The Heiresses

Sara Shepard’s The Heiresses is fast-paced rich-people voyeurism at its finest. Manhattan addresses, fancy clothing, scandal, intrigue, mystery . . . and death. It’s basically a nonstop ride as delicious as settling in with your favorite candy, and its serious cliffhanger has me eager for more.

Though I initially feared this story of five powerful women would be stricken with a vicious case of Too Many Characters-itis, it didn’t take long to learn the quirks and foibles of the Saybrook heiresses. Each has a secret they’re guarding: a scandal that could break their famous family wide open. Though I can’t say I really loved any of the ladies, they were certainly entertaining to read about.

I bonded best with Corinne — a woman show more planning a wedding to the man she’s “supposed” to marry: Dixon, a preppy dude with a trust fund, square jaw and respectable family. Though her fiance was a bit of a caricature (just picture any polo-wearing jock in your life), I found her back story — and one-time love affair — very compelling. In the weeks leading up to her nuptials, Corinne held my attention as I wondered how she would deal with so many conflicting emotions. It was tough — but realistic, I think.

Poppy was a control freak, Rowan a mess. Aster was the stereotypical socialite bent on destroying her father for something he may or may not even have done, and Natasha was a bit of an empty shell. But compiled together? The Saybrook women were an entertaining lot, if only because they led such vastly different lives from my own. Mystery surrounds two unexpected deaths, and the bent of a blogger to expose their every movement keeps them on edge. As readers, we’re compelled to keep going if only to learn — Clue-style — whodunnit.

In the background are a bevy of relationships, lovers, complications and family troubles — as well as a family secret so dark it has the power to destroy them all. I sped through this story like lightning, invested in the plight of the Saybrooks and curious as to who was trying to wreck them (the options seemed endless).

Fans of women’s fiction, New York-based mysteries, contemporary fiction and wealthy family fiction will find The Heiresses to be a worthy addition to their beach bag this summer. I’m already looking forward to the next installment! show less

Opening in tragedy, and confined by tragedy, The Heiresses follows the lives of the five—well, four—Saybrook heiresses: their lush, rich world, their deeply personal problems, and fate's cruel affinity for hurdling their family into a string of mysterious, sudden deaths, otherwise known as the Saybrook Curse by the public.

Upon the unthinkable loss of one of their own—the perfect Poppy Saybrook—the remaining four cousins set out to solve the dangerous, wildly eery crime, but approach a dilemma when they realize Poppy's murder can only be solved by revealing the scandals and secrets of their past. Each Saybrook cousin has a life-threatening secret—that one personal demon they want to take to the grave—and as each figures out show more who is a witness, who is an alibi, and who is a backstabber, the dark secrets are slowly revealed.

I was so enchanted by this book. Dramatic irony keeps it running, and the suspense is absolutely electrifying—hair-raising—in a creepy "someone's watching you" kind of way. I couldn't stop reading it because I was too scared to put it down! In the vein of the Gossip Girl series, Sara Shepard masters the sinister, omniscient tone that, in the backdrop of high-society New York City, is as extravagant as its characters are.

The Heiresses is not your average chick-lit novel; it's not just another happy day at the Hamptons. The calamities and misfortunes of the world-famous diamond empire will stun and frighten you, as well as teach you a thing or two about the dangers of money, misconceptions, and pride. It's a story of the consequences of deceit, greed, and lies from one generation to the next, but beneath it all, it's also an examination of four courageous women who bond and discover the values of fortune, trust, and always: family.

Pros: The ending!!!! // Characters aren't deep, but are understandable and lovable // Scintillating suspense // Cinematic, dramatic—I can easily see this being made into a TV show or movie // One of those books you can't put down // Eery, startling tone is so well done

Cons: Literally everybody is screwing everybody... this book is centered on infidelity and illicit sexual relations // Not a super deep, meaningful novel, but still a hell of an entertaining one

Verdict: With the addictive, crippling voice akin to Gossip Girl, the darkly comical tone found in Desperate Housewives, and allusions to the Kennedy curse we're all so familiar with, Sara Shepard's newest novel reads like Pretty Little Liars all grown up. The Heiresses is a juicy, sinful mystery about a legendary American dynasty so blessed with fortune and beauty, yet cursed in the worst of ways. I admit at times the plot resembles that of an overdone soap opera, but that doesn't make it any less entertaining; this series is bound to become everyone's newest guilty pleasure.

Rating: 9 out of 10 hearts (5 stars): Loved it! This book has a spot on my favorites shelf.

Source: Complimentary copy provided by publisher via tour publicist in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, Harper Collins and TLC!). show less

Me giving this a 2-star rating is like going to McDonald's and ordering a Big Mac, and when it comes on 3 buns with 2 patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions, I decide I do not like hamburgers with special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions on 3 buns.

The book is exactly what I ordered, exactly what it promised to be (a shallow, Real Housewivesesque tale of scandal and fortunes and sex) and I didn't like it. The writing delivers, with scenes moving easily between past and present, but there were too many beautiful people, too many stereotypes, too much Northeastern fabulousness, and too much "bleating" of cell phones.

This book was actually on the wall -Staff Recommends- at the local library and I may have to show more have a few words with Librarian Sally should I ever meet her. show less

The Heiresses/Sara Shepard Complex in a very simple manner, this book was a fun and easy-to-read piece of chick-lit-fic.
 
If you've read anything by Sara Shepard, you can probably guess if you'll enjoy this or not. The characters are adults, but still pretty, rich, and somewhat talented. Someone or something--in this case, the curse--is out to off them, and we get to read about them as they interact with a lot of pressure over their heads as they try and solve the mysteries.
 
What I found most disappointing about this book was how ultimately the mysteries were solved through other people telling the main characters what happened instead of them really figuring it out themselves. They come up with a lot of hypotheses, as typical of show more Shepard's characters, but I feel like this almost makes them more juvenile. It would be more fun if the answer to the mystery had been something we could have solved ourselves.
 
Despite this, I really enjoyed turning off my brain and reading this book. It's fun to imagine the scenarios they're going through and although I couldn't easily relate to many of the characters, I felt some of their relationships really strongly.
 
Though no characters particularly drew me in, I did enjoy reading this book and recommend it for a light read. show less

Another Sara Shepard series with a twist, these are heiresses in NYC. It's similar to all her series but, in a weird brain-candy way, I love her books. Are the Pullitzer Prize winners, no. But they are good, quick reads and always have a fun and not-so-predictable twist. This one is no exception. The characters are older than her usual high school girls but that gives them more free reign to do crazier things! I'm looking forward to the next one for sure!

This was the first book I read by Sara Shepard. Yes, it is about rich people behaving badly. There is a supposed curse also following the Saybrook family. But I had so much fun escaping into this book. It was exactly the sort of guilty pleasure read that I was hoping to find.

This is a mystery and it seems like the "heiresses" of the Saybrook family are being targeted. When popular Poppy plunges to her death, it begins to look more like murder than suicide.

The ending was a bit over the top for me, but then I am thinking there may be a second book involving the Saybrook family.

A fun, light read.
It reminds me a bit of Gossip Girl meets Revenge.

The Heiresses are:
Poppy
Corinne
Aster
Rowan
Natasha

When Poppy is killed, a threatening note says that the other heiresses are next.

Each of the girls was raised to act right, basically to be perfect or at least convincingly pretend to be perfect.

Poppy was keeping secrets.
Corinne is having major cold feet about getting married.
Aster is the Paris Hilton party girl of the family.
Rowan is in love with the wrong man.
Natasha has disinherited herself from the family.

Secrets start to slip and many theories are batted about as to who killed Poppy and why.

I enjoyed the store more before the big reveal. It felt a bit elaborate and not super easy to believe.

But I liked the cousins' and show more sisters' relationships with each other. I think the family dynamic was the most interesting part. show less