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The Woman Upstairs
In this gripping novel from USA Today and #1 Kindle bestselling author Sue Fortin, a young mother’s salvation becomes the key to secrets and betrayals she was never meant to find…
Amelia is drowning. She’d give anything to soothe her new baby and snatch a few desperate hours of sleep. While her husband, Nathan, works late, Amelia sees shadows moving in the walled garden of their remote farmhouse. She locks every door at night and finds them open by morning.
Then she hires Lena, a young nanny with a miraculous way with Oscar, and everything starts to get better. It should be a relief. Instead, dread coils tighter in Amelia’s chest.
Because there are still footprints in the flowerbeds. Because Nathan is taking whispered phone calls. And because Lena watches Amelia with something that looks almost like pity, or anger. As exhaustion blurs the line between paranoia and reality, Amelia asks is motherhood breaking her? Or has she let a dangerous stranger into her home?
This twisty domestic thriller is perfect for readers who bombshell, never-saw-it-coming twistIsolated rural setting that breeds paranoiaTwisty family dynamics and devastating secretsAn anonymous warningA charming manipulator hiding in plain sightA new mother fighting to save her childThe nanny knows everythingSecret affairs
Readers love Sue Fortin’s suspense
‘The best book I’ve read all year. I couldn’t put it down. I actually walked into a corner wall because I was so engrossed in this book and literally did not put it down until I was finished.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Wow!!! This book was so good! Right from the start I was drawn in and stayed that way until the end. THIS is what domestic suspense is about!!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘The most jaw-dropping psychological thriller I’ve read… So many twists and turns… I just had to keep reading.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I LOVED this book! This had all of it, thrills, gripping suspense, shocks, and surprises! This was a fast-paced read and I did not put it down until I was finished! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘One of my all-time favourite thrillers that I have read. I loved the storyline, the characters and the twists and turns. What more could you ask for in a thriller… I thought I knew what happened but wow I so wrong.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I loved this book… I won’t spoil the story or ending, but that last twist got me. That was one I didn’t see coming… Brilliant.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘So many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, which constantly left me needing more. It had me guessing up until the very end and I was shocked. I absolutely recommend this book.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I binged this one in a day and a half and LOVED it.
Amelia is drowning. She’d give anything to soothe her new baby and snatch a few desperate hours of sleep. While her husband, Nathan, works late, Amelia sees shadows moving in the walled garden of their remote farmhouse. She locks every door at night and finds them open by morning.
Then she hires Lena, a young nanny with a miraculous way with Oscar, and everything starts to get better. It should be a relief. Instead, dread coils tighter in Amelia’s chest.
Because there are still footprints in the flowerbeds. Because Nathan is taking whispered phone calls. And because Lena watches Amelia with something that looks almost like pity, or anger. As exhaustion blurs the line between paranoia and reality, Amelia asks is motherhood breaking her? Or has she let a dangerous stranger into her home?
This twisty domestic thriller is perfect for readers who bombshell, never-saw-it-coming twistIsolated rural setting that breeds paranoiaTwisty family dynamics and devastating secretsAn anonymous warningA charming manipulator hiding in plain sightA new mother fighting to save her childThe nanny knows everythingSecret affairs
Readers love Sue Fortin’s suspense
‘The best book I’ve read all year. I couldn’t put it down. I actually walked into a corner wall because I was so engrossed in this book and literally did not put it down until I was finished.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Wow!!! This book was so good! Right from the start I was drawn in and stayed that way until the end. THIS is what domestic suspense is about!!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘The most jaw-dropping psychological thriller I’ve read… So many twists and turns… I just had to keep reading.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I LOVED this book! This had all of it, thrills, gripping suspense, shocks, and surprises! This was a fast-paced read and I did not put it down until I was finished! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘One of my all-time favourite thrillers that I have read. I loved the storyline, the characters and the twists and turns. What more could you ask for in a thriller… I thought I knew what happened but wow I so wrong.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I loved this book… I won’t spoil the story or ending, but that last twist got me. That was one I didn’t see coming… Brilliant.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘So many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, which constantly left me needing more. It had me guessing up until the very end and I was shocked. I absolutely recommend this book.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I binged this one in a day and a half and LOVED it.
278 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 27, 2026
About the author
Sue Fortin
20 books608 followersWriting historical fiction as Suzanne Fortin and mystery/suspense & romance as Sue Fortin.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
June 17, 2026
✦•┈๑⋅⋯ The Woman Upstairs by Sue Fortin ⋯⋅๑┈•✦
• 3.75/5 ☆ •
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
The Woman Upstairs is an enjoyable and well written domestic thriller that delivers steady tension and a smooth reading experience. The setup is strong and the atmosphere settles in quickly. The story leans into suspicion, shifting trust, and the slow unraveling of a family dynamic that never feels quite right.
The character work is the highlight. Small moments of doubt build into something heavier, and the emotional pressure grows in a way that feels believable. I spent most of the book waiting for the other shoe to drop, and even when I had a pretty good idea where things were heading, I still wanted to see how it would all play out. The pacing moves with a clean rhythm, and the final stretch has a satisfying sense of everything finally clicking into place.
The only drawback for me was the predictability. The twists are solid, but I saw most of them coming long before Amelia. That might just be because I read a lot of thrillers, so some of the patterns felt familiar. Even with that, the story stayed engaging and the writing kept me invested.
Overall, The Woman Upstairs is a tense and readable thriller with grounded emotion. It may not surprise seasoned thriller readers, but it delivers a compelling and atmospheric ride from start to finish.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
If you like:
✔️ domestic suspense
✔️ toxic friendships
✔️ manipulative characters
✔️ secrets and lies
✔️ trust issues
✔️ psychological tension
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
📅 Pub Day: Jun 23, 2026 📚
💌 ARC gifted via NetGalley from Storm Publishing. All opinions are my own.
• 3.75/5 ☆ •
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
The Woman Upstairs is an enjoyable and well written domestic thriller that delivers steady tension and a smooth reading experience. The setup is strong and the atmosphere settles in quickly. The story leans into suspicion, shifting trust, and the slow unraveling of a family dynamic that never feels quite right.
The character work is the highlight. Small moments of doubt build into something heavier, and the emotional pressure grows in a way that feels believable. I spent most of the book waiting for the other shoe to drop, and even when I had a pretty good idea where things were heading, I still wanted to see how it would all play out. The pacing moves with a clean rhythm, and the final stretch has a satisfying sense of everything finally clicking into place.
The only drawback for me was the predictability. The twists are solid, but I saw most of them coming long before Amelia. That might just be because I read a lot of thrillers, so some of the patterns felt familiar. Even with that, the story stayed engaging and the writing kept me invested.
Overall, The Woman Upstairs is a tense and readable thriller with grounded emotion. It may not surprise seasoned thriller readers, but it delivers a compelling and atmospheric ride from start to finish.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
If you like:
✔️ domestic suspense
✔️ toxic friendships
✔️ manipulative characters
✔️ secrets and lies
✔️ trust issues
✔️ psychological tension
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
📅 Pub Day: Jun 23, 2026 📚
💌 ARC gifted via NetGalley from Storm Publishing. All opinions are my own.
August 7, 2026
Boos op de hoofdpersoon
June 19, 2026
The Woman Upstairs is one of those domestic thrillers that takes a woman who's already hanging on by a thread and then hands everyone around her a pair of scissors.
Amelia has spent years trying to become a mother. After failed IVF treatments and more heartbreak than any one person should have to carry, she and her husband Nathan finally adopt baby Oscar. This should be the part where the music swells and everyone rides off into the sunset. Instead, Amelia is exhausted, overwhelmed, living in a remote farmhouse, and slowly becoming convinced that something is very, very wrong.
Things start small. Shadows in the garden. Footprints where there shouldn't be footprints. Doors she knows she locked somehow ending up open. Then Nathan starts taking secretive phone calls and acting like every question Amelia asks is part of an FBI interrogation. When Lena arrives as a nanny and immediately forms a bond with Oscar, life should get easier. Unfortunately, Lena has the kind of energy that makes you mentally lock your purse even when she's doing absolutely nothing suspicious.
The real villain for a good chunk of this book is sleep deprivation. Amelia is so exhausted that every shadow looks suspicious, every conversation feels loaded, and honestly? I got it. If I hadn't slept properly in months and somebody told me there were mysterious footprints outside my house, I'd be building a conspiracy board out of cereal boxes before dinner. Sue Fortin does a really good job capturing that awful space where you're no longer sure whether you're being paranoid or whether you're the only person in the room paying attention.
And then there's Nathan. Nathan spends this entire book acting like a man who has never once considered that answering a direct question with a direct answer is an available life choice. Every conversation with him felt like Amelia was trying to extract classified government information. The man could be asked what he wants for lunch and somehow respond with the energy of a suspect requesting legal counsel. By the halfway point, I wasn't even focused on solving the mystery anymore. I was trying to figure out how this man successfully operates a telephone.
Lena, meanwhile, ended up being far more interesting than I expected. The setup initially feels like it's heading into familiar "suspicious nanny" territory, but the story eventually digs deeper than that. I appreciated that the female characters were allowed to be messy, complicated, sympathetic, frustrating, and human all at the same time. That's where the book worked best for me. Underneath all the secrets and manipulation is a story about motherhood, grief, identity, and the impossible pressure women put on themselves when they're convinced they're failing the people they love most.
Now, did I see a lot of the twists coming? Absolutely. This wasn't a situation where I reached the reveal and needed to sit quietly staring at a wall for twenty minutes. There were several moments where I felt like I was waiting for the characters to catch up to a conclusion I'd already reached. But weirdly, that didn't hurt my enjoyment very much. Sometimes a thriller isn't about being shocked. Sometimes it's about watching the train hurtle toward disaster while you're yelling, "PLEASE MAKE ONE GOOD DECISION" at people who absolutely will not.
What kept me reading was Amelia. She spends so much of the book doubting herself that every small moment where she trusts her instincts feels like a victory. The emotional core hit harder than I expected, especially once the story starts pulling back the curtain on what's really happening. For all the secrets, lies, and thriller nonsense, there's a surprisingly sincere thread running underneath it about what makes someone a mother and how far people will go for the children they love. That part worked for me.
By the end, I was equal parts vindicated, stressed out, and emotionally invested in ways I wasn't fully prepared for. Did I see a lot of the twists coming? Sure. But sometimes knowing the roller coaster is about to drop doesn't stop you from screaming on the way down. "The Woman Upstairs" won't completely reinvent the domestic thriller wheel, but it absolutely knows how to keep that wheel wobbling down a hill at concerning speeds while everyone inside makes increasingly chaotic choices.
For me, this landed at 3.5 stars. Fast, bingeable, stressful in all the right ways, and powered almost entirely by women trying to survive situations that would send me directly into witness protection.
Whodunity Award: For Making Me Distrust Every Nanny, Every Husband, and Any Footprint That Appears Where a Footprint Has No Business Being
Huge thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. You handed me a sleep-deprived mother, a suspicious nanny, a husband made entirely of red flags and bad explanations, and then expected me to be normal about it.
Amelia has spent years trying to become a mother. After failed IVF treatments and more heartbreak than any one person should have to carry, she and her husband Nathan finally adopt baby Oscar. This should be the part where the music swells and everyone rides off into the sunset. Instead, Amelia is exhausted, overwhelmed, living in a remote farmhouse, and slowly becoming convinced that something is very, very wrong.
Things start small. Shadows in the garden. Footprints where there shouldn't be footprints. Doors she knows she locked somehow ending up open. Then Nathan starts taking secretive phone calls and acting like every question Amelia asks is part of an FBI interrogation. When Lena arrives as a nanny and immediately forms a bond with Oscar, life should get easier. Unfortunately, Lena has the kind of energy that makes you mentally lock your purse even when she's doing absolutely nothing suspicious.
The real villain for a good chunk of this book is sleep deprivation. Amelia is so exhausted that every shadow looks suspicious, every conversation feels loaded, and honestly? I got it. If I hadn't slept properly in months and somebody told me there were mysterious footprints outside my house, I'd be building a conspiracy board out of cereal boxes before dinner. Sue Fortin does a really good job capturing that awful space where you're no longer sure whether you're being paranoid or whether you're the only person in the room paying attention.
And then there's Nathan. Nathan spends this entire book acting like a man who has never once considered that answering a direct question with a direct answer is an available life choice. Every conversation with him felt like Amelia was trying to extract classified government information. The man could be asked what he wants for lunch and somehow respond with the energy of a suspect requesting legal counsel. By the halfway point, I wasn't even focused on solving the mystery anymore. I was trying to figure out how this man successfully operates a telephone.
Lena, meanwhile, ended up being far more interesting than I expected. The setup initially feels like it's heading into familiar "suspicious nanny" territory, but the story eventually digs deeper than that. I appreciated that the female characters were allowed to be messy, complicated, sympathetic, frustrating, and human all at the same time. That's where the book worked best for me. Underneath all the secrets and manipulation is a story about motherhood, grief, identity, and the impossible pressure women put on themselves when they're convinced they're failing the people they love most.
Now, did I see a lot of the twists coming? Absolutely. This wasn't a situation where I reached the reveal and needed to sit quietly staring at a wall for twenty minutes. There were several moments where I felt like I was waiting for the characters to catch up to a conclusion I'd already reached. But weirdly, that didn't hurt my enjoyment very much. Sometimes a thriller isn't about being shocked. Sometimes it's about watching the train hurtle toward disaster while you're yelling, "PLEASE MAKE ONE GOOD DECISION" at people who absolutely will not.
What kept me reading was Amelia. She spends so much of the book doubting herself that every small moment where she trusts her instincts feels like a victory. The emotional core hit harder than I expected, especially once the story starts pulling back the curtain on what's really happening. For all the secrets, lies, and thriller nonsense, there's a surprisingly sincere thread running underneath it about what makes someone a mother and how far people will go for the children they love. That part worked for me.
By the end, I was equal parts vindicated, stressed out, and emotionally invested in ways I wasn't fully prepared for. Did I see a lot of the twists coming? Sure. But sometimes knowing the roller coaster is about to drop doesn't stop you from screaming on the way down. "The Woman Upstairs" won't completely reinvent the domestic thriller wheel, but it absolutely knows how to keep that wheel wobbling down a hill at concerning speeds while everyone inside makes increasingly chaotic choices.
For me, this landed at 3.5 stars. Fast, bingeable, stressful in all the right ways, and powered almost entirely by women trying to survive situations that would send me directly into witness protection.
Whodunity Award: For Making Me Distrust Every Nanny, Every Husband, and Any Footprint That Appears Where a Footprint Has No Business Being
Huge thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. You handed me a sleep-deprived mother, a suspicious nanny, a husband made entirely of red flags and bad explanations, and then expected me to be normal about it.
June 22, 2026
This was one of those books that kept me turning the pages even though it wasn't quite what I was expecting it to be. I went into it anticipating a much tenser, edge-of-your-seat thriller, and I kept waiting for that big shocking moment or pulse-pounding twist to hit. It never really did, which left me a little conflicted.
That said, I genuinely enjoyed this story. This was an easy, engaging read that held my attention from beginning to end. I liked all of the characters, which is actually pretty rare for me in this genre, and their struggles felt realistic and relatable. The story focused more on them and their circumstances than on nonstop suspense, and that kept me invested in what would happen next. There was one twist that did catch me completely by surprise, and I loved that I didn't see it coming. While I wouldn't personally classify this as a true thriller, it was an entertaining and enjoyable read.
Multi POV
Triggers
That said, I genuinely enjoyed this story. This was an easy, engaging read that held my attention from beginning to end. I liked all of the characters, which is actually pretty rare for me in this genre, and their struggles felt realistic and relatable. The story focused more on them and their circumstances than on nonstop suspense, and that kept me invested in what would happen next. There was one twist that did catch me completely by surprise, and I loved that I didn't see it coming. While I wouldn't personally classify this as a true thriller, it was an entertaining and enjoyable read.
Multi POV
Triggers
July 9, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing me with an ARC
This was a really entertaining and easy-to-devour psychological thriller that kept me engaged from start to finish.
I did figure out where the story was heading fairly early on, so the main reveal didn’t quite have that shocking impact for me. However, I surprisingly didn’t mind. The tension came more from waiting to see exactly how everything would unravel, and I was invested in watching it all play out.
A fast-paced and enjoyable read that was very easy to get through. While it didn’t completely surprise me, I still had a great time reading it.
3.75 stars
This was a really entertaining and easy-to-devour psychological thriller that kept me engaged from start to finish.
I did figure out where the story was heading fairly early on, so the main reveal didn’t quite have that shocking impact for me. However, I surprisingly didn’t mind. The tension came more from waiting to see exactly how everything would unravel, and I was invested in watching it all play out.
A fast-paced and enjoyable read that was very easy to get through. While it didn’t completely surprise me, I still had a great time reading it.
3.75 stars
Read
August 11, 2026Just finished — working on my review.
June 20, 2026
I received a free copy of this book for an honest review.
A very interesting book.
The first few pages pulled me in, and then my interest never really went away.
I loved the short chapters in this book, making it easy to breeze through the book.
I especially loved when we got more perspectives. It was really interesting to read what was happening from each person’s perspective and it really made me rethink how I felt about two of the characters.
Some of the twists weren’t exactly surprises for me, but the better part of it was seeing how each of the characters were going to react to each situation and each secret as it came out.
I think the book was timed perfectly so that that climax happened at a point when the book already had my full attention span and really just took off from there. I will also say, the girl power in this book between the two main women is very high and I really loved them both as characters, again, especially when we start to get both sides of the story.
This book was definitely a 4.5 star read for me as I really enjoyed it, and it was the first book in awhile that I looked down and realized just how much I had read, and how entrapped I was in the story.
A very interesting book.
The first few pages pulled me in, and then my interest never really went away.
I loved the short chapters in this book, making it easy to breeze through the book.
I especially loved when we got more perspectives. It was really interesting to read what was happening from each person’s perspective and it really made me rethink how I felt about two of the characters.
Some of the twists weren’t exactly surprises for me, but the better part of it was seeing how each of the characters were going to react to each situation and each secret as it came out.
I think the book was timed perfectly so that that climax happened at a point when the book already had my full attention span and really just took off from there. I will also say, the girl power in this book between the two main women is very high and I really loved them both as characters, again, especially when we start to get both sides of the story.
This book was definitely a 4.5 star read for me as I really enjoyed it, and it was the first book in awhile that I looked down and realized just how much I had read, and how entrapped I was in the story.
May 16, 2026
ARC review. Easy 4.5 stars. Such a page turner. Just enough lies and intrigue in each chapter to keep you hooked. I flew through the pages, devouring the story. The lies/ deceit/ the narcissistic husband and underlying pain it takes to do the right thing—just brilliantly written.
I feel like the plot is on every easy to surmise quickly, which leaves a bit wanting—but your desire to know exactly HOW this will all come about feeds you to continue on—even if you already have guessed the twist.
I greatly enjoyed this story, from an author I have never read before but will happily be continuing to enjoy.
I feel like the plot is on every easy to surmise quickly, which leaves a bit wanting—but your desire to know exactly HOW this will all come about feeds you to continue on—even if you already have guessed the twist.
I greatly enjoyed this story, from an author I have never read before but will happily be continuing to enjoy.
June 23, 2026
"The Woman Upstairs" was a fast paced book that made you want to keep reading.
Amelia and Nathan were a happy couple missing only one thing... a child. They have been trying and nothing seems to be working. So they tried adoption. They finally were a family of three. As Amelia was trying to figure out motherhood she also found out some shocking information. As she works out what to do with this information she pretends her life is still happy. As she comes out the other side she is stronger.
Highly recommend this story if you like psychological thrillers.
Amelia and Nathan were a happy couple missing only one thing... a child. They have been trying and nothing seems to be working. So they tried adoption. They finally were a family of three. As Amelia was trying to figure out motherhood she also found out some shocking information. As she works out what to do with this information she pretends her life is still happy. As she comes out the other side she is stronger.
Highly recommend this story if you like psychological thrillers.
June 23, 2026
A really good, grippingly suspenseful read. There was plenty of sinister, edge of your seat action and deep embedded mistrust of everyone. There were enough clues to give you some idea of what was to come but no outright spoilers. I feel the characters were built up well, the plot was just about plausible enough to be believable. There are some tough and sensitive topics including childlessness, infidelity and adoption but all were handled well.
The ending was suitably satisfying, maybe even a little too much saccharine coated but all ends were tied up neatly. Definitely recommend, an easy read.
The ending was suitably satisfying, maybe even a little too much saccharine coated but all ends were tied up neatly. Definitely recommend, an easy read.
June 27, 2026
★★★★☆
I always find myself drawn to domestic suspense that handles family dynamics with a bit of depth, so the adoption and infertility themes here immediately caught my attention. The Woman Upstairs focuses on Amelia, a sleep-deprived new mother who feels completely isolated at a remote farmhouse while her husband Nathan works late. After spotting shadows moving in the walled garden and finding securely locked doors standing wide open by morning, she decides to hire a young nanny named Lena to help with baby Oscar. Although Lena has a wonderful way with the baby and initially brings relief, Amelia’s dread only tightens as unexplained footprints continue to appear in the flowerbeds, Nathan takes whispered phone calls, and Lena watches her with an unsettling mixture of pity or anger.
Having rated Sue Fortin’s thriller Your Little Lies four stars back in 2024, I was curious to see how this one compared. I found the premise of this novel highly refreshing because the adoption and infertility angles bring a completely fresh theme to a domestic suspense plot. Coming from a family where both my mother and aunt were adopted by my grandparents, some of Amelia's specific thoughts about biological parents annoyed me, which did pull me out of the story slightly.
However, the structure of using different perspectives worked well because it forced me to rethink the motivations of certain characters as the mystery unfolded. Pacing-wise, the short chapters made the text easy to breeze through, keeping the momentum steady without making the narrative feel rushed. The characters themselves felt believable enough to make me care about what happened, even if I never formed a strong emotional attachment to them.
I did feel a bit conflicted regarding the overall tension because I went into the book anticipating a much tenser, edge-of-your-seat experience, but the big shocking twists never actually hit. I managed to predict every single element of the plot early on, meaning I spent several moments just waiting for the characters to catch up to conclusions I had already reached chapters ago. It felt less like being shocked and more like watching a train hurtle toward disaster while yelling at people who absolutely refuse to make one good decision.
Amelia’s naivety also frustrated my characterisation preferences; she is introduced as a strong former head of HR at a law firm, yet after correcting Lena, she turns around and becomes a total soggy mop in the next scene. I also think the author did herself a disservice with the title and cover choice though, as there is massive competition for this title in the market and it only loosely links to the plot. Still, there are plenty of secrets, lies, and manipulation to explore, and I stayed up late because I was genuinely invested in seeing how it all went.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.
I always find myself drawn to domestic suspense that handles family dynamics with a bit of depth, so the adoption and infertility themes here immediately caught my attention. The Woman Upstairs focuses on Amelia, a sleep-deprived new mother who feels completely isolated at a remote farmhouse while her husband Nathan works late. After spotting shadows moving in the walled garden and finding securely locked doors standing wide open by morning, she decides to hire a young nanny named Lena to help with baby Oscar. Although Lena has a wonderful way with the baby and initially brings relief, Amelia’s dread only tightens as unexplained footprints continue to appear in the flowerbeds, Nathan takes whispered phone calls, and Lena watches her with an unsettling mixture of pity or anger.
Having rated Sue Fortin’s thriller Your Little Lies four stars back in 2024, I was curious to see how this one compared. I found the premise of this novel highly refreshing because the adoption and infertility angles bring a completely fresh theme to a domestic suspense plot. Coming from a family where both my mother and aunt were adopted by my grandparents, some of Amelia's specific thoughts about biological parents annoyed me, which did pull me out of the story slightly.
However, the structure of using different perspectives worked well because it forced me to rethink the motivations of certain characters as the mystery unfolded. Pacing-wise, the short chapters made the text easy to breeze through, keeping the momentum steady without making the narrative feel rushed. The characters themselves felt believable enough to make me care about what happened, even if I never formed a strong emotional attachment to them.
I did feel a bit conflicted regarding the overall tension because I went into the book anticipating a much tenser, edge-of-your-seat experience, but the big shocking twists never actually hit. I managed to predict every single element of the plot early on, meaning I spent several moments just waiting for the characters to catch up to conclusions I had already reached chapters ago. It felt less like being shocked and more like watching a train hurtle toward disaster while yelling at people who absolutely refuse to make one good decision.
Amelia’s naivety also frustrated my characterisation preferences; she is introduced as a strong former head of HR at a law firm, yet after correcting Lena, she turns around and becomes a total soggy mop in the next scene. I also think the author did herself a disservice with the title and cover choice though, as there is massive competition for this title in the market and it only loosely links to the plot. Still, there are plenty of secrets, lies, and manipulation to explore, and I stayed up late because I was genuinely invested in seeing how it all went.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.
June 2, 2026
Review of The Woman Upstairs
Title: The Woman Upstairs
Author: Sue Fortin
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Copyright: 2026 by Sue Fortin
ASIN/ISBN: BOH34HR12D (Kindle/Audiobook ASIN)
Format: Ebook, Audiobook (Paperback release concurrent)
Genre: Psychological Thriller
While researching Fortin’s bibliography, I found that her works focus on psychological thrillers, mysteries, and romantic suspense. She also writes historical and romance fiction. It is important to examine her narrative style in this book.
Lets Review it
1. The rhythm and pacing of the prose are closely linked to sentence construction. When a narrative begins with short, fast, and sporadic sentences before transitioning to longer, more measured prose, this reflects a shift in syntactic rhythm. In literary criticism, this is often termed stylistic modulation or a change in prose rhythm. The opening of The Woman Upstairs is characterized by a staccato quality, with choppy and rapid-fire sentences that create a sense of urgency. As the narrative progresses, the prose adopts a more flowing and measured style.
2. Stream of consciousness, or internal monologue, refers to a narrative technique that places the reader inside a character’s mind, observing their thoughts as they process emotions and memories. This approach is sometimes described as psychological realism when it aims to depict mental processes authentically.
3. Atmospheric writing is when an author builds mood and environment so skillfully that you feel completely immersed in the world of the book.
These are my reflections after reading this book. Amelia’s emotions were particularly vivid and well-articulated, making her the true anchor of the story as Oscar’s background intertwines with her journey. The narrative is engaging, with a slow-burning pace and an effective cliffhanger that keeps readers guessing. As you read, you may think you’ve figured out certain aspects, but the story continually unsettles you, mirroring Amelia’s own uncertainty and anxiety. The immersive descriptions make it feel as though you’re navigating the narrative like a dramatic video game, with clear timelines, environments, and character motivations. Nathan’s indecisiveness could be developed into a larger enemy arc, and Lena’s role could be explored further. The story’s darkness intensifies with themes of affairs and potential domestic abuse, but what stands out most is how the shared trauma bonds Lena and Amelia, making their relationship both compelling and impactful.
I’d personally rate this book 4 out of 5. The cliffhanger didn’t resonate with me, as it left Scott and Amelia’s futures too ambiguous. Perhaps this was intentional, leaving room for a sequel, but I would have preferred more closure.
Title: The Woman Upstairs
Author: Sue Fortin
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Copyright: 2026 by Sue Fortin
ASIN/ISBN: BOH34HR12D (Kindle/Audiobook ASIN)
Format: Ebook, Audiobook (Paperback release concurrent)
Genre: Psychological Thriller
While researching Fortin’s bibliography, I found that her works focus on psychological thrillers, mysteries, and romantic suspense. She also writes historical and romance fiction. It is important to examine her narrative style in this book.
Lets Review it
1. The rhythm and pacing of the prose are closely linked to sentence construction. When a narrative begins with short, fast, and sporadic sentences before transitioning to longer, more measured prose, this reflects a shift in syntactic rhythm. In literary criticism, this is often termed stylistic modulation or a change in prose rhythm. The opening of The Woman Upstairs is characterized by a staccato quality, with choppy and rapid-fire sentences that create a sense of urgency. As the narrative progresses, the prose adopts a more flowing and measured style.
2. Stream of consciousness, or internal monologue, refers to a narrative technique that places the reader inside a character’s mind, observing their thoughts as they process emotions and memories. This approach is sometimes described as psychological realism when it aims to depict mental processes authentically.
3. Atmospheric writing is when an author builds mood and environment so skillfully that you feel completely immersed in the world of the book.
These are my reflections after reading this book. Amelia’s emotions were particularly vivid and well-articulated, making her the true anchor of the story as Oscar’s background intertwines with her journey. The narrative is engaging, with a slow-burning pace and an effective cliffhanger that keeps readers guessing. As you read, you may think you’ve figured out certain aspects, but the story continually unsettles you, mirroring Amelia’s own uncertainty and anxiety. The immersive descriptions make it feel as though you’re navigating the narrative like a dramatic video game, with clear timelines, environments, and character motivations. Nathan’s indecisiveness could be developed into a larger enemy arc, and Lena’s role could be explored further. The story’s darkness intensifies with themes of affairs and potential domestic abuse, but what stands out most is how the shared trauma bonds Lena and Amelia, making their relationship both compelling and impactful.
I’d personally rate this book 4 out of 5. The cliffhanger didn’t resonate with me, as it left Scott and Amelia’s futures too ambiguous. Perhaps this was intentional, leaving room for a sequel, but I would have preferred more closure.
June 2, 2026
Rounded down 3.75 🌟
What would you do if everything you ever dreamed for becomes yours, then it is threatened to be taken away?
Amelia and Nathan have been married for 12 years, They longed for a child, but have come to the conclusion that adoption is the way for them. Suddenly they are parents to beautiful Oscar, 4 months old. However, Amelia is about to face questions and suspicions that have her questioning her sanity and trust for those she is closest to.
This was a fast pace, immersive read that I finished in 2 days. Amelia begins to question little things happening around her, becoming paranoid and wondering if she really is supposed to be a mother. Nathan seems to be supportive and has answers for a lot of the incidences, but Amelia soon finds that he is keeping secrets. They hire a nanny named Lena to help Amelia adjust to motherhood. As the family adjusts to having a nanny and a baby, Amelia becomes suspicious of Lena and who she actually is.
I really liked Amelia, and was questioning things right along with her. There is an atmospheric sense of apprehension and misgiving than runs through the story like an underground wire, always there even in the subtler moments. The relationship between Amelia and Lena was another element that pulled on this feeling of misgiving. At times they were connected and close, then at other times Lena would say or act in the most abrupt ways,
The book really explores motherhood, both biological and adopted, in a way that had me feeling for all the characters. There were times at the end when you just felt for Amelia, yet felt that she was strong and would work this through.
My only negative:
Amelia is a strong character that used to be the head of HR at a law firm. We see glimpses of this a few times when dealing with awkward times with Lena. However, after correcting Lena, she would turn around and become a soggy mop in the next scene. I felt it was a little off, but I understand that when going through this type of emotion, she might continue to question herself even after standing up for herself. By the end of the book, she has come back to being that strong woman.
I did enjoy the book, and plan to read others by this author. She writes family drama/thriller really well!
Publication Date: June 23, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.
What would you do if everything you ever dreamed for becomes yours, then it is threatened to be taken away?
Amelia and Nathan have been married for 12 years, They longed for a child, but have come to the conclusion that adoption is the way for them. Suddenly they are parents to beautiful Oscar, 4 months old. However, Amelia is about to face questions and suspicions that have her questioning her sanity and trust for those she is closest to.
This was a fast pace, immersive read that I finished in 2 days. Amelia begins to question little things happening around her, becoming paranoid and wondering if she really is supposed to be a mother. Nathan seems to be supportive and has answers for a lot of the incidences, but Amelia soon finds that he is keeping secrets. They hire a nanny named Lena to help Amelia adjust to motherhood. As the family adjusts to having a nanny and a baby, Amelia becomes suspicious of Lena and who she actually is.
I really liked Amelia, and was questioning things right along with her. There is an atmospheric sense of apprehension and misgiving than runs through the story like an underground wire, always there even in the subtler moments. The relationship between Amelia and Lena was another element that pulled on this feeling of misgiving. At times they were connected and close, then at other times Lena would say or act in the most abrupt ways,
The book really explores motherhood, both biological and adopted, in a way that had me feeling for all the characters. There were times at the end when you just felt for Amelia, yet felt that she was strong and would work this through.
My only negative:
Amelia is a strong character that used to be the head of HR at a law firm. We see glimpses of this a few times when dealing with awkward times with Lena. However, after correcting Lena, she would turn around and become a soggy mop in the next scene. I felt it was a little off, but I understand that when going through this type of emotion, she might continue to question herself even after standing up for herself. By the end of the book, she has come back to being that strong woman.
I did enjoy the book, and plan to read others by this author. She writes family drama/thriller really well!
Publication Date: June 23, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.
June 23, 2026
Personal Copy Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
The Wife Upstairs by Sue Fortin
Published: May 2026
First of all, thank you to Sue Fortin and NetGalley for allowing me to read this and for unexpectedly poking my inner mother right in the feelings.
I went into this expecting something a little different. Something darker. Twistier. Something that would leave my brain in a knot while I stared at a wall questioning my life choices. Instead, what I found was something far sadder.
And honestly? That isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
For me, this never fully reached the psychological mind-bending territory I expected. Even the title feels slightly disconnected from the story itself. But that could very well be my fault. After reading an alarming number of thrillers, my expectations have become a little spoiled and my inner critic now has the volume control permanently stuck on high.
That said, this story isn’t lacking. Not even close.
What Sue Fortin delivers is a painfully raw and emotional look at motherhood, grief, love, and the desperate choices people make when their hearts are carrying more weight than they can handle. Someone in this story makes decisions that are objectively terrible and yet heartbreakingly understandable. No, I’m not telling you who. I’m many things, but a spoiler monster isn’t one of them.
What hit me hardest was the way motherhood is explored. This book understands something many stories forget: being a mother isn’t simply about having a child. Sometimes it’s about sacrifice. Sometimes it’s about loss. Sometimes it’s about letting go when every cell in your body is screaming at you not to.
This story quietly breaks your heart while showing the lengths people will go to fill the empty spaces grief leaves behind. It also serves as another reminder that secrets are like forgotten leftovers shoved to the back of the fridge. Leave them there long enough and eventually something starts rotting. And when that smell finally escapes, everyone suffers.
So if you’re looking for a story where love tangles itself around grief, where emotions carry more weight than shocking twists, and where the heartbreak feels painfully real, then I think plenty of readers will connect with this one far more than I did.
It wasn’t exactly the book I expected.
But it was definitely a story I felt.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
The Wife Upstairs by Sue Fortin
Published: May 2026
First of all, thank you to Sue Fortin and NetGalley for allowing me to read this and for unexpectedly poking my inner mother right in the feelings.
I went into this expecting something a little different. Something darker. Twistier. Something that would leave my brain in a knot while I stared at a wall questioning my life choices. Instead, what I found was something far sadder.
And honestly? That isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
For me, this never fully reached the psychological mind-bending territory I expected. Even the title feels slightly disconnected from the story itself. But that could very well be my fault. After reading an alarming number of thrillers, my expectations have become a little spoiled and my inner critic now has the volume control permanently stuck on high.
That said, this story isn’t lacking. Not even close.
What Sue Fortin delivers is a painfully raw and emotional look at motherhood, grief, love, and the desperate choices people make when their hearts are carrying more weight than they can handle. Someone in this story makes decisions that are objectively terrible and yet heartbreakingly understandable. No, I’m not telling you who. I’m many things, but a spoiler monster isn’t one of them.
What hit me hardest was the way motherhood is explored. This book understands something many stories forget: being a mother isn’t simply about having a child. Sometimes it’s about sacrifice. Sometimes it’s about loss. Sometimes it’s about letting go when every cell in your body is screaming at you not to.
This story quietly breaks your heart while showing the lengths people will go to fill the empty spaces grief leaves behind. It also serves as another reminder that secrets are like forgotten leftovers shoved to the back of the fridge. Leave them there long enough and eventually something starts rotting. And when that smell finally escapes, everyone suffers.
So if you’re looking for a story where love tangles itself around grief, where emotions carry more weight than shocking twists, and where the heartbreak feels painfully real, then I think plenty of readers will connect with this one far more than I did.
It wasn’t exactly the book I expected.
But it was definitely a story I felt.
June 24, 2026
Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of The Women Upstairs in exchange for an honest review.
This book had me in an absolute chokehold for the last several hours and I simply could not walk away from it. I have absolutely zero idea what it was that exactly drew me in, but because it was such a straightforward read that kept me on the absolute edge on my seat, I ended up flying through it. There was something about the way this book was written that made you feel as if you were in the story right along with Amelia, Nathan, and Lena. I'm not going to lie, Nathan's character and his actions towards Amelia and Amelia's suspicion of him brought forth an actual visceral reaction in me. At times I could feel my heartrate spike and was overcome with deep seeded anger that came out of quite literally nowhere. When a book can draw that out of you simply through the words that are woven through the pages, you know the author has touched on a special kind of connection with her reader.
I thought that the way Lena's character was slowly created was masterful. When I was first introduced to her, there was something conveyed so simply that immediately gave me an bad feeling that was just far enough away, I couldn't put a finger on it. There is so much distrust created through Amelia's perspective, it's hard to initially tell if everything is as it seems or if we are truly working with one heck of an unreliable narrator. Nathan's character angered me to my core and it's rare that a character can bring out that level of rage in me while reading. That's a huge testament to the thought and background that Sue puts into her storyline and buildup as we get to know each individual.
I'm not going to spoil things by walking you through the plot. If you want a summary, feel free to check the description, but please believe me when I say that this is one of the most gripping thrillers I've read in awhile. Is it masterfully unique and like nothing I've ever read before? No, not necessarily. But what was unique was the vast array of emotions I walked through while reading this book that normally are very hard to pull out of me that made me feel so connected with Amelia and Lena. Truly a compelling read that I think anyone with a special affinity for thrillers will come to truly enjoy. This will certainly not be my last novel from Sue Fortin!
This book had me in an absolute chokehold for the last several hours and I simply could not walk away from it. I have absolutely zero idea what it was that exactly drew me in, but because it was such a straightforward read that kept me on the absolute edge on my seat, I ended up flying through it. There was something about the way this book was written that made you feel as if you were in the story right along with Amelia, Nathan, and Lena. I'm not going to lie, Nathan's character and his actions towards Amelia and Amelia's suspicion of him brought forth an actual visceral reaction in me. At times I could feel my heartrate spike and was overcome with deep seeded anger that came out of quite literally nowhere. When a book can draw that out of you simply through the words that are woven through the pages, you know the author has touched on a special kind of connection with her reader.
I thought that the way Lena's character was slowly created was masterful. When I was first introduced to her, there was something conveyed so simply that immediately gave me an bad feeling that was just far enough away, I couldn't put a finger on it. There is so much distrust created through Amelia's perspective, it's hard to initially tell if everything is as it seems or if we are truly working with one heck of an unreliable narrator. Nathan's character angered me to my core and it's rare that a character can bring out that level of rage in me while reading. That's a huge testament to the thought and background that Sue puts into her storyline and buildup as we get to know each individual.
I'm not going to spoil things by walking you through the plot. If you want a summary, feel free to check the description, but please believe me when I say that this is one of the most gripping thrillers I've read in awhile. Is it masterfully unique and like nothing I've ever read before? No, not necessarily. But what was unique was the vast array of emotions I walked through while reading this book that normally are very hard to pull out of me that made me feel so connected with Amelia and Lena. Truly a compelling read that I think anyone with a special affinity for thrillers will come to truly enjoy. This will certainly not be my last novel from Sue Fortin!
June 14, 2026
A new mother’s salvation becomes the key to secrets and betrayals she was never meant to find …
Well … that prologue catches your breath and had me intrigued! 🎣
Amelia feels like she is drowning. After failed IVF attempts, her and husband Nathan finally have their dream little boy, Oscar. She is exhausted - physically and emotionally - with everything they have been through and in this new chapter of their lives. She is desperate to be able to soothe her new baby, who seems so unsettled, and be able to grab a few hours of sleep.
One night, she notices a shadow moving in the garden of their home. Nathan pushes the thought from her head and blames it on tiredness, but Amelia knows what she saw. She locks every door at night .. but finds them open by morning and her anxiety increases. Is this exhaustion making her imagination do funny things? Or is this someone watching the family? But what could they want from this normal family?
To ease her fears, Amelia hires Lena, a young nanny who is miraculously amazing with Oscar. It should be a relief, but instead, Amelia feels her chest is tight and feels strangely unsettled around Lena and her behaviours. And the strange things around the home are still happening. There are still footprints in the flower beds and photos go missing. Then Nathan starts taking hushed phonecalls late at night …
As exhaustion and denial blur the line of paranoia and reality, Amelia begins to ask herself if motherhood is breaking her. Or has she let a dangerous stranger into their home?
A complicated, messy, mind-game-filled domestic thriller, this is perfect for you if you love this genre. The trio POV book has a striking resemblance to Freida McFadden’s Surrogate Mother and feels equally claustrophobic. What should be your safe space (your home), turns into Amelia’s worst nightmare. With heaps of lies, manipulation and betrayal, this is a perfect quick, tense read with short chapters and a difficult, emotional journey of motherhood. For me it just all felt a little too predictable to review higher.
This is my first Sue Fontin book and I’m looking forward to looking into others!
With thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Sue Fontin for the ARC in return for an honest review.
Well … that prologue catches your breath and had me intrigued! 🎣
Amelia feels like she is drowning. After failed IVF attempts, her and husband Nathan finally have their dream little boy, Oscar. She is exhausted - physically and emotionally - with everything they have been through and in this new chapter of their lives. She is desperate to be able to soothe her new baby, who seems so unsettled, and be able to grab a few hours of sleep.
One night, she notices a shadow moving in the garden of their home. Nathan pushes the thought from her head and blames it on tiredness, but Amelia knows what she saw. She locks every door at night .. but finds them open by morning and her anxiety increases. Is this exhaustion making her imagination do funny things? Or is this someone watching the family? But what could they want from this normal family?
To ease her fears, Amelia hires Lena, a young nanny who is miraculously amazing with Oscar. It should be a relief, but instead, Amelia feels her chest is tight and feels strangely unsettled around Lena and her behaviours. And the strange things around the home are still happening. There are still footprints in the flower beds and photos go missing. Then Nathan starts taking hushed phonecalls late at night …
As exhaustion and denial blur the line of paranoia and reality, Amelia begins to ask herself if motherhood is breaking her. Or has she let a dangerous stranger into their home?
A complicated, messy, mind-game-filled domestic thriller, this is perfect for you if you love this genre. The trio POV book has a striking resemblance to Freida McFadden’s Surrogate Mother and feels equally claustrophobic. What should be your safe space (your home), turns into Amelia’s worst nightmare. With heaps of lies, manipulation and betrayal, this is a perfect quick, tense read with short chapters and a difficult, emotional journey of motherhood. For me it just all felt a little too predictable to review higher.
This is my first Sue Fontin book and I’m looking forward to looking into others!
With thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Sue Fontin for the ARC in return for an honest review.
June 19, 2026
If sleep deprivation were a horror villain, The Woman Upstairs would be its origin story.
Sue Fortin takes one of the most relatable fears for new parents—the overwhelming exhaustion of caring for a newborn—and transforms it into a tense, paranoia-fueled psychological thriller that had me questioning everyone right alongside Amelia.
From the opening chapters, I felt trapped inside Amelia’s world. She’s exhausted, isolated in a remote farmhouse, and struggling to distinguish genuine danger from the effects of chronic sleep deprivation. The author does an excellent job of making readers experience that uncertainty firsthand. Every strange noise, every footprint in the garden, every unanswered question feels amplified through Amelia’s fragile state of mind.
The pacing is one of the book’s greatest strengths. It starts with a slow, unsettling build, layering mystery upon mystery before gradually tightening the screws. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, another revelation shifted the narrative in an unexpected direction. The tension never lets up, especially during the second half.
Amelia was a compelling protagonist because her fears felt authentic. As a reader, you’re constantly asking yourself whether she’s seeing genuine threats or whether exhaustion is distorting reality. Nathan’s secretive behavior and Lena’s arrival only deepen that uncertainty. Lena, in particular, is a fascinating character. Every scene involving her carried an undercurrent of tension that kept me guessing about her true intentions.
The isolated farmhouse setting adds so much to the atmosphere. The rural landscape creates a feeling of vulnerability and claustrophobia despite the open spaces. The house itself becomes a pressure cooker where secrets, suspicions, and family tensions simmer until they finally explode.
The twist deserves special mention. I won’t spoil anything, but it’s the kind of reveal that makes you immediately rethink earlier chapters and appreciate the clues hidden in plain sight. Readers who enjoy domestic thrillers built around unreliable perspectives and shocking family secrets will find plenty to love here.
An addictive, suspenseful thriller that explores motherhood, trust, and manipulation with plenty of twists along the way.
Sue Fortin takes one of the most relatable fears for new parents—the overwhelming exhaustion of caring for a newborn—and transforms it into a tense, paranoia-fueled psychological thriller that had me questioning everyone right alongside Amelia.
From the opening chapters, I felt trapped inside Amelia’s world. She’s exhausted, isolated in a remote farmhouse, and struggling to distinguish genuine danger from the effects of chronic sleep deprivation. The author does an excellent job of making readers experience that uncertainty firsthand. Every strange noise, every footprint in the garden, every unanswered question feels amplified through Amelia’s fragile state of mind.
The pacing is one of the book’s greatest strengths. It starts with a slow, unsettling build, layering mystery upon mystery before gradually tightening the screws. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, another revelation shifted the narrative in an unexpected direction. The tension never lets up, especially during the second half.
Amelia was a compelling protagonist because her fears felt authentic. As a reader, you’re constantly asking yourself whether she’s seeing genuine threats or whether exhaustion is distorting reality. Nathan’s secretive behavior and Lena’s arrival only deepen that uncertainty. Lena, in particular, is a fascinating character. Every scene involving her carried an undercurrent of tension that kept me guessing about her true intentions.
The isolated farmhouse setting adds so much to the atmosphere. The rural landscape creates a feeling of vulnerability and claustrophobia despite the open spaces. The house itself becomes a pressure cooker where secrets, suspicions, and family tensions simmer until they finally explode.
The twist deserves special mention. I won’t spoil anything, but it’s the kind of reveal that makes you immediately rethink earlier chapters and appreciate the clues hidden in plain sight. Readers who enjoy domestic thrillers built around unreliable perspectives and shocking family secrets will find plenty to love here.
An addictive, suspenseful thriller that explores motherhood, trust, and manipulation with plenty of twists along the way.
June 9, 2026
This was such an addictive thriller. From the very beginning, I was pulled into the story and couldn't stop trying to figure out what was really going on. Every chapter seemed to raise new questions, and the deeper I got, the more tangled everything became.
What I enjoyed most was watching one person's web of lies slowly unravel. The manipulation throughout this book was incredibly frustrating in the best possible way. Time and time again, I found myself shocked by how much influence one person had over everyone around them. They were constantly controlling the narrative, twisting the truth, and keeping others exactly where they wanted them. It made for a tense and sometimes infuriating reading experience because I just wanted the truth to finally come out.
The story did a great job of making me question everything. I kept changing my theories and second-guessing what I thought I knew. There were moments where I felt completely fooled, and I loved that the book was able to keep me guessing for so long.
The ending was definitely the highlight for me. After spending so much time watching the lies pile up, it was incredibly satisfying to see everything finally come together. The pieces started falling into place, secrets were exposed, and the full picture became clear. Looking back, I could see how carefully everything had been set up from the beginning, which made the payoff even better.
The reason this wasn't quite a five-star read is that there were a few slower sections where the story felt like it was circling the same ideas before moving forward. Even so, the suspense, drama, and ultimate reveal kept me invested the entire time.
Overall, this was a twisty, entertaining thriller filled with deception, manipulation, and plenty of jaw-dropping moments. If you enjoy watching a master manipulator's carefully constructed world slowly collapse around them, this is a very satisfying read.
What I enjoyed most was watching one person's web of lies slowly unravel. The manipulation throughout this book was incredibly frustrating in the best possible way. Time and time again, I found myself shocked by how much influence one person had over everyone around them. They were constantly controlling the narrative, twisting the truth, and keeping others exactly where they wanted them. It made for a tense and sometimes infuriating reading experience because I just wanted the truth to finally come out.
The story did a great job of making me question everything. I kept changing my theories and second-guessing what I thought I knew. There were moments where I felt completely fooled, and I loved that the book was able to keep me guessing for so long.
The ending was definitely the highlight for me. After spending so much time watching the lies pile up, it was incredibly satisfying to see everything finally come together. The pieces started falling into place, secrets were exposed, and the full picture became clear. Looking back, I could see how carefully everything had been set up from the beginning, which made the payoff even better.
The reason this wasn't quite a five-star read is that there were a few slower sections where the story felt like it was circling the same ideas before moving forward. Even so, the suspense, drama, and ultimate reveal kept me invested the entire time.
Overall, this was a twisty, entertaining thriller filled with deception, manipulation, and plenty of jaw-dropping moments. If you enjoy watching a master manipulator's carefully constructed world slowly collapse around them, this is a very satisfying read.
June 22, 2026
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I think this is my first book by this author that I have read but I did recently purchase another book or two that are on my tbr.
Brief Summary: Amelia and her husband Nathan are trying to have baby, IVF hasn't worked and so they turn to adoption. The adoption agency lets them know there is a baby available but at the last possible moment that adoption falls but then the agency comes back and says that there is another child available. Amelia and Nathan adopt Oscar and take him home. They live in an isolated farmhouse and strange things start to happen after Oscar comes into their lives, things are rearranged or go missing, Amelia gets to be on edge and she starts to question what is real or is she just tired, overwhelmed and forgetful. They decide to hire a live in nanny to help with the baby. There are more events that happen that make Amelia anxious and then suspicious over something so she starts digging into things. I don't want to say anymore as to give spoilers so I am going to stop with the summary right there.
Thoughts: This story was fast-paced and completely addictive, I just couldn't quit reading it to find out how everything was going to play out in the end. I did kind of see where the story was going to lead me but I still wanted to know how it was all going to end. There are lies, secrets, deceptions and gaslighting, and there are also heartbreaking parts. The heartbreaking parts are choices that have to be made that are devastating. Amelia has the main point of view but there are two others in the story, one of which you don't come to until about the half way point that is important to the story. As they always say secrets never stay buried! I did love how it all wrapped up, it has a beautiful ending and the best possible ending for the circumstances. Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the complimentary copy of the story.
Brief Summary: Amelia and her husband Nathan are trying to have baby, IVF hasn't worked and so they turn to adoption. The adoption agency lets them know there is a baby available but at the last possible moment that adoption falls but then the agency comes back and says that there is another child available. Amelia and Nathan adopt Oscar and take him home. They live in an isolated farmhouse and strange things start to happen after Oscar comes into their lives, things are rearranged or go missing, Amelia gets to be on edge and she starts to question what is real or is she just tired, overwhelmed and forgetful. They decide to hire a live in nanny to help with the baby. There are more events that happen that make Amelia anxious and then suspicious over something so she starts digging into things. I don't want to say anymore as to give spoilers so I am going to stop with the summary right there.
Thoughts: This story was fast-paced and completely addictive, I just couldn't quit reading it to find out how everything was going to play out in the end. I did kind of see where the story was going to lead me but I still wanted to know how it was all going to end. There are lies, secrets, deceptions and gaslighting, and there are also heartbreaking parts. The heartbreaking parts are choices that have to be made that are devastating. Amelia has the main point of view but there are two others in the story, one of which you don't come to until about the half way point that is important to the story. As they always say secrets never stay buried! I did love how it all wrapped up, it has a beautiful ending and the best possible ending for the circumstances. Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the complimentary copy of the story.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
After years of heartbreak, Amelia and Nathan finally become parents through adoption, bringing baby Oscar home in the hope of a fresh start. But it soon becomes clear that Amelia’s new life doesn’t feel entirely right. The Woman Upstairs wastes no time pulling the reader into its tension, opening with an unsettling and emotionally charged prologue.
This story was my introduction to Sue Fortin’s work and I found her writing immersive and atmospheric. This is especially clear in Amelia, as paranoia creeps in and she begins questioning her judgement, her reality, and whether she’s truly cut out for motherhood. Strange occurrences around the property, along with her husband’s secrecy, add to her growing anxieties. When a nanny, Lena, is hired and seems almost too perfect, Amelia becomes more suspicious and convinced that Lena may know more than she’s letting on.
The overall atmosphere and that lingering sense of foreboding and dread, along with Amelia’s unsettled mindset, is what worked well for me. Lena’s presence also adds to the suspicion, and the dynamic between her and Amelia kept me hooked and second-guessing what is really going on. I also appreciated the exploration of motherhood and its challenges, which made Amelia’s situation feel very relatable as a woman. Without going into spoilers, it is quite an emotional read at times and may be triggering for some readers.
I’d definitely give this author’s books another go and think this is a solid choice for fans of emotionally layered, character-driven domestic suspense and psychological thrillers.
3.5⭐️
Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This story was my introduction to Sue Fortin’s work and I found her writing immersive and atmospheric. This is especially clear in Amelia, as paranoia creeps in and she begins questioning her judgement, her reality, and whether she’s truly cut out for motherhood. Strange occurrences around the property, along with her husband’s secrecy, add to her growing anxieties. When a nanny, Lena, is hired and seems almost too perfect, Amelia becomes more suspicious and convinced that Lena may know more than she’s letting on.
The overall atmosphere and that lingering sense of foreboding and dread, along with Amelia’s unsettled mindset, is what worked well for me. Lena’s presence also adds to the suspicion, and the dynamic between her and Amelia kept me hooked and second-guessing what is really going on. I also appreciated the exploration of motherhood and its challenges, which made Amelia’s situation feel very relatable as a woman. Without going into spoilers, it is quite an emotional read at times and may be triggering for some readers.
I’d definitely give this author’s books another go and think this is a solid choice for fans of emotionally layered, character-driven domestic suspense and psychological thrillers.
3.5⭐️
Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | The Woman Upstairs by Sue Fortin
This psychological thriller completely consumed me from beginning to end. I started reading with the intention of only getting through a few chapters, and before I knew it, I had finished the entire book in less than 24 hours. It was absolutely impossible to put down.
Sue Fortin does an incredible job building suspense and creating an atmosphere filled with tension, unease, and constant uncertainty. From the very beginning, something felt “off,” and that lingering sense of distrust kept me completely hooked throughout the entire story. Every chapter revealed just enough information to keep me turning pages while still leaving me desperate to uncover the full truth.
What stood out most to me was how addictive the pacing was. The story moves quickly, but it never feels rushed. The twists were well-executed, surprising, and layered in a way that kept me second-guessing every character and every theory I had. Just when I thought I understood where the story was heading, another reveal completely changed everything.
The characters were compelling and realistically flawed, which added even more depth to the suspense. Sue Fortin captured complicated relationships and hidden motives so well, making the tension feel believable and emotionally charged.
Overall, The Woman Upstairs was a gripping, fast-paced, and highly addictive thriller that thriller readers will absolutely devour. If you love domestic suspense, shocking twists, unreliable characters, and books that keep you awake far later than intended, this one is definitely worth picking up.
This psychological thriller completely consumed me from beginning to end. I started reading with the intention of only getting through a few chapters, and before I knew it, I had finished the entire book in less than 24 hours. It was absolutely impossible to put down.
Sue Fortin does an incredible job building suspense and creating an atmosphere filled with tension, unease, and constant uncertainty. From the very beginning, something felt “off,” and that lingering sense of distrust kept me completely hooked throughout the entire story. Every chapter revealed just enough information to keep me turning pages while still leaving me desperate to uncover the full truth.
What stood out most to me was how addictive the pacing was. The story moves quickly, but it never feels rushed. The twists were well-executed, surprising, and layered in a way that kept me second-guessing every character and every theory I had. Just when I thought I understood where the story was heading, another reveal completely changed everything.
The characters were compelling and realistically flawed, which added even more depth to the suspense. Sue Fortin captured complicated relationships and hidden motives so well, making the tension feel believable and emotionally charged.
Overall, The Woman Upstairs was a gripping, fast-paced, and highly addictive thriller that thriller readers will absolutely devour. If you love domestic suspense, shocking twists, unreliable characters, and books that keep you awake far later than intended, this one is definitely worth picking up.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley, Sue Fortin and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.
This is my first read from Sue and it was a great introduction to her writing. It is a domestic thriller, designed to keep you caught in suspense, but honestly, I predicted the entire plot from the first chapters. Then I spent the rest of the time praying it will not be like that, because Amelia didn't deserve that.
What makes a mother a mother? Giving birth, taking care of the child, choosing the thing that is good for your child even if your heart breaks? Sue delivers us that emotional battle of a mother from almost all female characters in this book. Amelia battles with destiny not giving her what she desires most: a child. Then they can adopt a child, and the worries that she might not be a good mother overtake her. But during this book, she realizes mothers don't become good mothers from the moment they get their child, they learn together with their baby how to become that good mother. She realizes that you can be a mother even you break inside by choosing what is good for her child. And she fights to prove just that. Even if against her husband's lies and manipulations.
This book is about how mothers come together to help each other, so their child can be safe and happy. Even while uncovering heart-breaking truths that might ruin their lives and their view about the people in their life.
It's fast-paced, and easy to digest while going through the story. The ending was good and well-deserved for each of the characters.
This is my first read from Sue and it was a great introduction to her writing. It is a domestic thriller, designed to keep you caught in suspense, but honestly, I predicted the entire plot from the first chapters. Then I spent the rest of the time praying it will not be like that, because Amelia didn't deserve that.
What makes a mother a mother? Giving birth, taking care of the child, choosing the thing that is good for your child even if your heart breaks? Sue delivers us that emotional battle of a mother from almost all female characters in this book. Amelia battles with destiny not giving her what she desires most: a child. Then they can adopt a child, and the worries that she might not be a good mother overtake her. But during this book, she realizes mothers don't become good mothers from the moment they get their child, they learn together with their baby how to become that good mother. She realizes that you can be a mother even you break inside by choosing what is good for her child. And she fights to prove just that. Even if against her husband's lies and manipulations.
This book is about how mothers come together to help each other, so their child can be safe and happy. Even while uncovering heart-breaking truths that might ruin their lives and their view about the people in their life.
It's fast-paced, and easy to digest while going through the story. The ending was good and well-deserved for each of the characters.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Woman Upstairs was an enjoyable, compulsively readable domestic psychological thriller that kept me turning pages even after I figured out where things were heading.
The setup immediately pulled me in: an exhausted new mother, a remote farmhouse, strange happenings in the night, and the unsettling feeling that something isn’t quite right. While I suspected the direction of the twist fairly early on, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment. Sometimes the fun is in watching everything unravel and seeing how the pieces come together.
This reminded me a lot of a Freida McFadden-style thriller—fast-paced, easy to digest, and difficult to put down. The characters felt believable, and the tension kept me reading, even if this wasn’t a story where I felt deeply emotionally connected to the cast.
Depth:
A solid psychological thriller with believable tension and a strong setup, though not one that dug especially deep emotionally or thematically.
Connection:
The characters felt believable enough to care what happened, but I never formed a strong emotional attachment to them.
Momentum:
High—this was an easy, compulsively readable thriller that kept me turning pages even after I suspected the twist.
For me, this lands solidly in the read-and-release category: entertaining, bingeable, and a great pick if you enjoy domestic thrillers with secrets, manipulation, and mounting paranoia. I’d definitely read more from Sue Fortin in the future.
The setup immediately pulled me in: an exhausted new mother, a remote farmhouse, strange happenings in the night, and the unsettling feeling that something isn’t quite right. While I suspected the direction of the twist fairly early on, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment. Sometimes the fun is in watching everything unravel and seeing how the pieces come together.
This reminded me a lot of a Freida McFadden-style thriller—fast-paced, easy to digest, and difficult to put down. The characters felt believable, and the tension kept me reading, even if this wasn’t a story where I felt deeply emotionally connected to the cast.
Depth:
A solid psychological thriller with believable tension and a strong setup, though not one that dug especially deep emotionally or thematically.
Connection:
The characters felt believable enough to care what happened, but I never formed a strong emotional attachment to them.
Momentum:
High—this was an easy, compulsively readable thriller that kept me turning pages even after I suspected the twist.
For me, this lands solidly in the read-and-release category: entertaining, bingeable, and a great pick if you enjoy domestic thrillers with secrets, manipulation, and mounting paranoia. I’d definitely read more from Sue Fortin in the future.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
So I usually don’t reveal anything that’s not in the blurb, but there’s a large part about Amelia becoming a mother that’s omitted. This isn’t just about a nanny moving in with bad intentions (everyone sees that coming), it’s deeper and more complicated than that. And to me, it makes it more interesting than your run-of-the-mill interloper story. It’s still predictable and features yet another disappointing husband. But at least the nanny character has more of a sympathetic backstory than in most of these books.
Amelia is the wife, Nathan is the husband, and Lena is the hired nanny. There’s the beginning part that then leads to the three of them living together and the initial conflicts. Then, when a twist is revealed in the middle of the story, it goes a different way and gets more interesting. It ends with a good conclusion, but kind of rushed, where the reader’s told everything that’s been happening until that point.
I was inclined at first to give it three stars, but then I thought, there’s enough new bits added to keep it interesting, and the female characters aren’t one-dimensional like you often see. The ending shows that even when things get messy and complicated, creating extended and blended families, it’s still possible to make it work if you try hard enough and put the children first. Sweet and sappy is sometimes just what you need.
My thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the free advanced reading copy of this book.
Amelia is the wife, Nathan is the husband, and Lena is the hired nanny. There’s the beginning part that then leads to the three of them living together and the initial conflicts. Then, when a twist is revealed in the middle of the story, it goes a different way and gets more interesting. It ends with a good conclusion, but kind of rushed, where the reader’s told everything that’s been happening until that point.
I was inclined at first to give it three stars, but then I thought, there’s enough new bits added to keep it interesting, and the female characters aren’t one-dimensional like you often see. The ending shows that even when things get messy and complicated, creating extended and blended families, it’s still possible to make it work if you try hard enough and put the children first. Sweet and sappy is sometimes just what you need.
My thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the free advanced reading copy of this book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I enjoyed The Woman Upstairs overall and ended up flying through it because the short chapters and constant tension made it such an easy, bingeable read. Sue Fortin really knows how to create that unsettling domestic thriller atmosphere where you constantly feel like something is wrong. Between the exhausted new mother, the secretive husband, and the nanny who immediately feels suspicious, I was hooked from the start.
What I liked most was the sense of paranoia running through the story. I kept questioning everyone’s motives, and I appreciated that the book explored deeper themes around infertility, adoption, motherhood, and emotional manipulation alongside the suspense. It gave the story more emotional weight than a typical popcorn thriller.
While I did find the overall plot fairly predictable and guessed the main direction early on, the pacing and atmosphere still kept me fully invested. Even when I suspected where things were heading, I still wanted to see how everything would unravel. The tension, secrets, and unreliable characters made it an entertaining ride from beginning to end.
Overall, this was a fast-paced and addictive psychological thriller that fans of domestic suspense will definitely enjoy. If you like stories filled with family secrets, paranoia, manipulation, and uneasy relationships, this is a solid pick.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
What I liked most was the sense of paranoia running through the story. I kept questioning everyone’s motives, and I appreciated that the book explored deeper themes around infertility, adoption, motherhood, and emotional manipulation alongside the suspense. It gave the story more emotional weight than a typical popcorn thriller.
While I did find the overall plot fairly predictable and guessed the main direction early on, the pacing and atmosphere still kept me fully invested. Even when I suspected where things were heading, I still wanted to see how everything would unravel. The tension, secrets, and unreliable characters made it an entertaining ride from beginning to end.
Overall, this was a fast-paced and addictive psychological thriller that fans of domestic suspense will definitely enjoy. If you like stories filled with family secrets, paranoia, manipulation, and uneasy relationships, this is a solid pick.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book genuinely made me feel like I was losing my mind alongside Amelia.
There’s such a suffocating atmosphere running through the entire story and Sue Fortin builds tension SO well that I questioned everybody and everything. Every conversation felt suspicious, every little detail suddenly seemed important and I was completely hooked trying to figure out what was really going on. And Nathan? Immediate red flag 🚩😂
I also instantly distrusted Lena, although honestly I think my own protective instincts kicked in because if a stranger reached for my baby like that I’d be telling them exactly where to go 😭
This is one of those “ignore your phone and cancel your plans” thrillers because once the story gets going, it becomes impossible to stop. The tension in the final chapters was unreal and I genuinely speed read because I NEEDED answers immediately. Even though I vaguely suspected parts of the twist, I was absolutely not prepared for the full extent of what unfolded. Shocking, heartbreaking and honestly devastating in places.
What really elevated this for me though was the underlying message woven throughout the story about motherhood, instinct and women supporting women in unexpected ways.
Dark, gripping, unsettling and ridiculously bingeable. Perfect for fans of domestic thrillers that completely consume you 👀🖤
Also adding this to my growing “men are walking red flags” collection 🤣
There’s such a suffocating atmosphere running through the entire story and Sue Fortin builds tension SO well that I questioned everybody and everything. Every conversation felt suspicious, every little detail suddenly seemed important and I was completely hooked trying to figure out what was really going on. And Nathan? Immediate red flag 🚩😂
I also instantly distrusted Lena, although honestly I think my own protective instincts kicked in because if a stranger reached for my baby like that I’d be telling them exactly where to go 😭
This is one of those “ignore your phone and cancel your plans” thrillers because once the story gets going, it becomes impossible to stop. The tension in the final chapters was unreal and I genuinely speed read because I NEEDED answers immediately. Even though I vaguely suspected parts of the twist, I was absolutely not prepared for the full extent of what unfolded. Shocking, heartbreaking and honestly devastating in places.
What really elevated this for me though was the underlying message woven throughout the story about motherhood, instinct and women supporting women in unexpected ways.
Dark, gripping, unsettling and ridiculously bingeable. Perfect for fans of domestic thrillers that completely consume you 👀🖤
Also adding this to my growing “men are walking red flags” collection 🤣
May 30, 2026
The Woman Upstairs is a gripping, claustrophobic domestic thriller that captures the raw, disorienting vulnerability of early motherhood and twists it into something far darker. Amelia is exhausted, overwhelmed, and desperate for sleep as she tries to soothe her newborn in the isolation of a remote farmhouse. Her husband works late, the nights stretch endlessly, and shadows seem to move in the walled garden when no one should be there. Doors she locks are open by morning. Footprints appear in the flowerbeds. The dread is quiet at first, then relentless.
When Lena arrives—a young nanny with an uncanny ability to calm baby Oscar—Amelia should feel relief. Instead, the unease sharpens. Nathan is taking whispered phone calls. Lena watches Amelia with something unreadable in her eyes. And Amelia’s exhaustion blurs the line between paranoia and genuine danger until she no longer knows which instincts to trust.
Sue Fortin builds tension with exquisite precision, letting the reader feel Amelia’s unraveling while keeping the truth just out of reach. Is Amelia imagining threats in the fog of sleeplessness, or has she invited something sinister into her home?
Atmospheric, unsettling, and emotionally razor‑sharp, The Woman Upstairs is a compulsive read that keeps you questioning every character’s motives right up to the final reveal.
With thanks to Sue Fortin, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
When Lena arrives—a young nanny with an uncanny ability to calm baby Oscar—Amelia should feel relief. Instead, the unease sharpens. Nathan is taking whispered phone calls. Lena watches Amelia with something unreadable in her eyes. And Amelia’s exhaustion blurs the line between paranoia and genuine danger until she no longer knows which instincts to trust.
Sue Fortin builds tension with exquisite precision, letting the reader feel Amelia’s unraveling while keeping the truth just out of reach. Is Amelia imagining threats in the fog of sleeplessness, or has she invited something sinister into her home?
Atmospheric, unsettling, and emotionally razor‑sharp, The Woman Upstairs is a compulsive read that keeps you questioning every character’s motives right up to the final reveal.
With thanks to Sue Fortin, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
June 22, 2026
Sue Fortin has done it again with another addictive domestic thriller that kept me turning the pages. I was pulled in right from the start and those short chapters made it so easy to say “just one more chapter” and suddenly realise I’d read far more than I planned.
Amelia and Nathan finally bring home baby Oscar, but life in their isolated farmhouse isn’t the happy dream Amelia imagined. Strange things start happening around the house and, exhausted from sleepless nights and adjusting to motherhood, she begins to question whether it's all in her head. The arrival of nanny Lena should make things easier, but instead it only adds to Amelia’s unease.
I really felt for Amelia. Sue Fortin captured the anxiety and exhaustion of new motherhood so well, and I constantly questioned what was real and who could be trusted. I also enjoyed getting different perspectives as the story unfolded, as they made me rethink some of the characters and added another layer to the mystery.
I did work out some of the bigger reveals before they happened, but that didn’t stop me from being completely invested. I still needed to know how everything would play out, and the final part of the book had me hooked. There are plenty of secrets, lies and manipulation, along with some emotional moments that added depth to the story.
Fast-paced, atmospheric and very readable, The Woman Upstairs is another enjoyable thriller from Sue Fortin
Amelia and Nathan finally bring home baby Oscar, but life in their isolated farmhouse isn’t the happy dream Amelia imagined. Strange things start happening around the house and, exhausted from sleepless nights and adjusting to motherhood, she begins to question whether it's all in her head. The arrival of nanny Lena should make things easier, but instead it only adds to Amelia’s unease.
I really felt for Amelia. Sue Fortin captured the anxiety and exhaustion of new motherhood so well, and I constantly questioned what was real and who could be trusted. I also enjoyed getting different perspectives as the story unfolded, as they made me rethink some of the characters and added another layer to the mystery.
I did work out some of the bigger reveals before they happened, but that didn’t stop me from being completely invested. I still needed to know how everything would play out, and the final part of the book had me hooked. There are plenty of secrets, lies and manipulation, along with some emotional moments that added depth to the story.
Fast-paced, atmospheric and very readable, The Woman Upstairs is another enjoyable thriller from Sue Fortin
June 22, 2026
The Woman Upstairs by Sue Fortin is a fast-paced domestic thriller with short chapters, plenty of tension, and just enough drama to make it an entertaining popcorn read.
After years of infertility and failed attempts to have a baby, Amelia and Nathan decide that adoption is their only option. Nathan takes charge of the entire adoption process and soon they welcome a beautiful baby boy, Oscar, into their family.
Now, maybe it's just me, but a husband who handles everything without any input? That was my first red flag.
As Amelia struggles to adjust to motherhood, Nathan continues on with work and everyday life before deciding to hire a nanny. Enter Lena, who seems to have an almost magical way with Oscar—and immediately sets off alarm bells for Amelia.
Again, maybe it's just me, but a husband who independently hires a nanny? Another red flag.
While I thought the overall direction of the story was fairly obvious from the beginning, Sue Fortin's engaging writing and the short, bingeable chapters kept me invested. The unique premise and steadily building tension made this an enjoyable domestic thriller, even if the twists didn't completely surprise me.
If you're looking for a quick popcorn thriller filled with family drama, suspicion, and a healthy dose of "something isn't right here," this one is worth picking up.
Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
After years of infertility and failed attempts to have a baby, Amelia and Nathan decide that adoption is their only option. Nathan takes charge of the entire adoption process and soon they welcome a beautiful baby boy, Oscar, into their family.
Now, maybe it's just me, but a husband who handles everything without any input? That was my first red flag.
As Amelia struggles to adjust to motherhood, Nathan continues on with work and everyday life before deciding to hire a nanny. Enter Lena, who seems to have an almost magical way with Oscar—and immediately sets off alarm bells for Amelia.
Again, maybe it's just me, but a husband who independently hires a nanny? Another red flag.
While I thought the overall direction of the story was fairly obvious from the beginning, Sue Fortin's engaging writing and the short, bingeable chapters kept me invested. The unique premise and steadily building tension made this an enjoyable domestic thriller, even if the twists didn't completely surprise me.
If you're looking for a quick popcorn thriller filled with family drama, suspicion, and a healthy dose of "something isn't right here," this one is worth picking up.
Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 25, 2026
Amelia is drowning. She’d give anything to soothe her new baby and snatch a few desperate hours of sleep. While her husband, Nathan, works late, Amelia sees shadows moving in the walled garden of their remote farmhouse. She locks every door at night and finds them open by morning.
Then she hires Lena, a young nanny with a miraculous way with Oscar, and everything starts to get better. It should be a relief. Instead, dread coils tighter in Amelia’s chest.
Because there are still footprints in the flowerbeds. Because Nathan is taking whispered phone calls. And because Lena watches Amelia with something that looks almost like pity, or anger. As exhaustion blurs the line between paranoia and reality, Amelia asks herself: is motherhood breaking her? Or has she let a dangerous stranger into her home?
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I did suspect from the beginning that the breaking in had to do with Lena given her special interest in Oscar. However, I didnt expect her to be Oscar's mother and all the lies that Nathan told. The way he manipulated the adoption process and the harm he caused Lena added an emotional layer I wasn't expecting. While I guessed part of the mystery early on, the full reveal still surprised me, and I found myself sympathizing with characters I hadn't anticipated. This was a tense thriller that kept me turning the pages, and I'd definitely recommend it if you enjoy stories that blur the line between paranoia and reality.
Then she hires Lena, a young nanny with a miraculous way with Oscar, and everything starts to get better. It should be a relief. Instead, dread coils tighter in Amelia’s chest.
Because there are still footprints in the flowerbeds. Because Nathan is taking whispered phone calls. And because Lena watches Amelia with something that looks almost like pity, or anger. As exhaustion blurs the line between paranoia and reality, Amelia asks herself: is motherhood breaking her? Or has she let a dangerous stranger into her home?
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I did suspect from the beginning that the breaking in had to do with Lena given her special interest in Oscar. However, I didnt expect her to be Oscar's mother and all the lies that Nathan told. The way he manipulated the adoption process and the harm he caused Lena added an emotional layer I wasn't expecting. While I guessed part of the mystery early on, the full reveal still surprised me, and I found myself sympathizing with characters I hadn't anticipated. This was a tense thriller that kept me turning the pages, and I'd definitely recommend it if you enjoy stories that blur the line between paranoia and reality.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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