The Wife Upstairs, Rachel Hawkins
The Wife Upstairs, Rachel Hawkins
85 Rating(s)
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

The Wife Upstairs
A Novel

Bestseller

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Narrator: Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne, Lauren Fortgang

Unabridged: 8 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/05/2021


Synopsis

Instant New York Times and USA Today Bestseller

“Compulsively readable...a gothic thriller laced with arsenic.” ––EW

One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2021: CNN • Newsweek • Vulture • PopSugar • Parade • BuzzFeed • E!Online • TimeOut • Woman's Day • Goodreads • She Reads • Good Housekeeping • CrimeReads • Frolic • Hello! • Mystery and Suspense

January 2021 Indie Next Pick and #1 LibraryReads Pick

A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, 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?

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

“A compulsively readable tale that flips Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre on its head…a gothic thriller laced with arsenic.” -- EW

About Rachel Hawkins

Rachel Hawkins is the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs, Reckless Girls, The Villa, and The Heiress, as well as multiple books for young readers. Her work has been translated into over a dozen languages. She studied gender and sexuality in Victorian literature at Auburn University and currently lives in Alabama.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Nilufer on July 04, 2022

Get ready for absolutely thrilling, explosive, smart, modern retelling of Jane Eyre! Jawless, nailless, colorless: side effects of reading something jaw dropping, shocking, head spinning, extremely twisty and ultra smart! Oh boy, this book is a product of an evil genius and it’s the most dangerous g......more

Goodreads review by Yun on January 15, 2025

Hmm, is this really a thriller? I feel like the wires might have gotten crossed for me. The Wife Upstairs is supposed to be a modern-day take on Jane Eyre, though with more secrets, lots of twists, and obviously some murderous results. But instead of being suspenseful and thrilling, I found the stor......more

Goodreads review by Cindy on December 30, 2020

A quick and easy read if you want a thriller fix. I found much of the story to be very predictable though, and even the new twists the author added were easy to guess, because I was already familiar with the original Jane Eyre story. I wish the book had taken a bigger leap to be more surprising and......more

Goodreads review by Lisa of Troy on August 20, 2024

Here is my video review: [URL not allowed] This is the best thriller that I have read since Home Before Dark! I simply could not put this down! Jane is a dogwalker in Thornfield Estates when she meets widow Eddie. As the two of them fall in love, both of their pasts are revealed. Will the......more

Goodreads review by Miranda on May 16, 2021

100 days into 2021 and 100 books have been read. Check out my latest BookTube Video to see which ones are my fave!The Written Review Thornfield Estates - a gated community chock full of the ultra-rich - and Jane has finally gotten in...as a dog-walker. But it doesn't matter, at least Jane has a......more