A review by bookwitchgwen
The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Brother’s Hawthorn is a fun dual POV read that takes place after the events of The Final Gambit. I really enjoyed revisiting the Hawthorn family and their games. Reading from the perspectives of Grayson and Jameson I really got a feel for how their grandfather’s parenting affected them. Even after his passing his words both encourage, and taunt them. 

As we follow Grayson and Jameson on their separate travels, we still encounter their other family members. They definitely provide some much needed entertainment. I enjoyed the perspective shift away from Avery more than I would have expected. 

While there were still the famous puzzles and games, I felt less able to solve them in this book. Maybe there were too many moving parts? Maybe I wasn’t as invested? Or maybe it was something else entirely. Either way this was a fun easy read, that reminded me I wanted to make a crazy puzzle/game for my family to solve too. 🤣

The ending of this book definitely leaves you wanting more. I’m looking forward to the next installment.