This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

The Wife Upstairs centers around “Jane,” a runaway foster kid who aged out of the system and is now broke and hiding from her past. Jane begins walking dogs in an upscale neighborhood that she wishes she could belong in. When she’s nearly hit by newly-widowed Eddie’s car, Jane begins to orchestrate her way into the neighborhood by becoming a part of Eddie’s life.

As Jane learns more about the little community she’s moved into, she discovers that Eddie’s wife Bea disappeared without a trace, presumably dead. Bea’s best friend Blanche was murdered on the same night and her husband Tripp is the main suspect.

Overall, The Wife Upstairs was a good, fast-paced psychological thriller perfect for fans of Ruth Ware. Though mainly told through Jane’s eyes at first, the novel switched perspectives which gave each of the main characters a place in which to lay out their true colors and motives. Personally, I found the story a bit obvious (perhaps because I read so many of these), but it was fun to read and the characters were actually relatable, despite their actions. I found myself cheering for each individual character in some way – especially Jane and Eddie.

At the root of the narrative, I think we are being asked: How far would you go for love? How far will you let your love for someone take you?

I purchased my own copy of this book for my personal library. I thought the "The Wife Upstairs" was an very entertaining read. I loved the plot, the well developed characters and the twists and turns of the wife who keeps popping up in their new story. I would definitely recommend this book to others and would be a great rainy day read with a hot cup of tea!

I read an advanced digital copy of this novel courtesy on the publisher through NetGalley. Review available on goodreads.

I've never read Jane Eyre, so I can't speak to how faithful to the original Rachel Hawkin's updated retelling, The Wife Upstairs is or isn't. What I can speak to is that sense that this novel never quite connected with me.

Set in Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is on the run from her past. Working as a dog-walker for the city's elite, Jane meets Eddie Rochester. Eddie's wife disappeared (along with her best friend) under mysterious circumstances and is presumed dead.

So, of course, these two begin dating and their relationship moves rather quickly from dating to living together to engaged. Jane doesn't want a big wedding for fear of publicity bringing unwanted questions from her past life, but her old roommate is more than willing to blackmail her to keep those pursuing her at bay. Jane works to keep one step ahead of her past, teasing readers with what it may or may not be for far longer than I had much patience for.

That really sums up my disappointment with The Wife Upstairs. It teases us for far too long (though we know a bit about what Eddie is up to early on) without giving sufficient answers to the questions raised until I'd long since lost most of my interest in Jane. I suppose if I'd cracked open a copy of Jane Eyre at some point in my life, I'd already know a lot of what is revealed in the final third of the book. But that might have ruined some of the "thrill" of discovering all this for myself.

Another issue with The Wife Upstairs is that it attempts to be a domestic suspense thriller without offering much in the way of thrills or suspense. I found myself more relieved to finally be done with the novel than satisfied with the overall reading experience once I turned the final page.

Overall, a disappointment.

I received a digital ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This retelling of Jane Eyre in the form of a domestic thriller is the kind of compulsively readable book you won't be able to put down. I love Rachel Hawkins' YA books, so I was excited to read her foray in adult thrillers.

As I said, this is a retelling of the classic Jane Eyre, but you don't need to be familiar with the original to read it. Conversely, if you've read Jane Eyre, there will be lots of nods to the original that you'll enjoy, but knowledge of the original won't spoil anything for you, because this version takes the story in a new direction.

Former foster kid Jane is walking dogs in a wealthy neighborhood (a gated community of McMansions called Thornfield Estates) and hoping for a chance for a better life. When she meets the recently widowed Eddie Rochester, it seems like things are looking up for her. He's handsome, tragic, and rich. But his wife's death is mysterious, and there are a lot of secrets in the neighborhood. Eddie and Jane fall for each other, but the course of true love isn't exactly smooth.

This is a great thriller. It's clever and funny. Jane isn't the innocent young miss of the original, and she's got her own secrets. It's a gripping story, and it's a very amusing look at "nice Southern lady" culture.

I've been a long time fan of Hawkins' YA offerings, so while this was a new intended age audience, I was familiar with her style. Fans of her earlier work will definitely find her trademark style in here, but I bet they'll also be happily enchanted by the freedoms adult fiction offers her. I often had to stop myself from reading so I could focus on life responsibilities.

This is definitely a Jane Eyre retelling and those familiar will find great references here, but it is also entirely accessible to those who haven't read the original. It stands on its own and is fully modern.

You'll find a complicated relationship with yourself as a reader and all the characters of this book. Every time I felt like I started to believe or more fully trust one character, something would happen that would shift the axis all over again. I'm glad it's doing so well and look forward to more thrillers from Hawkins.

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins was a quick and compelling retelling of Jane Eyre set in Birmingham, Alabama. The book had plenty of twists and turns, as a seasoned thriller reader I can't say I was completely on the edge of my seat but the writing was zippy and kept me interested and I loved the southern setting.

I could not put this book down! It was thrilling, fast paced and left me wanting more! The characters were reasonably relatable and the story had plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader interested. Perfect for anyone who loves thillers/suspense novels!

Kinda creepy, a little bit disconcerting, and a whole lotta mystery is going on in The Wife Upstairs. You won't really know who to trust. Or who to believe. And that's the best part. I really love books that keep me guessing, even if the characters annoy me (which this main character did - but in her defense, she has a lot to deal with). It's fast-paced, easy to follow, and lots of guessing going on.



Even though I read The Wife Upstairs several months ago and I am quite (egregiously) behind on my reviews, I remember this one quite well. One of the reasons I wanted to read it was because I thought the author was another person. Then I read it, and LOVED it, and realized I was completed wrong and I was thinking of another Rachel entirely. But the surprise was that it didn't matter.



This book is good. It's been a few months since it was released, but it's a definite read!



4.5/5 Stars

Disappointing after reading all the rave reviews for this book. Too predictable..Did not hold my interest very well.

The 💣!!

Flawed characters with murky backgrounds manage to come together in the world of the rich and pretentious. What could go wrong???

Loved every page and think this would be an amazing Netflix series!!

ARC provided by NetGalley

Read this months ago and forgot to update!

I really enjoyed this read. I love books that keep you guessing by providing different POVs! This one was no exception. I knew something sketchy was going on based off the husband's attitude - like who wouldn't be torn up about their missing/dead wife?! A little corny that the new woman was his dog walker, but sometimes that's how it goes so it didn't bother me too much. I do feel like we could've gone without the story lines of her hanging out with the neighborhood women. It didn't really provide much substance to the book and her story, outside of her just feeling like an imposter.

Love the ending!! I was sad that they both died in the fire but I feel there's a smidge of a question if they might've survived.. I just also love that she got all the money and ended up winning in the end. Did she deserve it? Eh. But for a girl who came from nothing and worked hard to build a place for herself, she got lucky walking away with what she did after all the drama she just endured.

I read this after a coworker seemed to not enjoy it.... I am not sure why she didn’t enjoy it as we haven’t discussed yet and I just finished it. I personally thought it was great—- I didn’t see the ending coming which to me is a sign of a good thriller, (I read quite a few of them and always seem to predict the ending). I thought the plot was great and the characters were interesting, even the supporting ones.

This was predictable and I found myself knowing what was going to happen before it did. I was hoping for more since I had heard a lot about the book prior to reading it. I found all the characters to be very unlikeable and just awful and self-centered.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was the title and the ending.

The title ruined what would have been a shocking surprise. Why have spoilers in the title? I prefer the creative titles that are explained as you read the book.

This book was very well written and kept me engaged throughout. All of the characters were likable and relatable. The book even turned a little "Gone Girl" three-fourths of the way in.

The only other disappointment was the ending. I like finality in my books if there is not a sequel Loose ends or questions about how it could end are not my favorite.

I loved the aspects of Jane Eyre in this book, and it read very very quick. However, it was more predictable than I expected. I guess that comes with a retelling story. Overall I enjoyed it, but not a new fave.

I eagerly requested it upon realizing that the author is the same Rachel Hawkins who wrote the delightful Prince Charming and Her Royal Highness. I did not, however, realize this was a retelling of Jane Eyre—if I had, I would have passed on it, as retellings seldom work for me. Unfortunately that was the case here—it felt both too close and too far from the source material, and while I hoped the domestic thriller angle would bring something new to the mix, it mostly fell flat. I also gave the audiobook a shot, and the narration was excellent—the story itself just didn't do it for me.

I am an absolute fan of Jane Eyre. I try to read it at least once a year, I love it so much. Naturally, when I found what looked like a modern day retelling of this story, I just had to try to get a copy to read. There are a few similarities: Jane is an orphan, Eddie has a large house, a wife locked away, etc. That is where the similarities end. Jane is a dog walker in a rich neighborhood. She comes from nothing, has survived abusive foster homes, and loves to do a five finger discount of things that do not belong to her simply because she wants them. She takes what she wants and does not feel bad. Jane morphs herself to fit in with any situation, trying to control it and use it for her own benefit. She lives with a gross roommate who will cause her all kinds of trouble. One day, she catches the eye of Eddie. She thinks she has finally made it; large home, rich boyfriend, no more living with her scumbag roommate. Now she just needs to convince the neighborhood ladies she used to work for that she is one of them. What looks like a golden life and opportunity starts to not look so shiny rather quickly. Eddie is starting to change a bit each day. There's a darker side to him that she didn't notice before. Things start to not add up and her life and story is about to take a wild turn.
While I enjoyed this book, I will be sticking with my traditional Jane Eyre. The characters were hard to like in this rendition of the classic tale, but perhaps that is what the author was aiming for. The writing style was smooth and I enjoyed having different points of view occasionally. While I love the classics, this was nicely done and I know there are many out there who will adore this tale written by such a talented author.

My full review and acknowledgement of a copy given to me in exchange for an honest review will be posted on CelticsLibary.com by 3/25/2021

Jane, newly arrived in Birmingham, AL, is a barista-turned-dogwalker for the rich who has sticky fingers around her clients. One stormy morning, she finds herself in a chance encounter with Eddie Rochester, a recent widower whose wife, Bea, recently died in a boating accident along with her best friend, Blanche. A modern-day, Southern gothic re-telling of Jane Eyre--this was a suspenseful read for those who love secrets and twists. Those unfamiliar with Jane Eyre will not be left out and those familiar with the book will appreciate the cheeky winks Rachel Hawkins makes to the classic novel.

I came into this book knowing not to trust any of the characters. We get primary POV from Jane, who shows us, from the beginning that she is untrustworthy. We also get POV from Bea in terms of lead-up to the accident and then Eddie in the last part of the book. One of the twists is in the title...but I enjoyed uncovering the layers of Bea's character. I did feel lacking in the background of Eddie and Blanche where I wanted to get to know them a bit more (especially Eddie as a gold-digger) especially insight on Blanche. This is the limitation of first-person POV where readers are unable to gain background and thoughts of the side-characters. Overall, a quick read with lots of twists and secrets a reader can get lost in.