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prairieraven's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Vomit, Death of parent, Abandonment, Ableism, Cursing, Grief, Sexual assault, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexism, Stalking, Terminal illness, Miscarriage, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Cancer, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Classism, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Infertility, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Car accident, and Child death
vereadsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The book focuses on the story of heiress Ruby Mctavish, best known for her famous disappearance when she was a baby and the tragic deaths of her four husbands.
The heir to Ruby’s fortune and owner of Ashby House is Ruby’s adopted son, Camden. He doesn’t want to know anything about the McTavish, the house, or the substantial fortune Ruby left him.
Camden returns to Taviscoth with his wife Jules, after 10 years of being out of the scope of the McTavish. Cam and his family do not have a good relationship. As the story progresses, we discover the intentions of the other family members who want to secure the valuable inheritance.
The book is told from Cam and Jude’s perspective. Also, Ruby’s POV is told from letters that Ruby sends to someone. There are also articles about family.
Ashby House brings back unpleasant memories for Cam. The family made it evident that he was not a true McTavish and treated him like a charity case, always considering him an outsider.
I don’t like Jules. She is too ambitious. Her goal is to keep the house at any price without caring about the feelings or wishes of her husband.
The story’s pace is slow and far from thrilling, but the mystery surrounding Ruby’s husbands and childhood is intriguing. It reminds me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
The story is far-fetched. The Mctavish’s darkest secrets come to light one by one. Ashby House brings out the worst in each member of the family. Reaching the end, we find several twists that may surprise distracted readers.
Overall, The Heiress tells a family drama of rich people. The pages of this book depict ambition, money, manipulation, domestic violence, and family drama.
Graphic: Murder, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Death, Classism, and Kidnapping
shesflippinpages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Classism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Suicide, Violence, Drug abuse, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death of parent, Car accident, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Bullying
kenziburke's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Murder, Domestic abuse, Cursing, and Suicide
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Pregnancy
jelkebooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Yes, this was a three star read, but a high three star. If I did decimal point ratings, it might be more of a 3,5. Except I don't do that, so I don't know if that's be fully accurate either. Anyway, I did really enjoy my time reading this book. I was captivated, and it was a highly addicting read. I just didn't want to stop reading because I just needed to figure out how all these pieces fit together. However, I need to say that the two really big twists/reveals I was coming from miles, and miles away. There were some smaller twists I didn't nececarily see coming, but they weren't meaningful enough for that dissapointment at those bigger reveals being so predictable to go away. That truly is why I can't give this a four star though. It just made those climax moments fall flat for me.
However, like I said I did quite enjoy my time reading this book. I especially loved the letters we got from Ruby, detailing her life. I thought those parts of the book were easily the most interesting. Ruby was an absolute icon. She wasn't a good person. She did many bad things, but I can't help but think of her as an icon (just because she's fictional, migth I add). The narrative voice in those letters was also just so incredibly compelling. We also got some media reports about Ruby, Ashby house, and everything that surrounds it. I also quite liked those parts. They weren't a big part, nor did they add any info we really desperately needed, but they did give an insight in just how infamous this family was/is. It also was a great way to break up the main narrative.
Talking about that main narrative though, that was my least favourite part. The chapters from Cam and Jules' POV weren't as interesting and the story a bit slow moving. However, I just couldn't stop reading because I needed to know how the letters fit into this, or what it was all leading to. It took some time getting into that part of the story, but once I did I was captivated. It's just sad, that almost immediately after the reveals started happening, and we already know how I feel about those. Jules as a character also gave me the ick for quite a lot of this book, and I don't think she was supposed to to this extend. I think the author intended to have her be the same as Ruby, someone who didn't always do the right thing but still an icon to some extend. However, that wasn't Jules to me. The way she just completely disregards her husbands trauma for her own profit right until she becomes a "victim" of those some people just rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe, you should just be on your husband of ten years side when he says these people are vile, and this house has too many bad memories for him to ever feel comfortable living in it. But, I don't know. It didn't read very girlboss to me, like it clearly was supposed to.
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Grief, Alcoholism, and Suicide
Minor: Misogyny and Drug abuse
ladylothlorien's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Kidnapping, Suicide, and Domestic abuse
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
While I saw some twists coming, others surprised me. I like how the book was paced as it kept me engaged. As well as the mix of narrative POVs, letters, and articles.
The characters weren't particularly likable, but just likable enough for you to care about them.
Narrator(s) Rating: 5 stars
The narrators did an excellent job, and the constant change of narrators as you went from each part kept me engaged instead of my attention wandering.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicide, Cursing, Blood, Bullying, Classism, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse, Terminal illness, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, and Infertility
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Car accident, Self harm, and Sexual content
bookcasey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
For reference, I’d say it reads like Evelyn Hugo meets Mexican Gothic (but cis/het/white). Try this book if you liked Stone Cold Fox.
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Kidnapping, Violence, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Self harm, Domestic abuse, Suicide, and Sexual content
rosemaryrr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, and Suicide
jasminegalsreadinglog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book is told in three voices. Camden's, Jules, and Ruby's in the form of letters. I loved Ruby's story told in the form of letters. Ruby is an intriguing, interesting, and very morally gray character. The story is interesting and gripping. However, the transitioning of the characters in almost every other chapter made reading a little difficult for me. Also, the other gripe I have is that I wanted to know more about the side plotlines that the author introduced once Camden is in Ashby House. The ending does, in some ways, make up for these.
Thank you St.Martin's Press, for this book.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Death, Kidnapping, Addiction, Abandonment, Violence, Alcohol, Suicide, Murder, Mental illness, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Grief