April 16th, 2024
Home | Log in!

Fresh Pick
THE BREAKUP LISTS
THE BREAKUP LISTS

New Books This Week

Fresh Fiction Box

Video Book Club

April Showers Giveaways


April's Affections and Intrigues: Love and Mystery Bloom

Slideshow image


Since your web browser does not support JavaScript, here is a non-JavaScript version of the image slideshow:

slideshow image
Investigating a conspiracy really wasn't on Nikki's very long to-do list.


slideshow image
Escape to the Scottish Highlands in this enemies to lovers romance!


slideshow image
It�s not the heat�it�s the pixie dust.


slideshow image
They have a perfect partnership�
But an attempt on her life changes everything.


slideshow image
Jealousy, Love, and Murder: The Ancient Games Turn Deadly


slideshow image
Secret Identity, Small Town Romance
Available 4.15.24


The Wife Upstairs

The Wife Upstairs, January 2021
by Rachel Hawkins

St. Martin's Press
304 pages
ISBN: 1250245494
EAN: 9781250245496
Kindle: B07VRX6B6L
Paperback / e-Book
Add to Wish List


Purchase



"The Wife Upstairs is a twisty-turny read that will keep you guessing until the very end."

Fresh Fiction Review

The Wife Upstairs
Rachel Hawkins

Reviewed by Angie Elle
Posted January 25, 2021

Fiction Family Life | Romance Contemporary

Audiobook narrated by Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne, Lauren Fortgang

The Wife Upstairs introduces us to Jane, a down on her luck dog walker who finds things turning around quickly when she meets a man who lives in the wealthy neighborhood she works in.

At the beginning of this book, I was wondering how I was going to get through such an insufferable character’s narrative. She seemed to hate everyone, and it grated on my nerves. I’m not sure what happened...but all of a sudden, I started eating it up. It might have had something to do with the rich people drama, because that is something I love. As I mentioned before, Jane was not a likable character, but it was obvious from the beginning she had a secret, and of course I wanted to know what it was. I will say that she did get more likable as the book went on, and I think that can be credited to the fact that more of her past and insecurities were revealed as her relationship with Eddie progressed. Eddie’s character was so intriguing. It was obvious that he had secrets, too, but just how deadly they were remained to be seen.

The main mystery of this book surrounds Eddie’s dead wife and her best friend. Did they just fall overboard a boat in the middle of the night, or was there foul play involved? There was so much going on, and throughout this book, I had so many theories. One of them did pan out, but I almost consider it negligible, because I had so many that one of them was bound to have some credence. My theories were constantly changing because so much kept happening. 

I thought the secondary characters in this book were very well done. I could just picture Jane’s creepy roommate, John. I could see how oily he was, how smarmy, and he made my skin crawl whenever he was mentioned. But even with as creepy as he was, his character was so vivid. I also really liked the wives in the neighborhood, former employers of Jane, and how she found friends and family with them she wasn’t expecting. I like that they weren’t just ‘write off’ rich characters for the author, but they were given more depth.

This book flew right by, and I enjoyed every minute of it; I’m so excited to see what Rachel Hawkins has next for Mystery/Thriller readers. The Wife Upstairs was a twisty-turny read that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Narration: This book was narrated by Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne, Lauren Fortgang, and they all did a phenomenal job. I’ve listened to all of these narrators previously and enjoyed their works. I thought they each did their characters wonderfully, but I would say that Emily Shaffer really shone as Jane. She conveyed the bitterness and jealousy so well. If I knew a book on my TBR had any of these narrators, it would be the icing on the cake, and I’d be inclined to go the audio route.

Learn more about The Wife Upstairs

SUMMARY

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?


What do you think about this review?

Comments

No comments posted.

Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!

 

 

 

© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net  all rights reserved Privacy Policy