The Wife Upstairs is a contemporary Southern gothic twist on Jane Eyre, about a dog walker named Jane who grew up in foster care. Jane meets a rich, lonely widower named Eddie Rochester when he almost hits her with his luxury car. He then hires her to walk his dog Adele, and a whirlwind romance quickly follows. But secrets in both of their pasts soon complicate things, and as they are revealed the story takes many dark turns.

The story is told from 3 points of view: Jane, Eddie and his missing, presumed dead wife Bea through her diary entries. The audiobook narrated by Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne, and Lauren Fortgang really helped give each character their own voice and personality. I breezed through the story in 1 day because I couldn't put it down! I loved the witty social commentary and creative throwbacks to Jane Eyre and the fast moving story line that I never could have predicted. The ending was shocking and mysterious, and every bit as exciting as the rest of the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook. Southern styled retelling of Jane Eyre. Lots of fun and some nice twists.

I was very excited to get an ARC of this book. It was more mild than I anticipated based on the other reviews but I really enjoyed it. It was an easy read that kept you wanting more. The twists and unanswered questions were great! Very well written and not at all predictable.

This was wonderfully narrated and such a journey! The Wife Upstairs makes you not trust any character and question everything! This audiobook was a wonderful accompaniment to the ARC I won from a sweepstakes. Well done!!

Jane is not really satisfied with her life as a dog walker for the residents of the exclusive suburban Birmingham community known as Thornfield Estates, but she somehow manages to tolerate her lot in life pilfering items from her rich clients until she can figure out what she wants to do with her life next. That is until she meets Eddie the sexy and recently widowed resident who lost his wife Bea in a tragic yet unsolved accident in which she is presumed dead along with her dear friend Blanche. Soon Jane goes from dog walker to vying for a spot as the new Queen Bea in her gated community. But the past soon rears its ugly head once Blanche's body is found and Jane is left wondering if Eddie is really her prince charming and if he had a hand in Bea and Blanche bizarre disappearance. If this book sounds intriguing to you, the story will be enhanced by the narration. Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne, Lauren Fortgang, were excellent narrators, I was wondering why there were three but each character needed a distinct voice because their stories were so different and the accents needed to be authentic which played a crucial role in my enjoyment of the book.
I really enjoyed The Wife Upstairs. The book is told from three perspectives Jane, her fiance Eddie and his presumed dead wife Bea through a diary in the style of Southern Gothic Literature of which I am a huge fan. The novel hit my favorite tropes of Southern Goth Lit which is to shine a spotlight on the seedy parts of society which on the surface seems ideal. Hawkins accomplishes this by taking the reader into the unsavory inner thoughts of each of her characters using wit and sardonic humor to disguise her social commentary on issues such as classism. For example, at times I could not really tell if Jane really loves Eddie or if she just loves making those suburban Birmingham Bitches in her neighborhood mad at her come up. It seemed as if her feelings are equally yoked. In sum, I found The Wife Upstairs to be filled with messy characters and delectable secrets just how I enjoy me thrillers.

I thought the narrators did a good job with the book, but The Wife Upstairs seemed a little silly and generic for me. I enjoy a good thriller and hadn’t read Jane Eyre since high school, but felt this book spent a lot of time dropping names of luxury brands and fed into a stereotype of what a wealthy Southern woman is like. The ending was quick and exciting, but it also left me feeling that there were no good guys in this story, only an abundance of shallow and unlikeable characters. More drama than thriller, in my opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook in exchange for my review.

This was an interesting twist on the Jane Eyre storyline! I really liked that this was a contemporary timeline, and I enjoyed the addition of the rich neighborhood, not a secluded mansion.

Jane is the dog-walker for a rich neighborhood. This area is full of women with nothing better to do than sit around and gossip about everyone else. When Jane bumps into Eddie, the two hit it off, and Jane becomes a kept woman, trying to fit in with these suburban housewives. As the mysterious accident of Eddie’s previous wife and friend turns into a murder, Jane begins to suspect that she is in more danger than she can handle.

I liked Jane’s personality in this one. She’s sneaky and has a ton of secrets she’s trying to balance. I loved the way she handles situations, and I found her to be conniving and quite observant. Everything about her worked really well in this story!

The plot was a solid thriller storyline. It was interesting and had some twists and turns that kept me intrigued. I found it to be somewhat predictable, but I still enjoyed it!

I listened to the audio version of this book, and I thought it was really well-done. There are multiple narrators, which created a great story! The narrator for Jane did an excellent job. She had a great cadence and her inflection and emotion while reading was perfect.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It was a fun twist on a classic story, and I didn’t want to put it down!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this mystery/domestic thriller!

I wish promos focused less on the retelling aspect as I haven’t read Jane Eyre and that’s actually what kept me from reading it sooner. I had the impression I needed to have knowledge of that book to enjoy this one, which was so not the case!

This book took me on a wild ride complete with twists and turns! It was a mix of suspense, mystery, thriller and overall shocking!

It is perfect if readers enjoyed Behind Closed Doors or The Last Mrs. Parrish.!

I do wish the ending was a bit more ironed out, I had to rewind a few times because things moved too quickly and it felt rushed to the point where the reader was missing parts.

It was a fantastic fast paced thriller that has you questioning everything!

** The audio quality on Netgalley is DEPLORABLE. I have submitted multiple emails sharing how bad the quality is and there has not been a solution. I am glad I received the opportunity to read this ARC from another venue.

The audiobook narrator was fantastic.

The audiobook on netgalley receives 0 stars. The book itself receives 4 stars!

I didn't realize this was a loose Jane Eyre retelling when I started it, but now I see the parallels. This was an enjoyable mystery about a woman who is a dog walker in a wealthy neighborhood and falls for Eddie, whose wife recently passed away. The mystery is woven throughout so that it's but revealed what happened to his wife until the end. Intriguing page turner that will please many mystery fans new and old.

Wow, this one checks a lot of boxes! You want to like Jane, and you want to see her thrive in her relationship with Eddie. You want Eddie to be her prince charming and you want all these rich stepford type wives to go away and accept Jane into their fold at the same time. It takes a while to figure out why it's titled 'the wife upstairs' but, boy is that something! This was a quick paced enjoyable suspense/mystery/thriller for sure! I look forward to more by this author! #thewifeupstairs #netgalley

The Wife Upstairs has everything you want from a twisted mystery. Multiple dislikeable characters, crazy twists you don't see coming, shocking turns where you aren't even sure who to root for anymore and to add as a bonus, it's a crazy reimagining of Jane Eyre.

How much better can a story get?

This is the story of the neighborhood dog walker, who is stealing a little bit from each of her clients, meeting the neighborhood widow whose wife has gone missing (presumed dead) in a boat accident. They fall in love, she moves in, and what can go wrong, you say?

You'll have to read to find out!

with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review.

First off, the narrator was terrific in the audiobook and was easy to listen to. Secondly, the story as a whole was pretty good and digestible.

A lot of times, domestic thrillers tend to fit so many tropes that they become predictable and boring--but not with The Wife Upstairs. Obviously, the title of the book gives away a tid bit of the mystery and thrilling part of the story but there were so many elements added to this concoction that it felt fresh and different. It's about a woman named Jane who comes from nothing and ends up getting with a man, Eddie, who has everything. Soon she finds out there's some mysteries surrounding the death of Eddie's wife, Bea and Bea's friend. Everyone in this book has secrets and they all do what they can to keep things under wraps.

I actually listened to this whole audiobook in a day because I was sucked into the story pretty quickly and just had to know what was going to happen. The characters were written really well and they all seemed pretty fleshed out. You do get some timeline hopping, multiple perspectives but it wasn't difficult to follow at all. I thought this was an enjoyable audiobook and recommend to people who like quick, domestic thrillers with a splash of mystery.

4/5

Wow! This book was amazing. The title tells you right away his missing wife is probably hidden upstairs. I thought it was giving away too much by naming the book that. However, the author manages to build up the suspense about Bea and her time upstairs while becoming invested in Jane. The author makes you think you know what is going on and does a great job of investing you in certain characters while disliking others. In the end, the author throws you for a loop and gives you a twist that some may have seen coming but I did not! Cannot wait to read more by this author.

Leaving a past of foster care behind, a young woman changes her name to Jane and moves to Birmingham Alabama. Jane takes a job as a dog walker in an upscale neighborhood quickly expanding her client base throughout the neighborhood. As she gains their trust and easy entry into their homes, she begins to help herself to an earring here or a bracelet there felling no guilt. After all, these people are so wealthy they’ll never miss the trinkets she takes. One fateful day as Jane is out walking dogs, she meets a handsome, wealthy widower named Eddie. A year ago Eddie’s wife Bea and her best friend Blanche spent a girls weekend getaway together but they have been missing since and are presumed dead. Bea was the owner of a very successful southern lifestyle business that Eddie now owns and manages. Jane can’t believe her luck when she and Eddie make an instant connection. Jane soon moves in with Eddie and they quickly become engaged to be married. Jane is thrilled to now be part of the upscale neighborhood that she previously could only imagine. Is anyone really who they appear to be? What’s true, what’s a lie? There isn’t one likable character and yet, I really liked the book and couldn’t wait to finding out what happened next.

This book was my introduction to Rachel Hawkins. Having heard nothing about this book before I listened to it, I was initially reminded of The Last Mrs. Parrish, and wondered if I could survive another book like that one. But, soon I became enmeshed in the story and the mystery, and partially due to the excellent narration by Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne and Lauren Fortgang. Although this is not my favorite genre, because I find the romance a little cheesy, I did enjoy this book. I was drawn into feeling disgust for the character of Jane and intrigued by the disappearance of the two women, Bea and Blanche, and found myself looking forward to listening in order to find out what really happened. What a wild ride! I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast paced and tricky romantic mystery. Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to preview this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had to get my hands on The Wife Upstairs when I read that it's a retelling of Jane Eyre. I have a love/hate relationship with domestic thrillers otherwise, so many of the tropes are so tired and the common use of first person POV can be so cheesy.

This story is both a clever and half hearted retelling of Jane Eyre. It's more a modern mash up of Rebecca with names and quotes mimicking Jane Eyre as it completely misses the spirit of Jane Eyre's characters. Which is totally fine! The author can do whatever she wants and be inspired in whatever ways she wants from the classics, but I was hoping for something a little different. That's a very personal opinion, and I completely acknowledge that. It's well written but a bit heavy handed overall. It's so focused on the protagonist that I felt it missed some of the atmospheric potential, especially since "Jane" is so focused on her love of Eddie rather than her own dreams and development which is so unlike Jane Eyre, rather it's very Rebecca. I didn't realize it was set in the South til well into the book, and I wish the author did more to highlight the local and general culture.

The audiobook is great. The narrator does such a great job going back and forth between preppy, Southern snooty voices, the drier, disenchanted voice of Jane. and the light, wistful voice of Bea.

Overall, I enjoyed this! I definitely recommend it especially to those who like domestic thrillers. I'm very picky about them, so take my review for what it's worth and nothing more. Thank you NetGalley, St Martins Press, and MacMillan Audio for this audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

Wow! What a thrill ride! The gothic edge along with the southern setting are the perfect ingredients for this extraordinary, entertaining domestic thriller. This story has the faultless combination of humor and suspense. There were countless times I laughed out loud and other times I was on the edge of my seat. The audiobook was extremely engaging with spot on southern accents that brought each of the various characters to life. Jane Eyre mixed with Desperate Housewives! Wickedly delicious! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A huge thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this amazing audiobook!

I really enjoyed this book. The story was very engaging and I loved the twists. I liked how the story was told from different perspectives and the pacing was on point. I didn’t really identify with or like any of the characters, but that wasn’t necessarily the goal. Regarding the narration, the voice for Jane was somewhat grating at times. This was my first audiobook from NetGalley and I must say the program was a little glitchy. All in all though this was a good mystery and I would recommend it to anyone who likes twisty thrillers. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for granting access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I will post this review tomorrow to my Bookstagram and companion Facebook page @thatreadingrealtor.

*I have not read Jane Eyre*

This book is absolutely incredible. I thought I knew what was coming, which didn't even take away from my enjoyment because it was so well written.

Thing is? I was completely wrong about all the thoughts. And that made it even better than I already thought it was.

Now, for those that already know Jane Eyre? Maybe it wouldn't be that impactful. I have no clue, but from my perspective? It was incredible.

Also, Ms. Fortgang continues to be one of the best narrators going!

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins was a fantastic listen! I kept seeing this book on Goodreads and added it to my list, but was so excited to see it was available as an audiobook to review. Let's get straight to it, this one was fun, snarky and twisty. Like a really good audiobook it made my commute seem shorter and even wish for traffic on the way home so I could listen longer. This would make for an amazing tv show or movie.

Set in a fancy suburb of Birmingham, Alabama I loved seeing Jane the dog walker's takes on the rich women who she walked dogs for. Though Jane has way more going on under the surface than any of them do. Jane soon learns that two of the men in the exclusive neighborhood of Thornefield estates have missing wives, who are presumed dead. I loved seeing how this would play out and while I thought I knew how it would end, I was happy to be surprised. Give this one a read or even a better a listen! Perfect for fans of Ruth Ware or Gillian Flynn.