Games Untold: An Inheritance Games Collection

The Inheritance Games #4.5

by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Romance, luxury, and secrets abound in this thrilling new collection that take readers deeper into the world of the #1 bestselling Inheritance Games series

There is nothing frivolous about the way a Hawthorne man loves.

An amnesiac playboy and the woman with every reason to hate him. A daredevil, his favorite heiress, and three nights in Prague. An unlikely pairing between a cowboy and a goth. Four brothers with an inescapable bond, strengthened by the family they chose, in a house of wonders that promises to always deliver one more secret.

Discover their stories of love and loss, power, puzzles, and life-and-death secrets in this mind-blowingly romantic collection that proves that when you love the way Hawthornes love, there is no going back.

This collection includes:
That Night in Prague (novella)
The Same Backward as Forward (novella)
The Cowboy and the Goth
Five Times Xander Tackled Someone (and One Time He Didn't)
One Hawthorne Night*
What Happens in the Treehouse*
$3CR3T $@NT@
Pain at the Right Gun

*previously published in limited release

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Romance, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Thriller

448 pages, Hardcover

First published November 12, 2024

About the author

Jennifer Lynn Barnes (who mostly goes by Jen) was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She has been, in turn, a competitive cheerleader, a volleyball player, a dancer, a debutante, a primate cognition researcher, a teen model, a comic book geek, and a lemur aficionado. She's been writing for as long as she can remember, finished her first full book (which she now refers to as a "practice book" and which none of you will ever see) when she was still in high school, and then wrote Golden the summer after her freshman year in college, when she was nineteen.

Jen graduated high school in 2002, and from Yale University with a degree in cognitive science (the study of the brain and thought) in May of 2006. She'll be spending the 2006-2007 school year abroad, doing autism research at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

Reviews

[mitra ౨ৎ]

more xander and nashlibby content in this, please and thank you <3

[Avery]

there's another one?? you're joking

[Clace]

Just give me Nash and Libby please 🙏 (its been four years)

-Also that pink is so beautiful....

[Belle₊˚⊹♡ (semi-hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 stars!!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

(Spoiler~free review🐵🧡💛)

I laughed.
I cried.
I giggled like a hyena.
I screamed.
I was flabbergasted.

BEST INHERITANCE GAMES BOOK!
NO HESITATION!!!🙅‍♀️🙂‍↕️

I read this 430 page book in one sitting- 💀🤭
and I don’t even know where to start??

Let’s start off with Jameson and Avery being one of the best book couples💖 🥹🫶
The romance and the micro tropes we get in this book is PERFECTION 🙏🔥

And also us getting Hannah’s and Toby’s backstory?? Like bro brb crying. (Iykyk💔❤️‍🩹)

And I LOVED the chapter we got with Nash and Libby 😭🥰💕💕
But also a moment of appreciation for the art in this book??! 👏🏼👏🏼🔥🤭

Btw if you’re a Grayson girlie (like me-) you’re GONNA BE FEDDDD
The Karaoke nights, the leather pants, shake it off…
That’s all I can say-🤷🏻‍♀️😶‍🌫️🔥

And how much I ATEEE the Xander & Max scenes LIKE- 🦅🦅🦅

Overall LOVED and ADORED this book and fear this might be the best Jennifer Lynn Barnes book yet 😭🙏

(if you got the exclusive edition in Barnes and noble the extra scenes were *chefs kiss* 💋 )

And if you’re wondering of reading this book or getting into the Inheritance games series I can’t recommend this series enough!!!😍

🌟Rating: 6/5
🔥Spice: 0/5
📚~Age Rating: 14+

ㅤ🧡❤️💛𝐏𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝:

I’m so excited to read this book!! One of my most anticipated releases this year 😭💗
I won’t be reading until tomorrow since I’ll hopefully be getting the Barnes & Noble exclusive one!!

I’ll 100% be finishing this in one sitting 😭 expect a review to come tomorrow!!

𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊 𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊

[ahana ⊹ [ ia ] · Rating 4 out of 5]

                          ୧ ‧ ₊ 🧺 4.5 stars ꜝ

"there goes the last great American dynasty
who knows, if she never showed up what could've been"

              ⤿ the last great american dynasty, taylor swift

well this was just a splendid read 🤭 it is an absolute need for the people who love and adore the inheritance games trilogy <3 it is also perfect to get you out of a slump with its insanely short chapters and heartfelt novellas, it's going to keep you engaged throughout! the cover and the illustrations are simply stunning. i would do anything to get the physical copy in my hands oh gosh.

— ⊹ that night in prague

what an amazing story to start with 💌 this was exactly what i needed when i said i wanted to read more of them. every single scene, every game and every kiss was so special ah i was hooked! the love they have for each other is eternal and its so special🥹 it was short n' sweet and left me wishing for just one more moment with them. averyjameson are so margaret by lana del rey coded ☹️🫶

"nothing in this place was infinite except for jameson and me."

— ⊹ the same backward as forward

i feel a bit silly now knowing that i actually wanted to skip this because i didn't know what it was about but it ended up being one of my favourites! it started off a bit slow as i wasn't aware who it was about but soon everything just seemed to slot into place and i couldn't put it down. it made me feel so many emotions that even brick like huge books have failed to do. it was heartbreakingly beautiful, hannah + toby's characters were so raw and genuine that i almost teared up. the angst, the tension, the little puzzles they played, and their inner conflicts made them so much more real. im so glad i got to know a piece of their story <3

"i loved you," he whispered, "when the world was pain and the only thing that made sense was your eyes. i loved you before i knew to hate myself, and i have loved you
every day since."

— ⊹ the cowboy and the goth

this made my heart leap out of my chest, it was too good. too good. im still not over them and im afraid i never will be. im so hopelessly in love with nashlibby and this teensy tiny novella was definitely not enough for me :( the way nash calls libby as darlin' omg 🤭 i need to hear his accent like right now. nash going all big brother mode over avery was so adorable ah my heart <3 oh when will i find a man that will compliment me 24/7 and eat all my baked goods like he hasn't eaten in years 😔 their drawing in this book actually made me want to drop onto my knees and worship it. THE ENGAGEMENT SCENE WAS TOO PURE. I WAS SCREAMING AND CRYING AND ON THE FLOOR. I THOUGHT THEY COULDN'T GET ANYMORE PERECT AND THEY DID OH MY GOSH. okay i will probably go on yapping about them if i could so im going to stop now 🥰

"he brings his lips to almost touch mine, a silent reminder that i don't have to say a word, that he has never and will never demand from me anything that i don't want to give"

— ⊹ five times xander tackled someone (& one time he didn't)

okay first of all how goofy and intriguing is the name haha?! this made me fall in love with xander all over again. xander who has a cactus named Mr. Pointy, who has a fort with blankets and plushies, who has a ceiling covered in books and an unhealthy obsession with scones. i mean who wouldn't be head over heels for this man? the first few chapters were when the Hawthorne brothers were all young and tiny and it was SO CUTE. the way they would switch from super competitive mode to just dying of laughter because of each other during their games got me all smiley and giggly because nothing is more beautiful than their brotherly bond 😭 his sense of humor>> brb on my way to spam jlb to make more xander content because its a need.

"i tackle with love!"

— ⊹ one hawthorne night

my man my man ahhh <3 grayson singing shake it off and let it go while wearing leather pants is probably my favorite thing ever. and of course, xander volunteered to be anna while gray was supposed to be elsa lmao 😭 i did not know i needed that in my life oh my gosh. the hawthornes are so wild sometimes i swear to god 🤭 let's take a moment to thank for this beautiful piece of masterpiece 🙏 i actually need more of him or else im going to go feral... the illustration in this one. bye-
IT WAS STUNNING !!

a good suit was like armor. grayson was the type to dress or battle - not a single wrinkle in sight, layers between him and the world

— ⊹ $3CR3T $@NT@

um im not sure what this gibberish ahh title means but i have a feeling that its a code for something... which im far too dumb to solve but oh well whatever <3 christmas novellas are honestly a hit or miss but this one slapped. it isn't christmas without a little Hawthorne game isnt it? i have to admit, i was super confused about how the game worked in the beginning, but it ended being so so fun! all their competitive sides came out and it was thrilling to read. i wish we would've gotten a longer one though, this was far too short :( nashlibby and averyjameson were such cuties in this one 🫂 oh how i wish i was in avery's position (gray im coming for you) 😔

"avery?" grayson took a step toward me, and his lips curved into one of those very grayson hawthorne smiles, subtle but true. "you win."

— ⊹ what happens in the tree house

okay this was the goofiest shit ive ever read and i loved every second of it. this was very nash centered + his brothers obviously but it was everything i could ask for! i dont think i will ever stop loving the dynamics of the four of them 🫶 the would you rather questions they asked bro 😭 ill definitely be stealing some of them haha. i think this is the only series where ive adored all the male leads, like they're all practically perfect. i dont think i can choose my fave out of them since they all mean so much to me! the ending of this novella wrecked me. it was too pure 🥹 the way the four brothers all got emotional that nash was getting married but nash reassuring that nothing was going to change between them actually healed something within me 😭 god i love these little idiots so much

"the situation was thus: nash on the dance floor. cowboy hat? check. leather pants? check. ass? shaking."

okay i genuinely loved this book so much and i need more cute little stories like this for all of them! its not at all surprising that this ended with a sorta cliff hanger? not exactly but definitely ended leaving me speechless because of course there is going to be more in this series (im not complaining at all) pleasepleaseplease go read this book right now and you'll be my favourite person in the entire world mwah.

and when your last name was hawthorne, there was always one more mystery.

love,
ahana ⋆

[hanna ʚ♡ɞ]

another one thank you 🤭 i NEED happy endings for nashlibby, xander, and grayson

[juju (hiatus) ｡&#x169b9;°‧]

pls not her milking every last drop of this series, like girl 😭😭 (#justiceforgrayson)

[sophia ❀]

that night in prague - 3 stars ⭐

this novella was soo cute. i love avery and jameson and it was amazing to get more of them! the game they were playing was a bit boring but it didn't bother me that much because i just love them. <3

🍂 | pre-read
⤿ started on - 11/12/24

release day TODAY!! i'm so happy i got the pink exclusive version, it's so pretty! i am so excited that we're getting more of the inheritance games! i think i'm most looking forward to the secret santa novella, and the nash and libby one. 🤗 i am so excited for this, the inheritance games is probably my favorite book series!

11/6 - 6 days until it comes out (less than a week)!!! i need this book RIGHT NOW!! the bn exlusive edition is SOOO CUTE!! the pink cover. 😮 the gold foil. 😯 the illustrations. 😲 i have to get my hands on it asap.

10/20 - i've been thinking about the inheritance games a lot recently, i need to read this so bad. i can't believe i have to wait a month, november can't come soon enough 😭

[hannah [semi-ia]]

THERE'S MORE????

[ishi ☆ (busy w exams)]

GAMES UNTOLD??? INHERITANCE GAMES NOVELLAS??? MORE AVERYJAMESON??? this was not needed but i'll eat it up anyways
the cover is so pretty omg i can't wait!!

[mia ౨ৎ [semi ia] · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️
omgggg this book was sooooo good!!! i absolutely LOVEDDD all of the romance and the short stories were just hilarious! it definitely fed my inheritance games obsession once more. if i could have read this book in one sitting, I WOULD’VE

i. that night in prague
4 ★ honestly really loved all of the puzzles and the romance between avery and jameson. i feel like it needed more though. i was left a bit confused during some parts, but overall very cute and made me love jameson even more than i already did

❝Like the sun and the moon
I loved her.
Saint Avery.
Until death and beyond❞

ii. the same backward as forward
6 ★
AHHHHHHH this was the CUTEST novella everrr!!!! when i tell you i SOBBED at the end 😭😭 hannah and toby’s backstory was so sweet and precious 🥹 i loved it so much!! their banter was also adorable 💗💗

❝I loved you,❞ he whispered, ❝when the world was pain and the only thing that made sense was your eyes. I loved you before I knew to hate myself, and I have loved you every day since.❞

iii. the cowboy and the goth
5 ★
nash and libby are so cute!! the cowboy hats?!! 🤭 and the BABYYY!! AHHHHH I LOVE THEM SMMM!! i wanted their wedding tho 😭😭

Nash moves across the aisle to sit next to me. He puts his hand under my chin and raises my eyes to meet his. ❝Don’t you ever apologize for the things you’ve survived.❞

ix. five times xander tackled someone (& one time he didn’t)
4 ★
i love xander smmm. i really want scones now 😋 i wish there was more xandermax content thooo

x. one hawthorne night
5 ★
i LAUGHED out loud so hard during this story!! i might’ve even cackled a bit 🤭 it was soooo funny and i didn’t know i needed to read about grayson in leather pants singing shake it off before this 😂 if u are a grayson fan, dw, you’ll be FEDDD

xi. $3CR3T $@NT@
4 ★
from the start i was VERY intrigued into what this story was going to be about and i was pleasantly surprised. i actually enjoyed this story a lot and i loved the hawthorne ✨vibez✨ of it

❝Est unus ex nobis. Nos defendat eius. It goes both ways.❞

xii. what happens in the tree house
4.5 ★
like i said before, i love the dynamic of the hawthorne brothers and i love all of their adventures. it was very funny and i loved how nash was special in that one because i feel like he’s often overlooked

xii. pain at the right gun
3 ★
idk how i feel abt this one. at least it gave me some answers and some clarity abt questions i have, but i really do need more context to what actually happens bc my girl jlb can’t just leave me hanging 😭😭


pre read ౨ৎ
u guys don’t know how excited i am to read this book. i WILL indeed finish it in one sitting and nobody is going to tell me otherwise 😋😋 i better see my fav ships in this book 😔🤞

[Ash ꣑ৎ (quit) · Rating 5 out of 5]

💝| infinite stars 💫✨

I apologise in advance for this review being in a very different format to my usual ones, this is my first time ever reading a collection of stories and I wasn't really sure what to do lol 😂😂

First of all I have to say, does jlb know how hard she ate with this 😩😩 If I could only read one book for the rest of my life, I would choose this one 🤭🤭 idk why it surprises me anymore that I love this series so much 💓💓 Theres a reason it got me into reading and will forever and always be my fav series ever 🫠🫠

❥ 𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓷𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓲𝓷 𝓹𝓻𝓪𝓰𝓾𝓮

🎧 - Mastermind & So American
↳ What if I told you none of it was accidental?
And the first night that you saw me
Nothing was gonna stop me
I laid the groundwork, and then just like clockwork
The dominoes cascaded in a line
What if I told you I'm a mastermind?

➸ "Nothing in this place was infinite except for Jameson and me."

OMG this story was so cute I can't 🤧🤧 Avery and Jameson will forever be my favs 💓💓 tig was the series that got me into reading years ago, specifically bc of Avery and Jameson, and getting to see more of them and continuing their story has to be one of the best parts of my year 🥹🥰 Ngl I was so sad that we didn't really get any of them in The Grandest Game, but this story well and truly made up for it. I will never get sick of reading about them 🥺🥺 I was no joke underlining every second line, trying to commit them all to memory 🤭🤭 THE QUOTES OMG 🤌🤌 When I say I tried to savour it bc I never wanted it to end I mean I SAVOURED IT. somehow i made 79 pages last 4 hours, but I swear they were the best 4 hours of my life 😌😌 Their whole story was so so cute, and it was even better than I thought it was going to be. Is it too early to reread

❥ 𝓗𝓪𝓷𝓷𝓪𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓪𝓶𝓮 𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓭 𝓪𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓭

🎧 - I Should Hate You & I Miss You I'm Sorry
↳ All I ever think about is
Where the hell you even are
And I swear to God I'd kill you
If I loved you less hard

➸ "Sometimes, when I look at you, I feel you, like a hum in my bones, whispering to me that we are the same."

Toby and Hannah's story broke me, yet healed me in many ways 🥺🥺 I have been impatiently patiently waiting for Hannah and Toby's story ever since book 2, as I fell in love with them instantly after reading their postcards 🤭🤭 I knew going into Hannah The Same Backward As Foward's that it was going to hurt, a lot, but nothing could have prepared me for that ending 🤧🤧 I love how we got to see every stage of their relationship, and the ups and downs that came with it 🥹🥹 I also loved seeing Jacksons character progress too. finally, I loved that we still had puzzles and riddles to figure out, it doesn't feel like a tig book without them 😌😌 the ending was brutal, I cried for hours, but when I finally regained composure and read the epilogue, it healed a lot inside of me too 🥺🫂 The words 'no regrets' are never not going to hurt anymore 😭😭 I never wanted their story to end for even a second, and Toby and Hannah will always have a special place in my heart 🥰💓

❥ 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓒𝓸𝔀𝓫𝓸𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓖𝓸𝓽𝓱

🎧 - You Are In Love & Daylight
↳ Morning, his place, burnt toast, Sunday
You keep his shirt, he keeps his word
And for once, you let go, of your fears and your ghosts
One step, not much, but it said enough

➸ "He brings his lips to almost touch mine, a silent reminder that i don't have to say a word, that he has never and will never demand from me anything that i don't want to give"

This was so freaking cute I'm obsessed 🫠🫠 I have always liked Nash and loved Libby, but no words can do justice how much I love them now 🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️ It is safe to say that this makes up for the lack of screen time of both of them (especially Nash) in the og series 🥹🥹 I swear literally ever second mmc calls the fmc darling, but theirs smth about the way Nash does is (probably the accent 🤭🤭) that just makes it hit so much harder 😩😩 And the way he called Libby a Hawthorne when they came across his father was when I officially folded 😌😌 They are such an unlikely duo but they work so well together 🥹🥰 Also why do I now wanna go buy a magic eight ball that scene owns my heart 🤧🤧 THE WAY HE PROPOSED IM OBSESSED, I ACTUALLY STARTED CRYING HAPPY TEARS AND STARED AT MY WALL FOR A GOOD HOUR WONDERING WHERE MY NASH HAWTHORNE IS 💍💍 Moral of the story: where can I find a Nash Hawthorne for myself 🫂🫂

❥ 𝓕𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮𝓼 𝓧𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓪𝓬𝓴𝓵𝓮𝓭 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓮 (& 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮 𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓲𝓭𝓷'𝓽)

🎧 - Cruel Summer & Innocent
↳ Killing me slow, out the window
I'm always waiting for you to be waiting below
Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes
What doesn't kill me makes me want you more

➸ "I tackle with love."

ok this story actually was AMAZING 🤩🤩 ngl I did go in with high expectations, bc Xander was always my favourite side character, and whilst this was nothing like I thought it would be, I still ate up every second 😩😩 I love love love how we got to see him from 2 years old all the way to where he is now 🥹🥰 I loved all of the past chapters so much, but I have to say the (& one time he didn't) has to be my favourite 🤭🤭 First of all it is narrated by Max, which I was so happy about, bc who doesn't love Max?? Secondly, his ceiling is made of BOOKS, I mean how could he possibly get even more perfect 🫠🫠 And lastly HIS BED IS A PILLOW/BLANKET FOURGHT 🤯🤯 I swear I was born into the wrong life, I was meant to be Avery and Xander's best friends, and Jameson's wife, it's that simple 🤭🤭

❥ 𝓞𝓷𝓮 𝓗𝓪𝔀𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻𝓷𝓮 𝓝𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽

🎧 - The Last Great American Dynasty & Shake It Off
↳ "There goes the last great American dynasty
Who knows, if she never showed up, what could've been
There goes the maddest woman this town has ever seen
She had a marvellous time ruining everything"

➸ "A good suit was like armor. Grayson was the type to dress or battle - not a single wrinkle in sight, layers between him and the world."

It's unhealthy how much I loved this story 🤭🤭 I was one of the lucky people who got this as a bonus chapter at the back of my copy of The Final Gambit, and whilst I always liked it and found it funny, those feelings are nothing compared to what I felt rereading it this time 🫠🫠 Some of you may know that Grayson and I have a bit of a rocky past and I didn't fully like him until The Grandest Game, and tbh I think that is a big factor of why I never really loved it until now 🤧🤧 But when I tell you I ate up every second of this story, I mean I ATE IT UP 🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️ Literally I was giggling, blushing, trying to stop myself from crying, I was laughing that hard 😂😂 Literally the second I finished this novella, I was already flicking back through my annotations, still smiling like an idiot 🤭🤭 Grayson Hawthorne, you and your leather pants will always be famous 😌😌

❥ $3𝓒𝓡3𝓣 $@𝓝𝓣@

🎧 - All I Want For Christmas Is You & No Body No Crime
↳ I don't want a lot for Christmas,,
There is just one thing I need,
I don't care about the presents,
Underneath the Christmas tree,

➸ "The best gifts," Nash said, glancing at Libby, a low, deep hum in his voice, "are the ones you don't even know you want."

Could this story be any more perfect?? Ngl this was nothing how I expected it, but I should have seen it coming 😂😂 I mean how naive was I to think that the Hawthornes would sit around a Christmas tree peacefully handing out presents?? But I'm totally OBESSED with what we got, and it has to be one of my fav stories of the whole book 🤭🤭 I loved that we got to see all of the Hathorne brothers + the Gramb sisters all together, as most of the other stories were mainly focused on one or two people 😌😌 Also the fact that the whole story was based on CHRISTMAS!! 🥳🥳 How did jlb already know that I'd gone into full Christmas mode 🤭🤭 This story is everything I could have possibly wished for and more, and was so sweet and wholesome 🥹🥰 (yes I know the main aim of the story was to shoot people with paint and get them eliminated, it was still wholesome to me 😩😩) Also for anyone who was wondering why the name includes weir symbols it says secret Santa, I'm pretty sure the author did that to give us all our own mini Hawthorne riddle to solve 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

❥ 𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓷𝓼 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓽𝓻𝓮𝓮 𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓼𝓮

🎧 - Long Live & Getaway Car
↳ I said, "Remember this moment"
In the back of my mind
The time we stood with our shaking hands
The crowds in stands went wild

➸ "For a moment, the four of them stared out at the city. And then they jumped."

Once again, I was one of the lucky people who got this as a bonus chapter at the back of my copy of The Brother's Hawthorne, and whilst I did really like it every time I read it, it hit ten times harder now we have all of the background info of both Nash and Libby's relationship as well as how he proposed 🤭🫠 I don't think I stopped laughing for even a second the whole time I read this 😂😂 Seeing all of the brothers bond even after all of these years is just so sweet 🥹🥰 The same as One Hawthorne Night, literally the second I finished, I was going back through my annotations rereading already 😩😩 Omg and at the end when they are all saying one of their fondest memories of Nash, was so sweet, I can't 🤧🤧 Also the back champagne?? and the would you rather scenarios own my heart 🥰💓

❥ 𝓟𝓪𝓲𝓷 𝓐𝓽 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓡𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓖𝓾𝓷

🎧 - Family Line & Labyrinth
↳ How could you hurt a little kid?
I can't forget, I can't forgive you
'Cause now I'm scared that everyone I love will leave me

➸ "Questions were meant to be answered, mysteries solved. And when your last name was Hawthorne, there was always one more mystery."

!! SPOILERS !!

*deep breaths* This story hurt, a lot 🤧🤧 When jlb posted the names of all of the stories I somehow became a Hathorne and realised that Pain At The Right Gun was an anagram for That Night In Prague 🤓🤓 I was still a bit confused considering that it was already a story in the book, and especially when I finished That Night In Prague and it didn't end on a crazy cliffhanger. There was no way I could have ever guessed that we were going to get Jameson's Pov (YAYYY) about when he found out Alice Hawthorne was alive 🫢🫢 I WAS ALSO NOT EXPECTING HER TO NEARLY KILL HIM WTH 🤬🤬 Ngl I'm kinda glad she's stayed hidden all these years, she is kinda mad/insane 😒😒 I do have a theory though that the girl Alice was with (who almost killed Jameson) is her daughter, most likely from an affair, and that Tobias made her leave after finding out about it?? Idk though but the story CAN'T end there 😩😩 Jlb you never leave any loose threads so please please please don't leave this one unanswered, I'M BEGGING 🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️

!! END OF SPOILERS !!

Overall that was such a stunning stunning read, jlb you have truly outdone yourself 😩😩 There are a few stories I would love to see in the future, such as a Bex and Thea one, and Avery and Max when they had first become friends all the way up to now (in Max's pov) and even one about Tobias and Alice (I am SO curious about them ngl), but I am more than happy with what we got 🤭🤭 If you have not read this series or specifically this book, I can't recommend it enough 💓💓 Also I apologise for how long this review is lol 😂😂

✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*

💝| pre-read

OMG OMG OMG ITS FINALLY HERE!! IT IS STARING AT ME IN ALL OF ITS GLORY. NOBODY TALK TO ME FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS

[patrycja ୨୧ ‧₊˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

🧺 ⌇ ⊹ 4 stars

⟢"Est unus ex nobis. Nos defendat eius. It goes both ways." .ᐟ

🧺 ⌇ ⊹ my thoughts

this was PERFECT. i've missed these characters and this world so much, so diving back into felt so good. it felt like coming back home. 🥹 jlb ate with this book <3

⊹ the night in prague

⟢ "Nothing in thus place was infinite except for jameson and me." .ᐟ

this novella reminded my why i love avery and jameson so dearly. they'll always have a special place in my heart, as tig was the book that got me back into reading, and they were the first couple i truly became obsessed with. their novella was the best start i could've wished for to this collection of novellas and shortstories. naturally solving riddles had to be a part of it, because who would be averyjamson without them? it's their thing. they understand each other in a way nobody else does. i found the riddles super entertaining. i cherished every scene we got with them. this novella showed how deep their connection and love was, especially when avery could say "tahiti" to make jameson tell her what happened in prague but she didn't because she wanted to let him process it, meant a lot. i felt so bad for Jamie, he seemed so broken after he returned injured, and i swear I wanted to hurt the person who hurt him. if you mess with jamie, you mess with me.

and i was in prague back in may, but sadly i didn't meet averyjameson ☹️

⊹ the same backward as forward

⟢ "sometimes, when i look at you, I feel you, like s Hun in my bones, whispering that we are the same." .ᐟ

JLB YOU SHOULD BE PAYING FOR MY THERAPY RN. how dare you write something that devastating?! at first i didn't know what i was going into and what to expect from this novella. and ngl i was bored in the beginning. but with time it picked up, and was getting better and better with every chapter. toby & hannah's story sucked me in, and kept me hooked till the end just so they could break my heart into milion pieces. i was close to tearing up because of them. their story was so beautifully heartbreaking, and i absolutely fell in love with it. the novella showed not only their good moments, but also the bad ones and i really loved it. the ups and down of their relationship made it feel somehow much realer, and i just wish they were the endgame. but i guess they're the endgame that should've been, but never will be.

⟢ "I loved you when the world was pain and the only thing that made sense to me was your eyes. I loved you before I knew to hate myself, and I have loved you every day since." .ᐟ

⊹ the cowboy and the goth

⟢ "he brings his lips to just almost touch mine, a silent reminder that i don't have to say a word, that he has never and will never demand from me anything that I don't want to give." .ᐟ

first of all NASH CAN COOK?! WILL YOU MARRY ME PLS? anyways, i'm so happy that we finally got some nashlibby content! the way nash called libby "darlin', washed her and dyed her hair was everything 😩 they're so precious. the magic eight ball scene was so pure and adorable. i loved how nash proposed to lib, it was so unique. this scene lives rent free in my mind.

⊹ five times xander tackled someone (&time he didn't)

⟢ "I tackle with love." .ᐟ

i loved how we got to see the hawthorne brothers when they were little. i mean super jameson, the graysonater and doctor nashtopus — it was so freaking adorable. 🥹 xan is such a cutie, and a ray of light in everybody's life. he's always the one that lights up the atmosphere when it's needed. he deserves the world and more. this shortstory made me love him even more <3 and him and max are so sweet. both of them are such lil nerds, but i love them for that.

⊹ one hawthorne night

⟢ "A good suit was like armor. Grayson was the type to dress for bsttle—not a wrinkle in sight, layers between him and the world." .ᐟ

AH GRAY DELIVERED SS EXPECTED. leather pants grayson you'll always be famous. i loved this shortstory sm, it was so hilarious. jamie & xan & nash had the time of their life torturing gray this way haha. reading about grayson hawthorne singing "shake it off" and "let it go" definitely wasn't on my bingo for 2024. i adored this scene sm. 🤭 look at him he's so taylor swift coded!

⊹ $3CR3T $@NT@

⟢ "the best gifts,"Nash said, glancing at Libby, a low deep hum in his voice "are the ones you don't even know you want." .ᐟ

is this tittle some kind of riddle? yeah, I guess. sorry jlb but i'm too stupid to solve it. but im curious where it'll get us! anywho, it was so nice to see them all having and giving gifts to each other. found family in this series>>> jameson's gift to libby and averys to gray was so cute 🥹

⊹ what happens in the tree house

⟢ "for a moment, the four of them started out at the city. and then they jumped." .ᐟ

the brotherly between the hawthorne brothers is beyond beautiful. just them cherishing the time they spend together and being so supportive towards each other made my heart so full. they are always there for each other when one of them needs it, and it just so precious. this one mostly focused on nash and i absolutely adored the scene in which they talked abt their memories with him.

⟢"i remember you...always you." .ᐟ

⊹ pain at the right gun

⟢ "questions were meant to be answered, mysteries solved. and when your last name was Hawthorne, there was always one more mystery." .ᐟ

so this ended on some kind of cliffhanger so i guess there's more to come...BUT ALICE HAWTHORNE HOW DARE YOU HURT MY BOY LIKE THIS!! you better count your days.

[clara bow (hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

⋆｡° ★★★★★ °｡⋆
⤷ minimal spoilers (just quote and emojis at end)


”don’t you ever apologize for the things you’ve survived.”

9 words. grayson hawthrone in leather pants singing shake it off. i died. AND NASH IS SO SWEET LIKE WHAT HES THE MOST UNDERRATED HAWTHRONE EVER and the one time xander didn’t tackle someone is the cutest thing ever it was perfect in every single freaking AND WHAT WAS THAT ENDING?!?! i did not expect that.


the stages of reading this book:

that night in prague: 🙂🏃‍♀️🧩🔑😱
the same backwards and forwards: 😭💔🌊👋💡
the cowboy and the goth: 🤠💍🧁😍🪄
5 times xander tackled someone and 1 time he didn’t: 🃏🌋🏍️🌅🥰
1 hawthrone night: 🎤🎵❤️💄✨
what happens in the treehouse: 👯‍♂️🥂💃💍💕
pain in the right gun: 😱👵🏻🔪🩸😳

[adira]

jennifer, i am now expecting a book on avery’s horse’s caretaker’s murdered boyfriend’s breakfast thoughts. i can’t wait to see how it’ll play out!

[anna ୨୧]

UPDATE: it’s a collection of novellas AHHH there’s one with Libby and nash!! brb crying screaming and throwing up 😭😭

SO EXCITED AND ITS COMING OUT IN NOVEMBER 🤭🤭 2 JLB BOOKS THIS YEAR OML

[gavie (busy with life)]

𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭: I originally planned to read Games Untold last year when it was released, but never got around to it 😅🫣😭. Now that Glorious Rivals just dropped three days ago 🤭, it’s time to catch up with the universe and see what’s going down 👀!!

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: I'm so EXCITED to dive into this world again and reunite with my babies. The fact that we're getting different novellas makes it so much better. So let's goooooo!!!!🥰❤

[almas. · Rating 5 out of 5]

read on: (20.11.24.)

꒰💖꒱ games untold by jennifer lynn barnes

↪ ★★★★.75 crying stars

i. | that night in prague.
----> this was exactly what i needed, and i. need. MORE. i know how everyone says that jlb is milking this series - which she is ngl - but that's only true for the new characters in tgg. the original set of characters from the inheritance games trilogy, though? i would do ANYTHING just to be able to meet them again; i have such a deep connection with them - especially avery & jameson. so reading through this novella was such a blissful experience and made me long for more all the time. i'll say this one more time, but #averyjameson4life 💗 they are EVERYTHING to me. AND THAT SCENE WHERE HE PROMISED HER A PROPOSAL WHEN THEYRE OLDER IM CRYING PLEASE 🤍

❝ like the sun and the moon, i loved her. saint avery. until death and beyond.❞

ii. | the same backward as forward.
----> honestly, i wasn't as excited to read this novella as i was to read the others, but this SURPRISED me. i am so utterly obsessed with hannah and toby's story ohmygosh, they deserve more 😭 i cannot believe this. jennifer lynn barnes, you evil woman, how could you do this to me? their story progressed beautifully, and their relationship was so genuine - i can't even express it in words. there's so much i want to say but can't because i won't be able to do the novella justice. just know this - it's a masterpiece. (and i had a couple tears in my eyes) 🥹

❝ 'i loved you,' he whispered, 'when the world was pain and the only thing that made sense was your eyes. i loved you before i knew to hate myself, and i have loved you every day since.❞

iii. | the cowboy and the goth.
----> libby and nash I LOVE YOU. they are the cutest, most genuinely fun two people ever (perhaps after xander) and i am utterly obsessed with both of their characters. you don't know how excited i was to read their story and ohmygosh i'm squealingggg - they're the best !! nash turning on his big brother mode with avery & his brothers + his protectiveness for libby just melted my heart. and the way he calls her lib? BYE i'm dying 💌 AND THE ENGAGEMENT SCENE??? TOO PURE TOO PURE

❝ nash moves across the aisle to sit next to me. he puts his hand under my chin and raises my eyes to meet his. 'don’t you ever apologize for the things you’ve survived.❞

iv. | five times xander tackled someone (& one time he didn't).
----> xander. is. the best. I LOVE HIM SO MUCHHHH - he's literally the best friend we all never knew we needed. this made me love his character more than i ever had before. the xander we see in the original trilogy is so different from the one we see here - the xander who was once a sloth, who has a bed made of blankets, who has a cactus named mr. pointy. and oh my goodness, the hawthornes' brotherly bond is everything i wished to see 🙈

❝ i tackle with love!❞

v. | one hawthorne night.
----> THIS. this. grayson in the leather pants singing karaoke? check. xander hilariously being himself? check. avery and thea doing gray's makeup and outfit? check. brotherly love? check. this short story had so much of what i had wanted to see, and provoked so many of my emotions & smiles to the surface. also, nash choosing shake it off for the karaoke song was something i could've never imagined happening (i'm lying). i swear, i've never smiled reading a book as much as i did reading this whole collection 💝

❝ xander threw an arm around him. 'i’m an Anna. you’re an Elsa. you know in your heart that this is true.'❞

vi. | $3CR3T $@NT@.
----> oh. my. goodness. this brought back so many nostalgic memories of me reading the trilogy, and experiencing the hawthorne puzzles through avery's eyes for the first time. the secret santa game (hawthornes' version) was truly hawthorne from every aspect you look at it + so fun to spectate !! it's not christmas without a hawthorne game, ever. the found family, as always, ATE. and the story even brought a couple tears to my eyes (they didn't fall!) when the final showdown scene was happening (iykyk) 🥹

❝ est unus ex nobis. nos defendat eius. it goes both ways.❞

vii. | what happens in the treehouse.
----> BROTHERLY BOND??? MEGA CHECK. grayson, jameson and xander devoting themselves to celebrating this special occasion for nash was so heartwarmingly cute - like, i'm SQUEALING (i'm not, but you get it). and BRO the would you rather questions they asked were so hawthorne codedddd, i think i'm gonna steal a few lol. LOVE THEMMM 💘 and the scene where all the brothers got emotional thinking that their bond wouldn't be the same after nash's marriage and nash assuring them that nothing can get in the way of their bond 🥹 im crying someone pick me up from my bedroom floor

❝ he flung the marker at grayson’s forehead. nothing said persuasion like a projectile thrown with love.❞

viii. | pain at the right gun.
---> NOT. ENOUGH. i have more questions now than i had before reading this short story. seeing the night in prague through jameson's perspective was desperately needed, and i'm glad we got it. BUT I NEED ANSWERS. jennifer lynn barnes, you better get my queries answered in glorious rivals 🔪

❝ fire and pain and fear and the price of wheat. memories hovered like ghosts over graves. jameson didn’t linger. he scaled down the building and snaked his way back through the streets of prague.❞

ix. | conclusion.
----> this was jlb's redemption arc. the grandest game series will NEVER compare to the original inheritance games series, and you cannot argue me on that point - because it's the truth. brb while i go spam jlb's email for more of the og character cast's scenes 💔

❝ fear wasn’t just ice in your veins or a beast at your throat. fear was loving someone so fiercely that there was no point in your heart beating if hers did not.❞

xx
almas the almighty

─────────────────── 𝜗𝜚 ───────────────────

pre-review.
im obsessed and i feel like crying because i deserve more. rtc soon <3

pre-read.
EEEEEE IM HYPERVENTILATING no im not BUT IM SO EXCITEDDDD FOR THIS !! let's ignore how im currently reading three other books, i need a little break from all of them... I HEARD GREAT THINGS SO FARR SO I HOPE IT HITSS !!

[✧ jasmine (active only on pin) ✧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot express with words how much I love this book! rtc at some point in time 💖

I’ve waited for this day for far too long! Buddy read with several of my darlings, I’ll add them all when I’m done! 🩷🩷🩷

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ pre - read poem

When this book comes out
Do not speak to me
I am going into cardiac arrest
Over Nash and Libby

If we get Grayson angst
In this book I will cry
Hard enough to make the
Atlantic Ocean look dry

Jameson is my first love
So forever, it is true
And I can’t wait to see him
Again in this book with you

Avery, Lyra, and Max I miss you
This book will rock me to my core
More than you could imagine
I love this series forevermore

[rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

prereview ౨ৎ

miss barnes didnt just eat, she DEVOURED. safe to say i wont be the same ever again 😭

[give me books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Książka obowiązkowa dla każdego fana TIG.
Serio, czułam wewnętrzne szczęście czytając te opowiadania i smaczki.

[ray ౨ৎ (ia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

games untold ⋆ ★★★.75 ⋆ 13+
⤿ finished on 12.11.24

꒰💝꒱ um…explain to me how my xmas books that I was reading in December took me weeks to read and then I eat up this 400+ page book in 3 days? Because JLB wrote this, duh 🤭 anyways, this is one of the cutest novella compilations i’ve ever read. Like broken throne and happily ever after is nothing compared to this, and it’s bcz i’ve become so attached to these characters that despite this being an obvious money grab I still loved this and would do anything to get my JLB books signed (please have a book tour for glorious rivals jennifer !!) also, the quotes and illustrations at the beginning of each novella/short story?!?! Jennifer is spoiling us omggggg. also, I think it’s so cool how there’s a timeline at the beginning of this collection !!


⋆˙⟡ i. that night in prague
⤿ ★★★★★

I love how I was planning on reading my crs the night that I started this book and ended up picking games untold telling myself I would only read a couple chapters, which turned into like 5, which turned into reading this whole entire novella. like i ATE UP the averyjameson scenes in this. It was such a good way to start off this collection !! I absolutely loved being back in avery’s pov, i missed it after reading the brothers hawthorne and the grandest game. this was so entertaining !! basically our fave fmc Avery is in Prague with Jameson, and they make challenges for each other, and in the middle of Jamie figuring out Avery’s he’s gone. There’s before and after scenes and TONS of romance that had me giggling and kicking my feet at 1:00 in the morning, and i reread my fave bantery and cutesy scenes over and over again, and even showed my bookish friends some of my fave parts (i have the page numbers memorized…) like this was absolutely perfect and had no plot but also set up the brother’s hawthorne in a way? idk how to do this novella justice with this review but if you take anything from this take this: this was pure perfection in paper and ink form <3


❝ like the sun and the moon, i loved her. saint avery. until death and beyond ❞



⋆˙⟡ ii. the same backward as forward
⤿ ★★★.75

when I heard that there would be a toby x hannah novella in this collection I was so excited, I became invested in the story of them in the hawthorne legacy. in fact, I remember me laying in bed, laying snuggled in bed with a box of tissues next to me, sobbing while reading toby explaining the lore while listening to TTPD, which made the situation worse. no, i’m not overexaggerating, i actually did have a box of tissues. so long london wasn’t exactly the best choice while reading <3 but back to the review. I read that jennifer lynn barnes wanted to do this couple justice, knowing that she couldn’t write an enemies-to-lovers novella if it was as short as the other stories in this collection, and rightfully made this story 190 pages. It did feel dragged out and got boring at times, but I get why she had to make it this long, otherwise it would be rushed and the enemies part wouldn’t be believable. and the ending omg !! i swear, it was so sad and now I have major withdrawal issues 😭 it starts with hannah meeting toby and the people he went to hawthorne island with her sister kaylie, and then hannah helping toby recover from the fire, and then well…the not-so-happy-ending. and the games/challenges that they played together were so cute, and it reminded me of hannah and avery


❝ i loved you when the world was pain and the only thing that made sense was your eyes. i loved you before i knew to hate myself, and i have loved you every day since ❞



⋆˙⟡ iii. the cowboy and the goth
⤿ ★★★☆☆

I gotta admit, throughout the series I just didn’t see the nashlibby hype. I didn’t hate them, ofc, but it’s just that there was barely any crumbs of them, it was like the size of granulated sugar instead, but this cute little short story gave me a reason too !! there was barely like any scenes, but it was cool to see libby’s thoughts throughout the series and then before grandest game. and the magic 8 ball 🥺 it was acc so cute i can’t– anyways, if you’re a nashlibby stan I think you would really eat this up !! 🫶

❝ he brings his lips to just almost touch mine, a silent reminder that i don’t have to say a word, that he has never and will never demand from me anything that i don’t want to give ❞



⋆˙⟡ iv. five times xander tackled someone (& one time he didn’t)
⤿ ★★★☆☆

this was so cute omg !! the first time he tackled was him as a toddler and pretending to be a sloth (how can you get more cute than that?) and the rest were brotherly love ones that made me giggle because it was genuinely funny, and the one time he didn’t was with max hehe 🤭 and it was also in max’s third person pov too !! xander (and max) nation truly won with this short story fr <3


❝ maxine liu was absolutely, positively not going to show xander hawthorne her tattoo–the very nerdy, extremely secret tattoo she’d admitted to hours earlier in hawthorne chutes and ladders ❞



⋆˙⟡ v. one hawthorne night
⤿ ★★☆☆☆

Do you remember Grayson not going to Xander’s 911 in the final gambit? the one where he wanted the brothers to do karaoke? Well, he basically got punished by his brothers for it, and that’s what this short story is about !! gray got a makeover by Avery and Thea (and kept complaining about how it hurt to be around Avery 🙄) and did karaoke and sang taylor swift (nash chose shake it off 🤭)


❝ leather pants grayson was not going to become a meme ❞



⋆˙⟡ vi. $3CR3T $@NT@
⤿ ★★★.75

this was so fun to read !! it’s set the first christmas after the final gambit, and also the first time avery and libby play Hawthorne Secret Santa !! It’s like the game Assassins, the players draw a name, and that’s your target. You have to get the perfect gift for your target, and then your target is out of the game. If you squirt whoever has you as their target they are out of the game for 3 days. It was so fun to see the players get the perfect gift for them, and it was so sweet to read about !! 🥺


❝ ‘also for the record: if you thought that this room escaped the mistletoe treatment…’ he looked pointedly upward. ‘you were wrong’ ❞



⋆˙⟡ vii. what happens in the treehouse
⤿ ★★★☆☆

ahhhh this was so fun to read !! i love a good hawthorne brother bonding session, and this did not disappoint <3 this edition of the hawthorne brother chronicles is titled ‘nash’s bachelor party’ lolllllll. But in all seriousness, this was so cute !! and I quite literally melted when the brothers were afraid of things being different once nash got married 🥺 and their would you rathers were so hawthorne coded but also concerning…


❝ ‘what happens in the tree house…’ grayson said, his voice thick with emotion. ‘stays in the tree house,’ xander, jameson, and nash finished as one ❞



⋆˙⟡ viii. pain at the right gun
⤿ ★☆☆☆☆

this is basically 7 pages of what jamie was doing when he disappeared in that night in prague, and it’s saur confusing and I genuinely had no idea what was going on. also, alice better not ruin things in glorious rivals

❝ questions were meant to be answered, mysteries solved. and when your last name was hawthorne, there was always one more mystery ❞


*ೃ༄


PS: did you find the anagram in a night in prague?

PSS: sry to those waiting for my tig reviews, i js haven’t found the time 😭😭😭



games untold ⋆ pre-read
↳ started on 12.09.24

꒰💝꒱ ALL of my crs were boring me out *cough* Talk Santa to Me *cough* NLTM, so on an impulse when I chose a book to pick out to read at night I chose this one, and I don’t regret it at all. The first novella? Finished it in one sitting. Man, did I miss averyjameson. And a xmas novella?!? hehe 🤭 this pulled me out of my reading slump. I think I’m gonna read a novella a day. Also, the B&N edition is pink and it’s saur cutesy !!

[Fairuz ᥫ᭡. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.56 stars! 🌟 Okayyy, here we go — this was a fun collection that totally brought me back to the Hawthorne universe! 🤩 I love getting more of the Hawthorne crew, but honestly, it feels like this series has run its course for me. Some novellas hit the spot, but others left me thinking, “Alright, I think I’ve had enough of these characters for now.” Great for hardcore fans, but if you're already feeling the series dragging, this collection probably won’t change that. But don’t get me wrong — there were some exciting moments, and I did squeal at a few parts. Some sweet moments, some "ugh" moments, and a couple that had me shaking my head — let’s dive in! 📚

That Night in Prague – 3.5 stars 🌟

"Nothing in this place was infinite except for Jameson and me."

Ahh, starting with Avery and Jameson was a total chef's kiss! 💋 Their chemistry is legendary, but I need MORE! 🥹 It was short, sweet, and full of those heart-fluttering moments I crave, but I was left wanting more of their adorable vibe. The love they share is SO real, but this novella could've used a few more pages of pure cuteness. 😭

The Same Backward As Forward – 4.5 stars 🌟

"Sometimes, when I look at you, I feel you, like a hum in my bones, whispering that we are the same."

Hold up, I almost skipped this one — HUGE mistake! 🙈 Toby and Hannah’s slow burn? Emotional chaos. 😭 I cried, I gasped, and I just couldn't stop reading! It was so angsty, I was living for the emotional rollercoaster, but omg, the heartache... 😩 My heart is shattered still! 🥲

The Cowboy and The Goth – 3 stars 🌟

"He brings his lips to just almost touch mine, a silent reminder that I don't have to say a word, that he has never and will never demand from me anything that I don't want to give."

Nash and Libby are adorable, but this novella felt way too short! 😤 Seriously, I needed more time to fall in love with them. The pacing was rushed and left me craving more of their sweet, swoony moments. Could’ve been a powerhouse couple, but it just didn’t get the length it deserved! 😩

Five Times Xander Tackled Someone (& One Time He Didn't) – 4 stars 🌟

"I tackle with love."

Xander is everything. 😍 A cinnamon roll with a cactus named Mr. Pointy? I’m obsessed! 🤩 This story was the perfect mix of humor and sweetness, and seeing the Hawthorne brothers as kids? Pure gold! 😆 Their goofiness had me smiling non-stop. I need more of these adorable moments and blanket forts, pls! 🫶

One Hawthorne Night – 3.5 stars 🌟

"A good suit was like armor. Grayson was the type to dress for battle not a wrinkle in sight, layers between him and the world."

Grayson singing “Shake It Off” in leather pants? YES, please! 🤭 The vibe was hilarious, but the rest of the novella was a little too wacky for me. I was waiting for the stakes to get higher, but still, can’t deny how much fun it was to read! 😅

$3CR3T $@NT@ – 4 stars 🌟

"The best gifts." Nash said, glancing at Libby, a low, deep hum in his voice, "are the ones you don't even know you want."

Okay, this one totally took me by surprise! 😆 The competition between the characters was so fun, and the intensity? Classic Hawthorne vibes. 💪 But I needed more! A full-length novella next time? Pretty please? 🫣

What Happens in the Treehouse – 4 stars 🌟

"For a moment, the four of them stared out at the city. And then they jumped."

Nash and his brothers? HILARIOUS. 💯 The antics? Absolutely perfect! I loved how this novella captured their ridiculousness, but that ending? My heart couldn’t take it. 😭 Pure perfection, but could’ve used a bit more emotional depth.

Pain at the Right Gun – 2 stars 🌟

"Questions were meant to be answered, mysteries solved. And when your last name was Hawthorne, there was always one more mystery."

Ugh... what a letdown. 😩 I was so pumped for this one, but it didn’t hit the mark. The pacing was off, and honestly, I just didn’t connect with the characters. It was like a sad attempt to wrap things up, but nope — flat. Not the Hawthorne flair I was hoping for. 😞

Overall Thoughts:
A total rollercoaster! Some stories gave me the nostalgia I needed, while others made me wonder if we’re really done with these characters. Like, I love more content, but maybe the series should take a breather? 😅 Still, the Hawthorne brothers have my heart, and I’d totally read more with them in it. 🙃 Will I keep coming back for more? Probably! But fingers crossed for more depth and less rushed moments next time. 💖

[Dawn Solaris · Rating 5 out of 5]

★彡 5 stars 彡★

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈ Damn, I missed the Hawthorne magic. Because, really… this book slayed, in every every sense of the word. It’s astonishing how this made me bawl my eyes out, swoon shamelessly and laugh my myself to death, all at once. Jennifer, give me back my sanity… because I’m unhinged as I write it all out. I had too many questions going into this one, hoping some would be answered (and yes, we did get some answers). But I feel like I came out of this with more questions than I had initially (which is the point, yes, yes… but let me have it for once!).

»—★ тнαт ηιgнт ιη ρяαgυє ★—«

“Like the sun and the moon
I loved her.
Saint Avery.
Until death and beyond.”

➳ Avery and Jameson being painfully adorable? Yes, please! These two literally set up a game (not one of those silly ones, us regular folks can dream of winning, nope… it’s the kind that unfairly-gifted intellectuals play) on the gorgeous grounds of Prague. One day. One game. And each one gets to scour the entire city of Prague for clues to match up. And gosh, why do I even bother trying to guess the answers, because clearly, Avery is light years ahead of me. Every character in this series makes me feel dumb, and that’s part of the charm.

»—★ тнє ѕαмє вα¢кωαя∂ αѕ ƒσяωαя∂★—«

“And what about you, palindrome girl?” The stranger’s hair still hung in his face, casting his razor-sharp cheekbones in shadow. “H-A-N-N-A-H. Will I see you around? We could have a little fun, set the world on fire.”

➳ And set the world on fire, they did. Yes, just kill me of dehydration with all the tears I shed. Honestly, what was I expecting? A cutesy happily ever after where we forever talk in palindromes? Sure, I knew it was going to be heartbreakingly tragic, but this was another level. This was not for the faint of heart, I’ll have you all know. These characters did not deserve to die, because no one deserved a happy ending more than Hannah and Toby. I purposefully read every part of this novella slow to savour it. I didn’t want it to end, because… I knew how it was going to end. And it wasn’t going to be pretty. Also can we take a minute to appreciate just how down bad Toby is for Hannah?

“If who I am is a problem, Hannah the Same Backward as Forward, then to hell with who I am.” His voice was everywhere. He was everywhere I looked, and I could tell: He meant it. “I don’t care about who I was before. I don’t care about that life. I care about this one, about you. We can stay here or we can go, we can run or we can hide, but anything I do—I am doing it with you.”

Excuse me while I go for my box of tissues-

»—★ тнє ¢σωвσу & тнє gσтн★—«

“How’s your endurance?” Nash asks.
“Relentlessly optimistic and also stubborn.” I grin.
“How’s yours?” Brown eyes linger on mine.
“I was built for the long haul.”

➳ What surprises me the most is how Jennifer Lynn Barnes is such a capable author. It’s one thing to create a captivating main couple, but it’s another level to have the ability of making readers get so invested in the side characters as well. Nash and Libby, oh gosh- where do I begin? So basically, the engagement scene has my heart ♡

»—★ σηє нαωтнσяηє ηιgнт ★—«

“Xander threw an arm around him. “I’m an Anna. You’re an Elsa. You know in your heart that this is true.”

➳ Yeah well, remember that thing I said about laughing myself to death, till my lungs hurt? This was it, folks.
Leather pants.
Grayson Hawthorne.
Misplaced pantaloons.
And Shake It Off for the Swiftie hearts.
What else should I need to be happy?

»—★ $3ᑕᖇ3T $@ᑎT@★—«

“Est unus ex nobis. Nos defendat eius. It goes both ways.”

➳ As a sucker for found-family tropes, I definitely ate this up. A fun wintry treat that got me all sentimental around the end. Avery and the Hawthornes have my heart ♡

»—★ ωнαт нαρρєnѕ ιn тнє тяєє нσυѕє ★—«

“He flung the marker at Grayson’s forehead. Nothing said persuasion like a projectile thrown with love.”

➳ All the happiness and good feels packed into this one novella. Grayson, Jameson and Xander devoting themselves for this perfect day for Nash is so heartwarmingly cute, I can’t-

»—★ ραιn αт тнє яιgнт gυn ★—«

“Fire and pain and fear and the price of wheat. Memories hovered like ghosts over graves. Jameson didn’t linger. He scaled down the building and snaked his way back through the streets of Prague.”

➳ Not enough. Not nearly enough. All this time I waited to know what exactly had gone down in Prague, and this just raised a mountain equivalent of questions for me. Answer me, Jennifer Lynn Barnes… you cannot leave me hanging like this…

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Final Thoughts ᯓᡣ𐭩

➳ Everything I had expected from this book, this outdid it all. And that’s all I’ll say (as if I didn’t already leave behind a flood of unintelligible thoughts).

｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡

[ashley]

now why are there so many, i thought we were done with it
adds to tbr

[lauren‎♡₊˚ &#x1f9a2;・₊✧ (semi-ia) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3💫

gonna be honest- didn’t actually finish this. i got about 81% through and realized i did not care to finish this LOL. im giving it 3 stars because the stories were good and interesting, i just didn’t really care for them. im just over this series i think, but its not a bad book!! if i would have read this after i read the original trilogy, not a year and a half later, i think i would have enjoyed it more!

[❋Rushna❋ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, these novellas were an absolute treat🥹I will read anything JLB writes about this universe and I mean it. I’ll never get tired of it 🤷‍♀️ This collection was so good and the novellas were everything I wanted for extra content from the original characters/couples. It had me absolutely nostalgic and emotional😭

HannahToby had me in a chokehold ever since Book 2 and their novella was my most anticipated one. It was deliciously angsty, riddle-filled, and was giving peak soulmatism😮‍💨 JLB knew what she was doing when she made this the longest novella in the book. Even then, I would still read a whole novel just about them. I savored every word even though I was utterly destroyed and left an emotional sobbing mess by the end.

“I loved you,” he whispered, “when the world was pain and the only thing that made sense was your eyes. I loved you before I knew to hate myself, and I have loved you every day since.”

The NashLibby’s story was the cutest and their romance was so soft 🥺 We get to see more of what happened between them during the events of the trilogy and I loved them so much! Nash and Libby don’t get enough credit tbh😪 There is something so perfect about eldest daughter x eldest son dynamic because they both care so much about their sibling(s) and yet learn to take care of themselves too👌🏼

I’ve spent my life tiptoeing around glass and walking through minefields, but Nash is steady. Nash is pale blue skies. Nash is grass and mud, wide-open spaces, worn leather. Nash is mine.

JamesonAvery has been the OG couple for me and their romance has been mesmerizing with how well matched they are. Their novella didn’t disappoint either and it made me genuinely miss them! We also get to see a teensy bit more of a certain plot reveal from Brothers Hawthorne (iykyk👀).

Jameson looked at me like I was the force of nature. Like I was the mystery for the ages. Like he could spend a lifetime solving me. “Avery.” My name escaped his lips. “Heiress.” For better or worse, this was us.

Anyway, JLB SERVED with this collection. I adored the Grayson and Xander novellas too, wow, I just love these Hawthorne brothers with all my heart! Brothers Hawthorne and Grandest Game were a bit underwhelming for me…but this??? This book felt like coming home again and it was perfect to me. I laughed, cried, giggled, and screamed throughout it😭 Was it potentially a money grab? Maybe. But she can take all my money idc🫶🏼 The easter eggs and references to the trilogy were all perfectly nostalgic and really made me miss the trilogy. I wish I could experience this all over again and I definitely will need to reread it now for the vibes.

[bookworm ꣑ৎ‎ ˚. (more active)]

₊‧ ୨୧ pre-read ◞♡ 

those avery/jameson crumbs are going to be worth it -

[irha ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡ (semi-hiatus)]

JENNIFER LYNN BARNES OH MY LOOOOOOOOOOORD THIS WOMAN WTFDEYWFUIEBNKWHSN

[Marina ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

what......literally can't wait. She is ON A ROLL with the books rn

edit: OMG THE COVER 💓🔥