Review: The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Hey everyone!
Today I am excited to be sharing my review of The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes with you all.

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GoodReads Synopsis:

The Inheritance Games ended with a bombshell, and now heiress Avery Grambs has to pick up the pieces and find the man who might hold the answers to all of her questions – including why Tobias Hawthorne left his entire fortune to Avery, a virtual stranger, rather than to his own daughters or grandsons.

As the mystery grows and the plot thickens, Grayson and Jameson, the enigmatic and magnetic Hawthorne grandsons, continue to pull Avery in different directions. And there are threats lurking around every corner, as adversaries emerge who will stop at nothing to see Avery out of the picture – by any means necessary.

With nonstop action, aspirational jet-setting, family intrigue, swoonworthy romance, and billions of dollars hanging in the balance, The Hawthorne Legacy will thrill Jennifer Lynn Barnes fans and new readers alike.

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My Review:

I read The Inheritance Games back when it was first published in 2020, and absolutely loved it, so when I saw that The Hawthorne Legacy was being released, I was desperate to read it. The Inheritance Games had ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I couldn’t wait to finally find out what happens.

We immediately dive straight back in to the mystery of the story, with Avery and Jameson trying to come to terms with the bombshell that is dropped at the end of book one, and plotting their next step, which OF COURSE involves more games and riddles. This is one of those stories where I really don’t want to give anything away in my review, because you get so much more out of this book if you go in to it completely unaware of what’s about to happen, so I’m going to try to avoid talking about the actual plot of the story altogether, and focus on the more general aspects of the book.

This series has such an interesting mix of characters, and I love every character that the author has created (some of them it’s a ‘love to hate’ situation). The Hawthorne boys in particular are favourites of mine, as they are all so different, have their own unique skills and talents, and they can also be very unpredictable, which makes the story so much more exciting. Jameson is my personal favourite though, because he’s definitely the most unpredictable of the boys, he’s always up for a little bit of danger, and he brings out a side to Avery that I really enjoy. He makes her live on the edge a little more, and I love that. I was so happy that Avery’s best friend, Max, had a little more involvement in this story too, as I really enjoy her personality, and I think she could bring a lot more fun to this series.

The game aspect of the story is a real joy to read, and I absolutely love trying to figure out the riddles and the mysteries with the characters. The way that the game takes so many twists and turns, unearths so many secrets, and causes some completely unexpected revelations makes this book impossible to put down. You have no idea what is around the corner, and it has you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Alongside the fun of the game, there is also a large amount of danger, and the author really upped her game with this with The Hawthorne Legacy, which is packed full of action and intensity.

Although I’m not usually a big fan of romance in books, with this series, I actually really enjoy it. The ‘Will they? Won’t they?’, love triangle situation is the perfect romance to compliment the game/mystery elements of the story. Nothing with the Hawthorne’s is ever simple, including their love lives. This aspect of the book is actually wrapped up nicely at the end of the book, and it is a very satisfying ending. However, I know that book 3 is coming, and I have a feeling that this ending is too good to be true, and I’m ready for it to completely blow up in the next book.

As you can tell, I absolutely loved this book! It’s explosive, it keeps you guessing, and has you totally hooked. I am so ready for book 3 already, because I can not wait to see this story continue. It is definitely one of my favourite YA series.

I give The Hawthorne Legacy an easy 5 star rating!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for my e-ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

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