Could you imagine being a high school student, dealing with typical anxieties that come with being a teenager, and then one day being called into the principal’s office to be informed you have become an „heiress“ to a Texas billionaire?! Well, neither could Avery! One girl, four brothers, a huge inheritance, and several exciting games to be played!
Imagine being a teenager with hopes of having a successful future and then suddenly being told all of your dreams can come true….if you just follow a few rules.
In this young adult novel, Jennifer Lynn Barnes introduces us to Avery Kylie Grambs. I thought Avery was on the surface a typical teenager. She struggled with a few social anxieties and other coming of age obstacles. However, as I continued reading I realized Avery’s mountains of possible defeat were even higher due to her mother being deceased and having an absent father. Living with her sister Libby was a saving grace, but Drake (Libby’s boyfriend) was not very welcoming. One thing for sure about Avery is her perseverance to overcome no matter what. She even lived in her car without anyone knowing until one day her world changed forever. It is not every day that a teenager has the potential to become an „heiress“ to a billionaire!
After the shock and disbelief settled in, Avery along with her legal guardian Libby flew to Texas and were met with a whirlwind of events courtesy of the Hawthorne Family. Upon the reading of Tobias Hawthorne’s will, you could say….“Let the games begin!“
The outcome of his final wishes were not what his daughters and especially grandsons pictured. Avery and Libby were questioned, researched, and even required to participate in a DNA test. Once Tobias Hawthorne’s descendants were warned their piece of the inheritance pie could be compromised if they didn’t play by the rules, they became very creative in ways that were dangerous to say the least. Avery soon discovered that her new world was a well-planned and eventually well-executed series of games galore!
The Hawthorne brothers also soon discovered Avery was needed more than they realized. It wasn’t easy for the brothers to let down their guard for a complete stranger who could easily have ill intent come with just their presence. Letting Avery into their world was not an easy task at all. However, they soon developed special relationships with her in their own way. The similarities Avery had to someone else they knew and loved eventually played a role in this quest for inheritance as well.
Tobias Hawthorne was a very wise man. He knew what and who his grandsons needed to heal past wounds in order to move forward. Early on in this rollercoaster ride of mystery, the youngest Hawthorne brother (Alexander) encouraged Avery to be the one to tell her story, and eventually she did just that. Controlling the narrative and allowing herself to be molded into the „heiress“ Tobias Hawthorne saw she could be, was the missing puzzle piece for everything to fall into place.
Trust, deceit, secrets, riddles, clues, and Avery’s experience playing chess are evident throughout this book. There were times I wanted to read slower because I didn’t know what was around the corner on the next page!
I am certain, this is one book you will want as a part of your next book club meeting. Thank me later!