The Wife Upstairs
Rachel Hawkins
Domestic Thriller
304 Pages
Published January 5, 2021 by St. Martins Press
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
🔪🔪🔪🔪
The wife upstairs is a new, bold take on the classic Jane Eyre. Our Jane finds herself in a desperate situation and uses her charm and motivated mindset to chase Eddie with the hopes of hooking him as her new rich, handsome husband. Jane works hard to be exactly what she thinks she needs to be to fit into his life. While masquerading in her new life her old secrets still haunt her but nothing is more haunting that the secrets she is slowly uncovering.
I liked getting to know the characters in this story, peeling away the lies to reveal the truth. The Wife Upstairs kept me on the edge of my seat, guessing who was a villain and who was a victim all while quickly turning the pages to piece together the story. I will say the plot is pretty standard thriller, it was the chilling moments which there were MANY that really hooked me.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers so I’ll just say the ending left me with some questions and I’m looking forward to discussing this with all of my thriller loving book buddies. I can’t wait to see what Rachel Hawkins comes up with next.
Meet the Author, Rachel Hawkins
Rachel Hawkins is the New York Times bestselling author of multiple books for young readers, and her work has been translated in over a dozen countries. She studied gender and sexuality in Victorian literature at Auburn University and currently lives in Alabama with her husband and son.
The Wife Upstairs is her first adult novel. Follow her on twitter @LadyHawkins.
Anne Cater
Thanks so much for the blog tour support xx