I really didn’t enjoy this book. I feel like this author’s writing style isn’t for me. I hope others can still enjoy it!

I think that this is my favorite book of Hawkins so far. The characters were dark and unlikable, but you were still rooting for them in the end. Ruby was certainly manipulative, but I liked her moves. I even enjoyed the twists even when I saw some of them coming. I actually liked that in the end Cam & Jules ended up staying together - they were a good match. I am surprised that as much of the family survived through the end.

Really enjoyed the plots twists, characters and separate story lines of this twisty mystery thriller. A dysfunctional family tale full of secrets, lies and betrayal. A mansion hidden in the woods of North Carolina owned by a wealthy family that doesn't have a member that can be trusted but whose stories keep you enthralled.

I really enjoyed this! Wealthy family drama, especially in a remote location, is my jam. Told through multiple perspectives and in different formats, this whole book was full of suspense from beginning to end. The pacing was fantastic! I was intrigued and engaged the whole time and flew through this book in 24 hours.
Thank you St Martin's Press for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Rachel Hawkins book and I must say it wasn't exactly what I anticipated. It was fast paced and kept my attention. The setting was well crafted, with the gothic mansion set far apart from any neighbors and the lush views.
The characters, however, were uniformly unlikable. Maybe it was the universal use of the F bomb. I'm not opposed to well placed profanity. But every character in every conversation managed to use it, regardless of age or upbringing. To me that made them somewhat indistinguishable from each other. And frankly it just seemed repetitive.
The plot was full of twists, many fairly predictable. The story was told by three different characters as well as news clippings from the past.

The Heiress is a good seasonal read for a gloomy weekend in bed. Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's press for the ARC of The Heiress.

This was honestly just so much fun. The last few from Rachel Hawkins have not been my favorite, but this compares to THE WIFE UPSTAIRS for me (also 5 stars). I loved the alternating POVs from Jules, Camden and Ruby's letters. The way the story unfolded kept me completely enthralled. I loveed learning about Ruby's past through her letters and how it affected the present as Camden deals with the inheritance she left behind. He has to deal with a lot of very unlikeable family members and it's always fun to read about rich people acting horrible. I didn't see all the twists coming and overall had a blast with this one.

I highly recommend for anyone looking for a slump busting thriller! Thanks to SMP for the gifted copy!

Rachel Hawkins is BACK and this might be my newest favorite of hers. I've enjoyed her prior books, but this one is by far my favorite. It has everything: rich people problems, inheritance, a stone-cold older woman who you can't help but root for, and a family that has a deadly history. I FLEW through this one, and I rushed to tell all my friends to give it a read. All in all, I highly recommend!

A huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for gifting me a copy of this ARC!

This is Rachel Hawkins' best work yet in my opinion. If you are a fan of "The Wife Upstairs" or "The Villa," you will LOVE this book! I thought the story itself was so well thought-out and crafty, and it really had the Knives Out element without the cheesy humor. I felt as though I was uncovering the main character's past myself, and really found myself enjoying that to the fullest throughout the read. Enthralling and twisty yet simultaneously slow burn, this was a great start to my 2024 reading!

Ruby McTavish was notorious for her kidnapping as a baby, four husbands who each died after marrying her, and her outrageous wealth. When Ruby passes away, her estate is left to her adopted son, Camden. Camden wants nothing to do with the estate, the money, or the estranged family members that live in the family house that he owns. He is finally called to return home and deal with the estate. His wife Jules is supportive and wants to help him get through this challenging visit to the home where he grew up. Families can be dramatic when it comes to money, property, and family history, but the McTavish family takes that drama to new heights.

I really liked the way this book unfolded. It is dark, but I expected that. The pacing of the book with the story, letters, and articles was spot on. I predicted some of the big twists, but there were plenty I didn't see coming. Definitely a great thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of The Heiress.

The Heiress was a poignant and thrilling suspense novel, true to the authors style. I’ve enjoyed the story and am appreciative of the advanced copy.

"The Heiress" is another homerun for Rachel Hawkins. The book has a very exciting plot that kept me wanting to keep reading to see what the next twist would be. Even the ending keeps you guessing. Ms. Hawkins writes the scenes in the Blueridge Mountains in a way that makes you feel like you are there. She writes her characters in a way that you think you know them. But do you?

I highly recommend this family drama/thriller. It is fast-paced and a pleasure to read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy of this book for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

I'm a fan of Rachel Hawkins at this point, and this book just adds to that fandom. The multiple timelines are fun, including one that is written as letters. The characters feel fleshed out for the most part, though some just feel that they're mean/awful because that is just their personality. I found myself questioning motives and justifications in a good way. If you like her other books, then you will like this one.

Rating 4/5

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. The Heiress was an interesting book with a plot that read as both like a mystery novel and a sort of fictional biography in some parts. The main characters here are Ruby, who is a very rich woman with a lot of secrets. She was kidnapped as a baby while picnicking on her family's vast estate. She became famous for that and then later became more "infamous" for the fact that every one of her several husbands died under seemingly mysterious circumstances. We also get to know Camden (Cam) who is Ruby's adopted son, and sole heir to Ruby's vast fortune, including the sprawling estate where Ruby grew up. Cam is reluctant to return to Ashby House (the estate) and left years ago to escape the secrets and dysfunction of Ruby's family (including his adopted Aunt Nell who has never made it a secret that she doesn't like Cam) and his adopted cousins (Nell's children) Ben and Libby). The family never liked Camden and always reminded him that he was trash and just a pet project of Ruby's and a way for Ruby to cut them all out of the inheritance. Things come to a head when Camden and his wife Jules return to Ashby House to get Ruby's affairs in order and take care of repairs at the house and sort out the financial issues. We find out that everyone in the house has secrets and some are not who we think they are. We also slowly unravel the mystery/secrets surrounding Ruby and her many deceased husbands. We find out what happened in a series of letters that Ruby has seemingly written to Cam. But even that is a secret later revealed. So there are some nice surprises in the book. There are no huge plot twists, but the book is well written and the letters from Ruby are a nice touch that allows the reader to slowly unravel the past. Worth the read!

The Heiress was an engaging, twisty read about Ruby, a kidnapped heiress, her multiple marriages, her runaway son and heir, Camden, and his mysterious wife, Jules. In alternating timelines, we follow Ruby’s sensational life (which reminded me a bit of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo) and, after Ruby’s death, Jules’ account of visiting Ruby’s estate with her husband.

I alternated between reading and listening to the audiobook. The details of this novel may not stay with me for long, but I really liked Hawkins’ portrayal of Ruby, and I had a lot of fun experiencing this gothic thriller.

Sincere thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the gifted copy.

I have always loved Rachel Hawkins' books. This one had so much potential, but is probably my least favorite of hers.
The story unfolds from the alternating perspectives of Jules, Camden and Ruby. The characters were all very unlikeable- especially the named character of the heiress. I was hoping that Jules had all good reasons to kill the husbands- something you give empathy to her for, That is where it seemed to be going at the beginning of her story. However, we quickly learn that this woman is a psychopath- and not even an interesting one. She killed for no reason at all, even sometimes just simply being bored with them. Did not enjoy most of this until the end, where an average story was somewhat redeemed by a CLEVER and unexpected ending which earned it an extra star.

TLDR a man and his wife return home to his estranged family to help take care of the mansion he inherited.
Okay just being blunt this was kinda a let down. After reading The Wife Upstairs and Reckless Girls, I was expecting a jaw dropping plot twist with a wild epilogue. The epilogue didn't add much imo and the big plot twist was kinda underwhelming. I LOVED the whole "rich woman that adopted a boy and left everything to him" vibe and the whole "family drama and rich family secrets" aspects but I feel like the mark was missed with this one.
Features:
Multi pov
Letters to swap timelines
Family secrets
Overall 3.5/5
Anxiety 1.5/5
Spice 0/5
Borrow (buy bargain borrow burn)

Ruby McTavish is known around the town of Travistock for being rich, widowed 4 times, and was the was the victim of a famous kidnapping when she was a child. After her death, her adopted son Camden wants nothing to do with the estate, the money, or his family. He moves to Colorado to be a "normal" person. There he becomes a teacher and meets Jules who becomes his wife.. When his uncle dies, Camden finds himself back at Ashby house, 10 years after he left. Lots of questions about Ruby's life come to light and family drama ensues. I really enjoyed the structure of this book which had alternating chapters of Jules and Camden mixed with letters from Ruby. There were a bunch of twists and turns that definitely held my attention. For some reason I struggled to keep up with everything that was going on, but I still thought it was a good book. If you're a fan of a good mystery/thriller I think you would really like this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Rachel Hawkins has done it again! I’m always impressed by how she can continue to churn out well written books with gripping storylines. Thank you for another opportunity to read and review! I’m a fan for life.

Fully enjoyed this book, as with Hawkins’ previous! She has become an auto buy author for me. I loved the different perspectives we got through this book and how honest those perspectives were, even when they were not meant to be. It is messy with family drama and intrigue, but I would hazard to say not the suspense I had hoped for. I absolutely love reading about rich families and their secrets and lies, and I quite enjoyed getting to know these characters. Thanks so much to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced copy!

I am a huge fan of Rachel Hawkins, and I couldn't put this -- her latest thriller - down! I thought the character of Ruby McTavish, the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in North Carolina, was fascinating and flawed, and I enjoyed hearing from her directly about the deaths of her husbands through her letters. I also found the characters within the dysfunctional family still living in the crumbling old family mansion very compelling. I loved the gothic elements in this, and the twists and turns were all there, perfectly paced and delightfully shocking. I'll continue to read whatever Hawkins writes!