For readers already invested in The Inheritance Games series, The Hawthorne Legacy is a highly compelling continuation. YA Books Central calls it 'twisty, suspenseful, and satisfying' and 'impossible to put down,' and Meg's Book Rack praises its 'pretty freaking fun' Hawthorne family dynamics. Beyond the thriller momentum, it engages with substantive themes — family, class, money, identity, and the weight of long-buried secrets — that make it a strong book-club pick as well as a page-turning read. The key caveat is that readers who haven't started with Book 1, or who prefer grittier and more grounded mysteries, will find it a less natural fit.

Best for ages 12 and up. The Hawthorne Legacy is published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and sits squarely in mainstream YA territory — fast-paced, aspirational, and romance-threaded, without venturing into edgier content. The publisher's own genre categorisation highlights social themes around class differences and new experiences, making it a substantive but accessible read for confident middle-school readers and up.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

About This Author

Reviewed

August 28, 2026

Read Time

8 min read

Age & reading levelAges 12–18 · Young adult

Reader rating

4.5

· 33,227 Amazon ratings

reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score

$6.33 on Amazon

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The Hawthorne Legacy

Name: The Hawthorne Legacy
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
ISBN: 031610518X

The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Review: A Gripping, Twist-Laden YA Sequel

by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Hawthorne Legacy is the second installment in Jennifer Lynn Barnes's New York Times bestselling Inheritance Games series, published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. It picks up where its predecessor left off, plunging heiress Avery Grambs deeper into the mysteries surrounding eccentric billionaire Tobias Hawthorne's baffling decision to leave his fortune to a virtual stranger. With Knives Out-style family intrigue, high-stakes romance, and relentless plot momentum, it is designed for readers aged 12 and up who want a propulsive, puzzle-driven YA thriller.

$6.33 on Amazon

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Image from the Amazon listing for The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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LuvemBooks Verdict

Best for

Readers aged 12 and up who loved The Inheritance Games and want to dive straight back into Hawthorne Manor for more puzzle-driven intrigue, aspirational drama, and romance.

Worth it if

You're already invested in the series and want a relentlessly paced, Knives Out-style YA mystery that escalates the stakes with layered twists, romantic tension, and substantive themes around family, class, and identity.

Skip if

If you haven't read The Inheritance Games, or if you prefer your mysteries grittier and more grounded rather than romance-threaded and jet-setting in register.

What readers & critics say

Kirkus Reviews called it "a solid sophomore novel that keeps readers involved in the entertaining series," noting a bolder protagonist and an open ending ready for the next instalment. Publishers Weekly awarded it a starred review, with the quote appearing on the Hachette Book Group page, describing it as "like the film Knives Out for the YA world, perfect for any reader seeking suspense, romance, and glamour."

“A solid sophomore novel that keeps readers involved in the entertaining series.”

— kirkusreviews.com

Sources: Kirkus Reviews, Hachette Book Group

4.5from 33,227 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score

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The Hawthorne Legacy is the second book in Jennifer Lynn Barnes's Inheritance Games series, following teenage heiress Avery Grambs as she digs deeper into the mysteries of eccentric billionaire Tobias Hawthorne's baffling will — navigating family intrigue, buried secrets, and a romantic subplot inside Hawthorne Manor. Propulsive, puzzle-driven, and impossible to put down, it delivers exactly what series fans expect: escalating stakes, Knives Out-style twists, and substantive themes around identity, class, and the corrosive effects of wealth. The key caveat: this is strictly a sequel read — picking up directly from the first book's cliffhanger, it is inaccessible to newcomers and best suited to readers already invested in The Inheritance Games.

Is it worth reading?: For readers already invested in The Inheritance Games series, The Hawthorne Legacy is a highly compelling continuation. YA Books Central calls it 'twisty, suspenseful, and satisfying' and 'impossible to put down,' and Meg's Book Rack praises its 'pretty freaking fun' Hawthorne family dynamics. Beyond the thriller momentum, it engages with substantive themes — family, class, money, identity, and the weight of long-buried secrets — that make it a strong book-club pick as well as a page-turning read. The key caveat is that readers who haven't started with Book 1, or who prefer grittier and more grounded mysteries, will find it a less natural fit.
Similar books: Readers drawn to The Hawthorne Legacy's puzzle-driven family intrigue and aspirational YA atmosphere will find strong companions among the curated titles below. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is the essential starting point — Book 1 in the same series, establishing Avery Grambs and the Hawthorne dynasty. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart offers similarly twist-laden, wealth-soaked family secrets with a distinctive literary edge. The Escape Game delivers propulsive, puzzle-room-style suspense for fans of high-stakes mystery mechanics. That's Not My Name by Megan Lally brings a gripping YA thriller energy for readers who love identity-centered suspense. And Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs shares the same sense of a young outsider pulled into a mysterious, secretive world far beyond ordinary life.
Who should read this?: The Hawthorne Legacy is at its best for readers aged 12 and up who are already invested in The Inheritance Games series and want a propulsive, puzzle-driven YA thriller. It has particularly broad appeal for fans of Knives Out-style family intrigue, aspirational settings, and romance-threaded mysteries in the tradition of Agatha Christie-inflected YA storytelling. It's also a strong fit for book clubs, given its substantive threads around family, class, money, and identity. Readers who haven't started with Book 1, or who prefer grittier and more grounded mystery fiction, are less likely to get the most out of it.
What age is it for?: Best for ages 12 and up. The Hawthorne Legacy is published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and sits squarely in mainstream YA territory — fast-paced, aspirational, and romance-threaded, without venturing into edgier content. The publisher's own genre categorisation highlights social themes around class differences and new experiences, making it a substantive but accessible read for confident middle-school readers and up.
Where does this fit in the series?: The Hawthorne Legacy is Book 2 in the Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, following The Inheritance Games (Book 1) and continuing what has grown into a series. It picks up directly from the cliffhanger ending of Book 1, so reading in order is essential — jumping in here without Book 1 will leave readers without the context needed to follow Avery Grambs's situation or the Hawthorne family dynamics.
How does it compare to Book 1?: The Hawthorne Legacy maintains the same propulsive mystery structure and aspirational setting that made The Inheritance Games a New York Times bestseller, while escalating the stakes and deepening the Hawthorne family dynamics that readers praised in the first book. Where Book 1 introduced Avery Grambs's shocking inheritance, Book 2 pushes her to actively search for answers about herself and her connection to Tobias Hawthorne — adding layers to the puzzle rather than resetting it. Meg's Book Rack notes genuine enjoyment with the continuation of the Hawthorne family dynamics, and YA Books Central affirms it as 'twisty, suspenseful, and satisfying' — suggesting it delivers strong momentum rather than a sophomore slump.

Summarize this book

Is it worth reading?

Who should read this?

What age is it for?

Where does this fit in the series?

How does it compare to Book 1?

Summarize this book

The Hawthorne Legacy picks up immediately after the cliffhanger ending of The Inheritance Games, with Avery Grambs now living inside Hawthorne Manor and actively searching for answers about why the late Tobias Hawthorne bypassed his own family to leave his entire fortune to her — a girl who appeared to be a complete stranger to him. Alongside the four disinherited Hawthorne grandsons, Avery hunts for the man who may hold the key to Tobias Hawthorne's real motivations, while threading through questions of identity, family secrets, and the dizzying experience of being an ordinary teenager dropped into a world of unimaginable wealth and scrutiny. YA Books Central describes Avery as 'searching for answers about herself, her past, and the people she thought she knew,' and the publisher's synopsis highlights 'nonstop action, aspirational jet-setting, Knives Out-like family intrigue, swoonworthy romance, and billions of dollars hanging in the balance' as the engine driving the story forward.

Follow up

Do I need to read Book 1 first?

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Our Review

This review covers the content and published reception of The Hawthorne Legacy — not hands-on use or reading — drawing on the publisher synopsis and available source commentary.

What the Book Is and What Happens

The Hawthorne Legacy opens in the aftermath of the bombshell ending of The Inheritance Games, with teenage heiress Avery Grambs now actively searching for answers about why the late eccentric billionaire Tobias Hawthorne bypassed his own daughters and grandsons to leave his entire fortune to her — a girl who, by all appearances, was a complete stranger to him. Avery must navigate life inside Hawthorne Manor alongside the four Hawthorne grandsons — all of whom were essentially disinherited — while hunting for the man who might hold the key to Tobias Hawthorne's real motivations.

The novel spans questions of identity, family, and secrets, threading a romantic subplot through its central mystery. YA Books Central describes it as a book in which "Avery Grambs is now searching for answers about herself, her past, and the people she thought she knew."

Two young adult fantasy book covers displayed with decorative lighting, candles, and golden pastries on a wooden surface.

Significance and Place in the Series

Barnes's Inheritance Games series has garnered widespread acclaim as a standout in young adult mystery fiction, and The Hawthorne Legacy is the direct continuation of that foundation. The first book, The Inheritance Games, was a New York Times bestseller, and this sequel carries that momentum forward as Book 2 in what has grown into a series.

The series' central hook — a teenage outsider thrust into a dynasty of wealth, puzzles, and power — taps into a rich vein of aspirational, Agatha Christie-inflected YA storytelling that has made it a favorite among young adult readers and a frequent book-club pick.

Strengths: Pace, Puzzle, and Intrigue

The novel's most consistently praised quality is its sheer readability. YA Books Central calls it "twisty, suspenseful, and satisfying," and notes it is "impossible to put down."

The publisher's own synopsis highlights "nonstop action, aspirational jet-setting, Knives Out-like family intrigue, swoonworthy romance, and billions of dollars hanging in the balance" as the engine driving the story forward. The mystery architecture — layered secrets, hidden motives, and the inheritance puzzle at the series' core — is designed to reward attentive readers while continuously escalating the stakes.

Reviewer commentary at Meg's Book Rack echoes this, calling it "pretty freaking fun" and noting genuine enjoyment with the continuation of the Hawthorne family dynamics.

Image from the Amazon listing for The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Themes Worth Discussing

Beyond the thriller mechanics, The Hawthorne Legacy engages with substantive themes that give it depth beyond its plot momentum. Reviewer commentary at YA Books Central identifies threads around defining family, the corrosive and clarifying effects of money, the experience of sudden public exposure, and the weight of long-buried secrets as material that makes the book particularly suited to group discussion.

The class-difference and new-experience dimensions noted in its genre categorisation — Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Class Differences and New Experience — reflect Barnes's interest in what it means for an ordinary teenager to be dropped into an environment of almost unimaginable wealth and scrutiny, surrounded by people with competing agendas.

Front cover of mystery thriller displayed with golden string lights, pastries on white plate, and beverage on wooden surface.

Who This Book Is For — and Where It Has Limits

The Hawthorne Legacy is squarely aimed at readers aged 12 and up, and it is at its best for those already invested in the first book; the novel picks up immediately from a cliffhanger, making it a poor entry point for newcomers to the series. Readers who prefer their mysteries grounded and grittier may find the aspirational, jet-setting register and the romantic subplot more central than they would like — critics noted the book in July 2021, and the series has been reviewed by major outlets, suggesting it lands firmly in mainstream YA rather than edgier genre territory.

For fans of Barnes and of puzzle-driven, romance-threaded YA in the tradition of Knives Out, however, it delivers exactly what the series promises.

Sources & Further Reading

The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.

Cited in this review
1
The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes & Christie Moreau | Hachette Book Group
hachettebookgroup.com
2
The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes | Hachette Book Group
hachettebookgroup.com
3
Review: The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – _ForBooksSake
forbookssake.home.blog
Further reading
4
The Inheritance Games - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
5
The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games, #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Book Reviews - YA Books Central
yabookscentral.com
6
Review: The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes | megsbookrack
megsbookrack.com
7
Young Adult Book Review: The Inheritance Games #2 The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - J.R.’s Book Reviews
jrsbookreviews.com
8
Book Review: The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games, #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
thebookielooker.com
9
What happened in The Hawthorne Legacy? (The Inheritance Games #2) - Book Series Recaps
bookseriesrecaps.com

Age & Reading Level

Recommended age

Ages 12–18

Reading level

Young adult

Browse all 12–18 books

Heat level

Closed door · mild romance, glimpses and kisses only

Tropes

love trianglefriends to lovers

From how readers and romance sites describe it, not our own reading.

who it suits

Best for: Ages 12 and up — reading level and serialised YA mystery structure suit confident middle-school readers and older teens.

Skip if You want a gritty, grounded mystery with no romance subplot or aspirational jet-setting register.

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