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    The Wife Upstairs
    The Wife Upstairs
    The Wife Upstairs
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Wife Upstairs

    Written by Rachel Hawkins and Lauren Fortgang

    Narrated by Emily Shaffer and Kirby Heyborne

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    The Top 10 New York Times bestseller ‘I was completely blown away by The Wife Upstairs. This is a compulsive, irresistible retelling of Jane Eyre with a modern, noir twist – and wow, does it work’ Samantha Downing, bestselling author of My Lovely Wife Stylist’s best paperbacks of 2021 Hello Magazine’s best new books released in 2021

    A girl looking for love…
    When Jane, a broke dog-walker newly arrived in town, meets Eddie Rochester, she can’t believe her luck. Eddie is handsome, rich and lives alone in a beautiful mansion since the tragic death of his beloved wife a year ago.

    A man who seems perfect…
    Eddie can give Jane everything she’s always wanted: stability, acceptance, and a picture-perfect life.

    A wife who just won’t stay buried…
    But what Jane doesn’t know is that Eddie is keeping a secret – a big secret. And when the truth comes out, the consequences are far more deadly than anyone could ever have imagined…

    A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, The Wife Upstairs is perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware and Shari Lapena.

    ‘Really fun update of Jane Eyre that’s also deeply satisfying’ Stylist

    ‘A sharp, fresh twist on a classic in this darkly funny, suspenseful story of murder, ambition, and love. Creepy and fast-paced…kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the very last’ bestselling author Megan Miranda

    ‘The Wife Upstairs is everything I’d hoped—sharp, smart, tricky and fast-paced’ Kelly Harms, author of The Overdue Life of Amy Byler

    ‘Lightening paced, twisty, and great fun’ Jessica Knoll, bestselling author of Luckiest Girl Alive

    What readers are saying about The Wife Upstairs

    ‘I couldn’t put this book down! Read it in a day!'

    ‘The Wife Upstairs has set the standard for this year's thrillers'

    ‘This was a definite page turner of a novel'

    ‘Will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final page'

    ‘A must read book full of OMG moments'

    ‘I felt for sure that I was going to bite my nails off while reading this'

    ‘Escapism at its finest. A five star read'

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJan 5, 2021
    ISBN9780008377540
    Author

    Rachel Hawkins

    Rachel Hawkins is the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs, Reckless Girls, The Villa, and The Heiress, as well as multiple books for young readers. Her work has been translated into over a dozen languages. She studied gender and sexuality in Victorian literature at Auburn University and currently lives in Alabama.

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    Reviews for The Wife Upstairs

    3.5/5

    545 ratings51 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a mixed bag. Some reviewers found the plot predictable and the ending disappointing, while others enjoyed the twisted story and engaging characters. The book is described as quick and easy to get into, with a fantastic retelling and great voice. It is also praised for its insight, passion, and warmth. Overall, readers find it to be an enjoyable and engaging read.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      A twisted retelling of Jane Eyre. If you adore the love story of Jane and Edward, then I’m not sure if you’ll enjoy this retelling version. Slow in the beginning but picks up. Lacked built-up tension and suspense until the last quarter part of the book. Personally, I don’t like stories when the reader knows the truth in the end, but the characters do not. This is a pure psychological domestic thriller filled with psychopathic characters, toxic marriage, deception, manipulation, naivety, and murders. Reminds me of The Perfect Marriage by Rose and The Housemaid and Never Lie by McFadden.
    • 3/5
      Really enjoyed the nods to Jane Eyre.
    • 4/5
      Love it, especially the ending! I'd be rolling on the ground if I was Jane?
    • 4/5
      Jane is the dog walker in upscale Birmingham, Alabama neighborhood. As a former foster child, she escaped from a bad situation. Jane soon falls for one of her clients, and he for her. Eddie's wife and best friend were killed in a boating accident not long ago. Jane soon moves in with Eddie, but there appears to be many secrets that each of them is keeping from each other.
    • 3/5
      Predictable thriller with an unrealistic ending and some storylines that felt unresolved. Bonus star for the narrators who really did an amazing job in keeping me hooked to the story!
    • 1/5
      A retelling of Jane Eyre should feature a main character who's at least a *little* like Jane Eyre.
    • 4/5
      This book was meh..It started out but at the end fell flat for me. Halfway through, the plot got predictable.3.5 stars.
    • 3/5
      Quick and easy to get into. It was okay if you want to fill your thriller needs.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic retelling. Great voice and intriguing story. A must read
    • 3/5
      It's more like 3 1\2 stars. Nice book to read on a lazy day.
    • 5/5
      This was amazing book! I absolutely loved it! The story and characters and how twisted things was! I liked the ending and the fact that you have something to guess made ending even better. I am sad that I waited so long, definitely a good book!
    • 5/5
      Full of insight , passion and warmth . And super sexy to boot!
    • 4/5
      This was a very enjoyable listen. Lauren fortgangvis a skilled narrator i could listen to her all day. The main narrator was a bit robotic. Overall a very engaging story with some twists. Loved it.
    • 1/5
      I can give the book just 1 star, not particularly exciting.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      Let's just say I just endured through it because I do not like leaving a book unfinished.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Worst ending ever - along with the title - had so much potential

      1 person found this helpful

    • 1/5
      I wanted to give a higher rating to this audiobook but I couldn't find anything redeeming about it. I know how harsh that sounds. But a Goodreads two stars rating is "It was ok" and this was not. It was not ok. By the time I got to 75% I was ready to launch my phone (reminder: audiobook) across the room and stomp on my headphones.

      So what issues did I have with the book? Well, I will do my best to avoid any spoilers but some might get spoiler-adjacent.

      Let's start with the narrators. There were three of them. One for each of the female POV characters and one for the male. The male narrator I'd heard before and enjoyed just fine. Eddie has a tiny portion of the book from his POV which was narrated in a pretty much emotionless, excruciatingly slow cadence. The narrator for Bea was meh. The narrator for Jane had that constant "I'm irritated with everything and breathe-too-heavily-and-too-often" thing happening that ended up being super annoying and distracting.

      Now lets talk about the story. This is where it might be more information than you want so if you're still interested in maybe reading with your eyeballs to avoid the narration issues, be warned.

      I'm usually fine with an unreliable narrator but this book has three of them. Yes, all three POV characters. Which might still be ok except so much of the book had my BS meter screaming off the charts. So many absolutely unbelievable twists that I eventually got to the point where I only wanted it to end.

      I know I can be rough on books that push my ability to suspend disbelief too far but the combination of the narration, not being able to trust a single person telling a part of the story, and the total unbelievableness (yes, I'm using a pretend word because I need it) of most everything, I have to go with the one-star review.

      I received the audiobook from the publisher and NetGalley.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Built on an interesting premise and written in a way that keeps things moving, "The Wife Upstairs" was an enjoyable way to wrap up my summer reading. Having said that, I could barely remember the plot line a couple weeks after finishing it. This just isn't my genre, but I thought I would give it try after reading many favorable reviews.
    • 2/5
      Jane is a woman with a past that she is trying to hide. In order to make ends meet, she begins walking dogs in a well-to-do part of town when she meets Eddie, a well-to-do widower who she gets close to. Eddie has his own secrets though and they may end up costing Jane everything.

      When I picked this book up I expected a thriller but not one quite as predictable as this. While I found the ending a little surprising else, everything else was as I thought it would be. Jane was a basic character with an unsurprising past who manages to find an equally basic character who also had an expected past. I think I expected a little more of this story based on the fanfare I saw for the book.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Easy to read, fast paced thriller. Unfortunately a little bit predictable and not sure how believable it is. Poor, dog walker with major secrets gets noticed by the rich guy in the neighbourhood who is recently widowed. Some nice twists and enjoyable if you want something that is entertaining and a quick read.
    • 4/5
      Another audiobook that falls into the category of "naive but beautiful woman falls in love with a rich handsome man who turns out to be dangerous, abusive, or both." Jane goes from being a dog walker to the live-in woman after Eddie's wife has been missing and presumed dead for several months. Turns out she is locked into the panic room upstairs that Jane is unaware of. Now, who would put a panic room on the top floor of a house in Alabama? Minor point, but these things annoy me. Eventually, Jane inherits the fortune of both the dead wife (who isn't really dead) and the husband (who may or may not have perished in a house fire that he started in the panic room.) Jane is pleasantly manipulative, the other characters are a nightmares of the Southern gothic variety. Entertaining, but clearly formulaic.
    • 5/5
      This was a well-paced, modern take on Jane Eyre. This Jane, working as a dog-walker to the rich, is no shrinking violet; she has a dark past, sticky fingers, and secrets of her own when she meets the charming widower, Eddie Rochester. Hoping to finally get more than a foot inside the world of the wealthy after a hard life, Jane cozies up to Eddie and the friends of his dead wife, Bea. But Jane is not the only person playing a role and she soon suspects that Eddie's widowhood was not accidental after all. I enjoyed Hawkins' writing style and the different points of view. (And Eddie's dog being named Adele gave me a chuckle.)
    • 4/5
      I went into this blind. The only thing I read was the title and saw the cover. I like to go into books this way - it adds to the excitement because in a thriller, you never know what's going to happen.

      On a scale of thrillers, this wasn't very scary or thrilling, if I'm being honest. I don't think my pulse picked up even a little bit while listening to this one. With that said, I genuinely enjoyed the story of it all though and the ending was absolutely a shocking twist! It was definitely not something I saw coming.

      Some of the beginning felt like a Pretty Woman scenario, but I knew there would be more to it. The author seemlessly flows in backstory with present day and keeps the reader interested. I certainly was.

      If you're not sure if thrillers are for you or if you're wanting to give one a try, this is perfect for you!

      The audiobook is wonderful as well. There are 3 narrators, each with a unique voice who lends character and depth to the story. I had zero issue listening to this on 2.5x and still understanding and enjoying their voices.

      Thank you Libro.fm for allowing me to listen to this and give my honest opinion.
    • 1/5
      I thought I was reading a book by Paula Hawkins, author of Girl on a Train, and kept waiting for the book to get better. It did not. The characters are shallow and one dimensional and the story line not terribly interesting. Jane, a 23 year old down and out woman running from her prior life, meets Eddie, her fiance, in a wealthy subdivision where she works as a dog walker. The neighborhood gossip reveals that Eddie's wife and her best friend Blanche are presumed dead after a boating accident. The turn of events towards the end of the book was unexpected but that is the only positive thing I can say about the book.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      If it hadn't been for the blurb directing me to think of this novel as a "twist on a Gothic classic" and also the naming of the main male character as "Rochester", I don't think I would have come up with any Gothic associations. However it is an intriguing tale of Southern housewives and in particular Bea who is greedy and grasping and takes ideas from others and makes them her own, almost without realising she is doing it.

      It is one of those books that keeps you reading because you want to learn the real story - and there are several versions. There is certainly a mystery to be solved and at least one, possibly two, murders.
    • 3/5
      The Wife Upstairs. Rachel Hawkins. 2020. The illusion to Jane Eyre is pretty weak: The wife is locked in safe room and the husband’s last name is Rochester. Jane has fled Arizona and is working as a dog watcher in Mountain Brook when she meets Mr. Rochester, a widower. The attraction is immediate, Jane moves in with Rochester. She struggles to overcome her inferiority complex and ingratiate herself into to the life of the rich women she used to work for. Rochester’s wife and a friend of hers supposedly drowned in Smith Lake. Questions arise about her future husband and what really happened at his dead wife. There are not a lot of likable people here. The attraction is the setting in the Birmingham area and the way the author skewers the people of Mountain Brook.
    • 4/5
      *SOFT SPOILERS*

      An entertaining novel with a genuinely surprising climax and conclusion.

      Dog walker, Jane, can’t believe her luck when she catches the eye of the wealthy – you guessed it – Mr. Rochester (Eddie). As Jane gets to know Eddie, she yearns to more about his recently deceased wife, Bea, who died in a boating accident along with her best friend Blanche.

      In this version, Jane solves the mystery of what really happened to Bea and Blanche, and finds herself in a life or death situation as well. The question – who really are Eddie, Bea, and Blanche – and will Jane get to keep the security she’s always longed for, that Eddie finally provides.

      A decent entry into the popular Jane Eyre copycat market, and another in a recent spate of quasi-psychopathic, female, lead characters, such as the also recently released White Ivy and Bad Habits. Yet, I would have enjoyed more without the comments peppered throughout that bashed Southerners, Republicans, and “rich white dudes”. Ladies, I realize you are fictional, but perhaps your problems are your own and not the result of “the man”. (Seriously, I’m not even sure how these blame game comments made sense with the plot at all.)

      Also, of note, for the readers who do not care for crass or crude language, there were several spots of vulgar word choices.

      As I was surprised and entertained overall, awarding four stars.

      A big thank you to Rachel Hawkins, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for this honest review.

      #RachelHawkins
      #TheWifeUpstairs
      #StMartinsPress
      #NetGalley
    • 5/5
      Fast page turner, dog walker in rich neighborhoods falls for widow and engaged while his supposedly dead wife is liv8ngnin a panic room in the house
    • 4/5
      This "who-dune-it" was an up-and-down thrill ride to the very end—smart, sassy, and surprising. When Jane Bell, aka Helen Burns, shows up in the exclusive Thornfield Estates, she's running from a sorted past and hoping for a better future. She thinks life would be perfect if she could only be just like the bejeweled, pampered women that hire her to walk their dogs. Then she falls for Eddie. What she doesn't know is Eddie is living the kind of nightmare that could get her killed. I guess this is supposed to be a remake of Jane Eyre, but I enjoyed it as a modern thriller that kept me enthralled to the very end.
    • 4/5
      Really enjoyed this! I thought I'd figured it out - unreliable narrator who may be a sociopath meets another potential sociopath. But...there were a couple of twists and at least two I didn't see coming. The ending is ambiguous and while that's not always satisfying, in this case...I thought it was a solid choice. If you like them kinda dark and fairly twisty, this one is highly readable and despite the apt, but sea-of-sameness title, this one stuck with me more than most!