In ‘The Family Upstairs’ Lisa Jewell has written a deliciously dark and horrifying psychological thriller full of twists and unreliable narrators. I spent large parts of the novel not knowing fully who the characters were and what exactly was happening or where we were going. And it was great.

When Libby turns 25 she inherits a multi-million pound house in London’s affluent Chelsea. She is also told the story of how, as a baby, she was found in the house with the dead bodies of her parents and an unknown man, seemingly cult members, who appeared to have taken their own lives in a suicide pact. Libby discovers that she had siblings, a brother and sister, but no trace of them has been found since.

Meanwhile, in Nice, a down on her luck mother of two, struggling to survive, receives a message that ‘the baby is 25’ and begins to make plans to travel back to London. A first person narrative reveals the story of what happened in the house in the 1980s. There were in fact four children and six adults living in the house in what can only be described as a very non-traditional unit.

Lisa Jewell skilfully and thrillingly weaves these narratives together and we gradually discover what happened in the Chelsea house a quarter of a century ago and the fates of the people who were living in the house. It is a breathless ride, the pages fly by and the shocks keep coming. At no time did I feel that I was being cheated - the reveals arise naturally from the narrative, both in Libby’s investigation into her family history, and in the ‘as it happened’ first person narrative. Highly recommended.

The Family Upstairs is a compulsive read and a stunningly gripping, darkly gothic style tale, encompassing different timelines and written from several different perspectives. Tension and threat loom as large as the gloomy mansion house itself, where most of the action and drama take place. 

On turning 25, Libby discovers, much to her surprise, that she has inherited 16 Cheyne Walk, a veritable pile of a place in Chelsea. And a building where the Lamb family’s normal life became severely disrupted by the controlling actions of strangers they invited into their home, and who succeeded in having a cultish hold over them.

Libby finds out that her real name is Serenity. She is the left behind 10 month old child of the Lamb parents who appear to have committed suicide and left a note to alert those who found them to her presence. The house is meant to be shared equally between Libby and her missing teenage siblings. They were nowhere to be found when she was discovered, left alone, seemingly cared for but abandoned in her cot.

Her first visit to her new home causes Libby to sense that something dreadful took place within its four walls. It's atmosphere is sinister, dark and disturbing. She spots signs that someone might have broken in and wonders who it might have been. The parallel accounts of her siblings, Henry and Lucy, help bring clarity, tie up the loose ends and add a satisfactory conclusion to the narrative. 

This is one of Lisa Jewell’s finest works. It’s a pacey thriller, thrumming with menace and an intriguing storyline. The heavy topics of physical and sexual abuse are delivered with the lightest of touches. It kept me gripped right from the start, and it did not disappoint when the denouement came. This book is a clever combination of pathos, human warmth and the overcoming power of love, mingled with psychological terror and shock.

Whenever I read a Lisa Jewell book I think about how I’ve ‘grown up’ with her – she was writing about the carefree 20s lifestyle of dating, partying and flatsharing when I was doing the same thing, and then we both graduated to the world of work and families. A few books ago she took a change of tack and entered the busy (some might say over-saturated) psychological thriller market and I wasn’t sure at first as her books didn’t really stand out for me, but with this latest one she is really back at the top of her game.

The Family Upstairs is a taut and compelling tale. It features 25 year old Libby Jones who lives a safe and orderly life, working in high-end kitchen sales and putting a tentative toe into the dating market. Libby always knew she was adopted, but her flighty adoptive mother (currently living in Spain with her toyboy) gave her scant details about her background so it comes as a huge shock when Libby finds out on her 25th birthday that she has inherited a house in Chelsea worth millions of pounds,

The house is a wreck, having lain empty since three people, members of a mysterious cult, died there 25 years ago. Two of them were Libby’s birth parents and baby Libby was the only person in the house when the authorities entered, four teenage children belonging to the dead adults having disappeared, never to be heard of since.

As the mystery of her roots unfolds, Libby enlists the help of a journalist who is fascinated by the events that took place at Cheyne Walk, and is equally keen to find out what really happened there, as well as the whereabouts of the missing residents. Although the story is told from several points of view (including those of bohemian runaway mother Lucy and a very strange but utterly fascinating young man named Henry) and over a number of timelines, it’s cleverly written and never becomes confusing or loses its way. I loved it.

Just like the other books by Lisa Jewell that I’ve read The Family Upstairs is totally absorbing and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s full of suspense and drama and is very dark indeed.

It’s a complex novel told alternately from three of the characters’ perspectives, Henry, Lucy and Libby, spanning over 25 years, telling the story of two families, who together combined make one completely dysfunctional family, living in 16 Cheyne Walk, London. The house is dark, mysterious and steeped in a malevolent atmosphere, with panelled walls, locked rooms, a secret staircase and a full-size cannon in the front garden. And within its walls the family lived in fear, locked away from the outside world, dominated by a megalomaniac.

At first little is clear, the reader is left to work out the characters’ relationships and wonder about why the baby is found, healthy and well cared for in a cot upstairs, whilst the rest of the house is empty apart from three dead and decomposing bodies lying on the floor below. Next to the bodies a note indicates they committed suicide and asking that the baby, Serenity, who was ten months old would go to ‘nice people’. There were signs that other people had occupied the house, wardrobe doors were flung open, food was found in the fridge, books left lying open on the floor and crockery left in the cupboards. But who they were and why they left was a mystery.

And so the whole story gradually unfolds with many twists and turns as layers of secrets and lies are revealed. It’s complicated but very readable, and completely compelling. And it ends on a seemingly innocent question that I found distinctly chilling.

Many thanks to Random House UK Cornerstone for an e-book review copy via NetGalley

I found this quite heavy going at first. Multiple characters, timelines and settings seemed to take a lot of sorting out .  Once it settled down, or I got up to speed!, I became involved in the dark twisty tale.
Stick with it. It's worth it.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

If only I could have had peace to read this in peace as it was so good. It certainly held my attention and I was constantly wondering where everyone is in the present of the storyline. I just had to find out. There was a shock that I wasn't expecting as I thought the story was sure footed so don't give up. I would like to have seen what the adoption parent would have said about Libby finding her family but some things are best left to the imagination so fair dos.

I was sucked into this compelling, twisty well written thriller from the first page. The multiple viewpoints were well realised and it was an effective device for retaining interest and keeping the reader a little disorientated. I was up reading late in the night just to find out what on earth had really happened. Gripping stuff, it's the perfect holiday read!

I have read many titles by this author, but this was not my favourite. I enjoyed it, but I found it confusing, skipping from one character to another, and without a clear divide. I think that says more about me and my advancing years than it does about the author. It was a fascinating story.

The Family Upstairs was a seriously sinister and creepy read. The undertones of the book had me shivering with discomfort, but it was one knockout of a read. 

I loved the flashbacks in the book, and I thoroughly enjoyed how the narrative was set out. It was interesting to read it in both first and third-person perspective, which made me feel as if I knew the story, but like Libby, didn't at the same time. This completely drew me in. 

This book was dark and creepy. A lot of what was happening in the novel made me feel uneasy, but I was drawn in, and once I started I could not stop. Following the lives of the Lamb family and their succumbing to darkness, it was hard not want to read to the very end. 

The ending personally, was rather predictable, but it did have some sinister overtones to it. I wasn't disappointed by the ending per se, but to me, I'd kind of figured it out. 


I would definitely recommend this book to fellow crime reading enthusiasts; It is dark, creepy beyond belief, but the mystery of what happened yo to the Lamb family will keep you reading to the very end.

I absolutely loved this book- really could not put it down! So many colourful characters, the story told so beautifully and so many twists that just came coming. Definitely one I will be recommending to everyone.

Full of surprises
8 August 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
Very muddled start _ several scenarios one after the other in different places and different years. This is the third book that I've read recently, by different authors, using this method but this is more people and more time zones than most _ very confusing! As the mystery unfolds the reader is drawn into the story and the book becomes a real 'page turner'. Lots of twists and surprises come swift as the pace quickens. The last chapter is brilliant and rounds off an excellent book

This was slow to start and became quite tedious at times.
Not a good introduction to this new-to-me author.

When Henry and Lucy's mother and father decide to let strangers move into their family home, life as they know it takes a dramatic turn for the worse. For years they have to endure abuse from a man and woman who believe they are superior to every other member of the household.
Will they ever be out of the clutches of evil?
I thoroughly enjoyed The Family Upstairs. With each turn of the page you  want, more and more, a happy ending for the poor children that were subjected to the horrors of what can only be described as a cult.

Lisa Jewell is a new author to me.  I was gripped from the beginning.  I loved the twists and turns as the story unfolded.  It was a book I didn't want to put down.  A brilliant read and a story I won't forget in a while.

I'm afraid I just couldn't get into this book and put it down.  I couldn't get to grips with any of the characters.  I'm surprised because I love Lisa Jewell's books.  Whilst I've given this feedback here, I won't review this book on any other social media platforms until I've actually read it all the way through.  I've only left a star rating here because I've had to.

Dark, twisted ... and enthralling! This one grabbed me from the very first and only loosened it's grip on the very final page.

Following several different threads, this starts off as a really puzzling read; it took me some time to get into the rhythm of it and to begin to separate out the characters in my head, but the time just flew by! With so much happening, it grabbed my attention throughout and whilst the ending made perfect sense I didn't work it out until it was in front of me in black and white.

This is an amazing read, from an author who knows exactly what she's doing. Cleverly structured, creatively plotted and beautifully written with wonderful characters I revelled in this novel, and enjoyed everything about it. An absolutely mesmerising read and one I cannot recommend highly enough. I'm rather in awe of authors like Lisa Jewell who not only manage to come up with a bestseller but succeed in doing so time and time again. Such talent and skill! This is totally different to anything else I've read and as such, is worth a full five stars.

My thanks to publisher Cornerstone Digital for approving my copy via NetGalley. This is, as always, my honest and original review.

Firstly, I appreciate the opportunity to being given this book.

I think I had difficulties reading this text, for the reason that the switches between characters were different in styles that it was hard to figure out straight away what character was speaking and at what point.

The concept was incredible, but I struggled with keeping with the narrative

Lisa Jewell is one of my favourite authors so I was thrilled to get my hands on an early copy of The Family Upstairs. I was utterly gripped right from the start - I read the second half in a day! It has everything I love in a book - an old family mystery, a big spooky house, and a thoroughly creepy atmosphere.

Libby Jones works hard selling designer kitchens to the rich and famous but still only scrapes a living. She has a long-term plan: a few more years in her job and, if she's not been promoted, she's off. Then she receives a letter. She's inherited a house in the famous Cheyne Walk in Chelsea, worth millions. The drawback? Once the home of a weird cult, it was supposedly the scene of a bizarre suicide pact twenty-five years ago -  the only survivor was baby Libby. But what really happened that night?

The story is told from three points of view. Libby, Henry (a young boy who lived in the house), and a middle-aged woman now living a hand-to-mouth existence in the South of France. How are these very different people connected?

It would be far more fun for you to read this story without knowing too much about it! So I'll just say I loved the old house, with it's 'hidden' (servants') staircase and sinister locked rooms. Henry was my favourite character, along with Miller - the slobby investigative journalist who helps Libby uncover the secrets in her past. There's a nod to a famous 90s movie about a real-life murderer, the story is jam-packed with twist after twist, the characters are thoroughly engaging, and the final line is an absolute classic. Brilliant stuff!

The Family Upstairs is my favourite read this year and I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone who loves a clever, twisty mystery with a dollop of chilling gothic suspense.  


Thank you to Lisa Jewell and Cornerstone (Random House) for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Let’s start with the easy bits. The Family Upstairs is another stand-out domestic thriller from Lisa Jewell. It’s a tale that is compelling and twisty. It holds the attention of the reader long after they have come to the end. It’s about power, and survival, and recovering, and not recovering. It describes battles of wills. And it features Jewell pushing the boundaries of the genre, playing with form and function and purposefully blending frothy language with altogether darker themes. 
We experience the story through three voices and across two effective timelines: a first person narrator, an everywoman outsider and a woman whose identity is unclear until the last few pages. The tale is the mystery of a house in Chelsea in which three dead bodies and a very much alive baby are found. In the preceding years, a dull upper class family of four had become a dysfunctional community of eleven: a commune gone wrong evocative (oddly) of Animal Farm in its deception and multiple betrayals. How could this happen and what has occurred since?
Technically, this novel is outstanding. Jewell manipulates us readers by allowing us to trust (or not) the three narrators. And the three threads of the narrative weave together and apart, allowing us to contrast and compare, and to consider their reliability and honesty. The shifting sands reflect the key moments of the novel, in which power moves between individuals in a household, both through decisive episodes but also the steady rhythms of oppression over time.
It’s hard to say much more without straying the wrong side of the spoiler line, but I found the second half of the book  almost unremittingly bleak. By this time conditions inside the Chelsea house have deteriorated well beyond normal acceptable behaviour. You are compelled to continue to read, but it’s desperately sad stuff. We assume that at least one person who was a child during the commune has gone on to be equally mistreated in the outside world.
What keeps us going is the characters: with the exception of Everywoman, we revel in the ambiguities we’re given. We’re forced to pick sides, especially when fire meets fire. There’s only one truly cardboard character - the shallow abuser Michael - and in his case we feel that Jewell has had rather too much fun creating him. That said, I think it would have been interesting to explore the character of the antagonist, David, in more detail, How had he become what he became?
An unpredictable psychological and domestic thriller, incredibly thoughtful and carefully crafted, though the grimness of some of the events described mean I can’t recommend it for everyone.

Libby has just turned 25 and been left a house. She soon learns it has a very dark past and she is the lost baby. Lucy is homeless and desperate to go home but how. She finds herself having to turn to her ex for help but at what cost. Henry tells the story of the house and its tragic past. Soon all three lives will intertwine and the truth will be known.

This was a story filled with twists. It jumps from the future with Lucy and Libby to the past with Henry. It was a fascinating story and I only figured out a couple of the twists. The plot was interesting and the ending was so good. I'm quite a fan of Lisa Jewell so I knew this would be good and it delivered.