The Wife Upstairs is tinged with elements of the classic Jane Eyre. You'll see it, too, as you hunker down with this one.

But I found a little Cinderella thing goin' on here as well. Our center focus is on the mysterious Jane whose background is kinda shady. Last residence may have been near a pumpkin patch. Jane comes from the world of the have nots lacking even a decent coat as she grabs the leashes of the pampered dogs that she's hired to walk in the upscale regions of Thornfield Estates. The well-heeled women outside of Birmingham, Alabama barely notice her comings and goings. But Jane does notice them.

Out on her doggie duty walk, Jane is almost run over by someone in a flashy sportscar. Out pops Eddie Rochester, and a first glance, a regular Prince Charming. Eddie's grin is like a 1,000 watt spark and it certainly lights up Jane. He invites her in for coffee. And things will now get highly interesting.

Said Southern Belles take notice that Jane is spending a lot of time at Eddie's. The unnoticed suddenly becomes noticed. They feel compelled to fill in Eddie's background for Jane. And Jane is more than willing to listen. There's a shadow of tragedy that follows Eddie. His wife, Bea, and her best friend, Blanche, have gone missing after a trip to their lake cabin. The boat was empty in the middle of the lake. And the cops have come up empty as well. They're trying to make the slipper fit and it ain't happening so far.

The Wife Upstairs is filled with some twisty puzzle pieces that the reader tries to connect. Jane is getting used to the good life with Eddie, but she sleeps with one eye open. Like an episode from Dateline, is it always the husband or is it something far more expansive than that? Gotta crack this one open to see just how ol' Jane fares in this one. (Mice and Magic Wand optional)

I received a copy of The Wife Upstairs through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press and to Rachel Hawkins for the opportunity.

I am still coming off of my high from this book. This book started off calm where the author didn’t come out swinging on page one. I was a good bit into the book and then out of nowhere the next thing I know we’re hearing from another central character in the story that I didn’t expect to hear from. It completely threw me for a loop. As I got more towards the middle of the book I found out the secrets that were being kept. Then towards the end of the book when I was pretty sure how it was going to end, again everything shifts and it just becomes everything that a great thriller is made of. I thought Rachel Hawkins was a new author, but she is actually just new to me. This is a really thrilling ride of a book and if this is a genre you’re into, this book will not disappoint! Thank you in advance to netgalley and to the publisher for this ARC!

This book is crazy suspenseful. Jane starts working in Thornfield Estates and when I say working, it means in more ways then one. She falls in love with the lifestyle and cannot believe when Eddie Rochester actually falls for her. She has her heart and money on the line and is ready to achieve this lifestyle. She knew about Bea and her friend, but didn't look too far into it. That may have been a mistake. She goes through a rollercoaster with the Eddie and Bea mystery, but who will win in the end? This is suspenseful and entertaining.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

This book was touted as the perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn and Sally Hepworth. I totally agree, but it isn't groundbreaking in the way Gone Girl was. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the story and was definitely riveted and wondering who, if anybody, was actually responsible for the nefarious activity.

The Wife Upstairs is the story of plain "Jane", a dog-walker in an upscale Birmingham Alabama community where she finds herself embroiled in the heart of community drama when she becomes involved with widower Eddie Rochester. Eddie's wife, Bea and her best friend, Blanche disappeared mysteriously while boating leaving Eddie bereft. He falls rapidly for Jane, who is all too happy to leave behind her creepy roommate and lowbrow life for the world of boozy lunches, country club soirees and the Neighborhood Beautification Committee (NBC). Although, going from walking the dogs of the women to a member of their club is not without drama.

When Blanche's body is found, Jane begins to learn that maybe Bea wasn't perfect, and maybe Eddie and Bea didn't have the perfect marriage.

And the reader begins to wonder if Jane is what she seems.

I'd recommend this one!

*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This modern Jane Eyre had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it. It was so full of twists and turns that I didn't see coming! In The Wife Upstairs dog walker Jane meet the charming Eddie Rochester who sweeps her off her feet. Eddie's wife and her best friend died in an accident 6 months earlier but there's more to it than there seems and finding out the truth is a wild ride. This was an excellent thriller and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes these types of books. There's deception, manipulation and a possible murderer on the loose. I loved the suspense and how I didn't know what was going to happen next and which characters I could trust, It felt like each had their own perspective which favoured themselves but wasn't always the truth, I enjoy an unreliable narrator in thrillers. The book is told from different characters perspectives, which I like so I can see the story from different points of view and know what different characters are thinking and feeling. Overall this book had great plot twists and really sucked me in from the beginning. I read it in 2 days and loved how it ended. Highly recommend this one!

This book was so good! I thought I had it all figured out and then... I didn’t. This book is fast paced, full of twists and turns and that ending...two days later and I’m still thinking about it. I was addicted from page one and Hawkins writing is so clever that you don’t even see these twists coming. I loved how the suspense kept building and building, I was on the edge of my seat and stayed up until 3am to finish! Highly recommend this book!

Jane is kind of an enigma. She comes from a troubled past, and she is clearly trying to improve her life. But you know when you are cheering for a character to rise above their past because they are so likeable? This is not that. There’s really not much that is likeable about Jane.

So when she meets Eddie as a neighborhood dog walker and he seems too good to be true, it’s kind of exciting. But also, I wasn’t super invested in him. But still, the deeper we delve into Eddie’s life with his dead wife, things do start to get very interesting. Eddie’s wife Bea had a very interesting love/hate relationship with her best friend. Was it so dysfunctional it killed them both?

But I digress. So, after Jane meets Eddie, she is able to transform herself from the neighborhood dog walker into one of the residents herself. Well, kind of. Because she still kind of sticks out like a sore thumb. Still, the closer she gets to everyone, the more she starts to learn about Eddie’s past. But she doesn’t think too much about it at the beginning.

And….I’m going to stop there. Because spoilers. The Wife Upstairs is pretty standard as far as quick read thrillers go. I definitely think there were some twists and turns I didn’t see coming and I did love some of the characters who felt very different from those in similar stories.

I recommend this one as a thriller that holds up for anyone who mass consume thrillers in the vein of A Woman in the Window, Girl on a Train, In a Dark, Dark Wood and all the rest of them!

Special thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

I have been reading significantly more books since Covid19 that I decided to give my eyes a break and listen to audio books and music. The Wife Upstairs is the first book I read since my mini break and this book is good. An excellent read. It tells the story of Jane who walks dog in a wealthy neighborhood. She envied the lifestyle and ended up snagging Eddie, a wealthy widower, who apparently lost his wife in an accident. But wait, is he a widower? What secrets to uncover. What a journey! I highly recommend this book.

The moment I saw that the leading character was named JANE, I knew I was all in!

Jane is running hard from her past in Arizona. Ultimately landing in Alabama, scraping by taking jobs as a dog-walker in an exclusive neighborhood. Lost in daydreams while walking past her favorite home on the block, she’s nearly run over by the homeowner, Eddie.
Well that’s one way to meet a man. High marks for originality, young lady!

Soon enough, Jane and Eddie are inseparable! But there’s always the looming question - could this be too good to be true? Will Jane’s past eventually catch up to her? And what exactly did happen to Eddie’s previous wife?

Well, since this is a thriller you know nothing is going to be straight forward and you’ll be in for one twisty read! And if you can suspend your believability you’ll thoroughly enjoy this one!

A fast and fun buddy read with Susanne!

Than you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC to read and review.

Really enjoyed this wild ride of a read.So many twists and turns characters who were not what they seemed to be.A book and author I will be recommending to my thriller lover friends,#netgalley #st.martins

One part a retelling of Jane Eyre (one of my favourite books from university), one part a Desperate Housewives vibe mystery set in the south, The Wife Upstairs was a total thrill ride from beginning to end. 23 year old Jane is a dog walker in Thornfield Estates, a gated community of mansions in Birmingham Alabama. Jane is down on her luck, which changes when she meets Eddie Rochester, a widower whose wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, Blanche. As Eddie and Jane fall for each other, Jane lives in the shadow of Bea, a successful business woman with an immensely popular lifestyle brand. Can she ever live up to the memory of Eddie's wife, and can she ever fully figure out what happened that night Bea and Blanche disappeared? I loved this modern retelling; it has feminist sense, a strong protagonist, multiple viewpoints (which I always love in a domestic thriller) and Rachel Hawkins' writing was sharp and kept me in suspense. Although not having any major jaw dropping twists, The Wife Upstairs was a suspenseful, mysterious read that I finished in two sessions! I highly recommend picking this anticipated read of 2021. A big thanks to St. Martins' Press and NetGalley for the advanced readers' copy!

I have read Jane Eyre years ago and there are a lot of similiarities between this book and that. Although its been so long since I read it, this was almost brand new to me. A lot of the reveal was done early in the book, but that didn't take away from the fun ride it was!
This probably has to be one of the best written thrillers I have read in a long time and you can tell that Rachel Hawkins had really fleshed her characters out and took time to really understand them.

Thank you so much to #NetGalley for the arc!

Before anyone roasts me for giving a retelling five stars, just know that I've never read Jane Eyre, which is the basis for the upcoming novel, The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins. The story focuses on a 23 year old Jane, who is the neighborhood dog walker around the affluent neighborhood of Thornfield Estates, located in Birmingham, Alabama. Jane is hired by many of the rich housewives in the neighborhood to walk their dogs, but one day she stumbles across wealthy widower Eddie Rochester. Eddie has a construction business, paid for by his late wife, Bea. Eddie and Jane have a connection almost instantly, but as the two forge a relationship, both realize that their dark pasts have consequences on their future together. With Eddie's wife suspiciously missing during a boating accident that also killed her best friend and Jane with a hidden past unknown to anyone in her inner circle, how will the duo be able to keep their secrets hidden?

The Wife Upstairs is not original. It's a retelling and the subject matter is very obvious early on, if you're a fan of the genre. However, I absolutely loved it. I could not put it down and that really shines light to Rachel Hawkins' amazing writing style. The characters were very interesting and the dual point of views really help bridge the gap between how each character is thinking and how they're actually operating. I found the story not only intriguing, but immersive. It's a lighter mystery/thriller, so those hesitant to pick up the genre should have no problem reading. I definitely think readers of domestic thrillers should run and pick up this book. I can't speak to any similarities with Jane Eyre as I've never read it, but I truly enjoyed every minute of this story.

This was essentially a mystery version of Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre," and I found it so intriguing. First, I LOVE "Jane Eyre" and have read it multiple times, frequently delving into re-tellings just because I find the story line so interesting. I wasn't sure how I would like this version because I fully expected to know what to expect. And I was so wrong.

Rachel Hawkins masterfully dives into the adult book pool creating a surprisingly original gothic mystery thriller with "Jane Eyre" at its core.

The book started off as one of the standard thrillers. I didn't expect too much. However, after about 10 pages I could not stop reading. The plot was unexpected, twisted and kept me in the dark until the end! I can definitely recommend that book to all my friends!

Everyone has their secrets, and can we outrun our past? Jane, Bea, and Eddie all have one thing in common, and that is they are not who they claim to be. Eddie's character was never fully developed, the author never really stated just exactly what is his background. The reason behind Blanche's death was extremely shallow. It could have been better detailed. The twist at the end was good but I thought there was so much more of the story that should have been written. The ending left me feeling empty. The way the story developed, I thought it would be played out differently. Perhaps maybe the author could reveal Eddie's flaws or Bea's secret. Jane's character is more supportive rather than the main.

Thank you to Martin's Press and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by the author and it won’t be the last. This is the very best kind of thriller- just when you think you have it figured out There is another oooh!! twist
Jane is running from a troubled past when she starts working as a dog walker in the wealthy community of Thornfield Estates. One morning while walking one of the dogs she meets Eddie Rochester who is a recent widower. His wife Bea was lost in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies never recovered.
Jane is immediately attracted to Eddie and the lifestyle he can provide. As they get more involved, Jane feels she is constantly trying to measure up to Beas” memory. I
I can’t say much more without spoilers but the title is definitely a clue that not all is as appears. This was such a gift after a string of books that were disappointing in a time when escapism is harder to come by.
Thank you to #netgalley and St Martins Press fit the free ebook in exchange for my honest opinion.
5 ⭐️

Twisted delicious thriller that is impossible to put down. Jane is a financially strapped dog walker who is running from a past she is desperate to keep quiet. When Jane is walking dogs in the affluent neighborhood of Thornfield Estates she meets handsome recently widowed Eddie. Eddie also has some pretty serious secrets of his own that he wants to keep hidden. Excellent, edge of your seat twists and turns you will not guess. Highly recommended.

The Wife Upstairs, by Rachel Hawkins, has so many delicious parallels to the old classic, Jane Eyre, but it has its own twists and turns, too. A book full of unlikeable people, which usually means I have a hard time enjoying the book, but in this case, everyone deserves each other and I kept wanting to see what was going to happen next. I couldn't help feeling I'd been here before but really, it was all new and intriguing, wondering what was real and what was for show, when the other shoe was going to drop, because things couldn't go on as they were. 

The story starts with twenty three year old Jane walking a dog in the pouring rain. Jane, a perpetual foster child until she aged out of the system, used to surviving by her wits, thievery, and lying. Her latest job is walking dogs in the rich neighborhood of Thornfield Estates and she's barely making ends meet by stealing from her employers, taking things that they'll never know are missing. Then Jane has a literal "run in" with rich, handsome, eligible widower, Eddie Rochester.  

Eddie wants Jane and she moves into his mansion almost immediately. Then they are engaged and discussing their wedding. But Jane has secrets and she has suspicions, too. Because Jane thinks that Eddie is just like her, which means he's hiding things, he's a liar, he takes what is not his, he cheats to get what he wants. And, there is the matter of his wife's death and that of her best friend. Were their deaths really an accident? There are rumors, lots of rumors about infidelity and arguments, so many hints from the gossiping neighbors. Whether I liked these people or not, I was hooked by the story. 

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

This is a fun, twisty reinterpretation of Jane Eyre with a setting full of Southern charm...do you really need to hear anything else?!

Jane Eyre is one of my favorite classics, and I was thrilled with all of the references and parallels the author included. The story was fast-paced, and I enjoyed the way the susoense was interspersed with more lighthearted scenes about life in the ritzy neighborhood of Thornfield Estates. It was a quick read for me!

CW: murder, infidelity, abuse in foster care, death of a parent, death of a spouse, alcoholism