Jane & Edward: A Modern Reimagining of Jane Eyre is a captivating novel that seamlessly blends razor-sharp wit, wicked humor, and poignant moments. As a reader, I was thoroughly enchanted by Edwards' debut work.

I love finding retellings to explore and see how the author reinterprets a classic story. I think Edwards does a pretty good job of staying true to main ideas of Jane Eyre, but also making it relevant and current. I love the journey that this Jane goes on, finding herself and her worth in the world. She may have come from not-so-nice beginnings, but she finds her way and finds love that she deserves along the way. I loved the chemistry/banter between her and Edward (Rochester character) and how they brought out the best of each other. Plus who doesn't love a resolved, happy ending with all the messy trappings of being human, not perfect.

✦ Review: JANE & EDWARD: A Modern Reimagining of Jane Eyre by Melodie Edwards http://bit.ly/3FKEWYW
Publication Date: March 21, 2023
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas: Donna
Rated 5 Stars

I can’t believe this is a debut novel for Ms. Edwards. I loved it and could not put it down. I’ll admit that I don’t remember the storyline of Jane Eyre, so I was not stuck comparing different aspects of the story.

Jane was so calm on the outside, seeming to take life day by day. But on the inside her thoughts were spot on and relatable to me. I liked her immediately. I loved how she grew to find that she always had strength and courage inside her. Then there is Edward. He was a quirky and temperamental tornado that most saw as a jerk. But Jane and the reader saw through that early on. He too had his demons to overcome. I think they recognized and related to each other’s strengths and vulnerabilities. Yes, he screwed up badly, but I couldn’t dislike him for it. I even admired and understood Jane’s response. That made it a joy to see how the story resolved itself. Witty dialogue, fast paced writing, and a lovely romance.

*Review copy provided by Penguin in exchange for an honest review.

~*~*~*~

Kindle https://amzn.to/40o2Otr

Okay! Wow! This was good, sentimental, entertaining and fun to read.

The story began smooth and nice but I started liking it more when the banter did come into picture or rather when they first met. Rosen was angry (that is saying it mildly) but their formal introduction was amazinggg.

I like the references to other movies, stories here. When Jane gets a makeover and the result of makeover is you have people stumbling on their words, loved how Edward was reacting to this.

Jane and Edward are broken, flawed, real and characters you will relate to and want to hug. They are well written and developed. Jane's growth and making a place for herself in the world were nobody thought about her and wanted to use her or her name for their benefit was powerful and inspiring. She was a foster kid surviving in a shark filled world and when she decides to stand up for her life, that comes as to being an assistant to Edward, a renowned lawyer.

I wasn't sure if i would like a retelling of Jane Eyre but until the end I couldn't put this down. It was one sitter, page turner read for me.

The tropes here forced proximity, workplace romance, kind of second chance, age gap, forbidden love were intricately woven into the feminine side of the book. This book, story writing was brilliant, smart, emotional, swoon worthy and perfect! This was perfectly perfect (if that means anything).

I highly recommend this book to everyone.

I normally seem to read Jane Austen retellings but I may need to switch to Bronte retellings after reading Jane & Edward. It is a retelling of Jane Eyre, set in Toronto in present day. Jane is a woman with goals and aspirations to get past her foster care upbringing and, after putting herself through school, gets a job as the assistant to the named partner at a major law firm with a reputation for being extremely difficult, Edward. Let me just say that I tend to avoid books about law firms because who needs to read about your every day life but I loved this book so much. Jane was such a strong, independent, determined and bright woman who didn’t let her past define her. The dynamic between Jane and Edward was what romcoms are made of - witty and clever banter with the perfect amount of tension and spark. I loved seeing Jane open her heart while still being true to herself and still following her dreams and aspirations. This book was charming, swoonworthy and intelligent and I loved every minute of it.

Jane and Edward is billed as a modern reimagining of Jane Eyre. If you've read Jane Eyre, you'll definitely be able to pick up the vibes. If you haven't, I think you may still enjoy the grumpy, workaholic Edward with a complicated past and the smart, strong Jane who takes a chance on becoming a legal assistant to a boss well known for being temperamental.

In this story we have a workplace romance with a forbidden romance and forced proximity. I loved Jane! I loved seeing her interactions with Edward and watching her character grow while finding her place in the world. I had a couple of issues with Edward, but he showed he was capable of change. The ending brought everything full circle.

I couldn't put this book down and finished it in one day! Hope you'll add it to your TBR. Thank you to the publisher for my e-copy of this book.

Jane & Edward is a modern retelling of Jane Eyre, set in a prestigious law firm in Toronto. Jane Eyre is my favorite classic novel, so I was excited to read Jane & Edward. Even though this book is a contemporary reimagining, it stayed mostly true to the original story and the characters. I liked Edward very much despite his moodiness and rudeness. But I loved Jane even more. She was strong in her convictions and didn't let anyone mistreat her, even Edward. This modern Jane reminded me why I loved the original book and her character so much when I first read the classic years ago!

I'm a little wary of Jane Eyre retellings because my English grad program forever ruined the book for me. (Try reading Wide Sargasso Sea and tell me you don't feel the same!) This one doesn't handle the secret wife theme any better than its source material (the deus ex machina of it all made me roll my eyes). Aside from this, though, I found it to be a compelling read; Jane's sense of agency is strong, and Edward is actually sweet and likeable. The banter is a little odd, but somehow it works really well (at least for me). I also enjoyed the fact that the book isn't solely about their relationship but, rather, about Jane getting what she deserves. (I'm being intentionally cryptic here.)

Four stars is probably generous, but if you enjoy Brontë retellings give this one a try!

Read if you like:
📖 Retellings of Classics
❤️‍🔥 Slow-Burn Romances
🚪 Closed Door Romances
🧲 Opposites Attract
💼 Workplace Romances
💪🏻 Stong Female MC’s
😆 Dry Wit/Humor
🇨🇦 Books Based in Canada
💋 He Falls First

This one was most definitely a 5🌟 read for me! It was so smartly written and I loved the balance of romance and Jane becoming who she was meant to be and her development into an even more strong, confident, and independent woman than the one we first met who was run down by life and meek.

This one did slow burn so amazingly in that I didn’t even realize it, but right along with Jane I was falling for the sullen Edward as well. The banter and spark between these two so so undeniable and I truly loved everything about how their story was written.

I have never read Jane Eyre, but now that I’ve read this one, I feel like I need to experience it soon to see where the the inspiration for this wonderful book came from.

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for my ARC in exchange for my honest review, this one is definitely a new favorite!

It's times like this I wish I had even half the vocabulary of talented authors (like Melodie Edwards) so I could properly convey my thoughts and feelings. I don't even have words. This book is perfection. I knew within the first couple chapters that this was going to be a special book, and boy was it!

Jane & Edward is now firmly on my "Favorite Romance" list. It is intelligent, tender, mature, touching, entertaining. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much! The pining, the slow burn, the banter, the quiet humor. The difficult themes that were handled with such care.

This is the epitome of what a romance should be, and I'll be singing its praises for the rest of my life. One million stars to Jane & Edward!! Melodie Edwards is an author to watch for. 👀

Thank you Berkley for the gifted copies. I am so incredibly grateful that this book came into my life. 💗 the book hangover will be fierce with this one.

I'll be posting a more thorough, more organized review on my Instagram and Goodreads tomorrow.

I loved this book so much! I started this morning and finished today, I could not put it down. I loved the characters, the well developed plot and the adaptation of the classic story.

Jane is a young, former foster kid who waits tables to get by after losing her father unexpectedly at a young age. Wanting more out of life, she saves up and gets a job as a legal assistant in the heart of Toronto. Acutely aware of how much she doesn’t fit into the fast paced, big money world, Jane is still intent on keeping her head down and putting one calloused foot in front of the other.

But just getting by might be easier said than done when Jane is assigned to work for one of the owning partners, Edward Rosen, a cutthroat lawyer with the grumpiest of dispositions. Jane is intimidated by Edward, but refuses to back down from the the challenge. Before long, Edward ultimately finds himself taken with his hard working protege, in more ways than one. With the lines between the professional and the personal blurring, what’s worth sacrificing, business or pleasure?

I’ll be the first to admit it- I’ve never read most of the classics. So when Jane and Edward was marketed as a “modern reimagining of Jane Eyre”, that didn’t weigh too heavily on my decision to read it. Instead, I went in rather blind. So imagine my surprise when this novel did start feeling like a classic to me, only a classic from my own youth. Years ago, I loved soap operas. I know I’m dating myself and marginalizing my review all the same time, but reading the banter between Edward and Jane reminded me of the relationship between my favorite soap couple, Jack and Jennifer from Days Of Our Lives. On the off chance you watched the show and loved them too, I’d recommend reading this book on that bit alone.

However, if you’re like most readers and the aforementioned reference means nothing to you, I’d still recommend this book if you enjoy retellings, office romance or even just a good old fashioned love story.

3.5

Jane & Edward is, as the title states, a modern retelling of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre which finds Jane Raine working as a legal assistant for Mr. Edward Rosen at the law firm Rosen, Haythe and Thornfield. Word around the office is Mr. Rose is extremely difficult to work with, and Jane is just another in a long line of assistants.

Dealing with difficult people is what Jane has had to do everyday for the past few years she's worked as a waitress. Mr. Rosen's attitude does not deter her. Jane's steadfastness ends up bonding them and soon Edward and Jane are declaring their love for one another. When secrets come to light, Jane must decide a new path for herself on her own terms.

While reading, I had a thought about whether or not this book would be read by someone who has never read the original classic. If so, I'm curious about the reaction those people would have to certain revelations and turns in the story.

As it stands, I have read the original. So I don't think there's much surprise here. Melodie Edwards chose to begin the story shortly before Jane meets Edward and only revisits Jane's past through recollections. If the idea was to highlight the relationship between Jane and Edward this was the best way to go about it by cutting out what would have amounted to a lot of exposition.

As it stands though, there's a lot of build up before Jane and Edward are declaring themselves for one another. I felt like the build up was the best part honestly because the tension was great. But the build up almost overshadows them being together which made Jane leaving not as impactful, in my eyes. I wish I could have felt the heartache more. Maybe it's also because I've read the story before, which takes me back to my first pondering of this story. Putting Edward's name in the title gives him a lot more presence that I don't feel like he has because this is still solidly Jane's story and journey. But regardless, Edward is quite the enigmatic character and the perfect foil to when Jane later encounters Daniel in this story.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I liked the modernity of this classic which sometimes bordered on being very meta in the way it discussed classic love and agency.

But I almost wish there was a little more about it to separate it from the classic. Just taking one extra step to differentiate between the two I think could have gone a long way to breathing even more new life into story.

WOW I absolutely loved this retelling of Jane Eyre. Jane & Edward is a smart, entertaining, romantic, realistic read set in downtown Toronto.

In this modern day retelling, Jane Raine, an orphan, is barely making a living until she secures a high-power administrative assistant position at one of the most prestigious law firms. There she meets her new boss, Edward "Mr. Rosen." This curmudgeon is bad-tempered and ill-fitted for the day-to-day of lawyer life. Mr. Rosen is holding a secret so powerful it could destroy all he's devoted in life and love.

Jane is resilient and empathetic to her new bosses needs, calming the fires that stoke his flames. Slowly they develop a well-maintained working relationship, often causing Edward to smirk in amusement. It's only when they are forced to participate in a fire drill do they declare their love for each other in a stairwell somewhere between floors 1-63.

This corporate romance teeters on the forbidden between two broken people who need time to find what makes them happy before their happily ever after. This book a FANTASTIC, and candidly I didn't want it to end.

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for the complimentary copy.

Jane & Edward: A Modern Reimagining of Jane Eyre is exactly what it says on the tin—but that doesn’t convey the utter brilliance and remarkable competence with which debut author Melodie Edwards pulls off this retelling. Charlotte Brontë’s most popular novel has been adapted numerous times for various audiences, some hewing more closely to the source material than others which merely use it as loose inspiration, but Jane & Edward is truly a masterpiece that will set the bar impossibly high for other future retellings.

The titular characters are transplanted into our modern day society, and their surnames, occupations and backgrounds are updated by necessity, but it’s done in a most elegant fashion that still believably moulds them into recognisable representations of their counterparts from the classic story. At a tender young age, Jane is left an orphan at the mercy of the foster care system after the premature passing of her father, a gifted professor renowned in academic circles, but absentminded and careless when it came to providing for his daughter. The author outlines Jane’s growth from her teenage years to her early 20s with a focus on how alone and neglected Jane is, bereft of all company and comfort, but without giving in to any need for tawdry embellishment or heavy-handed melodrama. It is enough to witness how frugal Jane must be to stretch her limited funds as a waitress, the compromises and indignities she must shrug off just to barely remain above the poverty line. But finally Jane is done with her grey, dreary existence of just making do and pushes herself outside her comfort zone to pursue a new career as a legal assistant which is how she winds up at the illustrious law firm Rosen, Haythe & Thornfield.

It’s an opportunity that seems too good to be true for someone brand new to the industry until Jane realises that she’s landed this plum position as assistant to majority stakeholder Edward Rosen not out of any sterling qualities that HR may have recognised in her, but out of sheer desperation and a lack of options given the way that Edward has terrorised and scared off all his previous assistants. He’s notoriously ill-tempered, loud and abrasive with no patience or manners to spare and one might think that his moody and volatile personality would be too much for Jane to handle. One would be wrong, however.

With her many years in customer service, Jane is composed and unflappable, meeting his gruff, high-handed manner with calm, stoic professionalism. While she initially is unswervingly mild and polite, retreating behind the safety of ‘yes, sir’ and ‘no, sir’, Edward’s lively and colourful personality eventually coaxes out a hidden wry wit she never had the chance to indulge in before. Jane’s occasional tart response is amusing and intriguing to Edward, and as his respect for and reliance upon his new assistant grows, so does an unexpected but sweetly wholesome rapport between them.

Given the vast disparity between their respective roles in the company, not to mention their social and economic status, this is a tricky combination of dynamics to navigate, however the author does it masterfully. In her foreward, Melodie Edwards mentions that she contemplated jettisoning the employer/employee dynamic to avoid the thorny implications in a post-#MeToo world, but thankfully she elected to retain this crucial element which adds so much depth and a delightful ambivalence to the developing relationship between Edward and Jane. After years of being solely responsible for her own well-being and a deep-seated fear of being left with nothing, Jane is not going to pursue an office romance that could jeopardise her position. As for Edward, he may be seen as a fearsome ogre by his employees, but he is intensely principled when it comes to ensuring zero tolerance for harassment towards any of his staff and that includes making a romantic overture to his own assistant when she may fear the outcome of rejecting him. Their slow-burn romance is pitch-perfect and utterly swoonworthy with not a single misstep in its execution; we’re treated to witty banter, delicious chemistry and a heartfelt yearning that is drawn out just long enough before being soothed and satiated.

Of course, just because the obvious personal obstacles to embarking on their relationship have been overcome doesn’t mean smooth sailing to a happy ending. Readers familiar with Jane Eyre will be aware of the major obstacle yet to come and the way this character is incorporated into Jane & Edward is perhaps the biggest change to the original novel, but satisfyingly done in the way it honours the source while twisting it in a way that best suits this new story. While there is no need to have read Jane Eyre as this works perfectly well as a standalone, there are the occasional sly references that will tickle a reader in the know.

A deft and clever retelling that effortlessly retains the traits of the classic characters loved for generations while positioning them in a realistic modern context. Jane & Edward continues to explore the timeless themes of social inequality, the struggle for financial security and the innately human desire for love and a place to belong that Charlotte Brontë originally raised in Jane Eyre. With a quietly capable, charming and resilient heroine following the difficult path of learning to value herself and stand firm on what she believes in plus a prickly, blustering yet hopelessly endearing love interest, this is a beautifully heart-warming and enchanting story destined to be a comfort read for countless bookworms.

This was perfection. The perfect modern retelling of Jane Eyre. I actually think I like it better than the original Jane Eyre. She captured the original characters perfectly while still modernizing it. I still love Adele and read her as the lovable Adele from the original. Jane was and is the perfect heroine. This was witty and smart and modernized so flawlessly.

Jane Raine is the daughter of a famous professor, who dies when she's 13. Her mother died when she was a baby so it left Jane to go into the foster system. She was living just above the poverty line when she gets a job as an assistant at a law firm. She is the assistant for Mr Rosen, who can't seem to keep an assistant because of how grumpy he is!

I thought the forbidden romance/power difference was handled perfectly. I loved the banter. I loved all the characters. I'm sad the book is over. Even if you aren't a Jane Eyre fan, you can enjoy and appreciate this great romance filled with lots of fun tropes - close proximity, grumpy main character, forbidden romance, etc. I loved all the nods to the original. I definitely recommend.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ms. Edwards, and Berkley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I am so, so, SO impressed with this book. A retelling of <i>Jane Eyre</i>, as a *debut*? That is an ambitious project indeed. The caliber of writing and the authenticity and care with which Ms. Edwards recreated and modernized <i>Jane</i> is astonishing.

Any piece of classic literature has a capacity to be out of touch with modern sensibilities. There are certain elements of <i>Jane</i>, as there are in many classics, that aren't up-do-date with today's culture. I think Ms. Edwards did a really wonderful job of updating the story without losing its essence.

<i>Jane Eyre</i>, while far and away my favorite Brontë novel, was never my favorite - that honor goes to Elizabeth Bennett and <i>Pride and Prejudice</i>. Yes, I'm basic and NO, I don't care. I preferred Elizabeth's fire to Jane's retiring nature, even though I'm well aware that Elizabeth's bluster hides vulnerability and pride, whereas Jane's quiet hides a core of steel. I guess I just identified more with Elizabeth. Nonetheless I really like <i>Jane Eyre</i> and I feel a little ashamed to say that I think this retelling is equally good if not better. Jane has more agency than her classical namesake and the relationship between Jane and Edward is handled from a modern angle (i.e., #metoo) but with all the same nuance of the original.

I LOVED the re-do of Jane's breakup with Edward and her time at the University. So well-handled. Jane has the opportunity to really grow as a person and come to some difficult realizations and conclusions. And I liked the Canadian setting. As a US citizen who used to live (practically) over the bridge from Ontario it was almost like being home again.

As I said: I was really (pleasantly) surprised that this was a debut novel. I would NEVER have guessed. Melodie Edwards has a bright career ahead of her and I will be seeking out any future books of hers.

⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Jane & Edward by Melodie Edwards is a modern retelling of Jane Eyre that takes the historic story & brings it to a exquisite romance of today.

My memory/knowledge of Jane Eyre isn’t the best but I still enjoyed this read. I really appreciated how they modernized this story. It was an interesting journey of self discovery, owning one’s self worth & boundaries while also figuring out the risks one will take for love. It’s an interesting balancing act that I think this book handles nicely.

I really enjoyed Jane as the main character & the fact that even thought life had dealt her a horrific hand, she handled things with grace & dignity. She also was a very strong & independent woman that looked out for herself with the knowledge of how she should be treated.

For both fans of Jane Eyre & those just looking for a bit different of a love story, this is a great recommendation for you!


Massive thanks to Berkley Publishing for the free arc, which I voluntarily read & reviewed

I will post to social media & Amazon on release week & add links once I do. .

I ended up listening to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narration. It’s been a while since I’ve read the original Jane Eyre, but I enjoyed the similarities I noticed.

I liked seeing how Jane developed and grew throughout the course of the story. She went from waitress, to legal assistant to college student. She really learned a lot about how capable she was regardless of the men in her life.

I liked how her relationship with Edward developed and how she stood up to him. Their banter was very entertaining. I also enjoyed their declaration of love and could picture them in the stairwell.

I understood why she had to go and admired her decision. She was so strong at university despite dealing with some difficult situations. I liked how she fought for her father’s legacy. I loved the ending and how it wrapped up. I highly recommend picking this up whether or not you’ve read the original Jane Eyre.

“It’s strange how that works. No matter what’s happening in my day, just you, standing there and breathing, existing, suddenly makes it better.”

Overall this was a great read. The beginning 10% is more about Jane and how she ends up working as Edward’s assistant. I loved their meet-cute, it had smiling and really got me into where storyline was going.

I also loved Edward’s dry grumpy humor. The banter between him and Jane was on point from their first run in and I just want them to keep talking to each other. Chapter 14 DID.ME.IN! Love love loved it! So good.

Overall it’s a solid read.

Melli’s Book Breakdown
💗workplace romance
💗Jane Eyre Retelling
💗Boss/employee
💗Age Gap
💗Grumpy Hero