The Wife Upstairs
A Novel
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4.0 • 2.4K Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Instant New York Times and USA Today Bestseller
"Compulsively readable...a gothic thriller laced with arsenic." ––EW
One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2021: CNN • Newsweek • Vulture • PopSugar • Parade • BuzzFeed • E!Online • TimeOut • Woman's Day • Goodreads • She Reads • Good Housekeeping • CrimeReads • Frolic • Hello! • Mystery and Suspense
January 2021 Indie Next Pick and #1 LibraryReads Pick
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?
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Picture a vintage 19th-century romance with a Southern gothic twist! Rachel Hawkins’ deliciously smart mystery starts with the basic ingredients of a classic gothic tale like Jane Eyre or Rebecca, then tosses them in the deep fryer with a sweltering new setting and spicy modern twists. Hawkins’ Jane barely registers as human to all the rich and vapid people she walks dogs for at Thornfield Estates, Alabama’s most exclusive gated community…except for Eddie Rochester. Jane’s unexpected romance with the brooding and kind widower elevates her social class, but it also turns her life into a ticking time bomb as the couple vies to keep various dark secrets hidden. We fell in love with Jane’s scrappiness and wit from page one, making it all the more nerve-racking when the specter of Eddie’s oh-so-perfect late wife begins to loom larger and larger, threatening the heroine’s marriage, her sanity, and maybe even her life. Whether or not you’ve read the books that inspired it, The Wife Upstairs is a brilliant read packed with twists that even Gillian Flynn, much less Charlotte Brontë, couldn’t see coming.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
YA author Hawkins (Her Royal Highness) makes her adult debut with this spirited reboot of Jane Eyre. Shortly after starting to walk dogs in tony Thornfield Estates, a gated community in Birmingham, Ala., the penniless young woman calling herself Jane meets dashing recent widower Eddie Rochester whose wealthy wife, Bea Mason, went missing and was presumed drowned in a boating mishap, along with her BFF Blanche Ingraham, six months earlier. Sparks fly, but plain Jane has a tough time living up to the legend of the glamorous Bea, who created the Southern Manors lifestyle brand. Then Blanche's body is found, and it's clear from the massive skull fracture that her death was no accident. As the police reopen their probe, an increasingly concerned Jane starts investigating Bea's fate and what part, if any, Eddie played. Hawkins shows real wit in outsider Jane's sharp-eyed take on the entitled ladies of Thornfield Estates, but the mercenarily motivated characters will put off some readers. Nonetheless, this suspenseful domestic thriller will keep readers turning the pages.
Customer Reviews
Great Read
First time with this author & I truly enjoyed the book.
Not Jane Eyre. * Spoilers*
The hype is this is a contemporary telling of Jane Eyre. The only thing that resembles Jane Eyre is the characters name is Jane(or is it?) Mr. Rochester is now Eddie and the crazy wife is locked in a panic room upstairs. Other than that, nothing resembles Jane Eyre. Jane is a thief/goldigger who lures Eddie into marrying him and tries to become like the other Stepford Wife’s in town. Once she discovers what happened to Eddie’s wife she tries to release her, but possibly got it wrong. The house burns down and the bodies of Eddie and the wife are never found. Jane finds out Eddie changed him will and she ends up richer than anyone.
This book has no likable characters and the all have dark secrets. I really wanted this story to end as quick as possible.
The author stated after she read Jane Eyre she thought Jane could do better. Well, after reading this we deserved something better.
Good Book
I enjoy reading this book.