I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkens
Narrator: Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne, Lauren Fortgang
Published by Macmillan Audio
Publication Date January 5th 2021
Source: Netgalley
Genres: Thriller
Goodreads
A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, The Wife Upstairs pairs Southern charm with atmospheric domestic suspense, perfect for fans of B.A. Paris and Megan Miranda.
Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.
But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for.
Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past––or his––catches up to her?
With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won’t stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature’s most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?
Reader, I murdered her.
The Wife Upstairs is all over the place. Is it gothic, a rom-com, or a thriller? In truth, it is probably all three. Being a retelling of Jane Eyre, the novel had a lot to live up to. Rachel Hawkins made sure to have parallels for the Jane Eyre fan to recognize but, they did not hit you in the face and therefore left the book to stand on its own.
However, unlike the classic Jane Eyre which, is a gothic romance to its core The Wife Upstairs had Big Little Lies vibes. It felt like a rom-com with twists added in. Like Big Little Lies Hawkin’s novel had wealthy housewives who craved gossip and scandal with our down-on-her-luck heroine breaking into the group only to stir the pot more.
I enjoyed the evolving relationship between Jane and Eddie. The dialogue between them set the tone for the book, letting the reader know when the plot was about to thicken.
Unfortunately, knowing the plot for Jane Eyre is a downfall; as I had a sense of where the devious twists and turns would take The Wife Upstairs. Although, it did not detract from the journey or climatic end. Rachel Hawkins has created a wonderfully messed up retelling of Jane Eyre with this reader engrossed until the very end.
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