User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
UPDATE: ok so after much thought and consideration i did over all end up liking this book however my excitement did get the best of me. i believe it’s worth picking up but the book does fall into the 2nd book out of 3 syndrome.
you can tell from the beginning that this whole book is just setting up ground work for book 3 so i’m excited to see how things turn out but not gonna lie all the action happened in the last 40 pages of the book. there was a lot of filler writing
i was hoping to get that excitement rush feeling i got reading book 1 but i didn’t really get that in book 2 but it’s not something i’m mad about since i did end up enjoying this
the description gave me a vibe that there would be more romance in this book than the first one but the believe book 1 and 2 had equal amount of romance as it’s sub plot
kinda confused on who’s team i’m on but at the same time my heart belongs to my mans grayson hawthorne 🙄
Rating: really liked it
While I loved the first book, the sequel unfortunately turned convoluted rather than clever, the protagonist was too wishy-washy with her love interests, many likable characters faded to the background, and the romantic development didn’t make sense with everything that the first book had set up. (I’m very salty about that ending!)
Rating: really liked it
Ma'am this is illegal. I thought you were supposed to make one love interest more lovable than the other NOT HAVE THEM BOTH LOVABLE.
okay but that confession at the end🥺🥺My first 5 star in months I'm so happy omg
The Hawthorne Legacy picks up where things were left off in
The Inheritance Games with Avery still trying to figure out why the late billionaire Tobias Hawthorne left her his fortune. Whatever the reason, Avery knows the answer has to do with a
certain person... and so the investigation begins.
"I couldn't shake the feeling that this life was never meant for me."
It's just another normal day for Avery Kylie Grambs when the paparazzi are chasing after you trying to get the latest scoop, murder attempts are constantly happening, and your father + the daughter of a billionaire is trying to steal your fortune. And to add on to that, you're dealing with the Hawthorne brothers
im jealous. *sigh* What a life to have.
I loved Avery in the first book and I loved her even more here like !! the character development !! She goes through some growth by the end of the book and just sfsdfsdfs I loved it. Still really jealous that she has the attention of both Grayson and Jameson😭 Oh and also how she can literally say "Fine, you can take one of my planes." Not jealous about the downsides of being a billionaire though.
Also I really wonder about that quote above. I feel like by the end of this series Avery will no longer be a billionaire in some way, especially with how many times she kept saying that "this life isn't meant for me" ... foreshadowing methinks.
“The trick to being abandoned was to never let yourself long for anyone who left.”
JAMESON I LOVE YOU. In the first book, I was bit iffy with him because of the way he acted but here OMG MY LOVE FOR HIM GREW SO MUCH. He's actually so sweet and caring to Avery, like some scene I was so surprised with Avery sdfsfds he's such a precious cinnamon roll. The moments between him and Avery were everything. *HOT TUB SCENE*
THESE MOMENTS ESPECIALLY WERE SO SWEET:
(view spoiler)
["I halfway convinced myself that as long as Avery was just a riddle or a puzzle, as long as I was just playing, I'd be fine. Well, jokes' on me, because somewhere along the way, I stopped playing."
!! he actually does really care about Avery🥺🥺
"You don't have to say anything. You don't have to kiss me now. You don't have to love me now, Heiress. But when you're ready... if you're ever ready, if it's going to be me--just flip that disk. Heads, I kiss you." His voice broke slightly. "Tails you kiss me. And either way, it means something."
PLEASE THAT CONFESSION😩😩 my heart cant take it, protect jamie😭 (hide spoiler)] “Grayson Hawthorne was arrogant enough to consider himself bulletproof—and honorable enough to see a promise through to its end.”
You'd think because Grayson didn't have as many scenes as Jameson, I'd love Jameson more obviously, right?? HAHA NO BECAUSE THE VERY FEW SCENES BETWEEN GRAYSON AND AVERY WERE ALSO SO PRECIOUS. Like at this point?? I give up on choosing between the two boys, it's impossible. I just want both of them to be happy by the end of this series😭
LIKE GRAYSON TAUGHT HER HOW TO SKI AND USE A LONGSWORD?? plz I love him so much and the way he's hurting so much over what happened in the past *sobbing* (view spoiler)
[even tho this book ended with avery + jameson, i get the feeling next book's gonna end with avery + grayson, and im fine either way just as long as one of them doesnt end up forever heartbroken or something😭 (hide spoiler)]Also I just loved the side characters so much, Xander and Max especially AHH IM SHIPPING THEM. He made her a life-size recreation of the most lovable droids in Star Wards, how is that not so sweet?? Nash and Libby omg I ship too. I was pretty sus about Nash at first but methinks he's alright now, especially after reading the B&N chapters. Also Thea and Rebecca <333 Bex needs all the happiness in the world. Skye can go die🙂
OH AND HANNAH AND HARRY?? Their love is so tragic, I actually got really emotional over some of the lines😭😭
"Hate me, if you can, for all the reasons I deserve. But don't hate me for leaving while you sleep. I knew you wouldn't let me go, and I cannot bear to say good-bye."
They deserved more cri curse certain people.
Also shoutout to Oren and Alisa for all the damage control and protecting they had to do for Avery when she screwed up
a lot. They definitely deserve a raise in pay.
altho they most likely get a lot anways lol "There are no rules that matter more than winning.”
I know a lot people found THL to be super boring and no plot progression whatsoever but honestly I absolutely adored everything in this book. This is the most invested I've been for a book in literally over 3 months. The mystery was so addicting and the tension !! I'm in love and now cannot stop thinking about this book so THANK YOU JLB <33
I'm so hyped for the finale and really sad that soon I'm going to have part from these guys😭 Pleasee don't break any of the Hawthorne boys' hearts, JLB.
___
Reviews:The Inheritance Games: ★★★★★
The Hawthorne Legacy: ★★★★★
Rating: really liked it
jameson’s annoying
Rating: really liked it
DNF @ 45%
I just don't really care tbh. I really liked the first book but I've come to realize I just have outgrown reading series unfortunately. So I didn't not like this, but I found myself not wanting to pick it up.
Rating: really liked it
2021 come sooner
EDIT:
WE HAVE A TITLE AND A RELEASE DATE OMG HAWTHORNE LEGACY IM SO EXCITED HOW AM I GOING TO WAIT UNTIL SEPTEMBER
EDIT:
just.....a mess idk what was going through the authors head when she wrote this
Rating: really liked it
This book was so bad it hurts me. To be so excited after reading
The Inheritance Games and its thrilling mystery and puzzles and delicious hints of romance, only to read... this?
This mess of truly stupid plot twists, slow pacing, underwhelming puzzles, and lack of characterisation. Oh, how my heart sunk.How did Jennifer Lynn Barnes fuck up so bad? Let me count the ways:
➼
Trying too hard to be clever and losing the literal plot. I'll always stand by the fact that it's better to write a realistic and satisfying twist, even if it's expected, than aiming to sucker punch the reader out of nowhere just for the "shock" value. The ending of this book made absolutely no sense: multiple red herrings, twists about minor characters (and a character never even mentioned before!) that had no emotional impact, and glossing over important plot threads to tie them up in a messy, quick knot.
➼
Writing the heroine to be cerebral and clever... at the expense of making her feel like a robot. I couldn't connect to Avery at all in this sequel. I guess I was hoping that, though Avery was really guarded and unemotional in the first book, the author would peel back some of her layers later. Nope.
➼
Not putting in the effort to add complexity to the characters. It's not enough to just introduce a cast of morally grey characters and then... leave it at that. I loved the ambiguity of the Hawthornes when we first met them. Unfortunately, the only character who has a drop of depth in this book is Jameson. It's not enough for a character to be all ~mysterious~ with ~deadly cheekbones~. (I know, I can't believe
I'm saying this when I've been thirsting over Grayson all this time. But those cheekbones need to be paired with some actual characterisation y'all.)
➼
Relying too much on the romance to hook the reader. By the end, I was just annoyed. It was clear that the love triangle was there to disguise the fact that nothing much really happens with the puzzles and plot. Do I still think that Avery and Grayson are endgame? Yes, and they'll be the only reason I read the final book (if I do). (Avery met Grayson first... so by love triangle logic this means they'll end up together lol.)
➼
Reducing the best friend to a prop to remind Avery how hot the Hawthorne boys are. I was so disappointed by this. Instead of investing in Max's characterisation and the friendship she has with Avery, apparently the author time-travelled back to the early 2000s when girls couldn't interact in media unless they were solely talking about boys.
➼
Recycling puzzles from the first book and just having an altogether disappointing mystery. I think of my excitement reading book one with sweet longing. The same tricks like invisible ink and secret passages are re-used and I just... got bored.
The first half of the book was decent and I was enjoying myself moderately. But I quickly realised... as these errors cropped up... that I was only invested in Avery's interactions with Grayson (and to some extent, Jameson). I was cringing at things like Jameson's shrug being "devastating" and the secret love letters starting with "Dear Hannah,
the same forwards as backwards" (apparently, pointing out that your lover's name is a palindrome is superrr romantic).
And then that truly stupid end happened. Yikes.~~~
Grayson: "let's just be fRieNds"
me, in gleeful anticipation: sureee 😉😉 just friends 😉😘 totally platonic pals 😏
~~~
i finally have this book and i'm dying to start it, but fuck me if i remember anything
except that grayson looks hella fine in a suit~~~
i just want me more of grayson hawthorne and some sexy puzzles
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Rating: really liked it
”The trick to being abandoned was to never let yourself long for anyone who left.”
this book had me crying.
crying tears of pain..
from reading such a fucking shit book. i had to send my best friend a long ass voice message of me ranting about this book before i wrote my review because it was
THAT BAD.ok look, i get why people may like this but i
will not ignore the fact that :
⤷ 1. the characters suck except oren (her head security dude)
⤷ that ending was fucking shit
⤷ the 5829955 plot twists at 70% mark??
⤷ the romance is unnecessary and cringe
like?? the first book was good. i tolerated the characters but i liked the writing and the plot but this??
what the fuck was this??the first half of the book was just boring and slow. then like a section of the book was avery trying to figure out if she wants jameson or grayson. like bitch. this isnt a fucking episode of the bachelor here
please stop. PLOT ˎˊ˗ i cant say without wither spoiling or getting mad so… just know that its a shit ton of mystery
duh and uhhh good plot twists but it was all crammed at the ending and was too much that it got messy
i thought how everything related to each other was cool but like it was so rushed that it was underwhelming. at this point if avery was a fairy, i would believe it -_-
if everything was spaced out it wouldve been a lot better but like our girl avery was having boy problems so all the real problem had to be put on hold for little miss
heiress ROMANCE ˎˊ˗ this book wouldve been so much better without romance.
ive said it and ill say it again.
LOVE TRIANGLES ARE NOT CUTE. THEY SUCK. THEYRE ANNOYING. THEYRE STUPID. and if anyone was to write a love triangle at least make the characters likeable.
AT LEAST ONE.also, what was with the hot tub scene like.. what in the
”to all the boys i loved before” is this?? please spare me from any scary flashbacks thanks ;-;
i personally prefer avery and grayson just cause jameson is a fucking annoying little bitch and if i have to hear him say
”heiress” one more fucking time i might just have to go to jail for his murder
just why exactly did this book feel like half of it was avery trying to figure out what boy she wanted. im still confused like…. you have all this crazy shit going on and people are trying to kill you and youre trying to figure out who you see standing on a cliff with you when you close your eyes??
bitch. imagine me. pushing you off the cliff <3
CHARACTERS ˎˊ˗ avery : i hate her. theres nothing much to say. she reminds me of a pick me girl. she’s annoying, stupid, and all things bad so, i really dont fucking care about her oops??
grayson : shouldve gotten the girl. kinda a closeted simp. idk i liked him till i kinda didnt.
jameson : just… die. im sick of seeing his face. i hate him. he’s annoying. i would probably puke if i saw his face lol
libby : why is she still relevant?? someone ship her away cause she keeps pulling the
”i will protect you” card like… youd be the first one crying hun
oren : my favourite. man deserves everything. he should take a vacation cause protecting avery isnt worth it
ummm and the rest either were annoying or just not relevant enough for me mention or both <3
CONCLUSION ˎˊ˗ i regret reading this book. its ruined the whole series for me and when the third book comes out i will have to remember this very moment so rip to me ;-;
ok bye <3
Rating: really liked it
honestly toby, if my family tree was this confusing i’d wanna disappear forever too
Rating: really liked it
lets be real - this sequel is complete and total filler. but its fun filler, so that helps.
the plot doesnt really progress much in this (see the line above), but there are more clues and puzzles and secrets. so if you were drawn to the quirky mysteriousness of tobias hawthorne and his family in
‘the inheritance games,’ then i think you will enjoy this installment. just expect more questions than answers.
and i think thats why i didnt quite love this one as much. the first book ends on a massive cliffhanger with a certain goal in mind. however, that goal isnt met and the cliffhanger isnt resolved until the very end of
this book. i just found that to be too long of a wait. sure, theres stuff in between - like i said, more puzzles and clues - but i found the pacing to be very slow in that regard.
overall, a lot more of the same for this sequel. i think if you pick this up with the mindset of just going along for the ride, rather than expecting results (like i did), then this will be an enjoyable book!
↠ 3.5 stars
Rating: really liked it
I made my decision
Grayson
I love u ❤️💖
But Jameson
Ily too but Grayson is >>>
Rating: really liked it
Finished this one just to finish it.
I just felt like Barnes couldn't keep the exciting puzzle-solving tension going through this book. The plot became convoluted and messy, and I found it harder to suspend disbelief for. Also, I'm over both Grayson and Jameson at this point.
Rating: really liked it
**4.5-stars**The Hawthorne Legacy is the second installment in the hugely popular
Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
This rags-to-riches inheritance mystery offers Readers a lot of riddles, a lot of intrigue and a lot of romantic drama. It's like a tiny bit
The Princess Diaries meets a lot of
Knives Out.
This story follows Avery Grambs, who after the death of her mother, really struggled to get by. She moved in with her half-sister and was working hard just to complete high school. She dreams of a better life.
In an unbelievable turn of luck, Avery received word that eccentric billionaire, Tobias Hawthorne, has just passed, leaving Avery the vast majority of his fortune. The strangest part is, Avery has no idea who Tobias Hawthorne is. She's never even met him.
The kink is that Tobias had a pretty big family that he has snubbed with his surprise bequeathment to Avery.
Now poor Avery has to live in Hawthorne Manor with the very same grandsons who were all but cut out of the elder Hawthorne's will. That isn't awkward at all.
While the first book,
The Inheritance Game, gets you up to speed on all that, this second book builds on the mystery of Avery's windfall, as well as a building of the relationships within her new world.
And keep in mind, this is an entirely new world for Avery. She is now in the realm of the uber-rich; the jet-setting elites who she has never interacted with before. With this comes a new set of challenges, including PR-issues, something Avery never would have thought of before.
If only that were her biggest issue though. Someone out there isn't happy with Avery's new found fortune and is willing to try anything to get her out of the picture. Permanently.
There's also a bit of a love triangle happening. The Hawthorne family is full of handsome and charming young men, such a plus for our Avery.
Two of the boys in particular, Grayson and Jameson, are attracting a lot of her attention and thanks to the power of DNA-testing, it's not creepy at all.
I had a lot of fun with this continuation.
The Hawthorne Legacy may not be perfect, but it's pretty freaking fun.
I need answers; so excited for the next book. Where's this going from here!?
I am so intrigued with what the truth is behind this family. I love the continuation of the use of riddles and games, as well as Avery getting the chance to team up with the brothers to solve different aspects of the mystery.
I know a lot of Readers aren't fans of love triangles, but I think this one is great. It's not overplayed. It feels natural. There's no catty fighting, or behind the scenes backstabbing. Avery is genuinely feeling a connection to both boys. Girl, I get it.
I'm so excited for August so I can get my hands on the third book. I need answers!!!
If you haven't picked up this series yet, and love a fast-paced, fun-filled YA Mystery, you should absolutely start this series now. It's completely addicting!
Rating: really liked it
jameson and grayson have as much flavor as boiled chicken
Rating: really liked it
I need the sequel right now ... is there a date already?
Ps: i love Grayson hawthorne and i really want then to end up together
