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The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games, #1)

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Start date: March 1, 2021

Finish date: March 31, 2021

Discussion: Member’s BOTM Discussions

Discussion leader: Zitong Ren

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What Members Thought

Sep 04, 2020 Ashley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: bullying, family, strong-female-leads, releases-2020, enemies-to-lovers, growing-up-coming-of-age, mystery-thriller, owned, swoon-worthy-love-interest, ya

Star Rating: —> 4.5 Stars

Omg i loved this SO MUCH! Unexpectedly, nonetheless! I mean i knew i’d like it, but it was sooo much better than I ever could’ve expected! It does remind me a lot of Truly, Devious in a bunch of ways, but the writing style of this was far more to my liking !

Especially for fans of truly, devious by maureen johnson, mysterious new inheritances, puzzles, problem solving, riddles, life or death stakes, moving in with hotties that you may or may not be able to trust...with yo ...more

64 likes · Like · see review

Oct 01, 2020 Emma rated it liked it

While I definitely see the appeal for this, it really just wasn’t for me. I’d say the Knives Out comparisons were there - I mean, we’ve got a rich family who’s just been disinherited, a man who built his life around puzzles and games, an ordinary girl who happens to inherit everything, etc etc. - and yet, I still think it’s a bit generous to say this is like Knives Out. I’d recommend it more for fans of Truly Devious, as in people who enjoy YA mysteries with strong heroines and interesting setti ...more

46 likes · Like · see review

Mar 14, 2021 Zitong Ren rated it liked it

Shelves: 2021, contains-romance, mystery, contemporary, young-adult

Read with the Between the Pages bookclub for our Member’s BOTM.

Okay, well, as someone that doesn’t read many mysteries, I would say I had a decent time with this. It was a fair bit of fun and I thought was genuinely quite good, even if it took a while to get there. I feel that I probably would have a liked a bit more character development, but I liked the actual mystery itself well enough.

So, the plot was generally fairly quickly paced, although it was somewhat slower during the middle third or Read with the Between the Pages bookclub for our Member’s BOTM.

Okay, well, as someone that doesn’t read many mysteries, I would say I had a decent time with this. It was a fair bit of fun and I thought was genuinely quite good, even if it took a while to get there. I feel that I probably would have a liked a bit more character development, but I liked the actual mystery itself well enough.

So, the plot was generally fairly quickly paced, although it was somewhat slower during the middle third or so. Also, there was a bit at the start that sort of just become irrelevant later, and I was a bit confused at the point of it - maybe it’ll become more useful later, but yeah, there was this section at the start that seemed somewhat important and just was never mentioned again. It just felt sort of pointless. Anyway, aside from that side tangent, I thought the plot was fine. I have become less of a plot reader and more of a character reader, so I don’t care as much if the plot is strong or not, but it was decent here, with the ending being particularly strong.

Ok, so that whole basis of the mystery almost seems implausible and a bunch of a rubbish where it just wouldn’t occur in real life. It just seems sort of weird that a rich guy that’s about to die would set up an entire mystery for people to solve. Maybe it’s because I’m doubtful rich people are that creative, but also why go to that effort, it just seemed sort of ridiculous. The actual solving of the mystery was fun enough, but I don’t know if I exactly dig the set up. I suppose it is technically possible sure, while also seeming ludicrous at the same time.

There’s sort of the formation of a love triangle that’s also sort of not, that just wasn’t necessary. Love triangles are just never necessary in my view, often because it’s pretty obvious at how they are going to end. The only time there are necessary if it is going to be a polyamorous relationship, which well, isn’t going to work with two brothers. The whole relationship did feel pretty forced and there wasn’t that much chemistry and just, focus on the mystery ok, and we don’t always need a romance, and just make them friends. Thanks.

I thought the characters were interesting enough, but none of them really made me super invested into them. I probably actually found Max to have been the most interesting. Grayson was just a bit of a bastard, and Avery was sort of flat to me. It’s not that they were badly written, but there wasn’t a lot that really made them shine or made them stand out amongst the other books that I’ve read. It did seem that the characters were more used as plot devices to advance the mystery, which makes plenty of sense considering it is a mystery novel.

Look, I honestly don’t know if mystery novels are exactly for me. I seem to be invested enough in the answer to the mystery itself, but I also just want a bit more character work. 6.5/10 ...more

34 likes · Like · see review

Oct 08, 2020 anna ✩ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourite-books

5 stars!

I picked this up on a whim because I saw that everyone was talking about it but I am SO glad that I did because I ended up absolutely loving it.

The Inheritance Games follows Avery Grambs as she discovers that she has inherited billions of dollars from a man she has never met and is now being forced to live with a family that doesn't want her there. And then the games begin - a quest to find out why Avery was the chosen one for the money and to try and uncover the old man's last game.

Th ...more

27 likes · Like · see review

Jan 06, 2025 Shawna Finnigan rated it liked it

TW// mentions of death (including teens, grandparents, parents), underage alcohol use, domestic/physical abuse, gun violence, car crash, mentions of cheating

“Everything’s a game, Avery Grambs. The only thing we get to decide in this life is if we play to win.”

The Inheritance Games isn’t a bad book, but it’s very underwhelming, especially with how much hype it’s gotten since its release. It follows Avery who finds out she is the inheritor of a billionare’s fortune, but the catch is she’s never TW// mentions of death (including teens, grandparents, parents), underage alcohol use, domestic/physical abuse, gun violence, car crash, mentions of cheating

“Everything’s a game, Avery Grambs. The only thing we get to decide in this life is if we play to win.”

The Inheritance Games isn’t a bad book, but it’s very underwhelming, especially with how much hype it’s gotten since its release. It follows Avery who finds out she is the inheritor of a billionare’s fortune, but the catch is she’s never met the man. What unravels from there is a series of puzzles with Avery and the billionare’s grandkids trying to solve the mystery of why she’s at the house and why the boys got disinherited. While I’ve never seen Knives Out that this book is frequently compared to, I can say that it’s very much like Glass Onion, so fans of Glass Onion (and most likely Knives Out) will enjoy this story.

The puzzles were really interesting to read about. The complicated Hawthorne House also makes for a really fun setting with twists and turns around every corner. I was able to predict the plot twist at the very end of the book, but lots of the puzzles had me stumped and it was exciting whenever the characters would discover a new secret.

I loved the pacing of the book. It worked really well and I flew through the first half of the book. If I didn’t have health issues that make me tired all the time, I easily could’ve finished this book within 24 hours due to the pacing alone.

The problem with this book boils down to the characters (and the love triangle). I do not care for any of these characters and by the second half of the book, I did not care for the story anymore because of how little I care for the characters. Avery is a very standard young adult protagonist. She’s nothing remarkable and she’s easily forgettable. Xander often acts too young for his age. He has the brains of an adult but the personality of a child. I didn’t like the way Jameson used Avery and it was very hit or miss with whether he’d be a goofball or an intelligent puzzle solver. Grayson was a bit harsh. He definitely got better by the end of the story, but he’s a nineteen year old who’s already had a gap year after high school. He should not even be a part of the love triangle with high school junior Avery. Nash was enjoyable at times, but other times I couldn't care less about him. Then there’s an assortment of side characters - most of which I found forgetable. The setting, the puzzles, and the pacing set this book up for success, but the characters were the downfall of the book for me. Had the characters been different, I could’ve loved this book.

I know that a lot of people love this book and I know why, but it didn’t entirely work for me and it ended up being just an okay read. I will probably read book two at some point since I liked the pacing and setting so much, but it isn’t high on my tbr list. ...more

25 likes · Like · see review

May 17, 2021 Bruna rated it really liked it

✯ [4/5] ✯

Okay this was so good, I wanted to be reading all the time to discover all the secrets. This is my second Jennifer Lynn Barnes series and don't mind me if I binge all of her works in the near future, her writing is so captivating and fun!

Also: the characters. All of them were gold. And they had so many sides, I will complain about the love triangle though, because I am not a fan of the trope. But It was a little bit enjoyable here... Avery was such a good main character, because even If ...more

15 likes · Like · see review

Jul 19, 2020 Andi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: recommend-to-anyone, on-kindle, arc

Thanks to Hatchette and Edelweiss for a early copy.

Wow, what a rush. What a thrill to read a book where the girl is smart, capable, and involved in a mystery. Trust no one but yourself and your kin.

The book reads as if Daphne Du'Maurier and Agatha Christie decided to team up. The mystery involved had a gothic flair to it. Better yet, it had such great imagery and a cast of characters that you'd love to see this on the big screen.

I don't know how I feel about four dudes of the mansion. You think ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

May 22, 2022 Emma of Themiscyra rated it really liked it

Review to come.

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 08, 2022 Tori ✼ rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery-thriller-horror

4/5 stars!

“Everything’s a game, Avery Grambs. The only thing we get to decide in this life is if we play to win.”

The Inheritance Games was actually a very nice surprise!
I'm not too fond of love triangles so I will not spend much time talking about the romance here, if only just to say that I felt it was pretty well handled and didn't feel that frustrating, both male L.I being interesting enough aside from this role of theirs.
The characters were all pretty fleshed out and I appreciated followi ...more

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Mar 23, 2022 Lianne Anta rated it really liked it

This was our book of the month for @literarytrashbookclub, We are featuring Mystery and thrillers this month. I am so glad that this was the pick as I have been dying to pick this one up. It did not disappoint, there was slight romance, Family issues, Mystery and intrigue and the plot was thick, I really loved the characters especially Avery who tries to figure out why an elderly man left her the main beneficiary in his multibillion dollar will. The man’s family are shocked and work with Avery t ...more

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Mar 29, 2021 Natali 'Tali' rated it really liked it

This was a genuinely fun read despite its outlandish plot. Avery is named in a will of a billionaire that she never knew, but to receive the money she must stay with his spurned family for a year. The story would have been more enjoyable if the author hadn't fallen into the love triangle trope, but beyond that, the story was a good time. ...more

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Dec 15, 2021 Cres rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: expected

An unnecessary romance/love triangle…
Emily her storyline was completely monotonous and again quite honestly unnecessary, she ruined the book for me. The ghost of the girlfriend past is really quite annoying and she wasn't exactly an innocent angel either.
I liked the riddles and then I didn't because they weren't exactly riddles and this wasn't exactly a thrilling suspense.
The assassin was very predictable.
Grayson and Jamison weren't exactly Mr. & Mr. congeniality. More brooding teenagers.
All ...more

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Aug 26, 2022 the_queen_of_books24 rated it liked it · review of another edition

3.5 stars. Some of the twists were predictable and I was irritated at most of the characters for most of it. And I don’t think the end was that much of a cliffhanger. But I’m interested to read the next one!

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