This was a really interesting family drama. I found all of the connections really clever, will not be terribly obvious. It was also interesting to hear from so many different perspectives, but in a very easy to manage way.

I was excited to jump back into another Hawkins book! I did enjoy The Wife Upstairs. I buddy read this with Leah and made it much more exciting!

One of the things that I love about Hawkin’s writing style is that you fly through her books. It’s fast paced and intriguing that you can’t help but want to keep going. It was definitely the case with this one. It was such an easy read, but it was nice to buddy read and take our time with it. I did figure out a couple things early but still found many shocking twists! It didn’t take away from the story because I was on the edge of my seat the last bit. I didn’t know what was going to happen!

Jules and Cam were such easy characters to root for. I felt for Cam. He’s was the lucky kid, who was saved by Ruby. He was given anything and all but it never comes without a price. As the story unfolds you learn just how this might not have been a dream come true for Cam. There’s something about Ashby House and how it affects those who live in it. Regardless, I do think that Jules and Cam’s character development was very well written!

Overall, this was a great read! It’s so hard to review thrillers without giving anything away. The best I can say is that it was addictive and I enjoyed the ride. If you enjoy morally gray characters, then you will enjoy that aspect. The ending was really good and my favorite Hawkins book so far. I can’t wait to read when she comes out with next!

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley, as well as the publisher, for the e-arc.

I found this to be very mid. It felt like it wanted to be something spicy and extraordinary, but I think the lack of depth between our two main characters (Jules and Camden) is what made every twist, every reveal to be disappointing. We spent a lot of time with Ruby, and she was well fleshed out and interesting. If Jules and Camden would've gotten the same treatment, I think it would've made for a better story.

Rachel Hawkins always writes the most twisty psychological thrillers. Sometimes there are a bit too many twists for my liking and it doesn’t really work for me and this was the case with The Heiress. I definitely did not hate it but overall I just felt MEH about it. Ruby’s story is nothing short of insane and hearing about her backstory added a great dimension to the book. I wasn’t sure what to make of Camden or Jules but it did come together nicely. Overall, I DNF’d The Villa and loved The Wife Upstairs so this one was right in the middle. I definitely could see how people would love it though!

Title: The Heiress
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars

The Heiress is a captivating mystery suspense thriller filled with family drama, murder, an heiress & a child abduction. Ruby McTavish has experienced it all & as her journey unfolds through different perspectives… it offers a thrilling mix of past and present.

I appreciated the diverse points of view from Ruby, Camden, & Jules. The letters from Ruby served as a seamless transition between the past and present, adding depth to the narrative & my favorite part of the novel!

For fellow mystery thriller enthusiasts, I highly recommend "The Heiress." It promises an enthralling experience that won't disappoint.

I found myself engrossed from the start. Rachel Hawkins' writing style & the escalating storyline made it nearly impossible to put down. After this, she has secured a spot as a must-read author for me. I am excitedly anticipating her next novel.

Thank you to #NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, & Rachel Hawkins for this ARC. All opinions shared are strictly my own.

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!