This one kept me on my toes! I can usually guess what is going to happen, but the final thrill kept me guessing until the end.

The audiobook kept me on the hook the whole time. Great narration.

I received a copy of the audiobook to listen to from the publisher via NetGalley.

I tried to like this book. I was intrigued by the premise and was looking forward to a fresh take on the story.

However, I dislike Jane so much that I couldn’t finish the book. I so was put off by her that I really didn’t care what her secrets were.

I received an e-arc from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book.

triggers: abuse, manipulation, gaslighting, fire, murder, imprisonment, alcoholism

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins is a 2021 release and a retelling of Jane Eyre, following a young woman who enters into a relationship with a wealthy man to avoid her past and ends up uncovering the unsavory details of his own.

I’ve not read Jane Eyre. A few months ago, I DNF’d it for the third time (after never getting past the first chapter) and decided to just cut my losses and move it over to my read shelf (because it matches my edition of Frankenstein and I think they look nice together). But it was a thriller by an author who I had enjoyed in the past. Admittedly, I had loved her contemporary sapphic romance and not anything in the vein of this book. But, nonetheless, I requested the book and wanted to love it.

My main issue with the book is the wasted potential. It is a book ripe with the chance for intrigue or the chance to say something or both. The book starts strong if not a bit slow. There’s a slow ease into the tension. At the very start, it could very much be a contemporary but the tension builds slowly, in part due to the fact that everyone by now knows the twist of Jane Eyre: the wife is the attic. It was a masterful use of the fact that no matter what this book did, the big twist was already laid out on the table.

However, after the slow start, it speeds up incredibly. There is no ever-creeping building of tension. There is no time for the reader to sit down in the discomfort. It just speeds through it all in favor of giving cheap thrills rather than offering a truly lasting and engaging story. I finished the book minutes before I started this review and even now, the middle is already blurring, not more than a few vignettes that never accounted to much.

The plot itself is not too strong. I am not one to criticize thrillers for being predictive. It’s in fact something that I seek out but this book, despite being unlike most other things I have read, felt formulaic. Reading it, especially the ending, reminding of books I liked more, books that actually engaged and entertained me. I thought of Gone Girl. I thought of my Lovely Wife. And then I was just sad I wasn’t reading those books.

There also is not a plot twist to save this book. If anything, the plot twist is what ruined it. It is not something that is built up to. Barely was there any foreshadowing for it. I think, had it been handled better, it might’ve saved the book for me. But the plot twist did not solve any puzzles I was trying to piece together. Instead, it presented me an entirely solved puzzle and expected that to be fun for me.

Another source of wasted potential is the characters. There are three characters we focus on—Jane, Bee, and Eddie. Of the characters, I would say that Jane is the most compelling, and she is the character that we spend the most time with. While we get points of view from the other two, she remains the primary POV and the character that anchors the story. From the start, it is teased that she has a dark backstory and once the reveal comes through, it’s so incredibly boring and lackluster. It was built up and up and then there was nothing much to it.

Bee and Eddie do not have much going on. They are manipulative and murderous and in love with each other. Their entire characters are based around a relationship that is not built within the story itself and that is barely shown in the book itself. Throughout the entire book, there is never a clear image of the relationship and thus never a clear image of the characters themself.

By the end, I was simply disappointed. If you want to read this book, I won’t try to stop you but for me, it was a largely unsatisfying and frustrating read.

The Wife Upstairs is a thriller that follows Jane who just moved to Birmingham, Alabama. This story leaves you wondering what is going to happen and if Jane is going to smarten up about the guy she's seeing. Their relationship moves to fast which I think he finally understands towards the ending of the book.
So, this book is actually a retelling but I never read the original book. I think that helped a lot when I reading the book because the story line didn't seem familiar to me like it did with a lot of other readers. It helped a lot with me really enjoying the story line of the book and not exactly being able to guess what was going to happen next. The ending is really surprising. I won't say exactly what happens but I really want to know what happened to certain character in the book because their ending is sort of left open for the readers. I think that's actually what surprised me the most when it came to this book
There are two things that I wish was different. 1) I wish we got more background on Jane. I get why her background is a secret through most of the book. I understand that. But I do wish that the readers could get to know her more at least later in the book. Because the was done like this I ended up not really being able to connect with her at all. And 2) This book saying that the plot has southern charm is misleading. A bunch of snooty women who judge way to much does not classify as southern charm. And that's coming from someone who actually lives in the south and deals with southern charm on a day to day basis.
Despite these two thing I ended up really enjoying the story! I can't wait to read more books by Rachel Hawkins!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of the classic, Jane Eyre, and anticipated reading this much talked about. January release. Rachel Hawkins presents us with Jane, a dog walker in Thornfield Estates, who meets the mysterious and handsome Eddie Rochester. The pair's whirlwind courtship sets the neighbour gossip machine into overdrive and as Jane desperately attempts to keep her secrets in the past, it is soon apparent that Eddie has a few of his own. And they're about to come knocking.

Although I don't really think you have to read the original to get an idea of what the story is about, I enjoyed seeing many of the original characters step into this contemporary reinvention. Although did poor little Adele deserve to be reincarnated into canine form? This book did have me transfixed from the beginning, but I just didn't like how it all ended. Finally, Jane Eyre is just one of those literary characters I am extremely hellbent on protecting and I didn't like Rachel Hawkins's characterization of her. That's just me! Overall, I felt it was worth my time and I glad that I made the decision to request the title.

Publication Date 05/01/21
Goodreads review published 26/01/21
Also reviewed on Facebook and Instagram

Fantastic, fantastic! This is one of those reads you will not be able to put down. Full of twists and turns through the very end.

Blog: The Life & Times of a Book Addict.
Posted on January 26, 2021.



REVIEW:


Jane, Eddie, and Bea were very interesting characters to get to know. From pretty much the beginning, I was interested in Jane’s background and what she could possibly be running from. Then once Eddie and Bea came into the picture, I wanted to know more about their past…specifically Bea’s. The story seamlessly shifts between both present and past. Uncovering more of Bea and Eddie’s life as well as Jane’s past in the process. none of these characters were very likeable to me, but I think that is the point. However likeable or unlikeable, they all added something to the story and made it all the more intriguing.

I’m one of those weird people that like to occasionally switch between listening to an audiobook and reading the book. Oftentimes I will read the book during lunch and then listen to it when I get home or vice versa. The writing and pace of the story was done well. It never felt like anything lagged or became boring. The narration was good too. All three of the narrators did a good job of bringing the characters to life and making the book even more enjoyable. Listening to their voices tell the story, it was easy to get lost in the book for several hours.

The Wife Upstairs was a quick and easy suspenseful story to get sucked into. The more I read, the more my curiosity grew, and I had to find out how it all ended. This was the perfect book to read while I was on vacation. I look forward to seeing what Rachel Hawkins comes up with next.



RATING: 3½ -4 OUT OF 5.

I was hooked from page one. Jane Eyre was one of my favorite novels back in high school and when I heard this was a modern retelling I was sold! I thought I had the book figured out when all of a sudden the pov switched characters in the middle of the story. I was left guessing at ever turn and that ending! So so good

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book was fabulous. Very twisty storyline that I wasn’t expecting. Characters that I sometimes sympathized with, but we’re also pretty unlivable at times. Highly recommend.

Jane Eyre is my favorite book so I'm always a little wary going into retellings, but Rachel Hawkins delivered with The Wife Upstairs. She stays true to the source material while also delivering a story all her own and I had so much fun spotting little nods to the original novel. She also pulled off some neat little twists that I sort of saw coming, but felt surprised by anyway. Fun and thrilling, this is one I'll be recommending to my library customers.

Modern day retelling of Jane Eyre that made me think again about the characters from my favorite book. If you put those people in modern day, would I still like them? The answer is mixed-they were definitely anti-heroes but yet they got what they deserved in the end (this is no spoiler as it's not necessarily the same ending as the original story). This book had lots of twist and turns. Some I could see coming just due to knowing the story of Jane Eyre but the author definitely added her own spin. Great story!
Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name. But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for. Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past––or his––catches up to her? review: This was one of my highly anticipated books for 2021 and it did not disappoint! This book is a modern re-telling of Jane Eyre (which I read in high school) and it takes you for a twisty ride! The characters were very well developed and interesting. I always love dual points of view with domestic thrillers because it helps bridge the gap between what each character is thinking and how they’re actually operating. While at times it felt a bit predictable, I loved how the story unfolded and how it wrapped up in the end. I’m hosting a virtual book club for this book – if you would like to join you can do so HERE. rating: 5 out of 5 ⭐️

A woman uncovers hidden secrets about her fiancé and his ex, in the Jane Eyre reboot, THE WIFE UPSTAIRS by Rachel Hawkins.

We first meet Jane as the neighborhood dog walker for the well-to-do residents of Birmingham’s Thornfield Estates. Jane is broke, so she helps herself to a shiny bauble here and there, sure the bored and well-heeled housewives won’t even notice. But her luck changes when she meets the recently widowed Eddie Rochester. Rich, handsome and charmingly enigmatic, Eddie is everything Jane needs to start over… again. And despite her disbelief at Eddie’s attraction to a plain girl like her, before too long, Jane moves in with Eddie and becomes the new, buzzed-about socialite of the Estates.

If the only knew her real name isn’t even Jane…

But as days turn to weeks, Jane is increasingly haunted by the memory of his ex-wife—the stunning and ambitious Bea, who is presumed dead after a tragic boating accident. Worse yet, she suspects Eddie is hiding something and Jane can’t seem to leave it alone. And just when her new, shiny future is within reach, everything comes crashing down when she discovers the terrifying truth.

Hawkins (ROYALS) delivers a gothic thriller with a fresh twist on a well-known classic. It’s a story about attraction, ambition, murder and love rife with unexpected twists that kept me reading. While I loved the premise and the noir sensibility of the story, parts of the book moved a little slower for me with my attention ebbing throughout. The ending felt a little rushed/a little flat too. I loved her book Royals, though, and look forward to her next go at a thriller.

Jane Eyre happens to be one of my favourites so I was quite excited to read this book. While I didn’t enjoy this story as much as it’s inspiration, it was still a great book. Jane was not a very likeable character. There was a portion that I had to push through but once I got through that I couldn’t put it down! What twists and turns this book made. I did not see those final twists at the end!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book!

The Wife Upstairs was a 5 star read for me! This was part domestic drama, part slow-burning psychological thriller and a whole lot of twists and turns. Jane, a dog-walker with a hidden agenda finds herself nearly run-down by the mysterious newly widowed man of the neighbourhood who’s wife was tragically killed in a boating accident with her best friend. By a series of carefully orchestrated ‘chance’ encounters, Jane finds herself quickly inserted into Edie’s life, but with secrets of his own, is Jane sure of what she’s worked so hard for?

⭐Book Review⭐
I'm ashamed that it took me so long to finish this one because it really was an enjoyable read!
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Jane Eyre is one of my favourites, so I definitely enjoyed the similarities found in The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins. The mystery of it all was probably what I enjoyed the most.
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This book has been all over bookstagram, so I don't think I need to say much, other than it's a quick read (once you actually sit down with it), a fun plot, features strong women, and there is just a hint of darkness. There are twists and turns that will keep you on your toes from start to finish.
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Thank you for this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review!

Wonderful writing and characterization. The entire Jane Eyre nods were really fun to read, but Rachel put her own spin to the gothic tale. The ending?!? Loved how plot points were tied up so no loose strings were left.

One small critique: the title gave away a big plot point (that we may have seen coming nonetheless). So, the anticipation was lessened, but meeting the “wife upstairs” kept me reading, and perhaps, that was the point after all

4.5 stars

I enjoyed my time with this! This Southern setting was quite fun and felt fairly realistic (especially with Bea's southern lifestyle brand). It's more of a slow burn thriller, but the pacing worked for me overall. There were certainly some slower moments, but this didn't detract from the story. Learning about the backgrounds of both Jane and Bea were definitely interesting.

This is a loose retelling of Jane Eyre, so some of the plot points are certainly predictable if you've read that story. Jane Eyre is actually one of the classics that I've really enjoyed, so I didn't mind that I knew where the story would likely go. I found this take on Jane to be interesting - she comes from a bit of a rough background and steals from her rich clients. She's definitely hiding things and has some negative traits, but I still liked and rooted for her. Eddie is also more than he appears, so I enjoyed this take on him as well. They are quite the pair!

I had a fun time with this book and would recommend it!

Content warnings for abuse

My video review can be seen on my channel (around minutes 18:22-20:58 of this video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3igP7ejhqw

The Wife Upstairs is both a mashup of Jane Eyre and Rebecca (even containing characters named Edward, Jane, and Bertha), and a brand new exploration of what has become almost its own gothic genre. The finished product is absolutely a success.

Readers are introduced to Jane (the new wife) and Bertha (the previous wife) through their own first person narrations. Jane begins as a dog walker for the extremely wealthy in an exclusive neighborhood, but as the story continues, we learn her beginnings are far darker than originally indicated. Bertha began her own highly successful company from the ground up, but there are hints that there were large cracks in the facade she put up.

Hawkins expertly explores so many themes here: family, wealth, what women must do to survive and thrive, being haunted by the past, and the idea of facades in humans and buildings both, just to name a few. This book has so many layers, and its because of that that the ending comes as such a brilliant and shocking surprise.

This is a book that absolutely lives up to the hype.

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins is a slow burn thriller that will have you questioning every character's role up until the very last page. A binge-worthy novel for any thriller lover.

The thing I enjoyed most about The Wife Upstairs was the twist in the last 90 pages. I was so convinced that I had everything figured out from the very beginning and boy was I wrong. The minute we are introduced to Eddie's point of view the entire mood of the novel shifted and I loved that. It was completely unexpected.

Sadly a majority of the book left me feeling blah. I was waiting for something to happen and it took awhile to get there. I would have only given it 2 stars if it wasn't for the masterful ending.

Overall I would definitely recommend The Wife Upstairs. The ending was so unexpected and I absolutely loved that.
3/5 stars.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.