Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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

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."

i sense a lot of tension between these two

"I'm trying to protect you," Grayson said lowly.

"I think we both know," Jameson replied, "that the only person you've ever protected is yourself."

Nash swung his attention to my sister, and i could feel her trying to fade into oblivion. Nash peered through her hair to the black eye underneath. "What happened here?" he murmured.

"I'm fine," Libby said, sticking her chin out.

"I can see that," Nash replied softly. "But if you decide you'd like to give me a name? I'd take it."

"Sometimes," Jameson Hawthorne said, sounding strangely contemplative, "things that appear very different on the surface are actually exactly the same at their core."

THE INHERITANCE GAMES

Lutz Staacke

Irgendwas in mir gab nach und ich stieß ihn sanft rückwärts gegen die Badezimmerwand. lch brauche das hier. Seine tiefen grünen Augen begegneten den meinen. Er braucht es ebenfalls. »ļa?«, fragte ich heiser. »Ja, Erbin.« Meine Lippen schlossen sich über seinen. Er erwiderte meinen Kuss, erst sanft, dann alles andere als sanft. 

I’D KISS HIM!! 🖐🏽🤚🏽 😙😙

Ivory Flores

“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.” 

I don’t know what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it. I love the puzzles and riddles aspect of the book. However, I don’t think I like Avery with either Grayson or Jameson. I picture her ending up alone, but becoming close with the brothers. It seems like the best option. Grayson was such a well thought out character. I’m definitely a Grayson person. Jameson has amazing qualities and seems to fit better with Avery.

Madeline Frank

This books was so much fun!! From start to end the twists and turns didnt stop and it was DELIGHTFUL. Incredible characters, secrets, and puzzles. LOVE

kait

Please please PLEASE read this book! This story follows Avery, who has just inherited the fortune of a billionaire she knows nothing about and she gets to live in his super cool mansion. It is fulls of puzzles and riddles and even secret passageways. The only stipulation: she must live there for a year. Easy enough, right? Not exactly. She must live there with the family who was disinherited by said billionaire and they are really not happy about it. The family thinks she is a con woman and will stop at nothing to get their fortune back. I was not quite sure if I would like this book and I wasn't a huge reader when I picked this up. Little did I know that this would be the book that sparked my obsession with reading again. Because of that, I absolutely recommend this book! The book was well-paced, the writing style was good, chapters were short and digestible, the characters are so lovable that I feel like I am actually a part of this family, and I honestly just could not wait to read the second book. Please, be good to yourself & read this book.

brie

very average and eye-roll inducing with a truly unnecessary love triangle.

Sarah

** spoiler alert **
           Divertissant, page turner et dieu merci quel plaisir les chapitres super courts

J’avais deviner le plot de fin depuis le début, plutôt fière

Inheritance Games

Bella Baxter

Ouuu this was not good. Yikes.

- Poor, 180 IQ FFFFF girl who suddenly comes into a lot of money and never thought of herself as special and the rich male heirs are somehow suddenly so obsessed with her and making her feel soOoOoO special. Wow, what an original story! Spare me. 
- Someone said this was Knives Out (and honestly Princess Diaries) fanfiction, and that’s exactly what it is. And while Knives Out isn’t by any means the first of its kind, what made that movie so special is the underlying commentary of a young, immigrant woman who worked for a wealthy white American family and how quickly they turn on her when money is involved. She is a genuinely kind and smart caretaker and friend, and because of that, Harlan leaves her everything. I’m not sure what the lesson is here.
- Authors seem to be in their cringy nicknames era and I’m so sick of it lol, “Lee Lee” “Heiress” “Mystery Girl”?? How old are we??? 
- Please let teenagers be teenagers. Grayson is 19(?)-years-old but he reads like a 30 year old. Not very believable. Unless he’s supposed to be a Number Five from Umbrella Academy type, but even then, Five was grown before he became a kid again. 
- Maybe it’s just me, but idk, the romantic hints were more cringe than authentic. I never really even got a sense of attraction there.
- Ok, Xander’s 6’3, I got that the first ten times.
- What exactly was the purpose of Max? Her best friend was living out of her car and she didn’t even…you know what? Let me not. 
- Emily was not needed. She added nothing to the story. Neither did Rebecca or Thea for that matter.
- Melodrama, love it.
- What love triangle? Lol. No, really. WHERE was it.
- No questions were answered. Thank you for giving us nothing.

Christine

i liked everything aside from the love triangle

12/9/2022: does someone wanna tell me why i reread this godforsaken book while down w the flu. i sure don't know. i hate the love triangle

tris

well that was a roller coaster😂 um looking forward to the second book hehe

Nick Perronteau

nash has awoken in me a newfound interest for cowboy-ish dudes from texas 

vyn 

Una herencia en juego

no se si yo soy medio boba o que pero el final no lo veía mi en pedo, probablemente es porque no pienso bien, pero amigo deci que recién vi que continua el libro porque si llegaba a terminar así me daba algo les juro. En fin libro entrenidisimo, yo me encariñe con Xander chiquito bello y como siempre con el que yo quería que se quede no se quedó...

liana

2⭐️

⚠️THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS⚠️
(and I swear a lot, sorry not sorry)


First and foremost, why THE ACTUAL fffffffuck is this book so freaking overhyped????? I decided to give this book a try because my entire fyp on tiktok was full of people recommending this “mind-blowing, you won’t see it coming” book, but I. WAS. BORED.
The premise was SO good and the first chapters were really interesting but in the middle of it I was so mother freaking fucking bored that I thought about dnfing it a few times. I actually forced myself to read this and it took me like a whole week to finish it when that never happens to me and I almost got into a reading slump AND I DIDN’T WANT THAT, so all I’m asking is WHY??


The characters are so bland, Avery is just meh; there are four brothers but Nash is there for moral support because HE DOES NOTHING and Xander is the cool one who appears like the fucking Aladdin’s genie when you need help like ????????? make me understand this please.
The entire family hates Avery but none of them appears, and when they do, they tell her “this family is fucked up” thanks, I didn’t notice🙄
And what about Libby? Another character who’s there for moral support because, again, she does NOTHING. And the Emily thing? It had so much potential and when I read what happened to her I was like “really? That’s it?” 


THE SUPPOSED LOVE TRIANGLE between Avery, Jameson and Grayson it’s so bad like wtffffff I have more chemistry with my best friend than them and he’s gay like WAKE UP. I don’t like love triangles and maybe it’s just my opinion but it was so plain with no coherence🤷🏻‍♀️ and WHY do they get angry at Avery all of a sudden with no explanation whatsoever? I’m just going to laugh😂😂😂 and don’t get me started when Avery almost got shot and Jameson KISSES HER WITHOUT HER CONSENT WHEN SHE’S STILL IN SHOCK AND HE DOESN’T EVEN CARE, no no no no no no no and NO. Oh and, “your mom just tried to kill me Grayson, and you will choose your family over everything but I don’t care” CAN WE STOP GIVING TOXIC PEOPLE OPPORTUNITIES??? All Grayson did throughout the entire book was criticize Avery and at the end he was all like “I will always protect you” BE FOR REAL DUDE WTFFFFFFFFF.


The riddles? The puzzles? The whatever those were, were 100% predictable and I wasn’t surprised with the plot twists because I had it all already figured it out 🤷🏻‍♀️ I expected the Harry thing since the very beginning but I still thought it was stupid. Also, you’re telling me that Avery is there for the most stupid reason EVER? Nope, I refuse to believe this book had so much potential and it was totally wasted.

Good things about this book: short chapters, good writing (but not perfect), great level of english (if english is not your first language but you’re thinking about giving this book a try, you can totally do it because it’s really easy to read) and I learned new words that I didn’t know the meaning of.

Bad things about the book: I thought I was going to love this considering the hype it has but that was partly my fault too. I even thought about buying this book but a voice in my head told me “don’t buy it just yet, wait to read it on your kindle first” and THANK whatever is in the universe that I listened to my subconscious because I would’ve gotten so freaking angry at myself if I had bought it.


Conclusion: 2⭐️ stars and I’m being generous. I don’t think I will keep on reading this series because I just don’t care what happens next and I’m not intrigued at all🤷🏻‍♀️ life’s too short to waste my time in books I’m not interested in.



(English is not my first language, if you find any mistakes please let me know😊).

(This is MY opinion, if you like this book then good for you but please be respectful, not all of us can like the same books).

Sidney Schaffner

Pretty good. I had no idea what was happening- it kept me on my toes. Cant wait to see how this love triangle goes

gabby

i’m so glad i’m done with this book. i fooled myself into thinking it is 2 stars. everyone needs therapy. the only thing that kept me going was the brothers. the riddles were underwhelming, even i solved them. 

also i don’t understand why they had to mention incest?? like no one thought avery was related so why randomly mention it!! and then the brothers would be like “that’s a shame😍😍” like THEY MENTION IT AT LEAST FIVE TIMES THROUGHOUT THE BOOK.

the ending was not surprising. i guessed the last paragraph of the book so quickly. it wasn’t a surprise at all. maybe i’m just smart🤷🏻‍♀️

the writing was ok. the characters had the same personality traits. the author sprinkled minorities here and there randomly.

anyways i’m glad i’m done

romi

Personally, I am not a big fan of riddles (throwback to ACOTAR where I could not for the life of me answer the easiest riddle ever) and The Inheritance Games is full of them. Don't get me wrong, I love me a good mystery, but some of the "riddles" and questions were just so far-fetched imo. Or maybe I am just too stupid (could be).

Also the love triangle?? I hate love triangles in general, but this was just awful. The result was also just one kiss so all that work for nothing??? No thank you. 

I would like to know how it ends, but it was just not a big one for me.

If you liked this book, I recommend: A good girl's guide to murder by Holly Black.

Laura

Personally, I am not a big fan of riddles (throwback to ACOTAR where I could not for the life of me answer the easiest riddle ever) and The Inheritance Games is full of them. Don't get me wrong, I love me a good mystery, but some of the "riddles" and questions were just so far-fetched imo. Or maybe I am just too stupid (could be).

Also the love triangle?? I hate love triangles in general, but this was just awful. The result was also just one kiss so all that work for nothing??? No thank you. 

I would like to know how it ends, but it was just not a big one for me.

Grayson > Jameson (I am correct)

If you liked this book, I recommend: A good girl's guide to murder by Holly Black.

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

This was a good read! I really enjoyed the characterization. Each character was captivating and easy to get attached to. The plot was good enough to keep one enthralled. Can’t wait to read the next book! #teamJameson

Camron Swartzendruber

Don't miss this New York Times bestselling "impossible to put down" (Buzzfeed) novel with deadly stakes, thrilling twists, and juicy secrets?perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying and Knives Out . 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.

** spoiler alert **
           i’ve kinda known since the beginning that it was all because of harry, but i did still enjoy reading this. i must say, though... it was weird and creepy to discover that the old guy had been spying on avery ever since she was a little girl (with photos and all???)

also, people will probably stone me for this, but i was rooting for avery NOT to date jameson or grayson AT ALL! they both became progressively annoying by the near end of the book and still both had some sort of lingering feelings for emily. 

honestly, the whole vibe between avery and the brothers was kinda weird to me like… everyone, please get a grip.

anyway, i think xander is my fave out of the brothers, but i’ll decide when i’ve read all of the books 😋

the kind of book i have been looking for. a real story with romance as a treat not the main course. fast paced, intricate, and thrilling. i have been wanting to read a mystery/puzzle type book for a while and can’t think of a better way to start with than this one. each character is important along with charismatic personalities the entire story keeps you on your feet. as i began to get deeper and deeper into the story i was left gasping. i also love how the chapters are short so it makes binge reading a breeze.

elizabeth

“Traps upon traps. And riddles upon riddles.”
--------------------
This was FUN. So FUN!

The Inheritance Games is an incredibly entertaining, fast-paced mystery about an unimaginable inheritance (think a round figure in the billions), dark family secrets, and randomly sprinkled sexual tension at every corner in an over-the-top luxurious "Winchester Mystery House" of some sorts. There are murder attempts. There are makeovers. There are cupcakes. There is someone named Drake. Needless to say, I was invested.

To be quite honest, I couldn't care less about the love triangle, but I won't complain about having 4 attractive guys running around the mansion of impossible fun every once in a while. I am not completely stone cold yet. I am also not fully convinced of how and why the entire key events take place, but I don't even care, because I was so entertained and so swept away by the action.

Definitely will be reading the sequel, and in the meanwhile, making a list of all the things I would do if I were a billionaire.
1. Build the Hawthorne House.
2. ?????
3. Own Australia

It was pretty good. I love the puzzles and riddles. It’s like you’re playing the game as the reader with the main character. 

I also love the different personalities of the brothers. I’m excited to learn more about each of them in the next books. 

Kaylin Paige

It was pretty good. I love the puzzles and riddles. It’s like you’re playing the game as the reader with the main character. 

I also love the different personalities of the brothers. I’m excited to learn more about each of them in the next books. 

Sheryl

3.5/5⭐

it was face paced, interesting and the story hooked me at first, but after a while i got pretty bored.

the puzzle wasn't as mindblowing as i thought it would be. i didn't like the romance (it felt forced). i also didn't care about any of these characters. 

but the story was still interesting and fun, hence the rating. 

will i read the sequel? yeah probably

Keely Calagos

Pitched as Cinderella meets Knives Out, this story follows Avery after she unexpectedly inherits billions of dollars from a supposed ??? stranger ???, Tobias Hawthorne. The only catch? She has to live in his mega-mansion for 1 year before everything is hers.

It isn't just Avery and her sister living in the mansion, it is also the entire Hawthorne family (who were almost entirely left out of the will), including his four grandsons (who are written so one-dimensional, it is hard to tell them apart). 

I've read a few other books this year that straddle YA and adult - but TIG is a squarely young adult. If I would have read this 15 years ago, I would have absolutely eaten it up. 

Overall I felt the characters could have been more fleshed out and needed to have their own unique and individual voice. I had a hard time telling apart the brothers as their personality traits were info dumped rather than built over time. I came to know them as the lawyer one, the older brother, the daredevil brother, and the eats-a-lot-of-scones brother.

I am curious to see how the series progresses but I am not in a rush to buy the second and third, I'll patiently wait for my library holds to come through.

If you're looking to escape in a fun riddle-filled mystery, then I suggest you pick this up. If that doesn't pique your interest, I'd skip it.

Tatiana

The Inheritance Games: 4/5


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

Premise:
The Inheritance Games follows Avery Grambs, whose only plan is to work hard and escape her difficult life. All is going to plan until she finds out Tobias Hawthorne, notorious Texas billionaire, leaves his fortune to Avery while seemingly having no connection to her. The only catch is that she must live in Hawthorne House with the disinherited Hawthorne family for one year. The longer she lives there and spends time with the family, the more she realizes everything is connected and is part of a much larger game.

Writing & Plot:
This is an incredibly fast-paced book that will keep you guessing until the very end. I don't normally pick up mystery, but this may have changed my mind. It's the kind of book where nothing makes sense until the end, and I loved it. 

One downfall is that there were so many moving parts to the story; I felt some got lost in the weeds, and I didn't get much closure, but that said, the plot holes could resolve in the second book.

Characters:
Grayson and Jameson. Help. Do I... like love triangles now?? How did Jennifer Lynn Barnes actually make it impossible for me to pick a side in a love triangle. I'm shook. Anyways the main characters were amazing and intriguing. The one thing I didn't love about the characters is the side characters. Many of them were well done, but others' motives weren't super clear, or their motive felt weak. Regardless, it was amazing anyway so it doesn't really matter

Conclusion:
This book was so good. I'm so grateful that I read it in September so I don't have to wait that long for the sequel. I'm obsessed this was amazing. If you don't like mystery, you should still pick this up, it's that good. I can't wait to read The Hawthorne Legacy next week!

The Inheritance Games The Inheritance Games #1

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