Glorious Rivals

The Grandest Game #2

by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Anjali Kunapaneni (Narrator), Christine Lakin (Narrator)

Millions, hearts, and lives are on the line in this heart-stopping sequel to The Grandest Game by #1 bestselling author Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

Seven players arrived on Hawthorne Island, each with their own secrets and motivations to win the Grandest Game. Millions are at stake, but so are hearts—and lives. The players now must race to win the game, solve myriad mysteries, and survive the twists and turns of Glorious Rivals.

The stakes get higher, the game gets twistier, and everything heats up in this newest installment in the TikTok sensation Inheritance Games Saga.

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

Audiobook

First published July 29, 2025

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

[ames]

jlb stop milking the inheritance games series challenge failed miserably

[Maddy ✨ ~The Verse Vixen {AFK brb}]

ೃ ⁀➷ Pre-view: 🎯

🎲"Millions at stake. Hearts on the line. One game to rule them all"

Welcome back to Hawthorne island🏝️
- where secrets whisper through the walls, alliances shift like sand, money talks, trust combusts, and the only rule that matters is: win at all costs🎭

In the heart-pounding sequel to The Grandest Game,Seven came to play a billionaire’s twisted legacy. Now only five remain. And the deeper they go, the darker it gets🕵🏻‍♀️—and every single one is hiding something. But the Grandest Game isn’t just about riddles and riches anymore. It’s about survival.

♟️ Loyalties will be tested.
🗝️ Mysteries will unravel.
🔥 And rivals? They’ll burn brighter—and deadlier—than ever.

As the clock ticks down and Hawthorne House tightens its grip, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just a game.


🎲What’s at Stake:

📌-5 players left out of 7.
📌-Endless secrets.
📌-Twisted rivalries.
And the kind of tension that makes you want to scream into a velvet cushion..
📌-Lyra Kane is back. So is Grayson “I never wanted you to stop calling” Hawthorne.
📌-Savannah’s sharpening her knives.
📌-Rohan’s making his next move.
📌-The riddles are harder, the stakes are higher, and the trust? Absolutely obliterated.
📌-And someone’s always watching, judging,👁️ The Watcher knows your secrets..and probably plotting your emotional demise..
📌-Odette — the girl who left...but maybe never really did
📌- Brady & Knox — ex-friends now battling it out like it’s personal (because it is)
📌-📜 And one dead girl’s legacy haunting everyone like a riddle-shaped ghost
📌-🗝️ Alice Hawthorne — allegedly dead, possibly watching from a hidden camera!?


So yes.
📖 I got my copy early.
👀 I’m already spiraling.

🎭 Let the games resume... and this time, it’s personal!


🎬The Vibe?

📺 The Traitors + The Inheritance Games + a hint of Cruel Intentions

Cinematic. Cutthroat. Candlelit betrayal meets luxe riddles.
A masquerade ball where every smile is a secret.
Private jets, secret tunnels, and emotional warfare in designer suits.
✨Think Knives Out but every character’s in love with someone they shouldn't trust.

The stakes? Higher.
The game? Twistier.
My grip on reality? Barely hanging on.

🥂 Who will win? Who will lose? And who will burn everything down just to feel something?
Let’s play.
This Universe just got messier, and I’m here for every glorious second🤸🏻‍♀️
Let the second round begin.
And may the most ruthless heart win.

[jess]

when you’re in a milking competition but your opponent is jennifer lynn barnes and her obsession with the inheritance games series

[ellie જ⁀➴]

wait.. ANOTHER ONE? 😭 a full length novel, ur joking. im still gonna eat it up tho this better be about grayson

[sara سارة]

girl dinner 2025.
#graysonsbook (i don't want to see no averyjameson content, i couldn’t care less 😭)

[zeinab ⟢ [semi-ia] · Rating 3 out of 5]

── . ⟢ 3.75 stars ★
﹒⌗﹒ the spoiler will be marked ⸝⸝

”we’re all liars. knowing that, living it… that’s the grandest game of all.”

𓏲thoughts⸝ ⸝⸝

➵ i’ve been waiting forever for this book because that cliffhanger we were left on in the grandest game was absolutely criminal and i missed grayson so much. let me just say that questions were answered, theories were confirmed, and yes, apparently there’s still another book coming because this is a trilogy. i get everyone who says this series is being milked dry, and i’ll be so completely honest right now, i am only here for grayson hawthorne because he is worth all my time and money. but i will also say that the mystery and characters in themselves have me very hooked so i will be continuing the series because i need to know what happens next. just one more book to complete this trilogy and then hopefully this series gets the satisfying (and long awaited by many) ending it deserves.

in glorious rivals, we leave off exactly where the grandest game ended. phase one of the game is now complete, two out of three teams remain. except now, it’s everyone for themselves. alliances are formed to prepare for a bigger challenge. so where does this leave me? absolutely invested. i went into this with wild theories and came out with even more questions. what is happening?? that cliffhanger i was left on was brutal. i just know that i’m not going to be forced to wait a year for the next book. what the hell am i supposed to do with my life until then??

now, do you know what pissed me off the most about this book? eve. my goddd why won’t she die? i am so done with her and i don’t think i’ve ever hated anyone more. my poor baby grayson has to relive letting his guard down every time he sees or thinks of her, like kindly go jump off a cliff nobody is stopping you.

this is still the fast paced easy-to-read writing style i was expecting. if there is one thing i will always praise jlb for it’s her chapters shorter than my attention span. i can’t explain how easy it is to get through her books with her page long chapters. i swear it’s magic or something because it somehow makes me want to keep going. i also loved that we got an extra pov in this book (spoiler: it was my man)


𓏲characters⸝ ⸝⸝

grayson & lyra‧˚₊⊹

my babies?? oh god they are so adorable im screaming. grayson finally has his woman guys. i kid you not any time they made any sort of contact i was giggling so hard, they have me so giddy i can’t. and grayson oml he is so down bad for her. he literally notices all the little things about her and remembers them all just makes me wonder: “when am i getting a man like him??” they are so amazing together, their chemistry is literally everything, and they deserve the world. i love them so much and i would protect them with my life.

rohan & savannah‧˚₊⊹

their contrasting personalities are so perfect. rohan is the fire to savannah’s ice. they are so incredibly perfect. i loved their banter too and the way the pretend that they feel absolutely nothing for each other when it is so incredibly obvious that they are both so down bad. i can’t put into words how perfect they are for eachother and i’m so excited to see more of them in the next book.

gigi & slate‧˚₊⊹

gigi’s chapters were hands down the best in the book. her and slate have so much chemistry i literally giggled in all of their little scenes. i can already tell that this is going to be such a beautiful love story. you can really tell how much slate cares about her against his will.

jameson & avery‧˚₊⊹

they are endgame until the world ends holy shit. these two were literally made for each other in every single universe. i can’t begin to describe how perfect they are oh my god. give me a love like averyjameson and i will die happy. spoilers!!: jameson’s crash out when avery was taken was genuinely so sad. even though he pissed me off so bad when he punched gray i understand why he did it. he loves avery so much that it actually hurt me to see him like that.

𓏲quotes⸝ ⸝⸝

✧ "family means you'd die for the person, and that you know damn well that they'd die for you. it means that no matter how lost you feel, no matter how dark things get, on some level, you know that there is a place and people with whom you belong."

✧ "lyra arched a brow. "do you take orders?" "from you?" grayson gave her a look. "absolutely."*˚ 🧎‍♀️‍➡️ ˚*. (this man would bow at her feet if she asked him to)

✧ "the human brain is a miraculous thing, but it can't keep anything caged forever. you'll still pay the cost. repressing something, pushing it down, refusing to feel it just means that you have to pay that cost again and again and again."

𓏲overall⸝ ⸝⸝

this book was actually so good and i was hooked from start to finish. the gilded blade is coming out in a year and i’m wondering whether or not jennifer will use that blade to carve my heart out or not. i also really hope we get an avery point of view in the next book because that would be so interesting considering the circumstances.

[Agatha’s Favorite Husband · Rating 5 out of 5]

The people who are coming here solely to complain about Jennifer “milking the series” are wackadoo. There’s no such thing as “too many books” in any series. If you’re personally tired of it and don’t want to read anymore, then don’t.

Actively going out of your way to try to get a series you don’t even want to read to end is demented and you guys make me physically ill. Stop being unhinged psychopaths and go away. LEAVE JENNIFER ALONE.

Dear Jennifer, please put these deranged Cheeto-munching commenters in your books and make them lose every riddle/game forever for the the rest of their lives.

[Fairuz ᥫ᭡. · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚 Glorious Rivals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
🎲 The Grandest Game #2
🎧 Narrated by Anjali Kunapaneni, Christine Lakin, Zachary Webber & Maxwell Hamilton

My brain is SCREAMING. That ending??? RUDE.
I’m not okay 😭 This sequel delivered more than I expected—and while it’s technically about the game, let’s be real... I was here for the dynamics.

Let’s break it down, shall we?

🖤 Lyra & Grayson = soulmates. They’re my top couple and I’m standing by it. Grayson finally let himself feel and Lyra matched him step for step. Their scenes? Emotionally loaded, sharp, and unforgettable. He’s healing, he’s choosing her, and it shows.

💢 Jameson… we need to talk.
He’s always been messy, but here?? He straight up punched Grayson and treated Lyra like garbage. I don’t care if he’s spiraling about Avery—you don’t sabotage your own brother’s happiness like that. He acted like Grayson can’t love Lyra and still love his family. No excuses.
And Avery siding with him?? I am sick of it. Stop pushing Grayson away when all he’s ever done is put you first.

💞 Rohan & Savannah—surprisingly hit.
Okay, hot take: I actually liked Savannah in this book. Her beef with Avery? Still tired. But her emotions felt real for once, and I get her now.
Rohan?? He gave up his chance so Savannah could win and that scene made me feel things. Like... did he just prove he has a heart by losing??? GIVE ME MORE OF THEM.

💥 Gigi & Slate are everything.
No crumbs. I ate their dynamic up. Is it romantic? Platonic? Do I care? No, I just need more. Also justice for Gigi—she’s Xander-coded and I’m obsessed.

🔍 The book’s big threats? Shifting.
Eve felt less scary, and Slate seemed more... human? Which is fine because Calla Lily's organization is the new final boss energy. It had new enemies, deeper stakes, and a threat building for the finale.

🎲 The game itself? Still twisty.
Savannah winning??? SHOCK. But the why made it hit harder—because Rohan gave her the win to prove something emotional, not strategic. The series finally took a step from just puzzles to emotions driving moves.

✍️ Final thoughts:
This book was fast-paced, addictive, and full of characters evolving in real time. Grayson had the best arc. Lyra stayed iconic. Jameson? Needs therapy. Savannah and Rohan grew on me. Gigi carried. Slate gave ✨ intrigue ✨.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes knows how to write tension, emotion, and a high-stakes game. And now I’m left yelling at my wall because THAT CLIFFHANGER??? I’ll see you in a year. (crying)

━━━━━━━━━━━⊱♡⊰━━━━━━━━━━

I swear Jennifer is milking this series like it’s her full-time job—but you know what? I’m eating it up anyway 😭. I need my morally dubious rich kids fighting over puzzles, knives, and each other’s trust issues.

🏝️ Back to Hawthorne Island we go — where secrets breathe, riddles kill, and enemies maybe kiss???

Millions on the line. Hearts up for auction. 5 players left.
🕵🏻‍♀️ More lies. More betrayal. More Grayson Hawthorne content, please and thank you.

If you see me spiraling, no you don’t.
Let the rivals get glorious.
I’m pressing play the second I survive my exams.

[Ash ꣑ৎ (quit)]

OMG THE FINAL COVER I'M LITERALLY SHAKING!! Dare I say the most glorious one yet 😉😉

✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*

After the ending of The Grandest Game OMG I NEED THIS NOW 😱😱

edit: all disrespectful comments will be deleted, so please don't even bother

✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*✧･:*

FREAKING OBSESSED WITH THE TITLE 😩😩 I NEED THIS AND THE GRANDEST GAME HASN'T EVEN BEEN RELEASED YET 🥹🥹 Pls just give us more romance and we'll be happy 🫠🫠

[patrycja ୨୧ ‧₊˚ · Rating 2 out of 5]

— 2.75 ★

⊹ "you were wrong. I would choose you, lyra—not over my family but as a part of it." ៹࣪

⭑𓂃 ⌗ my thoughts
welcome to the glorious rivals rant!

i. ⌇ ⌗ section one of the rant ㆍノ

the riddles & puzzles were interesting as always—how does jlb come up with all of them? she's lowkey a genius. I honestly wish my brain worked like those characters' because all of them are so smart. though not gonna lie, whenever things got too confusing, I kinda spaced out & was taken out of the story for a moment. plus, there were times when I cared less about the mystery itself unfolding, and more about the characters—especially lyra & gray!! like they're actually the only ones that I'm paying 100% attention to. I need more of them 🙂‍↕️

ii. ⌇ ⌗ section two of the rant ㆍノ

anyway, overall this book was...quite meh. not as good as I expected it to be which was quite a let down since it was one of my most anticipated releases of this year. it had lots of boring parts where I had to fight the urge to skim through the chapters—especially rohan's pov! I just didn't care about it. I was here ONLY AND ONLY for lyra and grayson. their povs were everything, and I hope they'll get their happy ending, because they deserve it.

iii. ⌇ ⌗ section three of the rant ㆍノ

ngl, jameson pissed me off at the end. I get that with what happened to avery his emotions were all over the place & it was anger speaking through him since avery is so precious to him, and means everything to him, especially since he was already really close to losing her before. I totally understand that he went through something traumatic in prague which he can't really fully understand himself, as he doesn't remember much, but it still didn't make it okay to take out all of his rage on grayson & lyra. gray had absolutely every right to want to know the truth, and in the end jameson blamed him for everything when none of what happened was either his or lyra's fault. what's more, he knows damn well that family's everything to gray and all he wants is to protect all of them until his last breath, but jamie decided to use it so cruelly against him, and he treated gray as if he wasn't a part of the family anymore. like yeah throw a brick at me, will you? I was NOT ready for their fallout—jlb tearing the hawthorne brothers apart once again wasn't really on my 2025 bingo 💔 however, gray didn't deserve anything of that. so jameson stfu, don't push my buttons. IT'S. NOT. ON. LYRA. AND. GRAY. like why did he think that saying "alice" out loud was gonna bring hell upon them 🤨 babe, that's not how it works. she's not gonna materialize in front of you the moment you say it. anyway, I'm definitely on lyragray's side when it comes to this—no matter how much you love jameson (hell, I'm #teamjameson myself) you have to admit that it was really unfair to hold both lyra and grayson responsible for something they DIDN'T even have control over.

iv. ⌇ ⌗ section four of the rant ㆍノ

jamie was so anti lyra in this book, which I quite don't understand, because he and avery acted like the biggest lyragrayson shippers in tgg. they made him draw her, so they knew what they were doing...and here, jameson's opinion of lyra completely changed—it happened in a blink of an eye. he started blaming her for digging deeper into the mystery, and acting as if she was his biggest enemy or something, and she literally did nothing to him—she's only a breathing soul who wants to find out the truth about her dad. and what happened to him is so intriguing, I can't wait for it to get finally fully explained 👀 my heart genuinely broke for jameson and grayson though—they were finally getting to a good place, and...then this whole mess happened. I know they'll find their way back to each other, because no matter how much the hawthornes argue, at the end of the day they're ready to die for one another.

v. ⌇ ⌗ section five of the rant ㆍノ

tbh, I lowkey wish jlb hadn't dragged jamie & avery that much into the grandest game. even though, I love them, and they're one of my favorite book couples ever, I think that their story unfolded and ended beautifully in the original trilogy & all the crumbs of them we've gotten ever since were absolutely enough! it's lyragray (heavy on them), savannahrohan & gigi's time to shine. so guys don't steal their spotlight!!

vi. ⌇ ⌗ section six of the rant ㆍノ

I'm lyragray #1 defender, and I won't accept any slander on my babies 🫶🏻 my boy is still haunted by not being able to talk emily out of jumping off the cliff—he even opened up about it to lyra while explaining why he had this desire to protect everyone from the cliffs. and another thing that keeps him up at night is doing nothing when the plane exploded in the hawthorne legacy, and not helping avery—being simply paralyzed & the helplessness he felt then. it's so heartbreaking honestly ☹️

vii. ⌇ ⌗ section seven of the rant ㆍノ

ALSO. one thing that literally pushes me over the edge & I get mad when people start even talking about it in the negative light is...grayson's change. people keep saying how much he changed and that he isn't the same person he used to be. yeah, that's literally the point? 💀 he's going to therapy, and finally WORKING through his TRAUMA. I know everyone is used to him being traumatized 24/7 BUT ENOUGH. of course, he won't be the same, as he was while still not having moved on from emily or then all the stuff that happened with avery and eve. he's making his way to being happy and he's finally HEALED. and that's something we should be proud of, instead of complaining that he doesn't give off the same vibes :) if you do, you've never been a real fan in the first place. so step outside the door, and make sure you didn't disappear, and don't even piss me off more than you already did.

viii. ⌇ ⌗ section eight of the rant ㆍノ

moving on, the epilogue is an amazing set up for the third book which probably will be the last, and I'm so excited for it! the epilogue was from avery's pov...she better be okay, or else me & mrs. barnes won't be having a nice talk!


ix. ⌇ ⌗ section nine of the rant ㆍノ

as for savannahrohan & gigislate. there's clearly some tension between rohan & savvy but honestly...they didn't pique my interest. I don't mind them but they're just there...existing, being their insignificant selves. but gigi & slate!! I love their dynamic—I mean, grumpy x sunshine? her brother doesn't approve him? HELL YEAH, I LOVE THAT. I had such a fun time reading their interactions. hope we get to see more of them in the next book. they'd be definitely a different kind of couple from the rest jlb has ever written, and I'm so here for it.

x. ⌇ ⌗ section ten of the rant ㆍノ

to sum up, jameson needs to shut up and get a grip. lyra & gray's pov were the best, gigi's was alright—her dynamic with slate was so funny! they made me laugh a few times, especially when gigi rated his kidnapping. and the hardest to follow since I found it to be extremely boring was rohan's! he seriously belongs in a dark romance, bye 💋

⭑𓂃 ⌗ quotes

"lyra ran because her thoughts were a mess. she ran to stop her body from remembering his."

"sometimes in the games that matter most, the only way to really play is to live."

"rohan noticed a ring on avery's right finger bearing a symbol he knew all too well: a lemniscate. infinity."

"neither of us do sad. that's why we're platonic kindapper-kidnappee soulmates, and that's why you're leting me go."

"I told no one about you. for over a year, you were my secret and mine alone."

"even if you try to bury it deep, some secrets live with you, day in, day out."

"you don't fall. I do. I fall, lyra."

"family means you'd die for the person, and that you know damn well that they'd die for you. it means that no matter how lost you feel, no matter how dark things get, on some level, you know that there is a place and people with whom you belong."

"you go talk to your brothers and avery."
"was that a suggestion or an order?"
"do you take orders?"
"from you? absolutely."

"wordlessly, avery wrapped her arms around jameson. grayson's hand was still on jameson's shoulder. for a moment, the three of them just stood there, breathing as one, and then nash joined them, his hand planted firmly next to grayson's on jameson's back."

"he cared. about her. about avery and his brothers. about libby and the babies. grayson hawthorne had always—always—cared too damn much."

"liar."
"we're all liars, savvy. knowing that, living it...that's the grandest game of all."

"he kindapped me. it was a decent kidnapping, all things considered. three-and-a-half stars." gigi's so unserious 😭

"acery was the center of jameson's universe, his everything in every way that mattered."

"you are frightening, lyra kane."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"no hawthorne has ever fallen for a woman who did not, on occasion, terrify him."

"on some level, grayson knew that he has no right, but he also knew that he would not survive anything happening to her—not after everything else he'd lost, not when she might be his libby, not when the reality of lyra kane was more than he could have dreamed when he'd thought, day after day, about a girl who'd called him on the phone."

[brianna ♱]

omg please stop already

[Quill&Queer]

this series can just keep going and i'll just keep buying i don't care

[mia ౨ৎ [semi ia] · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️
ANOTHER cliffhanger?!!! jlb can’t just keep leaving us like this 😭😭 this book was impossible to put down and i ate up all of the little romance crumbs. tell me why i was more interested in gigi’s kidnapping than the rest of the book 🫣 rohans pov was just confusing and boring and lyra’s was okayyyy. graysons carried tho

[Infinity ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

JESUS CHRIST, WTF was that ending? Jen hon, i need the next book like right now

[semina · Rating 5 out of 5]

praying this has a joint averyjameson pov

[༻gemma༺{one day im gonna grow wings} ఌ· ° . · Rating 4 out of 5]

(if format is weird it's bc I wrote this on my computer)


જ⁀➴“Sometimes, in the games that matter most, the only way to really play is to win.”



⚠SPOILERS AHEAD⚠



⤷ ゛Initial Thoughts ˎˊ˗

Wow. Just wow. Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a mastermind, and I feel pretty dumb reading her books. The start of this book was either slow for me, or I was in a slump. Either way, by the last 20% I didn't want to put the book down. Not only is she amazing at plot twists and puzzles, but the TENSION. Oh my gosh. I was screaming and reading so many quotes to my sister; she;’s definitely sick of me.

The cliffhanger KILLED ME. What the heck was that? My theory is that the “three” are Zella, Alice, and Calla. Also, where the heck is Brady? I was reading reviews and I feel like everyone forgot about the fact that he’s gonzo.


જ⁀➴“Seize the power” ▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌၊|• 0:10


⤷ ゛Quotes ˎˊ˗

⋆˙⟡Lyra and Grayson
- “Instead, Grayson Hawthorne looked like something out of a dream, the kind you ached for from the moment you opened your eyes.”
- “Her voice broke on the word matter, and Grayson knew in that instant that he was going nowhere. I matter. To you. This matters.”
- “But this?” He was talking about them. “This is worth fighting for.”
- “You were wrong. I would choose you Lyra - not over my family but as a part of it.”


₊˚⊹ᰔSavannah and Rohan
- “Damn it all to hell and back.” Rohan crossed to Savannah and pressed his dice into her hands.”
- “Why is it that men can make the prospect of a woman doing what suits her sound like a cardinal sin?” (this isn’t about the two of them but I love this Savannah quote so I had to)
- “Don’t forget the part about destroying each other,” Rohan whispered. “I’m looking forward to that.”
- “Savannah Grayson wasn’t a gentle kisser. Good. Neither was he.” SCREAMING



｡𖦹°‧Gigi and Slate
- “Easy there, Sunshine.” This man could call me whatever he wanted.
- “Back up to the part where you got kidnapped.” Savannah said. “Twice.”
“And I didn’t even get a t-shirt,” Gigi quipped.” (just a Gigi quote bc I love her sm)
- “I know you’re out there,” she said again.
“No, sunshine, you don’t.”
- “Let’s play a game. It’s called You Don’t Need to Prove a Damn Thing. To anyone. It’s called You’re Already Strong.”
“Were you ever out there?”
“More than once.”


જ⁀➴”Power came, always, at a cost. The only question was what the price was-and who was going to pay it.”


⤷ ゛Notes/Additional Thoughts ˎˊ˗

We were ROBBED in Chapter 69. I don't care what you say, we were. Also, what’s all the hate on Lyra for? Grayson deserves to be happy, just let the man live. I’m obsessed with the tension between Rohan and Savannah. I KIND OF wish that they were enemies for a little longer, but other than that I’m obsessed. Grayson Hawthorne. I have no words. Him and Lyra are soulmates, and no one can convince me otherwise. Gigi and Slate; whenever there was a scene between them, I couldn’t figure out if I was supposed to be nervous for Gigi, or giggle, but I chose the latter. The nickname “sunshine”? Yes.

I understand why Jameson was so mad at the end, but bro. Grow up. Punching your brother in the face isn’t going to find Avery. Let’s handle this like adults.


⤷ ゛Final Rating ˎˊ˗

I’m rating this book a solid 4 stars. I know, I know, “But you rate almost everything four stars.” What can I say? I guess I just know my taste? 4 stars is just a practical, easy rating. The beginning was kind of slow for me, but the romanceeee! I’m dead, and so excited for the next book!!

[Belle₊˚⊹♡ (for keeps ∞♡) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars🌟🌟🌟
(Minor-spoilers)

Did this book take me over a month to read?
Yes.
Did I still eat this book up and was entertained?
Also yes…🧍🏻‍♀️🎀🙂‍↕️

No matter how many books Jennifer Lynn Barnes writes I will ALWAYS read them and still find something to love about it, because her writing is just THAT good 🙂‍↕️🙏

I’ve stuck with these characters for a while now and have grown to love and emotionally attach myself with them 🥲
which is really the reason why I’m giving it a higher rating than I would have normally gave this 😚

And the audiobook made this 100 times more better, the voice actors that voiced these characters were so good!! Especially since we do get 4 povs 🫢

(ROHAN’S POV 🛐🧍🏻‍♀️)

And that ending?? 👀
I’m just intrigued with how we’re going to wrap this entire series in the next book? All I’m worried about now is if the next book is going to rush the ending 😭🥲

But I’ll still recommend this series no matter what tbh 😌

⭐️Rating: 3/5
📚Age Rating: 14+
🔥Spice: 0/5 (this entire series is clean! 🙂‍↕️)


🎧Playlist:

~Mastermind~Taylor Swift

~The Fate of Ophelia~Taylor Swift

~CANCELLED!~Taylor Swift

~Father Figure~Taylor Swift

~Out of the woods~Taylor Swift

~no body no crime~Taylor Swift, HAIM

~The Bolter~Taylor Swift

~Dress~Taylor Swift

~Vigilante Sh*t~Taylor Swift

~I Can See You~Taylor Swift

~Getaway Car~Taylor Swift

~Million Dollar Man~Lana Del Rey

~Arcade~Duncan Laurence


💜🔎Preread:

I’ve been waiting to get my hands on this book!!
The latest Inheritance games’s book’s are definitely a hit or miss for me, so im not going in with my expectations too high 😶‍🌫️
But I miss these characters too much and I’m also a hardcore Grayson girlie at heart so I hope this is good! 🙌🏼😆

[Legend19 No · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is the greatest thing to have happened to me








okay i just finished actually reading it and most of it was mehhh but seeing jameson crash out made my year. also just the sheer hope i have that the next book will have an avery pov makes this 4 stars

[Lyla]

THEY JUST KEEP COMING???

[briar ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

i actually no longer care about plot or writing quality. jlb could plagiarize dr. seuss and i’d give it five stars if grayson was the one eating green eggs. no like please, can he actually have a speaking role in this, or even *gasp* a pov??? jlb please?????

[kayy⸆⸉ ☆ (aelin’s version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

── .✦“𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙣 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪”⟡ ݁₊ .

ᝰ 𝟓 GLORIOUS STARS ꒰🪻꒱ ☆
﹌﹌
SPOILERS AHEAD‼️

ೃ⁀➷ 𝙼𝚢 𝙾𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 ｡💭𖦹 °┊͙
I was hooked since the first chapter. It was such an easy read for me cuz i couldn’t put it down 😛 the short chapters ate as usual 😌 this book was amazing and i love how it all connects to past- characters (like Zella). anyways I have so many questions now cuz I need to know what’s gonna happen to Avery and as weird as it sounds Eve didn’t bother me that much in this book ( thank god :) however I do hope she doesn’t interfere with Grayson’s happiness in the future 😠 overall, this series is only getting better and I’m here for it 💜

╰┈➤ 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 ₊˚⊹ ꒰🎲꒱ 🕯️𖦹

⋮ ⌗ ┆𝙇𝙮𝙧𝙖 𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙬. “𝘿𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨?”
“𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙮𝙤𝙪?” 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙮𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙜𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠. “𝘼𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮.”⟡ ݁₊ .🧎🏻‍♀️‍➡️🧎🏻‍♀️‍➡️

𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐘𝐒𝐎𝐍| 𝐋𝐘𝐑𝐀- omg I love them so much together 🫶🏼 they’re the perfect duo 😌 love how they match each other’s energy so well ,and most importantly how they understand each other so well ( in my mind they’re soulmates )😗 and I love how we got more of Grayson pov ( it makes so happy) 🫶🏼

⋆. 𐙚 ˚“𝘼𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙅𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙣’𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚, 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙”⭑.ᐟ
My babies 🥺

𝐉𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒𝐎𝐍| 𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘- first, I need my girl Avery to be safe and sound 😣 and after that epilogue I’m wondering if we’re gonna get more Avery pov ( I hope so). second, I did love seeing the desperate- angry side Jameson 😙 but it was so sad seeing him so worried. Currently manifesting for my babies to still have their happy ending 😠

.𖥔 ݁ ˖“𝙁𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚, 𝙄’𝙢 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚”₊˚⊹ ᰔ

𝐑𝐎𝐇𝐀𝐍| 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐀𝐇- I do love the tension between these two 😙 but sometimes I can’t stand Savannah ( there I said it :/) anyways I do hope they end up together

⋆˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆“𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙉𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝘿𝙖𝙢𝙣 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙏𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚. 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝘼𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜”✮⋆˙
finally someone said it and I love it was Mattias

𝐆𝐈𝐆𝐈- my cutie pie 💗💗 I was so worried about her but I love that we got to read more about her and a certain someone… MATTIAS 😛😌 bro it makes me giggle when he calls her sunshine (I’ve always loved that nickname)

╰┈➤ 𝚁𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚖 𖦹 🦕₊˚
I love how the Fibonacci spiral was a part of the games. It reminds so much of Sloane (the naturals) and I love her sm 💖

╰┈➤ 𝙴𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 ⊹ ꒰🫟꒱｡𐙚
WHAT WAS THAT?!!!! I’m so SHOCKED!! omg I can’t believe the next book is coming out next year :( I need it now… I mean so many things happened in this book, so many plots, and new characters 🥲 I love love love how the author never disappoints with plot twists and cliffhangers 🫶🏼😌

⋆˚࿔ “𝙒𝙚’𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙧𝙨, 𝙎𝙖𝙫𝙫𝙮. 𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩, 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩…𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙡𝙡”⋆˚꩜｡

_________________________________________

꒰👾꒱𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: I’m sooooo excited to finally start this :)

[sky ⋆]

we 😭 need 😭 a 😭 happy 😭 ending 😭 for 😭 grayson 😭 please !!!!!!!!!!!

[soph 𝜗𝜚 · Rating 3 out of 5]

PLAY▶ GLORIOUS RIVALS REVIEW

၊၊| PLAY NONSTOP FROM HAMILTON |၊

・❛We’re all liars… knowing that, living it… That’s the grandest game of all❜・

𐔌‧₊˚ ★⋮ Thoughts .ᐟ ֹ ꒱
So I have a feeling JLB is going to head into more
of a Naturals ending which I may be wrong but this feels a lot like the begging of the end of The Naturals. I loved seeing the brothers, i loved seeing avery (i cant believe the epilogue was her pov omg im screaming) and i love knowing libby and nash are officially parents 😭🙌
I’m going to make this short n sweet. I need more Gigi and Slate NOW. I need less Lyra and Grayson, or atleast some time and development cause things are moving too quick. Lasty lowk need me some more Rohan and Savannah, I can’t stand Savannah and I know that’s how a lot of you see Gray but they’re not the same to me I’m sorry. But she’s growing on me and I know her reasons. I also felt JLB’s writing in this book felt lacking(???) maybe it’s just me but I cringed at some of the lines (“ready for battle” im sorry we aint doing this in the big ‘25) I haven’t read on of her books in a while so maybe they were always like this but yeah can’t wait
for the next one!

・❛Her voice killed him, She did. For once in his life, Grayson truly understood what it was like being hungry, wanting answers, wanting everything.❜・

𝟬𝟭:𝟯𝟱
OCT . 27 2025

_________________________
high amount of car accidents have just been recorded all around the world when this was added to goodreads, coincidence? i think NOT

[✧Bella✧]

3.5 stars

I may not like this series as much as the original, but also, WHAT? I swear, jlb is incapable of writing a book that I do not speed through, like dang. This followed through on the main plot a lot more than the last one, which was great. Also, I'm sending similarities to The Naturals series? I don't THINK they're connected but...

Anyway, I will most certainly be reading The Golden Blade when it comes out, I need answers.

[Teo-(school hiatus)]

Team Gigi and Mimosa

I'm going to read a new Inheritance Games book every year until I'm 50. Not that I complain. 💜

[Mirabel (kinda back) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gigi's chapters were the best part

[ava. · Rating 5 out of 5]

[🕯️] Post read~

That cliff hanger was EVIL. I need the next book right now, waiting until next year will be so hard 😭. Anyways, it was really good! Also… Grayson has been added to my list of book bfs… I used to kind of like him but now? He has definitely improved


[🪻] Preread~

IM SO EXCITEDDDD THIS IS GOING TO BE AMAZING I CAN ALREADY TELL

[avi ౨ৎ]

**Spoiler if haven't read The Grandest Games**
Stop!!! OMG The ending of the first book blew me. WHAT HAPPENED TO GIGI!!!! And also not me loving the Rivalry with Rohan and Savannah. But also not me hating Savannah so much cause her father was a psychopath.



.𖥔 ݁ ˖「 ✦ 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝟏 ★★★★.𝟗𝟓. ✦ 」.𖥔 ݁ ˖
.𖥔 ݁ ˖「 ✦ 𝐆𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝟐 {𝐭𝐛𝐫}✦ 」.𖥔 ݁ ˖

[ishi ☆ (exams hiatus)]

ANOTHER ONE ?? 😭 better have more averyjameson content pls and thank you

[gavie (busy with nursing school) · Rating 3 out of 5]

𝟑.𝟕𝟓🌟!! This book was so much better than The Grandest Game😌. My only issue and the reason this wasn’t a 4 star was the fact that I was bored sometimes while reading the book😔💔. But ultimately, I had such a fun time with this book🥰❤️…and the ending?! That was fucked up and I need the next book ASAP.😭🙏🏼


ˏˋ°•*⁀➷𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’m convinced that this author is trying to milk this series💀. You know what they say..the devil works hard but JLB words harder😭. Regardless, I’m sure I’m going to eat this book up anyways🤭