A fun introduction into the world of twisty for the middle-schooler. I will definably be sharing this one with my grandchildren to introduce them to my favorite genre. The puzzle aspect was fun and engaging. Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to review the book.

A great middle grade book . The author did a great job in story formatting . I love middle grade books . So this book falls under my preferred genre. In top of it , there is mystery. So definitely I loved this book .
Recommended to young ones

I cute puzzling middle grade that is compared to Knives Out meets Inheritance Games. I enjoyed the puzzle aspect but the spelling bee felt a bit…. Dumbed down…. There was the family conflict with deep dark secrets which was fun. The main character was a bit too whiny for me but her brother at least balanced that out. A solid first book in a series.

tl;dr
Another entry in the grand tradition of stories about squabbling rich families and the fallout over a will.

Thoughts
Anyone looking for the cocktail of mysterious benefactors, strange mansions, treasure hunts with cryptic clues, and a high-stakes competition will find all that and more. Final Word is not shy about its inspiration - even referencing The Westing Game within its own text. And while there are certainly a lot of similar beats, this one opts to pick a more serious tone. The competition for the money is interspersed with themes of grief, family trauma, hurt, and forgiveness. The main character is surprisingly cynical (maybe TOO cynical?) for a pre-teen, but at least her level of savvy saves the reader from having to yell at her naiveté. The puzzles were all very clever and fun to try to figure out, and I appreciated all the literary references as well. Of note, this appears to be the first in a series, despite the main competition wrapping up in this volume. I will be curious to see where it goes from here.

5 plus plus.
The moment I got this book I started reading immediately. I loved the description and the cover drew my attention. An absolutely fantastic middle-grade mystery novel that will please all ages. Without spoiling anything it keeps us turning the page for the next twist.

Hope Smith and her brother Gordon see an opportunity to enter a bee contest to help their mother with their bills and living situation. But this is not a novel of a simple contest hosted by the rich. Although Hope is against this game and how the wealthy people generally react around her she can't accept losing her family and going into foster care.

The Smiths accept the challenge only to find out that there is a second game to play in the large Winterton Chalet, filled with secrets and passageways: a scavenger hunt.

The novel is much more complex than a treasure hunt or Clue reference. It is very well-written, being told from Hope's perspective who trusts no one, and who is quite sharp.

This reading of the will by a matriarch who set up the games has a special love for words and famous books. This novel has all the great moments and parts of the great classic mysteries and a very satisfying ending.

It can be read as a standalone but I really wish there would be more because there are so many wonderful characters and so much to explore from this unique and fun large cast. In many ways, I found them quite relatable here and there. There is always something that feels familiar and we all went through it. That is why this book feels detailed and fulfilling.
Thank you, Publisher and NetGalley for this eARC.

I will post on Amazon, and other platforms as soon as it is available on pub week.