Book Review | The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell - A True Page Turner

This was a book I had on my read list for a while, and has been sitting in my bookcase since April, but I am so glad I finally got around to reading it.

The Family Upstairs started off as a bit of a slow burner for me, as in I wasn’t hooked after the first chapter, but by the fifth or sixth chapter I was so invested. I even managed to finish the 400+ page book in under a week, and for a slow reader like me that is a miracle. I struggled to put the book down as I was just so pulled in by the story and the characters, I needed to know what was happening next, and that for me is one of the most important things with a book. I need to be so invested with the story that I don’t want to part from the book and when I do I can’t stop thinking about it, which I got with this book!

The story is told from the three narratives of the three main characters, which is a type of storytelling that I love. I don’t know why but the changing of narratives and going between different characters telling the story is something I have always enjoyed in books. It was nice seeing the character development that each character had, as well as seeing how their stories played out and overlapped. In the first section the chapters followed a pattern, going between the three narratives in the same order, which for my OCD was fabulous! As the story progressed, the order changed and it darts between the narratives in an order that is needed to get to the final conclusion. Another thing I absolutely loved about this book was the way it handled difficult topics without making a song or dance about it. Its clear from quite early on that one of the characters is gay and is exploring his sexuality and what it all means for a young teenage boy. The way Jewell brings this topic into the book in such a natural way, without it being a big show and dance which some novels can fall victim too, was simply beautiful. I hope this is something I will see more often as I continue to read more and more.

I could sense who the killer was going to be earlier than I would have liked, I enjoy being forced to keep guessing longer. However, I was truly surprised by the motive of the killings and all the other family secrets that were revealed at the same time. By the end of the book I was gobsmacked by all the crazy things that had happened within this one house. Most of my questions were answered by the end of the book, which was very pleasing to me as I hate being left in the dark, but Jewell still managed to leave a slight cliffhanger that could easily lead into a follow up novel. 

This was one book I was genuinely captivated with, completely gripped until the last page. I would love to see Jewell follow up with a second novel based on the same story, following the characters as they dive deeper into the mysteries surrounding their family. However, with or without a follow up, I will be looking out for more Lisa Jewell novels to add to my bookcase.