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Well that was... something.

Not what I was expecting. I think I went into this, based on the blurb and mysterious cover art, thinking this would be more... exciting. That pieces would click into place. I wanted that "ooooooohh!!" moment, that moment everything came together, made sense. It didn't feel like there was any urgency. And Barnes kinda tries to include a bit of murder mystery but it falls flat. (view spoiler)[ Emily this, Emily that, "Emily would have wanted this" "I'm doing this for Emily" "I owe it to Emily" like we get it. Y'all loved Emily. It just didn't feel like a very good justification for everything that happened (which wasn't much) (hide spoiler)]

This felt like a less exciting, YA novel version of Knives Out.

What I liked:

Avery. The house. The secrets. I could see the wisps of the grandeur riddles and mystique that the author was trying to build.

What I didn't like:

The way everything came together at the end felt flimsy. Very flimsy. And I think Barnes knew it.

You're telling me... (view spoiler)[ this whole game was built for Avery because Tobias overheard her funny little name? And he stalked her for 10 years? Just to keep tabs? And thank god she actually has a knack for puzzles and riddles because however could he get his family back together without leaving a complete stranger his inheritance! (hide spoiler)] It all just felt like a cop out. I felt like Barnes tried to tie up all these sub-plots into one big, exciting reveal, and it just didn't work cohesively the way she wanted it to.

I will mention spoilers when talking about the main guys in the novel! You have been warned!

Also, the boys. I just didn't like them. Well, I didn't like the love interests. (view spoiler)[ I actually liked Jameson at first, at least as a better fit, but he became flakey and exuberant and so singularly focused, though I'm sure that was the point. Is it okay to dislike a character for being exactly how the writer intended them to be?

It felt calculated, like Barnes purposely made Jameson less likeable so readers would ship Avery more with Grayson, who is NOT A GOOD FIT. I don't know why Barnes decided to write Grayson like he's 30 years old instead of 19, but I felt such a disparity between Avery and Grayson. He's an adult (or he's written like one). He's starting a career at his family's foundation and Avery is still in high school. 2 or 3 years isn't that big an age difference.. when you're both adults. But Avery, mature as she may be, is in grade 11. Prior to moving into Hawthorne House, she even says she hasn't even kissed a boy or been on a date.

Take it from experience. No-one out of high school should find themselves even remotely interested in someone still in high school. It's not healthy. And depending how far you go, it might not even legal.

Avery's immediate and visceral reaction to both Jameson and Greyson was honestly just boring, too. Barnes really leaned into the whole he's-so-hot-i-can't-look-away trope...both times. There's a lot of "my body leaned closer on it's own" and "he met my eyes and my breath caught in my throat"... I'm sure you know the kind of moments I'm talking about.

Also last thing I'll say is i got REAL SCARED we were gonna get an incest plot. Lmao. I know they did a DNA test on Avery and it came back negative, but at the end, when she was looking at the photo of Toby and she gasped, I was like...... that's her dad. omg.

(hide spoiler)]

All in all, I'm disappointed. A lot of my mutuals really liked this book, and I really wanted to, too. I might pick up the second in the series, just to see.

Still, it's a quick read and worth it if you go into it with lower expectations.