If you’re looking for a book that involves riddles, mystery, rich family dynamics, and more then this is the book for you. This book reminded me of the movie, “Knives Out”, with the whole plot centered on Avery Grambs being the sole heir to the Hawthorne estate. With the rest of the Hawthorne family feeling jaded and disinherited of millions of dollars, it seemed like a lot was a stake and some weren’t too happy with Avery essentially having the keys to the kingdom.

Avery Grambs was like any other teenager, trying to make the most of her life by getting good grades in school, working to help ends meet with her sister, and hoping to go to a good college to later on get a good paying job. Until one day out of the blue, meeting one of the Hawthornes, she finds out she had been summoned to the Will reading of Tobias Hawthorne, well known philanthropist and ninth richest man in the world. Suddenly, with Avery being taken to the Hawthorne estate and having Tobias last will and testament read, all was revealed that Avery was now the sole heir and became the richest person ever. Avery was suddenly thrust into a new world of the rich and famous, paparazzi trying to take her pictures, and her once quiet life was gone. Despite Avery feeling uneasy with the new changes in her life, she handled herself to the best of her abilities and with her sister Libby, and new bodyguard Oren, she had allies to help her along the way. 

Besides Avery trying to adjust to her new circumstances, being surrounded by the Hawthorne family was another thing she encountered. Each Hawthorne grandson was different, in a way that set them a part from each other. For instance, Nash, was the eldest Hawthorne and had a cool, suave Texan charm to him that I immediately liked, as well as his way of taking charge when it came to his younger brothers. Grayson, the second eldest was every bit of serious, collected, mature, but also kind of intense. Jameson, was a bit of the rebel in the family, skipping class, and liked pushing the limits. Lastly, the baby of the family, Alexander a.k.a. Xander was fun loving, joyful, and the comedic relief in the family. There were certain aspects I liked about each Hawthorne guy, but so far in this first book Grayson wasn’t my favorite due to his treatment towards Avery. 

I originally thought that, “oh ok, so Avery inherited a lot of money and that’ll be pretty much it”, but nope the story wasn’t easy to predict. I obviously knew going into this story there was the lingering mystery throughout the book that tied into why Avery  inherited everything that was Tobias Hawthorne’s. There were puzzles, clues, and details that to other might not have noticed, but with Avery keen attention to details and knowledge, she was able to figure out the clues that Tobias left behind. In addition, even Jameson believed that while he and his brothers weren’t left with what the family expected in terms of inheritance, Jameson believed that Avery was the last puzzle his grandfather wanted his grandson’s to solve. Little by little, with new clue discovered, I was wanting to know how it would all fit into the overall scheme of things. While reading, I never knew what to expect, and the way that Jennifer wrote this was very intriguing and the mystery of the story left me wanting more. 

Honestly before reading this book, I didn’t know what to expect, but as I got through each chapter, I couldn’t get enough. With each chapter, the stakes increased higher and higher. Just when I thought I knew who could potentially be out to get Avery out of the way with the inheritance, I was wrong. The thing about this story was that everyone had motive against Avery, and trying to get what they wanted. Looks can be deceiving, and Avery was constantly on her toes trying to see who she could really trust and determine possible threats to her. Halfway through the story, the story took a turn I wasn’t expecting, and it added a level of danger to the high stakes that Avery was faced with. If you’ve been curious to read this book, go ahead and read it because you’ll be in for the ride of your life not knowing what’s just around the corner. 

This book mostly focused on the mystery aspect of the plot with the clues that Tobias Hawthorne left behind. Whereas the romance was a subplot which I didn’t mind at all, but with little bits of Avery sharing moments with Jameson I couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like if those two got together romantically. Avery was mainly focused on trying to solve the big unanswered question as to why she was chosen, and how the Hawthorne’s fit into the equation, but solving alongside Jameson meant they spent a lot more time together. Jameson was inquisitive, intelligent, and a ball of energy that was always looking for the thrill to get his heart racing. Avery and Jameson were from different backgrounds, and opposites in personalities, and yet they had some kind of chemistry together that was unique. While Jameson tended to be guarded with himself by using his charm and rebellious behavior, the small moments that he revealed parts of himself were eye opening because, it showed a bit of vulnerability. 

Towards the end, that’s when all the juicy good stuff really started to ramp up the mystery, and kept me turning the pages! If you think you know what’s going on, think again! The twists and turns in this book were so good that it was like going down the rabbit hole, and discovering things you wouldn’t have thought of originally. Avery and the Hawthorne boys were put to the test in order to figure out all the puzzles and clues, even with danger lurking in the background, it was so much fun to read! The ending and epilogue were shocking and omg I cannot get over how amazing this story was. Definitely ended on a BIG note and wow i would definitely check this series out!