The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

The Family Upstairs #1

Rating: ★★★★★

Dates Read: 2/3/23 - 2/3/23

TW: To my knowledge, there are no listed trigger warnings for this novel, so I would like to tell anyone looking to read this that it mentions animal cruelty, incest, child abuse, and rape.

    After a long wait, Libby Jones receives a letter on her twenty-fifth birthday that promises to reveal her true identity. Filled with anticipation, she opens it, her mind racing with the thought that she will finally uncover the mystery of her own existence.

    Libby Jones finally gets the letter she's been waiting for her whole life, revealing her birth parents and a massive inheritance. Suddenly, her world turns upside down. Little does she know, there are others who have been waiting for this moment too, and their paths are about to collide.

    Twenty-five years ago, a chilling scene unfolded at 16 Cheyne Walk. In the midst of reports of a baby crying, the police arrived to find a ten-month-old baby in her crib, unharmed and blissfully unaware of the tragedy that had unfolded downstairs. There, in the kitchen, lay three lifeless bodies dressed in black, accompanied by a hastily scrawled note. The four other children reported to have lived in the house were nowhere to be found.

    We have three narrators in this book: Libby, Lucy, and a mysterious male character who left me puzzled at first. The initial confusion made me skeptical about enjoying this book, but as the pieces started to come together, it became evident that things in the mansion were far more sinister than they appeared.

    I absolutely adored Jewell's writing style and the short, snappy chapters that kept the pace engaging. While I was initially overwhelmed by the multiple points of view and the complex plot, once everything started to make sense, I couldn't put the book down. The characters, while not easily relatable, fascinated me with their flaws and enigmatic nature. I'm still captivated by their true motives and eager to delve deeper into their stories.

    One of my favorite aspects of thrillers is an unexpected twist, and this book delivered. There was one twist that blindsided me and left me trying to wrap my mind around it. Although I did manage to predict some of the other twists, the unexpected one made up for it. I adored the dark and eerie atmosphere Jewell created within the house, both compelling and repelling me at the same time. The multiple perspectives added depth to the story, even if it occasionally added to the confusion (and I must admit, I love an unreliable narrator). I cannot wait to read the next novel, and future me speaking, I read it immediately following this one.