Book Review: The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Inheritance Games
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Publication: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (September 1, 2020)

Description: Don't miss this "impossible to put down" (Buzzfeed) novel with deadly stakes, thrilling twists, and juicy secrets--perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying and Knives Out.

Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why -- or even who Tobias Hawthorne is.

To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch -- and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.

My Thoughts:  Avery Grambs has been going through a tough time. Since her mother's unexpected death, she has been living with her older half-sister Libby and Libby's abusive boyfriend Drake. She is trying to survive long enough to graduate from high school and go off to college to get a degree in a well-paying field. She's very bright and very determined.

Things change abruptly for her when she learns that she has been mentioned in the will of a multi-billionaire named Tobias Hawthorne who recently died in Texas. The only problem Avery sees is that she has never met Tobias Hawthorne and has no idea why he has included her in his will. After all, Tobias has two daughters and four grandsons who would certainly be more logical heirs.

She and Libby travel to Texas - first class - and learn that she is the major heir to Hawthorne's billions with all the other heirs left only token amounts. The only catch is that she has to live in Hawthorne's home for a year along with the rest of his family. Of course, Hawthorne also left puzzles and games for her and his grandsons to solve.

Avery is busy trying to solve the puzzles Tobias left and get to know his four grandsons. Nash is the oldest and says he isn't interested in the old man's money or the games he has left for his family. He has a little bit of a savior-complex and takes to Libby because he thinks she needs him. Grayson and Jameson are nearest in age to Avery. Grayson is taking a gap year working in the Hawthorne Foundation. Jameson goes to school with Avery. The youngest brother is Xander who is sort of a goofball. He is a genius and an inventor and has a strange obsession with scones. 

The story is filled with great relationships and secrets from both the recent and distant past. I liked Avery's independence and the relationships she builds with Hawthorne's grandsons. I thought the setting was intriguing since most of it takes place in the house Tobias Hawthorne built complete with secret passages and games and puzzles. 

YA fans who love puzzles will love this mystery by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. 

Favorite Quote:

"Coast is clear." Jameson didn't specify what it was clear of. "Do you trust me?"

I was standing in a phone-lit passageway, close enough to feel his body's heat on mine. "Absolutely not."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.