The Family Upstairs
- Downloads：4459
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-11 09:53:33
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Lisa Jewell
- ISBN：1787461491
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
In a large house in London’s fashionable Chelsea， a baby is awake in her cot。 Well-fed and cared for， she is happily waiting for someone to pick her up。
In the kitchen lie three decomposing corpses。 Close to them is a hastily scrawled note。
They’ve been dead for several days。
Who has been looking after the baby？
And where did they go？
Two entangled families。
A house with the darkest of secrets。
A compulsive new thriller from Lisa Jewell。
In the kitchen lie three decomposing corpses。 Close to them is a hastily scrawled note。
They’ve been dead for several days。
Who has been looking after the baby？
And where did they go？
Two entangled families。
A house with the darkest of secrets。
A compulsive new thriller from Lisa Jewell。
Reviews
Sue
，
Creepy， scary and yet you can see it happening。 When you see headlines about children being kept captive by their own parents， and you ask yourself "how could this happen？ who would do this to their own children？"This story is told from the pov of multiple narrators， traveling back and forth in time - and some of the narrators aren't always honest。 As the characters are introduced it was a little confusing， but eventually a dark and chilling picture emerges。 Multiple families living in a sort of Creepy， scary and yet you can see it happening。 When you see headlines about children being kept captive by their own parents， and you ask yourself "how could this happen？ who would do this to their own children？"This story is told from the pov of multiple narrators， traveling back and forth in time - and some of the narrators aren't always honest。 As the characters are introduced it was a little confusing， but eventually a dark and chilling picture emerges。 Multiple families living in a sort of cult/commune - and the children who bear the brunt of the adult's decisions。 。。。more
Cherie
，
At the start I was not a fan of this book at all I found the story confusing and all over the place。However， as the story continued especially towards the end it all made sense: The different view points， the individual stories of 3 different characters， the characters connection between one another etc。。。I enjoyed the ending of the book and felt that it was left on a good note whereby there was happy ending but also allows the reader to imagine further on the book through the slight cliffhanger At the start I was not a fan of this book at all I found the story confusing and all over the place。However， as the story continued especially towards the end it all made sense: The different view points， the individual stories of 3 different characters， the characters connection between one another etc。。。I enjoyed the ending of the book and felt that it was left on a good note whereby there was happy ending but also allows the reader to imagine further on the book through the slight cliffhanger ending。It portrayed some good themes throughout the book and had some strong characters my favourite being Lucy: a strong independent woman who will fight to achieve something regardless of what she is faced with。 I would recommend for a quick read but unfortunately wouldn’t read again personally due to the very slow and some what uneventful start to the book。 I feel as if I’ve read books which have enticed me more from the beginning whereby I wanted to read more and more， which this book did not do for me until towards the end （the second and third part） 。。。more
Haley Counts
，
I LOVE Lisa Jewell。 Her writing style is honestly so amazing。 The first third of this book was hard because there were SO many characters， but once I got them all straight and really got into it， I couldn’t put it down！ And then there were just twists and turns with a slightly sinister ending， which I didn’t mind at all！
Jessica - readwithme。jess
，
3。5 rounded up
Katie Fenton
，
4。5 stars
Diane
，
I'd give this a solid 3。5 stars if I could。 Since goods reads doesn't have that option 。 。 。 3 stars。 I'd give this a solid 3。5 stars if I could。 Since goods reads doesn't have that option 。 。 。 3 stars。 。。。more
Eyeronee
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Creepy， with a hint of Flowers in the Attic。
Nikki Morin
，
This was so bad。
Krystle Meyer
，
I find Lisa Jewell's books to be easy to read， unique， and good enough， and this book was no exception。 Nothing blew me away about it， but it was completely fine and not a waste of my time。This is a story told from a few perspectives。 First we have Libby who just turned 25 and， per the will of her parents who died when she was an infant， has come into a sizable inheritance - a large （rundown） house that is worth millions of pounds （we're in the UK a lot per Lisa Jewell's usual setting）。 Next up I find Lisa Jewell's books to be easy to read， unique， and good enough， and this book was no exception。 Nothing blew me away about it， but it was completely fine and not a waste of my time。This is a story told from a few perspectives。 First we have Libby who just turned 25 and， per the will of her parents who died when she was an infant， has come into a sizable inheritance - a large （rundown） house that is worth millions of pounds （we're in the UK a lot per Lisa Jewell's usual setting）。 Next up is Lucy who is living kind of a homeless/bohemian existence with her two young children and dog in the south of France。 At the time we meet Lucy she is sleeping on the street and trying to make ends meet by playing the fiddle for change。 And finally we have a flashback to a family that lived in a giant mansion and what happens when other people slowly intervene in this family's life。 It doesn't take a rocket scientist or a lot of time to figure out that the two giant mansions are one in the same， but of course the rest of the book focuses on how everything else is related。This is just fine。 Unique。 Ending is a bit rushed and strange， but other than that perfectly fine。 More mystery than thriller。 。。。more
Elen
，
enjoyable read
Candy Becker
，
The story was a bit confusing and had so many characters to keep track of。 It was an ok read。
Bridget
，
Could not put it down！
Danielle Otto
，
A mix of the movie Parasite， the book Flowers in the Attic， and the Jonestown murders。 This book kept me guessing until the very end。 Beware it is very disturbing and shows forms of manipulation and abuse throughout the novel。 The story is told through three different viewpoints and throughout the story you are attempting to find the connection between everyone。 I thought this book had a happy ending but the last paragraph left me with an uneasy feeling that I felt throughout the entire book。 Yo A mix of the movie Parasite， the book Flowers in the Attic， and the Jonestown murders。 This book kept me guessing until the very end。 Beware it is very disturbing and shows forms of manipulation and abuse throughout the novel。 The story is told through three different viewpoints and throughout the story you are attempting to find the connection between everyone。 I thought this book had a happy ending but the last paragraph left me with an uneasy feeling that I felt throughout the entire book。 You really don't find out the whole truth until the very last sentence。 I don't want to spoil it so you are just going to have to read it and find out。 。。。more
Dora
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Best suspense novel ever， amazing
Jenn
，
3。5
Alison
，
What an excellent book！ Lisa Jewell's characters were as engaging as ever and the plot was intriguing enough to keep me guessing until the end。 The only stumbling block for me was the relationship between Libby and Miller。 There must have been at least a 20 year age gap between them， which is fine， it just seems a bit strange that it was never mentioned especially as lots was made of other differences between them。 Perhaps I missed something 。。。。。 What an excellent book！ Lisa Jewell's characters were as engaging as ever and the plot was intriguing enough to keep me guessing until the end。 The only stumbling block for me was the relationship between Libby and Miller。 There must have been at least a 20 year age gap between them， which is fine， it just seems a bit strange that it was never mentioned especially as lots was made of other differences between them。 Perhaps I missed something 。。。。。 。。。more
Sophie HT
，
Bit if a disappointing ending but a fantastic read up until then。✓My rating system;1* = DNF， the book was so awful I couldn't finish it。 Life is too short。2* = Finished it， but dear God I wish I hadn't！！3* = Enjoyed it at the time， good page turner。 Can't remember much。4* = Thoroughly enjoyed。 Retained lots of detail。 Possible re-read。5* = BRILLIANT！ FANTASTIC！ MUST READ AGAIN！！ Bit if a disappointing ending but a fantastic read up until then。✓My rating system;1* = DNF， the book was so awful I couldn't finish it。 Life is too short。2* = Finished it， but dear God I wish I hadn't！！3* = Enjoyed it at the time， good page turner。 Can't remember much。4* = Thoroughly enjoyed。 Retained lots of detail。 Possible re-read。5* = BRILLIANT！ FANTASTIC！ MUST READ AGAIN！！ 。。。more
Aymane Ahdout
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One of my fav books ！！！ I honestly loved it ❤️❤️
Scott
，
I’m sure I’m not alone in trying to guess the plot when you start reading a book。 You know their will be twists and turns which will shock you， but it follows a format。This is my first Lisa Jewell read and with the last 25 percent of the book went in a completely opposite direction。 A direction that if I knew of before reading， I may have chosen a different book。 However， a direction that I’m glad it went in。 The last time I felt like this was after I first read a TM Logan Novel （The Holiday）。 I I’m sure I’m not alone in trying to guess the plot when you start reading a book。 You know their will be twists and turns which will shock you， but it follows a format。This is my first Lisa Jewell read and with the last 25 percent of the book went in a completely opposite direction。 A direction that if I knew of before reading， I may have chosen a different book。 However， a direction that I’m glad it went in。 The last time I felt like this was after I first read a TM Logan Novel （The Holiday）。 I subsequently read all of his pretty quickly afterwards and my hardest choice now is deciding with of Jewell’s books to order next。 。。。more
Shilps S
，
There are few mystery/ suspense novels I have read in past couple of years which have grabbed my attention from the word ‘Go’ and this is certainly one of them。 The plot summary given on the jacket cover is quite intriguing to say the least and it acts like an instant pick-me-up magnetic pull。 The story is based out of London although the characters are spread across the world from France to Botswana but the major chunk of the story takes place in London in the late 1980s and early 1990s。。。。http There are few mystery/ suspense novels I have read in past couple of years which have grabbed my attention from the word ‘Go’ and this is certainly one of them。 The plot summary given on the jacket cover is quite intriguing to say the least and it acts like an instant pick-me-up magnetic pull。 The story is based out of London although the characters are spread across the world from France to Botswana but the major chunk of the story takes place in London in the late 1980s and early 1990s。。。。https://charantiandchai。com/the-famil。。。 。。。more
Lieselot Mauroo
，
I loved it！ It was very well written and each perspective and each character unique in their own rights。I found the ending a little alarming， tbh， but perhaps it could make for an interesting sequel someday？All in all， great book！！！
Caysie Hankins
，
sooo creepy， I need answers。 I needed like a chapter or two more at least。
Elliese Shaughnessy
，
This book kept going and going and never stopped。 Kept me on edge the whole time。 I do not like multiple perspectives that flip between different time periods and I found it a little confusing in the beginning but eventually got used to it。 The storyline is hauntingly creepy。 I recommend for anyone that enjoys Gillian Flynn。
Meg
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It was a bit confusing at times with all of the different characters， places， and time。 I often lost track of who was who and what was happening with them。 One of the characters had a particular plot I just wasn't interested in， but the rest of the story was very spooky。 It left me feeling scared to go to sleep and reminded me of the types of nightmares I would sometimes have as a child。 Sometimes I wish there was more explanation into the adults perspectives and the reason things happened， but It was a bit confusing at times with all of the different characters， places， and time。 I often lost track of who was who and what was happening with them。 One of the characters had a particular plot I just wasn't interested in， but the rest of the story was very spooky。 It left me feeling scared to go to sleep and reminded me of the types of nightmares I would sometimes have as a child。 Sometimes I wish there was more explanation into the adults perspectives and the reason things happened， but it makes sense since the story is being told by the children。 It's always interesting how Lisa Jewell manages to effortlessly tie together so many different perspectives in one cohesive story！ 。。。more
Rachel
，
*4。5 stars*This book was FANTASTIC！ I was hesitant to pick up this book originally because I was not the biggest fan of Then She Was Gone。 However， I had been reading some pretty good reviews for this book， so I had to give it a shot， and I am so glad that I did！ This book was not necessarily the most heart-pounding， action-packed mystery/thriller， but I personally felt that it didn't need any of that。 The book had me on the edge of my seat in its own way， and I was having a hard time predicting *4。5 stars*This book was FANTASTIC！ I was hesitant to pick up this book originally because I was not the biggest fan of Then She Was Gone。 However， I had been reading some pretty good reviews for this book， so I had to give it a shot， and I am so glad that I did！ This book was not necessarily the most heart-pounding， action-packed mystery/thriller， but I personally felt that it didn't need any of that。 The book had me on the edge of my seat in its own way， and I was having a hard time predicting what would come next。 I really enjoyed the three different character perspectives and am overall really happy with how this book turned out。 Definitely one of the best mysteries/thrillers I have read yet！ 。。。more
Nick Politakis
，
Impressive book that is enjoyable and entertaining。 Would make a great movie。
Gabrielle
，
This was my second try at one of Lisa Jewel’s novels。 I really wanted to like this book because the set up is one of my favorites among mystery/thrillers but I was honestly just so bored at 25% in I thought about DNFing it but I decided to keep reading。 I will still give Jewel’s other work a chance but I did not care for this one。
Meg Scutt
，
Considering I haven't finished a book in about 2 years， I was shocked to find myself finishing this in 3 nights， took me a total of 6 hours。。。The beginning was phenomenal， I was so unbelievably hooked， didn't want to put it down and I absolutely couldn't wait to get back to it。。。 But it trailed off towards the end。。。 It seemed a bit flimsy， with some backpedaling （out of context spoiler: the Thames incident） to try and come up with some more shocks， when they really didn't need them。。。 It was a Considering I haven't finished a book in about 2 years， I was shocked to find myself finishing this in 3 nights， took me a total of 6 hours。。。The beginning was phenomenal， I was so unbelievably hooked， didn't want to put it down and I absolutely couldn't wait to get back to it。。。 But it trailed off towards the end。。。 It seemed a bit flimsy， with some backpedaling （out of context spoiler: the Thames incident） to try and come up with some more shocks， when they really didn't need them。。。 It was a very "here's what happened in really quick succession because my publisher has told me I need to finish this book soon and I don't know how to get myself out of the twists"， I was hoping for a meatier ending， something really shocking that made my jaw drop， but it was unfortunately kind of predictable。。。I did however LOVE the themes， the topics， the way it was written， and the very last page had me impressed。 Other than the disappointing tying up loose ends bit， it really was a phenomenal book， if there'd been 30 more pages I have a feeling of be less disappointed， but I can't deny that it's currently 1am and I read the whole thing in 6 hours， it was certainly a hook。。。Will definitely be looking for more Jewell books from now on， without a doubt， she's definitely an excellent writer 。。。more
MarissaK
，
3。5。。。 excited for the sequel！！
cosy_reads
，
This book has had very mixed reviews so I was a bit wary starting this。 I’m a big fan of Lisa Jewell thrillers so I had to read this regardless of some reviews that I’ve read。 This book was part thriller part family drama。 I loved the opening chapters， the three dead bodies in a house with a baby alive and well upstairs。 It was intriguing figuring out what had happened here and how a family so rich and high in society had succumbed to such a tragic state。 This book had many POVs and I was findin This book has had very mixed reviews so I was a bit wary starting this。 I’m a big fan of Lisa Jewell thrillers so I had to read this regardless of some reviews that I’ve read。 This book was part thriller part family drama。 I loved the opening chapters， the three dead bodies in a house with a baby alive and well upstairs。 It was intriguing figuring out what had happened here and how a family so rich and high in society had succumbed to such a tragic state。 This book had many POVs and I was finding it hard to keep track of who was who and mixing up some characters。 Normally I like books having many characters and different POVs but I would always get mixed up with two certain characters in this book。 The ending nicely brought everything together but left it open for a sequel and I’m really looking forward to reading that！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Family Upstairs
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Family Upstairs&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Family Upstairs&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0