I will say this one for me did not live up to all the hype that came with it. I think I just expected something much darker than what we got.
Rating: 3/5
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?
I will say this one for me did not live up to all the hype that came with it. I think I just expected something much darker than what we got. It all felt too predictable for me. I saw the twist coming and the ending felt obvious, if not a bit flat.
It all felt too predictable for me. I saw the twist coming and the ending felt obvious, if not a bit flat.
Despite being predictable, I was captivated all the way through the book. From the first chapter, I was intrigued to follow Jane, who appears to be an unreliable narrator that’s broke with a sketchy past. She falls for a recent widower, determined to get him to fall for her and bring her into his lavish life. Which unsurprisingly it wasn’t hard for her to do so. Then, shortly after his wife goes from missing to being murdered.
The whole premise felt so promising, I couldn’t help but want more. More twists, darker secrets, just more. So as I got deeper into the book, I started to get frustrated. I saw all the twists coming, nothing was at all shocking. Some of them were in fact more of an eye roll. Especially this major secret Jane had, I think that was the biggest let down for me. Her secret was not at all shocking, in fact, it reminded me of the main character in Catherine House, Ines, and her “major” secret.
The whole premise felt so promising, I couldn’t help but want more. More twists, darker secrets, just more.
The characters throughout this book are meant to be unlikable and most of them were in their own ways. We see Jane a young girl who pursues a widower and steals from the rich. Eddie, the widower who moves on from his wife only months after she’s declared missing. Then there are all the wives of the neighborhood with all their rules and numerous amounts of jewelry and own dogs they don’t even want to walk.
Back to the ending, as I mentioned it felt a bit flat and once again predictable. Even though I saw it coming, I still didn’t understand why it went that way except to be a happy ending for Jane. It really could have gone any other way for a stronger effect. Plus the ending was a bit open in some cases, so some could argue how it ended. But I felt it was a much happier ending than it should have been.
Overall, I thought this was a fun quick read. Even though it was predictable, I was still captivated all the way through. This was definitely hyped up a lot, so I knew most people had enjoyed it. It just wasn’t as good as I expected it to be. If you’re looking for a light thriller, I suggest trying this one! This could be a great starter for you if you’re new to thrillers!
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