The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins Review

Happy Pub day to The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins! Rachel Hawkins books are hit and miss for me, but I always read her new books when they come out. When I saw The Heiress on Netgalley, I immediately requested it without even reading the synopsis. The Heiress is by far my favorite Rachel Hawkin’s thriller yet! 

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

Synopsis

Ruby McTavish has lived an interesting life. When she was a little girl she was abducted during a family picnic. Her family was devastated and posted a reward for anyone who could bring their little girl back. While the police believed the wilderness took her, her parents insisted that she was out there somewhere. Her parents were proven right when she was returned to them less than a year later. Ruby was  taken by a father in the woods who was distraught over losing his little girl months before and thought Ruby could replace her. 

Fast forward many years and Ruby has lived a full life with a few different husbands. She adopts Camden from the local adoption agency when he is in grade school and raises him while living in a massive estate, the Ashby House, with her sister and her wretched family. While no one truly accepts Camden, Ruby loves him the best way she knows how. He is her second chance, a way to do the right thing. 

But Ruby died in 2013, there was a falling out between the remaining family members. Everything has been left to Camden, including the Ashby House. But now 10 years has passed and Camden can’t keep ignoring his past. He has agreed to go home to get affairs in order, and his wife, Jules, is by his side ready to help him face his past. But Jules has some secrets of her own that might be the breaking point for Camden. 

Review

I was instantly hooked on this book. There were crazy twists within the first three chapters which I feel like doesn’t happen usually in thriller books. The Heiress is told from a few perspectives: Camden’s, Jules’, Ruby’s and news articles. Ruby’s POV tells her story starting from the very beginning through letters that she wrote before her death in 2013. 

Ruby was my favorite character. I loved her wit and sassy personality in her letters. She was a fun character who kept me on my toes. I also enjoyed hearing both Jules; and Camden perspectives Their vague thoughts had me trying to figure out the ending throughout the whole book. In the end, some twists I guessed and others were a refreshing shock. 

The Heiress is my favorite Rachel Hawkins book yet. It was fast-paced and every chapter left me wanting to read the next one. Rachel did such an amazing job with piecing this story together. The flashbacks through Ruby’s letters, news articles, and pieces of the present connected all of the dots. The epilogue was the perfect ending to a wild ride. 

Make sure you add The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins to your 2024 reading list, whether you buy the physical copy, ebook or check it out at your local library!