Oh I liked this one! Very well written, has you curious from the start. I liked the main character and had empathy for her struggles, then read more about her neighbour and really felt for her too. They could have been such good friends, exactly what they needed. That “oh” moment when you realise what must have happened and need to find out how it all played out. Definitely recommend this one. Thank you #netgalley

A must read for fans of the woman in the window and girl on a train. The girl upstairs was hard to put down. A fast paced thriller with a great ending

A well-crafted psychological thriller about two girls whose only initial connection is that they live in the same building in London. Suzy, who has the bottom flat, can hear everything that goes on in Emily's above her. And then everything goes silent. It's a great premise that in the wrong hands could've gone south quickly, and haven't we all read those so-called psychological thrillers that are more like fill-in-the-blanks and have no thrill? Thankfully, Georgina Lees knows what she's doing and the character of each girl becomes more nuanced as the story evolves. I like the backstory for each and the character growth that Suzy has when she finally steps out of her own needs and decides to find out what's up with Emily.
#netgalley

Overall I enjoyed this book and found it to be an easy suspense to read. There were points when I'd find myself thinking 'well that would never hapoen' but I do that in a lot of books and interestingly it bothers me more in some than in others but in this book I didn't mind!

Thank you to #NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. #TheGirlUpstairs

Suzie and Emily are neighbours with Suzie owning the ground floor flat and Emily renting upstairs, they don't really know each other but Suzie hears everything that Emily does, she's not a very quiet person to have living above you, then Emily goes missing and Suzie uses everything she heard to try and find her neighbour, as she knows she hasn't just left...

The Girl Upstairs is a complex read, the story tells us of two women leading very different lives, each having their own issues but dealing with them in different ways, and we learn, as we read their stories, what lead them to this. It's an intriguing read and one that I was captivated by, but not blown away. I felt sorry for both main characters in different ways and hoped they would find happiness in the end. If you like a slow burner then this is for you.

I'd like to thank HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads.

Wasn't too sure at the start of the book, but it got to the point I had to know what happens.
Neighbours who don't know each other very well then one goes missing....
Enjoyed the storyline and the fact that Suzie didn't give up looking.
Thank you NetGalley

Very readable psychological thriller,

The situation makes it stand out with the living arrangements. We’ve all had nuisance neighbours so the base story is relatable. I would’ve liked a bit more detail but other than that I’d read more by this author.

When Emily moves into the flat upstairs, Suzie finds she is everything she doesn’t want in a neighbour. Emily is young and noisy and more importantly has the sort of life Suzie used to have - carefree and fun. But then Emily disappears and Suzie seems to be the only person taking it seriously.

This book slowly draws you in until you can’t put it down, wanting to know where Emily has disappeared to and why Suzie is so invested in a stranger’s life. As the story of each woman’s life unfolds you begin to understand where each ones unhappiness stems from and why they live their lives the way they do. A great book.

Suzie is a mystery when the story opens, it quickly becomes obvious that her life has been marked by a trauma which is slowly revealed during the course of the story. She is the narrator in the account of what happened to Emily, the girl from the upstairs flat who has disappeared. The ending was spoilt for me a little as an encounter between Emily and the perpetrator of her end gave the game away some time before the end but this was still a good thriller/mystery and well worth a read. The way in which Suzie changes and comes to terms with her own sad past gave the story a depth and different emotions. With thanks to #netgalley #harpercollins for the opportunity to read in exchange for a review.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and One More Chapter for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book kept me wondering "who done it" until the very end. I really liked it as a mystery but I felt like it could have had more intensity to it. Reason for my 4 star rating.

This book is about two women who live in an apartment building. Suzie who is a widow and has lived on the ground floor for the last 5 years and Emily who is the young single lady who lives on the top floor. Suzie and Emily have a few confrontations over the "noise" that comes from Emily's apartment that really bothers Suzie who wants to live in the quiet. Suzie notices that the apartment above her has gone quiet and goes up with a package to see why. Noticing that Emily's door is ajar she goes into the apartment where she finds it in disarray and no Emily. Upon Emily's family and police finding out she is missing, no one seems to care or look into the case as to where she is. This doesn't sit well with Suzie who takes it upon herself to search for her. Suzie is getting close to who took Emily and starts to get threats herself.

I felt that there weren't too many twists or turns to the book. I had a few suspects and was correct about one of them. I liked that it was a quick read and it kept me interested enough to want to find out what happened to Emily. There was a lot of lead up to the end which felt a little cut short.

Happy Release Day!!

The Girl Upstairs by Georgina Lees

How well do you know your neighbors? Would’ve you trust them with your life?

This novel was a very compelling story. It kept you in suspense. The end oft her book was fantastic. I enjoyed this book.

3.5 stars

The Girl Upstairs by Georgina Lees is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Harper Collins UK (One More Chapter), and in particular Sara Roberts for sending me a widget,  and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.



My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Suzie Arlington owns the first floor flat of a busy London neighbourhood.  She loves her peace and quiet.  She is trying, not too successfully, to get over a loss.

Unfortunately, her upstairs neighbour, Emily, is loud.  If it isn't her heels on the wood floor it is the loud phone calls, the loud music, the parties and the guests.  Then there is the garbage in the hallway, and the wine bottles in the bin.

Suzie has complained to the owner of the flat, and to the council, but....

When Suzie finds she hasn't heard Emily's constant noise for a few days, she realizes that the girl is missing, and is sure that she is the only one that can find out what happened.  After all, she probably knows Emily better than anyone.


My Opinions:   
First, for a debut novel, this was quite good.  It grabbed me from the first chapter, and although it moved slowly, it ended up being a fast read.

Early on we realize that we have a narrator who may be a bit unreliable and emotionally troubled, but we are cheering for her anyway.  

The book is about families and love, depression and grief.  It is also about obsession.  Overall, it was quite sad, as both Suzie and Emily are rather tragic characters.

Although I had doubted the actions of the perpetrator, I also doubted my opinion, so was rather surprised when I was right.  That was fun.

Anyway, I will be watching this author!

Emily is a new tenant above Suzie in a two-tenant flat. Suzie works in marketing and lives alone in London. She is immediately offended by Emily as she is quite noisy and messy. Suzie is a very unhappy person and her family worries about her. Her flat is dirty and filled with stacks of books on the floor.

When Suzie accepts a package for Emily and she goes to deliver it to her, she finds her door open and the girl gone. Suzie notifies the landlord and then an investigation soon involves the police. Suzie won't let the authorities handle the investigation but feels she must get involved too. This is bad in that she puts herself at risk, but good because it begins to get her back into the world concentrating on someone other than herself.

The story has the reader questioning Suzie’s mental stability without knowing fully what caused it. I think that should have been added into the plot much sooner than it was. That way, I may have had more empathy for her. The storyline is OK but lacks that mystery spark because it concentrates too heavily on her pain.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A thriller full of suspense. Suzie lives alone in a ground floor apartment in London. Suzie doesn't want to live in London but feels she has no other choice. Suzie does not like the noise from the new neighbor Emily, that lives upstairs. The books takes us through Suzie’s past and present to understand why she still lives in London when she is so unhappy being there. The book also takes us through Emily’s story which we learn what the two have in common and Suzie’s determination leads to the story about Emily being told. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

The girl upstairs by Georgina Lees.
How well do you know your neighbour?Would you trust them with your life?

I heard Emily before I saw her. The harsh smack of heels against cheap wooden floorboards. The loud phone calls. The incessant music.

I knew Emily before I met her. Discarded receipts in our communal hallway. Sticky leftovers in the shared food waste bin. Wine shop vouchers in the letterbox.

Now she’s gone missing, and I’m the only one who can find her. The only one who can save her.

Because I know her best, and I heard everything.

A brilliant read. Read in one sitting. Devoured this book. Very cleverly written. 5*.

The Girl Upstairs by Georgina Lees
Pub Date 9th Dec 2021
How well do you know your neighbour? Would you trust them with your life?
I heard Emily before I saw her. The harsh smack of heels against cheap wooden floorboards. The loud phone calls. The incessant music.
I knew Emily before I met her. Discarded receipts in our communal hallway. Sticky leftovers in the shared food waste bin. Wine shop vouchers in the letterbox.
Now she’s gone missing, and I’m the only one who can find her. The only one who can save her.
Because I know her best, and I heard everything.
The description of this book sounded really good, and I was looking forward to reading it, but I am sad to say that for me the book did not live up to its billing. It was a slow burner, and I lost interest pretty quickly. However, I did complete the book.
I want to thank NetGalley, Harper Collins Uk, One More Chapter and author Georgina Lees for a pre-publication copy to review.

There were elements of the book that I enjoyed but lots that left me confused.
I felt the author described the difficulties that can develop between neighbours well, but why Susie would become so entangled in finding Emily hard to understand. The reason for Susie's withdrawal from normal life helped to explain some of her behaviours but not all.

The relationship between Susie and the investigating officers was hard to rationalise and I would very much doubt the police would be excepting of her involvement. The conclusion to this story seemed very unexpected as nothing in the main body led me to think this might be the outcome and as such felt contrived

Suzie can hear everything that goes on in the flat upstairs so when it goes quiet she knows something is up. Maybe she’s just paranoid after losing her husband.
Emily wasn’t the best neighbour, loud and inconsiderate who makes Suzie’s life difficult.
She reports the anti social behaviour to the landlord but maybe that was a mistake when the police get involved.
The ending felt unfinished and rushed but overall a good read.

Suzie and Emily. Neighbours. But one knows everything about!?
When Emily is gone Suzie is the one that is investigating.
I would never understand this point of view but anyway. It has some secrets but not many turns or twists that would shock you. For those who do not need a gripping story this might be better.

Thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter for this opoerunity.

I have mixed emotions about this book. Where is was, for me anyway, mostly a quick easy read, it failed to really pack the punch I was looking for. I also really didn't much care so when we eventually got to the crux of the matter, I was pretty much left a bit meh...
So we have Suzie who lives in a downstairs flat in a house. Emily is her, rather noisy, upstairs neighbour. The latest in a succession of neighbours she has had since the owner moved out and started renting it. She is so noisy that Suzie can pretty much follow ALL her movements when she is in. It all gets a bit too much, she reports to both the landlord and the council, until the noises she hears worries her and then they stop altogether. On investigation it appears that the flat is in chaos, the door left open and Emily is nowhere to be found.
Suzie reports this to the landlord and he in turn to the police and Emily's parents, but as Emily has a bit of a track record of going awol, no one is really that interested or concerned. No one apart from Suzie...
And so begins her endeavours to figure out what is going on. Parts of which fell far too easily for her I thought, with too much just falling nicely int place as she stepped along. It just didn't really feel as real as it could have. More forced rather than flowing. Which was a shame as when we eventually got to the denouement, when it started to all fall into place, it did sort of impress me but, at the same time, frustrate me as it could have been so much better.
All in all, not the worst, but also not the best. Parts could have been slower and other maybe cut and sped up. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.