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.”

Jenn's Review: Spell Bound

Summary:  Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

 Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late? ~goodreads.com

Review:  The ending of Demonglass was too much of a cliffhanger to let Spell Bound sit unread for very long.  I know the beginning was supposed to come as a bit of a shock but I had a very strong feeling that's where we were headed due to the foreshadowing at the end of Demonglass  -not that it made the twist any less enjoyable.

Whereas I felt like Rachel Hawkins had a lot more room to play around with the characters in Demonglass, I felt like she was slightly more constrained by the storyline again. We lost some of the marvelous character interactions due to the plot driven finale of the trilogy.  Still,  the characters grew and learned from each other, especially Sophie. She's certainly not the same girl that started at Hex Hall, but a more mature, confident version of herself.  

There were lots of complicated loose ends, and Ms. Hawkins does a brilliant job of tying things up.   Did I want a little bit more from the final showdown?  Perhaps, but I think the reason I craved deeper details is that I knew this was to be my last interaction with these characters. Another part of it, is that I wish things had ended a little differently, but that's just because I was so invested in the characters.  

As a side note, I think I mentioned it when I reviewed Hex Hall last year, but I absolutely adore the covers of these books.  They are not just beautifully eye catching but incredibly clever.  They are fabulous representations of the words within and the progression of Sophie.  These are my favorite YA covers -with Amanda Hocking's new Trylle Trilogy covers coming in a close second.

I look forward to Ms. Hawkins's next foray. She has definitely made the list of must read authors for me. 

Final Take:  4/5

Jenn's Review: Demonglass

Summary: Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.

But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?  ~product summary

Review:  I liked Hex Hall... but I loved Demonglass.  It almost makes me wish I hadn't waited so long to read it... almost.  (Demonglass has a huge cliff hanger of an ending, so it's a good thing that I held onto it for so long because I'll be able to jump right into Spell Bound shortly.)

There is so much more to the story this time around with so much more happening.  Having 'gone to classes with Harry Potter', I was a little disappointed with the fact that we never spent much time in Sophie's classes in Hex Hall.  Now that Rachel Hawkins has brought this part of the story out of the confines of the school, the possibilities are boundless and I think she does a wonderful job of running with it.  Not only do we get to explore the characters a little better, but we get a whole slew of new ones that are just as fascinating.

In Demonglass Sophie is quickly discovering that nothing is as black and white as it seems.  No side is ever completely right... and perhaps being a demon isn't so horrible.  Though learning this may complicate her life, it forces her to grow, absorb, and adapt.  Although Sophie continues to stubbornly ignore everyones advice and warnings, I had an easier time accepting her decisions this time, because they are informed.  Even if she is going against the grain, at least she is thinking with her heart... and trying to find answers.  I think it's high time her father had a hand in her upbringing... he should have been tutoring her all along, but better late than never, I suppose.  Sophie has at least learned her lesson about keeping secrets, well, for the most part anyway.  As for the men in her life, I've never quite understood her attraction to Archer, but I think Cal just gets more interesting.

...And all this is done with Rachel Hawkins wit and dry humor to boot.  (I love Sophie's snarky little comments!) I will be reading Spell Bound soon, because I need to know the resolution to this marvelous series.

Final Take:  4.5/5

Jenn's Review: Hex Hall

Summary:  Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.  -product description


Review: I have been wanting to read this book for a while because the hype has been great.  Plus the cover is gorgeous! -While I would never judge a book by it's cover, I mention it because there are several adult reviewers out there that think it makes the book look "too young." However, the colors and the concept are incredible, even if the girl on the cover looks young. Oh, and the book's good too...

I love the idea behind the plot. Rachel Hawkins has created a fascinating world where all magical creatures, or Prodigium, go to school together, although this particular school is more like reform school. The only paranormal being that is not welcome at Prodigium schools are vampires, though there is a new exchange program and Sophie is rooming with the only teen vampire at school. As outcasts, they become fast friends.  There were lots of nice developments in the story that made this a quick, fun read.  Though I didn't find any of the plot twists surprising, none of them were obvious and I did enjoy watching them come to fruition.

Sophie is a likable character, though I don't think I completely connected with her, perhaps because she seemed so accepting of her situation.  While I did appreciate that she tried to get to the bottom of the attacks at school to clear her roommates name, I was surprised she wasn't doing more research about being a witch, especially as her classes aren't really teaching that.  Actually, I was surprised she hadn't been in a Prodigium school prior to this.  As we discover more about her, I can see that there may be an argument against sending her to one, but I see a stronger case for helping her hone her powers.  I hope this is something that gets addressed in the sequel.  Jenna, her vampire best friend, is intriguing and I hope that we get to learn more about her too.   Elodie makes a wonderful nemesis, and I would like to explore her history further as well - and I'm sure we will learn more about Archer, who is at the heart of Sophie's and Elodie's conflict.

Although my expectations may have been a little inflated, I think this was a solid debut novel for the beginning of the series.  This book is the tip of the iceberg and I can't wait to get a more involved with all of Ms. Hawkin's world of Prodigium.  I look forward to starting Demonglass -though I hear there is a killer cliff hanger, so maybe I'll hold off until the the release of book three (2012) gets a little closer...

Final Take:  3.75/5.0

Giveaway: Teen Book Festival

Gift Pack #1

I had such a marvelous time at the Teen Book Festival, that I brought a little piece of it home for you!  There are two YA giveaway packages and both come with bookmarks and other swag from the convention.  (There was a beautiful Hex Hall tote bag that I really wanted to snag, but it was for teens only...)

Gift Pack #1:
 - An autographed paperback copy of Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
 - A paperback copy of Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz
 - A Secrets & Shadows bookplate autographed by Shannon Delany
 -Various bookmarks, some autographed and some not

Gift Pack #2:
 - An autographed paperback copy of Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy (Book 3 in the Gallagher Girls series) by Ally Carter

 - An ARC paperback copy of Virals by Kathy Reichs

 - A Secrets & Shadows bookplate autographed by Shannon Delany

 -Various bookmarks some autographed and some not

Gift Pack #2

This giveaway is open internationally.  There will be two (2) winners.You may choose to enter for both packages, or only one, but please, one entry per person.  Just fill out the form below before midnight EST on May 23, 2011.

Good luck!


As always, Girls Just Reading uses Random.org to select our winners.

An Author Event: Rochester Teen Book Festival

This was my first time attending the Rochester Teen Book Festival and it was amazing experience. Even though I've never been "Ma'am"d so much in my life (stinkin' polite teens!), it was completely worth it to hear kids cheer authors as they were introduced as though they were rock stars. Not just the big names, like Heather Brewer, Svetlana Chmakova, Melissa de la Cruz or Ellen Hopkins either. Everyone received a stellar reception including the new authors in attendance. Seriously, it brought tears to my eyes.

The last time I met an author I was in third grade when Margaret Goff Clark came to my elementary school to read from her book, Who Stole Kathy Young? so I was more than a little excited myself, even if this was an event targeting teens.

Passing the mic to answer Qs

The opening panel with the authors was a lightening round of questions to all the authors.  ("Describe high school in one word" - answers ranged from "sucked" to "awesome" to "over".  "What's the hardest thing about writing?"  -to which Heather Brewer's response was my favorite.  The hardest part for her is to "follow the formula,  you know, 'Butt + Chair = Writing'." Oh! And never trap Selene Castrovilla on an island with Bella Swan!)  It was nice because we got to see glimmers of the author's personalities which, if you hadn't already decided who you wanted to go see during the four upcoming author presentation sessions, helped you make up your mind.

Blathering like a fangirl
at Shannon Delany

The first session I attended was the Paranormal discussion with authors Rachel Hawkins (Hex Hall series) and Shannon Delany (13 to Life series)  both of whom were genuine and easy going and there was lots of friendly banter between them.  Ms. Hawkins discussed her love of supernatural, which developed at an early age, as well as her love of Buffy.  Ms. Delany talked about how the early loss of her own mother sowed the seeds of her protagonist, Jessie, and how her fascination with Cold War government paranormal research blossomed into her series.   Both authors discussed their reader-frustrating cliffhanger habit (Hawkins' fans will be pleased to hear book 3 wraps things up "in a big bow", while Delany fans will be frustrated with a third delicious cliffhanger.)

Rachel Hawkins

As any frequenter of Girls Just Reading knows, I'm a huge fan of Shannon Delany's 13 to Life series (my reviews, etc.) and, in actuality, she was the reason I attended TBF.  However I was I was only aware of Rachel Hawkins on a cursory level,  her Hex Hall series being on my TBR wishlist, but after hearing her speak, I immediately downloaded it onto my Nook. She was clever, witty, and one of two authors who I was completely taken with at TBF.

Heather Brewer was
continuously surrounded

My next stop was to see Heather Brewer (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod ) who was one of three authors presenting a panel on Bullying/Body Image, Jackie Morse Kessler and A.S. King being the co-presenters. Ms. Brewer opened the discussion with her own personal story of being victimized by bullies from Kindergarten onwards and her years in her 'dark place' when she struggled with thoughts of suicide. Jackie Morse Kessler told a candid story about her battle with bulimia. Ms. King talked about her experience with an abusive relationship and how abuse can be verbal as well as physical. It was a sombre atmosphere as they poured out some of their most personal struggles. While the reader and blogger in me would have liked to hear them discuss their works, the mother in me was thankful for the message directed to the teens. The authors encouraged them to talk to someone -anyone- including contacting the authors themselves, if they felt they could talk to no one else. The message was heartfelt and I found myself tearing up to the point where I did not stay for the question and answer period after the presentation.

A.S. King, who thanked
me for blogging

Only knowing of Heather Brewer going into this session, I again found myself impressed with all three authors, but especially with Ms. King. She has a personality that fills a room without overshadowing it's occupants and her self-assured manner eased the tension in an emotionally charged atmosphere. Ms. King was the other author that impressed me the most. I immediately picked up one of her books ...and one of Ms. Kessler's too.

Ellen Hopkins was also
swamped with signings

Next for me was Melissa de la Cruz (Blue Bloods series) who presented a panel called Author 2 Author with Elizabeth Scott, with whose work I was unfamiliar (Bloom, Living Dead Girl, Love You Hate You Miss You, Between Here and Forever) upon entering the discussion.   They interviewed each other during the forum before opening up the floor to questions. Ms. de la Cruz always wanted to be a writer, while Ms. Scott avoided creative writing like the plague. Both authors outline their books before starting, but whereas Ms. Scott needs to make sure she knows the beginning and the end of the novel before she starts, Ms. de la Cruz will flush out a 30 page outline. Blue Bloods is still on my TBR wish list, but as fascinating as I found Ms. Scott, her subject matter is a little serious than my tastes.

Ally Carter singing my book

The time had come for my only solitary author panel of the day and I had a tough decision to make. I wanted to hear Ellen Hopkins speak but considering that I find Ms. Scott's work too serious, Ms. Hopkins is way too serious for my pallate.  So I chose to see Ally Carter (Gallagher Girls series) whose Heist Society has been staring at me from one of my TBR piles for over a year ~ not to mention I've been dying to read the Gallagher Girls series too (A spy academy for girls?!?  I'm so in!).  Ms. Carter spoke a little of herself and turned the floor over to questions.  When asked why Cammie, the protagonist from Gallagher Girls, was so nondescript, Ms. Carter called her a chameleon explaining that real spies are average looking, not the James Bond types we see on the screen. Some of the questions were regarding interactions between characters that fans were displeased over and I loved her response.  "I don't work for the readers. I work for the characters, and you wouldn't want it any other way."  


Ms. Carter mentioned that Heist Society comes from her love of con movies and her interest in stolen Holocaust art.  I had to smile at this because those shared interests are the reason I picked up her book in the first place.  She also mentioned that she was supposed to be home thinking of a title for the second Heist Society book, but when I visited her website today, Uncommon Criminals was the title, so she must have done her homework on the fly.  When asked about movie rights Ms. Carter acknowledged that WB has Heist Society under option, but, though they have had many offers on the Gallagher Girls, they have yet to find the right fit.  All this talk about the Gallagher Girls definitely bumped it closer to the top of my wishlist, and I'm pretty sure you'll be seeing a review of Heist Society soon as well.

It was a long but glorious day followed by a frantic autograph session.  The line for Heather Brewer wrapped around the gym, and the line for Ellen Hopkins was out the door.  I babbled like a fangirl at Shannon Delany; the poor woman must have thought me addled.  I continued to be thoroughly impressed with A.S. King just watching her sign books and interacting with the teens as she did so.  I talked with fellow bibliophiles.  It may not have been as big as Book Expo America in New York at the end of the month, but for me, it was a wonderful day discovering new authors and watching kids be captured by the written word.  I even brought home some goodies for all of you...