Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name. But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for. Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past––or his––catches up to her? review: This was one of my highly anticipated books for 2021 and it did not disappoint! This book is a modern re-telling of Jane Eyre (which I read in high school) and it takes you for a twisty ride! The characters were very well developed and interesting. I always love dual points of view with domestic thrillers because it helps bridge the gap between what each character is thinking and how they’re actually operating. While at times it felt a bit predictable, I loved how the story unfolded and how it wrapped up in the end. I’m hosting a virtual book club for this book – if you would like to join you can do so HERE. rating: 5 out of 5 ⭐️

A woman uncovers hidden secrets about her fiancé and his ex, in the Jane Eyre reboot, THE WIFE UPSTAIRS by Rachel Hawkins.

We first meet Jane as the neighborhood dog walker for the well-to-do residents of Birmingham’s Thornfield Estates. Jane is broke, so she helps herself to a shiny bauble here and there, sure the bored and well-heeled housewives won’t even notice. But her luck changes when she meets the recently widowed Eddie Rochester. Rich, handsome and charmingly enigmatic, Eddie is everything Jane needs to start over… again. And despite her disbelief at Eddie’s attraction to a plain girl like her, before too long, Jane moves in with Eddie and becomes the new, buzzed-about socialite of the Estates.

If the only knew her real name isn’t even Jane…

But as days turn to weeks, Jane is increasingly haunted by the memory of his ex-wife—the stunning and ambitious Bea, who is presumed dead after a tragic boating accident. Worse yet, she suspects Eddie is hiding something and Jane can’t seem to leave it alone. And just when her new, shiny future is within reach, everything comes crashing down when she discovers the terrifying truth.

Hawkins (ROYALS) delivers a gothic thriller with a fresh twist on a well-known classic. It’s a story about attraction, ambition, murder and love rife with unexpected twists that kept me reading. While I loved the premise and the noir sensibility of the story, parts of the book moved a little slower for me with my attention ebbing throughout. The ending felt a little rushed/a little flat too. I loved her book Royals, though, and look forward to her next go at a thriller.

Jane Eyre happens to be one of my favourites so I was quite excited to read this book. While I didn’t enjoy this story as much as it’s inspiration, it was still a great book.  Jane was not a very likeable character. There was a portion that I had to push through but once I got through that I couldn’t put it down!  What twists and turns this book made.  I did not see those final twists at the end!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book!

The Wife Upstairs was a 5 star read for me! This was part domestic drama, part slow-burning psychological thriller and a whole lot of twists and turns. Jane, a dog-walker with a hidden agenda finds herself nearly run-down by the mysterious newly widowed man of the neighbourhood who’s wife was tragically killed in a boating accident with her best friend. By a series of carefully orchestrated ‘chance’ encounters, Jane finds herself quickly inserted into Edie’s life, but with secrets of his own, is Jane sure of what she’s worked so hard for?

⭐Book Review⭐
I'm ashamed that it took me so long to finish this one because it really was an enjoyable read!
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Jane Eyre is one of my favourites, so I definitely enjoyed the similarities found in The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins. The mystery of it all was probably what I enjoyed the most.
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This book has been all over bookstagram, so I don't think I need to say much, other than it's a quick read (once you actually sit down with it), a fun plot, features strong women, and there is just a hint of darkness. There are twists and turns that will keep you on your toes from start to finish.
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Thank you for this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review!

Wonderful writing and characterization. The entire Jane Eyre nods were really fun to read, but Rachel put her own spin to the gothic tale. The ending?!? Loved how plot points were tied up so no loose strings were left.

One small critique: the title gave away a big plot point (that we may have seen coming nonetheless). So, the anticipation was lessened, but meeting the “wife upstairs” kept me reading, and perhaps, that was the point after all 

4.5 stars

I enjoyed my time with this! This Southern setting was quite fun and felt fairly realistic (especially with Bea's southern lifestyle brand). It's more of a slow burn thriller, but the pacing worked for me overall. There were certainly some slower moments, but this didn't detract from the story. Learning about the backgrounds of both Jane and Bea were definitely interesting.

This is a loose retelling of Jane Eyre, so some of the plot points are certainly predictable if you've read that story. Jane Eyre is actually one of the classics that I've really enjoyed, so I didn't mind that I knew where the story would likely go. I found this take on Jane to be interesting - she comes from a bit of a rough background and steals from her rich clients. She's definitely hiding things and has some negative traits, but I still liked and rooted for her. Eddie is also more than he appears, so I enjoyed this take on him as well. They are quite the pair!

I had a fun time with this book and would recommend it!

Content warnings for abuse

My video review can be seen on my channel (around minutes 18:22-20:58 of this video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3igP7ejhqw

The Wife Upstairs is both a mashup of Jane Eyre and Rebecca (even containing characters named Edward, Jane, and Bertha), and a brand new exploration of what has become almost its own gothic genre. The finished product is absolutely a success.

Readers are introduced to Jane (the new wife) and Bertha (the previous wife) through their own first person narrations. Jane begins as a dog walker for the extremely wealthy in an exclusive neighborhood, but as the story continues, we learn her beginnings are far darker than originally indicated. Bertha began her own highly successful company from the ground up, but there are hints that there were large cracks in the facade she put up.

Hawkins expertly explores so many themes here: family, wealth, what women must do to survive and thrive, being haunted by the past, and the idea of facades in humans and buildings both, just to name a few. This book has so many layers, and its because of that that the ending comes as such a brilliant and shocking surprise. 

This is a book that absolutely lives up to the hype.

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins is a slow burn thriller that will have you questioning every character's role up until the very last page. A binge-worthy novel for any thriller lover.

The thing I enjoyed most about The Wife Upstairs was the twist in the last 90 pages. I was so convinced that I had everything figured out from the very beginning and boy was I wrong. The minute we are introduced to Eddie's point of view the entire mood of the novel shifted and I loved that. It was completely unexpected. 

Sadly a majority of the book left me feeling blah. I was waiting for something to happen and it took awhile to get there. I would have only given it 2 stars if it wasn't for the masterful ending. 

Overall I would definitely recommend The Wife Upstairs. The ending was so unexpected and I absolutely loved that.
3/5 stars.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars, listened on audio. The narrator was great. The story was predictable; I’ve never read Jane Eyre so can’t speak to how close it is to that book.

I love a book that has real ties to where I live and since this one takes place in Birmingham I already knew I was going to love it. I really enjoyed the main character and she was relatable with her flaws. I also enjoyed the way this book was written from different character perspectives.

I really enjoyed this book! I was nervous that it was overhyped but that was not the case at all. I highly recommend it!

Okay confession time. I have never re ad Jane Eyre. I know it's a classic and it is on my backlist but I just haven't gotten to it. That being said I truly enjoyed The Wife Upstairs.

The Wife Upstairs is a modern retelling of Jane Eyre. Jane who lived most of her life in the foster care system and walks dogs for a living meets Eddie who is a recent widower in the very lavish and luxe neighborhood she works in. What happens next is a whirlwind of a dream come true relationship but everyone has secrets. Will their secrets rip them apart?

This was a very fast paced and dare I say fun read! I really enjoys Hawkins multi POV writing style and she was very clear and concise on the timeline of events. I really feel like I got to know the characters or at least what Hawkins wanted me to think I knew. There were parts that were maybe a little predictable but overall I definitely didn't guess all the twists and turns and definitely didn't guess the end. You don't have to read Jane Eyre to enjoy this read and would reccomend to anyone that loves a fast paced and drama filled thriller!

Not a big fan of this one. The iconic quotes in my favourite book were butchered, the characters were WAY out of character and completely unnecessary.

The ending was rushed, and the “twists” were not shocking at all. This was not my cup of tea!

This is so boring and I'm not hooked on the voice after 30%. Some books just aren't for everyone, unfortunately. DNF.

I'll have to say that this is my very first read by Rachel Hawkins and I was not disappointed! I had a little snafu where I think my audiobook was skipping around, so I re-started it and started enjoying it that much more the second time around!

There were some very interesting characters, and a very diverse set of characters which made me want to follow their stories. I feel like I was rooting on the people that I shouldn't have been, and disliked the people that I should have, but I think that's what made the story great!

The actual story was killer...all puns intended! HAHA! But seriously, it's not your every day cookie cutter mystery or domestic thriller. It took you in a couple of different directions throughout, with the ending totally out in left field, wondering how in the world you go there! I LOVED IT!!!!

The Wife Upstairs was narrated by a trio of excellent narrators: Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne, and Lauren Fortang. I have loved listening to Kirby Heyborne, but I must admit, most of the books I've listened him in before were either soft romance, or even maybe like a Christian genre, so to listen to him in this book took him to a new level to me that honestly I wondered if he was capable of...HE IS! I always LOVE when books have multiple narrators because it helps you identify characters and stick with their story easier and this book was no exception! Sometimes I will listen to a book solely on the who the narrator is because I truly believe that a narrator(s) can make or break a book! These guys definitely helps make this book!

Overall, the story was thrilling and entertaining, and took me to places I never thought it would, and never saw coming! It had a great element of surprise, with a great stack of characters and narrators, that just totally make The Wife Upstairs an absolute 5-star read for me, for sure!

I would like to take a moment to thank the author, Rachel Hawkins, the publisher, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I found the characters annoying but the storyline was good. No where close to Jane Eyre. Lots of twists. The ending was good.

This was a retelling of the classic, Jane Eyre.

The good thing was that I had no recollection of the book so I went in reading a fresh book.
And it was a fun, pacy read which had me turning pages.

This is a classic thriller with an unreliable narrator and the regular tropes which work.

My only tiny grouse was that I wish Jane (aka Helen) had a more gritty and intriguing past than what was written. She was such an interesting character considering she knew how to behave and mix with the rich crowd whilst not losing a part of her own personality. But I missed knowing more about her past which could have been more interesting.

I enjoyed reading about all the unlikeable people in the book. Everybody had a voice which added to the layering of the characters.

This is an intriguing and thrilling atmospheric read.
I'm rounding up 3.5 stars to 4.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

It felt like the story dragged on for entirely too long & the character development was lacking. None of the characters in the book really held my attention and the only part of the book that I truly enjoyed was towards the end. 

Unfortunately, not one of my favoeite reads so far.

A roller-coaster, wile ride! I enjoyed this one from beginning to climatic ending! With so many twists and turns, shocking revelations, and a big one at the end that you won’t see coming, this book must be added to your TBR list right now! You won’t be disappointed.

I enjoyed reading about Jane. She was determined to fight for what she believed in, and she was badass. She became a dog walker and lived out of town with a room mate she despised and was desperate to get away from. Her luck changed when she suddenly met the handsome, rich, and eligible Eddie Rochester. What begins as a friendly chat when he almost runs her over with his car one morning, turns into a budding romance as the two really seem to hit it off.

When both people in a relationship are hiding secrets, can those secrets remain hidden or will some eventually come to the surface, ruining everything you’ve worked so hard for and destroy everything? I was always waiting for that one shoe to drop. It kept me hooked as I flipped from page to page, seeing what would happen next. Eddie seemed perfect, or almost perfect. He was sweet, charming, handsome, filthy rich, mourning the death of his wife and her best friend. He treated Jane well and they were happy together. Until strange, unexplainable things begin to happen, and makes you question everything.

Full of shocking twists and turns, deception and betrayal, you will devour and love this book as much as I did. With a shocking ending that came out of left field, I certainly didn’t see that coming. But I loved it!

A book I definitely recommend!