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yodamom's review against another edition
1.0
Deleting this at 23% -audiobook
Poor little rich girls, who have to deal with having it all handed to them with some expectations. Aww, how sad. Imagine being expected to act with decorum in public, family, work and socially ?!?! Who has to do such a horrible thing, right ? We should all be drunk, cheating, lying, manipulating, disrespectful spoiled jerks free of judgement. All these expectations make a spoiled rotten little princess upset
Oh the horror for these precious sweet trust fund angels when when daddy steals money from the poor and puts their fortune in danger and they have to.... oh it's too ugly, < shutter >, work. Yes they have to work ! 
I hope you didn't faint. They don't have to work with the common folk at least. No, they work for their family business, in their tower, with their name on the building.
I'm a princess, she's a princess, you're a princess. Well, now lets gets this on the table because there isn't enough specialness unicorn sprinkle powder already. Somebody or somebodies, I didn't care enough to get their names, is semi royal and oh so precious. I know this because it is mentioned over and over already.
Snobbery, brand name dropping, social status lines, selfishness, self centered horrible characters. I couldn't dislike this book more. Good bye oh so precious princesses 
Poor little rich girls, who have to deal with having it all handed to them with some expectations. Aww, how sad. Imagine being expected to act with decorum in public, family, work and socially ?!?! Who has to do such a horrible thing, right ? We should all be drunk, cheating, lying, manipulating, disrespectful spoiled jerks free of judgement. All these expectations make a spoiled rotten little princess upset
Oh the horror for these precious sweet trust fund angels when when daddy steals money from the poor and puts their fortune in danger and they have to.... oh it's too ugly, < shutter >, work. Yes they have to work ! I hope you didn't faint. They don't have to work with the common folk at least. No, they work for their family business, in their tower, with their name on the building. I'm a princess, she's a princess, you're a princess. Well, now lets gets this on the table because there isn't enough specialness unicorn sprinkle powder already. Somebody or somebodies, I didn't care enough to get their names, is semi royal and oh so precious. I know this because it is mentioned over and over already.
Snobbery, brand name dropping, social status lines, selfishness, self centered horrible characters. I couldn't dislike this book more. Good bye oh so precious princesses
readordievirgo's review against another edition
3.0
Actual rating: 3.3 (my personal rating scale at the bottom of this review)
The content: the denouement is unexpected, many loose ends are tied up, and the open ended threads left feel intentional rather than simply ‘forgotten’ by the author.
The writing style: easy breezy, enjoyable, nothing particularly evocative but smooth sailing.
Overall: it’s a light easy read. If you don’t like cliffhangers don’t read this because I believe book 2 isn’t here (yet?) and the cliffhanger is pretty major. It’s a fun story, it’s rather messy in a heavy handed way, but overall it’s a nice time.
But the book is very forgettable. Hence not as many stars as my comments on the content and writing style might suggest.
My personal rating scale:
5: Amazing book, incredible, easily a favorite for me. Would revisit.
4: The book masterfully does exactly what it sets out to do. It’s not a forever favorite of mine, but it’s excellent.
3: It’s nice, I enjoyed reading it. Probably will forget about it tomorrow.
2: It’s alright. Probably wouldn’t mind reading it in the doctor’s waiting room.
1: Absolutely not for me.
The content: the denouement is unexpected, many loose ends are tied up, and the open ended threads left feel intentional rather than simply ‘forgotten’ by the author.
The writing style: easy breezy, enjoyable, nothing particularly evocative but smooth sailing.
Overall: it’s a light easy read. If you don’t like cliffhangers don’t read this because I believe book 2 isn’t here (yet?) and the cliffhanger is pretty major. It’s a fun story, it’s rather messy in a heavy handed way, but overall it’s a nice time.
But the book is very forgettable. Hence not as many stars as my comments on the content and writing style might suggest.
My personal rating scale:
5: Amazing book, incredible, easily a favorite for me. Would revisit.
4: The book masterfully does exactly what it sets out to do. It’s not a forever favorite of mine, but it’s excellent.
3: It’s nice, I enjoyed reading it. Probably will forget about it tomorrow.
2: It’s alright. Probably wouldn’t mind reading it in the doctor’s waiting room.
1: Absolutely not for me.
pambo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
eduardtatomir's review against another edition
4.0
Alright so I wrote a really bad review but that was only until i actually got to the interesting part of the book.
It's very suspenseful. I really love it and I truly hope Sara continues to write more in this series because ITS SO FRIKING GOOD and i need a new book series to fall in love with and this might be it.
I will buy every single one at full price I don't know how much it is. Just Sara, please don't make it 18 books like Pretty Little Liars, okay? Make it like The Lying Game, 6 books will keep reader interested 10 MAX.
Completed book review: Okay so I have to say that ending had me HOOKED. I did not like who Sara Shepard made the killed, but whatever. That One Year Later chapter was amazing and now I pray and hope Shepard makes this story into a series because I WILL BUY EVERY LAST ONE ANS READ THEM ALL UNTIL MY EYES BLEED.
It's very suspenseful. I really love it and I truly hope Sara continues to write more in this series because ITS SO FRIKING GOOD and i need a new book series to fall in love with and this might be it.
I will buy every single one at full price I don't know how much it is. Just Sara, please don't make it 18 books like Pretty Little Liars, okay? Make it like The Lying Game, 6 books will keep reader interested 10 MAX.
Completed book review: Okay so I have to say that ending had me HOOKED. I did not like who Sara Shepard made the killed, but whatever. That One Year Later chapter was amazing and now I pray and hope Shepard makes this story into a series because I WILL BUY EVERY LAST ONE ANS READ THEM ALL UNTIL MY EYES BLEED.
persiphone's review against another edition
2.0
Plenty of cliches and all the characters felt a little bland
emmiebee's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It was a slow start mostly due to the fact that you're immediately plopped into a large family and expected to keep track without an anchor as the book is a multi pov story.
It was very sara Shepard so if you know you like her books, you'll like this one too, but maybe not worth the read unless you're already a fan because it was written as the first in a series that was never completed.
The end is a giant cliffhanger with no resolution.
It was very sara Shepard so if you know you like her books, you'll like this one too, but maybe not worth the read unless you're already a fan because it was written as the first in a series that was never completed.
The end is a giant cliffhanger with no resolution.
celjla212's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a little Kardashians meets Gossip Girl with elements of a whodunit series thrown in for good measure. Usually, this type of book wouldn't appeal to me, but getting to know the Saybrook heiresses was quickly intriguing, and I had to find out why this perfect appearing family seemed to have a curse surrounding them.
The Saybrooks are that one family who is rich beyond measure and always seems to be in the public eye (Kardashian-esque, right?). The family owns a large jewelry corporation, and there are five young ladies who stand to take over the business and inherit it all. The five cousins couldn't be any more different, although all four look up to oldest cousin Poppy. Poppy has always been the portrait of poise, kindness, and grace--so why does end she end up murdered, the latest victim of the Saybrook curse?
The reader gets to know the four remaining Saybrook heiresses through short chapters with rotating points of view. Rowan is a lawyer, businesslike and perpetually single. Corinne is planning a wedding to a man she thought she was in love with, until someone from her past comes back into her world. Aster, Corinne's sister, is a wild child party girl, but she has to put her childish ways aside when he family becomes targeted. Natasha, the youngest, has disinherited herself and distanced herself from the family, but comes back when she hears about Poppy's death. Though these women are family, they definitely don't always get along, and ugly secrets tend to come to light when they all get together.
A mystery does lie at the heart of the plot, but the most fascinating part of reading was getting to know each woman individually. That doesn't mean each of them was likable though. More than once, they would make bad decisions or just not care about the consequences of what they did. A couple of the girls are young, so that doesn't really excuse them but it makes the things they do more understandable.
I can honestly say, when the truth came out about the murders and everything else, that I didn't see it coming. I did not suspect the true murderer at all! This is a sign of good writing, and the fact that the reader and the Saybrook girls suspect nearly everyone BUT this person is pretty amazing.
The Heiresses does have several unanswered questions which I won't spoil, but the ending of the book seems to imply that it will be the first in a series. I feel like this isn't necessary, simply because the market is overflooded with series right now...but I will probably be adding the next book to my reading list anyway.
The Saybrooks are that one family who is rich beyond measure and always seems to be in the public eye (Kardashian-esque, right?). The family owns a large jewelry corporation, and there are five young ladies who stand to take over the business and inherit it all. The five cousins couldn't be any more different, although all four look up to oldest cousin Poppy. Poppy has always been the portrait of poise, kindness, and grace--so why does end she end up murdered, the latest victim of the Saybrook curse?
The reader gets to know the four remaining Saybrook heiresses through short chapters with rotating points of view. Rowan is a lawyer, businesslike and perpetually single. Corinne is planning a wedding to a man she thought she was in love with, until someone from her past comes back into her world. Aster, Corinne's sister, is a wild child party girl, but she has to put her childish ways aside when he family becomes targeted. Natasha, the youngest, has disinherited herself and distanced herself from the family, but comes back when she hears about Poppy's death. Though these women are family, they definitely don't always get along, and ugly secrets tend to come to light when they all get together.
A mystery does lie at the heart of the plot, but the most fascinating part of reading was getting to know each woman individually. That doesn't mean each of them was likable though. More than once, they would make bad decisions or just not care about the consequences of what they did. A couple of the girls are young, so that doesn't really excuse them but it makes the things they do more understandable.
I can honestly say, when the truth came out about the murders and everything else, that I didn't see it coming. I did not suspect the true murderer at all! This is a sign of good writing, and the fact that the reader and the Saybrook girls suspect nearly everyone BUT this person is pretty amazing.
The Heiresses does have several unanswered questions which I won't spoil, but the ending of the book seems to imply that it will be the first in a series. I feel like this isn't necessary, simply because the market is overflooded with series right now...but I will probably be adding the next book to my reading list anyway.
emerygirl's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book in one day during the COVID-19 quarantine. It served a much needed purpose of keeping me entertained and thus not strangling my children who are cooped up and going crazy. Had I read this book in normal times, I don't know if I would have liked it as much. I thought the story was good, but there were a few too many big reveal moments that just didn't seem plausible in real life, more like the author revealed them to further the plot when she didn't know ho to continue. And then the ending was a little melodramatic and open-ended. But it was entertaining. So I give it a solid 3 stars.
sturmykins's review against another edition
3.0
Good, but not fantastic. Clearly left open ended for another book.
bookishlittlebird's review against another edition
5.0
I can't believe this ending!!! I'm FRANTIC right now! I need to know!! If you read it, you'd understand! And honestly, despite all the negativity towards this book, I thought it was an excellent read! Drama filled but good! Shepard really knows how to keep her on edge with that cliff hanger!