If you’re searching for books like The Inheritance Games, I’m guessing you also tore through Avery’s story in a weekend and then immediately felt that horrible “what now?” book hangover. Same. I loved watching a broke, ordinary girl get dragged into billionaire Tobias Hawthorne’s world of puzzles, secret passageways, and dangerously charming grandsons.
So let’s build your next TBR stack with fact-checked, genuinely similar reads—twisty mysteries, high-stakes games, rich family drama, and big reveals that actually deliver.
What Makes Books Like The Inheritance Games So Addictive?
At its core, The Inheritance Games is a YA mystery series about Avery Kylie Grambs, a teen who unexpectedly inherits a billionaire’s fortune from a man she’s never met—and then has to move into Hawthorne House, a mansion stuffed with secret passages, codes, and suspicious heirs who expected the money to be theirs.
Readers (me included) fall hard for the mix of elements: riddles, treasure-hunt-style clues, complicated brothers, and a heroine who has to use her brain just to survive the will’s conditions. It’s officially marketed as YA and generally recommended for readers 12 and up, thanks to its blend of mystery, mild romance, and relatively low on-page violence.
So when I look for books like The Inheritance Games, I focus on a few key vibes:
- Puzzles, games, or layered mysteries
- Wealthy or secretive families with something to hide
- Elite schools, remote islands, or immersive competitions
- A twist (or several) you genuinely don’t see coming
Which Books Like The Inheritance Games Should You Read Next?
1. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart – For Rich Families & Shocking Twists
If you loved the Hawthornes’ money and mess, We Were Liars should be at the top of your list. It follows Cadence Sinclair and her ultra-rich extended family on their private island off the coast of Massachusetts, where something terrible happened one summer that she can’t fully remember.
Like The Inheritance Games, this book leans into wealth, secrets, and a narrator who slowly uncovers the truth. It’s a psychological thriller more than a straight puzzle mystery, but the final reveal absolutely scratches that “my jaw is on the floor” itch.
2. One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus – For School Drama & Suspect Lists
If your favorite part of The Inheritance Games was the tension between characters who might be lying at any moment, One of Us Is Lying is perfect. Five teens walk into detention; only four walk out after a student with a gossip app dies of an allergic reaction that starts to look a lot like murder.
Everyone has a secret. Everyone has a motive. And like the Hawthorne brothers, the suspects in this book are more than they first appear—messy, layered, and hiding things that slowly unravel as the story goes on.
3. Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson – For Elite Academies & Cold Cases
Truly Devious sends teen detective Stevie Bell to Ellingham Academy, an elite school in Vermont built around a decades-old kidnapping and murder that was never solved. Stevie arrives determined to crack the cold case—but then a new death on campus suggests the original killer may not be done.
If you loved the clue-hunting and brainy puzzle energy in The Inheritance Games, this series gives you that same satisfaction, just in a boarding-school setting instead of a Texas mansion. It also has multiple timelines and recurring mysteries, so there’s plenty to binge.
4. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin – For Classic Inheritance Puzzles
Think of The Westing Game as the proto–Inheritance Games. Sixteen people are summoned for the reading of eccentric millionaire Sam Westing’s will, only to learn that one of them may be responsible for his death—and whoever solves the mystery inherits the fortune.
This Newbery Medal–winning classic leans hard into logic puzzles, wordplay, and clues hidden in the will, just like Tobias Hawthorne’s games. If you want something middle-grade friendly but still twisty and clever, this one is essential.
5. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson – For True-Crime-Obsessed Teens
Here, high-school senior Pip Fitz-Amobi re-investigates a local murder case that everyone believes is solved: popular girl Andie Bell was killed by her boyfriend, Sal Singh… or was she? Pip chooses the case as her school project and uncovers secrets that suggest the town got it very wrong.
If Avery’s determination and resourcefulness hooked you, Pip will feel like a kindred spirit. The book is firmly YA, thematically darker than The Inheritance Games, and now has a hit TV adaptation on BBC iPlayer and Netflix, which shows how strong the fanbase is.
6. The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – For More From the Same Author
If you want more of Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ twisty plotting, start with The Naturals. Cassie Hobbes is a teen with an uncanny gift for profiling people, recruited by a classified FBI program that uses talented teens to help solve cold cases. Soon, she and her team are hunting an active serial killer.
It’s darker and more crime-focused than The Inheritance Games, but you’ll recognize Barnes’ trademark combination of tense mysteries, sharp dialogue, and complicated relationships, plus that “I need the next book now” pacing.
7. Caraval by Stephanie Garber – For Magical Games & High Stakes
Want the “game” aspect dialed up with a fantasy twist? Caraval follows sisters Scarlett and Tella, who get invited to an immersive, magical competition known as Caraval. When Tella disappears, Scarlett has five nights to win the game and save her sister—while never quite knowing what’s real.
Like The Inheritance Games, Caraval layers clues, secrets, and danger inside a gorgeous, larger-than-life setting where everything feels like a performance—until it suddenly doesn’t.
8. Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion Lewis – For Competition, Heists & “TIG Meets Ocean’s Eleven”
This one is literally marketed as “The Inheritance Games meets Ocean’s Eleven.” Seventeen-year-old Ross Quest comes from a legendary family of thieves. When her mother is kidnapped, Ross enters a deadly international competition called the Thieves’ Gambit, where the world’s best thieves compete for one wish.
It has everything Hawthorne fans love: a high-stakes game, morally gray competitors, shifting alliances, and a heroine who survives by being clever, not just lucky.
9. The Rosewood Hunt by Mackenzie Reed – For Contemporary Treasure Hunts
If the “solve the rich family’s secrets to claim the prize” setup is your catnip, you’ll enjoy The Rosewood Hunt. A group of teens are pulled into a scavenger-hunt-style mystery after the death of a wealthy woman, unraveling family secrets and rivalries along the way.
It leans into modern social media, influence, and image-obsessed elites, while still giving you that satisfying puzzle-and-inheritance structure that made The Inheritance Games a TikTok favorite.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What age group is The Inheritance Games best for?
Most guides and reviewers recommend The Inheritance Games for readers 12 and up. It includes mild swearing, references to drinking, and some romantic tension, but nothing graphic. That makes it a solid fit for mature middle-schoolers, teens, and adults who enjoy YA mysteries with lower on-page content than many thrillers.
2. How many books are in The Inheritance Games universe now?
The core trilogy includes The Inheritance Games (2020), The Hawthorne Legacy (2021), and The Final Gambit (2022). There’s also The Brothers Hawthorne (2023), the short fiction collection Games Untold (2024), and a spinoff series called The Grandest Game with The Grandest Game (2024) and Glorious Rivals (2025).
3. Do I need to read The Inheritance Games books in order?
Yes, I strongly recommend reading them in order. The main mystery around Avery’s inheritance, the Hawthorne family dynamics, and the romantic subplots all build from book to book. The spinoffs and companion books are more flexible, but the original trilogy especially works best as a continuous storyline.
4. Are there any TV or film adaptations planned?
As of late 2025, there isn’t a released screen adaptation of The Inheritance Games, but its popularity is comparable to other YA hits like We Were Liars and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, both of which have major TV adaptations on Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and Netflix. If you enjoy watching what you read, those series pair nicely with the books on this list.
Ready To Play Your Next Reading Game?
If you’re craving more books like The Inheritance Games, you now have a whole bookshelf’s worth of twisty mysteries, rival heirs, deadly competitions, and puzzle-filled plots to dive into. Whether you start with the classic inheritance chaos of The Westing Game, the emotional shock of We Were Liars, or Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ own The Naturals, you’ll keep that “just one more chapter” momentum going strong.
And if you ever want to switch things up from mystery to adventure, exploring books like Hatchet is another great way to satisfy that craving for high-stakes survival, clever problem-solving, and characters who must outsmart the world around them. Mystery or adventure—your next page-turner is waiting.
Happy reading!
