4.5 rounded up on merit.

Wow. When I say this had me unable to put it down... I'm serious. Finished it in about 5 hours! Sure, some of the twists, turns and outcomes were easily seen (hence the 4.5), but Rachel still had some kept back that had me reeling!

From the great characters to the slow reveal thru multiple (albeit unreliable) POVs, this story of lost children, the sickness of rich old families, and the hope from a bright future despite the pains we endure was a great, engaging read!

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very entertaining! Lots of twists and turns involving despicable people. This book captured my attention throughout and brought me back again and again to turning the pages. I enjoyed the letter writing/reading technique. I also appreciated the different voices of the main characters. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. #NetGalley, #St.Martin’sPress, # TheHeiress.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC copy of The Heiress!

Ohh, this was SO GOOD..such a twisty, juicy story that was hard to put down. I loved how letters and news articles were woven into the story, it really helped give it a modern and realistic feel. If you enjoy thrillers, lavish lifestyles, and family drama, I would definitely recommend adding this one to your list!

This book was very good. It was a very twisty book. When Cam was called home to take care of the family estate, he is totally not onboard. His wife loves the mansion from the moment she lays eyes on it. His family dose not welcome him with open arms. I want to tell you the entire plot!! It is soo good. Pick this one up! You will not be disappointed at the ending!!!!

Loved this - Rachel Hawkins has some great works (both as Rachel Hawkins and Erin Sterling) and this is definitely one of them. I was hooked and was pleasantly surprise by most of the twists, and the ones I saw coming were still enjoyable to read. I was worried the three POVs plus the random articles would be too much bouncing, but Hawkins juggles them in great fashion.

Thank you NetGalley and StMartinsPress for giving me early access to The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins.

This family drama is packed with twists and turns! Just when you think you have all the family relationships figured out…you realize you don’t! Told in alternating POVs, along with news articles and letters this was a fast-paced read that I couldn’t put down. Rachel Hawkins certainly doesn’t disappoint with this story!

I went into this book expecting a 3 star like the rest of Hawkins books for me, but boy did this shock me. It was a wild ride. Told in dual POV, letters, and newspaper clippings the variety of ways Hawkins brought the story to life was amazing. Forewarning, there are several story lines you have to follow with a fine tooth comb. At times, it was bit overwhelming.I found myself rereading a few passages, but nothing that put me off completely.

Ruby Mctavish, one of the wealthiest little girls in North Carolina, was kidnapped at 8 years old from the forest behind the esteemed Ashby Manor (her home). Months later, Ruby was recovered from a poor family in Alabama and brought up in the McTavish home. As years go by, Ruby’s wealth and prestige brings her on a wild life journey of four dead husbands, an adopted child, and millions of dollars.

Cam, Ruby’s adopted son, wants nothing to do with the McTavish name, but when the Ashby Manor begins to fall apart and Cam is the estate owner, he finds himself leaving the peace of Colorado and heading back to North Carolina to fix the house and leave the McTavish name forever. He brings along his wife Jules, who during the family reunion, he knows will be his saving grace.

As the story continues to unfold, you begin to find out the connection between Ruby, Jules, and Cam and boy will it shock you. Like I said above, there are a lot of story lines to follow, which is why writing this review is so hard! I don’t know which way to go.

Thank you St. Martins Press for the ARC!

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Heiress" and all opinions expressed are my own. A bit slow to start but then it picks up. I definitely was interested throughout the book. It's one of those books that you just want to keep reading to find out what is going to happen next. It's filled with lies, murder and of course lots and lots of family drama. Previously read The Wife Upstairs (4 stars) and Reckless Girls (3 stars).

This was my very first Rachel Hawkins novel, and I can now confidentially say I understand the hype and excitement that arises every time one of her novels comes out. In The Heiress, Hawkins tells an immersive saga of multi-generational family drama centered around one of North Carolina's wealthiest families, the McTavishs. It had everything you'd want from a high SES domestic thriller; unimaginably large inheritances, beautiful descriptions of opulent houses and extravagant lifestyles, and wealthy, egotistical characters you root get some karma coming their way. This novel delivers on all of that, plus had some truly unexpected twists and turns.

The story was set in the mountains of North Carolina, which were vivid and accurately portrayed. The story unfolds from multiple perspectives and time points, all uniquely woven together from letters, newspaper clippings, and real-time dialogue. The only bone I had to pick was that Camden came off increasingly woe-is-me about being raised in a rich family, but the story more than makes up for it. 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Hawkins does it again and again. I loved this book.
Ruby is an infamous heiress that holds the keys to her families fortune. She adopts a son just to see that the fortune is kept. Camden her son brings his wife Jules to the family estate to handle some business and every family secret comes out.
The skeletons in this families closet are over flowing...so many twists and lovely turns to this story. I had so much fun...we have murderers, heiress's and heirs to fortunes, sprawling estates, slinky little schemes everywhere. I highly recommend.

I have heard great things about Rachel Hawkins' writing and was very excited to get a chance by the publisher and NetGalley to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

The Heiress is a family drama that is told through multiple points of view and through letters from the past of one of the main characters. I've got to admit, most of the people in this book weren't very likeable, but I think that's what sucked me in, I hoped that they got the ending they deserved.

Camden McTavish reluctantly returns to the family seat after his uncle dies and this is the story of him, his money obsessed family, and his deceased mama's life told through letters she has left and the inheritance Cam rejected for a "normal" life.

This one is a slow burn, but stick with it and you won't be disappointed.

When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge mountains. In the aftermath of her death, that estate—along with a nine-figure fortune and the complicated legacy of being a McTavish—pass to her adopted son, Camden.

But to everyone’s surprise, Cam wants little to do with the house or the money—and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.

Ten years later, Camden is a McTavish in name only, but a summons in the wake of his uncle’s death brings him and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but coming home reminds Cam why he was so quick to leave in the first place.

Jules, however, has other ideas, and the more she learns about Cam’s estranged family���and the twisted secrets they keep—the more determined she is for her husband to claim everything Ruby once intended for him to have.

But Ruby’s plans were always more complicated than they appeared. As Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. Was there any truth to the persistent rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place? Soon, Jules and Cam realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what’s written in a will––and that the bonds of family stretch far beyond the grave.

A light thriller - it took awhile for The Heiress to really get going. In the last 40% of the book is where the current drama starts to unfold.

Loved this book - I'd give it more stars if I could.

Camden is the adopted son of Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Kenmore, N Carolina's richest woman, widow four times over with all four husbands dying prematurely. The McTavish family is dysfunctional, cruel and greedy and Camden doesn't want anything to do with them or the huge inheritance that Ruby left him. He relocates to California and then Colorado, and never goes back to the Ashby House estate for 10 years until he is summoned back to sort a few things out after the death of an uncle. Then he and his wife Jules are caught up in the McTaviish web of deception and secrets. Grasping relatives plot to screw him out of his inheritance and long held secrets are revealed.

There are SO MANY TWISTS in this book - I am in awe of the creativity of the plot. Not one of the characters is likable, although Camden is somewhat sympathetic. Even his seemingly innocent wife Jules has some secrets to hide. Yet they are all compelling and well drawn. The structure of the book works well - with differing narrators and especially the addition of of a number of Ruby's long hidden letters revealing most of the real story of her past.

Thank you #NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. Highly recommended.

A very cleaver read. I love how you are kept off balance on the angles of the main characters. I enjoyed the story telling and diving into the world of the McTavishes. I was guessing until the end! I really good read!

It’s very rare for me to be left speechless multiple times throughout a book. But all I could think at the end of this one was “wow”. This is one of the best books I’ve read this year and one of the best family drama/thrillers I’ve ever read.

Some of the biggest pluses in the book:
1. The author limits the total number of characters to give focus on one family with minimal peripheral stories which gives us the ability to really know all of the players in the game and their individual motivations (even as they get more complex throughout the novel).
2. The settings are beautifully described and believable. Old houses aren’t usually my favorite setting but by choosing to focus on a few key rooms and the surrounding town contrasted with California, we get a very vivid picture that isn’t overwhelming.
3. The twists all feel purposeful and believable.
4. The switching between letters from the past, articles, and perspective is some of the best I’ve ever read.
5. It’s very rare to come across such a full circle plot that ties up everything while still highlighting the darkness present in every character.

The only con I can think of is that it is a bit of a slow burn at first, but I don’t think of that as a con because it’s necessary to establish all the characters, setting, and foundational knowledge necessary to not get lost once it picks up. I just wouldn’t expect a book that follows the archetype of thriller to the tee (super faced paced) because the slow burn is kind of great.

Thank you so much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. It was incredible and I can’t wait for more people to read it!

I love Rachel Hawkins and everything she writes from thrillers to YA fantasy. She writes fast paced books with lots of twists and interesting characters. I joined NetGalley for the sole reason of being able to read this book early and it did not disappoint! The story is told between 3 characters- Ruby, Camden, and Jules.

Ruby McTavish is a devious widow and heiress. I don’t usually like unreliable narrators, but she has enough about her that is if not completely good, at least well intentioned that I still felt connected to learning her story. She kind of gave me Evelyn Hugo vibes in that she definitely had some questionable morals but she was ultimately a strong, badass woman.

The McTavish cousins and Nelle are awful, horrible villains with nothing redeemable about them, but really juxtapose Camden as the white knight in the story. They do a lot to make the rest of the family and all the scheming seem more acceptable. Hawkins always writes pretty despicable villains so the justice is sweet at the end.

Really enjoyed the book. It kept me reading when I probably should have been way more productive in life than I was which is always the mark of a good book.

I enjoyed this book! Very well written and I didn’t see the plot twists coming. The characters were interesting and drew me in. Ruby was my favorite character although we only get to know her post mortem. It’s hard to say much more without giving the plot away, but it definitely kept me turning the pages. The ending was satisfying. I look forward to reading more from this author!

**I received an early copy of this book from NetGalley

It was good, don't get me wrong, but it was just lacking something that I couldn't quite pin point. In the beginning the story reminded me of TJR's Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but I did read that a long time ago, so I don't remember if there are more similarities other than the multiple husbands deal.
Okay, so Jules and Camden have been married for a decade and they live in a quaint, simple home that fits them. They work reasonable jobs, but don't have much to spare at the end of the month. Enter a family death... Camden comes from a very wealthy family and he is the sole recipient to all that is left from his mother's death, but he wants nothing to do with it. The two pack up to visit home just one more time following the death of Cam's Uncle, this being Jules' first time to the infamous Ashby house where Camden grew up. As the trip unfolds so does the drama and the family secrets. The story line quickly hints that Jules has done something secretly behind Cam's back that she does not want Cam to find out about. From there I was intrigued as to how everything was going to come together. While the story definitely wraps up nicely, I wish there was more of an "ah-ha" moment (again that lack of something that I can't pin down!). Overall, it was good but I got bored at the end I think.

Overall, I would recommend this. I have only read The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins prior to The Heiress, I don't know if I love her writing enough to venture to The Villa or Reckless Girls. Although, I am a sucker for a great cover and all of her covers are esthetically pleasing to me (I know, I know... don't judge a book by it's cover but I know we all do it), I might read them just for the covers! I mean, the cover of this *chef's kiss*!

As always, thanks to NetGelly, Rachel Hawkins and St. Martin's Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review! Publishing January 9th, 2024.

h so so sinister…I want more of this in the future Rachel Hawkins! Not a true thriller, definitely a LOT of family drama, with loads of murder, lies, and deceit that draws you in to not stop turning the pages.
We have two true POVs, letters from another POV, along with articles to read that ties in how the community thought of this family and their wealth. Settle in, you’re in for a crazy read that’ll have you flip back a page to make sure you read that paragraph correctly!

Thank you NetGalley!!

Family drama, secrets, and...... murder? How far will the McTavish family go to keep their secrets and money to themself? Told in 3 different POVs between Camden, Jules, and Ruby. This was a fantastic read, and the characters were perfect. You had the toxic family members, the black sheep, and the perfect setting at Ashby House. My favorite parts were the letters from Ruby explaining her past and what happened to her husbands. Can one woman really be that unlucky? Twist at the end totally caught me off guard and was quite surprising.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Rachel Hawkins for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date for The Heiress is January 9, 2024