Reviews

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

Only show reviews with written explanations

koberoi's review

dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

Not sure how such an interesting idea was executed in such a boring way. Too many characters behaving in too unbelievable ways.
Lucy was my favorite character and it took me half the book to learn her name.
Disappointed.

sophielaura1's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

3.25 stars ✨

I’ll be honest, this is my least favourite Lisa Jewell book out of the three I’ve read.

Don’t get me wrong, there were things I liked about it. I enjoyed that there were multiple povs, it stopped the story from being stagnant. It was well written, detailed and riveting. This one was a lot darker in terms of themes compared to the other two of hers that I’ve read, and I really preferred it that way. It added intensity. And I really thought the ending was a great choice.

Honestly, it was just a little too slow overall for me. A very meh read. I just know she’s written better.

claredeacon's review

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4.5

Lost half a star because I would have liked to hear more about Lucy in the house

margo456's review

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adventurous funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.75

It was bad and stupid. Sorry I don't have other words to describe it.

siakou's review

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5.0

4.5/5 rounded up to 5 because other than some pacing issues, some details not adding up and some confusion at the beginning, I really enjoyed this.
The plot twists certainly kept me awake and restless in the middle of the night and I’m a sucker for dysfunctional families so there’s no wonder I ended up liking this.