The characters were a little bit too shallow for my liking, but I enjoyed the storyline. The main character's secret was definitely lack luster; however, one twist surprised me. I did want to keep reading, that's always a plus.

Though I am personally not especially moved by the tropes and atmospherics of Gothic literature in general, one of my favorite classics is Jane Eyre. The title character, with her determination to be true to herself, is one of my all-time favorites. So when I read that Rachel Hawkins (a truly delightful Twitter follow) was writing a southern-inspired take on the Bronte novel, I was really excited to get to pick up The Wife Upstairs! In her work, Hawkins transports Jane, Rochester, and Bertha from Georgian England to modern-day Mountain Brook, the most upscale suburb of Birmingham, Alabama. Jane is now a young dog-walker, on the run from a mysterious but clearly rocky past. She meets Rochester (or Eddie, here), a widower, when he nearly hits her with his car and then hires her to walk his own dog.

Eddie is both very handsome and quite wealthy, having inherited the successful southern lifestyle brand of his deceased wife, Bea. Jane, a much more savvy manipulator in this version of her story, is both genuinely attracted to him and definitely cognizant of the benefits to be gained from getting into a relationship with him. There's a whirlwind courtship, but something isn't quite right. The police keep stopping by to ask questions about Bea, who died in a boating accident with her best friend, Blanche. He does his best to wave it off, but what did actually happen on the lake the night that Bea disappeared? Could it be that Eddie is using her just as much as she's using him? And what are those occasional banging noises coming from the attic?

I spent three years living in Alabama for law school, and had plenty of classmates that came from Mountain Brook, so I was extremely excited to see how this story played out in this setting. Anxiety about social class is a hallmark of British society, but also American Southern society, so it had lots of promise. Alas, it never rose beyond the level of "mildly entertaining but not really compelling" for me. There are twists in the story, different than the original, but even someone like me who is generally not great at guessing twists shouldn't find them too challenging. Ultimately, though, what really lost me were the characters. I've already mentioned that Jane is much more street-smart and open to using people, but what is charming about Jane in the original is that she's both strong-willed and level-headed. Her romance with Rochester is a slow burn, often veering off course because Rochester himself is awkward and stilted. But Eddie is a charmer who seems to see Jane as a useful tool almost immediately, and their relationship goes from 0-100 real fast. It's based not in genuine mutual longing, but mutual deception.

What did stand out was Hawkins's writing style. She's witty, funny, and sharply observant. Her plot moves quickly, developing a good momentum. Although I didn't love her departures from the original characterizations, I did appreciate that this didn't feel like a retread. The changes she's made to the narrative are more than just window dressing. I liked the structural changes she made, like giving us perspectives outside of Jane's own. And this book isn't bad in any way, just not especially good. If you need something to keep you distracted without overly taxing your brain at the beach or on an airplane, you could make worse choices. But you could make better ones too.

This book took forever to get to why it's called "The Wife Upstairs" and when it did it felt very anticlimactic. I also thought once the author started down that path there would be more information on what happened, but instead there was just more talk about the main character's mysteries background.

I got really bored with this book and didn't really find it suspenseful. I wouldn't recommend this book to a friend.

I received an eARC of The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
5 stars! Full of twists, this fantastic book kept me engaged from start to finish. Rachel Hawkins is very talented. I highly recommend this thriller!

*I did not read The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins as an educator, but just through a mystery readers lens.

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins caught and kept my attention. While I didn't find the characters particularly likeable, the story was intriguing and Hawkins had me hooked. The story was fast paced and had some twists that I hadn't seen coming. I will definitely be adding Hawkins to my must read authors.

Oh heck to the yeah. This book was everything. I did not see this scenario coming because "who does that". This book really had it all. Unreliable narrators which I love. Narcissistic humans everywhere. Lies. Deceit. How could it not be great people. Bring on more Hawkins please

This book was awesome!!! I could not put it down! I was at the edge of my seat! Rachel Hawkins is an amazing author. Her books never disappoint! Can not wait for the next one!

Pretty standard for the genre. Didn't hate it. Didn't love it. Would recommend to fans of the genre.

This was a good book although a bit farfetched. I didn't kept my attention although it wasn't an edge of your seat thriller like I prefer.

Unfortunately, classic gothic books are not my cup of tea, so a contemporary version may seem like a good idea, but didn't really change my thoughts on the genre.

Very good, but unfortunately...pretty predictable. That being said, I enjoyed and flew through The Wife Upstairs. A good, easy thriller; I really think I would have enjoyed this just a little more if it hadn’t been marketed as a modern Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre is one of my favorites so even with the small plot twists the author added in, it was still pretty easy to see where this was going. None of the main characters were likable but it didn’t stop me from liking the rest of the book. The setting, details, and descriptions kept me into it. Still a 5 star book, I just wish the marketing hadn’t “spoiled” it for me.

This was super eerie. The Wife Upstairs is a re-imagining, but completely original. I read this with a group of friends on Instagram and we all enjoyed it very much. I'm from Alabama, so I especially enjoyed the setting! I'll read anything Rachel Hawkins writes.

I had the opportunity to read this book thanks to Net Galley In exchange for an honest review. This was the first book I read by this author. This book was just ok to me. I was disappointed in the ending. I would give this author another try in the future.

A fun spin on Jane Eyre, atmospheric, lots of suspense, set in the South. I don't know if I loved it or not, but I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

First sentence: It is the absolute shittiest day for a walk. Rain has been pouring down all morning, making my drive from Center Point out here to Mountain Brook a nightmare, soaking the hem of my jeans as I got out of the car in the Reeds’ driveway, making my sneakers squelch on the marble floors of the foyer. But Mrs. Reed is holding her dog Bear’s leash, making a face at me, this frown of exaggerated sympathy that’s supposed to let me know how bad she feels about sending me out in the rain on this Monday morning.

Premise/plot: If Rod Serling and Alfred Hitchcock got together to retell Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, it might look a little something like Rachel Hawkins' The Wife Upstairs.

What should you know going into it? Well, I'd say very little. I'll keep this section to a bare minimum. It's contemporary. Set in Alabama. A psychological thriller.

My thoughts: No doubt about it if I'd read this one in my night-owl days I'd have stayed up all night to read it in one sitting. As it is I had to split it into two readings. I definitely found it engaging and thought-provoking. (These characters stayed on my mind when I wasn't reading the book. I thought about them throughout the day as I was anticipating picking up the book again.)

It isn't strictly just a retelling of Jane Eyre. It's more like Jane Eyre is the jumping off place for a crazy psychological thriller. Crazy mostly in a good way.

One element completely lacking from The Wife Upstairs is what my mom would call the preachiness of Jane Eyre. Gone are all the religious/moral overtones and imagery. I doubt they'd work well in a contemporary novel anyhow.

I think the gothicness of Jane Eyre AND Rebecca combine well with the Southern setting.

It is told from three perspectives: Jane, Bea, and Eddie. (Though Hawkins keeps us waiting until the (very) end for Eddie's perspective). Because it isn't told in alternating chapters--rigidly going from one to the other in a strict pattern--the suspense builds and builds and builds. (In my opinion).

Did I love it? I wouldn't say love is the right word. Depending on if you look for premise-driven and/or plot-driven books OR if you are mainly a fan of character-driven works. One or two words about the characters, I can't think of a single character (perhaps with the exception of all the dogs) that I'd classify as likeable. In other words, Hawkins isn't all about sympathetic characters that you cheer on and care about.

Is it clean? Not really. I'd say the number one reason it isn't clean is the language--lots of casual cussing. The language is far from ideal if that matters to you. The smut is kept to a bare minimum of description and gets very little page space. So I wasn't horribly bothered by the content.

Would I recommend it to Jane Eyre lovers that don't like psychological thrillers? No. Yes. Maybe.
No. I would not recommend The Wife Upstairs if Jane and Edward are your most favorite romantic couple of all time and one that you revisit a couple times a year. If what you love is the romance of the original--reader, I married him--then you'll probably be disappointed and not even call this a retelling. You might even call it a murder.
Yes. I would recommend if you enjoy the atmosphere of JANE EYRE and REBECCA and DRAGONWYCK. (Dragonwyck is by Anya Seton). This one is all about SUSPENSE, DANGER, MYSTERY, HORROR, THRILLS. If the actual feel-good romance and happily ever after ending was your least favorite part of the original, this one is for you.
Maybe. If you enjoy the original novel a great deal--perhaps even love and adore it--BUT are also open to psychological thrillers and suspense novels in general, then this one may appeal. If you're open to deconstructing and rearranging, then this one may just work well for you.

Jane is starting all over again. Raised in the foster system, she was set loose on the world at eighteen with no help. Since then she has drifted, working minimum wage jobs and moving from place to place. This place is Birmingham, Alabama, and Jane is working as a dogwalker to rich people's dogs. The dogs are fine but Jane is not as impressed with the people. The women are smug and condescending to her and the men watch her with lustful eyes. She is starting to think about moving on again when she meets Eddie.

Eddie and Trip are the ones the women love to gossip about. Their wives were lost a year ago, presumed dead. Eddie was married to Bea, the woman who created a multimillion dollar company selling style to Southern women and those who aspired to the Southern life. Trip was married to her best friend, the two women having been friends since their school days. One weekend the women went to Bea's lake house and out on the boat at night. Something happened and they were never seen again.

Eddie Rochester is gorgeous, rich and charming, the kind of man who never notices plain Jane. But Eddie does notice her and before she knows it, is pursuing her. Soon Jane has moved in and the women who snubbed her now cluster around her. All is wonderful except for the questions Jane can't help but wonder about. What really happened that night? Were Eddie and Bea's marriage the fairy tale everyone thinks? And what is that noise she keeps hearing?

I listened to this novel. There were three narrators, one for Jane, one for Bea and one for Eddie. Each of them added depth and interest to the story although I liked the Jane narrator the best and she was the one featured the most.

This is a modern retelling of Jane Eyre and those who have read it will pick up lots of references to that wonderful novel. But those who have never read it will enjoy this title as a modern day thriller with lots of twists and turns that redefine the story from page to page. No one is exactly as they appear and some are very far from their public persona. This book is recommended for thriller readers.

This one was a fun ride. Weird, wacky, twisty and turny. A quick, page-turner with lots of unlikeable characters.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book.
The Wife Upstairs is a modern version of Jane Eyre with a twist. We've got Jane, who has moved to Birmingham, Alabama to escape her past. Then there's Bea, the dead wife of Eddie who lives in the upscale neighborhood where Jane has dog walking jobs. How their stores connect and intertwine is riveting. I started this book and couldn't put it down! As Jane grows closer with Eddie and learns more about Bea, tension builds to an unexpected final act. This one would be great for book clubs!

Dark past ✔️ Unreliable narrator ✔️ Plot twists you don’t see coming ✔️ This is a slow burn for the ages! You slowly get enough back story to know there’s shady behaviors running rampant in this wealthy community and they’re all going to come together for something explosive. When this story starts picking up it flies and you can’t underestimate any character! The Wife Upstairs is a thriller NOT to be missed!

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Thank you for the chance to read and review this book in exchange for honest feedback. I was excited to get approved for this one! My thoughts about this book are more positive in regard to the mystery/thriller themes which come out more so after the 50% through I'd say. The first bits of the book actually made me wonder if I was going to like it... it read more like a YA romance. I also was looking for references or underlying themes related to the retelling of Jane Eyre. There are numerous connections without being an exact copy or too derivative. I liked this book and think that its strength was in the latter half of the novel.