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.

Rachel Hawkins doesn't miss. The twists, the turns. Rich family behaving badly. You'll think you have it figured it out, but you'll be wrong. Really great mystery/thriller!

This is a book that I was lukewarm on as I read but I couldn't stop reading.

The first half of the book was slow, very loose pieces of a rope, and the second half picked up and the pieces really came together. In that sense the pacing felt off to me but I think that's just Hawkins' style.

I adored the chapters with Ruby's writing! Hawkins did an incredible job writing a totally different voice and getting Ruby's personality, upbringing, era, etc. through.

There's nothing as good as the rich gone bad.
Okay Rachel Hawkins!! I was nervous about reading this as an ARC after not loving her last two thrillers but I am so glad that I did!!
The Heiress follows the McTavish family over a span of years through newspaper clippings, letters written from the heiress Ruby herself, and through the POV of her adopted son Camden and his wife Jules. 
After Ruby dies and leaves everything to her adopted son Camden instead of splitting between her remaining family, Camden leaves North Carolina and vows not to touch the money - knowing what strings are obviously attached. Then ten years later, he and his wife end up going home to Ashby House after the death of his uncle to try and help take care of the falling estate.
After a bit of a slow start, I really could not put this book down. I had to know what secrets were being kept from our three MCs and they did not disappoint! The plot was carefully constructed and the twists were just surprising enough to remind me that I didn't have it all figured out!! 
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Well okay! This was another great read by the amazing Rachel Hawkins! This is a twisted thriller that really draws you in and makes you think. It was full of suspense, drama, mystery, secrets & lies, a dysfunctional family, and more. If you are interested in completely original books involving some kidnapping, murder, and an absolutely shocking ending, make sure you add this to your TBR!

To add, my son's name is Camdyn, which is a name (alternate spelling) of one of the characters, so I was definitely interested in the story based on that fact alone. It isn't one you see every day.

Thank you #Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for my honest review. I apologize that it comes a little late!

Wow! This was my second book by Rachel Hawkins and it was even better than the last!

First of all, I loved the way this book was written. We have 3 POVs, some epistolary sections, and a few timelines, all done seamlessly well. This way of storytelling was really engaging, and kept me wanting more.

The mystery plot was great too. There were a few different mysteries to figure out, and I was never quite sure who/what to trust in all of the situations. Just when I thought I’d figured it out, something would throw me off. I don’t want to say too much for spoilers’ sake, but the slow build in suspense had me uneasy, and super nervous by the end. I felt like there were a good amount of twists- some I saw coming, and then others had me completely shocked.

Definitely pick this one up if you’re in the mood for a fast-paced, suspenseful mystery!

Wow! I don’t know if I’ve ever read a more dysfunctional family and I loved every second of it! I enjoyed that the story is told in many different formats, dual POVs, articles, and letters; especially the letters!

I really enjoyed Jules character, even though while reading I got the vibe that she wasn’t entirely trustworthy. Also, I really enjoyed the ending with the extra little secret. My fav Rachel Hawkins I’ve read so far! **4.5 stars**

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advance copy. Publication date: Jan 9, 2024

Camden McTavish is called home to deal with his family's ancestral home, as his adoptive mother left everything to him when she died 10 years ago. Accompanied by his wife Jules, he reluctantly returns to Tavistock, NC, and the estate and relatives he fled to California to avoid.

This book was wild. Every POV has at least one secret they're hiding, and Ruby's confessions in the letters found in her desk are shocking. She's been known as Mrs. Kill-more ever since her 4th husband died under mysterious circumstances, just like the 3 husbands before him. Cam has his reasons for leaving, and they're darker than they appear on the surface, Jules is hiding something. Cam's cousins are hiding even more, and his great aunt might be the only person that is as she seems, an unhappy woman deeply bitter about the hand life dealt her, despite that hand being pretty stacked from the start.

There are a lot of twists and turns in this book, and honestly you can see most of them coming. But I didn't even care about that, because I love Hawkins' writing style. She jerks you into the book from the first sentence, and you don't want to set the book down until you've read the last page.

This story had so many unlikable and layered characters and wonderful twists and turns of just how terrible they each are. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I ended up listening to the audiobook and the narrator was fantastic. I was quickly sucked into the story and caught up in the drama of Ashby House. My only qualm with the book was it wasn’t much of a thriller. There was suspense, but not so much that I was on edge while reading it. Not a bad thing, but definitely felt different from her other thrillers.