Rating: 4 out of 5.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable YA mystery/thriller/romance book. It’s creative and a lot of fun to read.

Avery Grambs is in high school hell – but she has a plan. Survive high school, get a college scholarship, and choose a safe major that is guaranteed to provide her with immediate, steady employment opportunities. She’s determined to not be poor her whole life. Her plans go awry when she and her sister Libby are summoned to Texas for the reading of a will. Turns out billionaire Tobias Hawthorne has died and left her almost his entire fortune. Problem is, she has no idea who he is and no clue why he left her all his money.

In order to get the inheritance, Avery must live at Tobias’ home, Hawhtorne House for one year. The house is enormous and filled with secret passages, codes, puzzles and riddles. Also living at the house are the heirs that expected to inherit his fortune one day; one of two daughters and his four grandsons. Each boy is brilliant and magnetic in his own way. Avery finds herself drawn to two of them. Each person is given an envelope from Tobias, which leads them to the conclusion that he left them one more puzzle to solve. Solving the puzzle will put Avery in danger and stir up family secrets that no one wants revealed.

This is a fun, quick read that I could not put down. The puzzles and clues are clever and unpredictable. I liked Avery’s no-nonsense, guarded attitude which serves her well when dealing with people who are clearly out to get her. Her protectiveness of her sister, who is in an abusive relationship, is admirable and tempered with the right amount of sensitivity and firmness. Avery is smart, clever and up to the task of solving the mystery, even if she has to fight her developing feelings for two of the grandsons.

The book ends on a cliffhanger and I can’t wait to read the next one in the series. If you’re looking for a fun, light read with a little bit more depth than a typical YA book, this is the one for you.