable ending then this volume is not for you.
If it's summer when you read this grab a jug of Pimms for Winter I recommend an open fire, phone turned off a bottle of your favourite tipple a snug armchair and a reading light. Put out the cat, walk the dog say goodnight to your nearest and dearest and read the night through - you'll be well rewarded.
A great read and well worth the five stars I'll give it.
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On her twenty-fifth birthday Libby - an ordinary suburbanite - inherits an incredible house. But the house has an intriguing and macabre past that holds the story of Libby’s own past.
This novel skips backwards and forwards in time and narrator, as the story of the extraordinary family who owned the house unfolds.
Jewell is a great story-teller and although this tale is objectively hard to believe, it seems completely believable in her expert hands.
The novel is pacey and original and Jewell ties everything up in a most satisfactory way.
Recommended for lovers of a good story with both great characterisation and plot.

I'm a big fan of Lisa Jewell's thrillers so was really excited to read this. There are a lot of characters in the book and the chapters flip between them and also periods in time so I found it a little hard to follow at times. Libby has just turned 25 and inherited a house from her birth parents. The house has a sketchy past and she starts to look into her history. The book is gripping and interesting but I did get confused with the number of characters telling the story from their point of view. Overall I did enjoy it but perhaps not as much as her previous novels.

** Spoilers!!!***

I actually requested this book as I thought it was by an author I had previously read but I was wrong. However, I am very glad I requested it!

I found Lucy to be the most interesting character throughout the book - I wanted to know how she had become homeless and how she would get out of the situation. I also liked the stories of what happened in the house 25 years ago and how it came to be how it was today.

I found the writing style excellent and the changing between the present day and 'before' to be seamless. There were a few surprises for me too which I like - I didn't want to be able to guess everything from the beginning and it certainly kept me thinking about who could be who.

The only slight criticism I have was that I felt the ending was rushed; it would have been good to have read of Henry and Phin (Finn)'s reunion, and how he got to the current country and occupation he was found in.

All in all, a good read and I look forward to reading more from this Author.

I’ve read most of Lisa Jewell’s previous books and really like how her style has evolved. This is a very dark novel with many negative overtones and plenty of twists. When twenty five year old Libby inherits her late parents house she has no idea that she’s opening Pandora’s box. Adopted as a baby she was aware her parents had died but had no clue as to the reality of the situation. Told from three alternating viewpoints this tells of what happened in the years running up to the discovery of Libby in her cot whilst downstairs there are three dead bodies. This is a very character based rather than high action story but definitely creepy and can’t help but make you wonder if you know just what goes on behind closed doors.