Really enjoyed this! So many twists and puzzles- absolutely loved it! I did feel that the danger was tidied up a bit quickly and was quite neat, it felt like there was pretty high stakes throughout then it was all wrapped up quickly.
I could have done without 3 love interests in the same family, but I enjoyed it nevertheless!

The Inheritance Games tells the story of Avery Grambs, a teenager who lives in the brink of poverty. Until she becomes the heiress of the billion-dollar inheritance of Tobias Hawthorne. But the Hawthorne family disagrees with losing all that money to a stranger.

The Hawthornes are a complicated, dysfunctional family with dark secrets. Tobias Hawthorne plays into that by leaving one last puzzle and bringing a nobody into the family. Why her is the mystery that will keep you hooked throughout the book.

Going into this story, expect continuous puzzles to solve. There are some plot twists you won't see coming, and others that slowly unravel before your eyes. The plot moves forward with barely any time to breathe so that you won't stop reading.

Beware, this is the first book in a series. I was expecting it to be a standalone, so I was surprised when the book ended on a big cliffhanger I need to see solved.

All the characters in The Inheritance Games are unique and exciting in their way. Their characterization is terrific because you know who is who just by the way they talk or act.

🔸 Avery could easily fall into the "poor, naive girl" stereotype. But instead, she's resilient, with a messy family situation, and fights for her future. She's brilliant and doesn't let the money and grandeur get to her head. There's a mystery of "why her" to solve, and Avery focuses solely on solving it. As the story goes on, you feel everything Avery goes through (which is a lot), and her uncertainty over her circumstances. She does the best she can to adapt to the rich world, without losing herself.

🔹 The Hawthorne brothers are peculiar and stand out from each other. Nash is the aloof cowboy with a savior complex. Xander is the genius and comedy relief. Grayson is the strict family protector. Jameson is the alluring and self-destructive brother. As you get to know them, it's easier to understand their motivations and how they fit into their weird dynamic.

Like a good mystery/thriller, the plot is what moves the story along. But that doesn't mean there aren't some relationships worthy of attention.

From the start, Avery and her step-sister Libby are a unit, and they rely on each other. Their main disagreement is Libby's abusive relationship with her boyfriend, Drake. But in the end, they're there for each other.

Speaking of relationships, oh how I missed a good love triangle. It's a slow-burn, so there isn't much action, but I love Avery and Jameson's chemistry. It's hard to grasp if Jameson is interested in her, or just focused on the game, but there's a connection. On the other hand, Grayson is very protective of Avery but is always struggling with his lack of trust in her and his potential feelings.

The Grayson/Avery/Jameson dynamic reminds me a lot of the Stefan/Elena/Damon dynamic on The Vampire Diaries. Mainly because Grayson and Jameson are somewhat similar to Stefan and Damon, respectively. But Avery is much more interesting and appealing to follow than Elena.

With this The Inheritance Games book review, I hope I can convince you to read this addicting YA mystery/thriller. It's filled with puzzles, complicated characters, plot twists, and danger at every corner.

I absolutely adored my time reading The Inheritance Games, and I'm giving it 5 stars for the pure enjoyment factor. I went into this looking for something that would fill the Knives Out shaped void in my content consumption, and it 100% did! It was so twisty and turny, with a really strong puzzle / mystery laid out by the deceased patriarch. If you're a fan of Knives Out and Truly Devious (if you're not, you need to change that immediately), then this is definitely one that should be on your radar. I've already preordered the sequel, so excited!

Imagine Cinderella meets the movie Knives Out written by the people behind Grey's Anatomy, Scandal or a soap opera, and you have this book.

And while I like the sound of this as this sounds like a wonderfully fun, bubbly, beach read I would devour on the beach or by the pool with a nice cold pint of beer, for some reason, I couldn't warm to this. There was something holding me back from warming to Avery, her sister and the mystery behind the Hawthorne fortune.

I think it's just a case of "It's not you, it's me" situation. Or maybe "Right Book, Wrong Time".

Doesn't seem to be my cup of tea. Couldn't connect to the characters and didn't want to read on so stopped after the first few chapters.

The Inheritance Games is a catchy, read-another-chapter novel with a great premise. I did feel however that it slightly let itself down by the use it makes of its central character.

Avery Kylie Grambs is a bright young woman in a difficult situation. Her mother has died and left her in the care of her half-sister and dodgy boyfriend, she's poor, and her father is nowhere to be seen. In the opening chapters, however, Jennifer Lynn Barnes establishes Avery as very much on top of things: juggling home, school and various part time jobs, Avery budgets her time carefully, knowing just how much effort to put in, for example to get acceptable grades (she has clear career plans) and how much to spend earning money (supplemented by poker games after school). As we meet her she's coping with the school's suspicion that she cheated in a physics test (she didn't: for once, she allowed herself to go all out on the revision, and scored 100%). She has this in hand though, and coolly offers to resit the test.

But we never learn the outcome of that, because instead Avery is whisked away as the apparent heiress to the Tobias Hawthorne fortune (forty-six billion dollars - or was it forty two? As the man said, a billion here, a billion there and soon you're talking real money).

Required to live in the Hawthorne house, among a bunched of p****d-off Hawthornes who regard her (with some reason) as an interloper who has scooped their fortune, Avery has to face a rather different set of challenges. It's not only the Hawthornes - of whom there are so many that it took me a little while to sort them out - but the house itself is the epitome of creepy gothic. Modern it may be, but it rambles, with innumerable wings, facilities (solarium, cinema, bowling alley...) and also secret passageways and tunnels. And set against this background, it's clear that Old Man Hawthorne left a surprise behind: a puzzle to be solved. Teaming up with first one and then another of the resentful Hawthorne brothers, Avery seeks to solve the mystery - and find out why she was chosen to inherit.

While always looking over her shoulder, in case somebody decides she would be better off out of the picture...

It is, as I have said, a fun setup and the story trots along at a brisk pace with a steady flow of revelations, twists and reversals, many of them involving a mysterious young woman called Emily - a mysterious, dead young woman - and her relations with the Hawthorne boys. The story is never less than enjoyable, and especially well suited as an audio, the shortish chapters moving from one cliff hanger to the next. (Christie Moreau's narration is excellent, although the - I assume - Texas accents she assumes need a little checking against the text: I didn't realise till late on that one of the brothers was calling Avery "Heiress", I thought to my puzzlement he'd invited the name "Arris" for her).

But - and this isn't a big "but" - I really felt that Avery lost much of her initiative, and was considerably less interesting, once she arrived at Hawthorne House. There are many books, I know, which use the trope of "character suddenly whisked into different circumstances" and this shift can be difficult to get right. As a reader, I generally want the character to begin exploring and testing the new situation they're in, rather than being generally boggled by it. It's understandable and natural for them to be floored by learning that their life is to be transformed, but I felt that Avery didn't live up the promise she showed in the first few chapters by doing this.

She has, admittedly, some immediate and personal problems that knock her back. Avery would normally discuss things with her best friend Max, but Max is half a country away and her parents apparently live in the 19th century and don't approve of telephones (or swearing - Max is continually making up coy euphemisms like "fax". And Avery's sister Libby, who might also rely own, has that the no-good boyfriend, who is clearly after a cut of the estate, so relations are tricky there. So she's basically alone. Yet - allowing for all this - Avery still came over to me as quite passive and reactive. Yes, she's brave and determined and won't take any nonsense, but this comes over in verbal jousting with Hawthorne brothers rather than in, say, assessing her position and making plans, and the consequence is that the book comes over as one things after another.

Add to that, that the final reveal at the end of the puzzle is - a bit flat, and I felt that the book rather disappointed. I can see that further books in this series are planned, so perhaps it's understandable that the climax here couldn't be too much of a bang, but still, I think it's a pity.

So overall, great fun, very readable, but it could have been so much more.

This one was weirdly a mix of addictive but put-downable. Like, life got in the way for over a week straight and I wasn't craving getting back to this, but once I picked it up I raced though 40% in what felt like a blink of an eye.

Short, palatable chapters made it a quick read but they were still jam packed with happenings. This is YA genre so the puzzles and mind games weren't overly complex and very easy to understand but I didn't feel like that ability to comprehend with ease made it less enjoyable.

Who is Avery Grambs? Why did she get the inheritence? Is it really about her or is it really about the brothers?

All I can say is, I cannot wait for book 2.

In the classic rags to riches trope, Avery Grambs has been left a billion dollar inheritance. from an eccentric Billionaire. The twists start early, Avery was a stranger to the man.

I enjoyed this so much, because I’ve always dreamed of inheriting a mansion (and a fortune). Avery has now inherited both, but she must stick to the terms and conditions. This means living at Hawthorne House with all it’s residents. These include serious older brother Grayson, laid-back Nash, enigmatic and erratic Jameson and youngest, the clever Xander. The house and the brothers are as mysterious as the lotto win.

And the old Billionaire has left a puzzle to solve, drawing Avery into a dangerous situation. Who can she trust? Avery begins to suspect everyone, even those closest to her.

This is like a current Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mystery, each puzzle and clue more confusing than the last. We are rooting for Avery, the protagonist from the get-go. Who doesn’t love an underdog. The Inheritance Games is a fierce and fun introduction to the series. I’m DYING to get my hands on the next one!

I had no real expectations of this book - I didn't know the author but the subject content intrigued me, so I thought I'd read it. I am so glad I did! It's been a long time since I put a book down (to get something done) and then went back to it seconds later. I found the young heroine, Avery, likeable and intriguing, and although the storyline was somewhat unbelievable, the author had done a good job of drawing the reader in, so the reader ignored that! The new 'family' Avery finds herself living with are nearly as intriguing as she is. I wanted to find out at the end that Avery was really their family - the ending doesn't give the reader that answer, but it does give an answer and an opening to further intrigue! I'm eagerly awaiting the next in the series!

4.5 stars

If I was to rate this book purely out of the amount of enjoyment I had whilst reading it, it would be a lot higher than five stars because I enjoyed this book so much!! 'The Inheritance Games' is one of the best young adult mysteries I have ever read and had me obsessed with it from the first page.

From the first chapter, I was hooked and I stayed up so late reading because I could not put it down, and I needed to know what was going to happen next. I loved all the characters and I loved how each character was so different and easy to distinguish from each other. Avery was an amazing main character and I loved seeing her relationships with all of the Hawthorne brothers grow throughout.

The only reason why I haven't given this book five stars was because I guessed the plot twist at the end and spent the whole book kind of expecting it to happen. I also was a little let down by the reason why Avery was given the inheritance until I read the epilogue and was left on that cliff-hanger which made up for the Avery plot twist.

I need the next book immediately because I need to know what is going to happen next and because I am a little obsessed with Avery and all of the four Hawthorne brothers!!

Thank you to Penguin Random House Children's UK for providing me with an advance copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll level with you. This is not what I expected and it turned out to be not something I normally read. I thought it was going to be a twisty thriller and in a way it was but it was also one of those romance stories with really misogynistic male leads who I see no appeal in! It was a fun read but not for me.

I thought I knew where this was going from the first pages, but it kept me off-centre just enough to thoroughly engage me. The character plots are twisty, and the inheritance game itself is the perfect narrative to hold the strands together.

Avery Grambs has little in her life until she’s summoned to the reading of recently deceased, multi-billionaire Tobias Hawthorne’s will. Tobias has a large family including two daughters and four grandsons but, to everyone’s surprise, he’s left almost all of his enormous estate to Avery. Despite them seemingly never having met, Avery stands to inherit the entire Hawthorne fortune however, in keeping with Tobias’ love of games, there are some conditions. First Avery must move in to Hawthorne House, the family’s main residence and the biggest mansion in Texas, and she must remain there for one year. Second the Hawthorne family must be allowed to live there too, unless any of them attempt to challenge the will or remove Avery, in which case they’ll have to leave and will forfeit their own (comparatively) small inheritances. After this bombshell drops and events begin to unfold, Avery gets drawn in to the world of the Hawthorne brothers and together they try to work through their Grandfather’s last challenge - why did Tobias choose Avery? Will she help piece the puzzle together or is she herself a riddle to be solved?

What a story! I couldn’t put this book down and was gripped from start to finish. Although the premise is somewhat unbelievable at times, it’s such an interesting concept that you can’t help but be sucked in to the mystery alongside the characters. And there are a lot of characters to keep track of too, I’d have loved to have learned more about each of them. It’s not often I say this about a book but it could definitely have been longer, I didn’t not want it to end and could easily have carried on reading for some time. It’s almost a shame that’s it’s categorised as YA as I think that limits its potential audience a little; it’s a story that would appeal to people of all ages and it would make a brilliant film. That cliff-hanger ending is perfect too, I’d have been furious if I hadn’t seen a a second book is already in the making! I need to know what happens next!

If you like family based mysteries, with lots of great characters and surprises around every corner you need to add this to your TBR pile today. I will be definitely be pre-ordering the second installment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this so much I read it in one day. It was a bit of a mystery. Why did Tobias Hawthorne name Avery as his sole heir instead of one of his four grandsons? The story unfolds clue by clue.

I demolished this book over a swift few days and can't recommend it enough. This book is a YA mystery/thriller with an incredibly high-stakes treasure hunt which drops the protagonist - Avery - into a lush millionaire lifestyle that is very different from her day-to-day life.

I really enjoyed this consumable mystery, which not only was full of puzzles and more twists and turns than a helter-skelter, but the character development was fantastic. I loved the way each character grew and opened up a little more as the story development, changing their involvement at every turn. The love-triangle is a nice addition and left you wanting more but is likely to split people into two camps (as always with a love triangle). The plot, mystery and puzzles in this book were just fantastic and had me avidly turning the page to see what was going to happen. I also loved the concept (just like 'Knives Out') and the lavish setting of the Hawthorne Castle. It's always fun to indulge in a rich novel which gives you a glimpse into 'how the other half live'. This is the sort of book that I will share with my kids when I'm a parent.

The book consisted on some sage advice which I really appreciated like "It's not just clothing. It's a message. You're not deciding what to wear. You're deciding what story you want your image to tell" and "I knew better than to put my confidence in the assurances of good-looking guys", which I think I would have appreciated when I was in my teens. I also think Avery is a great lead for girls to look up to; She's brave, clever, determined and so much more than some of the vapid female characters I read in YA book as a teenager. She makes being clever cool and I love that!

Although I loved this book, the one thing I felt let it down was the ending for two reasons. Firstly, the last paragraph or so did not compel me to read the next book in the series at all (although let's be honest, I probably will anyway as I did enjoy this one so much) and secondly, the cliffhanger ending felt a little lacklustre and left me disappointed. Having said this, I loved 99% of this book and I would recommend to anyone and everyone and will definitely be picking up the next instalment in this fantastic series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC of The Inheritance Games, in exchange for an honest review.

This is essentially gossip girl meets the hunger games vs dallas.

Its the story of a girl who inherits a multi billion dollar estate and has no idea why. The mans family dont accept the decision and conspire against her to get the inheritence back.

She uncovers a trove of secret passages anc clues that lead her to the truth.

It was an interesting read.

Thank you to Penguin's Random House for providing me with this ARC to read and review.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The mystery around why the MC had received a random inheritance, from someone she had never met, intrigued me greatly.

I found myself at times desperately trying to work out what the connection was, to see if I could also solved the mystery. Because the story was fast-paced it never felt like the plot was being dragged out.

I liked the MC; she was cool and had this "I-don't-take-no-shit" personality that was totally badass. But I would have preferred to get to know her more and her intellect (she comes across as very smart), as I do feel we rushed straight into the main narrative.

The four brothers in the story were interesting and all had their own different personalities. However, four was just way too much. Some of the brothers felt more developed than others and evidently stole the show.

I was mildly disappointed with the love triangle troupe – I did see it coming from a mile away. Regardless though, I am interested to see how it plays out.

My only other issue was the school that the MC attends throughout the rest of the book, and the house that she is made to live in. It was super over-the-top and incredibly unbelievable. It felt like the author was really trying to make a point of how much money she now had.

I gave this book 4 stars out of 5 and I am excited for the next instalment!

* * *
3 / 5


My main takeaway from reading The Inheritance Games was a feeling of deception. I got bait & switched. Or maybe I just didn't read the description and the tagging right. Who knows?

I thought I was going to get a story about a girl who has to move into a house surrounded by deception and lies as she struggles to keep hold of a fortune beyond her wildest dreams. Some political backstabbing, some eeriness, being afraid of everything sound in the house as she struggles to figure out who she can trust.

And I guess this was kind of that, except she was only really afraid once and there was a massive helping of a harem-esque setting. If I were describing this to someone else briefly, I'd go with "girl agrees trapped in house with four hot grandsons for money". At the beginning I straight up did think that Avery would be gunning for all four boys in, what, some attempt for her to keep the money? Thankfully she manages to whittle it down to two fairly quickly - one is too young and the oldest has the hots for her sister.

But The Inheritance Games was a fun chill read. Just don't take it too seriously.

As soon as I heard that Jennifer Lynn Barnes had a new book being published, I knew I wanted to read it and she definitely didn't disappoint. It's definitely a young adult book but that doesn't stop it being very entertaining and addictive.

The mystery in the book is one giant riddle and it kept me guessing until the end. The plot seems to build up to a massive twist and I thought I'd missed it and was starting to get disappointed. Then it pulled the rug out from under me. I didn't see it coming at all and I'm still reeling a bit from it. The ending tied up a few loose ends but also introduced a couple more. I'll definitely be keeping my eye open for the next one and reading it as soon as I can.

This was an interesting book. I enjoyed the premise of it. I think it probably could have been a lot shorter. Sections felt like they were basically repeated and I wasn’t particularly blown away by any twists or turns. I liked the sections where they were trying to figure out clues and find secret messages. It reminded me of a breakout room challenge. I’d read the next novel but wouldn’t put it to the top of my tbr.