I really enjoyed my time with this thriller. The story follows Jane who is running away from a secret past when she meets Eddie whose wife has died in an accident about a year prior. The pacing was fast but not breakneck and I really was invested in the characters. The final reveal wasn't all that surprising but I enjoyed my journey reading it. I listened to this on audio and the audio was very well done and really propelled me through the book. I definitely would recommend this because I basically listened to the book in one sitting.

Jane Eyre fans, Rachel Hawkins is here with her take on Rochester and Jane's tortured love story.

Hawkins makes Jane a dog walker with a healthy dose of yearning, for both Eddie Rochester and the life he has. Jane Bell is far more canny, far more attentive and manipulative than Jane Eyre. This Jane uses. She uses information, she uses feelings, she uses observations. No innocent orphan is Jane Bell.

Edward Rochester, though, bears more than a few similarities to his predecessor. He's rich, he's a (presumed) widower, and he maintains some devotion to Bea, the successful accessories and decor maven and his first wife. Adele is ... well, I'll let you discover that for yourself.

The gothic atmosphere and sense of doom permeate this book. Jane comes across as assured and ready for battle, but you sense she isn't as worldly or composed as she makes herself out to be. She has blind spots, and you know they will cause her problems.

Hawkins populates her book with far more twists and turns than Charlotte Bronte. You think you have a read on characters only to discover that your perception might be wrong. Some scenes left me breathless. I listened to the audiobook first, with narration by Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne, and Lauren Fortgang, each of whom performs exquisitely. I needed to read it afterwards, too, because I wanted to see if I'd misinterpreted the clues or was so caught up in the story that I missed them entirely. (Spoiler: It was the latter.)

There are a few spots where it feels like we're getting bogged down in unnecessary details, as if the need to mislead us is greater than the need to tell a story with a steady flow. But I couldn't have quit listening to or reading this book if I'd been paid to do it. I was captivated by Jane, Eddie, and the rest.

The ending might just play with you a little. There is one plot point in the final chapter that bothers me a little, but is it enough to ruin the book? No. In fact, I understand why it felt necessary (although I disagree). This book makes you yearn to discuss it, so book clubbers, make sure you pick it.

What did you think of The Wife Upstairs?

Nora Sneed's life had basically disintegrated the day that she decided that she was going to die. She just got fired, her cat died, her brother wasn't speaking to her, she lost touch with her best friend, and the list goes on and on. So after a handful of pills, Nora wakes up in The Midnight Library. A stop between life and death. The Midnight Library is full of books. Each book contains the story of Nora's life if she had made a different choice. She can pick a book and enter that alternate life until she finds the one that is perfect. The minute she experiences regret, she will return to The Midnight Library. Nora gets to experience what her life would have been if she married that ex-boyfriend. Or stuck with swimming and had an Olympic career. Or continued the band with her brother. None of the lives were exactly what she wanted to be happy. Will Nora discover "the" life or will she be forced to continue on to death.


The Midnight Library was absolutely delightful. I had heard a lot of positive things about the book, but that doesn't always mean anything. I felt sorry for Nora Sneed. She was obviously expressing severe depression, and things just kept piling up on her. It all started with her father's death as a child and just spiraled from there. One of the key lessons Nora learned as she traveled through the library was that most of the things in her life were because of somebody else's influence. Swimming was her dad's thing, music was her brother's thing, opening a bar was her ex-boyfriend's thing. She never took the time to figure out her own thing - the thing that would truly make her happy. That is pretty profound if you think about it. While I hoped for one ending, there was another one that made me pretty happy. CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS


Bottom Line - The Midnight Library really should be at the top of your TBR list, if it isn't already. It is well written, engaging, and gives us another alternative to the age-old question "What happens after we die?" Matt Haig's theory just became my new favorite. I hope that someday I get to take a trip to The Midnight Library.

Easy read, dark and twisted,I enjoyed this. Cussing normally doesn’t bother me but, the amount of f words was a bit distracting for me. It was overall a good thriller and I would recommend it for readers that are new to the genre.

A fantastic story and a great listen. The plot was taut and the characters riveting. It delivered on its promise.

I liked this enough, but I felt like the plotting was lacking something, and the characters were a bit too unlikeable - I think the treatment of Jane Eyre was odd and ... pessimistic?

I received an audiobook ARC of this novel from Macmillan Audio via Netgalley in exchange for my review. I loved this twisty and dark novel. It was full of suspense and narrators did a fabulous job of bringing the characters to life. I highly recommend!

I think I need to not do the ARC audiobooks because the narrator voices are robotic and not human. It doesn't make listening all that enjoyable, but this Jane Eyre retelling was thrilling, gothic and suspenseful. I enjoyed it.

A twist on Jane Eyre in a modern day setting. While it is much like the old story, it adds its own pieces to keep the reader guessing a bit!

Lots of retellings of classics have been coming out in the last few years. I love them all!
Kirby Heyborne is my FAVE reader, so anything with his name attached will be a successful listen.
Having a novel read in multiple voices is a nice addition as well.

I was hooked from the very beginning with this one. (Side note: I’ve never read Jane Eyre so this whole story was new to me)

I loved how everyone had secrets and was trying to hide them. I wanted to know what Jane was running from? And what in the world happened to Eddie’s (Jane’s new boyfriend. Who’s rich AF) previous wife? She went missing on a boat trip with her best friend. Hmmm...since this is a thriller, of course nothing is what it seems. Absolutely enjoyed this twisted story.

I did not enjoy this one unfortunately! I tried both print form and audiobook but could never get into it.

I liked the idea of this book and it was well written. The audio narration was also well done. The concept of retelling Jane Eyre as a thriller was well -- thrilling. I have read other inspired stories of this classic and was eager to see what this one had in store. This book has the twists you want in a thriller and you recognize the Jane Eyre elements while it also brings its own life to the story.

This isn't the retelling I would have written for the classic, but the author's idea is well done bringing a modern twist on the classic. I wanted to know what would happen next to the classic characters now in a modern story thriller. I wanted to see what the writer would make her own and keep the same. There are these interesting elements to this fairly enjoyable read or listen.

I do still prefer Jane Eyre yet I thought this was an interesting book with good writing. I recommend it to those that enjoy thrillers and if you are a Jane Eyre fan keep in mind it is Jane Eyre with a twist. I would enjoy reading more from this author.

Thank you, Netgalley and Simon & Schuster, for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

If you have been following my reviews, you know I love a good morally grey character. This was supposedly a retelling of Jane Eyre. However, Rachel Hawkins did give it a major modern twist. The Jane in this book is nothing like Jane in the classic. On the contrary, she is as morally gray as they come. She does have some of the naivety that Jane in the classic has, though. I often shook my head at her decisions. Mr. Rochester was also a lot darker than the Mr. Rochester in the classic. Overall, a great book. If you like books that give you closure at the end, this book is not for you!

The Wife Upstairs is a fast-paced thriller that modernizes Jane Eyre and gives it a darker, feminist twist. Though the story is a tad predictable (which is arguably impossible to avoid when you riff on a classic), it's a fun ride. Just as Jane Eyre prods class issues, The Wife Upstairs subtly pokes fun at our sweet, slick suburban veneer.

Jane is a dog walker with a dark past. Yes, you read that right. Oh, and her name isn't really Jane. At the beginning of the story she is a struggling twenty-something with a weird roommate who is kind of obsessed with her. She's broke and figures nobody at Thornfield Estates, a gated community of McMansions, will notice if she nicks jewelry from the Mean Moms she works for.

During the course of her dog-walking duties, Jane crosses paths - literally - with Eddie Rochester. Eddie is cute, recently widowed, and really, really rich. And he just happens to need a dog walker. But this is no Cinderella story. As Jane's relationship with Eddie progresses - notice I don't say deepens - the specter of his first wife Bea begins to haunt her. Or is that thump in the night she keeps hearing something more?
Suburban Gothic

There's another reason this is no Cinderella story - or even a romance a la OG Jane and Rochester. Unlike Bronte's Jane, her rebooted namesake is more an imitation of a woman in love than the real thing and the relationship is more illusion than reality. Thornfield Estates is a place that aspires to Gothic allure but, in the end, is nothing but Gatsbyesque pretension, suburban-style. Like the fake books in Gatsby's study, Hawkins' main characters are shallow imitations of real people. And deep down they know it.

So does Rachel Hawkins. A former Alabama English teacher, she wrote three paranormal young adult romances before setting out for Southern Gothic territory. The Wife Upstairs is actually more Suburban Gothic and Hawkins skillfully pokes fun at what passes for passion and success these days. The novel reminds me a little of A.S. Byatt's Possession, which juxtaposes two Victorian poets in love against their watered-down contemporary counterparts. The Victorian Jane and Rochester aren't actual characters like Byatt's Randolph Henry Ash and Christabel LaMotte, but their presence is felt throughout the book.

I also like the way modern Eddie is, well, a bit of a jerk. I'm a huge Bronte fan and will always love Jane Eyre. But Rochester did keep his mentally ill wife locked up in an attic for how long? Is he really worth Jane's undying devotion? Hawkins' Eddie 2.0 calls that romance trope into question.

At times I wanted to connect with the characters more and at others I wanted a little less predictability. Nonetheless, I look forward to Hawkins' next foray into the dark side of suburbia. Much thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I could not get enough of this one! Finished it so very quickly. Honestly this type of thrilling mystery would make such a great movie. 10/10 recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this book for an honest review.

I couldn’t stop listening to this addictive multi-perspective story. The narrators were fantastic. The story kept me thinking and guessing all along.

<i>The Wife Upstairs</i> reads as a modern day psychological thriller. It fits right into the genre. But it is also a retelling for Jane Eyre. Either you go into it with the knowledge of having read the classic or you go into it with desire to read a thriller. Regardless, you will be entertained by the quick pace of the story.

This is my first read/listen of this author but definitely not the last. I do have to say, though, this was the perfect book for audio because if I had tried to read this book I probably would have gotten bored with it and put it aside but in audio it kept me intrigued and listening for more and more. It is told in 3 POVs, Jane the dog walker, Eddie the widower, and you will have to read/listen to it to find out who else. Jane has moved to this area and becomes a dog walker for this upscale community and that is where she meets Eddie. That is a random meeting that sets into motion the rest of the story. Eddie's wife and her best friend were killed in a boating accident and Eddie has never been the same. He has mourned the parting of his wife. He soon moves in Jane and she gives up dog walking and sets out to acclimate to becoming part of the neighborhood. This is a twisty tale and well worth the listen. Perfect thriller and I'm not giving anything away.

**Received this ARC in audio for review from the publisher via NetGalley**

Hold on tight because the Wife Upstairs will leave you on the edge of your seat! It's thrilling, suspenseful, and the twists made this one hard to put down!

Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook to review!