The Final Gambit (January 2023) Group Read Discussion

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

This is the group thread for The Final Gambit!

This thread is open for discussion beginning January 1st! Please keep in mind that spoilers are allowed (mark as a spoiler) in this thread but only up to the group's current reading place. Do not spoil the book if you've read further than the group. Any extra days of the month can be used to catch up if needed! Page numbers are an approximation based on the hardcover or paperback that is the default on Goodreads.

The Group Read Discussion schedule is as follows:

Week of 01/01
January 01: 27 pages

Week of 01/02
January 02: 27 pages
January 03: 27 pages
January 04: 27 pages
January 05: 27 pages
January 06: 27 pages
January 07: 27 pages
January 08: 27 pages

Week of 01/09
January 09: 27 pages
January 10: 27 pages
January 11: 27 pages
January 12: 27 pages
January 13: 27 pages
January 14: 27 pages
January 15: 27 pages


You can read the group book at any time during the month and at your own pace. This is the pace the group will be using, but if you read ahead or will be giving spoilers, please mark them (click the "some html is ok button"). If you have any questions a mod or another member can help you.

[Amanda]

I'll probably get around to starting this late next week.

[Kylie]

Hoping my copy from the library is available in time

[Jen K]

My hold from the library is still in transit.

[Bopeep]

Even if I won't participate this time, I'm curious... What do you think will happen on this book?
There wasn't a clear cliffhanger like on the first one, where we knew they were going after Tobias II.
But now Avery is in full possession of her power (?). Any idea where this is going?

[Jen K]

@Bopeep, to me, it still isn't clear why Avery inherited. Yes, senior found out that she had a relationship with junior but was it worth billions and all the effort to have him pop out for a few minutes? Junior clearly didn't want anyone dear to him tied up in his father's games.

I read the blurb a while ago now and of course there is still the remaining task of Avery making it a year and others maybe not wanting her to make it. I hope that this isn't the main focus. I want more history and answers.

[Jen K]

Started today, about 10 chapters in.

[Amanda]

I'm going to try to start tomorrow

[Jen K]

Amanda wrote: "I'm going to try to start tomorrow"

That would be fun! There is already a big "twist" which seemed a bit predictable once it happened to set the games afoot again.

[Jen K]

Somehow had it in my head that this was 27 chapters a day rather than 27 pages.... I know that wasn't a rational thought but made it through chapter 27 last night.

I'm slightly confused/ bothered by the main concept so it doesn't quite make sense in my head. I'm honestly not sure how it will end up but I am a bit paranoid about all of them at this point.

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

@Jen
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Amanda]

I've caught up to chapter 27, and I completely get where you're coming from @Jen. I like the book so far, but I'm super confused and not sure where it's going really. I'm going to hide the rest of my post because I am horrible at noticing when I include spoilers...

(view spoiler)[I suspect everyone because of how things are going. At first, I suspected that it was Skye, but that proved to be a dead end. Then I just assumed that it was the other victim's family, but Oren seems to have dismissed that. Then I began to suspect Grayson... still not sure if I've ruled him out. And if I'm honest, I've been suspicious of Oren and Alise since probably the first book so I can't just dismiss them here. I feel like I can't trust anyone, and the introduction of Eve and the upsets with her siblings in the last book have left me feeling a bit like I don't know where to turn. I'm entertained, but confusion is a pretty dominant feeling right about now.

I have to say, I prefer the typical Tobias Hawthorne version of games to this mysterious abductor's version. With T.T.H.'s games, I at least felt like I had a chance to try and figure it out (although I never had much luck) because there is an answer; the clues were sequential. The abductor's game makes me want to scream (like Avery) because the game isn't like that.

On a somewhat separate note, as I tend to focus on characters in a book (even though I know this series is more plot-driven), I have to comment on the characters so far. I am liking the more vulnerable sides of both Grayson and Jameson in this book. I think that in the first book and even into the second book, they lacked a certain dimension that their vulnerabilities in this book have worked toward remedying. I like them best in this book, even if I have to admit a soft spot for the more mysterious book 1 boys at times. I'm not loving the love triangle they seem to have going on, but I think that even the side characters have been given the time and space to develop into more 3-D characters even if I find them a bit flat compared to characters from more character-driven books.

The fact that I feel a little lost and without the sense that I can trust the characters or my own judgment of them so far is a bit disconcerting, but I'm nowhere near giving up. Definitely a bit paranoid though... (hide spoiler)]

So, I'm liking it so far. I did wish I wasn't quite so confused though...

[Jen K]

@Amanda, YES to your whole spoiler!

(view spoiler)[ The new plot/ attack seems so personal and over the top in the rage against her. However Avery is a 17 year old girl who was barely noticed by her teachers. There is no way that she could have attracted such rage pre-Hawthorne and honestly hasn't done that much to warrant such a personal attack since then. The attach seems more bent on destroying her than a play for money. The person obviously has resources and a simple ransom note would have managed for money rather than the smear attack on reputation and investments.

Technically Greyson Sheffield's family could be unhappy but they know nothing. I truly don't get why her mom's family is so angry and weird. Additionally the attacker knew about Toby and Eve and no one knew about them. So those who are in the know, have resources and would set up these games, and take such a personal insult to Avery would be the inner circle of the boys, Oren, Eve, Toby, Laughlins....

But overall it throws me off, especially the win "in the end". Avery hasn't bested anyone yet. Anyhow, I'm still entertained. (hide spoiler)]

[Jen K]

Okay, except for the boys. My eyes glaze over a bit whenever the "feelings" come up. They seem like a sappy afterthought to me and even worse with Eve in the mix now. I wish it would stick to the riddles and puzzles.

[Amanda]

So I've just finished chapter 51 (I'm trying to read about 100 pages per day), and I feel like not much has changed.

I'm still entertained with the book, and I honestly think it's a good book, but... I just don't find it as fun as the first and second books. Tobias Hawthorne's games and puzzles made for a more engaging and fun reading experience, whereas the anonymous abductor's games confused and frustrate me. I'm here to figure out where things are going, but I think that the current puzzles/games fail to really engage me the same way. That is not to say I hate them. I really am enjoying the book, just not in the same way as the first two. I don't feel as engaged as I did before, but I don't think I'm less entertained. The book is well written and is keeping me (for lack of a better phrase) on the edge of my seat, but I'm just not connecting/engaging with it the same way I did with the other books. Parts of the book (the parts directly involving T.T.H.'s game(s) are still fun for me, but the rest sometimes feels...

I'm still overwhelmingly confused and can't really figure out this anonymous abductor's angle. Avery doesn't really deserve or warrant such personal attacks, (view spoiler)[and if the attacks are actually aimed at Tobias Hawthorne, then the attention seems severely misplaced (hide spoiler)].

I feel like I can't trust anyone, including the boys even though I want to trust them. Eve is super suspicious if you ask me, but there are so many conflicting pieces to the puzzle of who is behind everything that I can't even trust my intuition on that. It's a bit frustrating.

@Jen, I completely agree about the "feelings" thing. I like emotional development/character development when it comes to fleshing out who the boys really are and who they may/want to become, but I find a lot of it to be (in your words) "a sappy afterthought". I think I would like it more with less romantic entanglement going on, which for me (a sucker for romance) is saying something. I liked the less emotional, more calculating versions of Avery and the boys. Eve and Gray's "relationship" feels unnecessary, and, as you said, "I wish it would stick to the riddles and puzzles."

Now, I'm pretty sure most of this post will give the impression that I'm not really feeling this book, but I actually am still enjoying it. It isn't as fun as the others, but it's well-written and keeps me turning the page and wanting to find out what happens. Right now, barring some very unfortunate changes in how this book is written or plays out, I am looking forward to the fourth book that is coming out this year (The Brothers Hawthorne).

[Jen K]

Finished last night so I will try not say too much.

Agreed that the external games do have a different feel as it adds a potential dangerous edge to the games. The original ones had no real timer or consequence. It was just their own motivation to learn more. The second had that whole abduction thing but it wasn't exactly related to a game. This one makes the games a bit less fun with the more serious consequence. Having finished, the impetus still feels pretty thin. While I enjoyed, it wasn't quite as engaging as the first two books.

For the boys, agreed, the emotion just didn't seem deep enough to be real. While I don't love love triangles, I did appreciate how it was resolved. I did not like the whole revisit of the Emily triangle/ guilt with her "twin" Eve.

I had no idea that there is a fourth book! Excited to hear your thoughts on the ending. I do think the author is a very thoughtful and clever writer with the puzzles.

[Amanda]

I just finished.

Although I think the games in this book were a bit less "fun" than the games in the previous books, the grittiness did make for a good read. Where the Hawthorne fortune was the main focus in the other books, the seriousness of the consequences in this game made for a different feel and overall reading experience.(view spoiler)[ I don't think Blake's targeting of Avery and involvement of other parties who were not involved/responsible makes the plot feel a bit unbelievable (not that a billionaire giving some random underaged girl his entire empire was believable, but it made more sense to me for these books). (hide spoiler)]

Like you, the emotion didn't seem real to me, but I think part of that may be that the books were designed to be plot-driven, sometimes at the expense of the characters' own design and development. I don't think the addition of the emotion was necessary, but since there is no version of the book without it and with the fact that (in the end) I did end up really enjoying the read, I can't necessarily just say that it would have been better without it.

I agree that the resolution of the love triangle felt right. Although if you had the Barnes & Noble exclusive edition (view spoiler)[with the original short story "One Hawthorne Night", it might seem a bit less resolved than you might think (I felt that the short left it more open whereas, at the end of the main story, it felt resolved). The short story is told in third-person, but more from Gray's perspective, and although there isn't really any hint that he would pursue his feelings for Avery, his feelings are clear and make the whole thing feel a bit less resolved. I don't know if you have this short/could find it or even if you have any interest, but I really enjoyed it. Honestly, Hawthorne brother shenanigans are something I am always up for. (hide spoiler)]

I was not really all that happy with the whole Emily/Eve thing either. Eve (and Emily) embody the type of characters I can't really stand: desperate and manipulative with (what I typically believe) is little actual reason or justification. (view spoiler)[Eve was too desperate for approval, and I could never really trust her, even when Avery managed to let her guard down around her a bit. (hide spoiler)] I could have done without the drama with Eve and Emily in this book, but it is what it is, and at the end of the day it didn't ruin the read for me. It was a minor-ish annoyance, kind of like the confusion and frustration that came with (view spoiler)[Blake's (hide spoiler)] games.

(view spoiler)[This might be a bit of an unpopular opinion but... I know Tobias Hawthorne was made out to be more of a bad guy in this book, but I just can't hate him or dislike him. He got his hands dirty, he was manipulative, etc., but I felt he was justified because he was protecting his family and legacy. People do terrible things for less. He wasn't a good guy, but I saw where he was coming from. Unlike Blake, who seemed far less human, I could relate to Tobias Hawthorne, at least in a way that I could understand where he was coming from. (hide spoiler)]

I think the book ended well, and I am super excited about the fourth book. I found out about it when I was looking to buy copies of this book and The Hawthorne legacy. (view spoiler)[From the synopsis, it looks like it picks up from where this book left off with Gray and Jameson competing to see who could spend the Hawthorne/Avery's fortune the best. (hide spoiler)] It seems more focused on the boys, so it seems a bit different. I am curious to see if perhaps it is written from a different perspective instead of from Avery's like the first three books are. Perhaps it might be written in the third-person and focus on each of the brothers in separate sections/chapters, or maybe first person... alternating POV?

Final thoughts: the author is definitely talented and I still ended up really liking the book despite the confusion, frustration, more serious games, and the aspects that I just couldn't get into. I'll probably give it like a 4.25-star rating all things said and done. It was a good book, but not perfect (although no book is).

I hope you had a good time reading this. I enjoyed reading with you!

[Jen K]

Sorry, it was a bit of crazy week and then I got sucked into Hell Bent.

While I really enjoy Barnes mind and the puzzles she creates, this once was the weakest for me. The premise was a bit too far fetched and she regurgitated the whole Emily thing with Eve. I did really enjoy the series as whole though and am somewhat satisfied with how it ended up.

I'm glad the new one is more focused on the boys. It will put a bit more of a spin on things. I'm not sure how more games can happen unless they set them up for themselves but who knows.

@Amanda, Thanks for the fun discussion while reading!! It made the book even better!

[Kylie]

I just received an audiobook copy. I’ll probably start sometime today

[Bujo_bellel]

I just finished my ebook today and I agree with what all of you have said. It was not as enjoyable to read as the other books, but despite all the stuff that I felt was a bit unnecessary, but I still ended up enjoying it a lot in the end. Probally will give a 4.5 star.

[Bopeep]

I know I'm super late to the party but... Has anyone suspected about Tobias Hawthorn Not being dead? Because omg, he knows everything the abductor knows, but I don't think he was furious. What if its Toby behind all that??

I'm in chapter 33 and I don't want spoilers, just wanted to vent!
Also, I'm BR this with my partner and it's fun doing theories together and giving the book to each other to read haha