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wenwanzhao's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There was a mystery but it was not compelling.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, Violence, Blood, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
hayleybreads's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Confinement, and Alcoholism
Minor: Suicide attempt
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
thebakerbookworm's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
I love Jane Eyre and I thoroughly enjoyed all the references and nods to that classic peppered throughout this story. That being said, this is definitely not Jane Eyre, and I think if you don’t like JE, you will enjoy this take on it!
The plot moved quickly and kept me interested. For the first half, I was thinking, “I know exactly where this story is going!” and then the second half I was just like “I was wrong—I know nothing.” This book had some good twists that I imagine most people who read thrillers will enjoy.
As for characters, this is another one with mostly unlikable people making questionable decisions. Not a ton of development either. I think for me, when I read a thriller like this, I do enjoy it, but I tend to give them lower ratings because the characters don’t usually change a lot and I’m never sure what my takeaway from the book is.
So I did enjoy listening to this (there are a few different narrators and that made the audio extra good!) and it was entertaining, but if I want the Jane Eyre story in the future, I’m going to stick with rereading the original.
Thank you so much to Libro.fm, Macmillan Audio, and the author for this ALC!
Read if you like: unreliable narrators, Southern settings, rags-to-riches stories, mysterious disappearances.
The plot moved quickly and kept me interested. For the first half, I was thinking, “I know exactly where this story is going!” and then the second half I was just like “I was wrong—I know nothing.” This book had some good twists that I imagine most people who read thrillers will enjoy.
As for characters, this is another one with mostly unlikable people making questionable decisions. Not a ton of development either. I think for me, when I read a thriller like this, I do enjoy it, but I tend to give them lower ratings because the characters don’t usually change a lot and I’m never sure what my takeaway from the book is.
So I did enjoy listening to this (there are a few different narrators and that made the audio extra good!) and it was entertaining, but if I want the Jane Eyre story in the future, I’m going to stick with rereading the original.
Thank you so much to Libro.fm, Macmillan Audio, and the author for this ALC!
Read if you like: unreliable narrators, Southern settings, rags-to-riches stories, mysterious disappearances.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Violence
wine_tea_paper's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I liked that this book was a modern twisty retelling of Jane Eyre. Since I read Jane Eyre and because of the book title I knew that the wife was going to be upstairs.
When I read mysteries I look for a few things: did I guess who did it? Did it keep my attention? Was there a twist? Was it realistic?
I wasn’t able to guess who did it which is very good in my opinion. I binged most of the audiobook in one day which means it really held my attention. There was a twist at the end. And, I can kinda see the whole twisty mess happening.
The only thing that knocked a star off my review is that I didn’t like the characters. Even with the audiobook the fake southern accents got on my nerves and the characters didn’t change over the span of the book.
Overall I would recommend to those who like thriller mysteries and southern accents.
Thank you Libro.FM for the Advanced Listening Copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
When I read mysteries I look for a few things: did I guess who did it? Did it keep my attention? Was there a twist? Was it realistic?
I wasn’t able to guess who did it which is very good in my opinion. I binged most of the audiobook in one day which means it really held my attention. There was a twist at the end. And, I can kinda see the whole twisty mess happening.
The only thing that knocked a star off my review is that I didn’t like the characters. Even with the audiobook the fake southern accents got on my nerves and the characters didn’t change over the span of the book.
Overall I would recommend to those who like thriller mysteries and southern accents.
Thank you Libro.FM for the Advanced Listening Copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Alcoholism
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
kfalls's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse
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