3.5 stars, listened on audio. The narrator was great. The story was predictable; I’ve never read Jane Eyre so can’t speak to how close it is to that book.

I love a book that has real ties to where I live and since this one takes place in Birmingham I already knew I was going to love it. I really enjoyed the main character and she was relatable with her flaws. I also enjoyed the way this book was written from different character perspectives.

I really enjoyed this book! I was nervous that it was overhyped but that was not the case at all. I highly recommend it!

Okay confession time. I have never re ad Jane Eyre. I know it's a classic and it is on my backlist but I just haven't gotten to it. That being said I truly enjoyed The Wife Upstairs.

The Wife Upstairs is a modern retelling of Jane Eyre. Jane who lived most of her life in the foster care system and walks dogs for a living meets Eddie who is a recent widower in the very lavish and luxe neighborhood she works in. What happens next is a whirlwind of a dream come true relationship but everyone has secrets. Will their secrets rip them apart?

This was a very fast paced and dare I say fun read! I really enjoys Hawkins multi POV writing style and she was very clear and concise on the timeline of events. I really feel like I got to know the characters or at least what Hawkins wanted me to think I knew. There were parts that were maybe a little predictable but overall I definitely didn't guess all the twists and turns and definitely didn't guess the end. You don't have to read Jane Eyre to enjoy this read and would reccomend to anyone that loves a fast paced and drama filled thriller!

Not a big fan of this one. The iconic quotes in my favourite book were butchered, the characters were WAY out of character and completely unnecessary.

The ending was rushed, and the “twists” were not shocking at all. This was not my cup of tea!

This is so boring and I'm not hooked on the voice after 30%. Some books just aren't for everyone, unfortunately. DNF.

I'll have to say that this is my very first read by Rachel Hawkins and I was not disappointed! I had a little snafu where I think my audiobook was skipping around, so I re-started it and started enjoying it that much more the second time around!

There were some very interesting characters, and a very diverse set of characters which made me want to follow their stories. I feel like I was rooting on the people that I shouldn't have been, and disliked the people that I should have, but I think that's what made the story great!

The actual story was killer...all puns intended! HAHA! But seriously, it's not your every day cookie cutter mystery or domestic thriller. It took you in a couple of different directions throughout, with the ending totally out in left field, wondering how in the world you go there! I LOVED IT!!!!

The Wife Upstairs was narrated by a trio of excellent narrators: Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne, and Lauren Fortang. I have loved listening to Kirby Heyborne, but I must admit, most of the books I've listened him in before were either soft romance, or even maybe like a Christian genre, so to listen to him in this book took him to a new level to me that honestly I wondered if he was capable of...HE IS! I always LOVE when books have multiple narrators because it helps you identify characters and stick with their story easier and this book was no exception! Sometimes I will listen to a book solely on the who the narrator is because I truly believe that a narrator(s) can make or break a book! These guys definitely helps make this book!

Overall, the story was thrilling and entertaining, and took me to places I never thought it would, and never saw coming! It had a great element of surprise, with a great stack of characters and narrators, that just totally make The Wife Upstairs an absolute 5-star read for me, for sure!

I would like to take a moment to thank the author, Rachel Hawkins, the publisher, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I found the characters annoying but the storyline was good. No where close to Jane Eyre. Lots of twists. The ending was good.

This was a retelling of the classic, Jane Eyre.

The good thing was that I had no recollection of the book so I went in reading a fresh book.
And it was a fun, pacy read which had me turning pages.

This is a classic thriller with an unreliable narrator and the regular tropes which work.

My only tiny grouse was that I wish Jane (aka Helen) had a more gritty and intriguing past than what was written. She was such an interesting character considering she knew how to behave and mix with the rich crowd whilst not losing a part of her own personality. But I missed knowing more about her past which could have been more interesting.

I enjoyed reading about all the unlikeable people in the book. Everybody had a voice which added to the layering of the characters.

This is an intriguing and thrilling atmospheric read.
I'm rounding up 3.5 stars to 4.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

A roller-coaster, wile ride! I enjoyed this one from beginning to climatic ending! With so many twists and turns, shocking revelations, and a big one at the end that you won’t see coming, this book must be added to your TBR list right now! You won’t be disappointed.

I enjoyed reading about Jane. She was determined to fight for what she believed in, and she was badass. She became a dog walker and lived out of town with a room mate she despised and was desperate to get away from. Her luck changed when she suddenly met the handsome, rich, and eligible Eddie Rochester. What begins as a friendly chat when he almost runs her over with his car one morning, turns into a budding romance as the two really seem to hit it off.

When both people in a relationship are hiding secrets, can those secrets remain hidden or will some eventually come to the surface, ruining everything you’ve worked so hard for and destroy everything? I was always waiting for that one shoe to drop. It kept me hooked as I flipped from page to page, seeing what would happen next. Eddie seemed perfect, or almost perfect. He was sweet, charming, handsome, filthy rich, mourning the death of his wife and her best friend. He treated Jane well and they were happy together. Until strange, unexplainable things begin to happen, and makes you question everything.

Full of shocking twists and turns, deception and betrayal, you will devour and love this book as much as I did. With a shocking ending that came out of left field, I certainly didn’t see that coming. But I loved it!

A book I definitely recommend!

Great way to finish my reading of 2020! This was a totally fun romp and I really enjoyed the subtle twist on the Jane Eyre classic. This one was pure fun!

Jane, not her real name, is not an honest girl. She's grown up in foster homes and wants more from life. Walking dogs in Thornfield Estates is not her idea of a great job, but it has its perks. It pays decent and she picks up lots of trinkets from the houses of the dogs she walks that she is sure no one will miss. Her luck changes when she meets Eddie. Eddie's wife and best friend/neighbor, Blanche have disappeared after a night of drinking at the lake house and taking a boat out on the lake. No one is quite sure what happened. Eddie's wife, Bea has left behind a thriving business of which Eddie is now in charge. When Eddie meets Jane, he is enamored. Jane sees Eddie as a way out of her poor lifestyle. She works to hook him. But, what really happened to Blanche and Bea that night? If they died, where are their bodies? There is so much going on in this book. It is definitely suspenseful. Some of the twists you can easily predict. A few others-not so much. The ending was quite interesting and keeps you thinking about the book long after you've turned the last page.

2 stars. Completely missed its mark for me.

I couldn’t resist requesting this book when I read the countless raving reviews. Unfortunately, this didn’t live up to the hype on any level. Not one part of the storyline or characters lives felt real to me. The plot and characters bordered on cheesy and felt forced and fake. I didn’t buy into anything that was happening. Within the first few pages I knew I wasn’t clicking with the writing and perhaps I should have called it quits but the hype kept me going.

Not every book is for everyone. This one missed its mark completely for me but I can certainly understand how many have loved the crazy, entertaining, dramatic storyline as a fun mindless escape read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy!

This was my first Rachel Hawkins book and it will not be my last. I read this in one sitting which rarely happens. I’m usually good at figuring books out but she surprised me. Definitely worth the read!

This book was a fast paced and amazingly written retelling of the classic Jane Eyre. I love the characters and the plot and the way the author weaved in pieces of the classic literature but kept a modern spin on the story. I read it in one day and could not put it down.

The Wife Upstairs is a Southern gothic thriller/modern Jane Eyre retelling. Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the gifted e-ARC and Macmillan Audio and Libro.fm for the gifted ALC!

Jane has recently moved to Birmingham, Alabama and is on the run from her past. As a dog-walker for the wealthy and glamorous families of Thornfield Estates, Jane dreams of living a life like theirs until she meets the handsome and charming widower, Eddie Rochester. Jane sees an opportunity to have the kind of life she has only dreamed of, until the truth about the mysterious death of Eddie’s wife, Bea and her best friend, Blanche begins to haunt them all.

Jane Eyre is one of my favorite classics and I love retellings so I was really interested to make comparisons between the two. There were so many modern connections to the original Jane Eyre story and I felt it was done really well. With retellings, it is hard for the story to not be predictable in a way to stay true to some aspects of the original story. In the case of The Wife Upstairs, the retelling did make certain plot points predictable, but I still was enthralled with the book and there were still some twists I did not see coming.

In terms of the characters...I hated them. Every single one of them. I also hated the ending...but the characters and the ending are the type that you love to hate. They were highly entertaining, but still so frustrating. Overall, the story was really enjoyable and I think probably would appeal more to readers that have also experienced Jane Eyre as well.

The audio is the way to go for this book and I highly recommend it! The audio features three different narrators and I felt more of the Southern gothic vibe from the audio over the book version.

4/5 stars!

I am so conflicted on this book. And it may be because it seems that I have mostly read books this year that involved husband/wife issues. This book definitely grabbed my attention though and I didn’t want to put it down. The audiobook version had 3 narrators and I feel like that really brought out the characters. I loved the different points of view. I kind of seen the twist coming. Maybe not all of it but some of it. The ending was odd to me. I have been wanting a ‘happy-ish ending’ for a while but this one just seemed to fall flat. I wish there had been more to the ending after everything that happened. So I’m giving this book 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Huge thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Rachel Hawkins for the opportunity to read this ebook in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.

A thrilling and quite diabolical retelling of Austin's Jane Eyre. Rachel Hawkin's takes some much-needed liberties as she retells this gothic classic with a much-needed update and a compelling cast of characters whose motives will leave the reader guessing to the very end.

Thanks to Netgalley, St, Martins Press and Rachel Hawkins for this ARC. This is my first book by this author. I loved it, Read it in 2 days, couldn’t read fast enough , but didn’t want it to end. The main characters were so intriguing to me and storyline was one I enjoyed. I usually figure these mysteries out but this one had me guessing to the end, I could see a sequel but then again I liked the cliffhanger ending. 5 stars for this author and now her books are all on my TBR list.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read The wife upstairs by Rachel Hawkins. This has been touted as a updated twist on the gothic classics like Jane Eyre, and Rebecca and I will say it did have show a bit of resemblance. Jane is a broke dog walker in Birmingham, Alabama in a gated community full of mansions, and bored housewives, where no one notices that she helps herself to the odd piece of jewelry and things -- no one notices Jane; until Eddie Rochester; recently widowed whose wife drowned in a boating accident with her best friend. Of course Jane and Eddie fall for each other; but Jane is haunted by the legend of Bea Eddie's wife...what happened to her...and who really is Jane? This really reads like a gothic novel and while I really enjoyed this book, I am surprised...why? I didnt really like the characters. Jane had some redeeming qualities but I wasnt a big fan, but I did enjoy the ending.