3.5** okay, okay...don't call me out. I did enjoy this book, but the retelling of Jane Eyre, the main characters both having a mysterious past, and the overall vagueness of the entire story left me wanting more. It definitely played into the psychological thriller fiction role, making you want to turn through the pages and hope all your internal guesswork is correct, so if that's your vice for mystery books you will enjoy this one.

Never having read Jane Eyre, I can't actually compare or contrast the two, other than knowing the character names are mimicked. However, since the intention of the story was to leave us wondering the entire time what the main characters were up to, their past indiscretions, and who might be a murderer - it did just that and drove the plot. They were all trying to escape (or even ignore) things that were catching up to them, and it felt a bit holey to me, that these characters would be driven together by fate, must less be blind to all the red flags (neighbors included). There's multiple points of view and flashbacks that verged on feeling...jumbled is the best way I can describe it - I get the details were mostly necessary but the delivery could be better?

The ending gives you closure for one character but leaves you wondering what the future holds for the others, which I don't often mind; but I'm a bit uncertain in this case because they seem to always be a few steps ahead.

I'm not letting this one deter me from future reads by this author though as she held my attention throughout, and I feel it's a book I'll to recommend to select thriller mystery lovers.

I absolutely LOVE a retelling, and this modern, Southern twist on Jane Eyre was everything I could have ever wanted!

Plain Jane, running from a past in Arizona, has made it to Birmingham, Alabama, where she is working as a dog walker in the affluent neighborhood of Thornfield Estates.

One day, as she’s out walking a clients dogs, she almost gets hit by a car by none other than Eddie Rochester.

What follows is a twisty, twirly loose adaptation of Jane Eyre and a very fun ending to wrap it all up!

Quick and easy, a bit predictable, (and I don’t just mean if you’ve actually read Jane Eyre) I had so much fun reading this!

Secrets, lies, and a madwoman in the attic all made this a great first book for the new year!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the early copy!

Wow, so many twists in this modern day rendition of Jane Eyre/Rebecca. The writing really kept you enthralled and I enjoyed how the chapters provided past experiences of Jane and Bea. Definitely a page turner with an ending I wasn’t expecting.

A story told from several points of view, The Wife Upstairs is a decent suspense with a lot of twists and turns. I enjoyed 90% of the book.. The end of the book seemed as if the author wasn't sure how she wanted to end it. I was disappointed.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dog-walker Jane meets widower Rochester, who just recently lost his wife. A new twist on a classic gothic story and I loved the heck out of it. Great writing, great twists and a fabulous ending! I didn't like the characters all that much, but most of my favorite books are that way. Look for ward to reading more

I re-read Jane Eyre a few years ago in anticipation of another retelling of sorts about Mr. Rochester (appropriately, called Mr. Rochester). Since it was relatively fresh on my mind, I was excited to pick this book up, which is a modern-day thriller loosely based on the classic Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

Honestly, this book wasn't what I expected it to be, but I did enjoy it. In the story, we follow three narrators - Jane, Eddie, and Bea (Bertha) - as we slowly learn what happened on the night of a tragic boat accident where Bea and her friend were both lost and presumed dead. I thought the three narrators format lent insight into each of the characters, even though most of the story focused on Jane. However, the characters themselves lacked depth and weren't that likeable (though I guess that was the point), and a lot of the story read as cliche.

It was a pretty fast read, and overall it was good.

3.5 stars, but rounded down.

Although this was an interesting modern take on the classic novel Jane Eyre, I found the gratuitous profanity to be sloppy and distracting. I am not a prude, and I understand that some cursing was used to build Jane's character, but unnecessary f-bombs on every other page felt like lazy writing to me. I also found the end to leave too many unanswered questions, which I will not get into to avoid spoilers, but again, it comes down to sloppy plot building.

A fast paced, quick read, it was difficult to put down. Something about the story niggled at me and I still haven’t figured out what or why. Lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing.

**i received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for gifting me the digital galley of The Wife Upstairs, by Rachel Hawkins, in exchange for an honest review.

Before beginning the galley, I took the time to read several spoiler free reviews on Goodreads. I learned that The Wife Upstairs was considered by many as a modern day re-telling of Jane Eyre. Having never read Charlotte Bronte's classic, I feel that my thoughts and opinions are unblemished by any expectations, preconceived notions, or a readers desire.

SYNOPSIS
Draped in Southern style, atmospherically descriptive, with the inclusion of the appropriate amount of snobbish socialites, The Wife Upstairs is a tale woven in lies.

Jane, a former foster child, running from her past, finds herself walking dogs for the social elite in a glamorous Alabama neighborhood.
With a penchant for petty thievery, Jane desires nothing more than to have what everyone around her has; a beautiful home, money to spend, not a care in the world.

  When Jane is accidentally knocked down by Eddie Rochester as he is backing out of his driveway, things for Jane start to look up.

Rochester is rich, handsome, and widowed.
Little does Jane know that Eddie too has his secrets.

Several months ago Rochester's very rich wife, Bea, and her best friend, Blanche, were killed while boating on a lake.

Bea and Blanche had been childhood friends, but Bea's successful multimillion dollar company, that she built from the ground up, has always been a thorn between the two friends and their relationship had been strained recently.

As the relationship between Eddie and Jane blossoms, and the two reveal bits of themselves to each other, Jane suspects that something about Eddie is not quite right.

And even though her former clients from her dog walking business have accepted her into their niche since she and Eddie have become a couple, Jane never feels that she truly belongs, not in Eddie's house, not in the neighborhood, and not as part of the social scene. And while she is feeling somewhat lost, her suspicions about Eddie's part in his wife's death begin to fester.


When Blanche's husband Tripp is arrested for murdering his wife, Jane's suspicions are still not put to rest and only become more intense after Tripp asks to see her to proclaim his innocence.

After the meeting with Tripp, Jane returns to the home she shares with Eddie and proceeds to rip the house apart looking for any evidence of Eddie's guilt, but instead what she finds is so shocking, it sets in motion a chain of events that will change her life forever.
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REVIEW

After reading the early reviews I was pretty confident that I knew what to expect from The Wife Upstairs. I was not wrong. But, I was also not right either.

As a thriller junkie, perhaps I set my expectations too high, but I found nothing in The Wife Upstairs that sets it apart from other books in the genre. The story is fast paced, intriguing, and well plotted, but nothing extraordinary occurs that raises the bar and lifts The Wife Upstairs to the next level of thriller greatness.

The readers of Jane Eyre that gave early rave reviews are perhaps blinded by the similarities and have overlooked what might have been lacking from this read.

Admittedly, the final chapters were more intriguing then I anticipated. I was sure that the plot was going to go the way of Gillian Flynn's, Gone Girl. Happily it did not.

However, The Wife Upstairs is still a good read. With interesting characters, a nicely woven plot, infused with lies and emotionally damaged people, this book is a good book for a cold night, a warm blanket and a cup of hot chocolate.

You have met the man of you dream, just one problem he just lost his wife. Or did he?
This book had trying to figure out what was going on several time through out the book.
It was a very good suspense thriller.

The twists were great but the characters were just so unlikable it left me conflicted with how I felt about this book. The ending felt a little lacking. If you haven’t read Jane Eyre you’ll probably like it a bit more

<b>**FULL REVIEW**</b>

I would have loved to give this book 5-stars, but I feel a little slighted with the ending...

It was so full of suspense, the build up was like really good foreplay...only I feel like I never got to actually finish, which we all know is extremely frustrating and so disappointing.

What I loved: the slow-burn/build of the story. How small details were revealed in a way where you were never quite sure who the guilty party was. Also, the little extra psycho plot twist toward the end...

What I didn’t: how neatly wrapped the ending was. It can be considered open-ended, but to me it felt incomplete.

So, here we are. All the suspense of a perfect thriller. None of the gratification of a complete ending.

Take Stepford Wives and mix it with Sleeping with the Enemy...sprinkle a little Pretty Woman and Single White Female...you get The Wife Upstairs.

Enjoy the ride.

<b>**4 Who’s Really Crazy, Stars**</b>

*Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the eARC from Netgalley.

Jane is new to the Birmingham area. Jane leaves her past behind and takes on a new identity as a dog walker in an upscale gated community. Jane is interested in the mysterious widow, Eddie, once the two meet for the first time. Jane and Eddie soon enter a relationship, but Jane soon discovers that not everything about this seemingly picturesque situation is what it seems.

Overall I was very interested and invested in this story. I would definitely say that this is more of a plot and mystery driven story for me. The characters were okay, but it was plot, mystery, and actions of the characters that kept me entertained and puzzled.

I like how Hawkins takes the idea of Jane Eyre and makes it her own. I loved how mysterious Jane herself was. You truly could not trust any of these characters. I also appreciated the setting of the novel and how it helped the story be more interesting.

The ending was a little different from what I thought it would be, but overall I liked it. I enjoyed all the twists and complex reveals along the way. I also enjoyed how we got a split perspective between Jane and Bea. This inclusion helped pack more of a punch at the end.

This was the perfect book to read to pull me out of a book slump. I alternated reading and listening to this book and the narration hooked me. It's described as a modern twist on Jane Eyre (which is one of my favorite books) but I didn't see that. It was twisty, and spicy with some predictable turns as well as some surprises. It was hard to put down and I look forward to more of Rachel Hawkins novels!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Rachel Hawkins, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

A twisty re-telling that will keep you turning pages! The Wife Upstairs is quick and suspenseful read.

An addictive reimagining of Jane Eyre with many suspenseful twist and turns. I could not put this down and, despite having some idea about where the story was going early on, I still devoured The Wife Upstairs as fast as I could. If you like domestic thrillers, Southern Charm, and a whole slew of unlikable, yet compelling characters, then this is the book for you.

Dnf @23%
2021; St. Martin's Press

I was excited to read The Wife Upstairs as it was a retelling of Jane Eyre as a domestic suspense. I think I need to step away from domestic suspense novels. Reading Harlan Coben novels, I loved that idea of every day people getting caught up in scary and suspenseful things. It becomes very relatable as you could be the protagonist in the story. With the success of "Gone Girl", the trend of twist endings and shock value have saturated most suspense novels. It either becomes formulaic with it ending this way or that way...or an implausible ending just to make it different. I feel like for me, it's more about the plot and characters and not just the twist and turns. I am still enjoying historical mysteries, romantic suspense and police procedural so it's not the mystery genre I am growing tired with. Sorry for the ramble, but this is just the baggage that is coming with me as I read this one. In the 23% I read of this novel, I did not get invested at all, so I decided to stop reading. With the Jane Eyre story, you sort of know where it's going and I just wanted to forward to when it's all new.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook/audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

An incredible story full of suspense and twists and turns. I didn’t know what to expect when going into the story and I was really impressed with the author and writing style. I highly recommend this book to people who are looking for their next book club read, and need to spice it up. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book in return for an honest review.

When I heard this was a modern retelling of Jane Eyre, I knew I had to read it, since that's my absolute favorite classic. A huge fan of the rags to riches trope, this book delivered with some wicked twists. The story, while a variation of a popular classic, it was still original in its concepts and delivery. This book was a one-sit read, I couldn't put it down.

Cool story but it could have been so much more. Quick read. There were some little twists but from what i hear it would be more like switch backs. I felt that i dived into one thing but then could have gotten more intense with it. There were a few things like that.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.