Thursday, April 14, 2022

Jenn's Review: The Wife Upstairs


Author:
 Rachel Hawkins
Series: 
Publication Date: January 5th 2021
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 290
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Suspense
Rating: 3.5/5
Bottom Line:What wild you do for security? For Love?
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Just borrow it

Blurb: 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?strained to the breaking point, Gurney must throw himself into a deadly battle of wits with the most frightening opponent he has ever faced. 

Review:  I’ve read Rachel Hawkins YA books so I thought I’d give this one a try. As I started this book I remembered that I found her writing a little… shallow. Her stories are great, but I feel there isn’t the depth in characters, settings, or details. It makes for a great light read but I always find myself wanting more. This is fine if you love the characters, but I didn't.  I don't mind flawed characters, but there wasn't a single character that was likable for me. I was never able to fully invest in the story.

It is billed as a modern day retelling of Jane Eyre but it has been lightened to the point where I  found it neither thrilling or suspenseful.  While I enjoyed the story, there are some great twists, I found the ending a little too open for my taste and perhaps a little unrealistic. It just feels unfinished.

I have Hawkin's latest Reckless Girls in my TBR pile but I think I will be relegating it to a “beach read.”

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