Review of The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

 I received a copy of this title via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, Rachel Hawkins's 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?

My Review:

4 Stars

Suburban thrillers are my favorite guilty pleasure. For some reason reading about well to do families and their secrets keeps me entertained for hours.

The Wife Upstairs was a very entertaining and thought provoking read. The most common item in these books is that people don't know each other as well as they think they do. Most everyone harbors a secret that if released will become a life altering disease all its own. 

Jane is new in town. Attempting to make a fresh start isn't as easy as it seems. She's living with a roommate that she can't stand and is working for wealthy families that don't deserve what they have. Something she makes clear with her little hobby. All of that changes one fateful day.

Being with Eddie is a dream. No longer is she working for the wealthy, but she's friends and neighbors with them. While life is currently like a dream Jane is having a hard time with her new life. She's constantly feeling compared to Bea, Eddie's first wife. 

While Jane tries to cement herself into her new life she can't help but feel like something isn't quite right. Something isn't as it seems and she won't stop until she figures out what exactly is going on. 

An intriguing story that definitely ended different than I had anticipated.