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The writing itself I enjoyed. I’m not sure if it’s the author or editor that let this premise down. However, when all goes quiet Suzie discovers that there was more the Emily than she could have imagined andshe inserts herself into the police missing persons investigation when she feels they are failing the girl she once despised. It’s hard to say if Suzie’s resentment toward her upstairs neighbor was founded or if she was just being too sensitive about Emily’s lifestyle, but I can easily say that Suzie’s strange obsession with Emily piqued my curiosity immediately.
I am still at a loss for words. I have been chasing that Gone Girl high for so long when I read thrillers, and this one finally hit the mark’ Amber, NetGalley This is quite a slow burning read. It centres around Suzie Arlington, a widow in her depths of depression. She's become fixated on her new neighbour Emily who seems to lead an exciting life. There's a bit of mystery and suspense surrounding this book. I wasn't really gripped by this story but I was still intrigued to know what had happened. There's a lot of little twists throughout. DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter, via Netgalley for providing both a digital and audio ARC of The Girl Upstairs by Georgina Lees for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. I have lived in a ground floor flat with a herd of selfish and uncaring elephants above me and so could immediately empathise with Suzie, barely coping with her own tragedy and imposed on every minute of every day by the loud music, shrieking friends and clumping heels of Emily upstairs. MY THOUGHTS: While I didn't find this to be an absolutely gripping psychological thriller, it is an interesting and compelling debut novel that I would put firmly into the domestic thriller camp.Seeing Suzie filed a complaint against her neighbor for excessive noise, wouldn’t you be relieved that she’s missing? When Emily stops being so noisy, Suzie is the only one who is genuinely concerned. Upon realizing no one can account for Emily’s whereabouts, Suzie is convinced something nefarious is at play. She pushes further than the police are willing to go to figure out the truth about Emily’s disappearance. Emily must be a nightmare neighbour and you can feel Suzie’s tension, she’s so taut she could snap and Emily seems to be the catalyst that stirs and awakens something in her and she becomes obsessed and obsessive about her neighbour. That’s the good part! Suzie lives downstairs from Emily. Emily who is young, loud, popular and an inconsiderate neighbor. At least that is how she is perceived by Emily who is depressed, a bit of a hermit and resents everything about life. Emily suddenly disappears for days and it seems that only Suzie, the complaining neighbor is concerned. That’s because when Suzie's husband walked out after an argument no-one went looking for him and was found dead from an accident. Suzie is convinced that had she gone looking they may have found him alive and rescued him. The fact that no-one is concerned about Emily’s disappearance now becomes her crusade in life.
The story revolves around Emily who goes missing. Her neighbour realises but seems to be the only one who cares. Compelling, heartbreaking and beautifully written. This superb thriller will stay in my mind for a very long time’ B P Walter, Sunday Times-bestselling author of The Dinner GuestHow well do you know your neighbour?Would you trust them with your life? The Girl Upstairs by Georgina Lees is a thriller seen through the eyes of Suzie who lives alone and is dealing with grief. She is constantly annoyed by her upstairs neighbour Emily who leaves things in the hallway and plays her music too loud. But when Emily seems to disappear, why is Suzie the only one who seems to care? But Suzy feels in her guts something is up and her neighbor is in great danger. Even digging through her disappearance means she has to confront her own secrets she keeps, she’s stubborn enough to find Emily! But it also means crossing some lines and put a target on her head! Oh Suzy what have you done to yourself? Unfortunately, the pacing of this novel is just so slow and Suzie just isn’t interesting enough to pull you in and sustain you in the unfolding storyline. There’s not sufficient personality on display or emotions conveyed powerfully enough for you to care very much and so it just feel rather flat and monotone. The same thoughts go round and round Suzie’s head so that it becomes tedious. It’s certainly character driven but they aren’t characters that I can relate to. I can’t get my head around why Suzie would get so involved in Emily’s life to the extent she does when she had been in conflict with her?? She doesn’t know her at all so wouldn’t she just report and walk away? The police investigation and the behaviour of the police officers doesn’t strike an authentic note as in some places Suzie is allowed way more latitude than would actually happen. Suzie also makes convenient discoveries that the police overlook. Really? Some of the dialogue in weak which is especially apparent in the police investigation. There’s a lot of clipped underdeveloped dialogue that doesn’t feel true to life. This is very evident with less than pleasant characters who then feel somewhat stereotypical. The ending after a slow build up feels rushed and I have to say, it’s a surprise! Maybe too much is a surprise!You see people every day, some you know and some you don't. Those who live next to you, how well do you actually know them? I’d be lying if I didn’t say some of this was a little corny, but I appreciate what the author wanted to do for her character. I did find the ending to be anticlimactic, and it was disappointing in another way I can’t expound upon, as I don’t want to spoil the story. I just thought things were building up toward something different. I came to care about both Suzie and Emily, which made the abruptness of the conclusion rather jarring.
Fictionophile’s OCTOBER 2023 #BookHaul #Bookbloggers #ForthcomingTitles #TBR #AnticipatedReads October 31, 2023 Still grieving the loss of her husband, she refuses to enter her bedroom since he left. She sleeps on the sofa, or in a chair in her living room. SHE IS NOT COPING! She seems absolutely overwhelmed by the sensory overload that is London life. The noise, the smells, the light, the people. This is exacerbated by her upstairs neighbour Emily, who selfishly plays her music too loud, and generally seems to make as much noise as is physically possible. This in a house where sound travels effortlessly so that everything from opening drawers to going to the bathroom is clearly audible. When Emily disappears, no one seems as upset about it as Suzie is. Her parents write it off as she has done this before, her job had let her go, the detectives think she's hiding out with friends but Suzie absolutely believes something is wrong and won't let it go. But she soon figures out that by looking for Emily she has put herself in real danger. Can she help Emily or is Suzie just a woman with too many problems who needs real help herself? I've been in London over ten years now and I haven't found a quiet place. I live in Angel, Islington. The nice part, with the grand white townhouses, the ones advertised as being on tree-lined streets. I can't see any trees, just blunt shavings in the ground, weeds rising and arching over the stubs like gravestones. I'm on the ground floor of a two-storey house and Emily is above me. She moved in over six months ago and I thought she might leave, as people do here. People Emily's age, early twenties, they come and go like the seasons, and it's spring now. Time for Emily to leave.
She warns her landlord Mike and Mike informs Emily’s parents. It seems like she has lost her job. There’s a chance she ghosted her parents. She did it before. She’s a portrait of little erratic, irresponsible and unpredictable young woman. When I found out what happened to Emily at the end, I was surprised (though perhaps I shouldn’t have been?) Suzie’s story ended in a most satisfactory way. I’d still try another book by this author though. I’d like to see if another book will be more promising.
This was a unique play on the "something weird is going on with my neighbor" genre and I greatly enjoyed it. The story centers on Suzie, a young widow who is having trouble getting out there again and fixates on her upstairs neighbors, who come and go every 6 months. The newest one is a recent college grad named Emily,. who immediately gets on Suzie's nerves from being loud and inconsiderate. You also get alternating chapters from Emily's point of view, which is a clever way of garnering empathy for her when at first you only see her from Suzie's perspective. Then Emily disappears and with what happened before, Suzie takes it upon herself to find out what has happened to her. THE AUTHOR: Georgina studied creative writing and film at university and has since pursued a career in video-games journalism, covering some of the most popular games in the world. Her psychological thrillers are inspired by her surroundings, from the congested London streets to the raw English countryside. She can be found playing games, writing stories, and reading anything from fantasy to crime fiction. Living alone in London, Suzie Arlington is acutely aware of every movement and noise made by her neighbor, Emily. However, when Suzie realizes it is suddenly too quiet in the upstairs flat, she cannot help but get answers to her neighbor’s mysterious disappearance.
From the start, I just knew that this would be an absorbing read. The protagonist, Suzie Arlington is a sad and lonely woman of thirty-five. She works 'in marketing' and owns the ground floor flat of a house in Islington, London. She longs to return to her family home in Hove, Sussex. However, her attachment to the memories of her husband Ben, in the flat where she lives, override her longing for home. police officer falling in love with her!! come on it's literally beyond cheesy i can't stand how cliche it is I really like the style in which this book is written, it is definitely an attention grabber, would highly recommend. Amazing story with twist and turns that grip you in, i really love this authors style of writing. The character development was really nice to read along too. So very well written, kept me engrossed and have the feeling which i love like i'm sitting on the edge of my seat. I would highly recommend, great work. I am writing my honest review for an arc, thank you netgalley, Harper Collins, One More Chapter for this.
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