Scan barcode
A review by dwinareads
The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
2.0
1.5 stars, y’all.
I went into this thinking I’d get an averagely good domestic thriller with a nice plot twist that made me gasp, and I would enjoy it. However, what I got was a messy plot with messier characters and an unsatisfying ending. It simply wasn’t good.
The writing was underwhelming and simplistic, with a glaring overuse of the f-word. DON’T GET ME WRONG, I curse as much as the next human, but it was so much so that it felt forced.
The plot wasn’t terrible, but didn’t draw me in much at all. Everything the reader is supposed to wonder about is revealed, only to disappoint. The entire reason the main character is in this town is explained as the story unfolds, but the BIG EVENT in her life that made her who she is, the reason she cut off contact with everyone from her former life… like, it wasn’t that big of a deal. I expected something horrific and unforgivable and got… not that.
Characters: I disliked every single one of them. They were all shallow and privileged and annoying. The main character had struggled in her past, but it didn’t make me care for her or feel for her. I couldn’t connect to anything in this story.
The last plot twist DID surprise me, but not enough to save the plot. It gets a star and a half because I did want to keep reading and was interested in seeing how the plot unfolded, but it ultimately lead up to utter disappointment.
TL;DR: I didn’t like it
I went into this thinking I’d get an averagely good domestic thriller with a nice plot twist that made me gasp, and I would enjoy it. However, what I got was a messy plot with messier characters and an unsatisfying ending. It simply wasn’t good.
The writing was underwhelming and simplistic, with a glaring overuse of the f-word. DON’T GET ME WRONG, I curse as much as the next human, but it was so much so that it felt forced.
The plot wasn’t terrible, but didn’t draw me in much at all. Everything the reader is supposed to wonder about is revealed, only to disappoint. The entire reason the main character is in this town is explained as the story unfolds, but the BIG EVENT in her life that made her who she is, the reason she cut off contact with everyone from her former life… like, it wasn’t that big of a deal. I expected something horrific and unforgivable and got… not that.
Characters: I disliked every single one of them. They were all shallow and privileged and annoying. The main character had struggled in her past, but it didn’t make me care for her or feel for her. I couldn’t connect to anything in this story.
The last plot twist DID surprise me, but not enough to save the plot. It gets a star and a half because I did want to keep reading and was interested in seeing how the plot unfolded, but it ultimately lead up to utter disappointment.
TL;DR: I didn’t like it