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ehmannky's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Fantastic. Fast-paced and creepy and interesting and firmly in the camp of "Jane Eyre [or Belle, in this case] can do better." It's such an inventive play on Jane Eyre (and, blessedly, so much shorter and much more fun to read). I liked all the twists and turns. Like, yes, he has his wife locked upstairs, but there are so many other twists in there. Even knowing that Bea (Bertha) is in the attic, I still felt it was chilling when Jane heard sounds in the house.
Great overall, and I loved Jane being kind of a bitch. But not a rich bitch, just kind of hard from what life had dealt her. I don't know how die-hard Jane Eyre fans will rate it, but as someone who has always struggled to understand the appeal of the original, I loved this retelling.
Great overall, and I loved Jane being kind of a bitch. But not a rich bitch, just kind of hard from what life had dealt her. I don't know how die-hard Jane Eyre fans will rate it, but as someone who has always struggled to understand the appeal of the original, I loved this retelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Murder, Death, Violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Sexism, Child abuse, Child death, and Stalking
plantbasedbride's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The Wife Upstairs was a simple and predictable thriller full of unlikeable characters without clear motivations. Unfortunately, the lack of a creepy atmosphere and a very convenient wrap-up left me unmoved.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Child abuse, Infidelity, Confinement, Violence, and Alcoholism
alybark's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death and Child abuse
10ringorogene's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Mediocre. really white cast of unlikeable characters, if the story wasn’t so good I’d probably 1 star this. But the plot kept me going
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
janeycanuck's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a great update on the Jane Eyre story with a clever ending that I quite enjoyed. The pace is fast, the writing is excellent and I just hated every single character (but especially John... I can't get that image of him eating cereal at a wedding out of my mind!)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
thebookishmusings's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Death
Moderate: Child abuse
ruthsic's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
If you are like me, who was unsatisfied with the ending of Jane Eyre (seriously, Jane, plenty of fish in the ocean), then this modern retelling would definitely appeal to you! Hawkins' twist on this gothic tale has a few upgrades - Jane is not entirely a naive girl getting seduced, and she is in fact in possession of some edges of her own, the Mr Rochester (Eddie) is charming but comes with red flags poking out, and is surprisingly hot in this one, while the Mrs Rochester is telling her story through a series of 'diary' entries. Jane, who is not Jane btw, not exactly - dreams of having the good life, where she doesn't have to steal or con or be on the run from her past, and Eddie seems like a perfect target. Eddie, for his part, is a handsome widower, and interested in her pretty immediately, which makes her job easier. Most of her energy is devoted towards cementing her place in the community, but when whispers about his wife's disappearance start to gather into louder tones, and with the complicated relationship his wife had with her friend (who also disappeared in the same boating accident) and her husband starts to unravel, Jane wonders if having so much attention brought into her life is a good thing.
For starters, I like the changes made in this retelling that kept the elements of the original, adapting it to the modern setting. Jane is a foster kid, and her best friend is someone she lost in a similar way; there are however more elements added to her past which change her characterization drastically. This Jane is street savvy, she is able to read people, and direct conversations and situations to her benefit. For the most part, she is smart - until it comes to Rochester, who seems like the culmination of her hard life, and her entry into the rich life, a life she craves even as she views the rich women of the community with contempt. There are moments that she enjoys the women's company, but also moments where she feels like she needs to prove something, which has her pushing forward her relationship with Eddie. Combined that with an acquaintance of hers who is blackmailing her, she has a tight rope to walk to ensure that she becomes the next Mrs Rochester.
About Mrs Rochester (Bea), well, there was a lot to unpack there in the story, and I liked the focus on telling her version of the events, too. That, and having Eddie's PoV chapter coming later on in the book brings together the story in an explosive way. It was a nice bit of game Hawkins plays with the reader, and though it is not entirely unpredictable, it is still quite a good mystery. The ending, also feels much more satisfactory, when you see how the romance progresses through the story, and when you keep in mind how the characterizations of the characters affects the storyline. If I had one thing to nitpick about, I would say it was the pace which didn't sit right with me. The first half builds Jane's and Eddie's relationship, and I guess I can see Jane being a bit carried away with the ease with which she gets ahead in her plans and her falling for Eddie a bit factor in that, I still feel that the initial parts of their romance feel fast-fowarded. More attention was given to Jane's efforts with the ladies, which doesn't have as much impact on the later thriller aspects of the plot as I expected. Speaking of thriller, I wish there was just a drop of it in the first half - the gothic vibes don't feel as much then, and later on, there's a lot going on to feel that vibe, you know.
Still, overall, it is quite an enjoyable retelling and a clever twist on the original story. Finally, I gotta just say - I would've loved a thruple too.
For starters, I like the changes made in this retelling that kept the elements of the original, adapting it to the modern setting. Jane is a foster kid, and her best friend is someone she lost in a similar way; there are however more elements added to her past which change her characterization drastically. This Jane is street savvy, she is able to read people, and direct conversations and situations to her benefit. For the most part, she is smart - until it comes to Rochester, who seems like the culmination of her hard life, and her entry into the rich life, a life she craves even as she views the rich women of the community with contempt. There are moments that she enjoys the women's company, but also moments where she feels like she needs to prove something, which has her pushing forward her relationship with Eddie. Combined that with an acquaintance of hers who is blackmailing her, she has a tight rope to walk to ensure that she becomes the next Mrs Rochester.
About Mrs Rochester (Bea), well, there was a lot to unpack there in the story, and I liked the focus on telling her version of the events, too. That, and having Eddie's PoV chapter coming later on in the book brings together the story in an explosive way. It was a nice bit of game Hawkins plays with the reader, and though it is not entirely unpredictable, it is still quite a good mystery. The ending, also feels much more satisfactory, when you see how the romance progresses through the story, and when you keep in mind how the characterizations of the characters affects the storyline. If I had one thing to nitpick about, I would say it was the pace which didn't sit right with me. The first half builds Jane's and Eddie's relationship, and I guess I can see Jane being a bit carried away with the ease with which she gets ahead in her plans and her falling for Eddie a bit factor in that, I still feel that the initial parts of their romance feel fast-fowarded. More attention was given to Jane's efforts with the ladies, which doesn't have as much impact on the later thriller aspects of the plot as I expected. Speaking of thriller, I wish there was just a drop of it in the first half - the gothic vibes don't feel as much then, and later on, there's a lot going on to feel that vibe, you know.
Still, overall, it is quite an enjoyable retelling and a clever twist on the original story. Finally, I gotta just say - I would've loved a thruple too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, and Infidelity
kachina's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, and Death
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