Review — “The Heiress” by Rachel Hawkins (2024)

Categories — Thriller/Suspense, Domestic Drama, Sort of Mystery?, Family Affairs, Rich People Problems, North Carolina, Multi-POV, Quick Pace

Pub Info — January 2024, St. Martin’s Press. 4.03 average currently and 14.4k ratings.

The Author — She’s written a handful of books with the most recognizable probably being The Wife Upstairs, Reckless Girls, and The Villa

Quick Summary — A couple (Cam & Jules) return home to Cam’s childhood mansion after the death of his rich and notorious adoptive mother. Cam wants nothing to do with his inheritance but is called back due to legal & personal circumstances. What ensues is unfolding of secrets, drama, and a bunch of lies.

More Info (No Spoilers) and Thoughts ⤵️

• This is a multi-pov story between Cam & Jules. In between, there are news articles or letters from Cam’s deceased mother, Ruby, that bridge the past and current timeline. This allows for a speedy story and quick read. Very fast paced.

• I haven’t read “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” but I’ve read enough reviews to know and concur that this one has similar vibes. If you liked that book, you may find similar things in this one.

• The setting is chiefly a small rural area in a dangerous mountain-confined mansion in North Carolina. Atmospheric in this way.

• I wouldn’t describe this as the most thrilling book I’ve ever read. It was a quick paced read with some interesting plot premises, so I’d describe it as a secretive family drama with some mystery elements to it.

• This is a story of a whole lot of rich people problems. Very rude characters bickering over money and property and genealogy, and the deceased Ruby being one of the worst of the bunch. If you can handle a string of unrelatable unlikables, carry on.

• The writing style is very casual, driven forward by the interspersed “news articles” and “letters” that tell Ruby’s past. There is a lot of cursing, so if that puts you off then be aware.

• Ultimately, I have to admit I think this wasn’t a strong fit for me. However, I’m in a minority, as many reviewers have left glowing comments for this one. So, I always say give it a go anyway!

I'm a huge fan of the 3 other books I've read by Rachel Hawkins, so this has been high on my list of 2024 anticipated releases. Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy!!

I will admit that this one took me awhile to really get into, and I had to start it 3 separate times to fully become invested. This is likely a personal thing, because I just don't typically like stories about basic rich folks, and that's exactly what this was -- that said, I liked this way more than I expected to from the first few chapters.

The Heiress is a dysfunctional family mystery centering on Ruby McTavish, a woman who was kidnapped and then found as a child, and grew to be an extremely wealthy and well-known old lady. The chapters are told from multiple character's perspectives: Camden (Ruby's adopted son), Jules (Cam's wife), & Ruby herself -- although she's no longer around at the start of the story, we get her POV from chapters told in the form of letters she's written, and I loved how distinct her voice was. Sometimes with multiple POVs can be a bit muddled, with characters blending into one another voice-wise, which is one thing I love about this author's books: she's SO good at multiple perspectives, with each person feeling completely unique and fleshed out. Although they're all quite flawed, I came to really love Ruby, Camden, and Jules -- despite of, or maybe in spite of, everything else I learned as I read.

This book is like Evelyn Hugo meets gothic mystery with lots of murder, although it didn't quite hit as hard for me as Evelyn did - didn't have the same emotional impact, even though I liked the main characters.

I think I liked The Villa a bit more than this, but this is the second book now by Hawkins that I've felt matched Taylor Jenkins Reid in theme/vibe (but with more blood), and I like that it's becoming something I can expect from her. Will absolutely continue reading her books and I do recommend this for others!

OOOO boy this one was hard to put down. Lots of characters but easy to differentiate. I loved the old money scandal, while I thought I had some things figured out, there was definitely some I didn't and that was fun! Rachel's books are always so easy to devour, I have to slow myself down to savor them. I went back and forth with audio and physical and it was so good. I especially liked the audio so I could do some house chores ;)

I’ve read a few reviews over the last month and everyone seemed to like this but didn’t think it was great, so I went into this with low expectations but was blown out of the water. The beginning started a little slow but I enjoyed both timelines (the past in epistolary). I figured out one of the twists pretty early on but I liked that everything was explained and not left ambiguous. I enjoyed this much more than The Villa.

If you enjoy a slow burn story full of suspense and multiple point of views, I urge you to read The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins.

Ruby McTavish, heir to the McTavish fortune dies and leaves everything to her adoptive son, Camden. After her death he and his wife, Jules travel back to his childhood home where they're met with opposition from his aunt and cousins.

The story is told in Ruby's, Camden's and Jules's point of views. It's full of lies, deceits and secrets at every page turn. Slow burn, but yet filled with anticipation, I couldn't wait to get to the next part. The characters were well-drawn out and I could picture all of them. There were a couple moments that I had an inkling about Jules's story and I was almost right.

The Heiress was an enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to reading more of this author's work.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins.

The Heiress was a fun yet intriguing mystery/thriller. By fun I mean I wasn't sitting on the edge my seat but I definitely wanted to keep turning the pages! The action was simple yet effective and it felt more like a "cozy" mystery than anything. I haven't read Rachel Hawkins before but would definitely check out her back list after reading this one! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Ruby McTavish (Callahan, Woodward, Miller, Kenmore) was North Carolina's richest and notorious woman at the time of her death. Born into a wealthy family, she was kidnapped from the family grounds as a young child, only to return months later. She also married four different times to men that ultimately died early/tragic deaths.

Following her death, she leaves everything in her will to her adopted son Camden, who does not want any of it. He hasn't even returned back to Ashby house since Ruby's death. Still living in the home are Ruby's sister and her family. However after the death of his uncle, Camden and his wife Jules decide to go back to the home to make much needed repairs to the home.

Jules is enamored by the home and the legacy that Ruby left behind. Additionally, letters are found in the home, written by Ruby about her life, her four husbands, and her kidnapping as a child. Secrets never once spoken.

This book will keep you on the edge of your toes! A psychological thriller full of twists, with multiple viewpoints. It's asks the questions, what would you do for love? How far are you willing to go for revenge?

Thank you to Rachel Hawkins, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was by far my favorite book by Rachel Hawkins! It was super twisty and filled with suspenseful family drama. There were just so many secrets that it felt like there was reveal after reveal.

I loved Jules and Ruby! Having morally gray main characters is always something I enjoy. The letters were a wonderful touch and made the story even more intriguing.

The Heiress is a captivating and immensely entertaining family drama that I highly recommend.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Another great book by Rachel Hawkins! Love her writing style and how you are pulled into the storyline from the opening pages. Holds your interest with so many twists and turns.

I like the mixed perspectives Rachel Hawkins does, and I did find this story interesting. It didn't necessarily grip or shock me, which I feel is a bit of a negative considering this is a thriller.

A nearly perfect gothic novel, full of family secrets, hidden identities, a contested inheritance, suspicious characters, and a gorgeous old mansion, all contained within a page-turner plot. Very fun read!

I saw it coming, but I enjoyed the ride.
I was interested in this because it’s set nearby, in the mountains of North Carolina and I’ve read everything by Rachel Hawkins.
The story is twisty, but with lots of clues/foreboding. I enjoyed the writing, but the story is a bummer. As an adoptive mom, I just couldn't enjoy the story about an unloved, unaccounted adopted kid.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this free Arc!

Yes, this was a three star read, but a high three star. If I did decimal point ratings, it might be more of a 3,5. Except I don't do that, so I don't know if that's be fully accurate either. Anyway, I did really enjoy my time reading this book. I was captivated, and it was a highly addicting read. I just didn't want to stop reading because I just needed to figure out how all these pieces fit together. However, I need to say that the two really big twists/reveals I was coming from miles, and miles away. There were some smaller twists I didn't nececarily see coming, but they weren't meaningful enough for that dissapointment at those bigger reveals being so predictable to go away. That truly is why I can't give this a four star though. It just made those climax moments fall flat for me.
However, like I said I did quite enjoy my time reading this book. I especially loved the letters we got from Ruby, detailing her life. I thought those parts of the book were easily the most interesting. Ruby was an absolute icon. She wasn't a good person. She did many bad things, but I can't help but think of her as an icon (just because she's fictional, migth I add). The narrative voice in those letters was also just so incredibly compelling. We also got some media reports about Ruby, Ashby house, and everything that surrounds it. I also quite liked those parts. They weren't a big part, nor did they add any info we really desperately needed, but they did give an insight in just how infamous this family was/is. It also was a great way to break up the main narrative.
Talking about that main narrative though, that was my least favourite part. The chapters from Cam and Jules' POV weren't as interesting and the story a bit slow moving. However, I just couldn't stop reading because I needed to know how the letters fit into this, or what it was all leading to. It took some time getting into that part of the story, but once I did I was captivated. It's just sad, that almost immediately after the reveals started happening, and we already know how I feel about those. Jules as a character also gave me the ick for quite a lot of this book, and I don't think she was supposed to to this extend. I think the author intended to have her be the same as Ruby, someone who didn't always do the right thing but still an icon to some extend. However, that wasn't Jules to me. The way she just completely disregards her husbands trauma for her own profit right until she becomes a "victim" of those some people just rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe, you should just be on your husband of ten years side when he says these people are vile, and this house has too many bad memories for him to ever feel comfortable living in it. But, I don't know. It didn't read very girlboss to me, like it clearly was supposed to.

Ever since Daphne DuMaurier wrote Rebecca, readers have enjoyed stories set in atmospheric mansions and their environs. That is the case here in a story that takes place in North Carolina. The mansion was the home of an extremely rich woman whose first name was Ruby.

Ruby had quite a history. When she was young, Ruby got lost in the woods and was taken by a family who had lost their own child. Her wealthy parents searched for her and eventually Ruby made it home. Were the events really as described? Readers may wonder as they turn the pages.

Ruby went on to marry four times. All of Ruby’s husbands seem to have come to bad ends. Was Ruby responsible?

Ruby adopted a child. Why did she adopt Cam? Are there any secrets here? Again, readers will wonder as they turn the pages.

Around Ruby and Cam there are many other characters. These include Ruby’s jealous sister, with whom she never got along, and her sister‘s children, among others. All have their parts to play.

For his part, Cam wanted a normal life, even though he could live the life of a very rich person. Instead, Cam isan English teacher who lives in Colorado with his wife, Jools. When Cam and Jools decide to go to North Carolina, events are set in motion.

I enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful and engaging. I liked how the narrative took different forms, including letters, newspaper reports, etc.

Those looking for a page turning read, look no further. The Heiress will entertain you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

Camden McTavish inherits his adopted mother's fortune when she passes. But instead of staying at the famous Ashby Estate in the mountains of North Carolina and spending his inheritance, he leaves town and hasn't touched the money. Camden wants nothing to do with the McTavish legacy. After being gone for 10 years, an email from his cousin finally lures Camden back to Ashby House with his wife Jules.

The Heiress included multiple POVs that kept me interested in the story. It's definitely more of a slow burn mystery than a thriller, but did include some interesting twists and turns toward the end. I wish the whole story had moved at that pace. Overall, it was an interesting read that I'd recommend.

This was a hit for me! This plot was something. It is fairly predictable in the end, but, regardless, it was fun watching it unravel. I look forward to her next work!

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.

This is my first book by this author (I know, I'm surprised too), and I really enjoyed it!

This is a slow burn that picks up at the end. I flew through it though, and I guess I read it fast enough that I didn't give myself time to try to guess the twists that were at the end. It kept my interest, and I really liked the sections that were letters from Ruby so we got her backstory.

Now to find all the books I have from this author's backlist....

Well this was fun! I loved the eerie atmosphere. I read this in two settings and couldn’t put it down. It definitely gave me Evelyn Hugo and Knives out vibes. I loved reading Ruby’s perspective and the use of multimedia. It was definitely a slowburn thriller so the ending was predictable but overalla fun time.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I was really surprised at how good this book was. I love a book that has such well thought out twists. They weren’t predictable (maybe one or two), but the surprises just continued to keep coming. I enjoyed this book from start to finish and every time I had to put it down, I couldn’t wait to pick it back up. The characters were just right and the story was like an onion that had layer and layer. I couldn’t get enough and I didn’t feel like this was forced and I didn’t feel like there was any fluff that didn’t belong… it was well thought out and continued to deliver one revelation after another! Obsessed with this thriller. Will be recommending!

Page turning thriller that was both fun and gripping! I feel like the book was really well thought out and planned, it felt ingenious and intelligent.

The first half of the book I couldn’t put down, I haven’t read that quickly in a long time!