This story is told by Billy Hasler, his best friend Spivey inherits an island home from his grandmother Geraldine. Billy retells of the summer their group of friends spend out at the mysterious island home, which they believe to be haunted. Upon arrival they discover a list of rules:

1. The entity must never be sold. All items found on or within the entity are considered property of the entity. Can only be borrowed, loaned and returned.
2. Tokens of less than 16 years of age will be considered property.
3. Don't answer the phone
4. Watch the pilot light
5. anyone here at sunset must stay until sunrise
6. Never lock doors
7. Emerson must be fed...

Things get very strange, locals go missing, past secrets are revealed. The house takes on an entity of its own and get really dark and gory.

" that island, the house, that place, it will give you whatever you want, money, fame, love, friendship, health-but it also takes. It's not shy about carving out its pound of flesh in return. It's like there's a scale and if Emerson give you something, something of equal value must be given to him in return". Pam

Entertaining, mysterious, dark and very eerie. Keeps you wanting to find out more the whole way through. It does get repetitive just after 80% in, I found it really stretched on. Could have been shorter IMO. The ending was not my fav. characters were ok, loved the occult history sprinkled throughout. Loved the Brigadoon references, I adored that classic. Overall 3.5/4 stars. great book!

Thank you Simon & Shuster and Net Galley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Well that was not what I was expecting. I’ll admit I have debated over my rating. I seriously debated this book being a DNF solidly up until I reached 67% . At that point, I was like might as well keep going.
I will say that the last bit was much better and probably the only thing that saved this book from a not so great rating.
The characters in this book are wholly unloveable. Whaley might be the only exception to that along with Benny. And I’m not sure I can explain how messed up the ending is without spoilers.
If you asked me if I would re-read this book I would not. But am I mad I read it? Also no. So I’ll say a solid 3.5/5 stars for that last 33% of the book.
I received an ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

Something I Keep Upstairs
by J.D. Barker
Pub Date: May 13 2025

Something I Keep Upstairs is a story about a haunted house on an isolated island just offshore. A chiller, set in a sleepy New England town, which follows a group of teenage friends that begin to party, things change from fun in the sun to shadows, darkness, and danger. Something had been lurking and waiting and now it has been awakened. A very, very dark tale. A great ghost story I highly recommend if you like ghost stories!

Many thanks to #SomethingIKeepUpstairs #NetGalley #HamptonCreekPress and #SimonAndSchuster for providing me an E-ARC of this scary ghost story!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. Wow, this was quite the ride, let me tell you! Trying to unravel the secrets of the house, whose dead, whose alive...what is happening here?! As it is with every other JD Barker book, this one was amazing! Well written, good character development, the plot was great. There were some bits throughout where I felt it dragged a bit but it quickly picked back up. Definitely would recommend.

Something I Keep Upstairs by JD Barker was terrifyingly amazing!

I went in completely blind, I just saw JD Barker was the author and knew I'd love this book.

I know him from the 4MK Series and Behind Closed Doors, so I was expecting a thriller and not a 'chiller', as the book clearly states.

This story had so many layers and had me scratching my head and wanting to put my Kindle in the freezer(IYKYK). At one point, I took a two week break from the story because I was scared 😱

If you want to read a scary story that will make it hard to sleep at night(in the best way), I highly recommend you add this to your TBR!

This was my first book by this author and while I liked the book it didn’t have me in edge as I thought it would. The overall story was good, Spivey inherited a home when his grandmother passed away. Him and his friends spend the summer there before taking off to college. There is an eerie feel to the story. Would recommend.

This one’s hard to rate—I didn’t hate it, but I can’t say I really liked it either. There was a lot going on ... at times it felt like too many layers piled on at once. I often found myself confused or unsure where the story was heading. That said, the writing itself was beautiful. Barker’s descriptions were so vivid—I could easily picture the scenes, especially the eerie atmosphere of the island and the house. I just wish the plot had been a little more focused or grounded. It felt like the book was trying to be too many things at once.

Interesting concept and strong writing, but overall it left me feeling a little lost.

This was an absolutely amazing story. a group of friends, a haunted house/island, ghosts, rules and how not to break them...because if you do...Emerson must always be fed! Amazing!

This was something totally different from J D Barker. As the book progressed from teens doing what teens do to a seemingly impossible delve into the supernatural and witchcraft I wasn’t even sure if it was something I wanted to continue. I honestly felt it was becoming more and more bizarre, which it definitely was and had trouble taking it seriously. However, J D Barker is one of my favourite authors and I wasn’t going to give up on this lengthy book. The story revolves around Spivey inheriting Wood Island, situated just off the New Hampshire coast. He invites his friend Billy who narrates much of the book and they excitedly visit the island, discovering a well kept home with all mod cons and luxuries. However, there are rules and once rules have been broken there is no going back. The story continues with many local characters and their families who all become entwined in this increasingly involved and unlikely story. I read on until the end and it was this explanation from the author that did make me check and think twice but no, you had me there for a minute, I just bow to J D Barker’s exceptional imagination. Probably. It is worth a read of course and if you like the supernatural genre, all the better, you will absolutely love it. Cynical people will hopefully enjoy this well crafted story.

If horror is your staple reading diet you will revel in the dark taste of this supernatural horror story. As a whole, a very, very cleverly plotted story.
There is a much in the initial part of this story that I felt was filler, and while in character wasn’t needed. So for me one star lost. However, the pace, reveals and horror soon ramp up, and I found myself hooked and page turning at speed. Thank you to Hampton Creek Press/Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

When billys friend spiveys grandmother dies she leaves a whole isolated island to him a great place for him and his friends to hang out there’s many rules to staying there.
Do not answer the phone.
Make sure the pilot light is always on.
Make sure to feed Emmerson.
If you are there when night falls you have to stay the night.
Nobody under 16 is allowed to set foot on the island or they belong to the island.
This book is a ghostly creepy story 500 hundred pages but wished it was longer.
Recommended.

J.D. Barker delivers another chilling tale with Something I Keep Upstairs. Set on a secluded island, the story unfolds slowly but builds into a tense, supernatural thriller that keeps you guessing. The friendship between the two main characters adds warmth and heart, making the dark twists hit even harder. While the pacing takes a bit to pick up, the payoff is worth it creepy, smart, and emotionally resonant. It’s a chilling mix of friendship, fear, and things that should’ve stayed buried. A perfect read for fans of psychological horror with a haunting edge.

Something I Keep Upstairs by J.D. Barker is a haunting, atmospheric read that kept me hooked from the start. I had the chance to experience both the ebook and the audio ARC, which added an extra layer of immersion—especially with the eerie narration. The story follows a group of teens spending the summer on a mysterious island, where they uncover a dark presence tied to an old mansion. The pacing is tense, and the blend of supernatural horror with emotional depth makes it more than just a typical scare-fest. Some parts are intense and twisty, but if you enjoy creepy stories that stay with you, this one’s definitely worth picking up. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



Thank you #Netgalley Hampton Creek Press/Simon and Schuster, and the author for this eARC along with the audiobook in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on May 13, 2025

Listened to audiobook as I read along. Still kissing the usual J.D. Barker "ta-da" that I love. This was a good enough story, just not what I was expecting. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Thank you to NetGalley, JD Barker and Simon & Schuster for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was long and I feel like the mid point of this novel dragged a bit, but then you get into the action and wildness of this entire story. I was addicted from then on and I was thrilled with the twists. I love that the author labelled this as a “chiller” it was unique and overall very good.

While the setup was really interesting, this book was dragged down constantly by the characters. They are stock teenagers with their most annoying traits turned up to 11, and as an adult reader I found them really hard to care about or connect with. The narrator is constantly infodumping about things that he is unlikely to know or care about given his age and limited characterization - things like real estate law. Firstly, I don't care that his dad is a realtor - what teenager is listening to and retaining all of this niche information about real estate law?? Secondly, the prologue states that the text is supposed to be this character's account of the events as the only survivor. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't be randomly dropping in tidbits about real estate in the middle of recounting that kind of trauma. The author also seems to completely forget this initial setup in the writing of the book, because we get information from other characters' points of view that the ostensible writer of the piece would have no way of knowing.

I wanted to like this, but it just wore me out while reading it.

J.D. Barker is brilliant. Something I Keep Upstairs was a true page-turner—I didn’t want to put it down. Just when you think you have a grasp on what’s happening, Barker hits you with a twist. The story is layered with themes, yet his writing style ensures everything flows seamlessly. Each character is well-developed, and the vivid descriptions make it easy to picture every eerie scene.

The novel beautifully explores how far people are willing to go for true love and friendship, even the sacrifices they’re prepared to make. It also delves into the haunting power of perception—the blur between truth and what your mind wants to believe is deeply compelling.

As always, J.D. Barker does not disappoint.

If you enjoy creepy, chilling and suspenseful stories that mess with your mind, I highly recommend this one.

Thank you, NetGalley, the author and the publisher. for the advance copy for an honest review.

Wow! What a fantastic thriller!!! I've read 1 other book by this author, and it floored me as well. The writing for this book is akin to early Stephen King! It has the perfect balance of mystery and suspense mixed with a dash of "can't stop watching the trainwreck" feelings.

I love the foreshadowing in the book. The characters are interesting and varied, all very 3-dimensional. I felt like I never knew exactly where this was going. I would start to form a picture and then the next chapter would make it more complicated.

I can't get over this book honestly. It's SO well structured, the pacing is great, the plot is plotting, and the evil just twists up inside of itself for this story!

Thank you Hampton Creek Press / Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read this book before release! And thank you JD Barker for writing such a phenomenal story!

Wowowowow.
This was such a slowwww burn with an incredible payoff. This atmospheric read had me questioning everyone and everything the entire way through and I was loving it. I truly had no idea where this was going, and that made me SO HAPPY. I love when a mystery truly befuddles me. I listened to this in two days and honestly had such a hard time taking any breaks. If you can listen to this, I highly recommend it. The narration is fantastic.

2.5⭐️ rounded up because I was feeling generous.
I tried, I tried, I tried. I've enjoyed all this authors previous books so I really did try to like this one, but I just didn't. There was too much going on, too much to keep track of, a whole host of unlikeable characters. I'm also not the biggest fan of ghost/haunted house stories, so I really couldn’t connect with this one at all.
Urgh, fingers crossed for his next book to be better.