Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why — or even who Tobias Hawthorne is.

To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man’s touch — and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he’s determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather’s last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.

How was it?

I’ve seen this book series on shelves in bookstores for years, so I know I’m very late to The Inheritance Games party. I wasn’t exactly in a rush to pick it up, but I was curious, considering that this series has several books available when I started it. I like YA books, but some can be hit or miss for me, and sometimes the tropes can get a little… frustrating. But after coming off two action thrillers, I guess I was in the mood for something different, so this happened to be it.

At its core, the story feels like a modern-day Cinderella setup, which I actually don’t mind at all, as long as the main character doesn’t suddenly start making wild, unreasonable decisions. Avery Grambs going from struggling student to inheriting a billionaire’s fortune overnight? I was on board with that premise. It’s dramatic, a little ridiculous, but fun in theory.

That said… it took a while for me to really get into it.

The beginning felt slow. Like, the kind of slow where you start wondering if anything is actually happening or if it’s all just setup that could’ve been trimmed down. It really felt like filler, and it made it harder to stay fully engaged early on.

Then there’s the romance. Or… romances. And honestly? That part didn’t work for me. With everything going on: the inheritance, the mystery, the tension with the Hawthorne family, it felt a bit strange to constantly circle back to romantic musings. I get that it’s YA and that’s part of the appeal, but here it just felt a little out of place, like it was pulling focus from the more interesting parts of the story.

If I’m being completely honest, this became what I’d call a procrastination read. The kind of book you pick up when you’re avoiding something else, rather than one you can’t wait to get back to. And that kind of defined my entire experience with it.

In fact, I got all the way to chapter 74… and then just stopped for months. I genuinely debated not finishing it, which says a lot. I only went back to it because I was so close to the end. And even then, I wouldn’t say I was dying to know how it wrapped up. I was more just… forcing myself to see it through.

In the end, The Inheritance Games has a fun premise and enough appeal, but the slow pacing and distracting romantic elements made it harder to fully invest. It wasn’t a bad read; it just wasn’t one I felt particularly compelled to read.

Maybe if you love YA mysteries with a romantic twist, you’ll probably get more out of it than I did.

If you want to support this site, help by getting me a coffee from the link below: