Jennifer Lynn Barnes

THE INHERITANCE GAMES

Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why -- or even who Tobias Hawthorne is.

To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch -- and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.

*Avery's story continues in The Hawthorne Legacy and The Final Gambit

The Inheritance Games #1

The Inheritance Games

Emmalyn

“I was almost sure I was breathing, but my entire body felt distant and numb.”

An utterly addictive and twisty thriller, full of dark family secrets and deadly stakes. Perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying and Knives Out. She came from nothing. Avery has a plan: keep her head down, work hard for a better future. Then an eccentric billionaire dies, leaving her almost his entire fortune. And no one, least of all Avery, knows why. They had everything. Now she must move into the mansion she's inherited. It's filled with secrets and codes, and the old man's surviving relatives - a family hell-bent on discovering why Avery got 'their' money. Now there's only one rule: winner takes all. Soon she is caught in a deadly game that everyone in this strange family is playing. But just how far will they go to keep their fortune? 'A fantastic rollercoaster of a book! We Were Liars meets The Da Vinci Code. I loved it!' Kat Ellis, author of Harrow Lake 'A thrilling blend of family secrets, illicit romance and a high-stakes treasure hunt . . . The nonstop twists kept me guessing until the very last page!' Katharine McGee, New York Times bestselling author of American Royals 'One of YA's more reliably twisty and brilliant thriller authors is back with a brand new series that's every bit as impossible to put down as her others' Buzzfeed

Stas

kristin :)

"I will always protect you," he told me, his jaw tight, his eyes shadowed. "You deserve to feel safe in your own home. And I'll help you with the foundation. I'll teach you what you need to know to take to this life like you were born to it. But this...us..." He swallowed. "It can't happen, Avery. I've seen the way Jameson looks at you."

All of a sudden, I was back with Jameson, headed for the West Brook. He'd told me two lies and one truth. 

"Avery." He almost never used my given name. He gently traced the line of my jaw. "I won't let anyone hurt you ever again. You have my word."

I didn't want to be the glass ballerina or the knife. I wanted to prove, at least to myself, that I was 

"The only person who ever really knew what Tobias Hawthorne was thinking was Mr. Hawthorne himself."

"Congratulations, Heiress," Jameson called back, his voice dripping with everything but felicitations. "I guess you had the good furtune of being born on the right day. Mystery solved."

"You don't have to kiss me. You don't even have to like me, Heiress. But please don't make me do this alone."

That's the thing, Heiress. If Emily taught me anything, it's that everything 

Hands reached past me to turn on the faucet. I should have jumped. I should have panicked. But somehow, my body relaxed into the person behind me.

"It's okay, Heiress," Jameson murmured. "I've got you."

"Thea's right," he said sharply, turning away from me — 

 away from me. "This family — we destroy everything we touch."

this reminds me of the taylor swift quote and i love it

"If I were a boy," Thea told him with a Southern belle smile, "people would just call me driven."

"Right." Thea dabbed at her lips with her napkin. "No feminism at the dinner table."

"You can play by the rules — or you can make them. I know which I prefer, Heiress."

But somewhere around a hundred and fifty miles an hour, I stopped thinking about 

Adrenaline. Euphoria. Fear. There wasn't room in my head for anything else. Speed was the only thing that mattered.

"You might think you're playing the game, darlin', but that's not how Jamie sees it." Nash's voice was gentle enough, but for the words. "We aren't normal. This place isn't normal, and you're not a player, kid. You're the glass ballerina — or the knife."

"Why do I have to tell a story?" I asked.

"Because if you don't tell the story, someone else will tell it for you."

"Everything's a game, Avery Grambs. The only thing we get to decide in this life is if we play to win."

"Don't you dare say we're not sisters," I told her.

"Would you still want me here?" Libby asked me, her fingers rubbing at her choker. "If we're not—"

"I want you here," I promised. "No matter what."

"I'm a Hawthorne." Xander gave me his most dignified look. "It's never too soon to start trash-talking."

Finishes on a cliff hanger, pretty different from some books i’ve read recently. I enjoyed it! Quick and easy read!

Valentina Moreno Escobar

Suspenseful, loved it can’t wait to read book 2. Short chapters & more puzzle solving then crime-solving which I didn’t think I would enjoy.  

Edna Aviles

it was so good! Oh my good, the touch of romance between Jameson and Avery, and the slight connection between Grayson and Avery! I love Zander <33 he is so cutesy and nice <3 the book is easy to read and didn’t take very long to read it.

Alexis Esposito

I am definitely reading the whole series it was just such an amazing book such an amazing mystery as well

Isla Smith

 is a clever mystery book that keeps you hooked with its high-stake competition between heirs, but falls a bit short in delivering fully developed characters and motives.

The core premise of billionaire Tobias Hawthorne Sr. leaving his entire fortune to an ordinary 17-year-old girl, Avery, seemed like a stretch. Sure, he knew that whoever became his heir would become a target, and he didn't want anyone of his blood to be at risk, but the heir could've been anyone. I'm still unsure of the correlation between her birthday and the day Emily died, since Tobias couldn't have known Emily would die then.

I hope JLB goes into more detail about all the boys' fathers and their middle names in book 2.

Minor plot holes aside, the fast-paced challenges that Avery had to complete to claim her inheritance and figure out why she was chosen had me turning pages well into the night. Figuring out clues and trying to solve the mysteries with Avery was highly entertaining. I loved seeing the lavish Hawthorne estate brought to life and the cutthroat rivalry between heirs (specifically Jameson and Grayson) develop.

However, some of the characters felt one-dimensional:

- Avery was not the most likable protagonist, and I can't put my finger on why. Her character just grew grating after a while.

- Grayson was overly brooding to the point of annoyance as well - we get it, you're rich and miserable. More depth to their personalities would have made them more likable and invested in their success. Which is why my favourite brothers were the two least featured in the book; Nash and Xander.

Overall, The Inheritance Games is a highly enjoyable thriller for fans of escape room and knives out films. I look forward to seeing how the story develops further in the next three books.

Tali ⋆.˚🦋༘⋆

 spoiler alert  The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a clever mystery book that keeps you hooked with its high-stake competition between heirs, but falls a bit short in delivering fully developed characters and motives.

The core premise of billionaire Tobias Hawthorne Sr. leaving his entire fortune to an ordinary 17-year-old girl, Avery, seemed like a stretch. Sure, he knew that whoever became his heir would become a target, and he didn't want anyone of his blood to be at risk, but the heir could've been anyone. I'm still unsure of the correlation between her birthday and the day Emily died, since Tobias couldn't have known Emily would die then.

I hope JLB goes into more detail about all the boys' fathers and their middle names in book 2.

Minor plot holes aside, the fast-paced challenges that Avery had to complete to claim her inheritance and figure out why she was chosen had me turning pages well into the night. Figuring out clues and trying to solve the mysteries with Avery was highly entertaining. I loved seeing the lavish Hawthorne estate brought to life and the cutthroat rivalry between heirs (specifically Jameson and Grayson) develop.

However, some of the characters felt one-dimensional:
- Avery was not the most likable protagonist, and I can't put my finger on why. Her character just grew grating after a while.

- Grayson was overly brooding to the point of annoyance as well - we get it, you're rich and miserable. More depth to their personalities would have made them more likable and invested in their success. Which is why my favourite brothers were the two least featured in the book; Nash and Xander.

Overall, The Inheritance Games is a highly enjoyable thriller for fans of escape room and knives out films. I look forward to seeing how the story develops further in the next three books.

Una herencia en juego

Toda la primera mitad trata de una mina con una backstory trágica que se vuelve millonaria repentinamente y se muda a una mansión con 5 chicos hot. Sacado de Wattpad. Pobrecita!!! No sabe de quién es la misteriosa herencia que le dieron!!! WHO CARESSS CUAL ES EL PROBLEMA ACÁ

good read, a little predictable. It's one of those books that once you start reading its hard to stop 

It's a fun, adventurous, and exciting read. You would want to read every chapter to uncover the secrets and figure out the family tree connections.

Naomi P

I think I’m gonna like this series better then the naturals 

Sílvia

I don’t like her writing style. Instead of showing us things about characters through their actions, she just states them. She doesn’t “Show don’t tell.” She also has the narrator always restating the same things over and over. Additionally the romance felt forced and it reminded me of Katherine and the love triangle from Vampire Diaries. 

Jeweliet Coffee

knives out is one of my favorite movies, and this is like that but in book form. the chapters are short, the mystery/puzzles are great, and the love triangle is written so well. i read through this in like one sitting, one of my fav reads this year. 

alice l

This was fun for sure and I did like the twists and turns but I wasn’t in awe.

I am curious to know if it gets better. It seems extremely promising.

Kyra

This was fun for sure and I did like the twists and turns but I wasn’t in awe.

I am curious to know if it gets better. It seems extremely promising.

The layout was amazing though.

ang 

i was about to write only "nash hawthorne the man that you are" BUT THE LAST CHAPTERS REALLY DRIVE ME CRAZY .

anyway i liked it but some parts were really bored. i don't know what to think about the avery/jameson/grayson situation but at the moment i'm team jameson. 

NASH HAWTHORNE MY MAN MY HUBBY MY EVERYTHING FINALLY A COWBOY !!!!!!!!!

Lyne Bloom

Sarah

It was a bit lagging in the beginning but towards the last hints for really interesting. And the ending!!!! I just wait to read the next two books!!!!

natalka

Linara K.S

one word: addictive

(i'm def binge-reading this series)

Angeli

Finished in under 24 hours. Wow! I just couldn't put it down.

Caroline Williams

dare I say…too many boys..not enough puzzles

Nothing is ever as it seems, yet everything is perfectly placed! This book kept me on the edge of my seat & made it very hard to put down!

Waahida Mansion

Anjorin Molayo 

i’m not going to lie, this book was so fun to read, with the mysteries, riddles and distrust among the characters. 
It’s a story about a rich man leaving almost all his inheritance to a random girl only for it to be a game that her and all his 4 grandsons are meant to play. 
I love the riddles the most and how smart the characters were. 
a 4/5 🤞🏾

THE INHERITANCE GAMES

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