A huge thank you for an advanced copy of The Heiress in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Hawkins can truly do no wrong in my eyes and this one was brilliantly smart and SO addictive. The long short: Camden and Jules are living their happy normal life as newlyweds in Colorado when they're summoned back to Ashby House- Camdens childhood estate in North Carolina, to fix up the home following his adoptive mother, Ruby's, death. We meet the rest of the family who still lives in the estate (a wild mix of characters with horrific personalities) and tension is high. A number of secrets and mysteries loom; did Ruby really kill her four husbands? Why was everything left to Camden? How does Jules fit into the mix? All of these questions get answered through an alternating POV storyline from Camden and Jules as well as letters left behind from Ruby. Family drama, murder, mystery, suspense, love, tension, and more than one plot twist- this book has it all and I can't recommend it enough (but no surprise there).

Ashby House is in the wooded mountains of NC where generations of the McTavish family have kept their traditions, dark secrets and dysfunctional façade going. Ruby is the eldest of the remaining living heirs to a vast fortune. This family is renowned, has clout, pulls strings, calls in favors and throws money at indiscretions. When Ruby dies, her estranged adopted son, Camden, jealous sister, great-nephew and niece gather to claim the fortune, each believing they have a legal claim. Lawyers, decades old secrets, letters, schemes and plotting culminating in unbelievable revelations. This family has a devilishly evil genetic bloodline. All the characters are vividly descriptive. I didn’t trust any of them, most are unlikable and there was no one I wanted to succeed. My rating would have been much higher had I not deduced several of the twists early on and wasn’t surprised at the conclusion. It was a solid plot and I have enjoyed other books by this author and would read her again. Purely a personal preference but, the back and forth between the people and different time periods has never been a style I like, the alternating can be hard to follow. Then I get aggravated if all the suspense build up is a let down and unwarranted.
Thanks to NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy of “The Heiress” by Rachel Hawkins, published by St. Martin’s Press. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

I was a little hesitant on this because her last one was not my favorite but I adored this one! It had just the right amount of twists that hooked you in and needed to know more.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

4.5 Rachel Hawkins found a winning formula. Atmospheric house + twisted romantic relationships = a book I will always pick up. This is my fave book of hers since the Wife Upstairs and I had a ton of fun reading it. I think the different narratives worked together really well and I think this was her most likable set of characters. I didn't expect the 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo esque energy but I loved that part of the book.

Rachel Hawkins never missed. This was a book I struggled to put down and found myself thinking about it during the workday. Hawkins writing is just like the other book, yanking the reader in from the start and keeping them on the edge of their seat during the mystery of it all.

Well this was definitely different than other stories I have read. It gave me a bit of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibes at times. I thought the writing was perfect as per usual with Hawkins. The story was unique and tid bits of information were dropped keeping my attention. The ending and the "twists" were good too. Nothing too shocking or overly unreasonable. It felt just right. The reason I didn't push this to 5 stars was because at times, I felt the story could have moved on a bit quicker and I could not compare it to other 5 star reads on my list. But I still enjoyed it very much and would recommend this to my fellow readers.

I LOVED this book and practically inhaled it. The multiple perspectives, different types of writings, and engaging characters kept me hooked. This is definitely Rachel Hawkins’ best book!

I really enjoyed this book and pretty much anything Rachel Hawkin's writes. Ruby- a rich and well known North Carolina woman, became famous when she was kidnapped as a child in this small town of Tavisstock. This book follows her story of her wealthy family, her 4 marriages (all widowed after) and her adopted son, Camden. There is so much drama, secrets, and more - it kept me on the edge of my seat. The only reason I gave this 4 stars was because it got a bit confusing at times with the characters/storylines- otherwise it was brillant.

Holy moly! If you ever find yourself thinking that your family sucks... just consider yourself luck that you aren't a member of the dysfunctional and psychotic McTavish clan!
Money cannot buy love - but an ungodly amount of money can definitely buy you privilege, comfort, a whole town of people that are beholden to you and lawlessness! Complete and utter lawlessness which may or may not turn you into a psychopath.
Simply mind blowing! I read this in about 24 hours. I could not put it down, and every time I thought I had it all figured out the author pulled the rug out from under me again and basically said "got you."
If you want an edge of your seat thriller, or if you need a reminder about why your family ain't half bad.... read this book!

Really intriguing story! This was a book that I kept saying to myself “only one more chapter…”

Even though she was never actually alive in The story, Ruby’s character really came to life and stood out.

Great writing by Rachel. Honestly, this felt nothing like her other books, but I loved it just as much. Bravo to her for having such range.

3.5⭐️ The Heiress is about a woman named Ruby McTavish who dies and leaves her fortune and estate to her adopted son Camden. Ruby is notorious in her small town, known for her wealth, her childhood kidnapping and for being a 4 time widow, earning herself the nickname “Mrs. Kill-more”. The rest of the McTavish clan is deeply distressed over everything being turned over to someone outside of their bloodline. Camden and his wife Jules finally return to the estate to sort things out. This is told by multiple POV’s, between Camden, Jules and letters Ruby had written.

I’m not sure what it was, but this didn’t grip my interest until maybe the last third of the book. The ending has some twists, but a couple took me a minute to follow and digest. Probably my least favorite from this author, but still glad I read it.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of One Thing Better from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

3.5 ⭐️ rounded down to 3.

If you like multiple point of views, this is the book for you. This was my first book by Rachel Hawkins and it took some time to get into. Usually I finish a book in 2-3 days, but this one took me longer. The characters in the book are all so incredibly different keeping you interested to read the chapters ahead. It just was a slow start and had me questioning who was who and if I had missed anything in the beginning. The Heiress was a good mystery read and had me intrigued after getting through the first few chapters.

Reading about the murders Ruby committed, how Camden killed Ruby & how Jules came to be in Camden’s life at the end of the book was all very intriguing. Definitely a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the St Martin’s Press for the ARC!

This was such a great book! I flew right through this! This book was super fast-paced with lots of plot twists and interesting, complex characters. The plot was really interesting, and it was super easy to get into. I couldn't put it down! The chapters were also pretty short and switched POVs, which helped break the story up nicely. She threw in some great twists at the end that had me wondering why it never crossed my mind! Loved the multiple POVs as well as the different timelines. Can’t ever go wrong with a black widow…

Overall, I would 100% recommend this book.

This book was beyond compelling. Our titular heiress Ruby McTavish was equally charming and terrifying, with a strong narrative voice that isn’t easily forgotten. Both Jules and Camden proved themselves to be strong protagonists, aided by their uncommon status as an established, married couple. The supporting cast is full of vibrant personalities reminiscent of ensemble horror. This book feels like a perfect marriage of trends in horror and contemporary; it’s a perfect fusion of the decadent setting of Knives Out and the tell-all narrative style of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. It’s an ideal read for anyone looking for a fast-paced thriller laced with luxury and a gripping plot.’

Once upon a time, if a small child went missing and was later found, there was no way to definitively prove the identity of the child, particularly if significant time had passed. With the current prevalence and accessibility of DNA testing today, it feels off to think about the appearance of a child and the opinion of the parents (historically not as reliable as you might imagine) being the only evidence that investigators might have. The central premise of this book (a young heiress wanders off into the woods and is presumed dead until she is found living with another family 8 months later) is obviously heavily influenced by the story of Bobby Dunbar, and if you're interested in historical missing persons cases like I am, Bobby's Wikipedia page is an interesting read, and there is also a This American Life podcast episode dedicated to the case.

But this book does much more than just retell the story of Bobby Dunbar, who appears to have had a fairly normal adult life despite his dramatic childhood. Ruby, his fictional counterpart, had four marriages that all ended with suspicious deaths, before unexpectedly leaving her considerable fortune to her adopted son, Cam. Cam and his wife Jules return to the family home years after her death, and the book explores everyone's dark secrets and mysterious pasts. It's my favorite type of mystery/thriller--a little bit of a long-unsolved mystery, mixed in with modern drama, and topped off with extravagant wealth. Loved it!

Is money the root of all evil? Maybe…. While this was my least favorite book written by this author, I still found it to be an entertaining read. There were so many twists and turns in this book, I couldn’t keep up with the direction the plot was headed. It felt all over the place. I do appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book!

I enjoyed Rachel Hawkins' previous thrillers--"The Wife Upstairs", "Reckless Girls", and "The Villa"--so when I saw an opportunity to read her newest book early, I knew I had to jump on that!
"The Heiress" started off a bit slow for me--in fact, I actually set it aside around 11 percent and came back to it a few weeks later--but once I continued with it for a bit longer, it started to pull me in more.
Despite inheriting a massive fortune and estate from his adoptive mother, Ruby, Camden McTavish works as an English teacher and rents a little place in Colorado with his wife, Jules. He wants absolutely nothing to do with his inheritance or his remaining family members, who still reside in the sumptuous North Carolina estate. However, after receiving a letter from his bullying cousin Ben insisting he return home, and experiencing some pressure disguised as reassurance from Jules, Camden finally capitulates, and the pair returns to Ashby House ten years after Ruby's death.
This book is definitely a bit disturbing at times, and overall pretty fast-paced once you get into the drama. I felt like it was a bit repetitive with all the mentions of Ruby's disappearance as a young child, but it's possible some of those will be removed or amended in the final edits. If you've liked Hawkins' other thrillers, or if you enjoy books with rich, spoiled families full of histrionics, then you'll probably want to pick this up! 4.2 stars
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Rachel Hawkins, and NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you #netgalley and St.Martins Press for this advanced copy of the Heiress. This is my first Rachel Hawkins book and I am mostly upset I haven’t read her work sooner. The Heiress gave off vibes of a modern day Rebecca with a different twist. The characters were interesting and I was rooting for Jules despite all her transgressions. I would highly recommend grabbing this one off your local bookshelf. It will keep you surprised right to the end!

This is my third Rachel Hawkins book and by far my favourite! A mansion filled with rich people, and their horrible secrets. Yes please! The story was told from multiple points of view, which helped to keep the pace incredibly fast. The book felt dark and gothic, with several twists and turns I was not anticipating. As an added bonus, the book is sprinkled with letters from Ruby McTavis. You can practically hear the heiress reading them, and providing wonderful little reveals. Loved this book! One of my favourites of the year so far!
Thank you NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book. The story line was fast paced and had a lot of plot twists. This story is about Ruby McTavish and the secrets she keeps throughout her life. Eventually those secrets do come out. I loved how the book had multiple points of views throughout.