Book cover of The Family Upstairs.

The Family Upstairs By Lisa Jewell Book Review

If you like exciting stories that keep you guessing, The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell is a great choice. It’s a story full of dark secrets, strange people, and big surprises. I just read it, and I want to tell you why you should read it too. Here’s a quick summary and review of The Family Upstairs to get you started.

The Family Upstairs Plot Summary

The story starts with Libby Jones. She is 25 years old. One day, she learns that she has inherited a big house from her birth parents in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood. Spoiler alert: It’s no dream home! The house worth millions but was empty for years. It used to belong to the Walker family.

They vanished when Libby was a baby. The police thought they died in a murder-suicide. The parents and two kids were found dead. But baby Libby was found alive in her crib. 

I know it sounds like the start of a horror movie. The story gets scary when Libby tries to find out the truth about her family. She goes to the house to discover what really happened to her family.

There, she finds many hidden secrets. It’s like peeling an onion, but each layer brings a new mystery. The story is told from different people’s points of view. Libby, Henry Lamb, and Lucy Lamb all tell parts of the story. Each person has something important to share. As their stories mix, we find out what really happened to the Walker family.

Through flashbacks, we see what happened in the Walker family. We learn about their strange and sad life. Libby’s search helps her discover her own past. The Walker family had enough drama for an entire season of a reality show.

Themes & Writing Style of The Family Upstairs

Themes

The Family Upstairs talks about a few big ideas. One is family problems. The Walker family had many troubles. Their deaths show how hard family life can be. If your family Thanksgiving dinners feel tense, this book will make you feel better about your own clan. The book shows what it’s like to grow up in a home with many problems, in the same way as Sharp Objects.

Another theme is identity. Libby wants to know who she really is. She learns about her family’s dark past. If you’re into self-discovery with a side of horror, this is your book. This helps her understand herself more.

The book also talks about the effects of living in a bad place. The Walker kids grew up in a house full of tension. The house itself shows how broken their family was. Ever been in a house that just feels wrong? Imagine living in it.

Writing Style

Lisa Jewell writes in a way that keeps you interested. The story is full of mystery. It’s like a puzzle that slowly comes together, and every piece is a new surprise. She mixes the different points of view well. Libby, Henry, and Lucy’s stories all add something special. The story moves slowly at first, but it gets exciting as you keep reading, much like The Silent Wife.

Jewell also makes the house feel scary. She describes it as old and falling apart. The house itself is almost a character in this book—just creepier than any ghost. This makes the story even more spooky.

The characters feel real. We can understand what they feel. This makes us care about them, even when they do strange things. The book is full of surprises. It makes you think about the past and present. You won’t just finish this book—you’ll be thinking about it long after you’ve turned the last page.

The Family Upstairs Review

The Family Upstairs is a great thriller. Lisa Jewell knows how to write stories full of tension. She builds suspense like a master chef preparing a five-course meal—slow, but oh so worth it. This book builds up slowly, making you want to keep reading. It’s hard to stop once you start. Here are a few things I like in this book.

Character Development

The characters in this book are really interesting. Libby Jones, the main character, feels like someone we all know. She is shocked when she learns about the house she’s inherited. She doesn’t understand her family’s past. As she learns, she gets stronger and more determined to find the truth. Libby’s like that friend who keeps digging into things, even when they should just let it go.

When I was reading her story, I couldn’t help but feel for her. Imagine finding out your family’s been hiding something that big! I was right there with her, wanting to know more, just like she did.

Henry is another important character. His past is sad, and he feels guilty. He wants to understand what happened in the house. He is a person who has been hurt by his past. If Henry were a movie character, he’d be the brooding guy in the corner with a tragic backstory.

Lucy is another key person in the story. At first, we don’t know much about her. But as the story moves on, we learn more about her. Her role in the story gets bigger. Lucy’s a bit like that quiet person at a party—until you find out she’s the one pulling all the strings.

Pacing and Suspense

The pace of the book is great. The chapters are short, which makes the story move fast. Each chapter gives us a little more of the mystery. The story keeps changing between Libby, Henry, and Lucy. This makes it exciting. It’s like switching between multiple cliffhangers—except you get to know all the secrets eventually.

The story doesn’t tell us everything right away. It makes us wait and wonder what will happen next. Just when you think you know the answer, something new happens. Every time you think you’ve figured it out, the book pulls the rug out from under you. The ending is big and surprising.

Compare The Family Upstairs to Other Thrillers

The Family Upstairs is a special book. It’s like other thrillers, such as The Girl On The Train and Behind Closed Doors. Like those books, it talks about family problems. It shows that people can hide their darkest secrets. But this book stands out because it goes deeper into the characters. It also talks a lot about identity and the past.

Many thrillers are fast-paced. But this book moves slowly and makes you think. It’s like a slow burn, but when it finally heats up, it’s explosive. If you like books with deep characters and slow, exciting stories, this is a good pick.

The Family Upstairs Final Thoughts

In the end, The Family Upstairs is a thrilling and emotional book. It has mystery, secrets, and surprising twists. Lisa Jewell writes a story about family, identity, and pain. The characters are real and relatable, and the story keeps you hooked.

If you like psychological thrillers, you should read this book. It’s a great choice if you want a story with deep characters and big surprises. And if you like thinking about books long after you finish them, this one will stick with you for a while. Once you finish it, you’ll think about it for a long time.

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