Knives out meets Pretty Little Liars in this mystery. Avery just inherited a lot of money. The only issue is she has never met the man who left her this obscene amount of money, or so she thought. Inheritance Games has that mystery element but is not as intense as a thriller. This book was right up my alley since I don't like anything too scary. There was a clue kind of feel where you wanted to uncover what was behind Tobias Hawthorne leaving this money to a nobody and why did he not leave the money to his 4 grandsons.

I really enjoyed Max and Avery's friendship. I also liked the self reflection Avery has to do when Max tells her she is being self-involved and only wants to talk about her current situation. Avery has not bothered to check in on her friend and see how she is. A friendship is a two way street and I liked this subtle point that was woven in.

This mystery will leave you wanting the next book cause there is still so much more I want to know. Will Avery keep the money? Will she be able to survive this world of the rich and famous? Will the four Hawthorne's find out what really happened in the past? This is such a fun read!

The Inheritance Games was such a fun book, full of puzzles and mysteries. Avery finds out that she has inherited a fortune, as well as a mansion, from a man she didn’t know. The house itself reminded me of an escape room with all kinds of hidden passageways, compartments, and codes.

At first, this book reminded me of The Paper Princess, another book that has a Cinderella story of a girl moving into a mansion with a group of brothers. This one has a lot more substance though, as far as Avery and the brothers trying to figure out why their grandfather chose her to inherit his fortune. There are secrets, danger, mysteries, and interesting characters throughout.

This is the first book in a series, so it definitely did not have all of the threads wrapped up in the end, and I definitely want to read the next installment when it is released!

I was hooked from the first chapter of this book! Avery needs to survive High School but that changes when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves his fortune to Avery but she doesn't know who he is. In order to get her inheritance, she must stay at the house where all games, puzzles, and riddles were played and not by herself but with the Hawthorne family including 4 boys. Avery needs to play the game with the family in order to survive.

When I read the summary of this one, I knew I had to get this book in my hands and read it because it sounded that good. And guess what? It didn't disappoint. The author brought everything she promised into the book. I loved Jennifer's writing and the story plotline. It's very unique and something I have never read before. I read 50% of the book in one day so you know that it's good! This mystery book didn't have a disappointing mystery behind it and kept me on my feet to know all the secrets in the Hawthorne house also how Avery might have known Tobias.

The characters I enjoyed a lot in this book. Avery is a strong and brave character who tries to survive in Hawthorne House when everyone pretty much wants to kill her. I enjoyed her development throughout the book and didn't give up on the mystery. She also has an older half-sister who she tries to protect and falls in love with. The romance in this book was a love triangle trope. Usually, I don't enjoy love triangles because I get stuck on who to ship but for this book, I enjoyed it even though I was shipping Avery with different boys. I loved the Hawthorne boys especially Grayson. Kind of fell in love with him but let us just say that you are most likely to fall in love with one of them. I hope to see them more in the second book.

This book was really enjoyable with a great plot story, page-turners, characters, and mystery. I can see why this is being turned into a movie or tv show (can't remember which). I will most likely be reading the second book when it comes out. This book is recommended to those who love mystery, thrillers, and fans of One of Us is Lying.

(Review coming to Instagram and Thindbooks Blog)

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher for Rockstar Book Tours. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Inheritance Games

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Book Series: The Inheritance Games Book 1

Rating: 3/5

Diversity: biracial side character, f/f romance mentioned

Recommended For...: mystery, thriller, Little Orphan Annie trope

Publication Date: September 1, 2020

Genre: YA Mystery

Recommended Age: 16+ (domestic abuse TW, jailbait comment to underage MC TW, homelessness, poverty, rich snobs, murder, drunk driving, romance)

Publisher: Little, Brown for Young Readers

Pages: 384

Synopsis: 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 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 con-woman, 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.

Review: For the most part this was a well done book. The book did well to weave an interesting mystery and the plot really kept me hooked on this story from beginning to end. The characters were well developed as well.

However, I thought that the book was a bit broken up. The pacing was wonky and the plot went from finding out about the mystery to hanging out and back and forth. It was kinda weird how the main character dealt with everything and I was also not a fan of the love triangle nor the incest jokes.

Verdict: It was good, just kinda weirdly wrote.

WOW! This book was amazing! I read it in less than 8 hours, absolutely could not put it down. I love the MC Avery! Actually I really liked all the characters! My only negative is that I am not a fan of this lukewarm romance trope but if it’s going to be there, make it count (ramp it up full force.)
This reminds me in a way of the Truly Devious series only more clues, puzzles, secret places/compartments etc... I saw it coming but holy cliffhanger, how can you end the book like that?! I need so many answers!! Bring on book 2! Highly recommend this book!
I have a huge request...on the final book I’d love to see a blueprint/layout/map of Hawthorne House!

The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is an unputdownable twisty YA mystery thriller. I'll admit it, I couldn't say no to this new release when I heard it compared to Knives Out. It's one of my favorite movies so my expectations for this series opener were, needless to say, sky high. Luckily for me, it hit most of the right notes. My favorite aspect was getting to know all the characters. The Hawthornes are all so well drawn and each one has a unique voice that makes them stand out from the crowd, and Avery herself was pretty great. I also enjoyed solving the puzzles and exploring the house alongside Avery that was very cool and it's also quite visual which is a treat. The only two things I wasn't quite as enamored by was the romance (I could have totally done without that aspect) and the somewhat unevenly paced chapter breaks. Overall, though, I would highly recommend this to fans of Knives Out, One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus, Agatha Christie, and Daphne Du Maurier. I can't wait to see where this series is going to go, and I'm going to have to try more from Jennifer Lynn Barnes in the future.

Thank you to the publisher, Little Brown, for sending me an eARC to read and review.

Before I get into the review, I just want to mention that I am no stranger to Barnes' work. I've been a fan of her since I first read The Naturals back in 2016 and she has quickly become one of my favourite authors.

The first thing that caught my attention about this book was obviously the author, but the second thing that drew me in was that it was described as a YA Knives Out. I think thats a pretty good baseline but think knives out with more secrets, riddles, puzzles, and a girl who didn't know this particular family existed.

This book was a whirl wind of emotions, which is something that I've come to love within Barnes' work. Her characters are all individuals that stand out from each other and you can't help but feel for what they are going through. Not just the main characters but the side characters as well. She puts so much feeling and personality in her characters that its easy to forget that they are just that, characters, and not people you might actually know. I loved the family aspect with the boys and how they didn't always get along but when secrets came to light they came together. I loved being inside Avery's head through the experience because we get to view everything that happens through the eyes of an outsider and someone who didn't group up the same way as the rest of the Hawthornes.

Now for the few things I didn't like. The riddle portion of the book was really well laid out, however at times, I felt a little confused how the characters would jump to certain conclusions but that just might be me and the fact that I didn't grow up with those kind of circumstances. Towards the end of the book a revelation is revealed and how its handled by two of the characters seems so out of character for them based on how they acted throughout the rest of the book and it just made me feel like it happen to further the plot in the next book. Also there was a bit of a love triangle that I wasn't the biggest fan of, especially when the two I wanted to get together didn't happen.

Overall, The Inheritance Games is an amazing start to new series and I cannot wait to see how things play out in book two.

The Inheritance Games is full of high stakes, family drama, and secrets; one of Barnes' best works to date. You don't sleep on this release!

Thank you to Little Brown and Netgalley for providing me with an arc.

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes did not disappoint. Barnes weaves an intricate web of mystery, deceit, and love.
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Tobias Hawthorn is a billionaire who loves puzzles and challenges. He has four grandsons each one raised to be competitive and strived to solve the puzzles they were given.....


When Tobias passes away he leaves everything to a seemingly random teenager and no one knows why, even the girl in question. Enter Avery Grambs. Your typical everyday teenager who just wants to survive high school and make it into a decent college. She has no idea that she just became a key player in a game long in the making. One of the conditions of the will is that Avery must live within the Hawthorn estate, which is a sweeping labrytith mansion that has hidden passageways, secret tunnels, and lots of clues to find if you know where to look. This of course causes a rift among Tobias's family who thought they would be inheriting most of his fortune and who also lives at Hawthorn House. Tensions are high in this spellbinding mystery and you won't want to stop until you reach the last page.

Tensions are high in this spellbinding mystery, will they be able to solve their Grandfathers last mystery with Avery's help or is it all in their heads????

The Inheritance Games is a dark and twisted novel that is loosely based on the story of Cinderella. It is a contemporary YA thriller that is well aimed at fans of One of Us is Lying as it is full of intrigue and suspense with a multitude of mysteries and puzzles that must be solved before reaching the conclusion.

The book follows protagonist, Avery Kylie Grambs, a 17-year-old high school student from the wrong side of the tracks. Since her mother’s death two years ago, Avery has lived with her guardian and half sister, Libby. Life is tough for Avery and it always has been as they struggle to make ends meet and her friends are limited to her school friend Max and Harry, the homeless guy from the park who she plays chess with. So when Libby’s on-again off-again boyfriend moves back in, it is the final straw for Avery and she takes to living out of her car. Then, without warning, something completely bizarre happens and her world is turned upside down.

A reclusive billionaire with a penchant for riddles and puzzles has mentioned Avery in his will and she is whisked off to the reading at his home in Texas: Hawthorne House. When she arrives, she is confronted by a host of suspicious members of the Hawthorne family, namely his two daughters, Skye and Zara and four grandsons, Nash, Grayson, Jameson, and Xander. The biggest surprise occurs when the will is read and it reveals this enigma of a man, who she has never met, has disinherited his entire family and left almost his entire estate to her. There is one stipulation on her inheritance though. She must live at Hawthorne House for one year, alongside the family who are none too happy at their sudden loss of fortune.

“The only string attached to my inheriting billions of dollars is that I must move into a mansion. A mansion where a large number of the people who were expecting to inherit this money still live. And I can’t kick them out.”

The characterisation in this book is exceptional and really stands out. Each and every one of the characters are well depicted and introduced in such a skilful, effortless way that their personalities and mannerisms feel second nature to the reader. There are three robust and tenacious main characters that are supported by numerous dynamic secondary characters that move fluidly throughout the story. Every character seems to have a secret and while some are red herrings others are pivotal to the many mysteries that need to be solved.

“Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Jennifer Lynn Barnes utilises a few tropes in this book with my favourite being the “chosen one” trope. Normally, in this trope the hero of the story is special in some way. Either they have a special ability or there is a secret about their birth that will turn the story on its head. What I loved about Barnes’ use of this trope is that she completely flipped it! It is hinted throughout the book by secondary characters that there is some secret around Avery’s birth: her mother had an affair and she is secretly related to the Hawthorne’s being the most popular theory presented by the disgruntled family members. Instead, throughout the book Avery is refreshingly normal and watching her contend with this throughout the book is genuinely heart warming.

“To some people, you’ll be Cinderella. To others, Marie Antoinette”

As the story moves forward, the reader learns about who Tobias Hawthorne was. Gleaning information from his grandsons, we learn how he loved puzzles and riddles and soon discover that this will is his last hurrah: the final riddle of Tobias Hawthorne and he is using Avery as a pawn in the inheritance games. Teaming up with Jameson, Avery sets out to solve this puzzle to learn why she was chosen. Grayson is also searching for these answers and his animosity towards Avery and his brother is palpable. But all is not as it seems and these brothers have a secret in their closet that no one wants to bring out into the light of day.

“The old man was playing the long game.”

The development of the relationships between Avery, Jameson, and Grayson is another key trope featured in this book, the classic love triangle. It was something I was really looking forward to reading as angsty, tumultuous teenage drama (also known as trash) is a favourite of mine. Unfortunately, the romance failed to ignite for me in this first instalment. There was great potential for truly great sparks and tension, but it just felt forced and a little underwhelming. Perhaps in the next instalment there will be more time to allow the chemistry and tension to build or perhaps the addition of the mean girl ex-girlfriend, Emily, was the wet blanket no one wanted in this story.

“She wanted everything more than I wanted anything. And the one time I wanted something….”

To wrap it all up this book has so many shout outs to readers and book lovers which made me smile whenever I came upon them. From this description of Avery’s best friend, Max:

“Max watched a lot of television and had what could probably have been classified as a book addiction”

To the attention to detail when describing the numerous and stunning libraries of Hawthorne House it was a true celebration of a book lover.

The Inheritance Games lived up to its description. It was mysterious, suspenseful, and downright wicked at times, but is a book with characters you cannot help but fall in love with. It wraps up almost all the loose ends presented, but ends on a devilish cliffhanger that has left me needing the sequel yesterday! I highly recommend this to lovers of YA thrillers and cannot wait to see what Barnes has in store for Avery and the Hawthorne boys next.