Member Reviews
LOVED IT! I love Rachel Hawkins writing and this one did not disappoint. This book was gripping and dark - you’ve got a dysfunctional family, loads of drama and suspense, with dual timelines and multiple povs. I loved the twists and was truly shocked!
The Heiress is another phenomenal novel by Rachel Hawkins. This one is more of a slow-burn than some of her other novels. This novel focuses on Cam, the adopted son of the wealthy Ruby McTavish, and his wife Jules. The novel is told from many points of view- Cam's, Jule's, and flashback letters from Ruby telling her life story.
Ruby has passed away many years ago and has left the Ashby House (mansion) in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC to Cam. The house has fallen into disrepair over the years and it's time to do something about it. Cam dreads going back home for reasons the reader doesn't quite know, yet Jules is excited to see the place where Cam grew up. When the couple arrives at Ashby House, things quickly get interesting.
I highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for a suspenseful novel that will keep the reader on their toes. It was impossible to put down!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
This is the third Rachel Hawkins book that I've read, and so far, it's my favorite! It had everything in it - kidnapping, murder, dysfunctional family, secrets, and lots of twists and turns! I loved the setting in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and enjoyed the multiple POVs and dual timelines. I thought Ruby was quite an interesting character, and I enjoyed reading all of her letters detailing major events in her life. This was a fast read, although some of the chapters were pretty long.
Thank you, @netgalley and @stmartinspress, for the #gifted DRC of this book!
Loved Hawkins’ Reckless Girls! I wanted to love the Heiress, but I ended up just liking it. I liked the that We heard from Ruby through her writing. She was the rich Heiress. Ruby was a widow four times. A little suspicious? Cam, her adopted son, moved away and created a life for himself and his wife, Jules. Cam was a teacher. Cam received word that Ruby had passed away. Jules convinces Cam that they needed to return to the family mansion. The story is told through Ruby’s letters, Cam’s voice as well as Jules.
Reader be ware! Take notes! Information overload! There was just too much information I feel to enjoy the book. There were a couple of twists that I really liked. My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.
I never miss a new Rachel Hawkins book, and this one will just add to that trend. I will be honest though, it took me until about a third of the way in before finally getting hooked. But after that, I was on a wild ride that I didn’t want to get off of! If you enjoyed Hawkins’ previous books, or if you like stories about southern wealthy family secrets and drama, then I highly recommend this one!
Ooh this book was soo good I listened to it in one day! The multiple POV’s and dual-timelines kept me hooked (especially Ruby’s letters) and there were so many excellent twists, but they all made perfect sense, which I loved! This story kept me guessing until the very end!
Three words: People. Be. Crazy. At this point, if I’m reading about a wealthy family I just need to be prepared for the insanity they get up to, because they are usually written with more money than sense. Ruby, the heiress, died several years earlier but left a series of letters to tell her life story. As we are having those stories revealed we are introduced to the current heir of the families considerable fortune, her adopted son and his wife, and his good-for-nothing cousins who still live on the estate. Ruby weaves a very interesting tale, while we simultaneously watch the younger generation scheme and try to take what they believe they deserve. It is a family reunion that is not soon to be forgotten, and packs some fantastic twists. It was an enjoyable read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝘼 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙘 𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙.
I’ve had a bumpy road with Rachel Hawkins. I absolutely loved The Wife Upstairs and Reckless Girls was fun! However, I struggled with The Heiress just like I did with The Villa.
I’ve seen nothing but great reviews thus far on this book, so I’m completely in the minority. This wasn’t bad by any means, but I didn’t love it as much as I wanted to.
The premise had me intrigued and I thought the audiobook was fantastic. I also enjoyed the alternating perspectives between Jules, Camdem, and Ruby - through letters. I loved Ruby’s letters in this, they were fun to read. I wasn’t completely captivated by the story, but it had an interesting plotline.
I was pulled into the story right away and found the beginning to be interesting, but as the story progressed I became less interested. There were a few plot holes and unanswered questions I had. The ending also didn’t leave me as surprised as other books by this author.
While I may not have enjoyed this as much as I wanted to, others have loved it so far. It was an entertaining story overall - not my favorite, but it was a decent thriller. I didn’t love the drama and twists in this, but the writing was so fun. I’ll still be reading this author for sure!
Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the review eARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!
I absolutely adore anything by this author and The Heiress was no exception! Fast paced thriller with so many twists and turns! Highly recommend.
Another good one from Rachel Hawkins! This story has so many twists & truths revealed, & it kept me on the edge of my seat. At one point, I worried there might be too much mention of murder, but then the plot hooked me in a different direction. I loved the different POVs & reading Ruby’s perspective through her letters. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.
This was the type of book that I enjoyed the page by page reading of and not necessarily the ending of the whole novel.
Positives:
Read this book very quickly
Had very high hopes for this book, especially in the beginning
This book had a bit of everything: romance, family drama, secrets, gothic setting, dysfunctional family history, and even kidnapping
A slow-burn family drama
Told from different perspectives of current characters and well as letters written from the matriarch Ruby McTavish Woodward Miller Kenmore (Killmore)
Negatives:
After a bit, the book got a bit confusing and crazy with all the twists and turns, but I was along for the ride and was there for it
But overall I would still tell people to read it and gave it a solid 4 out of 5 stars. I was already a fan of this author and will continue to make her books "must read" for me.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advance copy of The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins! This book came out last week and is available for purchase today! This in no way influenced this review.
Rachel Hawkins and I have had quite the journey, I've enjoyed a few and really disliked a few of her works, and I'm happy to report that this is probably my favorite of hers to date. One thing that Rachel Hawkins does really well is weave these characters together, and the whole book, I knew some sort of twist was coming, but it made the pacing SO easy to read - I kept wanting more. One thing about the composition of this book that was really interesting is that there are scattered letters from Ruby, our recently deceased heiress (if you will), and you don't know who they're addressed to; I also loved the addition of news articles and mixed media style. One critique of Hawkins' works that I've had is that she has some extra characters in her books that don't get a resolution, and I felt like this one did a great job of wrapping things up. The only reason it's not getting a 5-star review from me is because I wasn't sure how Ben/Libby's side arc was going to wrap up, and it felt like it was a tad confusing as to keep up with who was related, because it's known from the start (I promise, not a spoiler!) that Camden was a foster child and is not a blood relative of Ruby.
Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for this review - The Heiress is available today!
Read if you like:
• Dual timelines
• Multiple POVs
• Slower burn mysteries
• Unreliable narrators
• Atmospheric settings
• Stories about rich family drama
Jules and Camden. A suspenseful family drama with history and flashbacks. No one in the family is as they seem and the secrets are alluded to and then shared with precise timing and flair. The story is very visual and the characters colorful with emotion and dialogue. There was a great pace and entertaining blend of murder, love, hate, history, and family skeletons!
In The Heiress, family members scheme over mansions, money, and parentage in this twisting thriller.
When Ruby McTavish dies, she’s North Carolina’s richest and most infamous woman. 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. She leaves everything to her adopted son Camden who escaped from the family toxicity; he never touches the money. After his uncle dies, he is summoned home and takes his wife of ten years with him. Jules wants him to claim his rightful place in the house, but she doesn’t know that the rumors aren’t all false. Being at the Ashby House is not safe for them.
For the first time in a Rachel Hawkins novel, I could see twists coming—but only two of them. Hawkins delivers twist after twist pulling the proverbial wool over the reader’s eyes. This has always been the best part of Hawkin’s latest novels. You never knew what was truly going on and you see the characters and plot differently at a second read though. You see subtle touches and clues you may have missed the first time.
The Heiress reminds me most of The Villa structurally. You get different perspectives of what’s going on and the tale moves through the past and present. This complex layering makes the twists even more powerful. (Speaking of The Villa: Hawkins gives a beautiful Easter Egg in this novel). The Heiress, though, I think is a better story for me. This means nothing less of The Villa, only that The Heiress is a top-tier thriller/relationship story.
One of Hawkin’ best, The Heiress delighted me even when I guessed two of the twists. The story itself propelled me on and then I continued throwing curve balls. It was hard to put this book down.
I really liked this. At first I wasn't sure where this was going and then it just took off. The Family are shit people and honestly I didn't like a one, but I think that strange secretive dynamic is what made the book. Loved the letters and the back and forth between past and present. Totally didn't see where this was going, I thought I did at one point but I was only sorta right and I did not get the ending. The only other thing I can say is liar liar pants on fire.
Rachel Hawkins does it again!
With every year that passes, her books get more and more addictive, “The Heiress” is no exception.
A fun read, this thriller will keep your guessing. There are many twists and turns throughout to keep you entertained as well.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am thankful to NetGalley, Rachel Hawkins, and St. Martin’s Press for gifting me this ARC. I could not put it down.
I have loved all of Rachel Hawkin's past books, so I couldn't wait to read "The Heiress". It lived up to the hype and i couldn't put it down. I loved this fun story line and the look into the past. This book sucked me in from the start and was full of so many plot twists. You won't be disappointed by this one!
I love rich people drama and this delivered. Big lovely house? Yes. Snobby people you dislike but love to read? Yes. Mystery? Yes.
I think this might be my fave Rachel Hawkins yet.
Character - 7
Atmosphere - 7
Writing - 7
Plot - 7
Intrigue - 7
Logic - 7
Enjoyment - 9
CAWPILE = 3.64
I’ve read all of Rachel Hawkins book and this is my favorite!
I devoured this book. It was a twisted gothic mystery. Ruby is the wealthiest woman in North Carolina and when she died Camden, her adopted son, inherited everything including her family’s mansion. Camden doesn’t want anything to do with the money, the mansion or his dysfunctional adopted family. Fast forward 10 years later and his uncle dies and Camden receives a message that he must return home to Ashbury House.
The book was told in the past (letters written by Ruby) and the present time told by Camden and his wife, Jules. I was engrossed in Ruby’s story – her wealth, her secrets, and her dead husbands. The book was filled with tension, drama, secrets and twists. I loved every minute of it!