A fun spin on Jane Eyre, atmospheric, lots of suspense, set in the South. I don't know if I loved it or not, but I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

First sentence: It is the absolute shittiest day for a walk. Rain has been pouring down all morning, making my drive from Center Point out here to Mountain Brook a nightmare, soaking the hem of my jeans as I got out of the car in the Reeds’ driveway, making my sneakers squelch on the marble floors of the foyer. But Mrs. Reed is holding her dog Bear’s leash, making a face at me, this frown of exaggerated sympathy that’s supposed to let me know how bad she feels about sending me out in the rain on this Monday morning.

Premise/plot: If Rod Serling and Alfred Hitchcock got together to retell Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, it might look a little something like Rachel Hawkins' The Wife Upstairs.

What should you know going into it? Well, I'd say very little. I'll keep this section to a bare minimum. It's contemporary. Set in Alabama. A psychological thriller.

My thoughts: No doubt about it if I'd read this one in my night-owl days I'd have stayed up all night to read it in one sitting. As it is I had to split it into two readings. I definitely found it engaging and thought-provoking. (These characters stayed on my mind when I wasn't reading the book. I thought about them throughout the day as I was anticipating picking up the book again.)

It isn't strictly just a retelling of Jane Eyre. It's more like Jane Eyre is the jumping off place for a crazy psychological thriller. Crazy mostly in a good way.

One element completely lacking from The Wife Upstairs is what my mom would call the preachiness of Jane Eyre. Gone are all the religious/moral overtones and imagery. I doubt they'd work well in a contemporary novel anyhow.

I think the gothicness of Jane Eyre AND Rebecca combine well with the Southern setting.

It is told from three perspectives: Jane, Bea, and Eddie. (Though Hawkins keeps us waiting until the (very) end for Eddie's perspective). Because it isn't told in alternating chapters--rigidly going from one to the other in a strict pattern--the suspense builds and builds and builds. (In my opinion).

Did I love it? I wouldn't say love is the right word. Depending on if you look for premise-driven and/or plot-driven books OR if you are mainly a fan of character-driven works. One or two words about the characters, I can't think of a single character (perhaps with the exception of all the dogs) that I'd classify as likeable. In other words, Hawkins isn't all about sympathetic characters that you cheer on and care about.

Is it clean? Not really. I'd say the number one reason it isn't clean is the language--lots of casual cussing. The language is far from ideal if that matters to you. The smut is kept to a bare minimum of description and gets very little page space. So I wasn't horribly bothered by the content.

Would I recommend it to Jane Eyre lovers that don't like psychological thrillers? No. Yes. Maybe.
No. I would not recommend The Wife Upstairs if Jane and Edward are your most favorite romantic couple of all time and one that you revisit a couple times a year. If what you love is the romance of the original--reader, I married him--then you'll probably be disappointed and not even call this a retelling. You might even call it a murder.
Yes. I would recommend if you enjoy the atmosphere of JANE EYRE and REBECCA and DRAGONWYCK. (Dragonwyck is by Anya Seton). This one is all about SUSPENSE, DANGER, MYSTERY, HORROR, THRILLS. If the actual feel-good romance and happily ever after ending was your least favorite part of the original, this one is for you.
Maybe. If you enjoy the original novel a great deal--perhaps even love and adore it--BUT are also open to psychological thrillers and suspense novels in general, then this one may appeal. If you're open to deconstructing and rearranging, then this one may just work well for you.

Jane is starting all over again. Raised in the foster system, she was set loose on the world at eighteen with no help. Since then she has drifted, working minimum wage jobs and moving from place to place. This place is Birmingham, Alabama, and Jane is working as a dogwalker to rich people's dogs. The dogs are fine but Jane is not as impressed with the people. The women are smug and condescending to her and the men watch her with lustful eyes. She is starting to think about moving on again when she meets Eddie.

Eddie and Trip are the ones the women love to gossip about. Their wives were lost a year ago, presumed dead. Eddie was married to Bea, the woman who created a multimillion dollar company selling style to Southern women and those who aspired to the Southern life. Trip was married to her best friend, the two women having been friends since their school days. One weekend the women went to Bea's lake house and out on the boat at night. Something happened and they were never seen again.

Eddie Rochester is gorgeous, rich and charming, the kind of man who never notices plain Jane. But Eddie does notice her and before she knows it, is pursuing her. Soon Jane has moved in and the women who snubbed her now cluster around her. All is wonderful except for the questions Jane can't help but wonder about. What really happened that night? Were Eddie and Bea's marriage the fairy tale everyone thinks? And what is that noise she keeps hearing?

I listened to this novel. There were three narrators, one for Jane, one for Bea and one for Eddie. Each of them added depth and interest to the story although I liked the Jane narrator the best and she was the one featured the most.

This is a modern retelling of Jane Eyre and those who have read it will pick up lots of references to that wonderful novel. But those who have never read it will enjoy this title as a modern day thriller with lots of twists and turns that redefine the story from page to page. No one is exactly as they appear and some are very far from their public persona. This book is recommended for thriller readers.

This one was a fun ride. Weird, wacky, twisty and turny. A quick, page-turner with lots of unlikeable characters.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book.
The Wife Upstairs is a modern version of Jane Eyre with a twist. We've got Jane, who has moved to Birmingham, Alabama to escape her past. Then there's Bea, the dead wife of Eddie who lives in the upscale neighborhood where Jane has dog walking jobs. How their stores connect and intertwine is riveting. I started this book and couldn't put it down! As Jane grows closer with Eddie and learns more about Bea, tension builds to an unexpected final act. This one would be great for book clubs!

Dark past ✔️ Unreliable narrator ✔️ Plot twists you don’t see coming ✔️ This is a slow burn for the ages! You slowly get enough back story to know there’s shady behaviors running rampant in this wealthy community and they’re all going to come together for something explosive. When this story starts picking up it flies and you can’t underestimate any character! The Wife Upstairs is a thriller NOT to be missed!

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Thank you for the chance to read and review this book in exchange for honest feedback. I was excited to get approved for this one! My thoughts about this book are more positive in regard to the mystery/thriller themes which come out more so after the 50% through I'd say. The first bits of the book actually made me wonder if I was going to like it... it read more like a YA romance. I also was looking for references or underlying themes related to the retelling of Jane Eyre. There are numerous connections without being an exact copy or too derivative. I liked this book and think that its strength was in the latter half of the novel.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

The Wife Upstairs centers around “Jane,” a runaway foster kid who aged out of the system and is now broke and hiding from her past. Jane begins walking dogs in an upscale neighborhood that she wishes she could belong in. When she’s nearly hit by newly-widowed Eddie’s car, Jane begins to orchestrate her way into the neighborhood by becoming a part of Eddie’s life.

As Jane learns more about the little community she’s moved into, she discovers that Eddie’s wife Bea disappeared without a trace, presumably dead. Bea’s best friend Blanche was murdered on the same night and her husband Tripp is the main suspect.

Overall, The Wife Upstairs was a good, fast-paced psychological thriller perfect for fans of Ruth Ware. Though mainly told through Jane’s eyes at first, the novel switched perspectives which gave each of the main characters a place in which to lay out their true colors and motives. Personally, I found the story a bit obvious (perhaps because I read so many of these), but it was fun to read and the characters were actually relatable, despite their actions. I found myself cheering for each individual character in some way – especially Jane and Eddie.

At the root of the narrative, I think we are being asked: How far would you go for love? How far will you let your love for someone take you?

I read an advanced digital copy of this novel courtesy on the publisher through NetGalley. Review available on goodreads.

I've never read Jane Eyre, so I can't speak to how faithful to the original Rachel Hawkin's updated retelling, The Wife Upstairs is or isn't. What I can speak to is that sense that this novel never quite connected with me.

Set in Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is on the run from her past. Working as a dog-walker for the city's elite, Jane meets Eddie Rochester. Eddie's wife disappeared (along with her best friend) under mysterious circumstances and is presumed dead.

So, of course, these two begin dating and their relationship moves rather quickly from dating to living together to engaged. Jane doesn't want a big wedding for fear of publicity bringing unwanted questions from her past life, but her old roommate is more than willing to blackmail her to keep those pursuing her at bay. Jane works to keep one step ahead of her past, teasing readers with what it may or may not be for far longer than I had much patience for.

That really sums up my disappointment with The Wife Upstairs. It teases us for far too long (though we know a bit about what Eddie is up to early on) without giving sufficient answers to the questions raised until I'd long since lost most of my interest in Jane. I suppose if I'd cracked open a copy of Jane Eyre at some point in my life, I'd already know a lot of what is revealed in the final third of the book. But that might have ruined some of the "thrill" of discovering all this for myself.

Another issue with The Wife Upstairs is that it attempts to be a domestic suspense thriller without offering much in the way of thrills or suspense. I found myself more relieved to finally be done with the novel than satisfied with the overall reading experience once I turned the final page.

Overall, a disappointment.

I received a digital ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This retelling of Jane Eyre in the form of a domestic thriller is the kind of compulsively readable book you won't be able to put down. I love Rachel Hawkins' YA books, so I was excited to read her foray in adult thrillers.

As I said, this is a retelling of the classic Jane Eyre, but you don't need to be familiar with the original to read it. Conversely, if you've read Jane Eyre, there will be lots of nods to the original that you'll enjoy, but knowledge of the original won't spoil anything for you, because this version takes the story in a new direction.

Former foster kid Jane is walking dogs in a wealthy neighborhood (a gated community of McMansions called Thornfield Estates) and hoping for a chance for a better life. When she meets the recently widowed Eddie Rochester, it seems like things are looking up for her. He's handsome, tragic, and rich. But his wife's death is mysterious, and there are a lot of secrets in the neighborhood. Eddie and Jane fall for each other, but the course of true love isn't exactly smooth.

This is a great thriller. It's clever and funny. Jane isn't the innocent young miss of the original, and she's got her own secrets. It's a gripping story, and it's a very amusing look at "nice Southern lady" culture.

I've been a long time fan of Hawkins' YA offerings, so while this was a new intended age audience, I was familiar with her style. Fans of her earlier work will definitely find her trademark style in here, but I bet they'll also be happily enchanted by the freedoms adult fiction offers her. I often had to stop myself from reading so I could focus on life responsibilities.

This is definitely a Jane Eyre retelling and those familiar will find great references here, but it is also entirely accessible to those who haven't read the original. It stands on its own and is fully modern.

You'll find a complicated relationship with yourself as a reader and all the characters of this book. Every time I felt like I started to believe or more fully trust one character, something would happen that would shift the axis all over again. I'm glad it's doing so well and look forward to more thrillers from Hawkins.

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins was a quick and compelling retelling of Jane Eyre set in Birmingham, Alabama. The book had plenty of twists and turns, as a seasoned thriller reader I can't say I was completely on the edge of my seat but the writing was zippy and kept me interested and I loved the southern setting.

I could not put this book down! It was thrilling, fast paced and left me wanting more! The characters were reasonably relatable and the story had plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader interested. Perfect for anyone who loves thillers/suspense novels!

Kinda creepy, a little bit disconcerting, and a whole lotta mystery is going on in The Wife Upstairs. You won't really know who to trust. Or who to believe. And that's the best part. I really love books that keep me guessing, even if the characters annoy me (which this main character did - but in her defense, she has a lot to deal with). It's fast-paced, easy to follow, and lots of guessing going on.



Even though I read The Wife Upstairs several months ago and I am quite (egregiously) behind on my reviews, I remember this one quite well. One of the reasons I wanted to read it was because I thought the author was another person. Then I read it, and LOVED it, and realized I was completed wrong and I was thinking of another Rachel entirely. But the surprise was that it didn't matter.



This book is good. It's been a few months since it was released, but it's a definite read!



4.5/5 Stars

Disappointing after reading all the rave reviews for this book. Too predictable..Did not hold my interest very well.

The 💣!!

Flawed characters with murky backgrounds manage to come together in the world of the rich and pretentious. What could go wrong???

Loved every page and think this would be an amazing Netflix series!!

ARC provided by NetGalley

Read this months ago and forgot to update!

I really enjoyed this read. I love books that keep you guessing by providing different POVs! This one was no exception. I knew something sketchy was going on based off the husband's attitude - like who wouldn't be torn up about their missing/dead wife?! A little corny that the new woman was his dog walker, but sometimes that's how it goes so it didn't bother me too much. I do feel like we could've gone without the story lines of her hanging out with the neighborhood women. It didn't really provide much substance to the book and her story, outside of her just feeling like an imposter.

Love the ending!! I was sad that they both died in the fire but I feel there's a smidge of a question if they might've survived.. I just also love that she got all the money and ended up winning in the end. Did she deserve it? Eh. But for a girl who came from nothing and worked hard to build a place for herself, she got lucky walking away with what she did after all the drama she just endured.

I read this after a coworker seemed to not enjoy it.... I am not sure why she didn’t enjoy it as we haven’t discussed yet and I just finished it. I personally thought it was great—- I didn’t see the ending coming which to me is a sign of a good thriller, (I read quite a few of them and always seem to predict the ending). I thought the plot was great and the characters were interesting, even the supporting ones.