Review: The Wife Upstairs

Summary: In this modern-day retelling of Jane Eyre, Jane is a dog walker (and kleptomaniac) in the posh Birmingham (AL) suburbs of Thornfield Estates. She falls head over heels for Eddie, a recent widower who just lost his wealthy wife and her best friend in a boating accident. But when questions arise about the accident, will it cause Jane to lose trust in Eddie? And why is her former roommate John blackmailing her? Is Jane her real name? And what's that noise in the house?

Review: I know there's been a million retellings of Jane Eyre. But if you like your Jane with some suspense and a little bit of thrills, you may like this book.

If you read the original, you might have find yourself rooting for Jane and coming around to Mr. Rochester. But none of these characters are likable, in my honest opinion. Not even Jane. Not even the nosy neighbors. They all got secrets and character flaws that makes you not root for any of them. So if you like unlikable characters, you may like this book. You do find out why Jane is the way she is and why Jane may not be her real name.

The book has three points of view: Jane (mostly), Eddie (a little) and Bea, Eddie's wife. There is also some backstory about Bea's life and her friendship with her BFF, Blanche. Despite all of these different viewpoints, the book moves smoothly.

The ending puts the book into the thriller category a little. I was a little shocked at the ending, but it didn't make my mouth drop. The story does wrap up with a nice ending.

I liked this book, but I wasn't in love with it like the original. But it's a good retelling with a twist.