Going from a poor girl who has nothing to a rich girl who has everything really throws Avery Grambs for a loop. I absolutely loved the fairytale aspect of inheriting all of this money even if Avery doesn’t do much with it. It also made me think of Truly Devious because of the mystery, murder, and murder attempts, and Knives Out because if you watched the movie, you know that The Inheritance Games gives off the same fun atmosphere with the mystery included.

What I really love about this book is that it has all the excitement of a mystery without being overly dark and gloomy. The whole novel had a light tone that was absolutely whimsical. It was a fun read and definitely not emotionally taxing in the way that it could have been. Not at all a high-stakes novel, though.

I absolutely love the way this book opens with Avery and her mother’s relationship. It sets the stage perfectly for who Avery is and how her mother shaped her future perfectly. It was quick, succinct, and beautiful in the how it made both characters lovable in a matter of pages.

The relationship that forms between Avery, Jameson, and Grayson is interesting to say the least. Although not as developed as I would have liked it to be, I assume Jennifer Lynn Barnes will reconcile this in the sequel.

Spoilers ahead.

So, in my honest opinion, the ending felt a little lackluster. I knew the man Avery played chess with would be Toby. Honestly, I just didn’t know how it related to her getting the fortune. For a while I assumed Toby was her father, then scratched that off my Nancy Drew notepad. So, when it was announced at the end, I wasn’t surprised in the least.

I was also disappointed by the ending overall. I felt like there would have been more of an AH-HA moment, but it just… wasn’t. It was still satisfying in its conclusion, but I guess since she’s writing a sequel, she still has more information to give us.

Overall, though, I really did enjoy this novel and all of the fun mysteries, clues, and solutions that it gave. You can read my review for the sequel, The Hawthorne Legacy here.

Source: Personal copy