Since I have not read the original book I had no idea what to expect from this book, but I kinda liked it. Even though it might have been more enjoyable with more knowledge of the original book. I might update my review after reading the original book.
The book itself was a bit slow for my taste but when the story started it was hard to put down. Since I had no knowledge over the happening of the original book, I could also enjoy finding out the secrets of Thornville and thus Mr. Rochester.
I personly find dualperspective books really good and I really enjoyed this in the book. I realy like the flashback scenes, but I kinda wish I could also see Edward's thoughts. Thanks to the descriptions that were not long but detailed, I found it easy to imagine the palace and feel like I am also there.
I found the main characters really loveable (but honestly who doesn't like witty, independent and smart women?) but you can also kind of get behind the 'nonloveable' characters, however I would have liked if we could learn more about what they know about Bertha.

For me it was not an easy read, mainly because of the space but I'm glad that I stayed until the end. I think that people who read the original version might enjoy it more but without any knowledge of the original book it was still pretty enjoyable.

Thank for Harper Collins for letting me read an ARC of this book <3

While this was indeed a”fresh reimagining” of Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel Jane Eyre, it was so loosely based on the original as to be unidentifiable. I didn’t particularly care for the invented personalities for the characters and the Mr. Rochester’s portrayal was terrifying! The classification should be Adult and New Adult, but it is not advisable Teen reading.

"My mind turned from freedom to vengeance. If I could not gain one, I would take the other."

Thank you to netGalley for this book I really loved it! This is a sapphic retelling of Jane Eyre with all the romance and beautiful settings as the original novel but with added drama, gothic elements and new characters. Did you ever wonder about the wife in the original book? What was her story? Well this book has a duel POV between Bertha, the wife who is chained in the attic and the new, independent governess Jane.

Instantly we are introduced to two strong women and the way they are described and how we experience their thoughts made me love them both straight away. I was really invested in both of their lives and wanted them to win. This of course meant that the villain, Mr Rochester, was all the more hated. He is a true bad guy and not in the fun way, throughout the book we find out more and more disturbing things that he has done and his presence made for a more fiery read.

There are some twists and turns in this that kept me guessing at the plot and we are definitely kept on the edge of our seats, I thought the romance was done perfectly and fit for the time it was set in. There are poetic love letters, intense feelings that are romantic in a unique way.

Overall I really did like this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes retellings, historical romance, mystery books and destruction of the patriarchy!!! No but this book really had some great Mr Rochester hating moments where we shout at the book for the girls to GET HIM!!!
The only thing I didn't completely love was the ending, I did like it but I wish we knew more about what happens to the characters and their futures but that might just be me always wanting things completely wrapped up and I can understand why it wasn't in this case.

"Furiously, Bertha."

FINALLY, a feminist retelling that allowed Bertha agency! The writing was fantastic and I really loved reading the letters between Jane and Bertha that showed the passing of time and the growth of their love.

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

Jane Eyre accepts a governess position at Thornhill Hall. We all know the story. Except this time, L.L. McKinney presents a unique spin on this classic by alternating points of view between Jane and Bertha providing rich background stories for both characters. Jane is an intuitive, strong female protagonist who is playing Edward the whole time, hoping to help Bertha and the girl. This book had me on the edge of my seat with adrenaline pumping with a satisfying end.

Jane Eyre is one of my favourite classics and I was excited to see a reimaging, particularly with Jane and Bertha in basic terms teaming up. Now while this is a retelling and in a lot of places it is close to the original at certain times McKinney does something new. I will be honest I thought it would annoy me (being a massive fan of Jane Eyre) but rather it was the opposite. I enjoyed the deviations from the original at certain points and points that were kept mostly true to it.

The writing was fantastic and was original but also matched the style and tone of Jane Eyre but for a modern audience. It is a fun read and enjoyable. I loved the characterisation of Jane and Bertha and actually Mr Rochester as well. I adored everything about this and it’s perfect for fans of the original and empowering retellings as well.

When reading a retelling, I want something new and refreshing from it, but I also want the book to breath a similar atmosphere to the book it was based on. This one manages to do both, and as such, it was a successful read for me, and I enjoyed it a lot. I saw many elements I remembered from Jane Eyre, but the book also kept me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know how Jane and Bertha would work together and escape. This is also a sapphic reimagining, which added a lot of heart to the story. I'd highly recommend this if you're looking for a modern update of a beloved classic.

We close with L.L. McKinney’s ESCAPING MR. ROCHESTER (HarperTeen, 352 pp., $19.99), a young-adult retelling of “Jane Eyre” where Edward’s imprisoned wife and impoverished governess team up to thwart him. It’s barely an inch away from the canon to cast Rochester as a monster and abuser, of course, and many’s the retelling that turns the story into an out-and-out thriller: Rachel Hawkins’s “The Wife Upstairs” and Rose Lerner’s “The Wife in the Attic,” to name just two.

But this book is a direct rebuttal rather than a glancing riff on the original material. Rochester is far from the only villain in the piece, which takes a stark view of how power unites people, multiplying its potential for cruelty. The fierce Jane at the heart of it all is an avenging angel — again, barely an inch away from the canon — but when she finally sets Thornfield alight, the reader is more than ready to see the whole place burn.

And now it’s not Edward but Bertha — Bertie — who escapes the fire, Bertie who takes Jane’s hand and heart at the book’s end. Because, after all, what is a retelling but a second chance, and an opportunity for a woman doomed by someone else’s narrative to fight her way free?

I had the BEST time reading this book. I was picking it up at every opportunity, desperate for any chance to read a few pages. When I got to the end, though, I just wanted so much more!

The story takes its premise from Jane Eyre, repositioning Mr. Rochester as a villainous figure who uses and discards people – particularly women – for his own gain. It’s not too much of a stretch from the original, and I really enjoyed this approach! He does literally keep a secret wife locked in the attic in JE, so it felt like a really natural and interesting progression.

I also really liked that the author makes it clear that this story happens in an alternate world/timeline. There are enough differences from real life – a fictional monarch, for example – that it’s clearly established as a different world. I loved that this gave us a nice separation from the original, and also allowed for some historical tweaks, such as a Bridgerton-esque approach to race.

There were some points I wished it were closer to the original. I think everyone who has read JE vividly remembers their shock at That Reveal (I know I do!) and it felt odd not to have some sort of nod to it. There was also no point at which anyone suggested Bertha might be imprisoned because of her madness, whether true or not. I was a bit disappointed by this as this is one of the themes I was really hoping would be explored: how madness, or ‘hysteria’, is used to discredit women.

I just would have loved for it all to be fleshed out a little bit more. The romance was a little bit insta-love, there weren’t any significant subplots, and it was gasping for an epilogue at the end. I would have loved to see how Jane and Bertha rebuilt their lives after escaping, and I just felt slightly deflated at the end.

This was an enjoyable read, that offered a fun twist on Jane Eyre. In the end, though, I couldn’t help but feel a bit underwhelmed.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

I've been excited for Escaping Mr. Rochester ever since I heard about it. Mostly because I really dislike Jane Eyre. That doesn't make sense does it? But I was so looking forward to McKinney's queer take on the story. And it was fabulous. Escaping Mr. Rochester manages to not only stay true to the foundations of Jane Eyre, but also gives justice not only to Bertha's voice, but also the awful character of Rochester. The ways in which he preys on Bertha. While giving Bertha a voice, Escaping Mr. Rochester is tender, emotional, and a homage to justice.

This book accomplished a feat that 3 years of undergrad and 1 year of studying English Literature never managed to do, and that is: this book made me want to read Jane Eyre.

(I struggle to read classics for a few reasons, 1) I can’t seem to read when I’ve been told what to read, even if it’s a book I love 2) I still find the language hard to understand and to engage with! I know there’s some beautiful writing but everything in between makes my head hurt.)

However, I also fear I won’t like Jane Eyre as much because I read this book and liked it so much. Maybe we will find out one day!

So I would say my favourite thing about this book is how it reimagined a classic, but it was so accessible. I can’t speak much to the changes McKinney made and how much inspiration she drew from the original Brontë classic, but I liked what she did. This is a fun rendition.

My rating is probably around 3.5/3.75⭐️ stars. I think some chapters began to feel a bit repetitive and the pace could’ve been picked up in places. Overall though I liked the twists, the romance, and the little found family that was found amidst all the chaos.

I'm a great lover off Jane Eyre and I was curious about what the author would. do with this story but I loved it.

What made this book a good retelling of Jane Eyre is that it took the characters and gave them a new story and new change. I really think this true. for Bertha which I think she really deserved. In most retelling off Jane Eyre she is seen as a villain and not a victim. I also think it is a. logical spin on the original story because in that time difficult women where. seen. as mad.

The take that the author took with mr. Rochester was interesting yet also fitting in his character.

I think the only thing that made it a 4 star and not a 5 star was that the use of modern language in some places was a bit off for me personally. This also took me out of the story a bit.

I will definitely recommend this book in the future for people that would want to read Jane Eyre but can't get through original book

Jane arrives at Thornfield Hall with no desire for a husband. Her enployer us charming and attractive, but his mood changes on a dime. Between that and the creepy wailing coming from throughout the house, Jane is suspicious of the secrets in the great house. Meanwhile, Bertha plots her escape from the attic, and when she meets Jane, she may actually have a shot at freedom.

This book is full of drama. A queer, poc retelling of Jane Eyre that includes much more of the wife in the attic storyline, I won’t say I enjoyed it more than the original, buuuuuut I might have. Make it queer. Make it black. Make it brown. Make it more feminist. I’m here for all of it. It took me a minute to get into the story, but I’m super happy I kept with it, because once I was into, it didn’t let me go, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I really think this is going to be my last L.L. McKinney book. I’m not sure her writing is for me. I know this was a loose retelling, but it was like really boring lol It wasn’t until like 87% that this started picking up. And usually I would have DNFed way before this… And like I should have LOL

To say this was a retelling, it was a really fun one! The twist on this had me shocked! These people were all unhinged. Trapping her there? The kid? The friend?! Everything was crazy and I felt like I had whiplash as I was reading. And usually I love books like this.

The only problem was, it came too late. The whole time it went on and on and it made me increasingly annoyed lol But this isn’t the first time I didn’t connect with a book by L.L. McKinney. I think her writing style just doesn’t do it for me. It’s the reason I haven’t read Nubia either. Because I can’t not love that one. I think I’d rather die first.

The romance was….. not it. But I can’t be mad at it because of the type of book it was. However, it was pitched to me as a romantic suspense novel and that was not it. It was definitely historical fiction and some romance. They don’t even see each other until late in the novel. If you’re someone who was told this has a sapphic relationship, it does have one, but it’s barely there.

It’s been a while since I was this disappointed in a book. The plot and the book synopsis were great, but the execution was not great. Also, can we stop telling people what a book is about before we really know? Because Lordt this is the second time in a short while this has happened to me. Get it together world!

*spoilers and content warnings for this review*

This was a nice historical fiction novel to read and yet... I do need to highlight the fact that I firmly do not believe do not think this book should be categorized and promoted for young adults as its target audience.

Reading the blurb, I was under the impression that this book would be an adventure-filled sapphic romance with undertones of a haunted house with two girls finding love. Instead, this book is a frightening trigger to anyone who has grown up in a narcissistic and abusive household and/or has a history with DV/DA.

Edward is a nightmare of an employer, husband, and father who has emotionally neglected his 10 y/o ward, chained, physically abused, and withheld food for his 23 y/o wife claiming she's dead to the world, and hiring a 19 y/o governess in dire need for money, who he refuses to pay wages for, gaslighting and manipulating her into going along with his machinations, and coming on to her in multiple ways and threatening her to go on dates with him.

In summary, the plot in this novel is three innocent women fighting for freedom from their abuser and his entire support staff who are also very much contributing to that abuse. With a history of murdering and getting rid of those that don't follow his will, the women are frightened and yet doing the best they can with the hand of cards life has dealt them. This novel is a prolonged exposition DV/DA and even as an adult who has been many years removed from their past, the immersiveness of the beautiful prose and these full bodied characters had me hyperventilating with flashbacks. To me, this felt even more intense as I did not at all expect such a lengthy commentary on all the ways one man can take advantage of those who can't fight back in a young adult novel, without the adequate commentary necessary to support these topics typically present in books for teens.

I do understand the need for the youth to read books that discuss and explore hard hitting topics and tough social commentary which may or may not reflect their home lives or the relationships they go through. For example, the young adult and middle grade books written by Amber McBride, Sonora Reyes, Candice Iloh, Randy Ribay, Hannah V. Sawyer, Angie Thomas, Maia Kobabe, Aislinn Brophy, etc etc all deal with incredibly hard hitting topics that are necessary for children to read. However, as mentioned previously, what this book lacks is proper the conversations necessary to be able to support the heavy weight of the contents of this novel.

While adults would be able to properly parse out the implications of the endless, mostly subtle horrors presented in this novel, the intended target audience needs a lot more nuanced conversations. For example, but most significantly, the comeuppance the major abuser faces which comes at the very end of the book where he is killed by his own 10 y/o daughter. They come to a head in the "final battle scene" where both Jane and Bertha are incapacitated, and this child ends up having to murder her own father and abuser. There are no further conversations around this massive undertaking that a young girl who has suffered years of abuse must endure; there is no discussion on the abuse that this man heaped upon all three women before the novel ended. Just that they were finally free and able to finally have a happy sapphic ending.

In conclusion, while I did enjoy my reading experience with this novel, it would be quite irresponsible for me to ever promote this as a YA book and even recommending this to adults, I would caution readers to check content warnings before choosing to dive in.

in this reimagining of jane eyre, jane eyre and bertha mason must save each other from mr. rochester. when jane accepts a governess position at thornfield hall, she’s quickly drawn in by edward rochester’s charm. however, it doesn’t take her long to realize that this charm doesn’t last long, and thornfield hall is surely hiding some sinister secrets. one of these secrets, she eventually discovers, is bertha mason, locked away on the topmost floor…

retellings/reimaginings are books i normally end up loving, so i was excited to see how this book played out. jane and bertha are black and sapphic, and i enjoyed reading about how they navigated the world inside and outside of thornfield hall.

honestly, i’ve forgotten most of the events of jane eyre since reading it, so i won’t really be able to comment on how closely this book follows it, though i’m fairly certain this was pretty different. i think that fans of the original will enjoy this new reimagining!

I really had no idea what text back when I was going into this book but I really love it and the fact that it’s based on the Charlotte Brontë classic novel makes it so interesting I will say I was very taken with the story. It was very mysterious for me, and, it’s a great for all ages

I've been waiting for this book for years. A beautiful retelling of Jane Eyre but without the toxic Rochester. I love how both Jane and Bertie are portrayed. I love Adele. I adored the love letters. Good sapphic romance is always going to make me feral. And this is certainly no exception. This will be going into my collection the second it is available and I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

Thanks to Netgalley for giving me an ARC in return for my honest feedback

In "Escaping Mr. Rochester," author LL McKinney offers a fresh and incisive take on the classic "Jane Eyre" story, critically examining the original through a Black, sapphic lens. This captivating remix follows the story of Jane, a young woman seeking to escape the oppressive confines of her upbringing and find her own path.
One of the standout features of this book is McKinney's skillful use of language. The writing is both lyrical and evocative, drawing readers into the world of the story and keeping them engaged from start to finish. The characters are complex and well-developed, with motivations and desires that feel authentic and relatable.
Overall, "Escaping Mr. Rochester" is a must-read for fans of the original "Jane Eyre" story, as well as anyone looking for a thought-provoking and engaging read that explores themes of identity, oppression, and self-discovery. McKinney's critical examination of the original adds depth and nuance to the story, making it a timely and relevant read for our current moment.