I found this book very interesting, but not quite up my alley. It ended up being more average for me at 3 stars .I still really enjoyed most parts of it and most of the twists got me! I’m always excited to see what else Rachel Hawkins comes up with.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Complicated murder mystery thriller set in the mountains of South Carolina. A young man who wants nothing to do with his inherited wealth and ancestral home returns to set things to rest. The adopted child of the four time widowed wealthiest woman of the state, Cam and his wife return to a deceitful and immoral family, but they both have their own deceits.

You won't want to put this book down! Great twists, a great mystery, and lots of secrets. The multiple perspectives helps keep the story plot moving. Expect the unexpected as you read this book.

Thank you so much NetGalley and St.Martin’s for allowing me to give my honest review.

This is the first book that I’ve read by Rachel Hawkins and it certainly did not disappoint! I could not put it down at all!! I loved how full of twists and secrets were involved within the plot, I felt like I was in the middle of a soap opera!!! I don’t know why but reading about wealthy dysfunctional families is such a guilty pleasure for me!! I personally wouldn’t describe this as a thriller but more as a suspense novel !!

I am always a sucker for a fiction novel that is set in opulence and wealth that leads to death and this author has mastered telling a really thrilling story and captivating her audience from beginning to end. Without giving too much away, I will say there are twists that are unexpected, lies that take you by surprise, and an ending I didn’t expect.

I love how this story is told too. I enjoyed the letter and the different timelines. It kept the flow of the story interesting because I didn’t know what was around the corner. This author for sure has another hit on her hands. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC

You might want to take notes on this one! In fact, I was flipping back to be sure I had the characters and connections straight at the end!

In the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina lives the very wealthy McTavish Family. Ruby McTavish is the matriarch with quite the past. She went missing as a small child and was found living with a nearby poor family and returned to her family at the McTavish mansion. She grew up being taunted by her sister Nelle and feeling isolated in her own family. So of course she married young..... four times! She had four husbands who all died. Throughout the book she writes letters to her only son she adopted telling him her true story she has never told to anyone. But her son Cam, happily married and living a simple life in Colorado wants nothing to do with the McTavishes in North Carolina. Until .... Cam and his wife Jules return to the family home.

A wonderful twist at the end of this book that was well-narrated and well-written that kept me pushing to figure out more of what was really going on. Great book to pick up and read, but you won't want to put it down!

My thanks to Net Galley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillian Audio for advanced copies of this e-book and audiobook.

I enjoyed this book! I love thrillers that have to do with rich people drama, plus all of the twists kept me interested the whole time. I did feel that the beginning was a bit slow, but once I got to the parts where Ruby was describing each husband's death, I was hooked. I also didn't see the ending coming with Jules. I originally thought that she was just in it for all of the money, and didn't love Cam. Also, the characters of Nelle, Ben, and Libby were written in a way that made me hate them so much! Overall, I would recommend this one to anyone who loves rich people drama and thrillers.

I was super excited to see a new book by Rachel Hawkins but this one was just ok for me. I was looking for a thriller but this is more of a family drama. There was a fair amount of mystery though with the letters, secrets and lies. The ending was unexpected and caught me off guard. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

Rachel Hawkins is definitely becoming one of my favorite authors! The Heiress is about Ruby McTavish, who was infamous for many reasons - she was from a very wealthy family, she was kidnapped as a child but found soon after, and she had four husbands who all mysteriously died. Now in present day, her adopted son, Cam, and his wife, Jules, have returned back to North Carolina to settle family history.

I really enjoyed this one! It was less twisty and turny/less overall suspenseful than The Villa, but I didn’t mind! The letters from Ruby interspersed throughout gave me Taylor Jenkins Reid vibes in the best way. Hawkins also did a great job layering in clues so that the twists at the end make sense and work. I didn’t want to put it down!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins press for the ARC!

This book will be released in January 9th and in my opinion, a strong way to start 2024 with! I loved the darkness of the heiress. I enjoyed the point of views of the different characters and the letters of the infamous heiress giving Easter eggs to help you figure out the story. I’m a sucker for books about rich people that are so money and power hungry that they would kill for it. Or try to anyways!

This was my first Rachel Hawkins book, and certainly won’t be my last. I literally ate this book up in one sitting, didn’t want to put it down!

Fast paced and twisted… just the kind of book I like. Rachel Hawkins delivers a tale of a very wealthy, dysfunctional family to her readers. Very wealthy and very dysfunctional!
Ashby House has become a powerful symbol for the McTavish family and its inhabitants. There is also the matter of the Will of the notorious Ruby McTavish and who will inherit her millions and Ashby House.
Think you have heard the story before…well not quite. Animosity, hatred, cunning and secrecy are alive on the pages of this unrelenting, suspenseful saga. This one was an enjoyable surprise that I couldn’t stop reading.
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an early copy of this thriller. The review and comments are my opinion. 4.5Stars

The Wife Upstairs is one of my all time favorite books! However I could;d not get into this one. It seemed super drug out and hard to get in to. I felt like I kept putting it down and getting distracted. It seemed very predictable as well. Wouldn't recommend this one unfortunately.

Thank you for St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to review an advance copy of this novel.

I enjoyed it. It was a very fast read that kept my interest throughout, and was pretty well written with clear plain language. I enjoyed the multiple perspectives through alternating narrators, combined with letters and news clippings.

I found the story to be much, much lighter than I wanted. I found the "twists" predictable and by the time they were revealed, unsurprising. As a thriller, there wasn't really anything that thrilled me here. No big suspenseful moments.

I liked the letters from Ruby and hearing about her past - I would like to read THAT book, I think, more than the one we got. Had the potential to be a real gothic dark novel but instead it was just kind of tame and boring. That being said, I read until the end and there was nothing bad or unenjoyable about it. Will suit most readers.

This was a whole lot of fun, but the constant twisting-in-knots of everyone's pasts and secrets got exhausting and touch too much by the end. Not everyone needs to have a secret identity; sometimes less is more, and one or two fewer twists/reveals would've made this stronger and less like the season finale of a soap opera.

I love how different, yet equally well written, Rachel Hawkins' books are. The Heiress is a story of family and the lies that can bind us or repel us. Interesting characters, some better developed than others; great setting (considering I'm from western NC) and ending twists that keep you going to the last page. I really enjoyed "The Heiress" and if you liked Rachel Hawkins other books you will definitely want to read this!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.

This was a fun read! The story starts off with a little historical data which sets the scene for the book. I loved the multiple POV's and the letters mixed throughout. There was mystery and intrigue, a little suspense and lots of murder. I really enjoyed the whole book, and the ending tied everything together in a nice little package. Definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Hawkins and St. Martin's Press for an ARC!

This was a smart and twisty read by the same author as The Wife Upstairs, The Villa and Reckless Girls. I think this one is probably her best work. It was concise and to the point, while also having a few twists along the way. Super easy read.

One thing I really enjoyed was Ruby. I also have a daughter named Ruby so… how fitting. 😂 The way she describes her ex husbands (there are four!) is awesome. I loved hearing about each one and what happened to them.

The twist didn’t really take me surprise but it was a good one!

Read this if:
💰 you have ever inherited a large sum of money
💰 you have a few family secrets
💰 love a room decorated in a singular color

This is the second book I've read from Rachel Hawkins and think her writing is so unique and lovely. This is a story that has murder, mystery in a gothic wealthy setting and it was just everything. I love how the story unfolded, and from the very beginning I was instantly hooked. FIVE STARS!!

I REALLY wanted to love this one. I've loved every other book by Rachel Hawkins but unfortunately "The Heiress" didn't resonate with me. It took forever for me to get into it, I almost gave up. Things got more interesting when I was 80 percent into the book. The ending was great but not enough to justify more than three stars. Rachel Hawkins is an amazing author but I didn't love this one.

Evelyn Hugo meets family inheritance drama...
When heiress Ruby McTavish dies she leaves all her money to her adopted son Camden. He isn't interested in the money, he is living a simple life with his wife Jules. But when his uncle also dies, he is forced to head home and get all the affairs in order. 
We as the reader are lucky because we get the perspective of not only Camden and Jules, but Ruby, through letters. Ruby has an interesting and complex past. She was kidnapped as a child and then as an adult survived 4 husbands- who died young and suddenly. 
Ruby is such a fantastic character. She is full of secrets and very controlling. SHe wants the best for Camden no matter the cost. 
I alternated between audio and ebook. The audio was by far the way to go. We are treated to multiple narrators. Ruby was brought to life by the narrator, she really did an amazing job. 
This might be my new favorite Rachel Hawkins book
This is out 1/9 and is definitely a must read.