Avery Grambs goes from sleeping in the backseat of her car - to avoid her half-sister's abusive boyfriend - to inheriting billions. Literally overnight, she finds out that's the only heir of billionaire Tobias Hawthorne. The only catch? She has to live in a mansion for a year with the family he just disinherited.
I've read most of Jennifer Lynn Barnes's books when she was writing about werewolves, but hadn't read her other YA. After seeing this book over and over again on Instagram, spotting it on the "new arrivals" shelves at my library seemed like a sign. I scooped it up and read it in roughly a day.
When Avery arrives at Hawthorne House - with its secret passageways, hidden rooms, and puzzles everywhere, she's drawn into the mystery of why Hawthorn left her - a total stranger, his fortune. She's also drawn to two of his four grandsons- all of whom seem to have something to hide. A mysterious secrete if their past haunts the boys, and Avery can't resist trying to figure it out.
The Inheritance Games is a fun YA thriller that still manages to handle some heavy subjects well. Avery's half-sister Libby, also her guardian, has an abusive boyfriend. While this is a minor subplot, Barnes shows the way that abusive people wheedle their way back into someone's life, and how difficult it can be for someone to leave (even when their sister has access to billions).
There are several characters of color, Xander, a biracial grandson, and Alisa, a Latina who serves as Avery's lawyer, and it was nice to have them there. Barnes even had some queer representation and the book passes the Bechdel test (clearly, the author is an overachiever! lol).
I really enjoyed the book - which still had fun twists and turns, inventive puzzles, and hints of romance, and am glad that I can dive right into the sequel!