If you love puzzles, and putting your wits against seemingly random clues, then you will love The Inheritance Games.
Our story has as its main character a young girl called Avery Grambs. Smart but living in poverty, Avery has not had things easy. When we first meet her she’s been accused of cheating on a school test. Determined to prove herself she retakes the test so when she’s called out of class we assume the events are linked.
We, like Avery, are stunned when we are met with a very strange occurrence. She is asked to attend the reading of the will of Tobias Hawthorne, a man she says she’s never met. Very quickly we learn that Tobias was the head of one of the richest families in the country - wealthy beyond most people’s imaginings - and that she has been made heiress to the majority of his wealth. The only stipulation is that she must live in Hawthorne House for a year, and if any of the family contest the will they get nothing.
Naturally, everyone is curious about Avery. She, like any of us would be in her situation, is quite taken aback by her new-found wealth. While this is a life-changing event you have to love Avery for not being satisfied with this. She wants to know why she’s been put in this situation, so when it seems the letter each of the four grandsons was left holds a clue she is determined to play the game and solve the riddle.
I got completely absorbed in the mission to solve these clues and trying to work out which of this huge cast of characters could be trusted, and which was responsible for the attempts to kill Avery. We get everything here, including hints of romance, but at the fore is the puzzle set by this elderly gentleman who wants to teach a lesson to his family.
As things draw to a close and the puzzle gets solved, it felt a little disappointing. Thank goodness Barnes kept a little something up her sleeve, because the moments when Avery finds her final puzzle pieces suggest things are far from over. They get even more interesting when we see this is simply another part of the bigger picture.
A huge thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this in advance of publication, and I can’t wait to get my hands on part two...

I've missed Jennifer Lynn Barnes' writing. We got off to a rocky start with her paranormal books, but as soon as she switched to writing mystery and thriller books I knew that she was going to be an author that I love.

The Inheritance Games is about a poor girl called Avery who inherits billions from a stranger, but she also has to play a game. The book is fast paced and a complete page turner from start to finish. I read it in just a couple of days, and I could barely put it down.

I looove rags to riches stories, especially when it's a surprise or a gift, so that was the first trope that ticked the box for me. I also love puzzles and games, so that's another one!

I don't think the relationships in this book are very strong, but since it's the first in a series I'll probably find a ship to get behind eventually. I just think all the guys had way too much baggage and Avery had too much going on with her windfall and the puzzles to really focus on relationships. That isn't to say that there weren't some cute-ish scenes that readers will enjoy though.

I got such VIBES from this book. It reminded me a lot of The Lying Game and Pretty Little Liars, and also a smidge of Truly Devious (the first book, not the rest of the series because those books went downhill FAST). If you like any of those books, then I think you'll love this. And yes, the comparisons to Knives Out are accurate. I'd highly recommend The Inheritance Games, in case that wasn't obvious!

This book was pretty gripping from the start with the mystery of why Avery was chosen for the inheritance over the actual family members, all of the puzzle solving was very enjoyable and addictive, looking forward to the sequel after that ending!

#TheInheritanceGames #NetGalley

This book is one of my favourite books that I have read in a while. Reading it, you don't want to put it down; as it leaves you each chapter with more questions, so you read on to get them answered only to get more. The twists and turns in the book I didn't see coming especially at the end. WOW!

The only thing is now I have to wait for this book to be published so I can read it again when I buy the book. This copy I reviewed was from NetGalley so it is a digital copy. Then I have to wait god knows how long for the next book in the series to arrive to find out what happens next.

Overall I found the book a fantastic read. Pacing was great and want to read more from this author in the future.

Trigger Warnings: off-page physical/domestic violence, attempted murder/shooting, drunk driving

I'm reeling. This was wonderful.

Despites Barnes' extensive catalogue, this is the first novel of hers that I have picked up to read. Having enjoyed the film Knives Out, I was instantly sold on reading this. It warrants the comparison, but it is stands wonderfully on its own without.

The Inheritance Games follows Avery Grambs, a teenager trying to survive high school, her sisters abusive boyfriend, and the grief enveloping her from the passing of her mother. The story begins with Avery working hard at her job to make enough money to help her sister with rent, being accused of cheating on a test for her 'impossible' high score, and sleeping in her car to avoid her sisters (Libby) boyfriend. And then suddenly, a man shows up and whisks Avery and Libby to Texas to be present of the reading of the will of his Grandfather, who also happens to be the 9th richest man in the world, and the richest man in Texas . . .

And then the will is read, and suddenly Avery is the heiress to the Hawthorne family fortune, given to her by Tobias Hawthorne, man she has never met. Suddenly she is surrounded by lawyers, people wanting to kill her, the press, all while trying to figure out why she was chose for this inheritance & why everyone else was left out.

What ensues is an adventure as Avery tries to figure out which one of the Hawthorne siblings she can trust (if she can trust any of them) not just with her life and the future, but also to help her figure out the clues left behind by Tobias Hawthorne. I found the dynamics between the siblings to be interesting & the relationship Avery began to develop with all of them.

I was not a big fan of the romance & the love triangle, especially not with those awkward incest jokes made predominantly by Jameson. I also didn't like that there was always such a big comparison to Emily, a character that was off page (comparing the romantic relationship, and just her general behaviour, etc). I feel like a lot of the story revolved around Emily's impact on the character, yet the more we got to know about her, she just felt really one-dimensional. So while we got to know the other characters on the page and I cared in that retrospect, I was so fed up of the Emily drama / mystery. I also feel like if she stuck to just one love interest, it could have been better developed.

I enjoyed the clues and trying to work them out with Avery, making theories about which each one meant. I'm glad to say I did but some of the pieces together, yet I was still *gasping* at the end when it was revealed that I was right / that think I had an inkling about was completely true!! And the way it ended?? With that reveal?? Which gave answers but gave more questions?? I don't mean to be demanding but SEQUEL NOW PLEASE??

I'm very excited for the sequel and I hope it expands on more of the characters - particularly with the Hawthorne boys. I feel like there was a lot left unsaid about a lot of them / still had a bit of a way to go to make them distinguishable / separate relationships (ones they had outside of Avery) had more to be explored. It wasn't a massive problem in this book, but I did find myself yearning for just a bit more (especially with the page count).

Overall, I really enjoyed the mystery and suspense of this novel. I would have liked a few more clues / reveals earlier on / characters actually working through more of the stuff (like something dramatic happen, it would be 'oh shit' and then . . . it was sort of brushed over. I feel like there was reaction, but no reaction?? Probably because the book was dealing with a lot of moving factors - all the different characters/potential rivals/villains, schooling, Emily, fake dating, brother drama, sister drama, parent drama, paparazzi . . .)

So, 4 stars for this one & I can't wait to see what the sequel brings and WHAT ANSWERS IT WILL GIVE ME ABOUT YOU KNOW WHO BEING YOU KNOW WHO AND YOU KNOW WHO KNOWING YOU KNOW WHO AND DOING YOU KNOW WHAT. AHHHHHHHHH. I HAVE MANY THEORIES. AHHHHH.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House Children’s UK for sending me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Teenager Avery Grambs has been living with her older half-sister Libby since her mum died, that was until she stormed out and decided she would rather sleep in her car than put up with her sister’s obnoxious on-off boyfriend Drake.

One day she receives an invitation to the will reading of Billionaire Tobias Hawthorne, whom she has never heard off before but has been left something, she doesn’t have a clue what and being underage her sister has to attend the will reading with her at the exquisite Hawthorne house estate.

The Hawthorne family including his two daughter and his grandsons plus staff are already in attendance and they are all wondering who the stranger is and what she has been left, no-one expected it to be Tobia’s house, businesses, charity foundations, and nearly all his money, especially not Avery. There is one catch though, she has to live in the house for a year and the family is to stay too.

Some of them are not bothered by the news, others see her as a gold-digger and will stop at nothing to get the fortune for themselves. With everyone under one roof, can Avery discover why she was chosen, keep her new-found wealth, and stay alive?

The Inheritance Games is a YA mystery book that had me hooked from the very beginning, even if I did find the writing a little on the young side as I began my journey with Avery and the Hawthornes.

The plot is not something I have read before, it felt refreshing, even to Avery’s best friend Max who she communicates via phone calls only and is always in trouble with her mother and refuses to swear so we are hit with lots of hilarious alternative swear words throughout their chats.

Avery is a head-smart young girl who wants to know why she has been left all of Tobia’s fortune and properties. What makes her special to him? It will take plenty of searching and puzzling to even begin to understand why and for that she needs the help of the Hawthorne grandsons who are used to working out puzzles and riddles.

Grandson’s Nash, who doesn’t want the money and comes and goes, Alexander (Xander), who is more interested in stuffing his face than helping. Grayson, who distrusts Avery and is searching for ways to discredit her and Jameson, who is the puzzler in the family, as well as the family drunk. He likes Avery and is hell-bent on the two working out the last puzzle his grandfather has left for them. But it will take all of them to get to the truth.

This is the first book in a planned series and whilst it ends with a knowledge of where book two is heading, it isn’t a cliff-hanger, in fact, I had worked out this part already a good few chapters back.

Overall, it is a fascinating read that contains characters you want to get to know, a plot that has you puzzling along with, and a billionaires estate you wish you were at. I just didn’t want to put this book down and now I can not wait for book two.

Not really sure about this one, it was good but a little repetitive, and ended on a tricky cliffhanger - perhaps I was just disappointed because I didn't realise it would have a sequel.

Avery lives with her half sister Libby and Libby's abusive boyfriend. She goes to school and has a job, and is pretty intelligent - good at logic and puzzles. One day, it is revealed that the richest man in Texas has left her almost everything he has and she is now the owner of Hawthorne House. Only problem is, the old man basically cut out his whole family, including 4 grandsons, so they get only a small amount of his fortune.

The book reminds me a little of The Raven Boys. Nash, Grayson, Jameson and Xander all have secrets, and there was a mystery girl, Emily, in their past. History starts to repeat itself with Avery, Jameson and Grayson. There are many puzzles the five have to sole to get answers about where Avery came from - they are seemingly random but all link back to Avery in some way.

This is good, but didn't completely blow my mind. I was surprised by the end but elements were definitely predictable. Who knows where the second book will go, but I am definitely curious.

When a young girl inherits a great wealth without any obvious reason and have to endure one year in a house with strangers/relatives of deceased man due to get the inheritance. The house is full of secret passages, secrets and so the games begin. There are also handsome and interesting brothers...

Page turner for younger readers.

The Inheritance Games is a twisted none stop roller coaster ride, that is impossible to put down. Mystery, intrigue, angst, romance, it has it all and it's all blended together to make a fantastic and original read. It's a read that leaves you wanting more and one you will not be able to resist telling your friends about.

It’s the sort of book that would make an excellent film, given that it’s full of puzzles and riddles for both the characters and the reader to solve. Avery Grambs is not having the best life and she knows it. But when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves her, well, pretty much everything, she has to wonder why – and how he knew her. Of course, there are plenty of possibilities and suddenly, as her life is turned upside down, so too is her understanding of how she’ll live this new existence, especially when Tobias’s family is making it less than easy to live in his mansion. But Tobias loved puzzles, and frequently gave his four grandsons riddles to solve – and now Avery is in the mix, she too must decipher the message he left behind. A clever read that will have you racing through pages.

There needs to be an immediate sequel to The Inheritance Games otherwise I’m going to be so disappointed!!!
When Avery ends up inheriting billions and moves to Hawthorne House that has secret panels, secrets and the Hawthorne family who may just want to kill her, the mystery of why she got the inheritance slowly becomes clearer as the puzzles unravel. Which Hawthorne boy should she trust? Who’s trying to kill her?

You won’t put this down!!!!!!! I’m demanding a sequel!!

"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."

This premise had so much potential and, spoiler alert, it totally lived up to it!

After her mother's death Avery has resided with her step-sister and her on-again-off-again manipulative boyfriend. The struggle just to survive is a daily one, but things may be set to change when they discover that Avery has been named as the largest beneficiary in billionaire Tobias Hawthorne's will.

Her happily-ever-after isn't to be granted so soon however, as Tobias' love of puzzles continues after his demise and many a cryptic clue must be solved in order for Avery, and his beloved grandsons, to reclaim what is theirs as well as the peace each equally and ardently longs for.

Avery, with her poverty-stricken and tragedy-marred background, provided the perfect eyes to introduce the reader to this world of the uberwealthy. The Hawthorne family were dysfunctional, untrustworthy, and calculating. And I was fascinated by every one of them. Avery herself was strong, feisty, and independent. And plagued with just as many mysteries and secrets.

The puzzle portion was of equal and endless interest to me. If anything, I wished Barnes had introduced even more of these abstruse elements as I had as much fun trying to play as the characters had frustration. I used to watch endless reruns of The Crystal Maze as a child, and this held the same intermingling of mystifying and adventurous qualities for me.

I assumed this was a stand-alone novel and so imagine my frustration at not being granted any sort of proper closure at the novel's end. This has ensured one eager reader for the sequel, which I am already impatiently in need of!

The Inheritance Games is a fast-paced new YA novel from the author of The Naturals series. This has the same intrigue (but without the creepiness that kept me up when I read the first book in that series!). Finished in just a couple of sessions, I was looking forward to finding out why Avery inherited the large fortune that the Hawthorne estate left to her, and particularly to finding out what all the puzzles led to. For me, the mysteries were a little too convenient - there didn’t seem to be any set backs. She saw something, or someone mentioned a word, and she pieced together how that fit in without any errors. I would have liked to have gone on that journey with her a bit more. But that said, I didn’t see the last few pages coming, so have been left thinking about the book since. Would recommend to YA readers embarking on their first forays into the mystery genre.

Take one part Maureen Johnson's Truly Devious series of novels, mix in one part Rian Johnson's film Knives Out, and you have a recipe for this throughly enjoyable YA mystery. Pacy, well written and with excellent characterisation, my only quibble would be with the cliche love triangle, which I was over even in the Twilight days and felt positively dated now (I'm team Jameson, FYI). A sequel seems inevitable, given the questions left unanswered (although don't worry, there are no Truly Devious-style cliffhangers here), and I'll be first in line to buy a copy of the next instalment.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a master of gripping storytelling, and The Inheritance Games is definitely up to the usual standard!

Avery is left billions of dollars by a total stranger when he dies, and has no idea why. She faces a series of games if she wants an answer, and as the mystery builds so does the danger...

The plot is non stop, with bits of action and thrilling mystery thrown in. There are plenty of twists, and although at first I felt a little let down by the ending, I actually haven't been able to stop thinking about it since, and I can't wait for the next book!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and will be submitted to Amazon after release.

I received a copy from Netgalley.

It’s been a long time since I’ve started a book and finished it in the same day. I’ve only rated three books five stars this year and this was one of them. I love rich people stories and even more ones about regular people who are thrown into that over the top glamorous world.

In this book teenager Avery, a studios, smart girl is just looking to finish high school and earn a college scholarship. She lives with her older sister Libby and Libby’s questionable asshole boyfriend Drake. While she adores her sister she hates the boyfriend who’s cruel and manipulative in that making you think everything wrong is your fault when it’s not way.

Then everything changes when Grayson Hawthorne shows up with a request for Avery and Libby to attend his grandfather’s will reading. His multi billionaire grandfather. Avery is dumbfounded. She’s never heard of the man. And yet finds out she’s been left his fortune. From sleeping in her car she’s suddenly the richest teenager in the world.

Much to the chagrin on the Hawthorne family, the four grandsons, their mother and her sister. Naturally they’re furious. Avery has to now figure out how this all happened, and no one in the Hawthorne family is happy she’s there. There’s a complex mystery to solve, clues are left for Avery and the boys.

This is one of those compulsive you have to know what’s going on mysteries. I can’t say much for character development, everything felt a little generic and seen a million times before in the family dynamic. I didn’t get much of a sense of personality from Avery other than resourceful, smart and determined. Though her reactions to the situations she found herself thrown into were very believable.

What drove this novel forward for me was the mystery. It’s impossible to recap without being spoilery, the plot is so twisty turny. It has a brilliant narrative that makes the reader keep guessing. While the characters aren’t very fleshed out, there was some delightful banter throughout, the relationships grew more complex throughout the characters. I didn’t guess who the baddie was and it’s one of those…why didn’t I see this coming from a mile away?!?!? reveals. The tension builds wonderfully throughout to the final climax…which was almost in a weird way a bit anticlimactic. It does however, leave on a cliffhanger. I need more.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Children’s UK.

Honestly loved this one. It has real pace and page turning quality.Read this in one sitting. Liked Avery’s storyline and how each of the four brothers were fleshed out. Enjoyed the mysteries set in the rambling big mansion house and can’t wait to read the next one. My first Jennifer Lynn Barnes book and it won’t be my last. Off to hunt down more.

A gripping, addictive read you can easily read in one sitting - I really enjoyed this book. It really is like Knives Out, with a big collection of characters, as Avery tries to work out why she has been left billions in inheritance by a stranger, Tobias Hawthorne, and his own family comparatively nothing. It’s a delicious read that constantly keeps you hooked and the way it is written flows and reads easily too, while it’s not complicated it still keeps you interested and thinking in way that doesn’t leave you exhausted.
The only hmmm is seeing that it’s book 1 when it ended feeling pretty wrapped up, with the next family mystery to solve already being partly answered in this book. That said, I will definitely read it to find out the rest of the answers!!! Also this is a rare love triangle that I actually care about, it felt necessary, not a tired YA trope.

Thank you Netgalley for the early copy :)

“Avery, I can personally guarantee that Nash will not axe murder you or allow you to be axe-murdered by anyone else while I’m gone.”
The Inheritance Games
— The Inheritance Games #1, Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This book was advertised for fans of One of Us is Lying and Knives Out- how can any one not be instantly intrigued?

It’s a Cinderella story with a twist: in this rags to riches story, threat and murder attempts are the new normal. And everyone has motive, everyone could benefit from her murder… from the elderly Nan to the youngest Hawthorne brother.

Set in Texas, Avery Kylie Grambs receives an invite to a will reading for a man she doesn’t even know. Thinking it must be a mistake, she is soon shocked to learn that she is now the inheritor of the Hawthorne fortune. But the kicker? She has to live in the same house as the mysterious Hawthornes for a year or she won’t get anything.

And, the Hawthorne’s aren’t your normal rich kids either; but they are almost magical with their magnetism- this inability to not get swept up in their schemes. And raised by their masterful, puzzle loving grandpa, the will becomes one last, and arguably, the most important puzzle to solve.

Is Avery a pawn in this masterful game of chess, or is she a player?

GOOD GRAVY THIS BOOK WAS SO FUN TO READ! This book has easily made it’s way onto my favourite book list of 2020. From Hawthorne Houses’ secret tunnels, puzzles and libraries, I was hooked. Setting is half the fun for me, and I absolutely looked how no one will ever be able to find ALL the secrets that lie there.

AND THAT ENDING: I NEED THE NEXT BOOK NOW! Amazing, and such a treat to read.

Thank you so much NetGallery for this early readers copy!

Read. Be happy. Stay Safe.

This is a very gripping book - it will have you addicted, promising, just one more chapter before I turn off the light, this to me is the sign of a brilliant book. It's full of twists and turns and a surprising ending.
I loved that the main character was very likeable and the plot kept you on the edge of your seat.
I definitely look forward to reading more of Jennifer Lynn Barne's work.