Rachel Hawkins is GOOD. She knows how to get into your head and create chaos and actually leave you wanting more. She made me yell at this book and that just IS NOT ME, y'all. This is only the second book I've read by her, but I can tell I already am gonna need more, and soon. Family drama and mystery have surrounded the McTavish clan for decades, and it doesn't take much to get caught up in it all. Plenty of uncertainty and feeling off-balance right until the end, but handled well by Hawkins. This was worth the sleep I lost staying up late to finish it.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press, the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another captivating and unputdownable story by the indomitable Rachel Hawkins.
I loved this twisted tale of secrets and lies and major family dysfunction. Camden and Jules are going back to the home Camden desperately wanted to leave growing up. The family he left behind when he did leave wants nothing more to do with him but Camden is the owner of the mansion they still live in. Jules wants the house and everything that goes with it. Everybody has a secret agenda. Not everyone will survive.

The story is very well written and flows evenly from the voices of Cam and Jules as well as Cam's mother Ruby and a few newspaper articles. The Gothic feeling and atmosphere of the mansion is palpable. The narrators are all unreliable. The ending will surprise you.

Thank you to St Martins Press for granting me an ARC through NetGalley to read, review and enjoy.

Rachel Hawkins’ latest is a suspense novel about generations of a wealthy family in the mountains of North Carolina. It’s atmospheric; includes two perspectives and progressively revealing letters; and has twist after twist. I couldn’t stop turning the pages and had fun trying to guess where things were going.

My thanks to the publisher for an ARC. All opinions are mine.

Ruby McTavish, the richest woman in North Carolina is infamous for her four marriages that ended in the tragic deaths of her husbands—and for her kidnapping when she was a young girl. Her adopted son, Cameron, wants nothing to do with the McTavish family, the fortune he inherited, or Ashby house, the sprawling estate that seems to swallow up everyone who lives there. Since Ruby’s death ten years ago, he’s made a life for himself in Colorado, marrying Jules and teaching English at a boys’ high school.

However, after his uncle Howell dies, Cameron’s cousin entreats him to return to Ashby House for one last visit. Cam and Jules drive cross-country, anxiety mounting as they get closer to the town were Cam grew up—the town he swore he’d never return to. Upon arrival, they are greeted with scorn by Nelle, Ruby’s sister, and Howell’s children, Ben and Lil who have never considered him a real McTavish—but what does it mean to be a McTavish and is it really an honor?

Through letters, newspaper accounts, and narratives from both Cam and Jules’ perspectives, THE HEIRESS reveals the astonishing secrets and driving motivations of Ruby and the other members of the McTavish family.

Far and away, this is my favorite Rachel Hawkins book. It has characters you love to hate and characters you feel guilty about loving. So many times, I thought to myself, “I can’t believe they just did that!” The book is absolutely, deliciously twisted.

The book is adorned with wonderful details—the lovely (and sometimes dangerous) landscape of the area surrounding Ashby House; the uncomfortable relationship between the nearby town, Tavistock, and its benefactors, the McTavishes; and the horrible upbringing Cam endured—having to forget his real birthday to share Ruby’s or being given a bedroom that is “all chinz and florals with a canopy bed”; and all of Ruby’s clothing and jewelry!

Highly recommended for those who like twisty domestic thrillers with rich people behaving badly.

alrighty, let us start by addressing the elephant in the room: this ain't realllllly a mystery/thriller (in my personal opinion), I would say it is more a mild family suspense novel. It was an okay read, I like reading about rich peoples problems but I definitely got halfway through and was like ... wait why am I reading this what actually happened am I trying to figure something out?

The cast of characters I could take or leave, but again I did enjoy the book well enough. There was never a point in time where I was considering not reading the whole thing because I was into it but I just think if I had realigned my expectations I would have liked it better? I don't usually lean suspense novels in the kind I like.

My last main point is just that I didn't like the different storylines each equally which can be a huge issue for me. There is such a risk at implementing different storylines because if one is less interesting than others it substantially effects my book enjoyment haha.

I have kept up with reading every single one of her books and enjoyed this one too. The Heiress felt like reading more sinister and darker version of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. You get a deep dive into Ruby’s family life and the husbands she’s had over the years, especially how she earned the name of Ruby Killmore. There are so many ins and outs of this book that really make it a true Rachel Hawkins read. I’m giving it 4 ⭐️ only because it took a while to get going and the ending kind of just fell off for me.

Well, this was quite the interesting read! It was my first Rachel Hawkins' book and it definitely won't be my last!

I was intrigued with how this story was written and the plot. I kind of figured out the twists but there was one big one I was not expecting.

This story follows in the dual POVs of Camden and Jules, a married couple living in Colorado. After multiple emails and attempts to reach him, Camden's family got to him and somehow convinced him to return home to North Carolina.

In this story of the rich eat the poor, fights over money, mysterious pasts, and family members you dread, you also get letters from Ruby thrown into the mix between chapters. I really enjoyed reading the letters; they showed us who Ruby really was.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and can't wait to read some of her older works!

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯'𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬.

Highly recommend grabbing an audio copy of this book! It’s a really fun, popcorn thriller, narrated by a full cast!

This is the sixth book I’ve read by the author (including her Erin Sterling name) and I think it’s by far her best book! The story felt reminiscent of Evelyn Hugo - sorting through Ruby McTavish’s past relationships, the mystery surrounding her story, and her larger than life personality.

The story is quite the slow burn - don’t give up on this because all the little breadcrumbs that are dropped throughout the story are really fun as the details are weaved together. This has a gothic atmosphere and there are so many layers and secrets to unpack.

Recommend if you enjoy:
▫️Fun popcorn mysteries
▫️Good twists!
▫️Slow burn mysteries
▫️Evelyn Hugo
▫️North Carolina setting
▫️Journal entries from an earlier timeline

I usually enjoy Rachel Hawkins' books, but this one just didn't grab my attention. I think it may have been because I just finished another very similar book that was more interesting to me. I guessed both twists pretty early on, and zoned out through a lot of the complicated family tree explanations. Not a bad book by any means, I just wasn't in the mood. Since I already knew what happened, I wasn't too interested in how any of the reveals played out. My favorite part were Ruby's letters, though. I enjoyed hearing what happened between her and her many husbands!

First of all LOOK AT THIS COVER!!!!

I've read The Reckless Girls and The Wife Upstairs (I have yet to read The Villa though so don't hate me) but I really enjoyed this one!!

Getting to know Ruby and her backstory had my jaw on the ground. And then the way that the stories between all the characters intertwined (AHHHHHHHHH)

I would put this one as my second favorite read of hers and I highly recommend it! It is full of twists and turns and an awesome gothic feeling that overarches everything. I loved the integration of letters throughout and Rachel's storytelling.

If you love quick, family-drama-type thrillers (with an inheritance) then this is definitely one for you!

Ok this one might be my favorite Rachel Hawkins yet, it was SO good. The audio was fantastic, I put this one on and was immediately engrossed in this story. Once the matriarch Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore (say that five times fast) dies, the family is truly at their worst, and is why Camden, her adopted son, does not want to go back to the estate to deal with them. This had so many twists and several I did not see coming, and the ending was wild and absolute perfection. Do not miss this one, you must add it to your list!!

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Macmillan Audio for the copies to review.

A huge thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of The Heiress in exchange for my honest review.

Rachel Hawkins is an auto-author for me. Auto-buy. Auto-read. Auto-love. This novel is no different.

When an heir returns to his rightful home, him and his wife get more than they bargained for when all of the family's secrets start being exposed. Murder, deception, and scandals are not in short supply when it comes to the McTavishes. Nor is their money or notoriety. Told through multiple character view points and timelines this novel spins intrigue and mystery from the very first page.

Hawkins has shown since The Wife Upstairs that she is a gifted talent when it comes to gothic thrillers. She's even managed to turn me into a rom com fan, as Erin Sterling! It goes without saying that I will definitely be reading anything and everything she puts out in the future.

This thriller told from multiple points of views had several twists that kept me interested through the novel. Set in the North Carolina mountains on a family estate, it had family drama, kidnapping, murder, inheritance drama, family secrets, and so much more. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Ms. Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore is a total VIBE. I would never want to meet this lady in a dark alley or be on her bad side. The characterization of Ruby was expertly done. It was probably my favorite part of this book, hands down.

If you love the “rich people behaving badly” trope, this is IT! This family is full of horrible, unlikable people all trying to backstab each other.

The last quarter of the book was full of jaw dropping twist after jaw dropping twist. You do have to suspend disbelief a bit, as some of them are pretty out there.

I loved the letters that slowly revealed all the family’s secrets. What a fun read! I highly recommend!

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! This book completely blew me away! Rachel Hawkins did it once again! There were so many twists and turns that I could never possibly see coming and I completely got sucked into it! The way the story was told reminded me a bit of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, only parts from the past told through letters. I would highly recommend to anyone who likes psychological thrillers and mysteries!

Thank you Netgalley and St Martins Press for an ARC of Hawkins newest thriller, " The Heiress". The story revolves about Ruby, an heiress who fascinates the world who went missing when she was a few years old and has been in the headlines throughout her life since she had four husbands, each of who died under mysterious circumstances. After she dies, her estate is left to her adopted son, much to the dismay of her family. Hawkins is amazing at weaving a narrative where you are convinced the story is going in one direction, and then veering you into a completely different one! I devoured this book in two days, and Hawkins continues to surprise me with each novel she writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced readers copy of the E-book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book. I loved the characters, Ashby House, all the twists and turns— everything.

After the death of North Carolina's wealthiest and most notorious woman, Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, her adopted son Camden rejects his inheritance and leads a normal life with his wife Jules in Colorado. However, ten years later, they are drawn back to Ruby's family estate, Ashby House, after the death of Camden's uncle. As return to Camden’s childhood home, the couple must grapple with the imposing legacy of Ruby and the dark secrets that emerge about her past, including a famous kidnapping, four mysterious husbands' deaths, and the reasons behind Cam's adoption.

I’ve heard this thought echoed a couple times before, but The Heiress really is a thriller version of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and I love it for that.

I loved reading about Ruby’s life, I could’ve read like 500 more pages about Ruby and her life. I really enjoyed both Camden’s and Jules narration as well, but Ruby is just a standout for me.

I thought there could’ve been a bit more space between the twists, as they all happen pretty close to the end, but overall, I thought the book was well-paced enough even before the twists that I was engaged with it the whole time.

Overall, The Heiress is a really engaging and twisty thriller with characters you won’t want to stop reading about. 5 stars.

Really wanted to love this one, but it honestly wasn't my favorite. Cam, the heir to the family fortune, has broken away. He's made a new life out west and is content leaving his past in the past. When big issues arrive at the family home, he and his wife Jules set off to NC to help sort out the issues.

When arriving in NC, we are introduced to all the characters in the house, as well as their motivations. Everyone seemed mean, conniving, and unlikeable; I see why he left! As the story unfolds, you read letters from Ruby, the heir, and all of those she manipulated throughout her life. A complicated web of deception, lies, and multiple murder, the whole family seems evil. When the two main characters begin to share secrets of their own, the book took a dive for me, from unrealistic to super-unrealistic. A usual fan of Hawkins, I'll take a chance on the next one, but, this was just not it for me .

Thank you netgalley for the ARC!
This wasn’t bad but it just didn’t hook me from the beginning. The ending made up for it but I felt bored through most of it. It was entertaining enough and easy to read but nothing stood out to me. I wished there were some twists towards the end but the ending was better than I expected it to be!

An excellent thriller that you won’t be able to put down. It’s an all-in-one-sitting kind of book, and my favorite Rachel Hawkins book yet!

When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. 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.

But in the aftermath of her death, her adopted son, Camden, wants little to do with the house or the money—and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.

Ten years later Cam and Jules return to Ashby House at the request of his very bitter (mostly left out of the will!) family and wow it is a quintessential display of family drama, money hungry relatives, secrets, ulterior motives… alllll of it.

I could not put this book down. I loved how it was told in first person by two different characters (both likable!) but also used an epistolary format through old letters, news articles, etc that let the reader in on secrets that not every character is privy to.

I thought I knew how it would end but I didn’t. And it was also dark but not grotesquely so… I really enjoyed this one so much!

Thank you so much for the advance copy!