The Heirs

by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

A mystery about five teen geniuses, their billionaire father, and the investigation into his murder.
Five prodigies, one dead father, a mansion full of suspects…

Octavius the Maestro.
Fola the Brain.
Bilal the Olympian.
Perdita the Artist.
Romeo the Failure.

These are the five heirs of the illustrious billionaire Leontes Button. Adopted and viciously trained with their father’s infamous “Button Method” to prove his hypothesis for creating prodigies—child geniuses—the Button siblings have had no choice but to be brilliant according to their father's impossibly high standards.

Until he is murdered at his annual Prodigy Ball.

Now, all who attended the ball are required to stay in the Button Manor while the police investigate. But the officers have their work cut out for them—each of the Button siblings has something to hide, but The Heirs aren't the only ones with secrets. After all, Leontes Button was especially good at making enemies. . .

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Fantasy, Contemporary

336 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication June 2, 2026

About the author

Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is the instant New York Times, International bestselling, & Award-winning author of ACE OF SPADES and WHERE SLEEPING GIRLS LIE. In 2024 she was a world book day author with her title THE DOOMSDAY DATE and she also has a Marvel Spider-Verse story coming out this year where she writes a new Spider-Verse character known as Spider-UK/Zarina Zahari. Faridah is an avid tea drinker, a collector of strange mugs, and a graduate from a university in Scotland where she received a BA in English Literature. She also has an MA in Shakespeare Studies from Kings College London. When she isn’t spinning dark tales, Faridah can be found examining the deeper meanings in Disney channel original movies.

Reviews

[sofi🎀🧸 billie eilish’s version~winter vibes🧸 · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow. this was amazing and i am so incredibly grateful that i was given an opportunity to read it! this was an amazing thriller with twists and turns and the dark secrets of an affluent family of geniuses🤭 deffo recommend
do u want to know what these rich ass bitches do in their free time? read this!!!
𝓯𝓸𝓾𝓻 .5 𝓼𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓰, 𝓪𝓯𝓯𝓵𝓾𝓮𝓷𝓽-𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂-𝓭𝓻𝓪𝓶𝓪, 𝓶𝓾𝓻𝓭𝓮𝓻 𝓶𝔂𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝔂 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓼

𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰: the greatest by billie eilish

𝓶𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼🧸
i am well acquainted with the burning, torturous, agonizing pain of perfection. it’s all i’ve ever wanted to be in my life. if i’m not perfect, if i’m not the greatest, what is the point of doing it? and the deep, deep, shame of not being the best. i know this won’t be relatable to some; i am sure there are many who will be perfectly happy with a 94% on a test and not burst into tears.
but for those who force themselves to be the absolute best at everything, this is the book for you.
also if you love the drama of rich people and geniuses and murder mysteries of the upper echelon.
whichever appeals to you more. also can we just admire the diverse main characters for a second 🙏🙏 we have main characters that are lesbian, bisexual, gay, african, indian, and more like okay sooo marry me 😍
this was an insanely entertaining read and this author has become an auto buy author. i was so absolutely exhilarated to have received the arc, and i cannot thank the author/netgalley/the publisher enough!!

𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓵𝓸𝓽🎖

can i just say i adore the writing style? the perfect mix of easy to read yet slightly pedantic, witty yet not overly full of mundane jokes, and descriptive so i can see all the events clearly in my mind? chefs kiss!!
so i would recommend reading the blurb instead of consulting me, but basically rich rich guy adopts 4 kids from random orphanages, for the intent and purpose of seeing nurture vs nature in genius. so: are you born with the genius gene, or can it be acquired?
nurture is the case with fola, octavius, bilal, perdita. and poor romeo… well. nurture didn’t work on him. blah blah let’s get to the point.
their wildly famous and rich father dies.
and it’s murder !!
dun dun dunnnnn!!
so yeah.
i ADORED the plot and the clever plotting was lovely. absolutely wonderful. this is the book version of knives out (which i love more than my family itself) and i lived for it. and, like knives out, i was right about many thing, but the actual twist i can never seem to perfectly nail. i feel like this was written perfectly to give us middle class normal people a glimpse into the life of the rich.
and i LOVED it.
button manor genuinely was written so well i could see it in a way that i could almost feel it viscerally.

𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼

these were some of the best, most complex, layered, interesting, lovable characters i have ever read abt. i fell in love with all of them. i will never forget them. the toll that being a genius takes on someone.
goodness.
this was such a good idea and i love how fleshed out every character was.
my fav has to be romeo 🥹 he’s not special or a genius but i love him.
genuinely love everyone and i am very easily annoyed by book characters 💕

𝓲𝓭𝓴 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓮𝓵𝓼𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓪𝔂 𝓼𝓸 𝓭𝓸 𝓲 𝓻𝓮𝓬 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼?

100000000000% yes!!!!! i was feeling exceptionally bored lately and this book got me thru it <3

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can honestly say I’ve been eagerly anticipating this one ever since I devoured Where the Sleeping Girls Lie and Ace of Spades. Both were brilliant, daring, and refreshingly layered, so when I heard that Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé was releasing another YA mystery — this time about five prodigious siblings and their billionaire father’s shocking murder — I jumped right in without hesitation.

From the very first pages, The Heirs of Button Manor had me intrigued. The blood-freezing opening scene sets the stage for a story that feels like a cross between Umbrella Academy (if the superpowers were replaced with pure genius) and The Inheritance Games, with a touch of Knives Out’s dark family intrigue. Each of the five adopted siblings is a prodigy in their own right: Octavius the musical maestro, Fola the mathematical brain, Bilal the Olympic athlete, Perdita the artistic dreamer, and Romeo, the so-called “failure” who can’t seem to measure up.

Together, they are the carefully crafted experiments of their father, Leontes Button — a larger-than-life billionaire obsessed with his own “Button Method” for manufacturing brilliance. But when Leontes is found dead during his grand annual Prodigy Ball, the glamorous event quickly turns into a claustrophobic crime scene. Everyone in the mansion becomes a suspect, and every prodigy — no matter how perfect — has something to hide.

While the premise promises a classic locked-room mystery, what unfolds is also a deeply emotional, slow-burning family drama filled with tension, secrets, and betrayal. The first half focuses on the siblings’ inner worlds: Octavius’ heartbreak over his ex-boyfriend Anwar, Perdita’s forbidden love with Torin Philips (a modern Romeo & Juliet twist), Bilal’s loss of purpose after a career-ending injury, and Fola’s mysterious connection to Evie — the gardener’s daughter returning from Italy. Meanwhile, Romeo, the “failure,” struggles under the crushing weight of expectation, making him one of the most relatable characters for anyone who’s ever felt like the odd one out.

There were moments when the pacing slowed — especially early on, when the emotional introspection outweighs the mystery — but I never felt bored. Instead, I found myself drawn into the Button siblings’ unhappiness and dysfunction. It’s not just about solving a murder; it’s about understanding how genius and trauma can coexist under the same roof, and how love and resentment can intertwine in families built on impossible expectations.

Then comes the second half — and that’s where the real fireworks begin. Secrets unravel, alliances shift, and the revelations hit hard. The story tightens beautifully, delivering a series of satisfying twists that remind readers why Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is one of the boldest voices in YA mystery today.

Personally, my heart belonged to Romeo and Octavius. Maybe I just have a soft spot for outsiders and musical prodigies, but their arcs felt the most emotionally resonant and beautifully flawed. The author does a wonderful job portraying them not as caricatures of genius, but as wounded, yearning humans trying to reclaim their sense of self beyond their father’s shadow.

While The Heirs of Button Manor didn’t reach the emotional perfection of Where the Sleeping Girls Lie for me (which I still consider one of the best YA mysteries of recent years), it’s undeniably a rich, ambitious, and thought-provoking story. The character depth and family dynamics are gripping, and the tension never truly lets go.

This is a book about brilliance, ambition, and the cost of being exceptional — and it asks the chilling question: Who are we, when our worth isn’t measured by our achievements?

I’m rounding up my 3.5 stars to a solid 4 for its ambition, complexity, and unforgettable cast of prodigies.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group / Feiwel & Friends for the digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

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[Fernanda (ivyfer_isreading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take the umbrella academy sprinkle a little bit of the inheritance games and you have the recipe for this great book.
This book is about five adopted kids, that were a project of a billionaire to "make" prodigies. As you can probably imagine, that didn't go well. Fast forward several years, their father is found dead in a ball and they are suspects of his murder.
The heirs is a mystery impossible to put down. These characters sunk their claws in me almost immediately, I care about all of them deeply.
I love a murder mystery where I can try to guess the culprit, and the heirs gave me exactly that. It kept me in my toes until the very ending, and I absolutely adored the direction the author took with that resolution.
There's a little romance, a lot of childhood trauma and complex characters. I loved it.

Thank you Netgalley and Feiwel and Friends for the ARC!

[nadine (semi ia)]

I got approved for the arc!!

I’ll be reading this soon.

[millena ★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love this kind of book that mixes murder mystery with family drama and it’s even better when there’s an inheritance involved. this one totally exceeded my expectations! i got hooked right from the first few chapters (which almost never happens) and i loved the sibling dynamics so much. the only thing i didn’t love was the ending but not that it was bad, just a bit anticlimactic. overall though, it was such a fun and fast read!!

[sophia_thesecond (gibsie's ver) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

wow. I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did! it was soooo good! I loved (almost) all the characters and it was just so interesting! it's kind of like inheritance games mixed with the secret history (the characters just imagine them less crazy). the writing was really good and some of the metaphors were like beautiful. I really enjoyed the ending. there wasn't really to plot twists per se (except for a few) but more so reveals of things that it has been leading up to.

𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴:
salvatore- lana del rey
0:09 ━●────────── 2:47
ㅤ ㅤ◁ㅤ ❚❚ ㅤ▷ ㅤㅤ
-------˖⁺. ༶ ❤︎ ⋆˙⊹ 𐦍 ˖⁺. ༶ ❤︎ ⋆˙⊹-------

characters:

octavius 'the maestro' button: I loved tavi. he was my favorite sibling. was he insane? yes. but he was also broken.

fola 'the brain' button: I have mixed feelings about her. I liked her but at the same time I didn't.

bilal 'the olympian' button: he was my 2nd favorite sibling. I loved billy so much.

perdita 'the artist' button: she was just meh for me. didn't love her, didn't hate her

romeo 'the failure' button: he was so cute. he's such a sweetie.

evie gray: I liked her.

anwar shah: I liked him so much too.

henry xu: love him

mr button: no we don't like him.

[Genevieve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that this may be Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé's weakest book.

This was still well written and fast paced with lots interesting characters and great queer rep, but overall it felt like trying to do too much in too little pages so everything felt a bit shallow.

There are five main POVs: one for each of the children that billionaire Mr Button adopted to raise to become geniuses. The story follows the Button heirs when they are seventeen as they are all brought back together for their father's annual gala which he is then murdered at. The Button heirs are then held at their father's manor whilst the police investigate and all of their trauma and secrets come to the surface.

Five POVs was just too many - and that's without counting the one off extra POVs from Henry and Evie and all the POVs time jumping backwards. The constant POV switching means that you never fully explore each character so each of their arcs and backstories don't feel fleshed out enough. I think that this really would have benefitted from having only one main POV as so much about each character just felt underdeveloped by the end. Octavius and Romeo were my favourite POVs (the "Maestro" and the "Failure") as Octavius was such a drama queen and his relationship with Fola was so sweet and then it was hard to not feel for Romeo who just could not catch a break. All of the Button heirs were likeable and interesting but I really wish that we'd got more about each of their back stories and individual struggles (like at what point Romeo became the failure, more about Bilal's accident, and more about both sisters' romances - it felt like we were just told these things and not shown them because there wasn't the page space).

On a smaller level there were a few things which I found odd/distracting like the many nicknames for each person, how (despite the fact that all five Button heirs are the same age) they call each other older/younger sibling, and that there aren't many character physical descriptions - other than the brothers' heights and the sisters' outfits I had no idea what most of the protagonists looked like for the first 100 pages.

Overall this felt like it was trying to do too many POVs and too many subplots in too little pages so nothing was done in depth enough. This resulted in an underwhelming ending as it felt a bit anticlimactic and almost unearned. However it was interesting and the characters (although not fleshed out as much they could have been) were fun so if you want a book with the vibes of Umbrella Academy meets Inheritance Games then you may enjoy this.

Thank you to Usborne YA for a proof copy of this book

[DSHNNMRSH &#x1f49c;]

For fans of The Inheritance Games written by the author of Ace of Spades?????? 26’ looks promising!

[meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

an excellent ya thriller which gripped me thoughout! as always, i adored faridah’s writing style and found the plot intriguing, with the perfect balance of humour and emotion. the characters were the standout element of this story and i really enjoyed them all and their dynamic - they were extremely well fleshed out and super interesting to follow!

[gifted ARC but all opinions are my own]

[El · Rating 5 out of 5]

sensational.

faridah NEVER misses

[Kenna McNair · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d like to thank the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Heirs.

Overall, this was a slow burn thriller, and while it took its time to build, I appreciated how everything came together in the end. The story is full of twists and turns that kept me guessing especially as I tried to figure out which of the Button siblings was responsible for the murder.

Each of the children carries their own emotional weight, shaped by past trauma and the intense pressure of their family dynamic. Most of them dread attending the Prodigy Balls, where they’re expected to maintain a flawless image for their father’s elite guests, adding another layer of tension to the story.

If you enjoy thrillers that unfold gradually and focus on atmosphere and character dynamics, this one might be for you.

[Elena_19_02 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this ARC! Honest review is written in Italian, my mother language🇮🇹

Quest’autrice ormai per me è un hit or miss, perché finora ha scritto solo young adult e il 1º mi era piaciuto solo parzialmente, il 2º invece TANTISSIMO, e questo 3º…. Forse il peggiore per ora💀perché persino le tematiche adolescenziali che scriveva bene qui sono quasi assenti



Intanto, il titolo Heirs dice ben poco: i ragazzi sono figli adottati e cresciuti per un progetto chiamato “Button Method” da Leontes Button, un riccone che voleva crescere ognuno come se fossero macchine addestrati per i talenti. Interessante, ma tanto non si vede nulla di questa crescita e le frasi sull’essere macchine al suo servizio sono ripetute tre volte e didascaliche.


A metà libro non è ancora successo nulla, dell’assassinio di Leontes, annunciato senza pathos, non vediamo nessuna investigazione, è un tell not show che la polizia faccia degli interrogatori mentre i figli come niente fosse vagano nella casa e confabulano tra loro🤡come se realisticamente potessero farlo
Di alcuni non c’è proprio background: Fola, africana, è la genia della matematica e degli scacchi, Octavius è il genio della musica, con il violino, che da anni va a una boarding school per ricchi (quindi si è già liberato della morsa del padre, eppure non se ne parla mai, solo che è stato lontano e non c’è stato alcun legame con i fratelli), Perdita, per metà vietnamita, va in giro a fare opere d’arte per le esposizioni, Romeo, italiano (chiamato così perché originario di Roma e, di nuovo, perché so che l’autrice è fan di Shakespeare), l’unico senza talento— cosa che non ha senso perché perché mai un miliardario che punta a fare questo esperimento sociale dovrebbe tenerselo? Non si parla di quanto o come ha insistito con lui, sembra solo un ragazzo rassegnato a essere “The Failure” e l’escluso della famiglia, che tutto sommato sta bene così🤌senza rancore o conflitto con gli altri. È letteralmente l’outsider, come prototipo letterale, ma neppure questo viene sfruttato, è buono al pari degli altri💀


Il background più esplorato è il dramma sentimentale, ADDIRITTURA, tra Octavius che fa l’adolescente post breakup e Bilal, il maggiore, che è stato mollato dall’ex. Ah, era il campione olimpico di scherma ma ha avuto un incidente alla gamba, che poi si scopre non essere restato un incidente perché si è auto-inflitto la ferita— come? Boh🤡 e come magicamente lo scopre il padre? Boh, “ha guardato la cartella clinica”, ceeeeerto perche quella ti dice le intenzioni del ferito, come no

La rappresentazione queer è presente e casual in ogni libro di Faridah: qui Octavius è bisessuale e si scherza sulle sue relazioni con gente ricca di vario genere alla scuola privata, l’ultima com un principe spagnolo LOL; lo è anche Evie Gray, la figlia del giardiniere è della cuoca, e invece Bilal è gay, fa persino la battuta che non ha mai dovuto nascondersi perché l’unica cosa che avrebbe deluso il padre erano i suoi fallimenti sportivi, e che “he was sort of progressive, that way”😭😭LMAO🙏.


Sia Bilal che Anwar sono sud asiatici, e quest’ultimo l’ha lasciato per la difficoltà della relazione a distanza e l’impegno del primo dedito solo alla scherma, senza comunicare adeguatamente. Parte del loro alibi è che la sera del Prodigy Ball, evento spettacolarizzante di gente con dei talenti (che vabbè sorvoliamo sul funzionamento, immagino che Button fosse un mecenate che raccoglie talenti a caso e viene invitata solo gente ricca?) ricadono in una hookup perché ancora innamorati. Wow.
Alibi parziale perché Anwar aveva chiesto a Bilal di mentire sull’orario, non si sa perché dato che non ha fatto nulla🤡



Zero pathos anche quando si scopre che Perdita è l’unica figlia biologica, lo shock dura pochissimo. È stata concepita con inseminazione in vitro su una povera donna che aveva bisogno di soldi e ha risposto a un annuncio, perché Button voleva “provare il metodo su una sua legacy”— ma che vuol dire😭😭😭puoi educare in questo modo perverso sia figli biologici sia non, non cambia niente, non è chissà che esperimento sociale biologico😭poteva concepirla pure normalmente con un donna, non capisco
C’è anche una coincidenza di nomi perché il Re Leontes in “Racconto di inverno” aveva una figlia segreta con questo nome, spiegato anche qui in modo super letterale e senza sorpresa— che okay, capisco sia per uno young adult e tanti giovani non conoscono le opere minori di Shakespeare MA davvero spieghi pure questo? Puoi farlo nelle note oppure, in modo peculiare, nella comprensione segreta di un POV di un personaggio💀
Comunque, questa dovrebbe essere la spiegazione alla maggiore eredità lasciata a lei rispetto agli altri, ma non ha alcun effetto, non ha cresciuto Perdita in modo diverso e non c’è una caratterizzazione psicologica che giustifichi una preferenza se non questo, tanto hanno ormai tutti ereditato il suo cognome🤡


Intanto, Octavius e Bilal hanno il senso di colpa per la morte di Adam, fratello maggiore di Evie, per cui anni prima avevano una crush e volevano sempre far colpo su di lui; muore per un incidente d’auto mentre stupidamente andava più veloce scherzando con i bambini, ma la macchina era manomessa perché… Octavius aveva cambiato i freni?? Sperando poi di poterla riparare e far vedere a suo padre quanto era bravo per avere apprezzamento da lui???? Eh????
Octavius aveva fatto pratica da un meccanico A CASO mesi prima, forse era una caratterizzazione per intendere “qualcosa di suo” e non obbligato dall’educazione da ricchi, ma è surreale che uno cresciuto così l’abbia fatto💀e poi okay che avrà 14 anni e non pensava che qualcuno avrebbe usato la macchina, ma comunque, sei scemo😭fai qualunque altra cosa per dimostrarlo, mostraglielo SUL MOMENTO a tuo padre, non manomettendo i freni e poi guarda caso la macchina viene regalata ad Adam e guarda caso ridipinta e lui non l’ha riconosciuta E GUARDA CASOOOO tutto così, tutto inutile e comodo


Bilal si sente in colpa soprattutto per la sua sabre con cui aveva provato a sistemare i freni (????? Come??? Che era nel sedile posteriore e non puoi farlo in movimento??🤡) ma in realtà non è quella che ha colpito Adam. Vabbè, tutto a caso. “Survivor’s guilt”, come lo chiama Anwar quando Bilal lo confessa, un’empatia inutile visto che questo mistero non ha alcune stakes ed è un inciucio in una famiglia ricca. Okay, Button ha poi coperto le tracce per la reputazione e per tenersi i genitori come suoi dipendenti, ma tanto è risolto così in uno schiocco di dita

Come tutta la trama del resto: Evie è “brava con i computer” e quindi dall’inizio trova informazioni accedendo al server della polizia collegato allo stesso Wi-Fi del Manor🤡🤡🤡certo come no🤡🤡 e stava tenendo traccia della famiglia su un taccuino chiamato THE HEIRS, NON LO SO FATTI SGAMARE DI PIÙ DAI AHAHAHAHA💀💀. Questo viene trovato da Fola, che per tutto il libro non fa altro che andare a raccattare i fratelli e urlare accuse a caso; Evie però fa un gran discorso davanti a loro e agli ospiti rimasti, SENZA CHE LA POLIZIA FACCIA NIENTE (sappiamo per tell not show che compariva nelle telecamere quindi tutt’appost, okay) in cui accusa tutti e soprattutto Octavius perché “ha la faccia colpevole e l’ho sentito ieri sera che diceva i killed him”— ovviamente si riferiva ad Adam ma oh, la piattezza che è tutto raccontato nel monologo💀



Si alterna poi un flashback inutile di Button che teneva una lezione sulla vivisezione dei ratti quando erano piccoli, per dimostrare che in giro ci sono cattive persone🤡🤡🤣🤣🤣degno delle migliori copie di mille film thriller con toni inutilmente grandiosi e didascalici
E poi, il flashback della sera prima, dove Octavius viene chiamato dal padre per chiedergli di ucciderlo aggiungendo morfina al suo corpo, già accordatosi con il dottore per vie illegali, perché ha ormai un cancro irrecuperabile. La notizia era stata già a Henry, il segretario, in un altro flashback, una chiacchierata noiosa in cui gli diceva di volerlo promuovere a gestore della casa fvari capitoli dopo l’inizio della scena, interrotta quando credeva di essere licenziato, CHE POTEVA DARGLI UN MOVENTE e invece sparisce quindi è tutto piatto); lui aveva rifiutato per il peso eccessivo, che aveva poi proposto anche a Perdita ma anche lei aveva rifiutato— una patata bollente sarebbe stata più divertente😀COSA MI FREGA DELLA CASAAAA VAI AVANTI COL MISTEROOOOO

In quella conversazione teoricamente privata ma stranamente fatta a porte aperte in una casa enorme🤡arrivano di fila tutti gli altri fratelli, e Mr Button così, muto🤡. Oppone resistenza solo dopo che i ragazzi si rifiutano, va verso Bilal —ma poteva essere chiunque di loro— Romeo lo scansa e tutti si spingono tra loro in un caos che risulta che il collo di Mr Button vada finire addosso a un corno di rinoceronte appeso nel muro dello studio. Wow. Davvero morte della patata bollente💀

Parlano a caso di alibi e di allontanarsi ma non ne costruiscono di collegati tra loro, è tutta una ripetizione come se l’autrice avesse visto dialoghi da un film thriller di Netflix😭. E se questo è il plot twist, non hanno senso i dialoghi precedenti in cui Fola quasi accusava Perdita o Evie, davanti a loro stessi QUANDO SONO LORO I COLPEVOLI, non stavano fingendo né si erano messi d’accordo, non ha senso😭


Altra scena senza senso e senza tensione anche quando per 3 righe i Buttons pensano che Evie vi abbia qualcosa a che fare (RIPETO LORO SONO COLPEVOLI, facessero altri ragionamenti strategici non così😭non è un plot twist, è una non concordanza nella narrazione), e scavano in un file TROVATO CONVENIENTEMENTE sul database in cui c’è un articolo della morte di una ex compagna/quasi ex ragazza alla scuola di ballo dove studiava Evie. Ovviamente un incidente per una strada innevata ma la fanno sembrare una cosa losca perché Mr Button ha coperto tutto e cambiato la macchina— PERCHÉ SE ERA UN INCIDENTE???💀💀ma che senso ha questo finto tono da mistero per dio


E con la stessa facilità non sense Henry viene arrestato, prima della classica frase che dice la polizia c’è la sua falsa confessione in cui mente dicendo che stava per essere licenziato e spiega passo passo le azioni, pure mentre Evie ribatte con la vera forma dell’arma del delitto e dettagli vari TELL NOT SHOWWWWW il tutto mentre gli agenti lo ammanettano🤡almeno queste scene da film di solito un minimo di pathos ce l’hanno eh.



Finale con comodo salto temporale di settimane, al momento in cui Henry si è apparentemente suicidato in prigione ma poi no, perché Evie vola FINO A SHANGHAI, sapendo che lui voleva tornare lì dalla famiglia ???🤡🤡e come lo sapeva che a malapena si parlavano solo quando lei era cresciuta al Manor da piccola🤡. Henry rivela che si sentiva in colpa per aver assistito al litigio di famiglia senza intervenire e che ci teneva ai ragazzi e non voleva andassero in prigione. Non c’è alcun conflitto interiore però, visto che poco prima era terrorizzato dal licenziamento per non poter tornare nel suo paese quindi questo rischio non ha senso💀. Avrebbe dovuto renderlo calcolato con tutti i figli cosicché, anche nell’assurdità non realistica del finale felice, magari sarebbe stata una scelta più intenzionale sapendo che avevano i mezzi per liberarlo; invece no, frase comoda buonista su “hanno sofferto per le colpe degli adulti”— disse un segretario dipendente che non ha MAI avuto controllo su queste vite chiaramente💀 ma che cazzo diciiii


Quindi, Evie lo scopre perch�� ha tracciato tutti i numeri indirizzi cazzi e mazzi sempre perché la genia che pare la scena dei film di Disney Channel in cui i bambini fanno il classico “eeee… siamo dentro!” sui server dei computer lmao 😭😭. Sempre Evie aveva anche cominciato una relazione con Fola, A CASO INFORMAZIONE BUTTATA LÌ mentre Romeo ci provava con lei, dice che anni prima avevano condiviso “un momento” ??? Ma quando???? Interagiscono solo una volta quando Fola letteralmente le ha urlato in faccia e fatto finta di sospettare di lei, che relazione iniziate ma che stronzata è😭😭😭non c’è bisogno di accoppiare due personaggi verso cui il lettore comunque non ha mai avuto motivo di sperare

Alle ultime pagine c’è un finto stacco con la frase “the end (not really)” perché si rivela come Henry si è liberato, e ciò che ovviamente sono stati i soldi dei figli Buttons a tirarlo fuori e fingere un suicidio per evitare altre investigazioni. Ma va guarda😀



Salvatisi il culo, avevano appunto portato Henry su un aereo privato guidato dall’ex spagnolo di Octavius, con cui ha un dialogo imbarazzante in cui quello gli dice una cosa tipo «Vuoi pranzare con me?» «No» «Allora a cena?» «Neanche» «Allora un caffè?» «No non ti voglio vedere più»😀😀ma chi parla così cristo. Octavius intende che deve lavorare su sé stesso senza relazioni ma anziché dirlo in modo normale dice che ha capito che lui “ricade sempre nell’heartbreak” e insegue apposta il cuore spezzato facendosi del male, con aggettivi wannabe profondi che non dicono nulla. Ma tanto non sapevamo nulla di sto tizio quindi ok👋




Negli anni, si sono stabiliti tutti a New York, Fola ha una sua compagnia, Perdita lavora forse ancora nell’arte? E non ho ben capito Romeo visto che non faceva niente manco prima.
Bilal ha provato a rintracciare la sua famiglia originaria del Bangladesh e vive con la famiglia del ragazzo, che invidiava per i genitori davvero fieri di lui e amorevoli (il dialogo in cui Awar dice che aveva temporeggiato con i genitori per rimanere al Manor e parlare con lui, e si dicono di amarsi anche dopo la confessione dell’incidente di Adam è davvero l’unica emozione di questi personaggi IN UN LIBRO THRILLER e ho detto tutto💀)
E Octavius letteralmente chiede i soldi esibendosi col violino per strada perché ha dato via la sua eredità, A CHI NON SI SA🤡ma fosse pure in benificienza sei cretino?? Come vivi e come affitti l’appartamento a New York😭servirebbe un po’ di editing prima dell’uscita del libro almeno per queste incongruenze ancora correggibili, dai



La sua grande idea per questo finale davvero da Disney Channel🤪 è di formare una band con tutti i fratelli e sorelle, come il loro sogno detto un po’ così da bambini, che dovrebbe sembrare questa grande reunion profonda in cui finalmente trovano il loro legame famigliare ora che il padre è morto— la frase “da bambini prodigio ad adulti sconosciuti” è un’altra wannabe profonda visto che si chiamano letteralmente THE BUTTONS🤡🤡ma non volevate abbandonare il cognome famoso della crescita traumatica?🤡. Cioè dai ma ste cose pure senza l’editor dovresti rendertene conto, si contraddice da sola😭




Avrei apprezzato se fosse stata un storia anche semplice del thriller per gente ricca in cui, con personaggi insopportabili, si sarebbe mandato il classico messaggio ironico che “i soldi ti salvano per tutto”. Ma invece questi personaggi non sono da criticare o biasimare, non c’è ironia su una scappata dal crimine al volo e che comunque non era ricaduta sui colpevoli neanche prima.
Davvero non capisco il soggetto scelto e il senso della trama. Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé ha sempre scritto messaggi anti-borghesia e di difesa degli adolescenti rispetto allo status quo, ma qui provi solo pena per questi sfigati che sembrano vittime dello stesso destino che sì, può accomunarli, ma non hanno reazioni diverse, sono buoni e ricchi e con un padre pazzo fine della caratterizzazione.
Per dire, all’inizio c’è una frase di Romeo che accenna ai soldi ma che viene presa a ridere da Evie perché ovviamente non è detta con malizia; non sono né persone da biasimare né superficiali né, però, hanno una complessità oltre la posizione privilegiata— okay che sono adolescenti ma sembrano ragazzini in un gruppetto scolastico per quanto queste cose non hanno impatto e ripetono a pappagallo il loro dispiacere, nonostante siano stati sfruttati da tutta la vita, sempre a detta loro perché non vediamo nulla🤣. Non c’è una vera vendetta per cui tifare, la morte è davvero un mezzo incidente per un mix di spallate mentre due di loro se ne stavano lontani, è tutto completamente a caso. Manco l’hype di vedere qualcuno compiere l’assassinio💀


Né tantomeno il design in mezzo alle pagine delle parti/capitoli con la scacchiera, visto che tutto il libro sembrava una pausa snack dalla partita, altro che gli scacchi. Capisco la semplicità dello young adult, ma il suo libro precedente dello stesso target aveva un grande intreccio. E una buona scrittura dei personaggi teenager, anche nei dialoghi, mentre qui si ripetono le frasi copiate e incollate e dialoghi che si trascinano (anche cose semplici come “meglio che rientri” “eh si” “ci vediamo dopo” “okay ci vediamo dopo” e così via MA BASTA non possono parlare tutti così💀)

Mi stupisce anche l’assenza totale di tematiche, a parte l’ovvio padre ricco cattivo vs ragazzi adottati poverini (dove solo nell’origine della madre Vietnamita c’è una probabilità legata all’etnia ma per il resto no, ed è assurdo visto quanto Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé abbia scritto, in entrambi i suoi libri precedenti, la chiara denuncia anti razzista🤌)



Questo libro sembrava un “voglio scrivere di una famiglia di sfigati che alla fine festeggiano dopo un omicidio” senza pensare a niente della trama in mezzo, facilona e piena di scene inutili. Forse solo i film thriller cheap sulle piattaforme streaming che guardano i miei genitori sono surreali a questo livello, e non è poco🤪💀♟️👋

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Heirs” is my first book by this author and it definitely won’t be my last! I was hooked on this locked-room murder mystery immediately, and I loved how well-developed and complex each of the siblings were. The family drama was captivating and filled with countless secrets, lies, and betrayal, but what really stood out was the dynamics between the sibling prodigies and their father. I loved seeing how all the layers of the story were sewn together, even if the ending was a tad anticlimactic. If you enjoyed Umbrella Academy, The Inheritance Games, and Knives Out, you NEED to read this one!

[Kitty Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was just fine. It’s a cute, young murder mystery with lots of promise but kind of fizzles after 50%
Decent read though!

[Mystie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley for this e-arc in return for my honest review.

This book is a strong 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for posting.

Let me also add that Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé writes books specifically for the teenager in me who loved to get lost in a tangled mystery. I fully enjoy her work, and it satisfies a space in me very few others can even speak to.

The Heirs, in my opinion, was another triumph for her, and it read as a YA mix of The Glass Onion and The Umbrella Academy. It is a cleverly worked whodunit, based in a billionaire family, built on one man’s desire to create geniuses rather than wholesome humans.

We meet the main characters, all from their own POVs, and quickly get a hold of their personalities and what makes them tick. The immersion into who they are is quickly done and reads effortlessly. The book starts just before the murder of the family’s patriarch and guides us hour by hour through the build-up to the crime. It continues in this manner, slipping us bits and pieces, even taking us back in time, all the while the tension builds and we unearth even more family secrets and questions to be answered.

Honestly, the hardest part of reading this book was simply not having the time to just finish it in one go. It draws you in with shortish chapters and vibrant, real-feeling situations and personalities. Even though most of us will never be that wealthy, too many of us know what it is like to have parental expectations weighted on our shoulders. And when those expectations flowed into the public arena with the accompanying scrutiny, you immediately felt the pressure placed on these young MCs.

Then there was the mystery to solve. There was some misleading foreshadowing, together with side characters who were injecting their own twists and turns. I thought I knew, but I was never really sure. Which made me want to read even more and faster! My curiosity drove me until the wee hours.

Ultimately, it came to a justified, satisfying ending that left my soul lighter and happier for having read the book. It was a perfect standalone story.

Butttttt I would not be mad if she wrote a follow-up with a new adventure about the siblings and their friends… I’m just saying! Lol!

Add this one to your TBR and try to sneak some time just to sit, read, and enjoy it.

It is Faridah doing what she does best; capturing our imaginations and hearts with realistic characters in chaotic situations. Excellent stuff!

[Becci · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this!

Im not suprised, a ya crime thriller with Umbrella Academy vibes written by THIS author?
Sign me up!

It was so worth queuing for an hour at Yalc 2025 for .

Its fast paced with fabulous characters. Im gutted its only a standalone and i have this desire for more from these characters. I want them to go around solving more crimes please!


I loved the premise, a billionaire adopting orphans to be able to see if you can create prodigies. Its something ive wondered about, with the right training and funding at the right age, definitly gives you a step up in some fields.



This needs a fab limited series to be made.


cant wait for this authors next book.

** i recieved a copy at Yalc after queuing for it. My review is completely my own

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

A “locked room” mystery with lots of POVs & lots of suspects!

The Heirs focuses on five orphan children adopted by eccentric billionaire Leontes Button & trained under his vicious “Button Method” for creating prodigies but at what cost?
This story completely hooked me, so much so that I stayed up well into the middle of the night to finish. I won’t say that I am completely satisfied with the ending but that didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment during the time I spent reading.
There are many character arcs to keep straight & that may bother a few readers, but it’s such a fast read that I don’t think most people are going to have problems with it.
If you are a fan of dysfunctional families, especially off-beat ones, I think this book is sure to be exactly what you’re looking for.

Thanks to MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends & Netgalley for an advance copy of this title.

[Rebekah Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Advanced copy from NetGalley!

This is a fast paced mystery that will keep you on your toes! Mix The Umbrella Academy + Knives Out for this suspenseful chess game of a story. I devoured this in 2 days. If you are looking for a messy family dynamic mystery, this one is for you.

[Risa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars, rounded down

Overall I really loved this book! It’s one of my favorite reads of the year!

Was it a perfect read? No, it wasn’t. But I had so much fun reading this story. I kept trying to guess who the murderer was, and all the different revelations with the siblings were so fascinating to learn about!

I will say that I didn’t love the big reveal in regards to Mr. Button’s death. (That’s one of the reasons it wasn’t a 5-star read for me.) But I think the story made up for it with the overall ending.

The characters were my favorite part of this book, hands down. The siblings all had their distinct personalities, and it was so great to see how they all loved each other while still squabbling with each other. I don’t even know that I can pick a favorite sibling, as I loved them all so much! I also thought the side characters were really great and well fleshed out. (Henry Xu is a favorite for side characters!) And Mr. Button was the cold, calculating billionaire father that I was expecting, so he was a great antagonist.

This is the first book that I’ve read by this author, and this story made me want to go and read their backlog soon! I can’t wait for more people to read this novel once it comes out next year (in 2026)!





NOTES I TOOK WHILE READING:


- At first, the children are called infants. Then they are called toddlers. Which is it?

- I will say I appreciate seeing the children crawl to their game pieces to start the book.

- And then we see Mr. Button dying on his hatch on present day. So the time jumps in this book will be interesting.

- There are a lot of nicknames to keep track of.


- I like the writing style, but it is repetitive at times.


- Interesting that some bloody event happened with Octavius three years ago (to where he goes to boarding school), and Adam Gray (the chef’s son) also died three years ago. I doubt it’s a coincidence.


- Publicist Claude/Chloe/Cleo actually being named Claire was pretty funny!


- While I’m curious how she got in without a press lanyard, I really liked the scene where the animal activist came in and called Mr. Button a murderer.


- So it would seem both Fola and Romeo may have a crush on Evelyn Gray?


- Okay but nothing could possibly go right on a yacht called the Titania!


- Oooh—Bilal’s injury wasn’t an accident? Interesting!


- Oooh, I like that Perdita has this secret Romeo and Juliet type situation with Thorin Phillips!


- We of course knew it was coming from the earlier chapter, but 31% in is when Mr. Button is pronounced dead in the present timeline.


- I feel like Jesse Phillips is too obvious a suspect, so I don’t think it was him. I doubt his children would actually kill him. And I don’t think Henry has it in him. So in other words, I have no idea who my prime suspect is, haha. (Also, I feel like even though I’m 33% in, it’s hard to make an educated guess because we time jumped from the yacht so quickly. And the silver slivers like smoke following their father is all we got.)


- I mean, given the children are all seventeen years old, it’s a bit odd that they refer to one another as their older/younger sibling.


- Or maybe a disgruntled Claire killed him? I’m leading with that for now. (At 38% in, with no evidence.)


- I’m really enjoying this story. But I find it hard to believe that Mr. Button’s body wasn’t found until after 7am in the morning on the boat. Has no one gone looking for him while the party was still going on? Wouldn’t his staff had made sure he returned home after the party ended at midnight? Especially Henry, Mr. Button’s right-hand man—how did he only find out during breakfast time the next morning?

- Although…now that I’ve typed that out… Henry feels like a prime suspect…



- One thing I found interesting: Fola called Mr. Button “Father” when she tried to speak to him earlier. But then when Romeo and Bilal think about their father in later chapters, they think of him as “Dad.” It’s a nitpick that may be resolved in the final version (as in reading an ARC), but given the elite stature of their father, I’d assume they would all refer to him as “Father”.



- Done with act 1 (39% in) and I am still very invested in finding out what happened to Mr. Button! And it looks like we are getting more flashbacks.


- I mean… that opened Act 2 scene of Mr. Button firing Henry feels like it only adds to the suspicion. But now that feels way too obvious, ugh!


- Octavia’s taking clothes from every sibling is hilarious. (Although, even if he was at boarding school, I find it hard to believe he didn’t have ANY clothes that he left at home.) And laying on the floor, listening to ABBA. He’s such a drama queen!



- And then Fola says “Dad is dead” to her siblings. Hopefully the inconsistency is fixed for the final version. (“Father” still makes more sense to me—it’s more formal, and detached even.)


- Mr. Button’s wish is to be cremated and sent to space—such a billionaire request lol.


- Jimothy! Lol. And then Octavia not knowing which lawyer was William or Clive. The way that names are handled in the this story (especially in Octavius’ POV) is too funny! (Although I still think the siblings have too many nicknames among them though.)


- Oop—their father left the vast majority to Perdita, who left home so that’s weird! (No wonder Fola is mad. But Bilal is right—they each get 50 million dollars, they will all live, haha.)

- What I’m confused about is—it’s said that Octavius and Bilal received half their inheritance because they left home, leaving them with $50 million a piece. So that would suggest they were supposed to get $100 million (like Romeo got). So 100x5 = 500 million dollars if everyone had stayed home for the experiment. So then what was Mr. Button planning to do with the rest of his money??


- I’m curious—the police let nearly half of the people at the manor go home, who weren’t suspects. How did they widdle it down? Just based on the interrogations I guess?


- Or heck, maybe the murderer is this damn Dr. Benson character that keeps being mentioned but we’ve never met.


- Interesting—so Perdita knows why her father would leave her nearly everything, as hush money of sorts. I’m curious to know why!


- Random thought: I hope we will get to learn what kind of child prodigy Romeo was supposed to be before he “failed”.


- 49% in, and we’re not getting a POV chapter from Anwar. I was okay with getting Henry’s POV, but I wish we had just stuck to the five Button siblings as far as POVs go.


- Another random thought: If Mr. Button was so concerned about his “experiment” being ruined, why didn’t he just tell his children that they weren’t allowed to leave until they were 17? Like yes, clearly something awful happened that made Octavius want to leave home (i.e. a bloody event that we still don’t know the details of 50% into the book); but I’m just saying rather than threatening them with reduced inheritance, he could’ve easily just demanded they stay home (until they hit 18) as their father. THEN once they turned 18 and wanted to leave, he could maybe threaten with the reduced inheritance bit.


- So Anwar heard Perdita say “I wish you were dead” to her father. I mean, it’s possible she killed him, but that just feels too obvious (especially since we know Perdita is harboring a secret that will make her siblings hate her.)


- While some of the dialogue to get to this reveal was cringey (especially Octavius teeing it up for Perdita), I like the reveal that Perdita is Mr. Button’s biological daughter. I hadn’t expected that at all!

- Yikes—hearing how Mr. Button treated Perdita’s mother like a human incubator to control during pregnancy (who gave birth early and died during childbirth) is rough!

- Omg—I’ve never read Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, but the king Leontes having a secret daughter named Perdita is wild!


- That was a compelling chapter from Evie’s POV to end Act II. She’s fairly certain it was one of the Button siblings who killed their father.

- With that in mind, I’m going to make a new prediction 60% in.
- I don’t think it’s Perdita because that feels too obvious (with the “I wish you were dead” bit.)
- I feel like Fola keeps trying to deflect to other people they should look into, so it could be her but I don’t think so.
- Octavius is always drunk, so he may have done it without even realizing it. Also, his “broken violin bow” could very well have been the murder weapon.
- Romeo the failure—he seems like a soft boy so that would be shocking. But he’s always felt left out of this family, and his interview with the police seems
- I feel like Bilal with the thumping of his cast would be too obvious.
- So, my top suspects right now are Octavius, Romeo, and Fola—in that order. (Ie I would say Octavius if I had to choose right now.)


- Ooh that’s sad—Mr. Button has an aggressive form of cancer. Poor guy. (And I knew in gut he wasn’t actually going to fire Henry—it didn’t make sense.)


- (62% in) Interesting that when Henry left the office, it’s revealed Octavius was hiding in there. So Octavius basically wanted to quit the family, but it doesn’t matter now that his father is dying. What I don’t understand is, his father said he will restore his inheritance and give Octavius a bonus if Octavius will kill him. (So then I was right about it being the violin bow!) BUT Mr. Button hadn’t changed his will to increase Octavius’ inheritance beforehand?? And his will said the assets are frozen until the murderer is caught??? So was that just a bold faced lie that Mr. Button told Octavius in regards to his inheritance?

- Then again, this could all just be a red herring (because maybe Mr. Button didn’t get a chance to change his will again before he was killed by a different sibling?).


- Ahh, so Romeo was supposed to be a writing prodigy like Anwar is. Interesting!


- Oop—what was Evie doing this last year if not in the Italian ballet company?


- (71%) Yikes—Bilal and Octavius killed someone. And I’m willing to bet that someone Bilal is referring to was Adam Gray.


- Yeesh those rat dissections are brutal. And interesting that Adam the archer and Evelyn the ballerina were extensions to the experiment.


- Oop—it sounds like Evie killed a girl in some car crash in Italy. And my guess is Mr. Button helped her cover it up.


- (77%) Okay…the description of the car crash is sad, but Bilal and Octavius didn’t actually kill Adam Gray. Bilal just feels guilty.

- I also didn’t quite understand the part of the story where Adam was asking them personal questions, to mock the brother apparently. Then something switched where he wanted to go faster in the car to impress him? It seems like a strange line of events.


- We’re just now learning 77% in that Bilal is diabetic. I like the rep, but feels a bit shoehorned in there.


- Ahhh Octavius likes race cars, and he tampered with the brakes on Adam’s car! I mean I get why—wanting to show his father he was good with cars. But why not just wait until one of the cars was run down??


- Question: Mr. Button wants Octavius to kill him, by injecting him with morphine, because his doctor is concerned about loosing his medical license. But wouldn’t the doctor still get in trouble for providing said morphine? Also, why can’t Mr. Button just inject himself?


- 83% in: Henry confessed! Omg I should’ve stuck to my guns when I said it was him!
- OR is Henry just taking the blame on behalf of the children (because we know Mr. Burton wasn’t actually going to fire him)?!


- Also, I know this was written by a British writer (although 17 years old is still underage), but the way the kids just drink and smoke and the adults say nothing about it is…odd. Especially when they talk about it so openly in front of their father. The drinking age in the US is 21, so they are way off that.


- 85% in. No. No. That is NOT how this man died! So when Mr. Button was going to strike Octavius, Romeo pushed him, Mr. Button lost his balance over someone’s leg, and he got impaled by a rhino horn? SERIOUSLY! Not saying I wanted any of the siblings to be a murderer, but this was built up to be a murder all along, and it was some super freak accident!
- Also, how low was this rhino hanging on the wall? I know they’re on a yacht, but it feels unlikely that the horn would hang that low.


- Ngl, I’m actually angry that Henry Xu not only confessed to a crime he didn’t commit (though it was a sweet sentiment), but he also died in prison. I’m mad at the siblings more than anything—their father’s death was strictly an accident, and they should’ve said as much from the start!


- Damn. Mr. Button’s cleanup team took care of Adelina the ballerina too? No wonder Evie was suspicious of what happened to her brother. Good on her for burning the letter from Octavius and Bilal though!


- Poor Romeo—asking out Evie, only to find out she’s already dating his sister Fola. The boy cannot catch a break!


- Also, I never mentioned this when it came up earlier, but having kids train for 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, is just cruel. Not some “method.”


- YAY! Henry is ALIVE!!!! GOOD!!!! (I was low key ready to rate this book lower if he actually died in prison!)

- I love Henry, but even with such security measures in place, it’s kinda unbelievable that he would welcome Evelyn into his home in China and just tell her the story of what happened so easily.


- Ooh, Mr. Button having CCTV cameras hidden in all the animal heads was actually really clever. And thus, Henry knew the truth of what had happened. I really like that!


- The five siblings forming a band is cute! I like the name The Buttons, but I was lowkey hoping they would in fact all themselves the Disappointments, lol. But I love that they perform in a band and are terrible but still had the best time!

- I also love that Romeo is now in culinary school—I love that for him!


- Aww yay, I’m glad we get to see how the siblings used money to get Henry out of jail. Obviously it’s not clear, but since the police have been corrupted by the Buttons from the start, it’s believable enough.


- LOL I love how Prince Alfonso calls Octavius “Ocho”! That’s probably the only nickname in this book I love (and there were A LOT of them). I’m glad Octavius realizes he’s addicted to heartbreak, but I hope he gets the help he needs for that.


- That was a nice ending—with Octavius waiting to see the plane off, and then the other siblings running back to watch with him. And it was touching to see how emotional they all were over Henry’s departure.


- Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot! It’s one of my favorites of the year! I could tell it was special with the way that I was so focused on it, rather than listening to being read a loud in the background while I did other things. I had to sit and listen and read along with it, I was so invested. And the way I was trying to guess the culprit all along the way was really fun!

- If I’m being honest, the way Mr. Button died was rather anti-climatic, and borderline unbelievable (like, I still don’t buy that the rhino horn would be that low, even on a ship). However, I really liked the ending in regards to how the siblings took care of Henry, almost as a thank-you.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Button family is nuts. The patriarch, a rich eccentric Elon/Gates/Frankenstein decides to prove that it’s nurture over nature that produces genius. He adopts five kids from all over the world and beats genius into them by making them practice 28 hours a day on whatever monopoly piece they picked when they were 2 years old. There is not enough flashbacks of this IMO. I needed just a little.

Fast forward and they are all about to turn 18 and they are all as totally messed up as you would expect (actually they are less messed up than I think would realistically happen). We get a nice locked room mystery that is pretty good for a teen or novice mystery reader. There are some nice nods to classic detective fiction.

My problem is that it could have been better. The fact that Mr. Button was a game designer obsessed with games and chess was never fully utilized. Honestly it would probably be best without that at all since it makes it too similar to other books.

Ultimately this is a fine story that’s just missed out on being great though I did enjoy the ride.

[Emma Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Thank you to Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

I was so psyched for this book as a fan of Ace of Spades, Umbrella Academy and The Inheritance Games. However, it didn't resonate with me. You have a whole bunch of affluent teens, a murder of someone nobody really liked, and not a whole lot of tension. I thought this was going to read like Westing Game, but sadly it didn't.

It just didn't work for me, but might work for someone else.

[Sophiesaur · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5✨ - full thoughts to come

As a big inheritance games & umbrella academy fan this book felt like it was exactly for my but that also left it being a little predictable as I’ve read so many stories like this before but it felt like the mystery came very late in the book

[bbubbly.bbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Heirs dives into the chaos left behind after an unhinged billionaire’s death, unraveling the twisted lives of his brilliant, overachieving children. It sets up a sharp, intriguing mystery — part family drama, part whodunit — and definitely kept me guessing about who could be trusted.

But while the premise is strong and the tension simmers early on, the momentum fades midway. A few character arcs lose their spark, and the ending feels more anticlimactic than explosive. Still, it’s an entertaining read if you like dysfunctional family mysteries with a dark, psychological edge.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved Ace of Spades, and I found the premise of this one intriguing (a locked…yacht? mystery). It’s unfortunately reminiscent of a couple of stories that just didn’t work for me - Umbrella Academy and The Inheritance Games. I gave up on Umbrella Academy after a couple of episodes, and I think I made it about 60 pages into Inheritance Games before I called it quits. I was hoping this would be a better version of both of those!

This book is plagued by a couple of problems - the real issue is that there are SO many characters for a relatively short novel, so it’s impossible to get to know everyone, and they all feel pretty underbaked (Romeo, Fola, and Octavius *feel* like the main characters, but we also get POVs from Perdita, Bilal, etc. etc. etc). The superficial issue is that I just cannot get past the inherent silliness of the last name “Button.” (there’s also someone - maybe a lawyer? Floating around named…Jimothy. And yes, the characters point out what a strange name it is. And yet no one has an issue with BUTTON??)

Ahem. Anyway, the heirs in question are the five adopted children of Leontes Button. Much like the kids in Death at Morning House, they were adopted from orphanages all over the world and are roughly(?) the same age (I was not super clear on anyone’s exact ages, but it seems like no one is 18 quite yet. More on that in a bit). Leontes had a theory about nurture over nature - basically that he could take any kid and MAKE them a genius. So he adopted all of these kids and set out applying (sigh) The Button Method to make them all prodigies. We do see a few flashbacks, but other than making 8 year olds learn taxidermy, I was never super clear on what, exactly, his method. Beyond just, like, making them practice for hours at a time. Which cannot possibly be revolutionary. Four out of five are indeed quite exceptional - Octavius is a musical prodigy, Fola already has graduate degrees in math and science; Perdita has a painting in the Louvre, and Bilal is the world’s youngest gold medalist in fencing. And also Romeo is here. I don’t know if it’s ever mentioned what his speciality was *meant* to be, he’s “The Failure.” There are also a couple of kids of the help running around - Adam and Evelyn Gray, both of whom attended lessons with the Buttons and became prodigies in their own right (Evie’s a ballerina and when the novel opens, Adam has been dead for 3 years). Side note: who names their children Adam and Eve???

When the novel opens, we know Leontes is about to be murdered on his yacht, and we flash back and forth between the night of the murder and the immediate aftermath, as all of the guests and siblings are being held and questioned. This was sadly another version of the “but what are the adults up to?” roadblock. We’re stuck with the siblings and no perspective from the detectives. I guess Evie kind of fills that role? But clearly the most obvious suspects and the ones with the most to gain are the five heirs.

Without giving too much away, my issue here is that there are just too many people to keep track of. I get the flip side - if only a couple of the siblings are POV characters, then the ones sidelined are even LESS developed than the underbaked cast we already have. I feel like maybe we needed an outsider as narrator instead - Evie or someone like her who has enough history with the siblings to know their backstory, but isn’t quite so in the weeds. But that choice also leads to another of my least favorite tropes - where characters talk in circles around each other because being more direct and communicating like actual humans would give away the twist too quickly. So what we end up with are SO many scenes of characters confronting their love interests and whining about their feelings in the middle of a damn murder investigation.

Also, I get that these kids have had to grow up quickly, and never had a true childhood, but not ONE of these fools felt like a teenager. They could have easily been twenty-somethings instead, and I feel like aging them all up a few years and marketing this more as New Adult and less Young Adult would have been a better spin. It's nowhere near on the level of the last allegedly YA book I read - there's nothing inherently inappropriate about anything that happens here. It's more of a vibes thing!

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had problems with the structure of Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s 2024 mystery, ‘Where Sleeping Girls Lie’; I thought it suffered from having a lot of show and no substance. Now, in ‘The Heirs’, Àbíké-Íyímídé tells us everything and shows us nothing. Chekhov might be twitching in his grave.

This telling and not showing is at the heart of my dissatisfaction with Àbíké-Íyímídé’s latest YA mystery. I failed to engage with any suspense or tension in this novel, despite being told repeatedly how suspenseful and tense everything was. I got no sense of trauma, despite being told how traumatic the characters’ lives were.

What the characters were feeling didn’t translate off the page to me as a reader. I'm told that Octavius wasn't sure he'd survive another year, 'let alone a lifetime' of the Prodigy Ball, but I don't understand why. Because I'm only told that it is so, not shown. That jump of the record needle out of its groove means that the track skips. I'm left feeling frustrated. Again, Octavius says, ‘“I’m peachy,” […] with a smile and an exaggerated thumbs-up.’ Then Àbíké-Íyímídé immediately tells me, ‘He was […] doing a poor job at selling his performance.’ Why tag that on? Just show me by others’ reactions that he’s doing a poor job at selling his performance!

I didn’t feel any drive from the young characters or dynamism between them (the Button heirs all have entirely too many nicknames, by the by!). The dialogue didn’t grab me. In the same way as the siblings are synecdochical constructions (‘the Maestro’, ‘the Brain’, ‘the Olympian’, ‘the Artist’, ‘the Failure’), they feel like cards in a deck, attributes divvied-up between them arbitrarily. Yes, this is The Umbrella Academy meets Knives Out for YA (in my mind it apes Shondaland’s The Residence more than anything), but the jokey-yet-taking-everything-super-seriously-because-we're-privileged-teens sometimes lands, but mostly didn't, with me.

Furthermore, the teens’ emotional temperature just doesn't run right. For instance, it’s made abundantly clear that the siblings hate their father (‘[t]he cruel nature of their father was not a revelation. It was how he’d moulded them into who they were today, with a ruthless, heavy hand’), but then they are inconsolable after his death. Suddenly, they are all beside themselves with grief?! From details like the siblings’ relationships with Mr Button (they switch between calling him ‘Father’ - formal, distant - and Daddy - informal, tender) to the inheritance figures not adding up (the where and when of losing or gaining amounts and how much are all fuzzy), inconsistencies large and small punctuate the novel.

As concerns her style, at the nitty-gritty level, I found as I had reading ‘Where Sleeping Girls Lie’ that Àbíké-Íyímídé’s writing is over the top and jam packed full of clichés and overused phrases (and some even misquoted clichés: ‘Fola continued, desperately grabbing at straws’), which contrive to make the content seem vapid and inconsequential. Not brilliant in a murder mystery! I would have loved it if Maureen Johnson had written this as one of her Stevie Bell mysteries. ‘The Heirs’ is supposed to give eccentric and whodunnit, but it lands as screwball.

This in no small way is compounded by the fact that some of the author’s turns of phrase are simply bonkers: at one point, the siblings' tears are successively bleeding out of their eyes or caressing the sides of their faces. Some wordings are just clunky (‘trying to clear the fog in his mind that he still believed to be the lingering dream he was entombed in’), but what am I to make of ‘all the world’s truths carved into the shimmering surface of his eyeballs’?!

The most enjoyable part of ‘The Heirs’ was approaching the ending when the siblings use their privilege to pull off the big swindle (which I won’t spoil because it is really entertaining). It is a sweet ending, but I didn’t get to enjoy a sense of resolution because so much of the plot and the mechanics of the novel are wildly shoe-horned in, or are incongruous and stretch believability in an altogether preposterous way.

Let’s just say, I won't even start on the rhino horn.

Thanks to Usborne Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC.

[Rissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 ⭐️

Our tale starts off following accounts from multiple POVs to record the origin of Leontes Button’s experiment to turn his five children (Bilal, Fola, Octavius, Perdita, and Romeo) into prodigies using his own “Button Method”. From there, time goes back and forth revealing a mysterious death that occurred on the night of the 10th Annual Prodigy Ball held on the Button’s private yacht, where unfortunately everyone who was attending the private event by personal invitation is now a suspect for murder!

'The Heirs' blends elements of Mysterious Benedict Society as well as an Agatha Christie novel to give you a fresh YA thriller that is sure to leave you guessing until the very end.

I appreciated the themes of family, loyalty, nurture vs nature, heartbreak, vulnerability, perseverance, and sacrifice that were woven throughout the story. The Button children were well written and had lots of depth to their character. The drama whenever multiple Heirs were together was delightful and made me hungry for more interactions between them. I appreciated getting to have POV chapters from all the Heirs plus a few other notable characters at strategic points throughout.

I certainly failed to properly predict that ending! I was impressed with the way the author led me on a journey with the characters. There were some characters I started off wary of, then grew to feel for and sympathize with and then there were characters I thought at first were charming, then increasingly grew suspicious of. It took me all the way until the end, with the mystery finally solved, for me to lay my paranoia to rest.

There were a few grammatical errors throughout, none too glaring except for the word ‘Jambiya’ that at one point was missing the ‘j’.

I was confused for a bit early on when the murder was first announced, there’s a couple sentences roughly stating 'what happened before wasn’t too interesting, it’s what happened after that is'. But then the next chapter is in the past before the time of the murder but to me, that wasn’t real obvious based on the opening/title of that chapter and took me a while to find my footing.

Besides that, I did find a couple sections/chapters that felt clunky to me, where I felt the characters were telling me more information instead of showing me with actions/discoveries, etc. Also, I wished for there to be more puzzles/clues to encounter earlier on, as the plot and pacing felt out of sync and like it took a while to get going.

While for me personally this book did not reach 5 star status, overall “The Heirs” is a solid murder mystery with a generous helping of family dysfunction thrown into the mix!

*Please note, while there are depictions of teenage relationships (straight & gay) there is nothing explicit on page and nothing further than kissing is described. There are also multiple depictions of minors drinking alcohol in varying amounts (some excessive) as well as mentions of self-inflicted harm (occurred in the past off-page).

**I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Kelee · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the start of this book I was drawn in! It's giving umbrella academy just without super powers. It starts out with a young boy named Octavius that is cosplaying as a homeless person playing the piano in the setting of NYC when his chess playing, mathematician, older sister, Fola finds him and they go to the "Button Manor" named after their father himself Leonte Button. There they meet up with the rest of the siblings being Bilal the Fencer, Perdita the Artist, and Romeo the "Failer" as he has no talent. While reading, you will unravel Mr. Buttons experiments- the children, and what he does to make them prodigies. All the children are formed and taught through a harsh environment to become the best at there talents, and yet they all have nearly grown up and have little to nothing to do with each other and do not take kindly to Mr. Button, but always rely on Henry, Mr. Buttons secretary.

Octavius was my favorite to read about out of all the prodigies. He is a hilarious and spontaneous character and stands out from the crowd. His back story is dark which he shares with Bilal. It seems like it took forever to get to their back story but it did not disappoint. I did not expect Adams death to be like that at all and how Bilal took part in it and to unravel how Octavius took part?!?! This was very shocking.

Evie was my least favorite character until the end. Don't get me wrong, what Mr. Button did to cover up Adams death and shoving hush money to the Grays is horrible, but the children couldn't have known Mr. Button would have covered it up like he did nor did the children want any part in it. I was definitely getting in my feels when she tried calling out the prodigies for "murdering" their father and after seeing that it was all a freak accident, it made it all the worse. Towards the end of the book when Evie goes to Shanghai is when I felt respect and more understanding of her. She was grieving for her brother and wanted revenge that she could not get.

Henry Xu is BY FAR MY FAVORITE CHARACTER!!!!
He would do anything for those children and was the longest secretary to stay had already sad enough from the start, although I had my doubts after Mr. Button was mysteriously murdered.
Of course I thought Henry murdered Mr. Button. He was the closest too him, the children where to go to him for any and everything, even call him before anyone else in an emergency. Henry acted more as a Father than Mr. button did. He checked on Bilal and Octavius, even when they got short and irritated with Henry, he still cared for the children and understood them. He confessed for the children! Enough said! I wanted him to soooo badly go to Shanghai and live with his mother again ( I saw it coming) and it happened because the children came in clutch and executed a plan to save Henry Xu!!!!!!

Overall, this was such a good read. The events that took place was such a tragedy and yet had a somewhat happy ending. :,) just wish Henry and the children could still be with each other.

[Nicole Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé returns with another razor-sharp YA mystery, and “The Heirs” is every bit as layered, ambitious, and addictive as the author’s previous books were. This story delivers a gripping whodunit wrapped in a deeply emotional family drama.

The premise hooks you immediately: five adopted siblings, each a carefully molded prodigy designed to showcase their billionaire father Leontes Button’s controversial “Button Method,” reunite for the annual Prodigy Ball. Octavius the musical genius, Fola the mathematician, Bilal the athlete, Perdita the artist, and Romeo, who is the “failure” who never quite fit the mold, are all scarred by their father's obsessive quest to manufacture brilliance. When Leontes is found murdered, the mansion locks down into a claustrophobic crime scene, and every sibling and every guest becomes a suspect.

What sets “The Heirs” apart from typical locked-room mysteries is its emotional depth. The first half of the story spends meaningful time inside each sibling’s inner world: heartbreaks, forbidden romances, shattered futures, and the lingering trauma of being raised as experiments rather than children. The pacing was a bit slow in the early chapters, as the introspection occasionally overshadows the murder plot. But this deliberate simmer pays off because once the second half hits, the tension snaps into place. Secrets unravel, alliances twist, and the plot tightens into a series of sharp, satisfying reveals.

Àbíké-Íyímídé excels at crafting characters who feel painfully real despite their extraordinary circumstances. Romeo and Octavius, especially, stand out with one buckling under the weight of being “not enough,” the other quietly unraveling behind his polished façade. Even amid the wealth and grandeur of Button Manor, the central conflicts like parental expectations, sibling rivalry, the yearning to be seen for who you are rather than what you can achieve feel deeply relatable.

The mystery itself is clever and skillfully constructed. The story unfolds hour by hour leading up to the murder, interspersed with flashbacks that drip-feed clues and red herrings. By the time the final twist lands, it feels both justified and thematically resonant with a bold, satisfying ending.

But what lingers most after closing the book is not just the solution to the mystery; it’s the emotional journey of five prodigies trying to untangle who they are in the aftermath of a childhood dictated by someone else’s ambitions.

Overall, “The Heirs” is a sharp, heartfelt, addictive mystery that balances tension and character work with impressive finesse. Short, propulsive chapters make it easy to binge, while the complex sibling dynamics give the story a depth that elevates it beyond a simple whodunit.

[klaudia. · Rating 4 out of 5]

𓏲 ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ 4.5 stars ★ ˖⌕ ۫ ➺ spoilers free review
→ thank you netgalley for the arc

୨୧ 一 overall

As a big fan of the inheritance games when I read the description I knew that I had to read this book no matter what and that's why I'm very grateful that I got an arc and I can read it earlier!! This is my first book by this author and I must admit that I immediately liked the writing. It was light, I liked how the feelings were described and the light sense of humour of the characters. I LOVE multiple povs. Although I think it's too short, I would like the siblings' relationship to be even more developed and the ending in my opinion is a bit rushed, so I wasn't able to give 5 stars although I would very much like to.

୨୧ 一 plot

Mysterious death? Inheritance? Family secrets? I'M IN. Although the beginning of the book seems very slow, over time we discover more and more secrets of the siblings and you are unable to put this book down. I love puzzles in books when I can guess myself and I had a lot of fun with it. In time you will realise that you can't trust anyone anymore and you don't know anything, my head was messy.

୨୧ 一 characters

I don't care that Romeo is not a genius like his siblings, his talent is to be the sweetest, although he disappeared for most of the book and came back only at the end. He deserved more screen time 😭 he's my baby, WE NEED TO PROTECT HIM. Octavius is my second favourite of them, let him stand behind me, I will defend him he's so innocent 😓. Bilal was funny, I was rooting for him. FOLA AND PERDITA MY GIRLS, I love them so much, in my opinion they can never be wrong. Each of them has its own secrets, they are complex, diverse and layered characters. I love each of them, they are MY found family. They are loveable from the very beginning, I feel so motherly towards them!! I also liked the relationships between them, the relationship between Octavius and Bilal healed me.

There are also side characters, I loved Evie from the very beginning and i liked her relationship with Romeo, they were so cute. I also cheered for Anwar and Bilal, I needed them together, but my favourites were Thorin and his relationship with Perdita, they were so adorable, so caring about each other, I wish I could see them more. I was also so happy for Henry 🫶

Leontes is the biggest asshole, don’t care. I hate him.

୨୧ 一 the ending

The ending was fine, as I said before, I think it’s rushed, but I just needed more of the characters!! I can’t say goodbye to them, it’s too hard for me

──── ୨୧ ────

🎐 ❞ ᨀ. preread !! . ☆ guess who just got the arc 🤭 so so excited

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was truly perfectly marketed for Knives Out, Umbrella Academy and Inheritance Games fans. As a formerly gifted student who lived and breathed mysteries in every format growing up, this has reached its target audience.

Here’s some of the highlights you can expect:


-Whodunnit hijinks
-Moody teen geniuses
-Twists and turns
-Positive queer and LGBTQIA+ rep
-Diverse/POC protagonists
-Multiple minor romantic subplots
-Sibling bonds at the heart of the story

About our protagonists:

Octavius (the Maestro) is lovelorn and lonely, he seemingly got very lucky with his chosen gift as he can channel these emotions into his music. He’s a diva through and through, you will have a hard time deciding if you want to be friends with him, be him, or be with him.

Fola (the Brain) has only ever wanted one thing: her father’s approval. Above all else, she’s determined to win his love by being the very best. Because of this one life goal, she struggles with the social and emotional aspects of her peers and you’ll be endeared to her entirely through it all.

Bilal (the Olympian) has hit his career strides and struck gold, yet he still feels so crushed by the weight of the expectations his father has of him. All he wants is out, and he won’t allow himself to be close with anyone until he feels free from all that he hurts from.

Perdita (the Artist) is ever the visionary and romantic that truly lives up to her given gift. She’s watched one by one as all of her siblings fall apart both individually and as a family and it breaks her tender heart. Will she be the one to heal the rift or drive them further apart?

Romeo (the Failure) feels much like the media given title his father will not let him forget. He’s the sweetest, kindest, and though he has not blossomed into a gift yet, he is also not one to stay hidden in the shadows for long.

Overall:

This was such a fun and intriguing read. I loved each of the characters from beginning to end which is rare for me with such a large ensemble. Each character had a purpose and part to play and I enjoyed watching the mystery unfold as their bonds broke and repaired.

This book’s biggest strength was in its murder mystery and in the character's individual, yet intersected journeys. I rooted for each sibling, cried at their vulnerabilities that hit close to home, and tore through each chapter with a hunger not unlike Romeo pilfering the kitchens. Each twist and red herring was perfectly placed to keep me guessing and even when the mystery was solved, I was gasping at the conclusion.

Overall,I highly recommend this book to all who love a good teen-led mystery!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC for this review! :)