Listen free for 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Wife Upstairs cover art

The Wife Upstairs

Written by: Rachel Hawkins
Narrated by: Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne, Lauren Fortgang
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $19.42

Buy Now for $19.42

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

Instant New York Times and USA Today Best Seller

“Compulsively readable...a gothic thriller laced with arsenic.” (EW)

One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2021: CNN • Newsweek • Vulture • PopSugar • Parade • BuzzFeed • E!Online • TimeOut • Woman's Day • Goodreads • She Reads • Good Housekeeping • CrimeReads • Frolic • Hello! • Mystery and Suspense

January 2021 Indie Next Pick and Number-One LibraryReads Pick

A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, The Wife Upstairs pairs Southern charm with atmospheric domestic suspense, perfect for fans of B.A. Paris and Megan Miranda.

Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates—a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.

But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie—not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for.

Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful Southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past—or his—catches up to her?

With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won’t stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature’s most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

©2021 Rachel Hawkins (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

What listeners say about The Wife Upstairs

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    24
  • 4 Stars
    19
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    26
  • 4 Stars
    14
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    22
  • 4 Stars
    14
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

enthralling

I really loved this book and the performance was excellently done. I found myself going for walks or making excuses to be by myself so that I could go listen to it lol I finished it pretty quickly and it really did take me away from reality and pull me into the story as if I was there, which is how I measure if books are good.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Meh

Fun, unreliable twisty tale, but ruined by childish overuse of expletives and horrible narrative styles. The male characters were the hardest to get past. Meh, take it for free with a credit, but don't pay for this one

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

awesome book

I really enjoyed this easy to listen book.
Don't hesitate just get it! suspenseful with twists!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Disappointment

I have been seeing Rachel Hawkins' book, Reckless Girls everywhere and heard that you should read The Wife Upstairs first. I haven't read any books by her but wanted to know if they were as good as the hype. Well, this one certainly isn't. I didn't feel the suspense, I didn't feel like this was a mystery, and I was really disappointed in the end. It was predictable and not a thriller at all. I will say that I am glad that I listened to this book instead of reading the physical book because at least I didn't completely waste my time - I could at least fold laundry and clean my bathroom while listening to this. And the storyline is so uneventful that you don't even need to super pay attention to know what's going on. Finally, the two main characters, Jane and Eddie, made me roll my eyes so many times that I swear I know what my brain looks like now.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!