The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

​This is a BOTM pick for December, so I’m sharing my thoughts on it now in the hopes that you’ll choose this book!!

Summary:
Jane arrives in Birmingham, Alabama in need of money, so she walks dogs for residents in a wealthy enclave called Thornfield Estates. She’s treated as ‘the help’ amongst the country club set in this community, but she rests easy knowing that they don’t take enough interest in her to find out that Jane isn’t her real name.

Then she meets a handsome widower named Eddie, whose wife Bea drowned in a recent boating accident. Eddie  is immediately drawn to Jane, and she is soon pulled into his life, struggling to fit in amongst the wealthy lifestyles of those at Thornfield.

Jane is increasingly concerned about the fate of Eddie’s wife, as well as the secrets about herself she’s tried to keep hidden. When it comes to their future, it seems like her past -- or his -- may pose a deadly threat.
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This was a very fun read!! I’ll read Rachel Hawkin’s writing any day. As an author, she is decisive and playful, and she comes across with such confidence in her narration. Her skill at writing YA translates very well into a psychological thriller!! 

The emotions of Jane are incredibly heightened and swing wildly, and there’s some YA-type sass, too, to some of her dialogue and internal thoughts. This puts us into the mind of a main character who is boldly crafted, flawed and unreliable (my favorite type!).

This has a southern gothic element, with a backdrop of Birmingham McMansions owned by wealthy athleisure housewives. It’s fun to watch Jane try to shoe-horn herself into the lifestyles of the wealthy, ladies-who-lunch set.

This story has parallels with “Jane Eyre,” although it’s definitely a modern retelling. There’s some similarities with Daphne Maurier’s “Rebecca,” too. 

I highly recommend this for those who love psychological thrillers, but also those who enjoy well-written YA, New Adult and even romance.

This hits the shelves on Jan 5, 2021 or you can get it as an early release with BOTM right now, for the month of December!! 

Thanks so much to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for the ARC!!