The Upstairs Room

by Dana Mele

A summer of nannying takes a terrifying turn when Blair discovers a legacy of mysterious deaths connected to her employer's sprawling summer estate...but the secrets Blair is harboring may be just as deadly. A pulse-pounding new YA horror thriller from acclaimed author Dana Mele.

The last place Blair Carver wants to spend the summer is on the remote Pearl Island. Still, nannying for the reclusive Hathorne family off the coast of Maine is an escape from a complicated junior year and home life—even with all the rules that must be followed.

Stepping onto the island is like traveling back in time. Raven’s Nook, the Hathorne’s estate, sprawls around a century’s old lighthouse. A cemetery on the property conceals family secrets, a creepy collection of dolls won’t stay put, and a forbidden upstairs room seems to hold the key to what the family is hiding.

Blair’s already uneasy around their young charges, who are cold and standoffish, and when the children start hazing Blair with a series of escalating—dangerous—pranks, the town's whispers about the Hathorne curse grow louder. Blair has dark secrets too, family secrets that have been passed down for generations, and if Blair’s not careful, they’re all going become part of the island’s fatal legend.

Genres: Thriller, Lesbian

288 pages, Paperback

Expected publication April 20, 2027

Reviews

[Merlyn Fereira]

𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝚂𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚟𝚒𝚊 𝙽𝚎𝚝𝙶𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚢. 𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚠𝚗. This book was marked as Read Now on NetGalley and I'm so glad that I was able to read this book at the correct time.

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The Upstairs Room by Dana Mele is YA Teen, horror thriller about a nanny who is assigned to work in the Hawthrone household called Raven's Nook. The family are elites and the boat ride to their household sets up Blair's spirits because it's a summer job for her away from her life at home. The book is divided into three parts--- the first one is focused on Blair, the second on Dani and the third are multi-POVs.

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𝚆𝚑𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔?:
- A debt has to be paid and a nanny is hired to look over the kids in a rich man's household.
- Kids play scary pranks on the nanny.
- The family lives on an island isolated from the rest of the population.
- Who is Dani and what is Ivy's deal?
- Story divided into 3 parts and the first 2 are POVs from 2 different characters while the third has multi-POV chapters.
- Multiple references to movies and TV shows when talking about something.
- Creepy dolls galore.
- Superstition and superstitious beliefs.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍:
- The feelings of loss and PTSD were amazingly depicted in this.
- The elements of fear and horror were amazing in this book. It just happened all of a sudden and you least expect it.
- The scene when AJ tells Blair about Ivy made my jaw drop. It was so good.
- I felt the inclusion of creepy dolls and the tower made the story and plot great. It added to the eeriness of it.

𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚞𝚗𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚘𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
- This story has LGBTQ+ characters so why is this story tagged as LGBT+ ? The main character is herself part of this community and it was quite shocking that this wasn't added.
- I felt Ivy should have been a bit more mature when it came to her conversations with Blair because she was working in the Hawthrone household for quite sometime so her conversations should have had an air of authority and respect in some way.
- How old is Blair? Her POV sounds childish and the whole way she explains things seem childish. I felt it needed a slightly more mature writing since it's YA teen.
- I felt the constant referencing of TV shows and movies wasn't making me be more imaginative. I wanted something that wasn't a pop culture reference and wanted more originality.
- The fact that the side characters were explaining events where the previous sentence had already explained it felt mediocre. The writing made me believe that the readers wouldn't be able to understand certain events even though the previous sentence explained it to the T. It happens so many times during part 2 of the story that it gets too out of hand. Then, there is the part where pop culture references— movies are added to make a point to what the character said previously.

[louise]

(3.25/5) It’s always a pleasant surprise when a horror story manages to be more than just horror, and The Upstairs Room does so with a compelling concept and, even better, a sapphic romance. Instead of relying on the typical horror formula riddled with suspense and tense scenes, it builds its story around witchcraft and soul cohabitation, using both to create a concept that was more interesting than I had expected. Though later told from different perspectives, the narratives connect seamlessly, ultimately delivering a conclusion that tied together the theories and questions that had been left unanswered.

The horror aspect, on the other hand, left much more to be desired. The ideas introduced throughout the story had plenty of potential, but they could have been used far more effectively to actually make me feel afraid, rather than haphazardly cramming climactic scenes before the denouement. The number of characters also became difficult to keep track of halfway through, with some having almost identical names or being referred to by different nicknames depending on who was speaking. The random time skips didn’t help either, often leaving me wondering whether I was still in the same scene or if I’d simply missed something.

All things considered, much of what I liked about this book came from the parts that reminded me of the Fear Street series, which I am also such an avid connoisseur of. I was gripped by the recurring timelines, the way history seemed to repeat itself, and the characters’ devotion to their respective loyalties across generations, much more than I was by the horror I initially came for. Despite that, the story’s interconnectedness kept me hooked until the end, and it was still an entertaining read nonetheless.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Tee]

This was a wonderfully creepy read!

There’s a lot to enjoy about this book. One of my favorite elements was the historical ties to the Salem Witch Trials. I wasn’t expecting that, and yet I found it so intriguing and compelling.

I also liked that this story was fast-paced, which is common with YA novels but not always common with gothic novels.

This story is filled with so many spooky elements—from a haunted house, to a creepy doll collection, to generational curses and secrets. The eerie seaside atmosphere off the coast of Maine was also something I really enjoyed, with its secret histories, unsettling myths, and growing dread surrounding the lighthouse estate.

Blair Carver was a great, relatable protagonist. In fact, the whole cast of characters was great overall, and I liked that it was difficult to know who we could trust.

I really liked the plot of this book, although some of the twists were predictable. I don’t think that will be the case for those less familiar with the genre though.

All in all, I think anyone looking to read an eerie YA gothic mystery, filled with horror and suspense, will enjoy this one!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire | Sourcebooks Fire for allowing me to read the eARC!

[Amber]

Thank you to Netgalley & publishers for this arc.

3.5 ⭐️

This book was so eerie. There were several moments throughout the story where I felt genuine goosebumps on my arms - fear - which often made me forget this is a YA novel.

I really enjoyed the ties this book had to the Salem Witch Trials - it added a real depth to the story and made it a more compelling read. There are so many elements in this book that evoked fear in me. The dolls, a haunted house, curses… the dolls.

This was genuinely so twisty - I could never quite figure out where this was going or what was going to be said next. The whole time I was kept on my toes & I never quite knew which characters I could trust.

Blair and Dani were definitely a highlight for me. I do love the way the book was split into three parts, one for Blair, one for Dani and one that ties it all together. I was a little confused by Dani’s part until the twist came & when I say my jaw dropped….

I would definitely recommended for anyone who enjoys YA thrillers or a really twisty and unpredictable mystery !

[Priscilla Calvin]

Creeeeeepy as hell. Some parts had me hooked to the max, trying to ignore the shivers down my spine while sorting through the new pieces of information I was given to figure out what the hell was going on.

I loved the LGBTQ+ theme running through the book, strong characters, mystery, intrigue, sadness, darkness, and depth of emotions. Everything about this read was both entertaining and thought-provoking. One thing that had me gripped until the very end was the mystery behind the island rules. I wanted to know more and was glad things were explained much later in the book rather than too soon. I'd recommend this book to others for sure and am excited to read more from this author in the future.

[Christina Marie Reads]

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an e-galley of The Upstairs Room by Dana Mele to read and review!

I really enjoyed the storyline and plot of this book! I especially enjoyed the references to the Salem witch trials and the historical aspect. I found it fast paced, interesting and engaging.

However, since the book is targeted to teen readers, I felt the heavy profanity was distracting and added nothing to the story. I don't believe it's suitable for the younger teen audience. As an adult reader, I don't really care for the profanity myself.

I would recommend this book to the older teens and YA readers who don't mind the profanity.

[Hillary]

2.2
I'm not interested in being mean when I say this, but this was EXTREMELY generous rounding on my part. This narrative was an absolute mess. The pot was wavy at best and the characters were...paper dolls.