Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - The Heiress

Ruby McTavish, an extremely wealthy woman in North Carolina, died 10 years ago and left her fortune and her mountainous estate, Ashby House, to her adopted son, Camden aka Cam.
Cam seemingly has no interest in moving into Ruby’s mansion or using her funds, as he is living in Colorado with his wife Jules. He also wants little to do with the surviving members of the McTavish family.
When one of the McTavish clan reaches out to Cam, he decides it is time to face the North Carolina past. Jules & Cam venture from Colorado to Ashby House in Tavistock, North Carolina.

MY THOUGHTS

I found this very easy to read, and I was interested in seeing how it all played out.
Three POVs (Cam, Jules, and Ruby). Ruby’s POV is via old letters to an unknown person. There’s also some mixed media throughout (e.g., newspaper articles).
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Ruby’s POV. We learn a lot about her childhood, her marriages, her many dead husbands, and her secrets.
The book reminded me in some ways of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but not as good. Also, the movie Saltburn.
Lots of secrets & unlikeable characters.
Loved the family drama & dysfunctional family vibes. Basically, people battling over Ruby’s estate.
Not a fan of the ending. Felt really rushed & not satisfying.
Easy to get into & I enjoyed the book overall. Wouldn’t really characterize this book as a thriller though.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Saltburn + The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibes. Ultra wealthy family fighting over estate in a mansion in the mountains in North Carolina. Easy to get into & an entertaining read. Not a fan of the ending though & lots of unlikeable characters.

Content Warnings

fkshg8465's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Read this because there was so much buzz around it, but none of the characters were likable, including the protagonist, who was set up as noble but flawed. Could not find one thing to make me feel any empathy for any of them. The motives were also very weak since it all boiled down to money and spite. And while the major characters pretended like they wanted redemption, they really just wanted to get off the hook.

Content Warnings

brynhayes's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

thackerleah's review against another edition

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dark mysterious

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

bringmybooks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

~~Bring~~ | ✨Borrow✨ | ~~Bypass~~

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, & Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

Notes: My first Rachel Hawkins book, but I know it won't be my last! The pacing could have been a bit tighter at points (lost my interest and had to get it back with a couple of well placed twists!). Speaking of twists, there were a couple in here that I was 100% expecting, but at least one of the larger ones that hit me upside the head so hard when I got there! Made the end of the story so hard to put down! Excited to try The Villa and Reckless Girls soon, I've heard such good things about those.

Overall Rating: ★★★ / 3.38

Rating each element of the book out of 5★
Characters ★★★
Atmosphere ★★★
Writing ★★★
Plot ★★★
Intrigue ★★★★
Logic ★★★
Enjoyment ★★★
Pacing ★★
Dialogue ★★★

★ did not like / ★★ it was okay / ★★★ liked it / ★★★★ really liked it / ★★★★★ loved it