What do you get when you combine Gone Girl with Jane Eyre? A fast-paced, southern gothic thriller that you can't put down! For fans of Mary Kubica and Ruth Ware.

Jane, former foster child, current down on her luck, dog walker and petty thief, longs to live the life of her rich southern clients in the Thornfield Estates. Nevermore than when she meets Eddie, gorgeous, interested, wealthy. And most importantly, recently widowed.

With an eye to escaping her sketchy past for the safety that wealth brings, Jane dives into a relationship with Eddie even when his wife's disappearance turns into a murder investigation and everyone knows that the husband is the likely suspect.

Fans of Jane Eyre will appreciate the callouts throughout the book. Suspense fans, enjoy a story told with multiple unreliable narrators. With some fairly pointed commentary about wealth, privilege, even lifestyle brands this was a twisty and compelling read that was difficult to put down.

Victorian gothic meets southern gothic in this modern retelling of Jane Eyre. Those who haven’t read the classic can easily jump into this as a domestic thriller. Those who have read Jane Eyre might be more drawn in by seeing how Hawkins adapts the novel to modern-day Birmingham than by tension in the plot, since they already know what happens.
Or at least they think they do. I enjoyed this book most in the final quarter of the book, when Hawkins departs from the original story. I also so enjoyed how much agency the women had in this novel, which was a welcome departure from the original as well.

Really enjoyed this book. I figured out the ending but it was a good fast read anyway. Highly recommend.

A fresh and interesting twist on the classic Jane Eyre. Full disclosure: I did a quick review on Jane Eyre before reading, so I definitely caught more references than I would have otherwise.

Jane Bell is a dog walker in the posh Thornfield Estates in Alabama. Her ulterior motive is to worm her way into the lifestyle, one way or another. Enter Eddie Rochester.

Eddie recently lost his wife, Bea, in a tragic accident/murder? He falls for the plain Jane, and they become engaged in a matter of a few months. However, Eddie has quite the big secret lurking the attic.

Really well-written, paced, and imaginatively thought out. I will look for more books by this author.

Wow, I’ve never read a book by Rachel Hawkins before, but I was quickly drawn into The Wife Upstairs! The author’s writing style had me hooked from the start, and left me eagerly turning pages throughout the whole book. I couldn’t wait to finish it, and the twists kept me guessing about where the story was going.
The book’s descriptions of scenery and character development really helped to keep up my interest, and I look forward to reading more books by this author!

I loved this suspense thriller! I enjoy multiple-POV narratives, and each here kept me riveted. The story kept me guessing the entire time. There are short, bite-sized chapters that kept me page-turning.
I also enjoy novels featuring rich people with problems.
I highly recommend this to all thriller readers and thank NetGalley for the advance read.

Take a dash of Gone Girl, a bit of The Wife Between Us, and add a little A Simple Favor - that gets you The Wife Upstairs, and I mean that in the best way possible!

Suspicious circumstances surrounding death, a life that's probably too good to be true, and housewives who like to gossip? Count me in. Jane arrives to a posh new town and takes a job as a dog walker. She meets widower Eddie and becomes intrenched in his life, but the circumstances surrounding his wife's death are suspicious, and the suspects all live in town. Lots of twists and turns, and it wasn't entirely predictable. Perfect for reading in one sitting!

Add it to your TBR list!

I did not initially realize that this was a retelling, and after I found out I went in with low expectations as I’m not particularly found of Jane Eyre. I’m pleased to say I very much enjoyed this, much more so than I ever enjoyed the original. This update is thrilling, with mounting psychological suspense throughout, and strong female characters. 4.5 stars, as the gothic elements weren’t as present as I would have liked, rounded to 5.

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press!

In this contemporary Jane Eyre retelling, Jane Bell moves to Alabama to start and create a new life for herself. She struggles finding work until she starts walking dogs in an unbelievable upscale neighborhood. There she meets newly widowed Eddie Rochester. Eddie's wife, Bea, is presumed dead after a boating accident. As Jane & Eddie, romance continues to escalate, Jane starts to realize there are 3 people in their relationship. Eddie has never really let go of Bea as her presence is a constant in house. Although, the story unfolds slowly, the thriller does not disappoint.

First, a thank you to NetGalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished this last night and I'm still processing my thoughts on this, which are considerably mixed. I'm typically not a fan of locked room mysteries since they give me the heebie-jeebies, but I'll pretty much read anything if it's got a hint if psychological intrigue, so that, in addition to the fact that I love the cover, compelled me to give it a try. The book started off rather slowly for me as it didn't seem to go anywhere rather than to spin it's wheels in an endless loop. There was little action and more uneventful interaction between a group of not very likable people who are aware that something bad has happened in the neighborhood in a way that's rather reminiscent of The Stepford Wives (which, yes, also gives me the heebie-jeebies.) Things did pick up about half way through though and despite still not caring much for the characters, they did becoming more intriguing. As for the grand finale, it was sure a shocker indeed and I absolutely loved that, so despite my quibbles, it's definitely readable and will surely find an audience. I think if it were to be a little shorter and with a little more character development, it has the potential to be really great read.

Jane lands a job as a dogwalker - and she has a lot of secrets. She caters to dogs in the affluent Thornfield Estates. Barely able to make ends meet, herself, Jane lives in a crummy apartment with an even crummier roommate.

Jane is out walking one of the dogs and is almost run over by Eddie (in his red vintage sportscar). He feels sorry and invites her in for coffee. Although Jane feels an immediate connection to Eddie, the reader is not sure if the feeling is mutual. Eddie is good at "mixed signals".(After all, his wife passed away
only 6 months ago...)

A lot of gossip, stolen items and lively banter make this read glow! Not one to miss!

many Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a great read!

Things I enjoyed: the different point of views. It really added to the mystery of the book. The pacing of the book. The setting (Alabama). Things that fell flat for me: I didn't like any of the characters, which maybe that was the point? Eddie and Jane's relationship was not believable at all. Jane's POV was lacking for me and I didn't find her likable at all. I really enjoyed Bea's POV and would have loved to read more about her childhood. The ending felt abrupt and fell a bit flat for me.

The Wife Upstairs, after a few chapters, appeared to be a “ creepy story.”
After continuing through the book it became a sinister murder mystery.
It actually had somewhat of a happy ending for at least one of the characters.
It definitely kept my interest with its twists and turns.

In my opinion, this is the most frustrating type of book to read. Not only is every character a terrible person (they're supposed to be, and that's fine) but they're also super flat and not relatable at all. The writing is simple and just kind of meh, but it's fine. Everything is just fine, okay, not great. So what you're reading for is the plot. That's the only real hook this book has going for it. That may have been intentional, and it would have been enough if, instead of a satisfying climax it didn't just fizzle out. It's frustrating to rate this type of book because I was completely hooked and could not put the book down for the first 75ish percent? But then the least satisfying 'climax' ever happened and I totally lost interest. I had to force myself through the last part of the book because once the mystery was over, I didn't care about any of the awful characters. I was just looking forward to not having to read about their bitter, selfish, spiteful selves anymore.

I'm not a Jane Eyre fan. I can't remember when I read it, I just remember thinking it was creepy and not for the reasons it was supposed to be. I'm not sure whether this would particularly appeal to fans or not. This gets three stars for the first part being very interesting and entertaining. But because of the ending and the way things turned out, it ultimately feels like I wasted my time reading this. Had the characters or writing been exceptional I might feel differently, I don't know.

A solid four star stunning psychological domestic thriller!
The story revolves around Jane who has a horrid past and has relocated to Birmingham, Alabama to start over. She gets a dog walking gig in a ritzy, rich neighborhood. After a run in with Eddie- a recent widower, she quickly forms a relationship with him and her life turns into what dreams are made of. However, she learns things aren’t what they seem when details of a Eddie’s wife and best friends murder emerge.
This book had punch after punch and was a quick, fast read that I couldn’t read quick enough because I had to know what happened.
I did feel like I wanted more from Jane’s character and maybe even Eddie’s wife. The ending let me down about - I feel like it was a huge climax that sort of left me hanging.

Thanks to Netgalley and St.Martins Press for my advanced ebook copy. This is out April 2021, put it on your tbr!

This was a good but not great for me. Made a lot about her back story which was flat. The ending was good band the book was well written. Just didn't have the wow factor. Took me awhile to get through it

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for an early release of this book.

Jane is a dog walker in a wealthy neighborhood. When she is done walking the dogs, she returns to her apartment and her sleazy roommate...until she meets and moves in with eligible bachelor, Eddie. Eddie's wife and her best friend died in a tragic boating accident, and Jane steps into the void she left. She shops, joins committees, goes to charity banquets, and prepares for her wedding to Eddie. But it seems that Eddie's late wife and her story keeps coming up...what happened to her, and why was her body never found? What happened that night? And what secrets are Jane keeping?

I enjoyed this book, and there were a few surprises along the way. It was a quick binge read, and those definitely can be enjoyable! I will say that I felt like certain storylines (especially Jane's past) were not fleshed out nearly enough. I was expecting a lot more given the lead-up and frequent narrative about her past. While I enjoyed the twist "who did what" and the mysterious ending, I felt like I had no idea who one of the main characters was and was left with a bit of head-scratching. I'd like to say more, but I wouldn't want to give anything away! Overall, I'd definitely rate a 3.5.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed "The Last Mrs. Parrish" and "What Lies Between Us". Similar plots in some ways, different in others.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my review.

I enjoyed the book This one was a nice surprise. I thought it was beautifully written. The attention to detail, was great. The twists and turns this story took were unexpected and kept me on the edge of my seat. I never expected the outcome!

Thank you to NewGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review. The Wife Upstairs is a fast paced thriller that I read in one day. Jane Bell (an alias) is a down on her luck young woman who is escaping her past life in Phoenix by moving to Birmingham. Unfortunately, her new life is less than glamorous in her drab grey apartment that she shares with a roommate that she dislikes. She becomes a dog walker in the posh Thornfield Estates neighborhood and enters the world of well to do housewives with their beautiful clothes, jewelry, and seemingly perfect lives. While walking dogs and admiring the beautiful homes, Jane encounters the very attractive recently widowed (his wife's body has not been found but is presumed dead) Eddie Rochester and almost immediately falls for him and his rich lifestyle. Jane would like nothing more than to become the new Mrs. Rochester and the start living the lifestyle of the other housewives in the neighborhood. But things aren't always so easy considering Jane and Eddie both have a secret past that threatens to destroy their love and their way of life.
Overall, this was a fun book and a quick read. There were the typical twists and turns that one expects in the modern thriller. . . nothing too terribly shocking and a tad predictable; however, it was exactly what it presented it -- a highly entertaining beach read.

As an Alabamian who loves Jane Eyre, I really wanted to love this, too. And I quite liked it, but there was just something missing for me. Maybe the ending, which felt a little flat. I also found it hard to buy Jane and Eddie's relationship; it just didn't feel believable to me.

Thank you, though, to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing this review copy.