I received this book "The Wife Upstairs" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. This book was interesting with twists and turns. A suspenseful page turner that will keep you guessing. Everyone is referencing Jane Eyre but I have never read it so maybe that is good, I don't have to compare to anything else.

Dark, thrilling, tantalizing. 

Rachel Hawkins' remake on a classic was everything I never even knew I wanted in a much beloved classic. It was a much darker, grittier version of Jane Eyre with an even bigger twist than even the most loyal of fans could ever imagine wanting let alone envision. 

I absolutely adored it. 

So engrossing, so much fun and honestly left me eagerly turning the pages up to the very last chapter. I loved everything about it and was left wanting more but also weirdly completely satisfied with everything she did to this much loved favorite.

Jane is a broke dog walker for the rich elite in Thornfield Estates until she meets the rich and handsome Eddie.  The only problem is he has a missing wife presumed dead.  I LOVED this book!  I found myself thinking about the characters while I was away from reading.  Plenty of twists and turns to keep you engaged!

This was a quick read, and an interesting retelling of Jane Eyre. I work in a conservative district, so I would only recommend it to students I know can handle adult themes. The romance part comes on pretty quickly, and I was left wondering what was going to happen the rest of the novel. But it didn’t take long for things to speed up, and I was engrossed until the ending. Very satisfying.

This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was different from anything I've read recently and really captured my attention.

This one was easy to read and I flew through it. It wasn’t really that much of a thriller to me, more of a suspenseful buildup, but the ending wasn’t really mind blowing. 

I would read more by this author, because it was enjoyable enough to keep reading and kept my attention. It was also easy to pick up where I left off when I put it down for a while.

i enjoyed this book quite a bit, the writing was sharp and clear, lots of characters with secrets and red herrings.  the ending could have been a bit stronger, ie the last few pages but overall it was a really good read

love a twist on a classic story. This was such a fun way to experience a modern version of Jane Eyre. 

I enjoyed having a shady narrator, especially since she still manages to be likable. I enjoyed all the southern, gossipy women. I enjoyed the tension. And I enjoyed the unexpected ending. This was a lot of fun.

So many of my book-loving, book blogging, book reviewing friends have read and loved The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins, and with good reason, it’s excellent! You will love the story of Jane, a dog walker in the upper-class neighborhood of Thornfield Estates. When she meets wealthy Eddie, she imagines their life together, filled with the things she cannot afford on her own. As they develop feelings for each other, something tugs at Jane. It’s the mystery surrounding the death of Eddie’s first wife. Yeah, that would be enough to scare me too.

Check out the plot:

Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, 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 tchotchkes and 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, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past––or his––catches up to her?

With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won’t stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature’s most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?

This smart, dark, twisty story of evil is a nail biter for sure. You will absolutely devour this modern retelling of Jane Eyre (but set in Alabama).

This will be out on January 5! Pre-order here.

I thought for sure I would love this book but i just never got attached. I struggled for the first 60%. Because it’s a Netgalley book, I wouldn’t give up. I think not having one likable person kills it for me. 

Finally it picked up and I whipped through the rest of the book. Totally made it worth while.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Jane Bell is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates—a gated community full of mansions, bored housewives and all the same SUVs. Where the people are so rich and have way too much stuff that they won’t notice when Jane takes some of their random knick-knacks or small jewelry and who won’t even care to ask if Jane is her real name. Which is where she meets recent widower Edward Rochester whose wife Bea drowned in a boating accident with her best friend Blanche and whose neither body has been recovered yet. Jane can’t help but see this as an opportunity to get herself out of her dreary life and into the life she always wanted. But as Jane and Edward fall for each other, Jane is haunted by Bea who is everywhere throughout the house and who is beloved by everyone in the neighborhood who can’t help but compare them and how will she ever measure up.

Oh man this was so good and such a delicious twist to the classic Jane Eyre story. I really loved how we got contrasting POV chapters with Jane and Bea so we kept getting more information to unpack this twisting tale and giving you the false impression that you knew who the villain was but realizing at the end it wasn’t who you thought not entirely. It was really interesting to get that last Eddie POV chapter since most of the story is told in Jane or Beas POV. I really liked Jane, she had a very interesting back story. Edward was definitely interesting and I really liked Bea and just the plot twists where so well timed and kept me guessing until the end. This was a really fast read and I just couldn’t put it down. 

Thanks to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

The Wife Upstairs is an well-written, twisty gothic thriller that also happens to be a loose retelling of Jane Eyre. The story follows Jane who is new to the area in Birmingham, Alabama. She walks dogs in a gated community to get by while just hoping her luck will change. She meets recently widowed Eddie Rochester whose wife recently died in a boating accident. Seems like the perfect opportunity. It doesn’t take long for the dead wife to haunt Jane. Nothing is as it seems. Prepare for plenty of twists and a gripping plot. If you enjoyed the classic, this is a fresh take. Highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, St. Martin's Press and the author, Rachel Hawkins for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review.

A book where the main character walks dogs?   Yes, please.   

I always love a book that starts with the main character running from something in her past, as I always know that the past is going to come back to haunt her somehow, which I wasn't disappointed.  

I loved Jane's attitude towards life;  I did know that with her starting with stealing jewelry from her clients, it was just a matter of time before stealing jewelry became stealing money and much more.

Great read for fans of a perfect suspense novel.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book! WHAT A THRILLER! I loved it! Thanks again- my review will be forthcoming on goodreads.

Twisty, twisty thriller!!! I enjoyed getting to know "Jane" as she introduced herself to us. From the start, she let's us know she's not the most trustworthy dog sitter or person. However, she allows us to see her vulnerable side which gives us hope that she will redeem herself.  I have to admit I saw the end coming, but was still curious what the prologue might hold.

4 1/2 Stars

The Wife Upstairs is a clever modernization of the classic Jane Eyre, that manages to juggle familiar elements of the original, with unique tweaks from the deft hand of Hawkins. The characters themselves aren’t what I’d call likable, but they’re certainly intriguing which adds to the already entertaining storyline. This is a page-turner in every sense and I gobbled this up in less than three hours. Fans of Rachel Hawkins will definitely be pleased with her rendition of Jane Eyre, and I believe The Wife Upstairs will earn her even more.

I was unexpectedly swept away by this one! Captivating and FUN - this book is sure to take readers by surprise. I've noticed that many new thriller releases parade themselves as being gothic without really delivering on the promise, but this one fits the bill. Deliciously twisty.

Meet Jane.  Jane is new to the upscale neighborhood in Birmingham, Alabama, where money, pretty people, and shiny cars are plentiful.  Jane takes a job as a dog-walker for the society set, where she is able to infiltrate her way into the lifestyles of the rich and famous.  
Meet Eddie.  Eddie is a handsome, successful, and grieving widower.  His wife Bea and her best friend were tragically killed in a boating accident.  Jane begins walking Eddie's dog, and it soon becomes clear that a spark exists between the two of them.  It is not long before Jane has moved into Eddie's house and his life.  However, once moved in, Jane begins to fixate on the late Bea.  Bea's beauty, her ambition, and her devotion to Eddie are fascinating to Jane.  As Jane begins to learn more about Bea's life (and her death), questions arise.  Was Bea really the person that she purported to be?  Or did she have skeletons in her closet?  Skeletons that someone may have gone to great lengths to hide?
Great book with many twists and turns!  As you learn about Eddie, Jane, Bea, and Bea's best friend, the reader begins to wonder who the actual culprit is.  For as we know, things are rarely what they seem on the surface....

Jane is living in a shithole in Alabama when she gets a dog walking gig in the fancy neighborhood. These ladies have more than they could ever need and would never notice a missing earring, or ring, or whatever Jane feels like taking that day. Luckily for her, her job helps her cross paths with Eddie Rochester and their flirty banter soon becomes a full blown relationship. Only problem is Jane can’t get his widow Bea out of her mind. Can she keep Eddie in the dark about her past as well as help him move on from his late wife?

Not a book spoiler but spoiler alert-I failed my buddy read of Jane Eyre with @dg_reads @ahatforeveryread and @theboozy.reader I know that means I should probably have my reader card revoked but I just couldn’t get into it. Well let me tell you, I did NOT have that problem with this retelling! I loved this book! It kept me up late flipping pages wondering what would happen next. I did guess the twist fairly early on, but it didn’t take away from the reading experience! I loved that we heard Bea’s story from the past, as well as Jane’s past and present day. You do not want to miss out on this book!

𝘪 𝘢𝘮 𝘯𝘰 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲

Full disclosure: I never read Jane Eyre.

But I 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 just finished this southern twist on the classic, and I was 𝘯𝘰𝘵 disappointed! This Jane is new to town, making ends meet by walking dogs for the rich and lazy. This is how she meets Eddie, a widower who lost his wife (and her best friend) in a boating accident. As their relationship deepens, questions start to arise about Bea and Blanche. Has Jane found her Prince Charming, or something sinister? This 🌴🌴🌴🌴 4/5 read comes out in early 2021 (on my birthday, to be exact! 1/5/21) and it's well worth the read!