I don't know what it is about Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre , my least loved of her novels and yet one I am drawn to again and again, like a moth to a flame. Sometimes, as in the case of a novel like Jean Rhys's [The Wide Sargasso Sea] or Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca I've loved the tie-in, but other times, such as with Tracy Chavalier's Reader, I Married Him I'm left feeling aloof. So I went into Rachel Hawkins's The Wife Upstairs with curiosity and a small amount of trepidation. A modern take on Jane Eyre? Hmmm. It was engrossing!

In a novel that reads like Jane Eyre meets Gone Girl , Hawkins gives us a grifter Jane (not her real name, more on that later, haha) who has lived through hard times coming from the foster care system out West. Jane is now sort of hiding out in Alabama, getting by as a dog walker, living with a very creepy John Rivers (who sort of knew her back when), and trying to find her way among the ladies who lunch in Thornfield Estates when she catches the eye of Eddie, a widower who hires her to walk his dog, Adele. Eddie's wife Bea supposedly died along with her friend Blanche. How and why remains something of a mystery. Eddie has inherited his wife's business and is trying to manage it along with his own construction planning business. An quiet Jane seems just the tonic for him. He recognizes something in Jane. Only it's not what you think.

I found this a surprisingly enjoyable twist on the original gothic "Jane Eyre" story. (Longtime blog readers will recall I can never forgive Jane for marrying Rochester.) In fact, there are a number of twists, and though I started to get ideas about what was really going on about halfway through the book, Hawkins's careful plotting made it quite enjoyable to see how things played out. This is a suspenseful novel deliciously full of villains and anti-heroes. You'll find yourself disliking so many characters but eagerly trying to figure out exactly what happened, to whom, and why.

I listened to the audiobook, beautifully narrated by Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne, and Lauren Forgang.

I received a digital audio review copy of this novel from Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

Hey Hey Rachel Hawkins! Wow- I'll give you 5 out of 5 birds for the Wife Upstairs. I mean I'd probably even hide some birds in the attic for this one. I was given this audiobook for free from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I couldn't stop listening. I downed this hours at a time while do a Harry Potter puzzle. I was hooked from page one until the end. I read Jane Eyre last year too, so loved that this was a retelling. Even though I knew the basic storyline- I wanted to keep going to see what was gong to happen. I'd recommend this as a mystery/thriller. I will say for some of my followers- it had a lot of F bombs in it so either listen with headphones or post kids bed time. I was super pleased with the character development, setting, and build up. I'd say go ahead and read this one.

This is my second time enjoying this book. I switched between the digital and paperback arc of this title and now I have listened to the audio. While I already loved the story, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the audiobook narration provided another level of enjoyment.

The narration of Emily Shaffer was perfection, while I felt that Eddie would have been better voiced by a deeper voice than Kirby Heyborne. With that being said, I still did really enjoy his narration. But it was the narration of Lauren Fortgang that made this for me. I loved her southern twang. she had a great voice and the perfect amount of attitude.

This was just as fun the second time… the story is just as rich and twisty, just as layered and indulgent. It was fantastic.

*Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for allowing me listen to this book in exchange for a honest review.

I love a good Jane Eyre retelling and this book did not disappoint. Being from Alabama, it was interesting to read about places I know so well and I can say this, the cattiness was on point.

Jane's character wasn't my favorite, but I can see why she stole from others and wanted someone else's life. The other character's chapters were interesting to read from as well.

The murder/mystery twists and turns were really good! I thought I had it figured out a few times but then I got proven wrong. Loved it!

All of the characters in this book are unlikable and have major issues, but I think that's what made this book so good to me! I love twisty reads and this one didn't disappoint.

I love an unreliable narrator, and a community full of unreliable people who want to keep their secrets hidden makes for such a great story! There are so many mysteries to unravel throughout The Wife Upstairs that just when I thought I knew where it was going I was shocked all over again. The narrators were great and overall the story was told so well.

4/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars!!! What a great story!!! A captivating thriller with a shocking ending that grabbed my attention right from the start. The story begins with Jane the dog walker and her quest to elevate herself to the likes of the residents of the gated community of Thornwood Estates.
The storyline quickly involves a romance for Jane, a disappearance and a death of two women in the neighborhood where Jane walks dogs. All the characters are great and all have issues and secrets that are slowly revealed as relationships and friendships begin. There is also a bit of sarcastic humor thrown in that had me laughing out loud.
There were lots of twists and turns along the way that kept my interest. Just when you think you have a clue as to what is going on another twist or secret is revealed.
This was my first NetGalley audiobook and I loved it. The narrators were spot on with their voice inflections & southern charm really made the audio version very enjoyable.
I definitely recommend The Wife Upstairs if you enjoy fast paced shocking thrillers!
Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for The Wife Upstairs audiobook in exchange for my honest review. #NetGalley

Alrighty. This is a book I've seen all over bookstagram and I got my hands on an ARC (thanks, Netgalley and McMillan). The Netgalley app is nothing if not consistent and the narration gets funky at any speed over 1.0x. I'm assuming this will be fixed at some point, but damn.

First things first. I have tried and never made it through Jane Eyre. On paper, I should love it but I've never gotten into it. Now, having a modern version of Jane, Mr. Rochester, and a wife upstairs in a murder/mystery/thriller? That's more my bag. Which is why I'm so disappointed that it didn't wow me. I thought Jane's backstory would have been denser and a bigger motivator, but it wasn't. Ditto the relationship with John, the relationship between Bea and Blanche, the whole side story with Tripp, and the fact that we basically completely forget about the dog for the last 2/3 but dogs are the reason she's in the neighborhood to meet Eddie in the first place. I'm all for unreliable narrators but I think my struggle was that a narrator we know is manipulative can only be so unreliable if the unreliability is expected.

Knowing at the beginning there were a male and female narrator - and that male narrator is Kirby Heyborne whose Mormon movies I watched as a teenager - felt weird. He didn't pop up until >80% of the book was over and seemed like an afterthought that didn't add much to the narrative.

I rate it 3.49 stars/5. I liked it but I can't round it up to a 4.

What a great book. I'm so glad I was able to listen to this wonderful audio version. The narrator was fantastic with the voices and really brought the story to life.

What a twist, and then whiplash turn of a storyline. I thought I had most of the story figured out (one of the big predictions I made was actually based on the title), but the ending was great. I liked the development of Jane and could sympathize with her in some of the situations she found herself in throughout the book. The reader is enticed to cheer for her.

Psychological thrillers are my favorite genre and this fed my need for a new read in that category. I will highly recommend this book to others who enjoy having this kind of thrill.

Well, this story was an experience! I truly enjoyed how the story unfolded and the twists and turns.

I would like to thank @Netgally and @Macmillan for giving me the chance of listening to this audiobook.

The audiobook was actually very good! The narrator did a pretty good job of bringing the character and the story to life. I enjoyed it very much.

This book had numerous twists. All the characters were flawed.It was compelling. I will definitely recommend
this book to readers looking for a "whodunit."

First thing you need to know about this book: You don't have to have read Jane Eyre before to read this one. In fact, I think it would be really fun to go into it completely blind. I DO recommend reading Jane Eyre AFTER you've finished to compare the two, because how English-major-cool would that be?

The second thing to know, this book is fun from beginning to end. If fun means: unreliable narrators making questionable choices that involve hot, rich guys... (Um, yes please.) The different point of view changes were handled brilliantly, with more information being released with every new chapter. Plus, there was a lot of great social commentary, strong women, blackmailing, theft, and secret rooms.

The third thing to know? Once you start this book, you won't be able to put it down. Between the mystery that keeps you turning the pages, and the short chapters that make you think, "I can read one more before I go to bed..." time will fly by.

One additional note: The audio of this book was so well done. I loved the distinct narrators, their accents and inflection, it made me feel like I was watching a movie. This book got me through miles of walking.

Thank you to @Netgalley and @macmillan.audio for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of The Wife Upstairs. I enjoyed the book so much I ordered it from @BOTM so I could share the book with my friends and family.

This book was published the beginning of January and ever since I have seen lots of well deserved praise. This story just drew me in. I was excited to read it for two reasons: 1. I heard it compared to Jane Eyre, which I love, and 2. This is the January book pick of the #readroversbookclub which I belong to.

Jane, is a young woman, who is running from her past and has found herself in Birmingham, AL. She is living paycheck to paycheck walking dogs for the rich residents of the gated community of Thornfield Estates. When she can not make ends meet she has to pawn the items she lifts from the homes of her rich clients. Oh, and Jane is not her real name.

As Jane is walking dogs, she meets the rich and handsome, Eddie Rochester, who sadly lost his wife in a mysterious accident. The whole community is talking about it, his wife and her best friend are missing. They are believed to have drowned in a boating accident. Jane is definitely interested in handsome, rich Eddie.

Oh, yes, Eddie is interested in Jane and seems so nice. He is attentive and listens to all of Jane's stories and showers her with everything she could want. He even lets her move in and supports her so she doesn’t have to dog walk. But something they both have is secrets and secrets have a way of catching up.

This story is a page turner. You just need to know how it will play out. And just when you think you have it all figured out, Oh no, there is a twist and more twists. I give this story ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. It is a wonderful thriller.

Thank you Netgalley for the free audiobook! I couldn’t listen to this one fast enough. While I didn’t totally love the ending, I really enjoyed the rest of it.

I did not realize this was a retelling of JANE EYRE until I heard the WIDE SARGASSO SEA epigraph. I should have paid more attention to the title of the book! I am not a JANE EYRE fan, but I listened to the entire audiobook because of the Birmingham/Mountain Brook, Alabama, setting and all the wonderful reviews. I'm not sure the third, briefest POV was necessary to the telling of the story. I liked the contemporary way in which the madwoman could take another lap around the attic.

Psychological Thriller has been my go to genre for some time because I love surprises and twisty turns in a book. However, recently this genre has been fading for me and I feel like a nitpicky customer when it comes to the genre these days, but it's being over run with books that are just 'meh' and this book is just another on the list for me.

None of these characters are likeable, and a good book needs one likeable person to cheer for. But - even so, i continued to read on. Yes, there were twists, but this book does some stretching of the imagination to pull it off and I just couldn't suspend belief in several areas, and this ruined the book for me. I don't want to give away spoilers but I have so much to say about why this book didn't work for me. I won't post those here to keep this spoiler free , but I will post them on my blog.

It had potential with the premise, but it missed the mark for me - like so many have these days.

#NetGalley

I received a copy of the audiobook from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

This was a really good book! I have always loved the novel Jane Eyre and this is a modern retelling of sorts, definitely a new story and twists that one would not expect. I like that the author mostly focuses on Jane's point of view throughout the novel, however, a few chapters here and there are from other view points and just spice up the story even more!

This story is mostly told from Jane's point of view, a foster care girl who is out of the system and works on trying to make her way in the world by coming into a rich neighborhood to walk various neighbors dogs. One day she stumbles upon a handsome widower and Jane realizes she can have everything in her life change. She does not even care that Eddie Rochester's mysterious death of his late wife, because all that matters is she is improving her life, right? Suspenseful, thrilling and certainly some twists that even I didn't see coming! Quite enjoyable

Lately I have been less than thrilled with domestic thrillers but Rachel Hawkins delivers with this multiple narrator fast paced thriller. Brings me back to my first reading of Gone Girl - though not quite as shocking of a conclusion as I experienced with Flynn. On audio, the use of multiple narrators made the book more engaging and the characters more real.

Wow! I am so glad that I read this one. It's my favorite book of the year so far and it was a really good, suspenseful mystery. The best kind are those that aren't predictable and that you make your predictions and assumptions but they're either not right or only somewhat. Rachel Hawkins really hit the spot for me with this one.

First, Jane starts off with walking some dogs, which I loved since I am a huge dog lover. :) While walking dogs in a wealthy neighborhood for a rich woman, she meets Eddie who is also filthy rich. It's a story of rags to riches in some ways, but that's only a small part of the story. I honestly don't know what to say without ruining it/spoiling it for others.

Let me say that I really enjoyed all of the characters and I thought they were complex and realistic. No one seemed contrived or unbelievable, once you realized how they fit in. There are surprises, so watch for clues and when you think you have it figured out, think again.

I highly recommend this one!

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a free audiobook in exchange for my opinion. I only had the audiobook, no hard copy version, so the narrators really added to my pleasure listening. Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne, and Lauren Fortgang annunciated clearly and I was able to follow along without needing to refer to a written copy.

"I didn't know you could love someone but also not know them at all." -- "Jane" soon-to-be Rochester

Twisty and dark, this was a satisfying novel of crime and passion, secrets and rumors. It wasn't particularly unique -- [book:The Wife Upstairs|53137893] doesn't hide the fact that it's a contemporary retelling of [book:Jane Eyre|10210] -- but it was intriguing in a fresh way.

Do I love a book filled with flawed characters and untrustworthy narrators? Usually no, but this one spread the unlikable stuff thinly, so I could still glimpse the worth and warmth beneath.

As for the audiobook, the narrator for "Jane" sounds eerily robotic. Otherwise the narration was decent, though a bit slow. I blame the setting for this, as it seemed the narrators almost tried to draw and drawl things out Southern style.

The Wife Upstairs is told from three points of view—Jane, Bee, and Eddie. Bee and Eddie are a wealthy couple who live in a new neighborhood of McMansions in Birmingham, AL. Jane is a dog walker in the neighborhood. Rachel Hawkins has done an excellent job of providing different viewpoints on the mystery at the center of the story. She provides great background information on the three characters. Without giving anything away, I can say that nothing was as it seemed and Iwas kept guessing until the very end. I loved it and highly recommend it.