This one grabbed me from the beginning. I like how the story was told through articles, letters, and different points of view. This is a story about an old family in North Carolina, their fortune, and who deserves to inherit it. Lots of twists and surprises. Secrets. Very good, read it in one day.

So entertaining! I love Rachel Hawkins' novels and this upcoming release did not let me down. Set at a haunting estate, the Ashby House's glamour is overshadowed by the past and the family that lives there. When the 'queen is knocked off her throne', the House calls Camden, the adopted son and heir of the estate home. Upon arriving, things are amiss amongst the McTavish family and everyone has their own motive for the family fortune. Camden's wife, Jules, is relishing in the new estate, but what is the cost of the fortune? What of it that Cam is adopted in? I read this novel in a day, it was so fast paced. I also enjoyed the multiple POVs and the additional use of mediums (newspaper clippings, letters, emails), that help drive the story and unravel the family history along.

This was a very quick, enjoyable read. The action never dragged, and it constantly felt like you were being hurtled towards an inevitable, devastating outcome. I really enjoyed the Ruby backstory, and the mysteries that surrounded her, though somewhat straining my credulity, still seemed somewhat plausible. I was pleasantly surprised that certain characters were not quite as villainous as I had thought they were, and the ending felt spot-on for the general moral ambiguity. While definitely a mash-up of some fairly common suspense tropes, the way it all came together felt different enough to me that it didn't seem like a reapeat of things I've read before. I will definitely be recommending this to fans of Megan Miranda, Megan Abbott, Ashley Audrain.

Told from the perspectives of Ruby’s adopted son Camden and his wife Jules, alternating with tidbits from news articles surrounding the kidnapping (and other infamy) of Ruby McTavish who was missing for 8 months before being returned to her family, and from letters from Ruby herself confessing her dark truths at the end of her life.

Jules has been married to Cam for ten years and we learn early on that she is more involved in his family history than she’s let on.

But… Cam is keeping secrets from Jules as well.

Cam, having been adopted by Ruby after being in and out of foster homes at a young age, was forced to grow up with the McTavishes, enduring their cruelty and hate for the rest of his childhood until he makes the choice to leave it all behind. He has been married and living in a different state, with a completely different life for a decade but is forced back to his family home, as sole heir to the family’s fortune to make repairs to the estate.

It felt like I had read this story before.
A large mansion, dark secrets, a cruel and rich family with an eerie history…
But then the storyline intensely shifts at the last 1/4 of the book. Secrets come to light that you thought you knew but didn’t realize the full extent of.

I found this an engaging read by way of storyline. I found it to be suspenseful and ominous at times. The characters are easy to hate yet easy to understand and hard to redeem. Except for Camden.

I was provided with a digital ARC of The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins in exchange for an honest review. The words (and opinions) within are my own.
Expected release date: January 8, 2024

Rachel Hawkins is my new favorite author! Each and every book she writes only gets better! The Heiress was Flowers in the Attack, Evelyn Hugo and The Last Mrs Parish all wrapped into one! Without giving away any spoilers - No one in this book is what they seem or who they are and that's what makes this book "unable to put down"! If you haven't read Hawkins before - start now with this book! I am so grateful for the advance copy and will be purchasing as gifts for my book club friends!

I thought Rachel Hawkins was at her best with The Villa, but somehow The Heiress is even BETTER! I don’t always love stories told in multiple time periods, but Hawkins did a masterful job with it here—the story was easy to follow, and the twists kept me eagerly turning the pages until well after my bedtime several nights in a row. The characters were believable and utterly fascinating, and there were so many OMG moments in the plot, which was stellar throughout. Highly recommend!

Oh man, I devoured this book in less than 3 days. I was immediately drawn in by the blueprint for how sociopaths are both born and made.

The POV characters jumped right off the page as fully formed people, with unique voices and personalities. I especially loved Jules (which was probably by design). I found that as their story unfolded, new information was revealed that seemed somehow surprising and still inevitable. I particularly enjoyed the ending and the question that remains in the reader's mind after the final pages.

I can't wait to see what Rachel Hawkins does next. Thanks to Ms. Hawkins and NetGalley for an advanced look at "The Heiress".

After the passing of the wealthy and strong-willed Ruby McTavish, her sole heir and his wife have to come to terms with some less than loving relatives.

This may be my favorite Hawkins novel yet. While I was able to correctly predict all twists/reveals early on due to some ample clues-the entire plot was wonderfully crafted and delivered. I really enjoyed the varied cast of characters and found Ruby's letters detailing her life to be quite interesting and expertly peppered into the modern day story unfolding at Ashby House. This was definitely a quick and engrossing little mystery!

This was the first book that I read by Rachel Hawkins and it surely won't be the last! The story was a perfect balance between love/family and hate/thriller mystery! It is about married couple Jules and Cam who are traveling back to Cam's childhood home after the death of a loved one. Cam is rich and doesn't want anything to do with the money/family but Jules really doesn't understand the deep seated hate that runs through them. There were SO many twists and turns in this story that I just didn't see coming! I couldn't put it down. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ACR in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital ARC of The Heiress.

Rachel Hawkins is one I will read whatever she writes. I've loved everything except The Villa so I was nervous going into this. I am happy to say she's back! I didn't love the letters or articles at first (still wasn't a fan of the articles), but the letters (Ruby) grew to be one of my favorite characters. I did figure out how it would end fairly early, but I enjoyed the story and writing so much I didn't care. The characterization was well done, storyline great, writing great. I never got bored or skimmed. Any fans of her will devour this!

Loved this book!! In fact, I can’t remember the last time I read a book so fast! I love a book that can keep me turning the pages, and not worry about anything else but the book! This storyline was fast-paced, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!

This story is about Ruby McTavish, a wealthy little girl who was lost in the woods near her home in North Carolina at only three years old. Ruby was found eight months later in another state and returned home. As Ruby grows up in her mansion known as the Ashby House, she often feels that some things about her aren’t quite right.

Ruby writes letters prior to her death at an elderly age, and through these letters we see what transpired during her years growing up and her four marriages. Ruby also had an adopted son named Camden, who is set to inherit all of the McTavish fortune. Camden wants nothing to do with the family money and he has stayed away from his cold and unkind family members for years. However, he gets notified by his cousin that he should come to Ashby House after the passing of his uncle, and Camden’s wife Jules thinks it would be a great idea to visit.

When Camden and Jules arrive at Ashby House, the fun really begins! This was a very dysfunctional family. I loved getting the different POV’s from Camden, Jules, and Ruby. And while getting all these different viewpoints, we can question what really makes a family?

I highly recommend this book! As I’ve mentioned before I read for entertainment and enjoyment - and that’s what this book gave me! This book also had short chapters (my favorite), which made for a quick read. Add this book to your list- you can thank me later! 😉

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an ARC of this copy, which I had the pleasure of reading. Publication date: January 9, 2024.

Solid 3.5 stars. Hawkins has quickly become one of my favorites; even if this isn’t the most mind boggling story, it’s clever and the pacing is excellent. I liked the POV shifts with the letters and articles mixed in and it had just the right amount of twists. The ending wrapped up nicely, too.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. Ruby and Jules were great characters. I liked how the letters were interwoven with the story. and the moments when one of the characters would break the fourth wall and speak directly to the reader. One twist got me but I guessed another. Neither felt like an unfair trick by the author (which was a good thing.)

I've never read anything by this author before and will definitely check out some of her other titles.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book!

The very best book by Rachel Hawkins. A lot of the usual suspense but with an original and interesting plot, with many unanticipated twists. The story is about a young couple, but the plot mostly focuses on husband Camden and his wealthy, cruel, and eccentric family. The fun part of the book is the many ways the author plays with the reader to build suspense and twist the plot. Because of this, I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC
I recently read my first Rachel book and enjoy her writing style. This one had just the right amount of twists and turns to keep me interested. The chapters were short and the characters were likeable enough

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.
Another excellent book by Rachel Hawkins, impossible to put down; what a great read!
A dysfunctional wealthy family living in a bubble has been avoided by Cam, the son, for 10 years. He inherited everything, but doesn't want any of it and lives happily with his wife Jules ... until he's forced back.
What a twisted tale! I can't recommend this book highly enough and would give it more stars if I could.

Not going to lie, this book started really slow and was confusing. But by about 30% of the way through I started to get a little more understanding of what was happening. Even still, it took until about 70% for me to be fully invested in the book. Once I was invested though, it was amazing.

I was expecting more of a thriller going into this book, but it ended up being more of a family drama with a dash of murder, and I’m not mad about it. The characters were well developed and I was surprised by the ending. I did guess one of the twists of the book, but I was pleasantly surprised by some of the actions of a few of the characters.

I loved how the story was told. There were several timelines going, which gave snip its of the different characters without giving the reader too much or ruining the mystery. Finding out the key details of the story and trying to piece them together as I read was fun, and I’m glad the story ended the way it did. While I could see the twist coming, it was done differently than I had expected.

I really enjoyed this book. Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Rachel Hawkins has done it again. The Heiress is a twisty, intriguing tale that will grip readers from start to finish. The tale of Rubys’ life, told through letters throughout the book, is fascinating, as is the present day storyline, told through two different points of view, all showing what a deeply dysfunctional family looks like.

4 stars out of 5.

Rachel Hawkins did an excellent job with this book. It is full of twists and turns, you never know what is going to happen next. I really loved the ending, it really tied everything together for me. If you love family drama mixed with mystery this book is for you!

A wealthy North Carolina family ends up losing their young daughter, Ruby, in the woods. She eventually is found in Alabama and is returned to her family. The story continues on recounting Ruby's life, including her family and her adopted Son Camden. The book is written in multiple POV's that help you understand the story and it really draws you into the story.

A big thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Entertaining story in which the characters are revealed gradually. Not much is what it first seems and while no one is
Completely virtuous the resolution of the plot left me with a smile.
Like the Villa this was a book that had me turning the pages quickly. Good book to read in one sitting.