Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the eAudiobook ARC! The Heiress is the latest from Rachel Hawkins (The Villa, Reckless Girls) and tells the multigenerational story of a wealthy North Carolinian family. Camden McTavish, the adopted son of heiress Ruby McTavish, reluctantly returns to the family estate after his uncle's passing. Camden turned away from his inheritance and the darker parts of the lives of the super rich to live a normal life with his wife Jules, but Jules has always dreamed of settling down at the family's estate. As they begin assessing the home for repairs and improvements, family secrets start to be revealed through a series of letter from Ruby, including what happened to her four husbands, and the lengths the super rich are willing to go to maintain their power and money. The Heiress is a multilayered, twisty tale that hooks you right from the start.

This was another twisty story from Hawkins with mostly awful characters. I think it was pretty typical of Hawkins's work. She uses a lot of foreshadowing where a character will drop a hint at something they did that will surprise you and it keeps you interested to find out the details later.

In this particular story, a lot of the past is told through letters written by the deceased woman. I found this to be a very interesting storyline. Since she is writing the letters to someone, it feels like she is speaking directly to you. There are two narrators of the more current timeline, Jules and Camden, and they will also speak directly to you, so you feel like you are in the story.

There are newspaper clippings dotted throughout the story filling in gaps and creating more questions. I felt this was done well and I enjoyed this addition to the story.

Overall, I found this to be an engaging, quick read. I think this will be popular with anyone that enjoys mysteries with a bunch of smaller twists along the way. As long as you don't have to love your characters, I would recommend this one.

I received an audio copy of this book in addition to the ebook. The audio was narrated by Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla, and Patti Murin. I thought they all did a wonderful job and that their voices suited the characters well. I appreciated the variety of narrators to fit the characters.

4+ stars

-The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins 1/9/24

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for this ALC! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are mine alone.

The narrators are Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla, and Patty Murin. There were many different voices but they all fit the characters with standouts from Ruby and fast talking Ben. Their voices were the most distinct, but I could easily tell the difference between all characters. The reading style did bring the story to life and it felt like a movie. The pacing was great and flowed easily with the story. The narration and the author were in sync, and they fit together perfectly.

The audiobook's flow was seamless. There were no slow or boring parts. The narrators paused and announced every time a new chapter came.

This is the story of Camden's return to his childhood home Ashby House after ten years. He's living in Colorado with his wife Jules teaching English. His cousin Benjamin emails him that Howell- his uncle and Ben's father- has died. Cam has avoided contact with his family, especially after his adoptive mother Ruby McTavish left him the family home and business profits over $100 million. When they arrive secrets and lies are revealed that could mean life or death.

Overall, this was a great suspense/thriller. There are many secrets and betrayals within this family. It touches on what we are capable of and the darkness that lives inside all of us. And that it's a choice if you surrender to it.

My recommendation is to read the audiobook because you can adjust the speed, skip parts easily (though not in this book), and picture the characters more vividly.

I really enjoyed this one with all of the twists and turns. This is my first Rachel Hawkins book and definitely not my last. I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook, Ruby’s voice actress was amazing and always put a smile on my face, no matter what she was saying. I also just really enjoyed her as a character.

I just love fictional rich people drama, especially in thrillers so this had me hooked the entire time.

The only thing keeping it from being a 5 for me would just be that nothing was super unique. I basked in the elegance of Ruby during the journey itself, but I’m not sure it’ll be a super memorable read.

I wasn’t shocked by anything in this story but it was very good nonetheless. It was fast paced and told in different povs that made it even more interesting. I enjoyed the audiobook narrators, they we’re fantastic and made the book come to life.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook .

I was pretty bored by this from the beginning, if I'm honest. There wasn't a big twist and it wasn't very thrilling. The narrators also were not great. This author's books are very hit and miss for me and this one was on the miss side. Hope you have better luck!

The Heiress comes out next week on January 9, 2024 and you can purchase HERE.

There should be some kind of warning when your life is about to change forever.
I
don't need a siren or blood-red skies or anything, but I still think there should be just the littlest bit of ...I don't know, a frisson. A feeling under your skin and inside your bones when something fundamental shifts, when the ground underneath your feet grows suddenly unstable.

And you should definitely not be wearing a fucking bonnet when it happens.

But that's exactly what I'm wearing the September evening I come home and Camden drops the bomb that's the beginning and the ending of everything.

I finished this audiobook yesterday and haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I’m a big fan of Rachel Hawkins. Each of her stories have drawn me in, but this book- this book is hands down her best work yet!

The story was charming and funny and enthralling to the very last, but also deliciously twisty. There are perhaps a few things that maybe you can figure out ahead of the reveal, but the reveals themselves are plentiful and I found myself mouth agape with the final firework bursts of truths near the end. And the epilogue. Whewwwww this will live rent free in my head for a long time. So. Dang. Good. 4.75 ⭐️


P.S.-I can’t recommend the audiobook enough! The voicework and particularly the accents really added to the atmosphere and feel of the story.

Thank you so much NetGalley, and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my unbiased review!

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. Rachel Hawkins had lost my interest with her previous books, but somehow this one caught my attention and I was given an ARC of the Audiobook to listen to.
I loved the characters. They were well thought out, and I loved how the reader gets to know them as the story unfolds. Every character has a drive, and the author did a good job weaving everything together.
This book reminds me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, but darker. If you like dark and twisted, devious plans, and questionably good murders, I highly suggest this book.
Thank you Netgalley, Rachel Hawkins and McMillan for this ARC. I loved the work done on this, the audio was beautiful as well. The narrators really sucked me into the story.
I hope this review helps! Happy Reading and Blessed Be.
Lily Ashtree

I've read most of Rachel Hawkins offerings, and some I've really enjoyed, and some a little less so. The Heiress was one that I really did enjoy reading, and I felt like it was creative and kept me on my toes. I loved that little tidbits were put out there to keep you guessing with the big reveal at the end. This kept me engaged and enjoying the book through to the end. I would definitely recommend this book to others who enjoy the psychological thriller/ domestic thriller types. But really.... this is a book for anyone who likes to read books.

Also really enjoyed the narrators, especially the female that read for Jules. They were easy to listen to, and I felt myself get caught up in the story so easily..

I love a Rachel Hawkins book. What is it about messy rich people that’s so entertaining? I love the multiple POV, everyone has a secret, style of thriller. This book is so twisty and messy. The McTavish family is so privileged they can’t even exist without a dusting of drama. If you want to see money and lies cause all the problems, this is a good one. Stop here if you’re not into spoilers.

When I first started this book, I thought I was getting into a creepy gothic haunted house story, but what I got was so much more fun. Take a murderous old lady, add a childhood kidnapping and the privilege of wealth and power, and you have the McTavish family. This is the Murdaugh family on steroids. Seriously, these people are so rich and powerful, they get away with multiple murders and they buy a child. Its nice to see them get their due.

Rachel Hawkins has delivered a compelling start to my 2024 reads!

The uber wealthy McTavish family has controlled their namesake town Tavistock, NC, for decades, and none has played a more prominent role in that than Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore. Her notoriety began early with her kidnapping and eventual return at age three and later with a succession of four very “unlucky” dead husbands!

When Ruby dies unexpectedly, her adopted son Camden is summoned by his nephew, Ben, to come help with the upkeep of the McTavish family estate, Ashby House. If Cam had his say, he’d never go back there. His aunt Nelle, Ben and niece Libby certainly don’t want him there. In their minds, he’s not a REAL McTavish, and now that Ruby has left the entire estate and fortune to him, his presence is just salt in their wounds.

What happens when Cam and his wife Jules return to Ashby house and the ghosts of Ruby’s past? Let’s just say that Ruby isn’t the only one with skeletons in her closet. The secrets and lies are as plentiful as Rachel Hawkins’ use of colorful language! Nah, she wins on that count. I’d hate to see her swear jar at home. ANYWAYS … secrets can be costly!

The story is relayed in alternating chapters by Cam, Jules and letters Ruby wrote before her passing in which she’s speaking to an unknown listener. Interjected are occasional newspaper accounts of Ruby’s kidnapping and her marriages. What took this whole story to the next level for me, though, was the audiobook. It was so good! Narrated by Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla and Patti Murin, the whole story came alive, showcasing a twisty, turny plot with humor, snark, and some great soapy drama! I loved all the characters … even the rotten ones.

The audio is amazing - I highly recommend it!

★★★★ ½

Great book and an easy read. The way the author writes makes you feel like the characters are real and right in front of you. I enjoyed all the twists and turns. My head spun around a bit with who, at the end was related to who, but in a good way.

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillan Audio and Rachel Hawkins for granting me access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Rachel Hawkins, I never really got around to reading her The Wife Upstairs. I enjoyed listening to this story and it felt like I was listening to a soap opera. This reminded me so much of all the telenovelas that are aired in The Philippines where it involved so many secrets, family secrets, blood lines and all that. One betrayal after another and that storyline about who the 'real parents' are. I am trying to still be very vague about this so as I won't spoil it for you in case you're interested in reading this.

Initially, I thought it was going to be a story about a missing child and all that but that just set the scene for the story. Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore (Yes, that is a mouthful) reminded me so much of Evelyn Hugo with just the way she carried herself and fought for herself. They are so similar and different at the same time.

This book is a mix of drama, mystery and over the top craziness and greediness. Like most mystery thrillers - it has all those perfectly timed twists and turns which I loved. I loved how fast paced it is and how every scene was set. I'm always a fan of multiple POV so that made this audiobook even more enjoyable. The narrators were on point and loved all their chosen accents. I especially loved all of Ruby's narrations. I 100% recommend this for mystery fans!

Thank you to @NetGalley and @Celadonbooks for letting me read this ebook in advance in exchange for my honest review.

Another great mystery from Rachel Hawkins!

This book has you questioning who family is, whether its who raises you or whos blood runs in your veins. I loved the twists and turns! Most I did not expect coming!

Ruby and her diary POV was always on the edge of my seat. It reminded me of Evelyn Hugo with more scandal. She was well written and unique. Her long game of decisions was genius.

Camden and Jules were a power couple! They support each other, while doing anything to get what they want. The complex relationship has withstood the test of time and now the test of Ashby House and the people in it.

I wanted more background of Camdens childhood, his relationship with his cousins and his uncle. I also wanted more information of the 10 years Jules and Camden were married.

Overall a great book!

This was sooo good! I loved all the different perspectives and characters. I don't know if you're supposed to like Ruby or not, but she is diabolical, and I love her! This was reminiscent of V.C. Andrews and all the family drama and secrets in those novels. Loved it! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you MacMillan Audio and Netgalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I listened to the audiobook and read the actual novel on my kindle. I found I enjoyed listening much more. With a full cast of voices, it felt much more personal. I think the narrators did an excellent job reading their characters. Ruby's voice was exactly how I pictured it even before I started listening along with reading. I would HIGHLY recommend this audiobook to anyone who enjoys a mystery with a full cast of narrators. Excellent job.

This was the most satisfying thriller I've read in a while. I loved the twists and the way everything wrapped up. The audio narration was top notch, especially Patti Murin's section!
I will definitely be recommending this book. My only criticism is with the very frequent and strong use of profanity.

The Heiress, written by Rachel Hawkins, is a family mystery thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat! Jules is an actress, married to Camden. They are a loving couple that seem happy where they are at in life, but with the death of Cam’s uncle, the couple move back to Cams child home, Ashby House. His family does not seem very happy for him to be back, and each family member has their own secrets they are keeping from each other. This book is told from the point of view of Jules, Cam, and in letters from Ruby, Cam’s deceased adopted mother. This was a great book with plenty of twits, and just enough family drama! Thank you to the publisher and author of this book, and to NetGalley, for an ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun ride with a ruthless bunch of people! It was a bit reminiscent of "The Seven Hubands of Evelyn Hugo" meets "Knives Out". Ruby and Jules, by far, are my favorite characters! If you like rich family drama, lots of dirty little secrets, and murder, this book is definitely for you! The narrators were amazing and made the book come to life. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes rich people gone bad.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibes but darker

I've seen so many raving reviews for this novel for the past six months. I finally got to read it and it did not disappoint!

The novel takes us on a captivating journey of love, wealth, and family, but what sets it apart is the unique approach of presenting the protagonist Ruby's life through her letters. With each letter, Ruby slowly reveals her life and the lies she has told the world. And just when you think you have it all figured out, the plot takes a surprising twist at the end!

Overall, I highly recommend it!

***Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Hawkins, and Macmillan Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***