top of page

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins


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?


REVIEW: This is the first adult novel by Rachel Hawkins and let me tell you, it does not disappoint. I am always on the search for a good psychological thriller, and this is it! First of all if you have seen the movie The Crush with Alicia Silverstone & Cary Elwes you will definitely get some of those vibes here. You know immediately that you can't trust any of our characters that we are introduced to. Everyone has secrets. As the book goes on the web just get more intricate and devious. I can't really explain without spoilers but the writing is entirely genius. We as the readers are manipulated in a way our selves through the whole book. The twists just keep coming in a good way with so many sceevy characters you don't know who to trust. This was definitely a 5 star read and the best thriller I have read in a long time.


Publication Date: January 5, 2021





bottom of page