Ratings:
Star Rating: ★★★★★
If This Book Was a Movie Rating: PG
Review:
“Everything is a game, Avery Grambs.”
*contemplates life*
*takes a long, deep breath*
THIS IS BRILLIANT.
IT DESERVES FIVE SCHEMING STARS.
I LUV.
think of this book as a cross between a murder mystery and an escape room.
*weeps in pure joy that this book exists*
Avery Grambs is a scrappy seventeen-year-old who sleeps in her car and whose deadbeat dad is never around to care.
Avery didn’t grow up like this. Before her mom’s illness and death, they were inseparable. Solving her mom’s Cookie Game and trying to guess the answer to the I Have A Secret Game (Avery never did solve that one) taught her a love for playing games and decoding riddles.
But then her mom died when she was fifteen, and her half-sister Libby became her legal guardian. Life with Libby is fine (except for Libby’s abusive ex that keeps coming back) but Avery won’t have to live there for much longer. She’s carefully worked and planned for years. She wants to travel the world. She wants to see the places that her and her mom wanted to see together. She wants to live larger than life.
Avery works hard in class because college is ridiculously expensive (how i wish i did not understand that as well as i do) and scholarships are practically a requirement (also understand that too well).
But then one day, everything changes.
Tobias Hawthorne, oil tycoon and billionaire philanthropist, dies. When his will is read, his three most loyal servants receive about half million, his daughters get a hundred thousand together, and his four grandsons get two hundred and fifty thousand each. The person he leaves the rest of his 46.2 billion dollar fortune, estate, and assets to?
Avery Kylie Grambs.
And no one has any idea why.
“Traps upon traps and riddles upon riddles.”
Before I properly begin this review, I would like to make a very essential point: y’all would not believe the satisfaction I get from watching a poor girl inherit billions and the rich family get almost nothing. It’s really quite cathartic.
First off, the characters. The characters practically deserve five stars all on their own.
For a YA heroine, Avery is very, VERY relatable.
Sick of stuck-up school authorities? Check. Everything-related-to-college problems? Check. Boys being confusing and mysterious? Check. Being actually dumbfounded at suddenly being in possession of a jet?
CHECK.
Surprisingly, she’s actually pretty humble about it all (no humblebragging here lol). Maybe I’ve read too many stupidly individualistic YA fantasy heroines, but I appreciate how this girl knows she needs help and accepts it without complaining.
I was also very impressed with Libby and Avery’s sister dynamic. Usually there’s some sort of sibling fallout or toxic power struggles, but Libby and Avery were protective and sweet and wholesome and SUPPORTIVE (I’ve definitely read too much YA fantasy lol iykyk).
In terms of family lineage (which gets ridiculously complicated the farther you get into the series), Libby’s a few years older, and they share the same deadbeat father.
And finally, the famous Hawthorne family.
Overall, the moms and aunts and uncles are all unique and really don’t like each other, but they do have one, very important thing in common: hating Avery. Avery, the non-family nobody, who inherited the entire Hawthorne fortune.
But we are not here to talk about them. They’re boring. We are here to talk about the four brilliant Hawthorne grandsons.
Nate, the Southern nomad,
Grayson, the cold and reserved businessman,
Jameson, the charismatic puzzle master,
Xander, the happy-go-lucky inventor.
AHHHH I LOVE THEM. ESPECIALLY YOU KING GRAYSON.
“It would be best, for the moment, for you to just assume that I know everything.”
These brothers are renowned for solving riddles, playing games, and hiding secrets. I loved all four of these boys. They’re whip smart, sarcastic, and secretive. And they’re all hurting. In addition, Grayson and Jameson are both attracted to Avery, and while I normally hate love triangles, this one isn’t actually that bad (and if anything it’s more drama for me to enjoy ;)
The story itself is full of puzzles, riddles, and games. I loved how we started out with so many questions, but every time we got an answer we just ended up with more questions. I also appreciated how Avery’s and the boys’ interpretation of clues made sense (i have very limited brain cells what can i say) and the entire book was chock-full of *chef’s kiss* twists.
now I will just exist in a state of perpetual excitement until I can get my hands on the Hawthorne Legacy in September love you all sm and goodbye <3
UPDATE 10/14/21:
I. LOVED. THE. HAWTHORNE. LEGACY.
*shrieks in a rather unladylike fashion*
Now I have to wait till August 2022 for the Final Gambit. AHHHHH
My reviews on Goodreads for the trilogy:
Friend me on Goodreads (yes, you, I wanna be your friend): https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/136268749-isabelle
Recommendations If You Liked This Book:
The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (the sequel, duh)
Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen McManus
This review is *clears throat with enthusiastic throat clearing* AMAZING.