Oh, this is a fun one! Hawkins does an excellent job of letting three narrators of varying reliability slowly spin this cautionary tale. Love of money being the root of evil and all that… then again, people can do evil things without wanting money. And is what they did *really* evil…?

I digress — because I stayed up far too late finishing this sordid tale in one sitting. It’s obvious from the start that nothing is what it seems and I just had to know more as quickly as possible. This book checks all the twisty turny boxes for me; I only wish I got to read it on the Veranda of Ashby House

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions my own.

DRAMA. DRAMA. DRAMA. I loved every bit of it! I felt like I should be watching this on TV eating popcorn!! The characters were so real I think I know a few of them!

This is my first read by Rachel Hawkins, so I didn’t really know what to expect. This was a fast-paced and intriguing book that is heavy on the family drama. Honestly, this could be the premise of a soap opera and if it was, I’d probably binge watch every episode. There’s murder, affairs, deceit, bribery and so much more wrapped up in this story, but it was well done and not at all tacky (which it easily could have been). The one thing I would say it is NOT, though, is a thriller. I am the worst at guessing the plots of thrillers but I got the majority of this one pretty early on. At least for me, there wasn’t really any suspense as a read the book, and very few surprises as we go. If that’s what the reader is looking for, I think they will be disappointed.

With that said, I enjoyed this book. The characters are all complicated and quite frankly, screwed up, so reading their interactions was very entertaining. While not surprising, there was a lot of detail that needed to be tied together that I think RH did really well. I think Ruby’s story sprinkled through the book added an extra element of drama that I really liked---when I got to her parts I got excited to see why she killed her next husband! Was the ending a little far-fetched? Absolutely…but anything less would not have fit this book.

If you’re looking for a spooky thriller, you will probably be disappointed wit this book. If you’re open to anything else though, this was a fun book and one I’d definitely recommend.

**Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin Press for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!**

Good book but did not prefer the writing style.... Wish it would have been much better
The protagonist also got on my nerves

This Author has a way with writing characters that will suck you in and need to know more and this book is no exception.
This book centers around Ruby, even though deceased, a very very rich and powerful woman, who held the future of many family members and characters in this book in her hands. This book alternates POVs between Ruby, via letters written before her death. Camden, her adopted son, and Jules, Camden’s wife. Throw in some devious relatives…and what a twisted mess this all creates!
In the best way possible I couldn’t figure out which characters I did or didn’t like because they all had their secrets to keep and for good reason, even those whom you would have never guessed! My favorite part was absolutely the letters Ruby left behind to reveal some deep dark secrets that made the family and where they are today all the more dark!
I definitely recommend this book as a quick and twisty read. I had a hard time putting it down. 3.50!!

Thank you to Netgalley, the Author, and St.Martins Press for an ARC of this book!

Huge thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley who gave me an early copy of this novel. Much appreciated! Below you'll find my honest review.

I love a good mystery twisted into a story about a rich family, mysterious deaths and inheritances, and old houses passed down through the generations. I love a story about an underdog. I love a story with unreliable narrators, or at least ones that take their time revealing everything even when they're being truthful.

I absolutely loved this book. The characters were developed and realistic and easy to picture. The family history was well presented and in a manner that really held attention. The slow build to "what's going to happen, because this powder keg will have to explode at some point," from tension to denouement, was precision.

Highly recommended read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This was a great read. Kept me turning pages. If you are looking for a dark family drama with twists and turns this is your book

Rating 3.5

There was a lot happening in this book. It all begins when a young girl, belonging to a wealthy family, goes missing. The storyline follows her life, her twisted family, and the adopted son she chooses to make apart of this family. There was no shortage of mystery in this novel. It felt like a puzzle with lots of pieces that needed to be fit together. I can’t say I related to any one character or had a favorite. But the author did a good job making sure the reader knew the essence of each one.

I wasn’t a fan of how it ended. I personally don’t like books that leave me with unanswered questions. But if the authors intention was to leave the reader wanting more, she accomplished that.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC.

***** I have received and read an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for giving my honest feedback. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.*****

An interesting book, but not one I would start unless I had uninterrupted reading time.

The plot itself is an easy read, but there are a LOT of people (and connections between them) to keep straight. There's a lot of information given, and it stretches out longer than it needs to, but it's not terrible.

Even though there are a couple of twists, I found it a little on the predictable side.

Overall, I think cutting 10-15% would have made the book better, but it's a nice read.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book!
This book gets you thinking and questioning who murdered who and what in the world is going to happen next. The last two chapters made me gasp and they threw me for a loop. If you like a love story with thrills and twist then this is the book for you! One thing i ponder is what happens to ruby. Maybe a part two?? Idk— one could hope!

This novel had really strong character development. The plot was intriguing as well. A solid read that was enjoyable. The setting and backdrop were also well-crafted. Thank you for the advanced copy for review.

The title character of this book is Ruby McTavish a wealthy southern widow with a trail of dead husbands. Ruby's life while extremely wealthy has had alot of upheaval and disfunction. Her solution late in life is adopt a foster son and make him her "lucky heir".
The story is told from the point of view of her foster son and his wife. They reckon with the legacy that Ruby has left, as well as the long twisted history of the McTavish family.
I felt this book was a new direction for Rachel Hawkins and she did a great job with a gothic thriller. The characters were well developed with little details revealed along the way. There were a few twists that popped up but I think the real strength of this story was the McTavish family and their complicated heritage.
This is a great book for a litle suspense and mystery. A strong addition to Hawkins bookshelf.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ruby, North Carolina's richest woman with a notorious past, passes and her adopted son, Camden, wants little to do with her estate and his inheritance. He turns it down and makes for the mountains of Colorado, where he meets and marries Jules. When his uncle passes some years later, they're brought back to the Ashby House and they get wrapped up in the mystery surrounding Ruby.

Rachel Hawkins was one of the authors that got me back into reading (The Wife Upstairs), so I may be biased in reading her work, but this was a FIVE STAR read! I was hooked, the story moved along, and I found myself fighting my eyelids to finish it because I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep if I didn't keep reading!

This story is about Ruby McTavish, a little girl who was lost in the woods at the age of 3 and miraculously discovered almost an year later and returned back to her millionaire parents who practically was North Carolina royalty. Growing up she felt something amiss in her life. It didn’t help that she then married 4 times only for her husbands to die tragically all 4 times. Why is this woman so unlucky in love?
The story begins after her death, with her adopted son now the sole heir to her and her ancestors immense wealth. Now the sole heir must return to his estate with his wife Jules to handle things with his not-so-happy relatives who are McTavishes by blood.

This is my first Rachel Hawkins and I’m bowled over by her writing! This was so fast-paced with multiple POV’s including Ruby in the form of letters she had written before she died and where she reveals her darkest secrets. I LOVED this family drama and practically devoured this book. The characters are well fledged out and the multiple POV’s helps to unfold the events in at a great pace: there are multiple twists, right up to the very last page.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s press for an arc of this book for my honest opinion:

When Ruby McTavish dies, she leaves everything, including the Ashby House, to her adopted son Camden, much to the dismay of the rest of the family. But Camden wants nothing to do with her estate and moves across the country to get away. He meets and marries Jules, and together they return home to Ashby House after the death of his uncle.

The story alternates between Camden, Jules, and Ruby as narrators. Camden and Jules share present day narrating while also shedding light on how they met one another and the secrets they brought to their relationship. Ruby shares her story via letters that highlight her tragic life, from her disappearance/kidnapping as a young child to each of her relationships with her four husbands and what led to each of their demise.

There were so many twists and turns in the story that it was hard to keep up. Each secret that was revealed made sense, kept me turning the pages, and even left me guessing which direction the author was going to take the story, and how they were going to wrap everything up in the end. This author's books have been hit or miss for me with this one being more of a hit than her last one.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review.

This was a slow start for me. Finally getting to do a review from a book off of Netgalley! 😬
This book definitely had some twists. I wasn’t expecting Jules to be apart of the scandal, even thought she fell in love with Camden. Overall, a good first read by Rachel Hawkins. I am excited to read more books by this author.

When she was a toddler, Ruby McTavish went missing from a family picnic in the mountains near their North Carolina home. Missing for almost a year, there was always speculation about whether the child who was returned to them was really Ruby. Almost 70 years later, Ruby's adopted son gets an email telling him that it's time for a reckoning and he needs to come home.
Psychological fiction with multiple plot twists. Just when you think you know what's going on, there is a twist in the story. I liked this novel much more than the author's previous book The Villa. If you liked The Maid's Diary with its twisty plot and alternating narrators, you'll enjoy Hawkins' upcoming book, due to come out in January 2024.

✨ARC review ✨

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
Release date: 01/09/24!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

There is nothing like a death to bring out the worst in a family. Especially when it’s a wealthy family & they are not happy about the will.

When Ruby passes away - she leaves everything to her adopted son Camden. He cares little about the inheritance and leaves the toxic family. He begins a new life & now lives with his wife Jules.

10 years later, he reluctantly returns to the house. The family drama begins instantly - secrets, betrayals & lies come back to life.
This makes people start to question - is everyone who they say they are?

Rachel does it again with a page turning thriller with all the plot twists. It keeps you glued to the book. I highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy!

Thank you for giving me the chance to read this book while on vacation! I wasn’t prepared for the introduction & it took me a bit to understand what was happening with all the characters. But I enjoyed it and would read more from this author.

First off, this was my favorite Rachel Hawkins books even though it took way too long for me to get into it. Once I got into the story, I couldn’t put this down. A solid 4 stars!

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this title.