The Heiress was an interesting mystery with lots of turns at the end. I thought it was enjoyable but not my favorite. The story starts off kind of slow and doesn’t pick up until the second half of the book. I liked the ending and how things came together but wish the build up was more interesting.

Wow!!! I read a lot and often feel like I predict the story line early. But this one had me on my toes and page turning late into the night!!

The wealthy family drama, multi generational beliefs added to the characters and shocking revelations at the end had me questioning whether I still liked Ruby’s character.

Excellent read! Highly recommend!

it’s a miracle!!!! a rachel hawkins book I actually enjoyed!!!!

okay this gave me seven husbands of evelyn hugo if it was a murder mystery vibes ☠️ like ruby was THAT bitch and I was so here for supporting women’s rights AND wrongs!!

I’m all for a twisty turning family drama mystery - and this one had all of it combined! while this was a very character forward mystery, I didn’t mind one bit, and in fact, I quite prefer characterization when it comes to these kind of mysteries!!

the plot itself progressed at a medium pace, flipping back and forth between married couple jules and cameron in present day and letters written by ruby in the past! and while I did guess most of the twists early on, they were not obvious in the slightest and enjoyed watching them play out

similar to other family thrillers, my favorite parts were getting to the bottom of what makes the characters tick, and boy was this family unhinged at best 😳

this is definitely rachel hawkins’s best so far! I’m so happy this was a win to start off 2024!

thank you to netgalley and st martin’s press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! this one’s out next week!!!

rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: dom perignon rosé champagne (iykyk)

Wow! What a great book! I loved Camden & Jules and Ruby. I wasn’t sure whether Ruby was a villain or not but i really liked her regardless. The alternating story lines were fun and so engaging. I thought the Easter egg from The Villa was so fun. i also thought that Ben, Libby & Nell were awful and I liked how the book ended. The revelations at the end of the book for most good characters was great & some were shocking. I enjoy how this author drops clues about what is coming and just reels you in as a reader. I really wanted to know how things were going to come about.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the chance to read this book.

What a great story. It reminded me a little of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Ruby is such an interesting character. Love the mechanism of the letters to tell the backstory of the husbands. Some humor spread throughout. Quick read.

The Heiress, by Rachel Hawkins, is a family thriller set in a huge old mansion. At the center of this story is a young couple, married for ten years and very much in love. Both characters are very nuanced, with complicated backgrounds. The first third of the book establishes the characters and settings. You can't help but like the couple and be mesmerized by the old, enormous (think Downton) mansion that housed the same family for generations. Hawkins is a master at the twists and turns! Once the tension begins to build, the heat continues to the very last page. I thought this was great fun, a compelling thriller, and a wonderful read for the first days of the new year! Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read a digital ARC.

Another winner from Rachel Hawkins!

Quick, addictive read that had me doubting myself until the end. Loved all the Red vs. Green symbolism, it’s subtle at first, but it all ended up clicking.

This is like…The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo + Knives Out and I could not be happier!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this fantastic novel 🔪💃🌲✉️🤔📝🔫🎨

📚: The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins (@ladyhawkins)
⭐️: 5/5

Ruby, a North Carolina heiress, kidnapped at age 3 (yes, terrifying to read as a toddler parent). After a 10 month search, she's found living with another family and is returned home. Fast forward decades later, and upon her death, her adopted son is estranged, her sister is the meanest old woman ever, and her niece & nephew only see green - in both envy and money.

Oh, and did I mention she was four times married -- and all of those husbands died under highly mysterious circumstances? Hmm.

With a captivating dual timeline, a brilliant use of various fictional media, and twists that left me frantically page turning and gasping at the end, The Heiress is, by far, Rachel Hawkins's strongest effort yet. An ideal read for those that enjoy a Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibe with a (much) darker undertone. Watch for a bit of slow pacing at the start to set the story, which builds brilliantly.

A huge thanks to @stmartinspress for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Heiress is out next week on 1/9!

The Heiress starts out slow, but don’t let that stop you. Keep reading to find out who the Heiress is and why. Is possession 9/10 of the law? I enjoyed the way this book was written with various people and old letters talking to us, the readers. I don’t feel like I got to know the two main characters very well. I saw them emerge somewhat as the story goes on. I speed read through the ending of the book, with all of the twists and turns.

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martins Press for allowing me to read this book. This review is freely and honestly given.

I've read all of Hawkins' previous thrillers and they haven't really wowed me. The Heiress really changed my mind. I really loved the back and forth of the letters by Ruby and present day. The twist was pretty great too in the end, even if I figured it out.

I binged this in two days and I think everyone who liked her previous novels will really enjoy this one! Her best book yet.

What a fun, quick read. I had no expectations and I'm glad I didn't because I just fell into the story.

Quick Synopsis: Camden's mother has passed away and he inevitably is pulled back to his hometown, with his new wife Jules, to deal with family/estate matters. Nothing worse right? Especially if its the McTavish family!

I loved how this was written, letters from the past, family secrets, and tons of drama (did i say tons, imagine way more than that). Trifecta of just a perfect read. The best way to read this is blind and just enjoy the journey of the crazy train.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

This one was interesting. It wasn’t super fast-paced, but I liked the intermixing of Ruby’s letters, short excerpts from published material, and the dual perspectives of Jules and Camden - just when I thought I was going to be disappointed by the ending, it surprised me a little bit!

I can see certain groups of high school students being really into this!

First, I would like to thank St.Martin’s Press via Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the copies in exchange of an honest review.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins have the right amount of thrill and suspense. Funny how its common to hear rich people making a fool of themselves for a slice of the pie of inheritance. And because of greed they get more creative, clever and the most evil. This three part POV story between Jules, Camden and the famous and rich Ruby is fast paced, packed with secrets, betrayal, dead bodies and lies!

It’s a hood read and entertaining in general!

I would Give this book a solid 4.5 stars, and what a way to start out the New year! First off, I’m a huge Rachel Hawkins fan, My favorite book being ‘The Wife Upstairs’, a truly wild and fun retelling of the classic ‘Jane Eyre’. Going into this book I really didn’t know what to expect and I am so happy I didn’t look too far into it, because it was a RIDE.

When one of our leading characters, Cam, gets a call from a family members stating that is mother passed away and he has inherited everything, he has no choice to return home to settle up. Along on this journey is his wife Jules, who couldn’t be more excited to finally come into some money, and live in the iconic Ashby House. We are told the story by those two, but also, past letters from the Late Ruby McTavish. Ruby, our matriarch, having gained fame from previously being kidnapped as a kid, and a famous widow four times over, we watch as money and privilege shape this family and the lengths they will go to keep their power.

This story had so many twists and turns and really kept you on your feet. I would recommend this if you are looking for a fun ride and wonderful writing. My only downside was that I did guess a few of twists, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying, but made it more fun that I was right!

I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC for an honest review ( my first one!)

I started off switching between ebook and audio, but the audio was just so well done, I stuck with it for most of the book. It was almost like watching a movie with my ears!

The McTavish family is one interesting bunch! Ruby went missing as a toddler, supposedly kidnapped and returned later to her family.

We get three points of view - Ruby (told through correspondence), Camden (Ruby's adopted son), and Jules (Camden's wife). I felt this format was fantastic in slowly peeling back the layers and letting us in on the whole story. It was complicated and amazing and I was so drawn in.

This story is chocked full of greed, murder, jealously, lies and family drama. And I loved every minute of it.

A case of unlikeable characters made for a wild and twisty ride. And that ending!!

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for both an ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

The Wife Upstairs was my favorite by this author until I read this book. This is hands down her best yet. It has a lot going on. A lot of mystery, edge of your seat thrills, intrigue, murder, abuse. It has it all...

Ruby McTavish, born June 1, 1940, is fighter. She always has been and seems always will be. She went missing when she was just a little girl of three. Found months later in another state. Seems she is destine for heartache though. Ruby is smart. She knows how to make money. How to get what she wants. She meets and marries Duke Callahan at the young age of twenty. Things didn't end to well for him. He was shot on their honeymoon in Paris by an intruder. Duke was the first of four husbands who meet untimely demise while married to Ruby. The one that she truly loved with all her heart was Andrew Miller. He was her third husband and the longest marriage. She was married to Hugh Woodward who was her father's accountant for a couple of years before his demise. And her last husband, Roddy Kenmore, who was like twenty-five years her junior. He fell of a yacht and drowned. He couldn't swim.

I did not like her first husband. He was a bit mean. Her second was too clingy and way older than her. The third I loved. The last one was a child hooked on drugs it seems. Ruby and Andrew had a true love. One that would strong for them both. He was an artist who painted her portrait.

After losing her last husband Ruby adopted a child. A boy named Camden. I really like him and his wife Jules. Camden didn't want the house or the money after Ruby died. She had left everything to him. He went away and had no intention of returning. Fate brings him along with his wife to Tavistock. Jules meets Cam's family and finds out why he left. Why he just could not stay with these people one more minute.

Everyone in this story has secrets. From Ruby to Jules. You will learn exactly what happened to each of Ruby's husbands. What happened in her life. The things she went through. You get to know Cam very well and his wife. You hear in chapters/letters written by Ruby what her life was like living in Tavistock with her sister and dad. And her mother. How everything plays out. Even what may have happened to her when she went missing all those years ago.

I enjoyed this book so much. It had me guessing at a lot and yes I did figure out a few things. I just can't say what or I'll give away some big secrets. I will say that I hope Cam and Jules have a long and healthy life...

Thank you #NetGalley, #RachelHawkins, #StMartinsPress for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

Five huge stars and a very high recommendation.

I enjoyed this read! It was fast paced, easy to read and used different kinds of media
It gave vibes mirroring Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo, The Only One Left & Verity.

I gave this 4 stars because I wanted to dive deeper into the side characters, Cams cousins. We learn a lot about Ruby, but I felt that we needed to learn more about the others. I would have loved a prequel!!

At some points in the story, for me it lulled a bit. Especially during the letter reading from Ruby.

The writing was magnetic. It drew me in and I was eager to meet all of the characters. The twist at the end had my mind blown. I want to go back and reread it again sometime just to make sure I didn’t miss anything. It was a twisty domestic thriller and I was here for it!

Told from the points of view of married couple, Camden and Jules, as well as letters written by Ruby, Cam’s mother, The Heiress is a fast paced family drama full of secrets and lies. It was also a portrait of how money corrupts and how the need to be rich leads to greed and selfishness.

While a couple of the twists were pretty obvious, there were still some surprises, especially when it came to the deaths of Ruby’s four husbands. The last twist was also one I did not expect, but it made perfect sense when it came to the plot.

Rachel Hawkins’s newest thriller takes you to a grand estate in North Carolina where we meet the McTavish Family. Can and his wife, Jules, return to his family’s home to try to settle his family drama once and for all…but like all good family drama, secrets are bound to come out.

This story was ok—it was an easy enough read. I will say that a couple of times throughout the book, I thought about just giving up because I really didn’t like any of the characters and honestly didn’t care what happened to them. But the book had an interesting format and I did keep going. It was entertaining overall, although I don’t know if I’ll be that keen on picking up Hawkins’s next book.

4 stars

Rachel Hawkins has once again delivered a novel that kept me guessing. You will not be disappointed by the ending!

Synopsis: Camden is the adopted son of Ruby McTavish, the richest and most notorious person in their NC town for being kidnapped as a child and being a widow four times over. When Ruby dies, everything is left to Camden and he wants nothing to do with the money or his family. He leaves his life behind. Years later, he and his wife Jules are forced to go back to Ashby House when his uncle dies. While there, they must confront the dark secrets the family holds.

This was such a fun read!! There are 3 POVs in this story-Camden, Jules, and Ruby. I loved Ruby’s the most, as her POV was completely through letters she wrote while nearing her death. The letters revealed so much about the past and helped give the story clarity. All 3 characters have their secrets that are slowly revealed throughout the novel. This was a fast paced thriller that keeps you guessing at every turn. I found the ending to be almost completely unexpected and loved every second of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC.