In another installment of "ARCs I Should Have Reviewed Literally Years Ago," we have The Wife Upstairs. I loved Rachel Hawkins' Rebel Belle series, so I was excited to see an adult novel from her. In the interest of full disclosure, I have never read Jane Eyre, nor do I really know what it's about aside from the most basic plot summary, so I can't comment too much on the retelling aspect of this book and I'll be looking at it just on its own merits.

And, on its own merits, it was good. Not great, but definitely good. I was hooked from the beginning and wondered how Jane, having grown up poor and in abusive situations, was going to assimilate into this culture of super rich women whose biggest concern is the landscaping of their neighborhood. As Jane seems to effortlessly transform into your stereotypical rich housewife, it also becomes clear that there's a lot more than just landscaping problems going on in this neighborhood. There's a thread of unease that starts running through her interactions with the once perfect Eddie, and then there's the whole unsolved mystery of Eddie's wife Bea's disappearance.

The book is told from both Jane's and Bea's perspective, which provides a lot of tension as we're just waiting for Jane to catch on to what's really happening. There are a lot of twists and turns as we get to the ending, some of which I liked and others that I felt were a little over the top. Again, I have not read Jane Eyre so I'm not sure how much of that was inspiration from the original and how much was brand new from the author's imagination, so I'm not really sure how judgy to be about some of those twists.

Overall, this was a really fun book. though I can't say I 100% loved this book, I flew through it and it made me want to go read some of Rachel Hawkins' backlist.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free ARC of The Wife Upstairs in exchange for my honest review.

Ok, so I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to read this one. It was really good and super well done. I like the fact that there are perspectives from all the characters and I like the fact that you hear about both the past and the present. it really helps to flesh out the story. I can totally see why everyone says that this book has a gothic vibe to it, and it does, but in a subtle way. Also, while I thought that I had it all figured out, I still didn't. The ambiguous ending was also really good. I didn't think that I would like it, but it just worked for this story because I had finality, but I also didn't. It works as a great way to keep you thinking about the book when it's all said and done.

Not my favorite. I was really excited for this based on all the hype, but it just felt a little cliche for me. It ultimately fell flat - deeply predictable if you know anything about Jane Eyre and just not as fresh as I was hoping.

Oh, this was a fantastic read! I haven't read the original, but the idea of a wife hidden in the upstairs, that's just creepy, and I couldn't wait to see how it would play out! Watching Jane find her place in this society, with Eddie-but for things to just start going wrong, it was fantastic to read!

The way this story was told was so great. We would go between Jane's perspective, and then Bea, with the diary that she's writing. And it's like, who can we trust? And as the story went on, things got more and more complex, and I loved it!

Jane knows what she wants-she wants a better life for herself. And she works to position herself in a way to get that better life. And who can blame her? Sure, some of her methods are not great, but that just made it all the more entertaining, because that better life comes with a few secrets, and I loved it!

That ending though? That was pretty intense! I loved how things worked out, the reveals, and the uncertainty of the ending. I really liked what Jane imagined, so that's what I'm going with, it seems fitting, after everything that happened in this book!

This was another great read from Rachel Hawkins, and I can't wait for whatever's next!

Described as a Jane Eyre retelling, The Wife Upstairs is a fast-paced domestic suspense novel that's perfect for readers new to the genre.

This atmospheric domestic suspense is a modern retelling of Jane Eyre with all kinds of twists and turns to keep you on your toes. I ended up fully invested in these characters, and I really enjoyed the satire type of humor sprinkled throughout. I’ve enjoyed Hawkins’ YA novels, but I’m truly hoping she writes more in this genre now!!

A twisty modern take on the classic Jane Eyre, Rachel Hawkins' novel The Wife Upstairs is a fast paced thriller with some unexpected outcomes.

I may just need a detox from thrillers in general, but I did enjoy this one despite finding bits of it to be a bit too predictable.

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins is a modern retelling of Jane Eyre.

A hard-on-her-luck dog walker, Jane meets Eddie, a mysterious and recently widowed guy living in a well-to-do neighborhood. They fall in love and as Jane becomes accustomed to a wealthier lifestyle (and the neighbors that come with it), she can’t stop thinking about Eddie’s wife Bea who died in a boating accident and whose body was never found. As the past and present collide, mysterious backstories are revealed. I always like Rachel Hawkins's books. I enjoyed the vivid writing which painted great pictures of both people and the atmosphere. The pacing was slow at times, but I think that is consistent with the original source material.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Absolutely loved this book. It sucked me in from the getgo and had me guessing all the way to the end. Did not want it to end at all.

I honestly do not get the hype over Rachel Hawkins. I worked my way through the bitter end but honestly did not care about anyone or anything in this story. Not for me, but I can see the appeal factors.

This was a quick read for me! One that kept me turning pages so I could see what happened. It ended up being moderately predictable, but overall I really enjoyed this book. I love the modern twist on Jane Eyre. Definitely a good, quick read that will keep you on your toes.

So, interestingly, this is meant to be a modern retelling of Jane Eyre. I love Jane Eyre, and I suppose I could see how this is similar, from some angles. But I'd prefer to look at this on its own and not in the shadow of such a great literary work, because in that light it totally pales in comparison.

This book was interesting. Jane has a dark and mysterious past, with secrets she is running from. Somehow she finds herself swept up in a whirlwind, somewhat opportunistic romance with recently widowed Eddie. While his wife's body was never found, she was confirmed dead and he is dutifully carrying on running her successful, multimillion dollar business selling rich kitschy items to equally rich kitschy housewives.

But what happened to Eddie's wife? Her best friend's body was found and mourned, but Eddie's wife was never found, and neither was the killer for that matter.

As Jane navigates through her newfound privileged life, she starts to ask questions and before she knows it, she finds some answers she may not have wanted.

I enjoyed the progression of Jane from invisible dog-walker to high society fiancée. Her commentary on the inanity of the rich housewives of Thornfield Estates was rather amusing, and her efforts to fit in paired with her disdain for having to do so was entertaining. I think I agree with one other reviewer who recalled this book as more humourous than thrilling.

Thank-you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my advanced reader copy.

Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐ ½
Mystery: ⭐⭐⭐ ½
Writing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was fantastic! Loved getting to read before publishing date and will be recommending on Instagram, goodreads, and Amazon.

I knew going into it that this was a modern day retelling of Jane Eyre so I knew roughly where the story was going from the outset but there was definitely still enough to keep me turning the pages anyway.

I liked the modern spin on the story and found Jane’s character to be one I couldn’t help rooting for! I really enjoyed the authors writing style and will be sure to pick up her next book.

This was a good story, but it was a bit predictable. I still had a blast reading it, and would definitely recommend it to those readers who don't read a ton of psychological thrillers.

2.5 stars. This was just an okay read. I felt going in that it was going to be a thriller with some suspense and msytery, but the story kind of fell flat on all accounts. It was a quick, entertaining read, but lacked anything that would make it stand out.

jane, i was rooting for you girl!
bea, i was rooting for you too!
ugh. i was even rooting for eddie, blanche, and tripp... talk about unreliable characters!

the hype for this book was real. i was SO invested, i loved the story and it really was unpredictable! i liked how it was broken into sections, it made it more fun to read.

this is exactly how i'd imagine and southern rich subdivision to feel/seem like.

I absolutely loved this book! It had a lot of twists and turns. There is no way I would have guessed the ending. I am looking forward to Hawkins other books!

Rachel Hawkins does a wonderful job making the reader like a book with such unlikeable characters. Seeing into their lives and their motives for things really lends to a different perspective. I would recommend this book for a book club pick, thinking it could really spark a lot of interesting conversation about the characters and the nods to Jane Eyre.

Absolutely loved this one. Not only is the southern setting addictively enticing, but the plot twist at the end will have you writing in shock. Rachel Hawkins is now a must read for me!