Holy mackerel!!! This book grabs you from the beginning...you know there're some secrets and things going on but you don't know what so just keep reading...and then BAM!!! Great ending. I will definitely recommend it to my thriller seeking friends. 

The narrator did a great job. I could clearly picture the neighbors by the way they talk...and it was a nice surprise to 'hear' from Eddie as well. 

Thanks NetGalley, Rachel Hawkins, and MacMillan Audio.

Excellent thriller with a very different and refreshing style and plot. Loved this and can’t wait to share it with readers!

I found The Wife Upstairs to be a highly-addictive read. Word is that this novel is based on Jane Eyre. However, as I read this intriguing story, I honestly did not think about Jane Eyre. I loved the twists and turns that kept me guessing in this fast-paced story. The Wife Upstairs was a fun and unputdownable mystery read for me.

This book is a twist on the Gothic classic, Jane Eyre.
In this book, Jane is a dog-walker in Thornfield Estates in Birmingham Alabama. She meets Eddie Rochester. Eddie is recently widowed. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, Blanche. Jane and Eddie fall for each other, but Bea haunts Jane. How can Jane measure up to Bea? Can she win Eddie’s heart? Why won't Bea just stay buried?
The story is full of suspense, wit and plot twists. It is a love triangle and everyone has secrets. Listening to the audio made the story more of an enjoyable experience. The ending was a complete surprise that I did not see coming. I loved Rachel's writing style and will seek out her next novel. I would recommend this novel for those who love domestic thrillers. Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillian audio for a free copy for an honest review.

I have considered myself an avid reader since 7th grade. I always loved all the books assignments by my teachers growing up, until I read Jane Eyre. I was highly skeptical reading The Wife Upstairs knowing it was a modern version of the same tale, but I was highly surprised. I think an update was just what the book needed. I was enthralled with Jane, Eddie and Bea.

I seldom like a book filled with so many unlikeable characters, but Rachel Hawkins has used their unpleasant characteristics to good advantage in this modern retake on Jane Eyre. You need not have read that classic to be quickly enmeshed in the story of Jane who moves to Birmingham Alabama to restart her life. Taking a job as a dog walker in a wealthy community, she becomes romantically involved with one of her clients and moves in with him as she prepares for their marriage. Her fiancé’s wife and her best friend have been murdered although the body of Eddie’s wife has never been found. From the title, readers will guess correctly that Eddie has hidden Bea in a secure room upstairs. Lots of twists and turns and an unexpected ending make this one a stay up late to find out what happened. The audiobook adds to the suspense with great voice changes for the three narrators make it a very easy book for listening enjoyment.

SOOOOO good!! What a great domestic suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat! If youre a fan on suspense/thrillers this one is fantastic! The audio is also great. A very easy book to listen too, the southern accents are a great touch, listened to it at a 2 speed, 2.5 was a but to fast to keep up with, but im sure it would be enjoyable at a slower speed as well. I loved the back and forth between all the main characters! This ones going to be staying with me for a while & I might even buy a hard copy to own because its that good!

This is the story of Jane. She is a dog walker with a mysterious past. She meets Eddie, one of the rich people she works for. There are several  (if not all) characters in this book I did not like. But that is the point I think. But that also made it a little difficult to find a character to root for.  It remains to be seen exactly who did what until the very end. I listened to the audio version of this book and like all the narrators. Lots of rich people gossip and drama included.

Thanks to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc

This was a fun, entertaining and fast-paced book that kept me engaged. 
The story is about Jane, a young woman with a challenging background who begins dog-walking for an upscale neighborhood in Birmingham, Alabama. She is initially only considered the help to most of the wives and barely even registers on the husbands' radar. Then she meets Eddie Rochester, the handsome neighbor with the missing and presumed dead wife, who almost runs over Jane at their first meeting. They develop a friendship and she begins to work for him as well. The story develops from the first meeting and the mysterious disappearance and presumed death of his wife and her best friend. 
This book has all the Southern Gothic vibes and leaves you laughing at the stereotypical wealthy couples described in these pages and also mulling over what happened to the missing women.
The narrators are  Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne, and Lauren Fortgang. In researching the narrators, it seems likely that Emily did the Southern accents. I am guessing this because her bio states that she is originally from West Virginia. I liked all the narration for the most part but felt like most of the Southern accents were a bit too contrived and surprisingly did not feel authentic. I think that is the only thing about the narration that could have been more accurate for an authentic feel. This may have been a regional difference rather than a fake accent, I'm not familiar with these narrators enough to guess.
Overall, the book itself was worth the read. I did figure out a major plot twist at about 75% but this did not reduce the enjoyment of the book. There were multiple twists so that made up for it.
I would definitely recommend this to lovers of Southern Gothics and books that have a mixture of genres.
#TheWifeUpstairs #Netgalley #MacMillanAudio

I enjoyed this twisty mystery/thriller.  Full of conniving characters and loads of twists, this was a fun read.  Several narrators made the audiobook a great way to read this one.

Running from her past, Jane ends up renting a room in Alabama from one of her fellow previous foster children.  With no prospects, she finds herself taking a job as a dog walker in the wealthy subdivision of Thornfield Estates. Jealous of her new employers, Jane begins to pilfer a bracelet here, a trinket there, it’s not as if these people are going to miss a single diamond earring when their jewelry boxes are ripe with more.

One rainy day, Jane has a near miss as Eddie Rochester nearly runs her overcomes close to running her over as he backs out of his driveway. To apologize for the near miss, he invites Jane in for coffee and Jane is immediately captivated by Eddie, his house, and the fact that he is a new widower.

Eddie’s Wife Bea and her best friend had a boating accident and in order to save and run his wife’s business empire, “Southern Manners”, Eddie had no choice but to have Bea declared dead.

After a whirlwind relationship, and to assuage her own insecurities, Jane convinces Eddie to propose. But Bea’s influence is everywhere, in the neighborhood groups, in every knickknack in people’s home and even in the home she shared with Eddie. 

One unreliable after another lends their voice to this story but the truth turns out to be none of the tales the narrators have been telling us.  When the body of Bea’s best friend, Blanche, is finally recovered, the finger points at someone else entirely. 

Secrets and lies, greed and a twisted form of love contribute to the tendrils of this story as it grows, enveloping the house and the people inside of it.  Secrets from the pasts and enough extra information to have the reader thinking down paths that end up in dead ends. 

The ending wrapped up a little too quickly for me and I didn’t find it to be a satisfying resolution but overall a very good read. 

The audiobook really highlighted Jane's internal monologue and motivations as well as her fears and insecurities.  I would have appreciated less of the forced laughter sounds, there were just several dozen too many, but that is my only criticism with the narration. 

Thank you to NetGalley and to the Publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Hawkins has reimagined a modern retelling of Jane Eyre. This novel is a quick fun read that fans of the classic are sure to enjoy. 
Recommended

I've not read anything else from this author, but now I feel a need to! I love a good psychological thriller, especially one that I don't figure out all the twists before they're revealed. Normally I want characters I like but in this case, it was completely fine that none are all that likable. They really do all deserve each other! One of the main characters is sarcastic and the narrator voicing Jane's part does a great job. Good narration can make or break an audiobook and Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne and Lauren Fortgang all did a great job with this one! Apparently this was an update to Jane Eyre but I've honestly never read the original so I went in with no preconceived ideas. I was pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns in the story as the truth is slowly revealed. Well worth a read or a listen, whichever you prefer!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I requested both the ebook and audio versions of this so this review will be a combination of both!

The Wife Upstairs is a retelling of the classic, Jane Eyre and for the most part, I enjoyed it. Right from the start, I was invested in Jane and her mysterious background. I did find her to be a little frustrating at times but I did like her. But her relationship with Eddie was even more frustrating. Their relationship progressed so quickly that it didn't feel organic. They knew almost nothing about each other and they were engaged within two seconds. If their relationship was flushed out a bit more, I would have bought it.

But I was more interested in Jane and her background and the mysterious Bea, who is missing before the events of the book take place. The tale unfolding throughout the book had my jaw on the floor. This would have been a solid 4 star read if it was not for that ending. I was taken back when Jane's big secret wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be. And on top of that, I would have liked more closure on the other events that took place. It left the ending too open and with too many secrets still on the table.

Still a great read and a really great thriller! I look forward to reading more from this author.

For the audiobook - I had to switch to the ebook version halfway because I could not take the robotic-sounding narrator. I do not blame the narrator, I think it is the audiobook player for Netgalley as it seems to be a common problem. So while I did not get the full audiobook experience, I think I would have liked it more if it was less glitchy.

I had not idea that this an update on Jane Eyre.  But reading through, Rachel Hawkins uses almost every name from the original story in this retelling.  Once I realized that, I was pretty sure where this was all going.  It was just fun to watch it unravel after that.  Where Jane Eyre covered Jane's life as she grew from child to adult, this story meets Jane (not her real name) as an adult.  The reader flashbacks to the tough childhood she had in foster care and the past she was running from when she ended up in Alabama.  She isn't terribly likable.  Young and selfish and judgmental.  

As soon as Jane gets a chance, she wants to suddenly belong to this group of southern rich women.  The backstabbing southern charm is really my favorite part of this book.  Have you been to Alabama or anywhere in the south?  You will recognize some of these characters in at least some of the women you've met there if you have.  

Eddie is written to be mistrusted and you don't get to see the story through his eyes until far in the end.  You get Jane's side.  You get Bea's side.  Eddie is kept a mystery until the end.  Jane doesn't know if she can trust him.

Once I noticed them, I loved looking for the connections to the original work.  The dog names Adele.  The exchange between Jane and Eddie about how he has never been good looking.  It was like little Easter eggs for the reader.  And the ending was just a bunch of craziness.

I really enjoyed the narrators on this one.  There were three in this book.  Jane's narrator had to grow on me, but I enjoyed her take on the character as well as her differentiation between Jane's outer and inner voices.  Bea's voice was exactly as I heard it in my head when I was reading the digital version.  Eddie's voice was a needed change from the two female narrators when it chimed in.  Both the digital ARC and the audio version were enjoyable to read.  I'd like to thank Rachel Hawkins, Netgalley, and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book.  You can see this review as well as my others on my blog at: https://readeotw.wordpress.com

I received an ARC audiobook from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Spoilers ahead.
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I enjoyed this book more than I thought I was going to at the beginning. Jane is a unlikeable yet very likeable character. Her secret was not as crazy as I thought it was going to be. There were several twists in this story. Very Gone Girl-esc but not SOOO twisted.  Maybe it is because Rachel Hawkins has done young adult mostly and I liked her books in the past but I enjoyed this. It was easy to listen to. In fact I binged half of it today to finish it when I had originally planned on finishing it tomorrow. The narrators were good. I enjoyed that there were different voices so I could tell who was the point of view at the time. Only downside to the audiobook side is I couldn't reference the dates in the two main points of view. Man remind me not to meet a Bea in my life.

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins was a modern day throw back on the classic story of Jane Eyre but so much better. I listened to the audiobook that was narrated by Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne and Lauren Fortgang. This was the first book that I have read by Rachel Hawkins. I was impressed with the way Rachel Hawkins managed to keep the plot suspenseful and was able to add twists at all the right moments. I can’t wait to read more books by her. The characters in The Wife Upstairs were well developed but not particularly endearing. They were perfect for this book, though. I was drawn into this mystery thriller right from the beginning and had trouble turning the audiobook off. It was fast paced and held my attention from beginning to end. I had been unable to predict the ending. I did not see it coming and it was so good.

Jane was a twenty-three year old woman who had spent most of her childhood in the foster care system. Those experiences had helped her become good at reading situations and judging people. Jane was wise beyond her years but not in a good place financially. She had recently arrived in Birmingham, Alabama from Arizona. Jane carried a secret around with her. She avoided friendships and personal involvement as a result. When she arrived in Alabama Jane found a job as a dog walker in a wealthy neighborhood. Thornfield Estates was an affluent gated community with lots of identical looking McMansions. Soon she built up a pretty good business. It wasn’t that these housewives couldn’t walk their own dogs it was just that they could afford to have a dog walker. Over the years, Jane had gotten good at spying things of value that would not be missed. Jane used those skills to take things from the homes of her dog walking clients. These small trinkets, that Jane was able to slip out of the houses of her unsuspecting clients, supplemented her income. One rainy day, Jane was out walking one of her client’s dogs when she nearly collided with a very handsome man pulling out of his driveway. This was how Jane met the notoriously handsome Eddie Rochester. Jane was smitten as soon as she glanced into his green eyes and was met by his charismatic smile. Over time, Jane and Eddie became involved with each other and Jane moved into his beautiful home. They eventually became engaged. Eddie held secrets close to him, too. What really happened to his wife and her best friend? Only Eddie knew for sure but he kept that secret hidden from all.

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins was truly a suspenseful mystery thriller. I was so glad to have had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook published by Macmillan Audio through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I really enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I loved that it was inspired by Jane Eyre, but not at all Jane Eyre. The pacing was a little off for me and at time Jane's action didn't match up with her normal character in this book. I would love to read more in the future by this author.

I liked this modern, Southern iteration of Jane Eyre, how the main female character wasn't as innocent as the original character she was based upon was, and especially the changes, updates, and twists this author implemented, creating a familiar yet interesting interpretation of the classic Gothic novel.

I requested this audio on netgalley with curiosity after seeing it as BOTM and also seeing it all over instagram from other fellow readers. This was my second audiobook and it was SO GOOD! I was very impressed with this audio and felt like I could follow along very easily. The characters were perfectly developed and the plot was hooking. I felt myself thinking about this audio book when I was not even listening haha. I feel bad for the main character Jane and everything she was put through. There was so much backstory with Eddy and B throughout the story. In the end it all came together and I was impressed because there were so many plot twists after plots twists. I would definitely recommend this audiobook to anyone who wants a good thriller!! Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for letting me have the chance to listen and review this audiobook!