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.

What a fun, entertaining read! This was one of the better thrillers I've read recently. It had a lot of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I will definitely recommend this one to friends.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Wife Upstairs is a thriller about Jane, a dog walker, and Eddie, a recently widowed resident of Thornfield Estates in Birmingham, Alabama. Eddie's wife, Bea, the founder of a successful southern lifestyle brand, died in a boating accident, and Jane sees her chance to leave behind her past by reeling Eddie in to her charms. This book was full of twists, and I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

"Jane" (not her real name) comes to Alabama to escape a troubled past in Phoenix. In order to support herself, she starts a dog-walking business in an elite neighborhood. Always feeling like she was somewhat "less than" the women whose dogs she walked, she managed to snag a man who was also part of this "better than her" group and move into his huge mansion-like home. He seems to be somewhat haunted by the year-old disappearance (which is deemed a death) of his beautiful, successful wife. There are a few unexpected twists to the story which will keep you reading.
Warning, however: Only 4 stars because of the incredibly hard-to-take language. When the "F-word" is mentioned twice in one sentence, that's two times too many for my pure pleasure! The whole book is full of words and phrases that annoyed my sensibilities.

For the most part, I couldn't put it down. The beginning grabbed me and I was all in. So why reduce my rating to 4 stars? 4 stars isn't bad. It's an "I really liked it" which I did. It's completely unbelievable, but I'm ok with that since I read for the escape in this genre. Complete with unreliable narrators and some folks you will have a hard time liking. I detracted a star because 1) the ending is completely out the realm of belief and 2) it was completely anti-climactic. With all the twists and turns throughout, I was expecting - and needing - more. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC. Enjoy!

Yes to this entire book! 5 diamond sparkly stars!
Another one full of my favorite things...Stepford Housewives, Gorgeous houses, backstabbing housewives, cheating husbands and murder.
Check. Check. Check.

i loved the main character Jane and just wanted her to get all the gingham she deserved.

If you have this book, read it!

thank you to #Netgalley, the author and the publisher for my free arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun, suspenseful read! I’ve loved Rachel Hawkins’ books since I read her Hex Hall series in middle school, and I was even more intrigued by the premise. The Wife Upstairs is essentially a Jane Eyre retelling, set in the modern-day South in an affluent community.
Jane Bell is a former foster child walking dogs in the wealthy Thornfield neighborhood to make ends meet when she meets Eddie Rochester, who has been recently widowed from a mysterious boating accident.
Entwining with Jane’s story is Bea’s, Eddie’s wife.
This book was full of complicated relationships between very wealthy people, hints at Jane’s mysterious and tragic past, and a healthy dose of suspense.
I loved all of the characters, some of whom were ridiculous in the most realistic way. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next, and the ending was concluded perfectly.
As a huge fan of Jane Eyre, I loved seeing characters with the same or similar names as characters in Jane Eyre, as well as minor plot points that mimicked those in the original book
The Wife Upstairs was a fun, suspenseful twist on the original beloved novel. 4.5/5 stars!

I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review on NetGalley.
Review contains SPOILERS.

Jane Bell is working hard to separate herself from her past. In fact, Jane Bell isn't even her real name but she's managed to start over in a crappy apartment, a crappy roommate, and a less than stellar job walking dogs in the wealthy Thornfield Estates subdivision where the women wear yoga pants worth more than one month of Jane's rent. She's doing just fine on her own until she meets Eddie Rochester, the wealthy widower whose wife was killed in a tragic boating accident. Jane falls for Eddie and soon they're engaged but she still has so many questions about Bea, Eddie's dead wife, and her best friend Blanche who are still the talk of Thornfield Estates.

I really wanted to like this book based on its synopsis. A wife, presumed dead, held captive in her own house? Heck yeah. But unfortunately, for me, the concept fell flat. The fact that Bea Rochester is not only alive but regularly seducing Eddie in her high-end prison. The alternating viewpoints might have worked if they hadn't felt so rushed, as if the author was in a hurry to get from one explanation to the next, making Bea's viewpoint feel like it came out of nowhere, right when the reader was starting to get a feel for Jane and her personality, her past, and the mystery building around her.

When Jane's past transgressions are finally revealed it feels like an afterthought that was used to explain Bea's actions and Blanche's murder, to make Jane seem as if she is, unwittingly, just like Bea. The ending also fell flat like a balloon being popped without much preamble and it left me feeling like there was a lot missing from the plot and the author just wanted to get it done and over with. It was an engaging read for the most part but not one I would necessarily recommend.

This book was amazing! The anticipation was mind blowing! Jane was hiding something so she started a new life in a different state. She lives a miserable life there in a rundown apartment with a creepy roommate. She makes a meager living by walking dogs in an elite neighborhood. She is on the outside looking in, longing to have their wealth and beauty. While walking a clients" dog she is almost run over by a very handsome man in the neighborhood, named Eddie. She finds out he is widowed and decides then and there to snag this man and live the life she deserves. She slowly starts realizing that Eddie is not quite the man she thought he was. Her gut instincts tell her something is not quite right with him. She finds out his deepest, darkest secret. It is something that is quite shocking. You need to read more to find out. Enjoy!

Jane was a dog walker in a ritzy neighborhood when she meets Eddie. She first admires his house, and then she admires him. He gets a dog and hires her to walk it. He asks her out, and then he asks her to move in with him, after telling her how he lost his wife. Jane jumps in with both feet. But, they both bring secrets ...

I just cannot give this book anything other than 5 massive stars. Love me a good domestic thriller, and this sure as heck counts as one.

I think what I loved about this book the most is the combination of uniqueness and seductiveness of it. The story follows Jane, a new resident of a very rich neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama who is quite broke herself. One day, she meets a wealthy resident called Eddie, whose wife and her friend had drowned in mysterious circumstances during a girls'. trip Jane is attracted to the rich and protective man, and the two fall for each other. But Bea's story keeps haunting our heroine, like a red flag she tries to bury in her mind.

Bottom line is, everyone has SECRETS. And those can be dangerous ones.

I am a sucker for love triangles, especially ones as unique as this; in addition, we're not reading about rich people in NYC or LA, but Alabama, which is a truly unique setting for this kind of story.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a deliciously delightful, deceitful and deceptive book not to be missed! The blurb says this is Jane Eyre reimagined, but if you have no interest in a classic gothic romantic mystery - do not fear. This is a complex, layered psychological novel with a similar storyline and character names. Jane, a product of foster homes and a system that failed her is on the move and reinvents herself in a southern suburb as a coffee shop server and dog walker. There was recently a tragedy in town with the drowning deaths of two rich best friends. Blanche and Bea are presumed dead in a boating accident. Their husbands mourn them and now Jane walks both their dogs. Jane and Bea’s husband, Eddie Rochester begin flirting and we are wary of them both. I loved Jane and respected her choices knowing they were limited and she really does have feelings for Eddie. Eddie lived in the shadow of Bea, who was the success story of the south and ran a self made empire. Jane is a fresh of breath air to Eddie, both entering a relationship with baggage, secrets and motives. Oh, and are the women really missing and dead? This is a fun read with lots of unexpected twists and I loved every word until the epilogue which was flat. I’m giving this 5 stars and tearing out the epilogue pages.