Another audio book I couldn't get on with unfortunately, k would definitely enjoy this as a book thoigh

I’ve never been a big Jane Eyre fan so I wasn’t sure about a retelling but I heard good things and decided to give it a try. This was fully of unlikeable characters which won’t be for everyone but it was intriguing and the twists kept me interested til the end.

I received a free audio edition of this modern novel from Netgalley, Rachel Hawkins, and MacMillan Audio along with narrators Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne, and Lauren Fortgang. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. This was an interesting look at Southern Charm, and redefines our concept of 'smart women'.

Set in the busy Alabama city of Birmingham and featuring men and women of the upper echelon of the social set, the book held my interest but I found the concept of someone living downstairs of an entrapped woman for many months while those living below have not a clue a bit too much to swallow. Still, an interesting look into Birmingham society. This was my first audiobook experience and I must say that frequent use of the f-word in a written text is much less jarring than that delivered orally.

This modern retelling of Jane Eyre was okay. I wasn't crazy about it and if I'm being honest I feel like it leaned pretty heavily on someone knowing the story of Jane Eyre already so that it didn't have to do as much background and character development. That being said I don't have a major complaint with it either. The writing was clear and concise and it had good pacing.

The Wife Upstairs was a quick suspenseful read. The book was mentioned to be a twist on the classic Jane Eyre, which I did see the similarities but didn't find it as good. The author left the ending at quite a cliffhanger which made me think back to my younger days or you choose the ending. I would definitely recommend.

My review will be broken into 2 pieces. I received this book in audio form to review.
Story review: This is a very interesting story that kept me guessing until the end. It certainly didn't turn out the way I thought it would. I was a little confused in a couple places but it was eventually explained and actually just added to the intrigue. I would definitely recommend this book.

Audio review: This was my first experience with an audio book and I find I do not like this medium. I listened while using my exercycle and while sewing. On the exercycle it did hold my attention but while sewing I found that my mind drifted off to other things. The reader used different voices for the different characters but it was hard for me to follow them. I also thought it took much longer to get through the book. I can read myself much faster than listening to someone else read aloud. And I prefer to assign my own voices in my head to the different characters. I found the audio book so annoying that by chapter 14 I borrowed the e-book from the library and finished it in one day.

This is a quick, thrilling read that had me hooked on the various characters’ stories from the beginning. Although the ending was a bit predictable I enjoyed the story nevertheless. Great narrator.

I just could not get into this book. The narrator had varying speeds and it was difficult to follow along with the story. I was disappointed because I have heard so many positive things about this book. I will have to get it in an actual book format to try again.

This was a really solid Jane Eyre retelling. It took me a good 10% to get into the book but eventually I settled into the story and narration and was taken on a wild ride by Rachel Hawkins. This fast paced book made reading a breeze and the writing was incredibly vivid, which helped me sink further into the story. Overall, this was definitely one of the better thrillers that I’ve read in awhile and the Jane Eyre connections only made it better.

I can’t say I loved this book, but I didn’t hate it either. I liked the premise of the story. It just seemed to take a long time to get anywhere. The main character is unlikeable. Several times the past that she is running from (including police involvement) is hinted at but once it is revealed turns out to be nothing significant. It took me several tries to get into reading the book, yet there were times when I couldn’t wait to get back to it. I didn’t like the ending. It was too superficial and felt thrown together to meet a deadline.

I enjoyed the narration with the exception of the voice of Emily. It grated on my nerves. Fortunately, she didn’t have a lot of dialogue.

I would say that this book is worth a read (or listen), just don’t expect it to knock your socks off.


I received an ARC through St. Martin Press and Macmillan Audio. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

This was a really fun, twisty and suspenseful mystery. I really enjoyed both the characters and the story. This modern take on a classic felt fresh and contemporary.

Jane, the main character, was complex and interesting. She herself is a bit of a mystery--she has a past she is hiding from, and she is looking for a way to escape her current humdrum existence. The mysterious Eddie might be her ticket to a better life, but he is haunted by the recent death of his wife. Jane and Eddie start to fall for each other, but with both of them hiding secrets can they really build a life together?

This is a fun, quick and escapist read. It has plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. The narrator is excellent. The story requires some suspension of disbelief, and there were some scenarios that I just didn't find believable. It detracted a little from my enjoyment of the story, but overall I would recommend it.

Wow. Just wow. It isn't often that I get to the last hour of the book and think, oh I didn't think of that. This book was described as a Jane Eyre modern retelling and I'd challenge that a bit. More like inspired by Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre is more accurate. The Gothic feel of Jane Eyre is lost a bit on the modern potty mouth, unlikable main character and we think we know each character and they each get tossed around until we can see the real picture. So good. I read Hawkins' Hex Hall and it reads similar to this actually, just toned down for YAs. I enjoyed all the little details in this re-imagining of Jane Eyre.

I saw a bunch of people raving about this book so I decided that I had to read this book. First off I have to saw that the narrator did a good job. It is not her fault that I did not like this book. I found the characters to be very annoying t the fact that I found them to get on my nerves. Yet, I pushed past it as much as I could. I will give the story some props that it does get better with the intrigue in the latter part of the story but no real surprises there. I could see where the story was heading. I will have to say that this hyped book did not do it for me.

This is a modern retelling of Jane Eyre with lots of twists to it. I absolutely adored this book and think it would be equally enjoyable to someone who hasn’t read Jane Eyre, but for me having read both I just was in bookworm bliss. Some of the twists were predictable to me because I read a lot of thrillers, but despite this I still completely loved it.

This is a hugely enjoyable and smartly done re-casting of Jane Eyre into present day Alabama. The move from 19th century Gothic to contemporary Southern Gothic is surprisingly successful and the author makes many clever tweaks to characters and plot that will entertain those who know their Bronte but it stands alone just fine if you don’t.

Jane has moved about a lot since she had to leave Arizona and is currently sharing a dingy apartment with creepy John Rivers. She’s built up a dog walking business in the very upmarket Thornfield Estate and while on one of these walks, she meets handsome widow Eddie Rochester. Just 6 months ago, his wife Bea and her best friend Blanche Ingram had gone missing, presumed drowned at the Rochesters’ lake house.

Ms Hawkins manages to hit all the signature points of <i>Jane Eyre</i>, though often in twisted and unexpected ways: I enjoyed the transition of the original Mr Rochester’s ward Adele into a red setter puppy. But above all of that, this is a terrifically atmospheric thriller with some nifty twists and Jane is a hardnosed independent young woman who works hard to get what she wants.

I wasn’t completely wowed by the narrators of the audiobook. Jane’s reader has a slightly metallic/robot element to her voice and Eddie just sounds wrong, but this only slightly detracted from a very pleasurable listening experience.

I really liked this story! I went in fairly blind, other than the short little description from Book of the Month. I wasn't sure what to really expect, but even if I thought I had an idea I totally would have been wrong. I spent the entire book really wondering who did it. Who committed this crime? Will we ever find out? I also couldn't decide if I was supposed to like these characters, hate these characters, like some but hate others, etc. I probably shouldn't have loved Jane, considering her whole life is basically a lie. But I really did find myself rooting for her. I like how the author separated this book into "Parts" with different narrators, rather than flipping back and forth on each chapter like some dual timelines/dual perspective books. The narrators for the audiobook did really well and I'm glad I chose to listen instead of just read.

But also, what the heck? Who comes up with this?!

4.25 - Would recommend.

I didn’t dislike this one, it did keep me interested. However the ending is extremely rushed and leaves way too much unanswered. I think the author was going for an open-choose your adventure-style ending, but it falls flat because there are too many variables in play.


I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

**4/5 Stars**

I absolutely devoured Rachel Hawkins’ The Wife Upstairs, which the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, graciously let me read via NetGalley. This was my first audiobook ever, and it did not disappoint!

The book revolves around two characters – Jane and Bea – whose lives become intertwined thanks to a shared love interest: Eddie. Bea supposedly passed away in a tragic but highly suspicious boating accident, leaving Eddie a grieving widow. Bea was a successful businesswoman, starting her own line of highly sought-after decorative goods for Southern women.

Jane comes into Eddie’s life after a bit of time has passed since Bea’s death. Jane has lead a down and out life, one that is shrouded in mystery. She has relocated to build a new life, taking on a job as a dog walker in Eddie’s wealthy subdivision.

One day while on the job, Jane gets distracted and lingers in the road while looking longingly at one of the towering mansions. Eddie nearly barrels into her, causing damage to his fancy SUV. Instead of worrying about his car, however, he immediately jumps out of the car and asks if Jane is okay. Jane ends up following Eddie into his house, eventually befriending and working for him.

Jane falls for Eddie overnight, eventually getting engaged to him. She is so consumed with hiding her dark past that she misses red flags about Eddie. But slowly Eddie’s secrets surface, leading Jane to question everything she thought she knew about her fiance.

What I loved about this book was the first person narrators. Both Bea and Jane have strong, well-defined voices in this book. The audiobook was definitely worth listening to, as the actresses did a fantastic job portraying and voicing the characters. Their personalities really came through thanks to the actresses. This book is a well-crafted, character-driven thriller that was hard to put down. Highly recommend!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced audiobook of The Wife Upstairs.

This audiobook is absolutely worth the listen.

Apparently this book is a modern twist on Jane Eyre, a book I have never read, so I of course had no idea what wa going to happen and really loved how it turned out. There were some twists that I could see coming, but more often than not I was left in the dark. Rachel Hawkins is such a talented story teller. I see her books all over my Goodreads, and it is for good reason. If you love a classic styled thriller, this book is for you. I highly suggest the audio! The narrator was so enjoyable and it was such a fast listen for me!

Since NetGalley and St. Martin's Press were kind enough to send me an advanced copy of The Wife Upstairs (I love NetGalley!!), and since I had cataract surgery this week, I figured that this was the perfect time for me to listen to my FIRST EVER audiobook!! And I was NOT disappointed!

The story was good - a mystery that I figured out a lot of when I was only halfway through the book, but other parts of it that were a surprise. The characters were unlikeable in an expected way, and I love a story that takes place in the south (this one was in Birmingham). But in fact the best part was, not only that it took place in the south, but that the reader used great southern accents for different characters - hence, my enjoyment of my first audiobook! The book was SO "cliche southern" - the descriptions, the accents, the MANY details, the way the characters talked to each other, and the main character's observation of these pointless infatuations with southern culture and tradition!

Thanks, again, NetGalley and St. Martins Press - this one was great!