Not bad but similar to other domestic thrillers and those others did it better, I'm afraid. The most obvious comparison is to Verity, with which it shares basically the same plot. Another comparison is to a book by a better know author, a book that has the exact same name as this one.

There are some tense moments and some mystery, but things kind of fell apart at the end for me and stretched credulity. I like my domestic thrillers to at least be believable and I found this to be weak in that department.

I'm not sorry I listened to it, but it was fairly forgettable.

I received my audiobook from NetGalley.

Freida McFadden is blowing up right now so I jumped to read this one. I really enjoyed it I get the hype although I don't think this is her best work. I feel like her newer books are better? not sure but enjoyed it all the same.

This was a very enjoyable read. It is a modern retelling of Jane Eyre set in Alabama. If you like classic literature you may like this modern telling. If you find classic literature more difficult to read, then this is a very accessible way to hear the story. I appreciate the twists and changes that were added.

Not a hit for me, story was a bit unbelievable and didn't grab my interest. I've seen this one compared to verity which I also didn't enjoy so maybe I should have known better.

Title: The Wife Upstairs

Author: Freida McFadden 

Rating: 1/5 Stars ⭐️

I came close to DNF several times with this one and probably should have set it aside after a few chapters.

I've read Freida McFadden before, she's a very talented writer but this one didn't do it for me. This plot was a very weak knockoff of the book Verity and a few others I've read.

Predictible. Recognizable trope:

the charming sociopathic husband who just happens to be a best-selling author of psychological thrillers.

Annoying and not very bright main character. 

I could go on but I will simply say that I don't recommend this one at all. 
📚

This was a dnf for my I just couldn’t get into. Upon reading reviews many people compare this to off brand Verity. I have not read Verity but plan to I hope it is better. Maybe I should not read reviews before the book.

I enjoyed this audio book so much! It kept me on my toes I had to listen to all of it within 48 hours! I had had great things about the print version and have had it on my tbr for a while. I couldnt believe what a roller coaster ride it took me on! I'll definitely be reading more from this author!!

DNF at 40%
I received this audiobook from NetGalley.
I have multiple issues with this book.
The story itself reached a point of needing disbelief in order to continue. The main character, meeting a strange man in the middle of a coffee shop and suddenly agrees to move in with him to care for his infirm wife, for ANY salary that she would want, doesn't appear to have any qualms with this sudden "too-good-to-be-true" change of events for her. Plus, the man is hot. So there couldn't possibly be anything bad with this, right?
We are quickly led to believe that the husband appears to be drugging the wife, keeping her sedated and keeping her nails trimmed low to keep her from fighting back, or even speaking a majority of the time. Again, the main character doesn't seem to see anything wrong with this.
The wife leads the main character to her personal journal after a few encounters, a journal that she's kept hidden from her husband and details the quick progression of abuse, from isolation to verbal and financial abuse. Again, the main character doesn't seem to see anything wrong with this. Because the guy is so hot and he paid for everything for the wife! What could be wrong with that!
The final straw was the word that the wife was trying to convey to the MC was "nub". "NUB" she would scream. She meant to say "gun". When the MC said that, suddenly the wife is able to speak the word clearly. Gun.
The main character did have a moment of background building, explaining how she had been in an unhappy relationship, driven together by a pregnancy and miscarriage, and the estrangement from her parents.
Having now read some of the reviews on GoodReads, and seeing the penultimate twist, I have to pass. It's just not worth my time anymore.
I also found myself unable to continue listening to the narrator. This was my first time listening to an audiobook, so I may be a bit thrown from the same narrator doing all of the voices. It felt too much, too exaggerated.

This was such a fun thriller. It wasn’t anything spectacular but still really enjoyable. I really liked this author’s writing style and definitely recommend it for a compelling thriller.

The narration on this book was great! I always love a good suspense but this book was too familiar and predictable for me. I still enjoyed the writing.

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

Mild spoilers....

I enjoyed this book. Full disclosure: I've actually read it once before and really liked it so I gave the audiobook a try. I found the plot enjoyable and, although it was a little predictable in places, I was surprised by the ending. The characters were believable. I've seen reviews that have criticized the two female lead characters because there behavior wasn't believable. Those people were obviously never in an abusive relationship, because I thought the story of Victoria, the wife, was a classic battered wife story with all the appropriate behaviors from someone who feels like they're trapped in an abusive marriage. Some of the choices by the other female lead, Sylvia were questionable, but felt authentic. This book is frequently compared to Verity, but I think it's much better than Verity. All in all, great book.

This book is a psychological thriller that you want to keep reading as soon as you start the story so that you can find out what happens next. There were so many twists and turns. Highly recommend.
Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the audio eARC.

This book has everything you want in a thriller. It contains suspense, twists and the inevitable question of who is the evil one. The characters are all likeable and untrustworthy. The contrasts of these human conditions is brought out gradually throughout the book that the reader’s opinion of each person changes often. The storyline has all the turns and switchbacks that keep you reading late into the night. I have read other books by Frieda McFadden and this one is just as intense. The narrator, Angie Kane, makes you believe that she is Sylvia Robinson relaying a true tale.


I received an ARC from Dreamscape Media through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

Victoria Barnett has the perfect life. She has a handsome husband that loves her and a successful career. Then her life takes a turn for the worse. She is in a horrible accident that leaves her unable to speak, walk, dress, or feed herself. Victoria’s husband hires Sylvia to take care of her. Sylvia discovers Victoria’s diary that was was buried in a drawer. While reading the diary Sylvia unravels the couples secrets and wonders if her own life is in danger.

My Thoughts:

Thank you @netgalley and @fizzziatrist for the gifted copy of this book. I felt that this book was entertaining and started off good. When I started noticing many similarities to other book I have read, I felt that the book spiraled downward at a fast pace. This book reminded me of a “knock-off” version of Colleen Hoover’s “Verity .” It really took away from the story in my opinion.

The Wife Upstairs is my first novel by Freida McFadden. The main character Sylvia, is down and out on her luck…she has financially hit rockbottom. As serendipity would have it, she meets a mysterious handsome stranger who hires her to take care of his wife Victoria. Victoria is housebound since a terrible accident months earlier. Of course they live far away from town and Sylvia moves in, essentially creating a closed room mystery.

Victoria cannot speak very well, but Sylvia uncovers her diary which does her speaking for her. Sylvia reads it and uncovers what happens up to the time of her accident.

This book was a page turner despite the fact that it has limited characters and basically only two ways the story could go. Because of this, although there are twists and turns throughout the story, there was really no ‘surprise element’ but I was invested from the beginning.

As we find out what happened prior to Sylvia’s arrival we question more and more about what the truth really is.

Thank you Netgalley to the audiobook. Angie Kane did a great job giving voice to the characters.

She had me from page 1! What a page turner. Brilliant, suspenseful and will keep you guessing until the end!

Ok this book! I absolutely LOVED it! I was HOOKED! This was the first novel that I have read by this author and I definitely will be on the lookout for more titles! I loved the premise of the novel and following along the journey that had me guessing and second-guessing what was going to happen next. A gripping, fast-paced thriller that will have you biting your nails as you listen- or read-along. I was so immersed in this novel and cannot recommend it enough. I loved it!

Victoria seemed to have it all. A beautiful home, a wonderful career, a loving husband. But as we all know, not everything is always as it appears to be, and that certainly rings true in this novel. Without giving too much away, I cannot recommend this book enough. Run, do not walk, to get your copy of this book today. You will thank me!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the audiobook ARC of this novel to listen and share my review with others. I will definitely be recommending this novel!

Such a fun audiobook! I could not stop listening. While there is a similar theme to Colleen Hoover's Verity, it's still a different take. Yes, it's implausible, but still enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was absolutely fantastic- I could not stop listening and it turned into a total binge read that I finished in a day.
The Wife Upstairs by Freida McFadden is a psychological thriller centering around Sylvia a desperate young woman who accepts a job as a care companion, and the lovely but disabled Victoria, who she is there to take care of.
Victoria's husband/Sylvia's boss is at the center of them both, and Sylvia quickly finds herself falling for this handsome, caring man. But is Victoria as crazy and incapacitated as she appears, or is there more going on? Her moments of alertness and resistance to taking the daily medications that are meant to help her, have Sylvia wondering, and soon she doesn't know who to trust. I loved how twisted everything became and all the surprises and unpredictable turns. I really didn't know what or who to belive and the tension was high with this one, until the shocking end.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

A great career. A handsome and loving husband. A beautiful home in the suburbs and a plan to fill it with children. Life is perfect—or so it seems.

Then she’s in a terrible accident… and everything falls apart.

Now Victoria is unable to walk. She can’t feed or dress herself. She can’t even speak. She is confined to the top floor of her house with twenty-four-hour care.

Sylvia Robinson is hired by Victoria’s husband to help care for her. But it turns out Victoria isn’t as impaired as Sylvia was led to believe. There’s a story Victoria desperately wants to tell... if only she could get out the words.

Then Sylvia discovers Victoria’s diary hidden away in a drawer.

The publisher's synopsis of this book grabbed my interest; however, the characters were not well developed and the story just didn't come together for me.