I really enjoyed this book! I really enjoyed the story as told by Ruby’s letters. There really wasn’t much more than family drama going on in the present day storyline but I felt like the back and forth perspectives made the story flow well. This book was ultimately about a family rooted in secrets.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this book before it’s publishing date. This was very much a slow burn with multiple characters and POVs, as well as different timelines. It took me a while to get used to the characters and get into the story but it was interesting nonetheless. If you’re in the mood for a slow burn with lots of family drama, this one is for you. I’m rating it a 3.5 for me.

Rachel Hawkins does it again and has quickly become a go-to author for me! I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. I loved the different POVs, the story, how everything connected. SO SO GOOD!

I enjoyed the mystery and intrigue behind Ruby’s life and the mansion. But the back story that came to life about Jules and Cam was predictable and not very exciting. It was a fast read but not memorable for me in the end.

In The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins we follow Cam and his wife Jules who have to return to the lavish estate he grew up in to take care of some issues with the home and his inheritance. He left that life and the money behind for a fresh start and does not get along with the family that remains there. Once they get there, many secrets are revealed about Ruby and the McTavish family. This book is twisty all the way through, it was a page-turner that I read in one day. Honestly, this may be my favorite Rachel Hawkins book to date. The pacing was great and the characters were all interesting, yet untrustworthy, but I found myself still rooting for the main protagonists. I definitely recommend this book for fans of the author or anyone who likes a family drama with lots of secrets and murder.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins was a really intriguing and fun book. If you enjoyed the movie Knives Out this is similar but better! I had to stop myself from rushing through reading and taking time to appreciate each character's viewpoint.

The story of Ruby McTavish, a rich little girl, who disappears in the woods but miraculously is found 8 months later. That is the start of the many mysteries, murders and family dysfunction to come and it continues to the very last page.

I highly recommend this book and rarely give 5 stars but this is so well written that I may have to reread it!

Thank you to Rachel Hawkins, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for my advance copy due to publish on January 9, 2024.

This was a quick thriller that I don’t have any major issues with, but it wasn’t very memorable. I enjoyed the setup because there were lots of different parts of the story introduced (a kidnapping many years ago, a woman whose husbands all died suspiciously, and a rich family gathering back at their mansion even though they hate each other). The chapters were short and the book was super readable. I felt average about the characters—they weren’t badly written but I didn’t care that much about them. None of the reveals felt shocking to me, but on the other hand, it means that the story never felt illogical like some thrillers do by the end.
The story structure, which is told with a mix of present day POVs and letters written in the past, reminded me of both The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and The Only One Left.
I enjoyed this one more than The Villa, but less than Reckless Girls!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Ruby disappeared as child. A rich heiress , it was well covered by the press. She showed back up and went on to marry many men all of which passed away under suspicious circumstances . Her adoptive son Cam and his wife Jules are called back after a death and Cam who never wanted to come back is pulled back into his families drama and intrigue..What secrets will cam undercover and will the truth of his mom come out. The reader is invited into this intriguing family and it’s hard to stop reading as it all unfolds.

This book was amazing! I absolutely loved it. I was hooked right from the get-go and thought about it constantly until I finished it.

That's my favourite kind of read.

I found the three main characters very compelling. Ruby was delightful despite being manipulative and having a well-hidden dark side.

Cam was wonderful - a good soul who struggled to deal with his wealthy and entitled family.

And Jules, oh my goodness, a strong woman, deeply in love with Cam, who didn't mind crossing any moral boundaries if it was going to help her husband.

Cam's wealthy cousins and aunt were almost a cliche in their entitled, greedy and obsessive ways, but still great fun to read about and even more fun to hate!

This book was full of SO MANY secrets. Almost everyone had one (or more) and they all played a part in this fascinating plot.

I thought I'd figured things out early in the book - and I did - but it was only one small part of the whole story. So many twists and little plot goodies kept popping up that it was hard to put the book down.

I loved that the story was told from three perspectives: Jules', Cam's and Ruby's. Ruby's point of view was told through a series of letters she wrote before she died. What was fascinating about that (aside from the many cold hard truths she revealed about herself) is that we don't know who she's writing the letters to until the end of the book.

If you enjoy reading a good suspense with lots of family drama you're going to love this book. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced copy! As always, Rachel Hawkins delivers an amazing story filled with twists and turns. This is my favorite of hers yet!

Holy plot twist, Batman, I'm not even 100% sure I understand what the ending was, but oh my goodness. Like, can't even recap much of the plot without fear of giving a spoiler.

I like how Rachel Hawkins doesn't do a ton of fluff with her mysteries, and they're incredibly plot driven. Makes them fly by, and I seldom see the ending coming.

5⭐️ wow….wow, wow, wow! This was a quick and captivating read. I enjoyed the mix of letters from Ruby and first person narrative from Jules and Cam. The descriptions of the scenes were so vivid that I could picture each scene in my head. I thought I knew how it would all end but it took a turn in a good way. I was really impressed by this book. I really enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley and Rachel Hawkins & team for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Hawkins tends to write about the "Haves" and the "Have Nots". The us vs them perspective of her protagonist in "The Wife Upstairs" and "Reckless Girls" is often mean, but sometimes gratifying when the ordinary person comes out ahead of the privileged characters.
The author gives us another protagonist out for revenge beyond the grave, with twists all the way to the end.
I liked the fact that almost all of the well developed characters did not have many redeeming qualities, however, I found the backstories got a little too long and did not keep my interest.

CONFUSING. I was really excited to read this book after loving "The Wife Upstairs." This book started slow and just got more confusing as I went on. I got close to the end and gave up reading because the plot twists just added to my confusion. The great great grand daughter was too much. Tried to bring too many elements of surprise resulting in a slow plot up until the last 15% of the book. Most of the characters were unlikeable, the ones that were likeable were unlikeable by the end of the book. The combination of formats kept my attention in the beginning of the book but as I learned more of the story made it hard to understand. Overall could have been a really good book but just didn't live up to expectations.

Slow burn to start strong finish.
This was not a classic break neck speed Hawkins read. It was very different from her prior works. Once I got past the fact this would be a bit different I enjoyed the book. The unraveling of the family story is winding and twisted and each story brings out something more shocking. I really enjoyed the richness of the characters that were brought to life. It flowed nicely and there were some jaw dropping moments. This was also told in a very unique manner which made this a memorable story
Over all a good “, unique read.

If you love a good mystery thriller like Gone Girl, you will no doubt love this book. It's full of mystery. family drama, greed, a small town held captive by a wealthy family and more.

Ruby McTavish, a wealthy heiress dies and leaves everything to her adopted son Camden, but he has managed to separate himself from the family and really doesn't want it. His wife Jules convinces him to make the trip home with her and see what he can do to help his family.

Once they arrive she realizes that Cam was right; everyone resents him and no one really wants him around.

This novel has lots of great twists and turns, but I gave it 3 1/2 stars because I didn't think any of the characters were likeable and I found the beginning of the story dragged a little for me. That being said, however, if you are coming for the intrigue, it has plenty of that!

Rachel Hawkins does it again. This is a hit of a story that nabs your from the start, with a story reminiscent of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, and draws you back in with family drama, grand settings, and intrigue.

I was slightly confused for the first bit trying to keep people straight but once I figured that out I flew through this book! There were twists I did not see coming. And the ending still has me thinking to the point to where I going to reread the epilogue! Fantastic! Will recommend!

“The Heiress” follows Camden and Jules, a married couple returning to North Carolina to deal with the fortune, the house, and the mess left to Camden by his adopted mother, Ruby.

This book is definitely not DNF-able because reading it had me really needing to know how the author was going to tie everything up. There were twists and turns but I think the author gives WAY too much away early on (or is at least very heavy-handed in the suggestions), which really lessens the blow.

The writing style overall was not my favorite. The “confession by tell-all post-mortem letter” thing just did not work for me. Who writes letters like that? Having that much of the book be written in letter format made it all “tell” and no “show.” I also just found the first person, conversational writing style to be slightly immature sounding.

I enjoyed the plot but I personally didn’t enjoy the structure of the book. 3/5 stars.

I am starting to think I prefer listening to audiobooks of this authors novels. I absolutely loved The Wife Upstairs and Reckless Girls which I had both listened to on audio. The Villa I read but it took me a while to get through which is the same with The Heiress.

I tend to prefer domestic thrillers which this is but I think I wasn't crazy about the writing via letters for parts of the book. Again, I feel like audio would have helped me digest those parts better.

Thank you NetGally and St. Martin's press for the ARC in exchange for a review.