The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Reviewed by Melanie Koopmans, July 2023

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes follows the story of Avery Grambs, a supposedly normal teenager. She attended high school, worked as a waitress, lived with her sister, regularly slept in her car to avoid her sister's boyfriend, and played chess with a homeless man in order to buy him breakfast. That was until one day when a guy, not much older than her, showed up to her school to inform her that his recently deceased grandfather had written her into his will. However, Avery had never met this boy or his multi-billionaire grandfather. When she arrives to find out the billionaire left her his entire estate and all of his money, she has to find out why.

Barnes’ novel is full of surprising plot twists and keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to find out how and why Avery became the richest teenager in the world overnight. This book is great for anyone that enjoys young adult mysteries with a side plot of romance. Additionally, this book is very similar to the film Knives Out, so I’d also recommend this book to anybody who watched and enjoyed the 2019 movie.