Published by St. Martin's Press Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Retelling, suspense, thriller
Format: ARC, eBook
Talk about a fun book with plenty of pleasing twists and turns!
Jane is a down on her luck, dog walker in the gated community of Thornfield estates. She enjoys walking the dogs there and imagining what it might be like to live there. Her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester, a man whose wife, Bea drowned in a boating accident along with her best friend Blanche. When they fall for each other, Jane no longer must imagine what it might be like to live there. To have a nice home and not a dingy apartment. As her life begins to improve, she attempts to fit in with the women who once hired her to walk their dogs. Plain Jane tries to look right, dress right, eat right, etc. The women include her in their many committees and meetings but all the while letting her know she is not Bea, that they knew Bea first and perhaps know more about Eddie than she does.
I really love being introduced to characters with pasts, hidden agendas and who are not quite as they seen. Who is Jane really? For that matter who is Eddie? Who is Bea? How well do you really know someone? Who has secrets? What happened the night the women drown? This make for some juicy reading. I really enjoyed how Hawkins gave us little glimpses into the characters’ lives, their thoughts and their motivations.
Besides being a fun juicy book, this was also beautifully written, perfectly paced and pleasing all the way around. I also enjoyed how she told the story. There is some jumping around in time, but she has the chapters clearly titled and there will not be any confusion. I found this to be a nice touch. Sometimes this annoys me in books, but not in this one. Rachel Hawkins is very clever as is this book.
I found this to be a fast read which had me turning the pages. Glued to my seat and engrossed in the story, I did not want to put this one down. As the book progresses so does the suspense, you know something is going to happen, but what?? You will need to read to find out.
Whether you have read Jane Eyre of not, this book will not disappoint. The Wife Upstairs is captivating, well thought out, and entertaining.
Highly Recommend.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.