***Thank you NetGalley for an Arc of this book

***THERE'S NOTHING AS GOOD AS THE RICH GONE BAD.

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.***

The book is multiply points of view going back in time Via letters from Ruby where she talks about her past and her husbands. we also see Camden who is Ruby's son and his wife jules points of view as well.
At first i was a little lost as to where this book was heading about a 1/3 of the way through i had a good idea what the main twist was, there was a few little extra ones in there as well
i've enjoyed most of rachel's thriller books some more than others this one falls around the middle for me. A quick and and easy read.

I’ve tried a few times to get into this, as the author is one of my favorite thriller writers. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me.

I still look forward to the authors next novel and hope this finds the right readers!

I love Rahcel Hawkins and this novel was brilliant! Multiple POVs kept me engaged throughout the story. It's a quick read, since it's so captivating and finished it in 1.5 days! This story is about aa wealthy child, Ruby McTavish, who disappeared in the woods near her NC home at 3 years old. She was found less than a year later and returned home to Ashby House. However, she has this niggling feeling that something is off. When older, Ruby writes letters prior to her death about her years growing up and how she adopted a son named Camden who later inherits all of the family fortune. Camden has kept his distance from the family and only returns upon Ruby's death to collect his inheritance. It's then the story starts to unwind and readers learn more about the family secrets and drama/twists that unfold.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Rachel Hawkins or for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

No.......just no. This book was so boring yet also so predictable that it was almost a DNF for me. The characters were all a snooze fest and the story line has been done to death. This was just not a win for me.

I thought this was really poorly written. The thriller seemed over the top and everything just seemed slightly too exaggerated.

If you love a story about a rich, dysfunctional family then this is the book for you. This book gives me the same ~vibe~ as the show The Fall of the House of Usher, just without a paranormal aspect. Which might be a poor comparison but my brain has decided to associate those.

Overall I enjoyed this book, the main plot was interesting enough and it felt like a quick, easy read. I think some of the twists were too foreshadowed, but that might just be personal taste. I enjoyed the different characters and wished we could have gotten more of them interacting, as it felt like half of the book was told from Ruby's letters.

There were some plotlines that felt rushed, and some that felt unnecessary, but overall the book kept me entertained enough to want to know how it ended. I would recommend this book to someone that is interested in a good mystery filled with annoying rich people, which is some people's jam!


***SPOILERS***
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My random thoughts the plot:

What was up with the plotline of Libby trying to get with Camden?

You're telling me I'm suppose to think Ruby's dad knew she was not Ruby and killed multiple people but still left all of the estate to her?

I have watched enough catfish episodes to know if Jules was lying about things in her past/current life, Camden would have moved on.

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***END OF SPOILERS***



I want to thank St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins is a captivating blend of mystery, drama, and gothic fiction. The story follows Ruby McTavish, a wealthy heiress surrounded by secrets and intrigue. Told from multiple perspectives, the narrative skillfully pieces together Ruby's enigmatic life and her family's dark history.

Ruby's transformation from a sheltered heiress to a truth-seeker is compelling. The supporting characters are well-developed, each adding to the mystery. Hawkins' atmospheric writing and vivid descriptions immerse readers in the eerie world of the McTavish estate.

The plot is well-paced with enough twists to keep readers engaged, leading to a satisfying conclusion. The Heiress is a gripping novel that fans of gothic fiction and suspense will thoroughly enjoy.

The Heiress is quite a twisty book full of surprises and bombshells! No one is who they pretend to be. It was a quick read and perfect summer reading! Thank you.

Absolutely amazing book that I’ve read twice now. I appreciate the layers of deception present in this book. The back story for the characters was so interesting. Would highly recommend

Thank you to Rachel Hawkins, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an ebook copy of The Heiress for me to read and review. This was a complicated, twisty, but enthralling story. Hawkins does an excellent job of describing the characters in such a way to make readers really feel connected to their personalities and their experiences. There were so many facets to the story that I truly wasn't expecting the ending!

Sounded like a book I would like and I wasn't wrong but the twists and turns just didn't work all that well for me. I found myself zoning in and out from time to time while reading this one.
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! I'm always on the lookout for a good inheritance story, and this one definitely delivered.

The mixed-in journal entries, newspaper articles, etc added so much depth to the story, really enhancing the story. It reminded me of "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo," but if that book was much darker.

When I finished this book, I wasn't ready for it to be over but also greatly appreciated that this book was the length it was. It kept it right to the story without any fluff.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this one!

Such a unique and interesting story that had me questioning the motives of each and every person involved and not believing anyone. After Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, the richest heiress in North Carolina, dies it creates a series of questions of relationships, truth, and justice that is twisted and confusing. I enjoyed this book a lot as I never knew exactly who to trust, or even like, and will absolutely recommend it to others who enjoy a good suspense.

I honestly could not get into this book. I loved all the other books written by this author, but this one fell flat for me. It did give some juicy details about all the families throughout the book which was nice, but then once I got to the end of the book, I was over it because you already got some much juice. I gave it 3 stars I think but didn’t post it to my Instagram. I didn’t love it.

My last read of 2023 was THE HEIRESS and it was an easy 5 star read for me. Someone needs to come wake me up over here because I cannot believe I have been sleeping on this author’s work for so long!

THE HEIRESS captivated me from beginning to end. I absolutely love stories filled with drama about rich people behaving badly. I was so drawn into the story of Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore and the McTavish clan that I lost all track of time. The character development was so well done, and I could picture all the despicable characters in my head.

My favorite part of the book were the letters written by Ruby McTavish to an unknown person. The letters were scattered throughout the book, and I could not wait until I came upon the next one. The letters gave me The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibe which I absolutely loved.

There also several bombshell twists that I never saw coming.

This book would make a great #netflixseries!

🖤 Rachel Hawkins has sealed a spot on my list of my favorite thriller authors, and I will read anything she writes.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this early read.

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This was SOOO GOOD! I was SO invested in the storyline! It was super easy to follow and it was beyond engaging! I loved the easy twists and turns and how well this novel flowed! I didn't see the ending coming which made me enjoy this one even MORE!

Great suspense & definitely had me guessing through the whole book. It started a little slow for me, personally but it did quickly get more interesting. Rachel Hawkins is easily becoming an instant buy/read for me. Reckless Girls was great & this comes up just underneath it.

This was just okay. There were certainly some twists and turns along the way I hadn’t guessed at and I’m not someone who needs characters to all be likeable, but I need to at least find redeeming qualities or be more entertained by them.

This book was so interesting that I was up into the wee hours of the morning reading. I could. It get enough of Ruby’s life and by extension Cam’s her adopted son. The story starts off with the disappearance of baby Ruby. Then it jumps to her life as an adult adopting Cam. Then it tells about the family of the McTavish’s and the greed of the remaining family members. Ruby was left the house and all the money by her father, she in turn leaves everything to Cam. This of course leaves the rest of the family feeling very mad about receiving nothing and especially none of the money.

The book was a little confusing when it would jump to different characters with each chapter and not knowing who was speaking for a bit, but you can figure it out within the first couple of paragraphs so it wasn’t too much of an issue. Other than that it was still a great read.

I highly recommend this book it really kept me guessing through the book all the way to the very last page.