The Family Upstairs
Ratings243
Average rating3.7
Dit boek vond ik echt heel leuk en meeslepend. Het is wel op meerdere vlakken onrealistisch, vooral het gedrag en de reacties van bepaalde personages, wat toch een beetje voor een valse noot zorgde.
Maar over het algemeen vond ik het verhaal geweldig en kon ik het moeilijk aan de kant leggen. De verschillende perspectieve waren intrigerend en dreven het verhaal vooruit. Ook de meeste plotwendingen waren onverwacht en spoorden aan om verder te lezen. Naar het einde van het boek toe nam het tempo echter af en het is ook daar dat de misleidingen een beetje te geforceerd werden of gewoon van tafel werden geveegd. Het einde viel een beetje plat en ik wou dat de auteur er iets meer had mee gedaan.
The beginning is a little slow, but then it gets going. I suspected something and then found out if it was true or not before another revelation came. Then it was a series of revelations. Some of them I expected and others I did not expect. I like the wrap up scene at the end. It makes me ready to rad the second book. There is more to this story!
Atmospheric, creepy, and insanely captivating. My jaw dropped multiple times. Truly one of my top recommendations for any thriller fan.
I see a sequel is coming out and I came back to book one to read my review only to discover I didn't write one. Damn. I remember this book clearly, particularly how much the children stuck with me. And the ending. I'm thrilled to hear there's a sequel coming. I want to know what Harry finds in Africa.
The first ~100 pages are so slow, but wow, after that this book is incredible. I wish I could wipe my mind and read it again for the first time!!!
DNF @ 100 pages
Unfortunately this was just not for me. I tried my hardest but 100 pages of this was a pure slog. I could not bring myself to care about either of the 2 historical storylines, I just felt no connection at all and was bored reading them. The present day storyline with Libby was more interesting but again I just didn't connect so didn't care.
I have another 2 Lisa Jewell books on my TBR so not writing her off yet, from other reviews this book looks to be one of lesser liked ones so the others might be more successful.
Christ on a cracker how did all of these people end up being fine just hanging out and being in each other's lives after all of that unimaginable trauma???
Not what I was expecting at all! It jumped back and forth in time which it did need to so you could get the back story, but not a fan of books that do that. Glad everything was explained by the end of the story - although does Henry end up killing Phin?
This book didn't do a whole lot for me. The mystery revelations were delivered flatly, almost clinically. The situations were shocking, but none of it surprised me. It was just okay.
This book was wonderful. It hit all the right points for me. It kept me guessing until the end. It jumped around but in the right way. It just worked. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the authors writing style. Would absolutely recommend this and I will definitely be reading the authors other books and reading this one again at some point.
This was a pretty good, pretty fast read. I did not see it taking such a culty turn. Basically, without giving too much away I would say this was ‘The Silent Patient' meets anything having to do with the Manson cult minus the blatantly obvious killing and writing “piggy” on the wall in blood. I really appreciated all of the perspectives of the story as it juggles 3 totally different people's lives. Starting, the narrators have nothing in common, ending, they having everything in common. I don't really think this was the best name for the book. Very intriguing, but the family upstairs didn't really happen for very long. But this was a good book, worth the hype. I would recommend. All the characters were believable, and I believe that the audiobook's choice in narrators was what really made the book and plot believable. Especially the guy who played Henry and woman who played Lucy. Very raw and emotional performance on both their parts. I liked them both very much. The ending? Maybe could have wrapped up better. Personally I prefer more tragedy in my psychological fiction, but this was good. If anyone wants a lighthearted ending (perhaps?) this is for you. Would recommend and would probably read again.
What a trip!!! It took me three attempts to overcome the first 10%, and then it had sucked me in to this crazy world and soap opera worthy chapters. Until the very last page I was riveted and expecting anything to happen.
Was on a number of “best of 2019” lists and I can see why. Well contructed 3 Point of View tale that finally blends . No huge sting in the tail but very readable
Since I disliked a couple of other books I've read by her, I was surprised to enjoy this one so much. Just when I thought maybe I had it figured out, she would throw a loop in there. While slow in some spots it was overall well written and kept my attention. 3.5 rounded to 4.
[b:The Family Upstairs 43822820 The Family Upstairs Lisa Jewell https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1564517337l/43822820.SY75.jpg 66179743]Do not Drink the Kool-Aid If you follow my reviews at all this year then you know that Lisa Jewell is a new Gem to add to my Thriller bracelet. I read Watching You to get a feel for how Lisa writes and I was an instant fan. The Family Upstairs should be on everyone's book shelf if you love THRILLERS! What makes this a MUST READ! Is the duel perspective that is beautifully mastered by Ms. Jewell. On Libby's 25th birthday, she finds out she has inherited a Chelsea mansion that is been held in trust. She soon discovers the house has a dark history based on scant decades-old news coverage. Apparently, there were three cult-related suicides, but 10-month-old Libby was found unharmed and healthy within. Libby's chapters are so intriguing because once the house is in her universe, she becomes curious about her past and so do we as the reader. If you are disturbed by cults and taboo topics then you must sadly skip this read, I feel so sorry for you. You really do miss out. Then you have the chapters of Lucy. She is living day to day in France when she gets a reminder that the baby is 25 today.... I think Lucy by far might be my favorite character in this entire read because she is the most real. Libby is this angsty needs to find where she belongs character. Henry who is the last piece of this puzzle is this dark and spooky soul that knows everything that happened in the house and as you read his chapters you realize that he is going down this dark rabbit hole and that it is scary and wonderful all at the same time. If this review sounds like the ramblings of a mad woman, I assure you I just cannot put everything that should be said about this book on one page and I am not crazy. Go out and read it. Might be the best thing you do for yourself book wise. Thank You NetGalley for my digital arc of this stunning read and my apologize that I am so late on my review. This was stunning. I am disappointed that life got in the way and that I could not get to this sooner.
Great book - Really enjoyed this book. It was a good read that kept my attention. If you like creepy thillers - you will enjoy it.
Not what I expected it to be.
This is my first read from Jewell, so I'm not entirely familiar with her work. This book is filled with dysfunctional family drama, secrets, and twisted stories. I'm a sucker for that so I definitely had to finish this book to find out what really happened in the mansion and what happened to Libby's family.
I wish it was a little more creepy. I didn't get attached to any of the characters, and it felt like the narration started going in circles, but overall I enjoyed the book.
First five star rating. ⭐️ After reading this, I had to bump down other books to 4 stars that I though would be 5. This was great.