Tried very hard to like this book but the protagonist is too vain to like or care about. Briefly the story is the imagined life of Adele, Mr. Rochester s ward in Jane Eyre. Adele grows up among the courtesans of Paris' Moulin until she is removed as Rochester's guardian. If you know the story of Jane Eyre then you already know about the young Adele. She is constantly reminding the reader of how beautiful she is, how she learned to understand men at Moulin, and she is probably gay, ad nauseam. Absolutely nothing happens in the first half of the book, it is entirely exposition. I couldn't care enough to finish.

Reader, I Murdered Him is about Adele Varens- the young girl that Jane Eyre is governess too. I hadn't realized that this was a Jane Eyre adaptation until her name was mentioned.
My favorite historical fiction trope is the "girl who refuses to conform to societal norms" and this one definitely does not disappoint.
This dark story is gorgeously told. The characters are complex and a pleasure to get to know. The story was slow moving at some parts and adventurous in others, but it always kept me glued to the page.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins Childrens Publishing for an early copy for review
#Netgalley #ReaderIMurderedHim

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this novel. I am rating this book based the stars due to lack of time to leave a full review. #NetGalley #ReaderIMurderedHim

*Received as a free ARC*
I'm not sure why the title didn't clue me in, but I was not expecting this to be an adaptation of Jane Eyre! I first read Jane Eyre at age twelve and it's amazing how much a difference ten years can make. I thought the ending was bad but that it was tragically romantic at the time. Now, not so much. Reader, I Murdered Him captures just how unromantic in a modern sense the book is for... pretty much all the characters. It's an excellent curative that captures the feeling of the original novel while being completely different at the same time. It's extremely impressive. While I was expecting more murder and less theft given the title and I'm still not sure if Eric ever actually existed, I really loved this book. It's sharp and funny and touches on issues that still face women today, while reminding us that we are never alone. I'd highly recommend this book for fans and critics of Jane Eyre alike.