Don’t miss this New York Times bestselling “impossible to put down” (Buzzfeed) novel with deadly stakes, thrilling twists, and juicy secrets–perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying and Knives Out. Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery … billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why–or even who Tobias Hawthorne is.
To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House where every room bears the old man’s touch–and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he’s determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather’s last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.
y, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he’s determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather’s last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.more
Adored the premise and the crazy but realistic fall out of that main ‘hook’. A compelling read that simply forces you to keep turning the pages, then bemoan that you can’t just consume the rest of the story all at once!! Loved the sequel as well (and waiting … waiting … for book three)!
I couldn’t get enough of this book! I started in audio, listening with two of my kids. We weren’t moving fast enough, so I bought the ebook, then loved it so much I also had to have the paperback. Totally fresh characters and a great premise that will have you turning pages long into the night!
I figured out the mystery at 30% but according to my friend who I insisted read it as well that’s because I’m a total freak and shouldn’t judge others for not catching on so fast. Either way, I finished the book because I was invested in the characters. It wasn’t the best book ever but it was entertaining and I like a good mystery even if I know the end, it’s fun to see how they got there.
The premise for this reminds me a lot of Knives Out (one of my favorite movies) and much of it delivered what I was hoping for: a mysterious inheritance, a mansion made of puzzles and games, and an eclectic cast of family members determined to undermine the outsider who has suddenly been thrust into their world of gambles and risks. I wish the puzzles had been cranked up a notch more and that the characters had been aged up some – it felt very YA-y in parts, which is to say the romances were very surface level with incredibly broody boys and manic pixie girls. Still, it was a quick, fun read, and I’m intrigued enough to pick up part 2!
OH. HELL. YEAH. 5/5 STARS.
“Everything is a game, Avery Grambs. The only thing we get to decide in this life is if we play to win.”
This book was extremely my jam and the best part is that sequel comes out later this year. If you love Nancy Drew, or if you loved Knives Out, then you’ll love this book. Such a great YA mystery book, with a little bit of romance mixed in. So many puzzles to solve and twists that keep the reader guessing.
Avery Grambs inherits an entire fortune from a man she never met. So why is she there? And what are others willing to do to get their hands on what they think should be theirs? PLEASE READ THIS BOOK.
LOVED LOVED LOVED this clever YA. I’m a sucker for brothers so I didn’t stand a chance.
TOTALLY IN LOVE WITH THIS
It actually doesn’t take much to make me want to pick up a book, especially with a cover that I find appealing. Judge them, I do, and I’m not at all ashamed to admit it. I was told not to do the audiobook but I did anyway. I’m sure I missed some nuances as I don’t flip back like I would in a paperback, but the narrator was pretty good so I have no complaints.
Avery and Cinderella have a lot in common, if you take away the Prince and the fairy godmother is an unknown dead rich guy. Out of seemingly nowhere, she meets the Hawthornes at the patriarch’s will reading. Tobias liked to play games while living, so it’s no surprise that he’s left them with one now that he’s dead.
I’m interested to see where Jennifer takes Avery and the Hawthorne grandsons in the next book. The ending isn’t a huge cliffhanger, but the lead into book two has me curious.
I enjoy reading YA, especially as I have an advanced reader at home and like to see what I’m okay with her reading at her youthful age.
Everyone compares this book to the movie “Knives Out”. What no one tells you is that this book does a better job at criticizing class and racial differences better than “Kives Out” did. Also, this is one of the best-edited novels I’ve ever read.
I feel sort of bad that this book came out after Knives Out because the plot was so similar! There was not a lot of action in The Inheritance Games, which is surprising to me because Jennifer Lynn Barnes is usually the queen of action. I thought the puzzles and games were fun to try to figure out. And I liked the main girl. It was interesting to think about what I would do if I randomly had that much money. I wasn’t a huge fan of any of the romances going on, but this book was well written as always!
Absolutely loved it! Intrigued by the entire family and cast of characters… not to mention the HOUSE! Can’t wait to explore more when the next book comes out.
Loved it! One of my favorite books ever! You should DEFINITELY read it if you haven’t already!
I love love love these type of mystery books where riddles are involved. When I heard about The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, I was instantly intrigued. I was not disappointed. In fact, The Inheritance Games reminded me a lot of The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin although it wasn’t a clone of it, thankfully.
I felt like the plot was solid. Although it is highly improbable that a teenager would be heir to a will of a random stranger and have to solve riddles to find out why, it could still be possible. My interest was piqued, and I found The Inheritance Games to be quite the page turner. The chapters would usually end in a small cliffhanger causing me to want to learn more and begin reading from the next chapter. Before I knew it, I had finished the book quite quickly. It was interesting to see Avery, the main character, go from being very poor to the richest person in the world. I enjoyed finding out why Tobias Hawthorne left her everything. I kept guessing as to why, but my theories were quickly shot down when it became apparent I was wrong. Becoming a billionaire placed Avery’s life in danger and even more so when Tobias’ family discovered they weren’t getting much from Tobias at the reading of the will. Not only did Avery have to try to find out why Tobias chose her for his sole heir, but she also had to try to stay alive! While there weren’t any major plot twists in this book, there are quite a few small ones that will leave the reader guessing. I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a major reveal as to why Avery was chosen as Tobias’ heir. It was a little underwhelming and anti-climatic to discover why he had chose Avery. This book does end with a cliffhanger since it is going to be a series. However, the main questions I had within the first book in The Inheritance Games series were all answered.
I loved each and every character in The Inheritance Games with the exception of Avery’s best friend Max. Don’t get me wrong, each character felt realistic and fleshed out enough, but Max was just annoying. Max has very strict parents, and Avery’s only interactions with Max are through phone calls and texts. However, the way Max spoke was what was annoying. She didn’t swear, so she’d use non-swear words for swear words. However, every other word was a would be swear word. I am not exaggerating. I don’t think I’ve ever met a teen where they would swear that much or use other words in place of swear words that often. It just got annoying quickly, and I found myself dreading whenever Max was featured. I did love all the other characters though. I loved Avery and her thirst for knowledge. Avery was a very smart girl with a good head on her shoulders. I admired the way she could quickly work out any puzzle or riddle. I liked reading about her thought process towards figuring something out. I felt like Avery was also very selfless. Jameson, one of the Hawthorne brothers, was another character I really loved. His smarts for figuring out riddles and puzzles were also admirable. Grayson, another Hawthorne brother, was a bit of a wild horse. I never knew if I could trust him or not. (Although I didn’t really know if I could trust anyone while reading The Inheritance Games. I kept trying to figure out if there were any ulterior motives at play.) Grayson’s wanting to help out people whether it was Avery or his community through the Hawthorne Foundation was commendable. Nash, the oldest Hawthorne brother, was so stereotypically Texan that it made me laugh (as I am from Texas), but I loved it! Nash’s laid back attitude was refreshing. Alexander, the youngest Hawthorne brother, wasn’t featured as much for me to fully form an opinion, but I liked what I read about him. Avery’s sister Libby had awesome dress sense, and I did love how she looked out for her sister for the most part. Figuring out Emily’s role in all this was interesting. I would have liked to see more backstory about Emily and Rebecca (the hired helps daughters) though. They both had the potential to really flesh the story out more.
Trigger warnings for The Inheritance Games include some violence, some gun violence, attempted murder, and death.
Overall, The Inheritance Games is a quick paced read full of mystery and intrigue that will leave its readers not wanting to put it down. I would definitely recommend The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes to those aged 14+ who love a fast paced mystery that will leave them guessing throughout the book. I can not wait for the next book in the series!
Such a fun and twisty story with a sweet love triangle and a cliffhanger ending that’s making me itch to get my hands on the next part of Avery, Jameson, and Grayson’s adventure!
I listened to this book on audible. I loved the narrator and how she gave different vocal tones and accents for the different voices and characters throughout the story.
As for the story, I was blown away. This was a unique and ever twisting story with intrigue, a bit of possible romance, and at this point more questions than answers. Avery inherits a large amount from someone she has never met and the family is of course upset and skeptical. This ends up in a lot of searching, both on the parts of Avery and the family members. As Avery continues to ask questions and follow leads, she ends up discovering more than she bargained for and inevitably having more questions to be answered.
I love how the relationships between Avery and the Hawthorne brothers develops over the course of the story. I also love the mystery and intrigue of why this is all happening. The best part, for me, was the ending. Even though I’m frustrated that I have to wait, I am a sucker for a good cliffhanger. And this one is a situation I never even considered!
I finished this book in one day which never happens! Such a fun YA read and I would have bought the sequel immediately if it was out yet. I can’t wait for the next one.
The book is really great, I’m having a book hangover because of it. I might have guessed some “things” but it still is great and the ending was quite unexpected but it didn’t came as a mindblowing event to me. Definitely recommended.
I love to read this authors Work! She pulls me into her world every time…. I am looking forward to the next book! Where is the Chess Player…..
.5
A suspenseful, mostly balanced but somewhat predictable story sprinkled with mystery. I enjoyed the unique cast of characters, for which there were many but different enough to be able to tell them apart. Although not fantastic, the writing style was ok most of the time. An event at the end of the book threw me off a little; a better work up to it would have helped it to make sense. It felt almost as if the author wanted to throw one more punch at the end without working it into the rest of the story; it could have been accomplished easily considering the use of MC first person POV. Good book, 3.5 stars, but not a stand out of my reading year.
Audible Review:
This was so brilliant!! It grabbed you and kept you engrossed throughout the whole story!! It’s a mystery, adventure, suspenseful and a dash of romance that I’m interested to see what develops in the next book!!
The narration by Christie Moreau was fantastic. She does a great job with all the voices and makes the story come to life!!