REVIEW: The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

What it’s about: I think the best way to go into this book is by knowing as little as possible, so I’ll keep this vague. Jane Bell, our heroine, is the new dog-walker with sticky fingers in the rich southern neighborhood called Thornfield Estates. TE is a gated community full of secrets, gossiping housewives, and yes, more secrets.  Then, Jane meets Edward Rochester— newly widowed, handsome, and mysterious— and suddenly Jane has new plans and aspirations. Eddie’s perfect wife, Bea, and her best friend are presumed dead after a boating accident 6 months ago. Jane has hew own secret past, but that doesn’t stop her from stumbling into a life with more twists and untold reveals then she ever could have imagined. 

My thoughts: This book captivated me from the very start. The writing and storyline gave me literal chills. I can’t express how invested I was in this page-turner. I have never read a book like this, with such dark, morally grey characters. I was gasping out loud (with a few WTF?!’s). The pacing was perfect, everything unveiling with maximum shock factor. If at any moment you think you know what’s going on, Hawkins would serve another rude awakening. The setting was captured in her descriptive writing, and I felt like I was really there sitting in a circle of wealthy elites. While this is modern twist of Jane Eyre, emphasis on the twists, the story managed to become something totally unique. This is my new favorite thriller, and I have no doubts it will make my top books list for 2021. Once again, I feel obligated to keep this vague because I need everyone to read this and watch the web of lies unfold! I highly recommend this!

RATING: ★★★★★

*ARC provided by NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.