5/5

For fans of: Knives Out, dark academia, love triangles, riddles, found families, family secrets

The Big Questions:

• What genre is this in? Young Adult fiction, mystery, thriller

• Are there any swoon-worthy characters? All the Hawthorne boys are tall, dark, handsome, and mysterious

• Is it spicy? Fade to black

• Is it violent or gory? Not at all

• Should I buy, borrow, or pass on this book? If you enjoyed The Hawthorne Legacy, buy it!

Synopsis: To inherit billions, all Avery Kylie Grambs has to do is survive a few more weeks living in Hawthorne House. The paparazzi are dogging her every step. Financial pressures are building. Danger is a fact of life. And the only thing getting Avery through it all is the Hawthorne brothers. Her life is intertwined with theirs. She knows their secrets, and they know her.

But as the clock ticks down to the moment when Avery will become the richest teenager on the planet, trouble arrives in the form of a visitor who needs her help—and whose presence in Hawthorne House could change everything. It soon becomes clear that there is one last puzzle to solve, and Avery and the Hawthorne brothers are drawn into a dangerous game against an unknown and powerful player.

Secrets upon secrets. Riddles upon riddles. In this game, there are hearts and lives at stake—and there is nothing more Hawthorne than winning.

Review: The first thought I had when I finished reading this was, “I am so sad, I’m going to miss these characters so much.” BUT GUESS WHAT, there’s a new book coming out this year featuring two of the Hawthorne brothers! Here’s why I gave this book five stars, you know that feeling you get when you read your comfort read with your favourite characters and you feel like you’re home? That’s how I felt when I cracked open The Final Gambit. Throughout the entire series, I have been GRIPPED by these characters. I feel like I know them so well, I thrive for their interactions, their found family connection, their highs and lows. I love them. I worried about them. I felt their love, their fear, their hopes and dreams, all of it. Did I fully understand all the riddles, mysteries, crazy complicated family connections? Of course not, I just went along with it. But these characters, they stick with you. I’ve had dreams of being in Hawthorne House, finding hidden passages, secret compartments all with Avery, Jameson, Grayson, Xander, Nash, Bex, Thea, Max, and Libby. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun with a series and I can’t wait to see it expand with more stories and more secrets.