It's a good sign when you look up an author of a book you just started because you're so hooked on her writing you want to see what else she has out there. It's especially good if that reaction is triggered by a book that doesn't even have likable characters. Honestly, I wasn't particularly rooting for anyone in The Wife Upstairs, yet I kept want to find out more, listened every chance I got: in the car, doing dishes, taking the dog out (of course!). By the end of the story, I actually felt empathy for certain characters and all the twists and turns came together in the end in a way that made sense. A great, fast-paced read that is made even better with excellent narration. I will be first in line for the movie if there ever is one.

I received an audioARC in exchange for an honest review.

I listened to this novel, as well as read it on my kindle. The main narrator is really good, but the narrator for Eddie Rochester is totally miscast for this role. Instead of keeping the suspense going by portraying Eddie as a bit of an enigma, he sounds just clumsy and clueless. It really spoils the suspense just at the point when it should be heightened.

Thank you MacMillan Audio, Rachel Hawkins, and Netgalley for this audio book in exchange for an honest review. This psychological thriller will leave you speechless. Keeps you engaged as you either read or listen to it. I loved the narrators. They really did an awesome job. 🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating from me and a must watch for other books from this author!

For this one I swapped between reading the ebook and listening to the audiobook. I enjoyed the multiple narrators for this one and did not find them confusing.

The storyline for this one was enjoyable. I’ve never read Jane Eyre so I don’t have the original story as a comparison. I did enjoy the storyline, but found myself having a hard time connecting with any of the characters. I just couldn’t see any of them as super relatable or likeable for that matter. The storyline itself was enetertaining and not easily predictable. I think my lack of a connection with the characters kept me from being wowed by this one like so many others were. For me this one gets 🌟🌟🌟💫

This audio book is soo good! The Wife Upstairs is a super twisty, suspenseful novel that you won't want to stop reading. It's a modern, Southern homage to the classic, Jane Eyre. A very compelling story that will keep you engaged and guessing throughout, even if you weren't a fan or the original story. It was definitely one of the top thrillers that I have read this year, it really exceeded my expectations and comes highly recommended!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝:⁣
◘ Readers are going to LOVE this book. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and guessing until the very end.
◘ Apparently this is a take on Jane Eyre (never read it, never would have known), so if you're a fan, you'll probably like this?
◘ The story is entertaining, no doubt about it.
◘ Narrators were awesome! Loved the accents and multiple voices.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝:⁣
◘ ⁣I've read a lot of thrillers lately and I think I was expecting more from this one. Every thriller I've finished hasn't hit its mark, and this one was missing 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.
◘ Definitely felt like a "dramedy" rather than a thriller, despite what I just said above. Lots of gossip, drama and talking behind backs, but in a southern way.

All in all I think people will love this book. I felt like something was missing but I still enjoyed it. It was super easy to follow and I'll definitely keep this author on my list to watch.

As a thriller lover, this was one of my most anticipated thrillers of 2021, but. it was a disappointment.

I was confused and bored throughout most of the book. I am not sure if I missed something, but nothing thrilled me. Even though I was confused throughout, I still found it to be predictable, especially the ending.

The narrators telling the story were bland. Had no thrill or suspense to their voice which I feel like that also caused me to give the book one star. The love between our main characters Jane and Eddie was very fast and instant, which I did not like because it just seems like fake love. The book also seemed slow and was dragging at times.

I also really didn't like the writing, this book in general just didn't give me the thrill that I wanted it to!

Thank you Netgalley and St.Martin's press for my review copy. Thank you to MacMillian Audio for the audiobook version!

The Wife Upstairs is a modern retelling of the classic Jane Eyre but set in Birmingham, Alabama. I have always wanted to read Jane Eyre, but never brought myself to it and now I am dying to read it and compare the class to this version. This story tells of Jane, who recently moved to Birmingham and got a job as a dog walker for the rich families of Thornfield Estates. Slowly, throughout the story, we learn of Jane's troubled past, how she got to Birmingham, why she takes pieces of jewelry from the mansions, if Jane is even her real name. Then she meets Eddie Rochester, who is recently widowed when his wife and her best friend when they drowned/went missing at the Rochester's lake house. Eddie and Jane begin to fall for each other, as Jane's plan of rags to riches comes to fruition. But she can't help but wonder if she measures up the Eddie's late wife and if Eddie will ever find out the truth about Jane's past.

This book is full of suspense and a few twists! It also has dramatic irony throughout as the author gives the readers pieces of information that the other characters do not know about which made me want to continue to listen to find out when the characters will get all of the information the reader had been given. I also loved that it was set in Birmingham, as I live in Alabama myself and I'm very familiar with the area so that was fun to read about. The author also includes many Easter eggs that tie the story back to Jane Eyre, such as Eddie's dog name Adele. I'm not a big suspense reader so I did not predict the ending. I do think the ending could have been better and was slightly disappointed with it but the rest of the book was fantastic. The narrators were fantastic, I loved that there were multiple.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for letting me listen to this ARC!

A great retelling that made a familiar story feel fresh and original. Hawkins took a gothic romance and made it a twisty murder mystery that I couldn't put down.

Interesting twist on the classic Jane Eyre. While it could be predictable to some it was an enjoyable and attention grabbing book. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to listen to the audiobook a Netgalley. The narrators were great. Perfect read for fans of Jane Eyre and for fans of domestic thrillers.

The Wife Upstairs was a delicious modern twist on the classic, Jane Eyre. The names are familiar, but the Southern charm and social rules are new. Jane the dogwalker is doing every in her power to rise up out of her meager circumstances. After a life straddling the poverty line she will do just about anything to be one of the stay at home dog-moms she works for. Even if that means looking past the red-flag of widower Eddie.
This audiobook is so well done. The accents are southern, but not a parody. Also, have 3 actors play the different POVs really made the story come alive.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Jane who was a dog walker admired the mansions in the area where she works. While standing in 5he street she was hit by a car. Eddie brought her into his house to make sure she was ok. She later developed feelings for Eddie and they got engaged. After that strange events started happening. This book kept me guessing from the start.

Holy mackerel!!! This book grabs you from the beginning...you know there're some secrets and things going on but you don't know what so just keep reading...and then BAM!!! Great ending. I will definitely recommend it to my thriller seeking friends.

The narrator did a great job. I could clearly picture the neighbors by the way they talk...and it was a nice surprise to 'hear' from Eddie as well.

Thanks NetGalley, Rachel Hawkins, and MacMillan Audio.

Excellent thriller with a very different and refreshing style and plot. Loved this and can’t wait to share it with readers!

I found The Wife Upstairs to be a highly-addictive read. Word is that this novel is based on Jane Eyre. However, as I read this intriguing story, I honestly did not think about Jane Eyre. I loved the twists and turns that kept me guessing in this fast-paced story. The Wife Upstairs was a fun and unputdownable mystery read for me.

This book is a twist on the Gothic classic, Jane Eyre.
In this book, Jane is a dog-walker in Thornfield Estates in Birmingham Alabama. She meets Eddie Rochester. Eddie is recently widowed. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, Blanche. Jane and Eddie fall for each other, but Bea haunts Jane. How can Jane measure up to Bea? Can she win Eddie’s heart? Why won't Bea just stay buried?
The story is full of suspense, wit and plot twists. It is a love triangle and everyone has secrets. Listening to the audio made the story more of an enjoyable experience. The ending was a complete surprise that I did not see coming. I loved Rachel's writing style and will seek out her next novel. I would recommend this novel for those who love domestic thrillers. Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillian audio for a free copy for an honest review.

I seldom like a book filled with so many unlikeable characters, but Rachel Hawkins has used their unpleasant characteristics to good advantage in this modern retake on Jane Eyre. You need not have read that classic to be quickly enmeshed in the story of Jane who moves to Birmingham Alabama to restart her life. Taking a job as a dog walker in a wealthy community, she becomes romantically involved with one of her clients and moves in with him as she prepares for their marriage. Her fiancé’s wife and her best friend have been murdered although the body of Eddie’s wife has never been found. From the title, readers will guess correctly that Eddie has hidden Bea in a secure room upstairs. Lots of twists and turns and an unexpected ending make this one a stay up late to find out what happened. The audiobook adds to the suspense with great voice changes for the three narrators make it a very easy book for listening enjoyment.

SOOOOO good!! What a great domestic suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat! If youre a fan on suspense/thrillers this one is fantastic! The audio is also great. A very easy book to listen too, the southern accents are a great touch, listened to it at a 2 speed, 2.5 was a but to fast to keep up with, but im sure it would be enjoyable at a slower speed as well. I loved the back and forth between all the main characters! This ones going to be staying with me for a while & I might even buy a hard copy to own because its that good!

This is the story of Jane. She is a dog walker with a mysterious past. She meets Eddie, one of the rich people she works for. There are several (if not all) characters in this book I did not like. But that is the point I think. But that also made it a little difficult to find a character to root for. It remains to be seen exactly who did what until the very end. I listened to the audio version of this book and like all the narrators. Lots of rich people gossip and drama included.

Thanks to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc

This was a fun, entertaining and fast-paced book that kept me engaged.
The story is about Jane, a young woman with a challenging background who begins dog-walking for an upscale neighborhood in Birmingham, Alabama. She is initially only considered the help to most of the wives and barely even registers on the husbands' radar. Then she meets Eddie Rochester, the handsome neighbor with the missing and presumed dead wife, who almost runs over Jane at their first meeting. They develop a friendship and she begins to work for him as well. The story develops from the first meeting and the mysterious disappearance and presumed death of his wife and her best friend.
This book has all the Southern Gothic vibes and leaves you laughing at the stereotypical wealthy couples described in these pages and also mulling over what happened to the missing women.
The narrators are Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne, and Lauren Fortgang. In researching the narrators, it seems likely that Emily did the Southern accents. I am guessing this because her bio states that she is originally from West Virginia. I liked all the narration for the most part but felt like most of the Southern accents were a bit too contrived and surprisingly did not feel authentic. I think that is the only thing about the narration that could have been more accurate for an authentic feel. This may have been a regional difference rather than a fake accent, I'm not familiar with these narrators enough to guess.
Overall, the book itself was worth the read. I did figure out a major plot twist at about 75% but this did not reduce the enjoyment of the book. There were multiple twists so that made up for it.
I would definitely recommend this to lovers of Southern Gothics and books that have a mixture of genres.
#TheWifeUpstairs #Netgalley #MacMillanAudio