Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this one !
It was sooo good I read it in two days !
This is a fast paced thriller that sucks you in within the first page - it did me !
Eddie who is handsome, rich and grieving the disappearance of his wife for the last 6 months - bumps ( literally ) into Jane, with his car while she spit dog walking one of her client’s pups !
He invites over for tea and a whirlwind romance follows !
What does she really know about Eddie ?? Why does she hear thumps above her head in Eddie’s mansion ?? Did Eddie’s wife really disappear ? Is she dead ? Who killed her ? This was well written and you won’t even believe why there’s thinking sounds upstairs !
Who can you even trust ? Who is telling the truth ? I love a thriller that makes me question everyone and makes me suspects all the characters !!
The ending was satisfying and yet to me , left some room for a sequel - which wouldn’t make me mad at all !!!
A solid 4 ⭐️ from me !!

Jane is new to Alabama, running from a past she won't discuss.

Sharing an apartment with a creepy guy and walking dogs in the ritzy neighborhood of Thornfield Estates. Your typical Macmansion homes with bored, gossipy, nosy housewives with way too much time on their hands to notice if a shiny thing or two goes missing.

Jane both looks down on them and wants to be them. The curse of the have nots.

There is a sadness in the little cul de sac, however. Two of the women have recently disappeared and are presumed drowned. Having been best friends for life they go out for a night boat ride and never return.

When Jane meets Eddie Rochester, whose wife Bea was one of the women who presumably drowned, she is in love. Here is a man who could give her everything she wants. And when he asks her to move in, odd things start happening. Thumps from upstairs. Feeling as if she is not alone and is being spied on she digs into Bea's past and her friendship with her bestie. 

What she finds will shock her and may just kill her!

A story with a wife in the attic?? You may think you know what and why, but I can assure you it is much worse!

Delightfully evil!


NetGalley/ January 5th, 2021 by St. Martin's Press

Jane walks dogs for the rich women of Thornfield estates, occasionally helping herself to bits of jewelry that she's sure won't be missed. When she meets Eddie Rochester -- and he's so smitten that the next day he buys a dog so he'll need a dog walker -- she quickly seizes the opportunity to move into the gated community herself, leaving behind her roommate and everything from their shared apartment. There's nothing from her past that she wants to bring into her perfect new life.

Her new life isn't perfect. Jane knows that everyone is comparing her to Eddie's dead wife, Bea, who was tragically lost in a boating accident only a year earlier. The house and neighborhood are full of reminders of Bea's presence, especially all of the home decor from the company Bea founded. It fills her new home and the homes of their neighbors. There's also someone from Jane's own past that she can't quite get rid of.

I still haven't managed to read Jane Eyre, so I can't tell you how this compares to the original, but it was a fast paced domestic thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I found the premise of the book a bit unbelievable but it still was a good story that gripped me and kept me reading. It was full of twists and turns and although I guessed some of the outcomes I did not guess all. I gave this book a solid four stars.

I've never been quite as middle of the road on a review before. I enjoyed this book, but I was often confused...wondering if I could have missed something in previous pages. Overall it was excellent for what it was, but I'm not sure I will understood it fully. I will be reading it again in a few months when I've forgotten the wrap-up and could view it with fresh eyes.

Thanks NetGalley for the eARC.

This book was a really interesting take on a classic story. It took our classic Jane Eyre and gave is some Southern Gothic thriller flare and I really enjoyed reading it! Admittedly, the more the story developed the more I figured out the twists- which took a bit away from the story.

I really liked how we got Bea's story placed in the middle, and the final twists were really good. However, the ending felt entirely too tidied up for me, and I struggle with that in thrillers because it always leaves me wanting more! All in all though, I really think this was a fun thriller to read.

"A delicious twist on a Gothic classic," Rachel Hawkins writes an enthralling modern domestic thriller that puts a new spin on an old classic. Jane has escaped her past and started over in a new dump of a town. She gets a job walking dogs for the rich and spoiled in a neighboring, Thornfield Estates when she meets Eddie. His a widower and she is immediately drawn to him. His wife was drowned in a boating accident 6 months earlier, but when he meets Jane the relationship is a "whirlwind."
It's a fast and twisty read, if we know what book it is paying homage to, we may be able to guess what's off about the death of Eddie's wife, Bea.
I couldn't get attached to any of the characters, although I enjoyed the fast-paced ride of the novel. I had a hard time with Eddie's attraction to Jane and the speed of their relationship but it was a delicious, quick read. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author.

I like to think of myself as an 'expert' in the murder mystery genre...I mean after reading hundreds of these murder mysteries, I'm usually pretty good at picking up different clues and solving the crime before the author reveals the conclusion...however...this one threw me for a loop! I love a good ending, especially when it includes unreliable narrators. I really enjoyed this gothic-fiction style thriller about a woman running from secrets in her past, only to find herself involved in a bigger nightmare than she prepared for.

I am really not sure how I feel about this book. The first half seemed slow and read like a typical fiction book with a small hint of mystery. Then the last half (around 60%) it picked up to more of a mystery. I felt like the ending was rushed a little. Overall, it wasn't bad, but wasn't my favorite.

This is a psychological thriller in the style of "Gone Girl" but the story line is a little shallow and the characters not so interesting. It did keep me reading though, a page turner and good to take your mind of things.

Thrilling and twisty but sometimes hard to follow. Enjoyable beach read. Would recommend to friends.

It's so hard to review a thriller without giving the story away, but I'll try anyway. Going in, I didn't realize this was a retelling of Jane Eyre and since I've never read that classic, I can't speak to how similar they are. That being said, I do know the basic premise of Jane Eyre as well as the "twist" and The Wife Upstairs still managed to surprise me! It's full of unexpected twists with a compelling, unreliable main character, and I loved every minute of it. Highly recommended to any fans of mysteries or thrillers!

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is just how I like my thrillers: twists and turns, characters with secrets, unreliable narrators, and surprises you didn't see coming! Jane is a dog-walker who meets charismatic Eddie several months after his wife, Bea has gone missing--presumably dead in a boating accident. She falls in love quickly and without reservation, even though the women in town are clearly out of her league. But of course there is a dark side to this seemingly sweet story and when Jane begins to hear strange noises coming from upstairs, she isn't sure what to think. Tensions rise and the story slowly unfolds as we aren't even sure until the end who the "bad guy" is!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC of this novel.

This was a very fast-paced novel, and a good storyline. Jane (not her real name) comes from a rough background, and is trying to make a better life for herself. Jane takes a gig walking dogs in a very upscale neighborhood, where she meets widower Eddie. Eddie’s wife and her best friend were killed in a boating accident. Jane and Eddie begin a whirlwind romance, and Jane begins to uncover some secrets about Eddie and his wife’s death. But Jane has some secrets of her own, as well, that she does not want revealed. There were several twists I found in this novel, some of which I thought were a bit predictable. Overall, a quick and intriguing read; perfect for a day at the beach.

Ebook/Thriller: I've decided that I am too gullible. I get fooled every time in mysteries with a unreliable narrator. I want to thank NetGalley for letting me read this book in lieu of an honest review.
Read the description if you want know the plot point. It's pretty simple at first. By the first few pages, you hear from both Jane and Bea, and later you hear from Eddie. The question from the first page is who and why are they in the attic saferoom. My biggest question is why can't anyone hear the water running.
This is a quick read and I do recommend it.

"It is the absolute shittiest day for a walk."

Rain has been pouring down all morning.

But, there are dogs that need to be walked in the wealthy Thornfield Estates subdivision, and Jane has signed on to be the dogwalker to the wealthy wives who will pretend to care that they are sorry that this must be done on this cold and stormy day in mid February...

But as luck will have it, Jane is about to meet Eddie Rochester, recently widowed when his wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, Blanche. He seems quite smitten with her, despite her lack of "pedigree" and goes as far as to adopt, an Irish Setter puppy named Adele, just so he could see her again...

But, can this unlikely romance last, and can Jane really transition from their dogwalker, to "one of the girls" ?

The book description reads : " A delicious twist on a Gothic Classic, Rachel Hawkin's "The Wife Upstairs pairs Southern Charm with atmospheric domestic suspense" and DELICIOUS IT IS!

From the book's title to our protagonist's name of Jane, it is no secret that the Classic referred to is Jane Eyre-this time reimagined for today's times with the setting just outside of Birmingham, Alabama.

If you need a "spoiler free" recap of Jane Eyre...it begins with Jane Eyre, an orphan living with her Aunt, getting in trouble on a rainy day and being sent to Lowood School, to live until she becomes of age. It's a miserable place, and her one friend, Helen Burns, dies shortly after her arrival. Despite her childhood, and plain looks, Jane is smart and witty and obtains a post as a Governess to a young French girl, named Adele, ward of Edward Rochester, owner of Thornfield Hall. Remarkably, Edward falls for Jane but a secret comes to light, which could threaten their happy ending!

Now, if you are a reader that hates when Classics are reimagined, and you are familiar with Jane Eyre-then this book won't be for you.

But, I seem to LOVE when Classics are reimagined!

In 2018, I read" Rebecca"-Daphne du Maurier- for the first time, simultaneously with "The Winters" by Lisa Gabrielle. I think it's entertaining to see how the names from the Classics will be reassigned-the plots freshened for modern times.

I view these books as homages-showing how the original stories stand the test of time.

This was VERY different from the original so despite the references to it's predecessor you can read them in either order, and the endings will NOT be spoiled despite the similarities which remind you of the Classic.

It kept me engaged from that opening sentence I shared-through the epilogue!
And, I loved it!

"Grab the corkscrew, will you?" (you will know what I mean, after you read this...)
Pour a glass of your favorite wine...and indulge!
This is a stand-out this year!

A big THANK YOU, to St. Martin's Press, for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for a candid review!
Available January 5, 2021-pre-order NOW!

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and author Rachel Hawkins for providing me with an ARC of The Wife Upstairs!

I have never read Jane Eyre, but that did not hurt my understanding of this novel at all. This kept getting better and better the more I read of it. Wow! So many twists, turns, and surprises, I was most certainly kept on my toes. These characters were compelling and really gave this story a boost. I couldn't put it down every time I picked it up. A super read (and a super pretty cover)!

Thank you again for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

4 Stars

Thank you to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for the complimentary DRC for an honest review.

The Wife Upstairs is all about Jane, the new to town dog walker. And Bea, the missing CEO of Southern Manors. And the man in the middle- Bea's husband and Jane's fiance Eddie. This book follows the latest trends of alternating chapters and viewpoints and it really worked in this case. I wasn't quite sure what had happened until the end.

Perfect beach read.

It's hard to write about this story without giving away anything. What I can say is this book crept up on me and I ended up loving it. I almost didn't finish reading it. I don't read contemporary fiction often. The first bit of the book is slow and it took a little while for me to get really invested. But I'm so glad I trusted the author and kept reading because it blew me away. I've never read Jane Erye so I don't know how similar this re-imagining is. But I do know that this is a must read if you love Gillian Flynn's books or anything similar. One of my favorite things about the book was how unlikeable every single character is. They're all so despicable in their own ways. It was delicious. So glad I gave this novel a chance.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book.

This is the story of Jane, who starts out as a dog walker, in a very elite neighborhood. She meets Eddie Rochester, who lives in the neighborhood, and her life really changes. Lots of twists and turns as Jane tries to figure out what happened to Eddie's previous wife. I enjoyed it-the ending was not quite what I expected.