
Laura’s Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
This book is the first Lisa Jewell book I have read, despite many of her titles piquing my interest recently. I have to say that I was slightly disappointed after having heard great things about Jewell, but I plan to give another book of hers a try in the future.
The Analysis:
After her 25th birthday, Libby Jones receives a letter telling her the names of her birth parents and revealing that she has inherited their giant house in the posh London neighborhood of Chelsea. However, after she discovers that her parents died under mysterious circumstances and she may have siblings out there somewhere, Libby starts down a path to discover just what happened in the dark, abandoned mansion that led to her parents death and the disappearance of her family.
The set up of this book is fascinating and the story is told from three different character perspectives. This allows details to be slowly woven together and the reader feels like they are gradually discovering more of the story of Libby’s family right along with her. My main issue with the book is that the first half to three-quarters of it feels like set up. I always thought things were about to ramp up, and then they never quite did. Eventually, there is some action and bigger details that are revealed, but by then the book is almost over. I liked the concept and was even pleased, for the most part, with how the plot turned out. However, I think the idea could have been executed better and at a more equal pace. Not to be too picky, but I also felt like the title gave me the wrong impression of the book in some ways. I won’t ruin anything but the focus of the book was different than I expected. The Family Upstairs was a decent read and kept me interested the whole time, I just wanted a bit more out of it.
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