At a glance
Pages400
First published2021
SettingContemporary Texas, Hawthorne Manor
AudienceYA (12-18)
ISBN031610518X
About the Author
Jennifer Lynn Barnes2 books reviewed
The Hawthorne Legacy
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
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.
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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 six-book 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.
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Age & Reading Level
Recommended age
Ages 12–18
Reading level
Young adult
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.
Editorial Review
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.…
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