Skip to main content

Member Reviews

Rachel Hawkins' book always go down easy and once again this is perfect read for when you a need fast-paced brain candy. This wasn't my favorite of her books by any stretch, but it still kept me thoroughly hooked from start to finish. I don' think The Heiress had as many surprises as anticipated and I knew where things were headed from about the halfway point. But, in this case I don't mind at all because it was a beautiful example of a classic gothic story - a spooky house, family secrets, and more. I always recommend Hawkins' books on audio and this is no exception with multiple narrators, including some personal faves such as Dan Bittner and Patti Murin!

Was this review helpful?

I really didn’t enjoy this one. While the writing was good the overall storyline was not in my opinion. It was just okay throughout and while i kept reading. It’s not memorable in the slightest.

Was this review helpful?

This book has an interesting premise, but the execution felt really uninspired. It also felt like a semi rip-off of Taylor Jenkins Reid, specifically Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising. I didn't understand the need for all of the switching POVs.

Was this review helpful?

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins is one of those thrillers you’ll read in one sitting from the very first page. I love it when thrillers have multiple POVs with each POV moving the story forward, keeping it fast paced, yet keeping the suspense till the last page. The plot introduced suspense, mystery, and twists at every turn, making it hard to guess.

One of the things that makes this book so exciting is its characters, each one flawed in their own ways. The plot of The Heiress revolves around the infamous Ruby McTavish and the inheritance she leaves behind to her adopted son Camden. The narrative includes multiple POVs from Camden, Jules (Camden’s wife), and through the letters left behind by Ruby McTavish to Camden. As a child, Ruby McTavish was kidnapped and later found. While her kidnapping story made her famous in North Carolina, it was the four marriages and the fate of each of her husbands that made her infamous. What makes this book exciting are the layered revelations of the many secrets at each stage by each of the characters in their POVs.

I listened to the audiobook version of the book and finished it in one day. I couldn’t stop once I started. It kept me captivated from the beginning till the last chapter. Definitely one of the best thrillers I read recently! I rate this book 5 stars and recommend it for anyone who enjoys reading fast paced thrillers with suspense and mystery added to it.

Thanks to Netgalley and McMillian Audio for the ARC of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Delve into the riveting world of 'Rich Gone Bad' as the legacy of Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore unfolds. Camden, her adopted son, seeks a normal life far from the wealth and notoriety of Ashby House. However, a family tragedy draws him back, unveiling a web of mysteries surrounding Ruby's infamous past. The story weaves through stunning landscapes and elegant rooms, exploring the truth behind persistent rumors, mysterious deaths, and the enigma of why Cam was adopted. A captivating tale that explores the complexities of family bonds and the unexpected twists hidden within the pages of an inheritance.

Was this review helpful?

Best suspense novel I've read in awhile. Rachel Hawkins is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me.

Cam and Jules McTavish are headed back to Blue Ridge Mountains to tie up a few loose ends. Those ends? Just a massive estate with a family that despises them. Because Cam inherited everything - including Ashby House. A last dig from Ruby after she died, the matriarch - leaving the entire legacy to her adopted son. The surviving McTavish's aren't keen on giving up their unearned money and estate, and have several questions regarding Ruby's four very dead husbands.

Do yourself a favor and listen to ONE OF THE BEST narrated books I've listened to in a LONG TIME.

Was this review helpful?

The Heiress was very entertaining on audio. I loved the opening and was immediately interested in the story. The North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountain setting and story of a missing girl lost and found drew me in.

The reader learns about Ruby’s past, including all of her marriages, and also learns more about Jules and Camden’s relationship and Jules’ feelings about Camden’s situation.

I really enjoyed this audiobook and recommend listening to this bingeable book. I also read and enjoyed The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins. Reckless Girls wasn’t my favorite, and I have not yet read The Villa.

Was this review helpful?

This audiobook had me hooked from the beginning. I love a good psychological thriller set in a southern town. Every character has their own secrets and are an integral part of the story. Hawkins does a wonderful job telling this tale from multiple points of view. I highly recommend this!

Was this review helpful?

Wow what a thrilling ride this one was! The Hawkins that we first met and loved from the Wife Upstairs is back with this gothic thriller with compelling unreliable narrators and an enthralling dysfunctional family!

I’m always up for a Rich People Behaving Badly plot and this one has outstanding characterization. It was just oozing with juicy secrets, deception and drama and the journey encompasses twists and turns galore that will continually keep you on your toes! I truly relished in the letters from the past bits and the audiobook pairing of this one highlighted these with perfection!

I promise this is one that you’ll easily fly through one as it’s totally bingeable!!

Was this review helpful?

Read as an audiobook narrated by Dan Bittner, Eliza Floss, John Pirhalla, and Patti Murin.

This book has some of the most well-crafted morally gray characters in recent memory. Devious, conniving, and unpleasant without losing their realism. High enough stakes to keep you guessing about their motivations. The narrators of the audiobook really brought the characters to life, skillfully conveying the story through each character’s chillingly unapologetic inner monologue.

The use of alternating perspectives throughout the book was excellent. As a reader, I both wanted the current speaker to continue so I could find out what happened next, but was also relieved to revisit previous narrative threads and see how they would play out. The story itself was deceptively simple, and lent itself well to the various twists it ended up taking.

5/5 A roller coaster of a read, set against the backdrop of old money and new blood.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC. This is my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I sped read (listened to) this book in a matter of a couple of days. I couldn't wait to find out what was going on and how it would end. A gripping thriller from start to finish!

When Ruby, a wealthy widow and heiress of the MacTavish fortune, dies, her adopted son Camden wants nothing to do with his inheritance. Ten years later, his uncle passes, and Camden is summoned back to Ashby House in the Blue Ridge Mountains to deal with his fortune. Unfortunately, the MacTavish dynasty is a twisted and infamous clan of people, with Ruby being one of the most notorious. Kidnapped as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby carries a load of secrets. When Camden and his wife Jules arrive, the secrets start to spill.

The audiobook performance was so entertaining. The different narrators performing the different perspectives of Jules, Ruby, and Camden brought this story to life.

This is probably my favorite book yet by this author. I was completely caught up in the story. Absolutely recommend!

A gracious thank you to @Netgalley and @MacmillanAudio for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Kudos to Rachel Hawkins for crafting yet another compulsively addictive domestic thriller. I listened to the full-cast audiobook read by Dan Bittner, John Pirhalla, Eliza Foss and Patti Murin. Boy did they do a fantastic job bringing this cast of devious characters to life. So cleverly written, this one has it all, an eerily evocative setting, rotten to the core characters, a well paced crazy plot that will hook you from the start with its crazy twists and turns and a satisfyingly twisted ending. Fans of Evelyn Hugo will love this one. A perfect choice for a robust bookclub discussion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen in advance of the 09JAN2024 release date. It is my pleasure to leave an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Family. What can you do? That’s the question I asked myself through this entire fantastic book. Rachel Hawkins is an auto buy author for me, and she should be for you too! This gothic thriller doesn’t disappoint!

Ruby McTavish is famous - or infamous depending on your view - for being the little girl who disappeared on a family picnic and was found some time later. Everyone always wondered what happened to her in the time she was gone. But then she becomes known for being the woman who lost four husbands. She is known for her marriages, her wealth, and her privilege. When she passes away and leaves everything to her son Camden, things get very interesting.

The McTavish family has many secrets, and the means to keep those secrets hidden. Every character in this book is not what they seem. Ashby House and the surrounding woods are a character all on their own. This book is fun, twisty, and full of surprises. It’s best to go into it with little prior knowledge.

I absolutely loved the audiobook version of this story! It is narrated by an amazing cast. I could listen to an entire story of Ruby’s letters - those were my favorite parts of the story!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and listen to this book! I’m very appreciative. I loved The Villa by Rachel Hawkins, and was so excited for this one! I’m looking forward to what she writes next. This one is out now - I highly recommend that you pick it up today!

Was this review helpful?

First, thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for this audiobook!

Second -- YAS, Queen. Rachel Hawkins, I see you! This is my second novel by this incredible writer, and it won't be my last.

This book gave me so many vibes -- Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets Things We Do in the Dark. Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore's roller-coaster of a life means that any child she raised would grow up with some deep-seeded issues. Such is the case with her adopted son, who refuses money and any type of relationship with his family.

This story is so juicy, so wildly dramatic, you can't help but dig in. I loved that there were four narrators (HUGE fan of Patti Murin!) and every time a new narrator came up, I became engrossed anew.

Was this review helpful?

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins was such a intriguing read. I am a full-on Rachel Hawkins fan. I enjoyed the multiple points of view, great sequencing, vivid characterizations and scenery as well as the superior character development. The plot points were original and so engaging. The audio was crisp and clear and the narrator did a great job with the cadence of the story.

I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Was this review helpful?

I couldn't figure out this one for the life of me. Paula Hawkins does it again - what a great thriller story that had my attention until the very end!

Was this review helpful?

This was my first book by Rachel Hawkins. I had seen her stuff around and they always looked interesting. I enjoyed the book and its little twists but it felt pretty generic for a thriller. Nothing too crazy or wild and a twist that seemed rather predictable. But it still had an interesting plot and format. I will probably try another of the author's books at one point.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely love this tradition of reading Rachel Hawkins’ newest thriller at the first of the year! Her books are always atmospheric, fast paced, and involve rich people behaving badly. This one was so unique with a great North Carolina setting and so many surprises!

What to expect::
•Biltmore-esque home
•Epistolary
•Dual timelines (as told through the letters)
•Generations of family drama
•Lies abound!
•Let me tell you, I DID NOT see the twists coming 🤯

Was this review helpful?

Dear The Heiress,
Rachel Hawkins did it again! I loved your format, with the letters giving me part of the story, and then being able to see through both Cam and Julia's eyes. I trusted NO ONE, because all three narrators seemed unreliable to me, but I had no idea what direction you were going at all. You left me so surprised with all of the unexpected reveals throughout your story. You drove right into the idea of what is family and who is your real family. You had layers upon layers of secrets and lies, and I loved it.

Was this review helpful?

Ooh this book was soo good I listened to it in one day! The multiple POV’s and dual-timelines kept me hooked (especially Ruby’s letters) and there were so many excellent twists, but they all made perfect sense, which I loved! This story kept me guessing until the very end and the audiobook narration was perfect!

Was this review helpful?