In the sleepy coastal town of New Castle, New Hampshire, seventeen-year-old Billy Hasler’s life is about to take a terrifying turn. When his best friend David Spivey inherits a mysterious house on a nearby island, it seems like the perfect place to spend their final summer before heading off to college. No parents. No police. No responsibilities.
As they dig into the island’s dark past, they awaken an ancient evil that has influenced generations. What begins as an innocent summer adventure quickly descends into a nightmare.
Something I Keep Upstairs is a haunting exploration of friendship, sacrifice, and the darkness lurking just beyond our understanding. It will keep you on edge until the final chilling page.
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Hi and welcome to my review of Something I Keep Upstairs!
I’m a huge J.D. Barker fan (when he writes alone that is, I’m not a fan of the recent collabs with other authors) so I was thrilled when my beady eye caught sight of Something I Keep Upstairs! Honestly, they had me at that tagline. A haunted house? Sign me up! While Something I Keep Upstairs didn’t quite grab me as much as his earlier books, I did have a great time with it, even though I’m sure I fried my brain. Frankly, I could sum up my reading experience quite nicely using one emoji: 🤯.
Yup. My brain is fried, my mind is blown, don’t expect too much from this review, as my ability to form coherent thoughts has pretty much left the building. But I’ll try!
So this starts out as a rather straightforward coming-of-age story, with seventeen-year-old David Spivey inheriting a small island including a quite luxurious villa and thinking he’s now king of his own castle and nothing can ruin his summer. Said inheritance comes with a rather strange and mysterious set of rules, though. Kids under sixteen aren’t allowed on the island, doors must not be locked, the phone must not be answered, and oh yes, Emerson must be fed. But there is no one on the island, so who or what the hell is Emerson? I was immediately intrigued.
As the story progresses, it gets darker, creepier, and weirder. And quite sad, too, in a way. At multiple points in the story, I had no idea which way was up, I was entirely discombobulated. Mostly in a good way. I will not try to explain, because that would lead us straight into spoiler territory. Suffice it to say that if you’re in the market for a dark, creepy, mind-boggling chiller, you should definitely add Something I Keep Upstairs to your list.
Something I Keep Upstairs is out in digital formats and audio on 13 May, and in hardcover on 3 July.
Massive thanks to Hampton Creek Press and NetGalley for the DRC. All opinions are my own.
Fab review! ‘It fried my brain’ was pretty much my own experience with this book as well… Not my favorite JD Barker, but definitely SO much better than his latest collabs.
Agreed 😄