The Wife Upstairs

by Rachel Hawkins

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.At the time I listened to The Wife Upstairs, I did not know it was a retelling of Jane Eyre. Not that it would have made much of a difference, as I never read Jane Eyre. 

I had an interesting time with this twisty and diabolical tale. The deeper I went into the story, I thought I knew how it would all play out. It turned out I was way off mark. 

The story introduces Jane, (not her actual name) a broke dog walker, with an affinity for taking things which don’t belong to her. She recently moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where she walks dogs in the affluent Thorton Estates. One day while carrying out her job she met Eddie, a charming and of course rich widower. This made him the perfect candidate to aid in uplifting her social status. Eddie’s wife Bea along with her best friend died in a boating accident a year ago and their bodies have yet to be found. However, Eddie is ready to move on and Jane provided the perfect opportunity.

Jane proved to be a calculating and rather captivating character. I had an interesting time being in her head. Her actions and thoughts never ceased to amaze me.

Personally, I had a hard time buying into the relationship between Eddie and Jane. First off, I didn’t trust him. He gave off some real negative vibes.

As the story progressed, the events surrounding the fatal boat accident came to light. The revelations proved quite shocking.

Even paced and compelling, the story made it difficult to set my listening device aside. I would definitely read more from this author.

I enjoyed the narration, which involved the use of three narrators. Namely Lauren Fortgang, Kirby Hayborne, and Emily Shaffer. This was my first time listening to all three, and I thought they did an excellent job in bringing the story to life.

Overall, The Wife Upstairs was an engaging listen and one I would recommend readers/listeners looking for a twisty ride. This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading