The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

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📚 Book Review: The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

Rating: ⭐️⭐️½ (2.5/5)

Genres: Psychological Thriller, Family Drama, Mystery
Perfect for fans of: Ruth Ware, Gillian Flynn, or stories about dark family secrets and cult-like dynamics

🧠 My Thoughts

I usually love a dark family mystery, but The Family Upstairs didn’t quite land for me. If you enjoy stories with multiple timelines, POVs, and a giant web of characters to untangle, you might be into it more than I was. Personally, I prefer a twisty plot that feels earned, not just convoluted. This one had the classic “let’s complicate a simple story to make it mysterious” vibe, and the payoff wasn’t worth the effort. That said, the concept is intriguing—and the ending does bring closure—so I didn’t completely hate it.

Now let’s untangle this twisted tale, in actual chronological order.

🏚️ The Real Story of the Lamb House (Told Chronologically)

In the late 1980s, the wealthy Lamb family—Henry Sr., Martina, and their two children, Henry Jr. and Lucy—lived in a sprawling Chelsea mansion. But as Henry Sr.'s health declined, the family’s grasp on reality began to slip.

🎶 It all started with Birdie, a musician who asked to film a music video in the mansion. After her video’s minor success, she and her boyfriend Justin came back—this time asking to move in. The Lambs said yes.

🧪 Birdie then suggested her friend David Thomsen, a charismatic man who practiced “alternative medicine,” could help Henry Sr. Soon, David moved in with his wife Sally and their two children, Phin and Clemency.

What followed was less “healing” and more full-blown cult behavior.

🧨 What Really Happened Inside the House

David slowly took over the household. He seduced every woman there—yes, even 14-year-old Lucy—and used his charm to manipulate the adults. He enforced strict rules: no meat, no personal belongings, no essentials like shoes. The kids were locked up, starved, and emotionally and physically abused.

Young Henry became obsessed with Phin (who didn’t return his feelings), and even more obsessed with escaping.

As conditions worsened, Henry Jr. hatched a plan to drug the adults during a dinner party so the children could escape. But things spiraled:

  • Birdie woke up early from the drug, and Henry killed her in a panic.

  • The other adults—Martina, Henry Sr., and David—never woke up. Henry had miscalculated the herb’s potency and accidentally killed them.

  • He staged the scene to look like a cult suicide pact.

  • Baby Serenity (later Libby) was left safe in her crib. Henry called the police anonymously, and social services took her.

👶 Who Is Libby?

Serenity Lamb, the baby found upstairs, was adopted and renamed Libby. The world believed she was the daughter of Martina and Henry Sr. But she’s actually the daughter of Lucy and Phin. (Yes… that Lucy and that Phin.)

Libby turns 25—the age when she inherits the Chelsea mansion—and this is where the book actually begins. She starts digging into her mysterious past and connects with Miller Roe, a journalist who wrote about the infamous house years earlier.

🕵️‍♀️ The Present Timeline

As Libby investigates, she:

  • Discovers the house has a sinister history

  • Teams up with Miller Roe to learn more about her origins

  • Eventually meets Lucy and Henry Jr., who have returned to London

  • Learns the entire backstory through Henry and Lucy’s perspectives

Lucy, now a single mom with two kids, fled to France after everything went down. She's homeless at the start of the novel and determined to reunite with Libby. Henry, still obsessively in love with Phin, has been lurking in the shadows.

Libby decides to sell the mansion and split the profits with Lucy and Henry. She also starts dating Miller Roe.

😵‍💫 What Didn’t Work For Me

  • Too Many POVs and Timelines: The constant switching was more distracting than engaging.

  • Too Many Characters, Not Enough Investment: I didn’t feel connected to anyone, which made the suspense fall flat.

  • Overcomplication for No Reason: The core story is interesting, but it’s told in such a disjointed way that the tension gets lost.

📖 Final Verdict: ⭐️⭐️½ (2.5 out of 5 Stars)

Lisa Jewell is a talented author (Then She Was Gone is great!), but The Family Upstairs just didn’t do it for me. It felt like an intentionally complicated story that could have been told more clearly—and more impactfully.

I might give the sequel (The Family Remains) a chance, but I’m not in a rush.

📚 If You Liked Some of This, Try These Instead:

  • 🧠 The Push by Ashley Audrain
    Dark, psychologically intense, and focused on motherhood, legacy, and trauma. A disturbing but razor-sharp character study—told clearly, with emotional weight.

  • 🏚️ Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
    Claustrophobic, single POV, and page-turning. A tightly wound psychological thriller where nothing is as it seems—and the timeline is refreshingly easy to follow.

  • 🌿 We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
    If what drew you in was the unsettling family dynamics and an unreliable narrator, this classic delivers—bold, brutal, and unforgettable. A literary thriller with emotional depth.

  • 🧩 The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
    Fast-paced and twisty, with a more traditional narrative structure. Less “how many timelines can we juggle” and more “oh crap what just happened?”

  • 🎭 The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica
    Twists, secrets, and identity games—but with a narrative that feels more grounded than The Guest List. Psychological tension done right.

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