I am a sucker for a good Gothic novel, so a re-imagining of Jane Eyre was right up my alley. Overall, I liked it and enjoyed that Hawkins was able to deal with some of the aspects of the original novel that haven't really aged well.

Jane is a dog walker in Thornton Estates in Birmingham, Alabama. She walks the dogs of the wealthy and preppy and one day, is nearly hit by a car driven by Eddie Rochester. Eddie and Jane hit it off immediately, and he gets a dog (named Adele, natch) so he can see her regularly. As they start dating, Jane (who has secrets of her own) learns that Eddie's wife Bea died in a boat accident with her friend Blanche. But was it an accident? Or was Blanche's husband Tripp responsible? Or...was it Eddie?

As any reader of Jane Eyre knows, Bea is upstairs locked away (spoilers don't count for a book based on a book published in 1847). She narrates parts of the book to help the reader understand what's going on from her POV. It's a nice twist on a great book. The Wife Upstairs ends with an ending impossible in the 1840s, and good for Hawkins for recognizing the ickiness of the original conclusion.

I gave the book 3 stars because I really struggled with the chemistry between Eddie and Jane, I couldn't quite figure out if Jane was in love with Eddie or just trying to scam him, and I wasn't really connected to any of the characters. The book is a quick and easy read with a familiar storyline and a decent mystery, and I'm delighted I was able to receive an advanced reader copy from netgalley. If you like Gothic novels and recognize the need for an updated Jane Eyre, go and get this one when it comes out.