I've been loving Hawkins' thrillers lately and this is no exception! The Heiress tells the story of a family through several viewpoints - mostly via the now-deceased Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore (what a mouthful!), her semi-estranged son Camden, and his wife Jules. As the book went on, I kept asking myself "Where is this going?!?!?" but in a jaw-dropped way. Thrillers can be predictable after you read a lot of them, but this one kept me wondering the whole time. Even if I had guessed all of the twists and turns, the writing is excellent and would be entertaining regardless.

I like this--I think that the sweeping-ness of spanning different decades and different people was really compelling. I thought that the mystery was really interesting, and it kept me reading. And I did like the characters a good amount, I feel like I haven't had a ton of luck with Rachel hawkins's previous novels, but I really liked this one! This was twisty and turny, and pretty fast paced: I read this in one day, and honestly didn't see the end coming at all!

Rachel Hawkins has done it again! The Heiress is a story that spans decades, social classes, and of course has lots of mystery. I love how it moves slow yet fast at the same time. The story is well-paced so you have time to enjoy it and try to piece the puzzle together as you go on. But even then, the end took me by surprise. I loved this book and will definitely be getting it for my book-loving friends.

Maybe it was because I read this book on vacation, but I flew through it in one afternoon! Even though it wasn't action packed, the way the author slowly revealed the dysfunctional family history by peeling back layer after layer made me want to read more. I enjoyed the different viewpoints of all the characters, and I was surprised by the multiple twists just when I thought I was sure about their intentions. The author was especially skilled at setting a dark & creepy mood--very atmospheric and entertaining!

Wow!! The Heiress had me hooked IMMEDIATELY! I’ve enjoyed other books by Rachel Hawkins, but this is easily her best work!

The story follows the prestigious McTavish family. Or rather Camden, the family’s outcast, and his relationship with the family and his adoptive mother. When Cam is called back to the family home in North Carolina, you realize that it’s under false pretenses. Everyone in the family has deeply buried secrets and will do whatever it takes to keep them hidden.

The author closes the gap between past and present with letters, offering a personal connection between the characters. My only critique is the author’s attempt to force a dislike of one character in particular. The character seems to over explain their actions and ask for unnecessary forgiveness from the reader. I thought the character was likable all along!

A great read that will keep pulling you back for more until all your questions are answered!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a virtual ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Ruby McTavish, of the old money McTavish family. Was kidnapped at the age of three and eventually returned to her family eight months later. This story follows the lives of her son, Camden, and his wife, Jules, and also tells Ruby’s story via her letters.

Ruby’s story is very Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo written as a thriller, and I LOVED that aspect. Ruby’s letters were so entertaining to read.

The alternating POVs fit together so well while being very distinct. The plot twists were incredibly intelligent.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone.

Rachel Hawkins truly never fails, she always hits right on target. She could write instruction manuals and I'd devour every word. She does such an incredible job at building interest and suspense. It's so difficult to put her books down at the end of any chapter. She gets your mental gears going, constantly trying to figure out what's happening, and doesn't let them stop. To put it simply (and to make Shrek proud), her books are onions, layer after layer after layer building upon themselves until something wonderful is formed.

This read like a secret- and scandal-filled exposé, as told by the most interesting people involved. If you've ever looked at the Kennedys, the Vanderbilts, or any other (in)famously wealthy family and felt there must be innumerable hidden truths behind the walls of their familial fortress, this book is the inside scoop on it all for one such family.

Any moment where my interest began to even slightly waiver, I'd turn the page and find myself in a vise-grip yet again by the latest detail to be revealed.

A couple side-notes from while I was reading:

• I love when pieces of an author's past work makes its way into their newer work; case-in-point the mention of Lara Larchmont's Aestes album, from The Villa.

• The Camden-Libby, cousin thing was too weird for me. I'm glad it was reoccurring.

Hawkins' 'The Wife Upstairs' blew me away, so I was elated to see this novel and had to get my hands on a copy. I was not disappointed.

Ruby is the heiress of the McTavish family fortune and Ashby House. Her son, Camden, is coming home for the first time since he left for college with his new wife, Jules, after her death to claim his inheritance. With a long past of misdeeds and mysteries for ever member of the McTavish clan, this proves much more difficult than anticipated.

I loved the changeling quotes at the beginning--prickled my little hairs. They also hooked me immediately. Ruby was such a fascinating character. And along with her odd family I had no idea what to expect. Excellent tension and drama with shocking twists. Characters and their intentions flew me for loop after loop. The ending nearly knocked me over. A must read!

This is my favorite Rachel Hawkins yet! Gothic and so atmospheric. With characters I loved to hate ,questions of morality, nature and nurture…so good! And the house! It felt similar to reading Agatha Christie. I will be recommending this to everyone who loves a good mystery/thriller with excellent writing.


Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this riveting eARC for my honest opinion!

This one was only ok, at best, for me. It dragged and the multiple characters viewpoints in letters vs past vs real time was a little much to keep up with. By the end I just wanted to be done because it was just becoming outlandish.

As you'd expect from Rachel Hawkins, the writing for The Heiress was phenomenal. The character building and atmospheric setting stood out most to me. However, in comparison to her other gripping suspense novels, this one didn't give me that same edge-of-your-seat, can't-put-down type of thrill. Instead, it read as more of a historical or family drama that was a bit too slow burn for my liking.

The first 60% of the book felt slow and drawn out, with unnecessary complications and unclear motives. Luckily, once the twists started coming, I truly couldn't put this book down until the very last page. I loved the way the characters all tied together in such a satisfying way.

A solid 3.5/4 stars that I can see many drama and suspense readers enjoying upon its release. I'll be recommending this one to my followers and making it clear they should set their expectations that it's more of an intriguing drama versus a fast-paced thriller.

If this book started at roughly the 40% mark I would have rated this book higher. I had a hard time getting into this. I know the author was setting up the story but had this not been a book I felt obligated to read and rate I would have DNF'd. With that said, the last half of the book was better and I'm glad I didn't DNF. I felt like the pacing picked up, the plot and plot twists were a lot of fun. I do think it was more "family drama" than "thriller". This is my first book by this author and will give her another try.

I typically enjoy a Rachel Hawkins novel, but this one fell a little flat for me. I feel like the twist at the end about Ruby was both predictable and kind of obvious. I will say that the twist about Camden‘s girlfriend was a little bit more surprising, but not much. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it, it was just OK.

The parts of the book that I found the most interesting were actually the chapters where Ruby was writing letters about her four husbands and their deaths.

3 stars. Overall good read. Nothing jumped out at me to call my friends and tell them “you have to read this!” But it was entertaining and kept me turning the pages. An easy read with some surprises along the way.

I had previously read and enjoyed "The Wife Upstairs" by Rachel Hawkins, but it pales in comparison to Hawkins' latest triumph. This book had it all - deep, likeable characters, complex plot and mystery. The story is told from altering viewpoints: Ruby - the heiress, Camden - adopted family outcast, and Jules - Camden's wife. Each chapter's perspective left me in suspense until the story returned to that viewpoint. I had so many questions while reading and the ending wrapped everything up perfectly. Ruby's character reminded me of Evelyn, who I loved, from "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo." The only thing I would nitpick is that Hawkins overused phrases with the word "even" - "even so" even as," but that's simply a small blip on an otherwise flawless canvas. Can't wait for Hawkins' next book!

Ruby McTavish disappears from the woods near her family's estate in North Carolina. She is only 3 years old. Months later, she reappears when a workman claims he took her home to his wife in Alabama as a replacement for their own daughter who had died.

Ruby's younger sister resents her, both for her 'anointed' status in the family and their father's marked preference for Ruby. Upon his death, Ruby hold the keys to the family coffers. Widowed four times, Ruby is notorious throughout the country for her wealth and her husbands. Ruby never had children of her own and so adopts a son, Cam. Ruby enjoys ruling the family, and the town. Upon her death, everything is left to her son Cam, much to the rest of the family's dismay.

Cam though, is not happy to be holding the reins. He retreats across the country to become a teacher in a small private school. Married to Jules who purportedly knows nothing of his wealth, he finally returns home to deal with the family after the death of his uncle.

Jules discovers life in a big house with antipathetic relatives is not all she dreamed. Or is it? Cam adamantly wants to leave but Jules wants to stay just as much. Full of mysteries, Jules and Cam have a lot to learn about the family, and one another.

Fans of historical fiction, women's fiction, and mysteries will enjoy this one.

Are we defined by our worst moments? Is money the root of all evil? Nature versus nurture?

I have really enjoyed Rachel Hawkins' previous books, although this novel and The Wife Upstairs felt quite similar to me. I felt a curious detachment from Ruby as her chapters unfolded, possibly because of her actions and lack of remorse. Hawkins is very fond of the unreliable narrator trick - of letting you know there is something the narrator is holding back from you, the reader, to reveal at a later time. This book is no exception with several reveals that have been teased the whole book, most of which were mildly surprising and not downright shocking. Still, a solid and enjoyable entry for fans of Hawkins' previous work.

I loved this book. Told in dual timelines, the reader learns the history and the fate of Ashby House and the family that has called it home for generations. Like any good generational story, the secrets long buried have the potential to destroy everyone and everything associated with the house. Like all of Rachel Hawkins books, the twists and the secrets are unexpected, and I loved every minute.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Unfortunately did not enjoy it as much as the author's last terrific read … found the plot a bit convoluted, the story not as engaging and difficult to connect with any of the characters

With thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for this e-ARC!

I thought I would like this a lot more than I did. The characters were all extremely unlikeable and the story dragged on until about halfway through, then it seemed like a chaotic unraveling of too many secrets to be true. I was able to guess most of them, so none felt like big reveals. I was disappointed, because I really enjoyed The Villa.