This book was fun but ultimately I was let down by the ending. I saw the twist coming from a mile away and the ending felt a little abrupt, with little in the way of a dénouement.

Camden McTavish and his wife, Jules, comes home to Ashby House, the mansion he grew up in that was owned by his adopted mother, Ruby. After Ruby’s death, Camden inherited everything but left because life at Ashby House was too stifling.

Fast forward some years and Camden brings Jules back so he can deal with his inheritance and his estranged extended family. This story was rife with drama, murder, secrets, and family against bitter family. I enjoyed the different point of views (especially Ruby’s) and I really liked the little twist at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC. The Heiress is out now.

Another Rachel Hawkins delivery! I loved how fast pace the story read. It gave me 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibes which I loved.

The back and forth POVs in addition to the letters from Ruby made the story layered and kept me wondering how and why with each husband. Every reveal had me gasping and loving her character even more. This is definitely a story you’d watch on the big screen in theaters. I really enjoyed it. My only complaint was the ending. It felt too messy and rushed. It was a great twist, but I wanted a little more clarification. I even reread certain parts and I wish it was revealed differently.

Thanks so much NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the arc.

Rachel Hawkins has become an auto-buy author for me over the last few years and when I heard the premise for The Heiress, I knew this was one I didn’t want to miss. Give me all the Gothic, old money, sprawling estate in the South vibes!

Hawkins delivers a fun and dramatic story about a family you are going to love to hate. They’ve got all the hidden secrets and more to be discovered as the reader settles into the Ashby house. The main narration comes from Jules and Cam, but there are excerpts from letters by Ruby that completely sold and hooked me on this book. I loved learning her secrets and how they played into the present day storyline.

There are lots of questions that need answering in this book and the synopsis in my opinion does a great job of setting the stage for the reader, but to review the details of how things unfold would be too spoilery.

My thoughts:
Do you like drama?
Do you like families with lots of hidden secrets?
Do you love getting a bird's eye view into people’s lives?
If you answered yes to any of these, check this one out!

🎧: Bonus points – This is a multi-cast production!

I love this author & I loved this book! Very clever writing & twists. Definitely recommend!

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

A captivating tale of gothic suspense, and likely my favorite (it's at least in the top two) of Rachel Hawkins's novels! This one is filled with nonstop twists and surprises, based around a family of rich people behaving badly (one of my favorite tropes); I could not get enough of this story! It's a quick read, you'll fly right through it and, if you enjoyed the movie Saltburn, this is a must for you! Highly recommend!

I knew there was a reason the author kept revisiting a particular bit of information, but I never guessed the setup and manipulation behind the events that were happening.

After the demise of a family member, Camden McTavish reluctantly returns to Ashby House, the family mansion in the Blue Ridge Mountains he had left over a decade ago to tend to certain family matters. Adopted by the late Ruby McTavish, Camden never quite felt a part of the McTavish family, though Ruby doted over him. Kidnapped as a child, found after eight months and returned to her family, married and widowed multiple times, Ruby led an eventful life but her secrets and her manipulativeness drove a wedge between her and her adopted son. Though Camden left North Carolina after Ruby’s demise over a decade ago, Ruby’s sister Nelle and her grandchildren stayed on to live in Ashby House and resent the fact that Camden inherited the home and the family fortune. While Camden isn’t too thrilled to be back, Jules is more than impressed with the family mansion, the grandeur, and the promise of a life very different from the one they share in Colorado and wouldn’t mind making Ashby House their permanent home. But there is a lot about the family and Camden that Jules does not know and similarly, Camden is unaware of Jules’ intentions. What follows is a tangled web of secrets and more secrets, lies, and manipulation.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins! The narrative is shared from the perspectives of Camden and Jules with letters written by Ruby interspersed throughout the novel through which she shares all the juicy details about her life! Ruby McTavish is one of the most interesting (fictional) characters I have come across in recent times. Intriguing plot (though not entirely original), consistent pacing, twists and turns, and surprises galore, this novel is an entertaining page-turner. While certain aspects of the story were not entirely unpredictable, there were enough surprises to hold my interest and I really liked the ending. Overall, this was a fun read that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to fans of this genre!

This was my first Rachel Hawkins novel and I hope to explore more of her work.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Veryyyy slow burn, but I didn't hate that.
There are a LOT of characters and that I didn't loved. It got a little too confusing for me at times.

Another gem from Hawkins. So many secrets and lies will keep you guessing until the end. What a disfunctional family, well presented characters, a great setting and multiple pov’s across multiple timelines.

Rachel Hawkins has been a go to thriller author for me over the years and I always look forward to the new year when she typically releases her latest book. When it comes to The Heiress, it took me way too long of a time to get into the bread and butter of the story. The first 150-200 pages were a snoozefest and felt like it contributed nothing to the plot. I'm glad I stuck it out, because the ending felt worthwhile, but I hope this is not a sign of growing out of favor with this author!

The Heiress was another excellent book from the this author. Many great twists and turns in the story and a satisfying ending.

After The Wife Upstairs & Reckless Girls, I was disappointed with The Villa. Other than the back story, it was too much like Daisy Jones and the Six which I loathed. Thankfully, The Heiress was much more enjoyable.

“Sometimes, when I look up at Ruby’s portrait, I think about how happy she was when it was painted. She thought she’d beaten it then, the dark thing that was lurking inside her.”

Another Rachel Hawkins gem completed and WOW!! It was truly a page turner that had me in its grips and still hasn’t let me go after finishing it.

The story of a family filled with secrets, murder and lots of money. A kidnapping, the death of four husbands and a mansion filled with people who can’t stand the others. Can money make everything better or does bad karma follow you wherever you go, regardless of the circumstances?

Truly a great read, I’m giving it four stars for the way it kept me intrigued, curious and flipping the page on my kindle. I loved it!!

Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore passed away. She was notorious in North Carolina. Her son Camden and his wife come back home. His relatives hate him.
We get to see how she meets each one of her husbands and why the family hates her.
Thanks to publisher St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this novel. It had all the right twists and turns to keep me engaged. I even bought the audiobook which I highly recommend. Excellent narration. Now I feel I need to read more of this author and am going to read The Villa.

I found “The Heiress” to be a near perfect thriller, a great early read of 2024 to jumpstart the year. As someone who doesn’t consider herself to be a huge thriller fan, this one was a winner for me.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

I really enjoy Rachel Hawkin's writing and this book was a perfect example as to why. It was so well developed from the very beginning and I absolutely loved the format of it. I thought it did drag on a bit in a few parts but otherwise was very suspenseful. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This has been my favorite of Rachel Hawkins' novels so far. I really enjoyed the mixed media aspect of the novel, alternating between different narrating perspectives, Ruby's story, and newspaper articles from the past. It was a novel that was fast-paced and gripping from the start.

This was a wild ride and I loved it! This was my 6th book by Rachel Hawkins and it's safe to say that she is now on my always-read list! Can't wait for her next book!