This book showcases the battle between family members as to who is going to inherit a mansion following the demise of their family member., and this is truly a fight for life or death!

Really enjoyed this book centred around a family who are waiting to see who will inherit the family estate. Loved the characters and also the hidden lives each of them have. Depicts how complicated family life can be! Found myself racing through to see who inherited it but after this continued to be a brilliant page turner

This is the story of Roxborough Hall. In the family for generations, the entail of the property is unique. The current owner decides which family member will inherit it next. The scene upis set - the family are gathered to find out who will inherit. Some think it will be them, should think it should be them, some think there us no way it will be left to them. As the story progresses we get to learn about each of these family members. Some are likable and some are really not. Its a story that pulls you in and keeps you guessing till the end. This is a really fantastic read that was difficult to put down!

A really pleasant family drama which is well written and very engaging.
I think I expected a thriller like 'Knives Out' but, although as far from that as it gets, it was still a great plot with a satisfying ending.

4+

Well, that was a highly entertaining, never a dull moment read! Let me take you to Roxborough Hall in Norfolk, a traditional stately home in every way bar one… Yes, of course, The Will. This house is always bequeathed to the one deemed the most worthy and a letter is given to those in line to inherit the Mordaunt estate explaining why or why not they’ve been selected or rejected. On Cecily’s death in 2022 will it be her pompous son David and his ghastly second wife headteacher Bryony or their rather odd nine-year-old son Lucca? Maybe it’s the youngest son, ageing playboy Grant, definitely his Ma’s favourite, who has a much younger French girlfriend Angelique hanging on his arm. Perhaps the grandchildren, Lizzie or Willa, David‘s daughters by his first marriage or Jonty, Grant’s adopted son. Overseeing proceedings is Cecily‘s loyal friend and companion Violet who has looked after Cecily since her 21st birthday in 1958. Heaven forfend it should go to her, a servant! Shock horror! The story is told in the present from several perspectives and via various different timelines to fill in some utterly delicious or maybe some scandalous gaps. These different points of view works so well as it keeps things very interesting!

What an enjoyable few hours spent with this dysfunctional lot! The characterisation is excellent, they’re very definitely a mixed bag and they’re certainly not dull that’s for sure. The only thing I become invested in is that David and Bryony will not get their hands on it but I’m not telling if my wish comes true! The atmosphere is fabulous with assumptions, presumptions, deviousness, secretiveness and many resentments and issues abounding. All is most definitely not what it seems. The tension and suspense builds as we head to the reading of the Will with the author using the atmosphere of the house to add an extra level of anticipation. There are numerous twists, it’s darkly humorous it makes me smile as we head to the very unexpected denouement.

What fun!

With thanks to Random House UK/Transworld/Penguin for that much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I devoured this book in one sitting. So much happening that it was impossible to put down. Highly recommend #TheWill an ARC received from #NetGalley

This book is such a simple idea and apart from one very important player, all the characters are part of one family. I partly chose to read it as it is apparently based in Norfolk, where I live, but that is totally irrelevant as it could be a large house anywhere in England. I purposefully say 'England' as this is so definitely an English type of 'whodunnit'. I can't say that I liked any of the characters but that really didn't matter in this case. You can read what and why from the excellent description of the book written by the professional blurb writers. Suffice to say it is a good read, with large doses of immorality and back biting between the players throughout!

After the death of the matriarch, a family come together at the much loved old family heap, Roxborough Hall, to discover which of them is to inherit the estate. The relatives all have different reasons for wanting it, tied up in their pasts and with plans for their futures.

‘The Will’ features a cast of interesting and well rounded characters all of whom I (mostly) sympathised with and very quickly cared about. The story moved speedily and effortlessly back and forth in time and between the different voices, building up the suspense. I found myself convinced that I knew the answers only to change my mind a few pages later.

The story is intriguing and haunting, with a satisfying ending that stays with you long after you have finished it. I read it in one sitting and I want to reread it again already.

Thank you to Penguin Books and NetGalley for the chance to read and review the book.

I really enjoyed this surprisingly.

‘Knives out’ meets ‘Gossip Girl’ in this family thriller - following an old money family who, with each generation that passes, chooses the next heir to the grand family mansion; one that comes with luxury and wealth and, more importantly, secrets.

‘The Will’ follows the latest generation following the passing of their grandmother. Each character is so vivid and a delight to read - an entitled in law that nobody can stand, a classically beautiful, independent woman capable of anything who has been dreaming of her inheritance half her life - they are all masterfully constructed.

The plot was equally engaging. The premise attracted me to it naturally but the way the author writes is so compelling - multi POV chapters can be hard to keep up with at times, but Reid has truly mastered the art. Every reveal was planned out so well - shocking enough, but foreshadowed enough that it wasn’t stuck in there for no reason.

Really enjoyed this.

A side note to say that my only criticism of the book is the authors treatment of the adopted character. Whilst I understand the nature of his plot made it important to emphasise his lack of blood relation, the adoption being treated by some family members as a simple formality - just inviting a stranger to live in your home, no familial feelings involved. Felt a little insensitive, that’s all.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC :)

[Thank you NetGalley for an eARC]

This book is absolutely made for the screen, with engaging characters, plenty of revelations, and an amazing setting.

The Will is about a family coming together to find out who has inherited a family estate as part of a generational tradition of passing on the house through letters to the family after the previous owner's funeral. Each Mourdant has a reason they'd like to inherit the house, as well as a reason why they shouldn't.

The book switches POVs and timelines seamlessly, allowing us to get a fuller understanding and history of most of the characters. I found a lot of the twists unexpected, but overall what I enjoyed about this book was the ability of the author to steadily build a narrative and keep us on our toes with a wide ranging cast of characters.

Overall, if you like"whodunnits" without a grisly murder, this book is for you!

This was an absolutely gripping read that I read in one sitting, I simply couldnt put it down. It was fast paced, mysterious and unpredictable and left me not knowing or trusting what was coming next, or what I already knew.
A really good book that is well written with reat character development and an engaging and cimpelling storyline.

An absolutely brilliant story that would be great made into a film. Thanks for the opportunity to read & review this book.

Wow! That’s all I have to say about this terrific novel, what a brilliant plot, and what a twist! I loved every minute of it and didn’t want it to end.

I loved it! I think I would go as far to say this is my favourite book of the year so far.

I was invested immediately. The characters are so well-written that you can't help but really care about who gets the house and who doesn't. All characters were interesting to read about and I never found myself bored.

The story was something a bit different - for me it had murder mystery vibes without anyone actually being murdered! I haven't read any similar plots which is a really unique thing to be able to say when I've read so many books in this genre. It was quite a simple idea, but executed really well to make it fascinating.

I feel a big book hangover coming on!

Please will someone pick this book up to put on the big or small screen. A perfect who dunnit kind of book.

Cecily Mordaunt the owner of Roxborough Hall a beautiful Norfolk mansion has died. While for most families the estate would be shared or passed to the eldest child Roxborough is different. The person deemed most worthy will inherit.

As the Moudaunt's gather on the eve of the funeral we get an insight to the family members. On the night of the funeral there is a meal. Each invited person will receive an envelope. One only will become the next custodian.

The story is told in flash backs and current time so you get the feel for the characters. Some likeable. Some not.
Will you guess who will be the next in line.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an ARC

It was a little slow getting into it at first but the numerous twists and turns throughout kept me so intrigued just wanting to read more and more! I could really imagine the characters. Would never have guessed the ending. Highly recommend!

Brilliant read, so needs to be made into a film, I haven’t read any of Rebecca Reid’s books in the past and I’m off right now to download as many as I can, 5 stars

In the author's acknowledgments at the end of The Will, she says she wanted to write a book she would love to read; in which case I can definitely say that we share similar tastes, because I thoroughly enjoyed this. I've read, I think, all of Rebecca Reid's books so far - I've enjoyed them all, but this might well be my favourite.

The story centres around the Mordaunt family and their ancestral home, Roxborough Hall, which has an unusual tradition, upheld by successive generations, concerning how it is inherited. When current owner Cecily dies, her family - children and grandchildren along with various partners - gather for her funeral and to find out who Cecily has chosen to be Roxborough's next incumbent...

All the characters are very well drawn - David and his ambitious wife Bryony, ageing playboy Grant (who I somehow kept thinking of as "Hugh".... don't ask) plus glamorous French girlfriend, adult grandchildren Willa, Lizzie, Jonty and the younger Lucca, along with Cecily's longtime companion Violet. All of them have their own issues and own reasons for wanting, or not wanting, to inherit the house... but all doesn't go quite as expected, and of course there are secrets to be revealed...

A brilliant read.

Rebecca Reid’s “The Will” is a deliciously macabre whodunnit in the same vein as “The Cat and the Canary”, in which the various members of one family all vie to be the one who inherits the family mansion after the matriarch dies.
Extremely well-written and crafted, Reid creates a palpable atmosphere of suspense that builds throughout the book and a nice twist/revelation at the end. Varying timelines and narrative perspectives keep things interesting, and the fully-rounded characters’ mostly unpleasant personalities place the novel firmly in black comedy territory, making for a gruesomely fun romp.
A cut above usual novels in this vein, I thoroughly enjoyed “The Will”.

Compelling, Immersive Mystery…
Who is to be the next custodian of Roxborough Hall now that Cecily Mordaunt has passed away? The dysfunctional, more than they know themselves, Mordaunt family gather. With an array of well crafted, credible characters and a perfect atmospheric sense of place the reader begins to learn about this family. Told effectively in a past and present narrative, and from differing perspectives, history unfolds to make sense of present circumstances. Whilst this old house is perhaps a millstone in many ways every single member of this family wants it. Compelling and totally immersive from the off and throughout the tale to the final denouement, this enjoyable and ultimately uplifting mystery is, perhaps, Ms Reid’s best to date.