The Same Backward as Forward

The Inheritance Games #0

by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Read her side of the story, then flip the book over to experience their love anew through his eyes in this novel that you can read backward or forward.

Hannah Rooney knows how to be invisible. At twenty, she keeps her head down and her eyes open, and so far, she’s managed to avoid being pulled into the dealings of her notorious criminal family. Hannah lives her life in countdown mode, biding her time in nursing school as she waits for her beloved sister, Kaylie, to turn eighteen so Hannah can get them both far, far away from Rockaway Watch and start a new life. 

Tobias Hawthorne II acts every inch the entitled heir that he is. As the only son of one of the country's richest men, there isn't a door that isn't open to him. Yet behind his razor sharp cheekbones and devil-may-care attitude, Toby is guarding a nest of deadly secrets and a fiery anger fierce enough to burn everything in his path.

Their lives collide in one tragic, stormy night, where an act of arson and nature leave Kaylie and two others dead and Toby just barely alive--with no memory of who he is. The fisherman who pulls him from the ocean enlists Hannah to help save the very person who she knows took away her sister. Fueled by her hatred, Hannah is determined to deny Toby's death wish by keeping him alive. He is the last person that she should ever develop feelings for, and she is the first thing he ever remembers seeing.

*Hannah’s side of the story was previously published as a novella in Games Untold.

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

400 pages, Hardcover

First published November 4, 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

[h i n d]

idc if she writes 10 more books in this series i will read every single one of them

[Ashley is in europe (permanent [?] semi-hiatus)]

help they just keep on coming?? she's writing books on the inheritance games more often than i talk to my dad😭

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

5 stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
(Spoiler-free)

~ ‘𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨—𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥
𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘴𝘬𝘺.’

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

This ultimately may be one of my favorite books out of the inheritance games series?? 😭
The writing, the absolute YEARNINGG in this book actually made me spiral I don’t know how I can get over this tbhh 💔

“Never fall in love with a Hawthorne.”

It’s such a common phrase they use throughout the series it HITS especially for this one 🥲🧍‍♀️

The illustrations for this book, concluding the pov’s was just a cherry on top for the pain. Because WHAT WAS THAT ENDING.. they are the epitome of
“Right person wrong time” 😩

Even though going into this book you already knew what’s to come and their story but it still hurt the same ☹️

And THE LETTERS. THE LETTERS.

"Dear Hannah, the Same Backwards as Forwards...”

WRAP IT UP. 🙏

There’s not much I can say other than I looooved this book and am afraid I will never see lighthouses the same after this. 🕯️

⭐️Rating: 5/5
📚Age Rating~ 14+
🔥Spice: 1/5 (closed-door, very vague details)

🎧Playlist:

~The One That Got Away~Katy Perry

~It’s all comes back~Lord Huron

~The Night We Met~Lord Huron

~Sad Beautiful Tragic~Taylor Swift

~Right Where You Left Me~Taylor Swift

~Loml~Taylor Swift

~Don’t Blame Me~Taylor Swift

~Snow On The Beach~Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey

~I look in peoples windows~Taylor Swift

~The Joker and The Queen~Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran

~Cardigan~Taylor Swift

~hoax~Taylor Swift

~Sad Girl~Lana Del Rey

~Dark Paradise~Lana Del Rey

~Free Now~Gracie Abrams

~I Love You I’m Sorry~Gracie Abrams

~I Told You Things~Gracie Abrams

~Arcade~Duncan Laurence, ft. FLETCHER

~Matilda~Harry Styles

~Eternity~Alex Warren

~Sienna~The Marias

~Wonder~Shawn Mendes

~Let Down~Radiohead

~Mind Over Matter~Young The Giant

~You’re Gonna Go Far~Noah Kahan

~If The World Falls To Pieces~Young Summer

~Do I Wanna Know?~Hozier (cover)

~Somewhere only we know~Keane

~Reflections~The Neighborhood

~Can’t Catch Me Now~Olivia Rodrigo

💌Quotes:

~ ‘𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣. 𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙢 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙫𝙚𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙙. 𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨, 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤.’

~ "𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨," 𝙄 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙡𝙮, 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣
𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙. "𝙌𝙪𝙞𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪."

~ "𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮?"
"𝙄'𝙢 𝙜𝙡𝙖𝙙,' 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙚, "𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙜𝙤𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚." 𝙃𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙖 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙮 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝. "𝙃𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙮."

~ “𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘬𝘦𝘺𝘴, 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵." 𝘏𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘳𝘶𝘨.
"𝘐 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘷𝘦
𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘴."

~ "𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪,"
, "𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙝𝙪𝙢 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚."
_________________
💜Preread:
YAY THE TIME HAS COME WHERE I FINALLY READ THIS AFTER IT SITTING ON MY SHELF FOR LITTERALLY EVER 😻🙏
Will I be sobbing after this book and left forever depressed? Maybe. But omg I can’t wait ❤️‍🔥

🖤💙Prerelease:

So this is about Toby and Hannah’s story????
Brb I’m litterally gonna be crying my eyes out with this book I fear 💀

[ray ৎ ⊹ ࣪ ˖]

jennifer girly, i love ur books but js make an ending alr

WE DONT NEED MORE STOP MILKING THIS 😭✋

WHY I THINK SHE’S MILKING: y’all. she never planned on writing ‘the brother’s hawthorne’ and ‘grandest games’ like girl 😭 and before you say it’s HER books they’re clearly money grabs writing a whole spinoff. tig was supposed to be a duology at one point. i love these characters and i enjoy these books but this could’ve been in games untold, instead we could’ve had new content with new characters

and before y’all say “no one’s forcing you to read it” you’re right—i CHOSE to read grandest games bc I thought it would be ok, and I thought glorious rivals was ok—but you can be aware that not everything u enjoy needs a spin-off. “final gambit” was the perfect ending

[Kie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I know how this was gonna end? Yes.
Did it still break me?
Also yes.

[ava ⋆˙⟡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ Post-read ౨ৎ

this was so good! I honestly have never given a Jennifer Lynn Barnes book under 5 stars lol, and while, sure, it's not quite as well written as some books (like divine rivals) it was entertaining, addictive and fun while also making me almost cry multiple times

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝑷𝒓𝒆-𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 ౨ৎ

am I currently reading 2 books already? yes. do I have a buddy read of another book scheduled in a few days? also yes. am I reading this anyways because I saw it on my shelf and wanted to? ABSOLUTELY YES. so um I might be insane but yeah I’m really excited to read it, I loved the novella in games untold so I’m 99% sure I’ll love this this as much since it’s basically just the same book lmao

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝑷𝒓𝒆-𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 ౨ৎ

Why did no one tell me that this was announced literally months ago??? Here I was, thinking the only new release by Jennifer Lynn Barnes this year would be Glorious Rivals, but no this is also coming out!!? And that close to my birthday??! I am so so so excited!!!

[sama]

JLB THREATENS to release ANOTHER spinoff to the inheritance games

[Aliyah Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

I swear I manifested this when The Hawthorne Legacy came out

edit: SO GOOD UGH review to come

[ari [gin’s vrsn 🩵] [semi ia]]

pre-release

jlb is one of my favorite authors, and toby and hannah are my favorite book couple

BRING IT ON

[dilan ♡]

she’s really milking tf out of this series omg

[Melissa (Relaxing in Belize ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this one is marked #0, it spoils a LOT from The Inheritance Games series so I'd read it in the order it was written, not based on number order.

This is novella was first featured in Games Untold: An Inheritance Games Collection, and it gives the back story of Hannah and Tobias.

That previous novella just gave Hannah's side of the story. This book has both sides. The first half is the same story from Games Untold, so if you've already read that one and remember it, you can safely skip that part. I didn't notice any differences. Toby's story is an interesting perspective and I'm glad I took the time to read this even though I had already experienced it through Hannah's eyes. It builds a lot of the backstory that you learn about throughout the Inheritance Games series.

I listened to this as an audiobook and really liked the narration, it added to the drama and kept me invested.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

[phideɭia]

She had the audacity to write a prequel, and I had the audacity to immediately click that 'want-to-read' button. 😭😭😭

[kie (ia)]

ily jennifer, but FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYONE, please let this be the last book in this series

love, khiara (ps. no more milking, PLEASE, WE'RE DONE.)

[give me books · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

Piękne dopełnienie historii, od której wszystko się zaczęło

[˚✧⁎Sayurii⁺˳✧༚ {I’ll listen to the memories as they cry} · Rating 3 out of 5]

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.
”There was an art to being invisible”⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

ˋ°•*⁀➷2.5 stars . ݁₊🍋⊹💕. ݁˖♟️. ݁

➥ please keep in mind that english is not my first language - if anything is written wrong/misspelled politely let me know. happy reading!

𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠 - 𝖦𝗂𝗀𝗂 𝖯𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗓
1:𝟢𝟫 ───ㅇ───── 𝟣:𝟦𝟪
„ℐ 𝓈𝒶𝓌 𝒽ℯ𝓇 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽ℯ 𝓇𝒾𝓰𝒽𝓉ℯ𝓈𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓎, 𝓁ℴℴ𝓀𝒾𝓃𝓰 𝓁𝒾𝓀ℯ 𝒜𝓃𝓃 ℋ𝒶𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓌𝒶𝓎”

༘˚⋆𐙚 𝐀𝐠𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 . ݁₊🍋˚｡⋆
𝜗ৎ 15+

༘˚⋆𐙚 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐚 . ݁₊💕˚｡⋆
𝜗ৎ Romance

༘˚⋆𐙚 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 . ݁₊♟️˚｡⋆
𝜗ৎ Two povs’
𝜗ৎ Fast paced
𝜗ৎ Repetition

ˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 (𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘥/𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘥)


༘˚⋆𐙚 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 . ݁₊🍋˚｡⋆
𝜗ৎ language - a few curses
𝜗ৎ Romance - kissing, close-doors spice
𝜗ৎ Violence - murder, child loss, self-harm,
𝜗ৎ Others - drugs use, topic about alcohol addiction, loss of the loved one {sister}

༘˚⋆𐙚 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 . ݁₊💕˚｡⋆
𝜗ৎ Hannah - Emmmm…. i still don’t really care about her lol. Idk. I feel like she act like every other character in this series - oh she is so smart… oh she know how to solve the puzzles -> I can’t say it’s not interesting but im just kinda bored.
𝜗ৎ Toby - His pov felt really boring - like, we got literally Hannah’s pov but w/ his thoughts. This book would be better if we could get a chapter from her’s pov and another one from his as the story progresses - hannah, toby, hannah, toby, you know?
𝜗ৎ Jackson - wish we could see him more.

༘˚⋆𐙚 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 . ݁₊♟️˚｡⋆
𝜗ৎ I won’t say I liked one specific thing - this book is just okay, def not a masterpiece.
➥ if you’re loving this series then read it, if don’t maybe skip this one.

༘˚⋆𐙚 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 . ݁₊🍋˚｡⋆
𝜗ৎ The repetitive storyline {povs literally have the same story lol i have read this story twice and ill read it one more time in “Games Untold” - why? at this point i think that Jennifer don’t wanna let go this series - cough… cough… money..}
𝜗ৎ generally - not me fav Jennifer book

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.
I just read few pages from “Games Untold” BRO THIS IS LITERALLY COPY AND PASTE LOL. Jennifer please tell me this is a joke. I’m actually angry rn. They actually say at the beginning of this book that Hannas story was already published - what’s the point of publishing it again?
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

[lena ♱]

GOODNIGHT. the cover is so fucking ugly i cant- she needs to hire a new designer ASAP ISTG

when you're in a "stop milking your series until its dry" competition, but jlb is ur opponent
oh you are cooked

[amelie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well thanks a lot, Jennifer. Now I’m sobbing while reciting palindromes.

refied
at lover
revolt
a deifier

[Dawn Solaris]

𓍯𓂃𓏧 Anticipated ᯓᡣ𐭩

⤷ I didn’t know this was going to be a thing until now! Give me more Hannah and Toby, yes please… I can predict lots of ugly crying and breaking stuff

[faith𝜗𝜚]

the way i screamed when i found out about this-

[❋Rushna❋ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“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.”

Getting hit in the head with a brick would have hurt less than this. HannahToby had me in a chokehold ever since The Hawthorne Legacy and I’ll never get tired of their tragic love story. I’ve been obsessed with them and they will always be on my mind. When I first read their novella in Games Untold, it was devastating and exactly what I wanted. And now, their same story is a separate book. Reading it again from Toby’s POV gave more insight and hurt twice as much, knowing how the story will end anyway. I savored every word again, even though I was utterly destroyed and left an emotional sobbing mess by the end. Their story is so sad and they both sacrificed so much in the name of love. They deserved so much more because their outcome would have been very different under other circumstances. This book actually made me hate Tobias Hawthorne A LOT.

I also loved how creative this hardcover was set up with Hannah’s story on one side and Toby’s story following it once you flip the book. I enjoyed all the of the easter eggs too and seeing a deeper glimpse into secrets I’ve been wondering about ever since the end of the trilogy and Grandest Game👀 It made me miss the original series and characters. I’m tempted to do a reread, after having read some of the new revelations from this book. JLB can write as many books as she wants about this universe because I will read every single one.

[lydia {67} ୨ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

i didn't like how the first half was just a repeat of hannah's pov which you can read in the other short stories book (games untold i think?? correct me if i'm wrong loll) but TOBY'S POV OMGGGGG I LOVE HIM SM IT WAS SO SWEET HE IS SUCH A CUTIE AND SEEING HIM FALL IN LOVE?! AHHHHH 💗🤭🥹 what a great buddy read <3

[vxmpslibrary [hiatus] · Rating 4 out of 5]

.3.95 stars.

She is the world to me, and I cannot pretend that she is anything else.

.my thoughts.
Hannah and Toby's story is famous (atleast for me) since I have been practically spoiled by the whole story of inheritance games like haha what the heck.

When author first announced this book, I thought, what better to start the book with the parents? but I guess I just don't know if I should have read the TIG first or this.

Following two perspectives seperately, Toby and Hannah go through hardships together, yet at the same time seperately, Toby a lost soul, and Hannah the sun whom he keeps coming back to.

I believe I actually did not connect them to a lot than I hoped for, there was a strange grasp in this book that kept slipping, so I didn't connect to Hannah and Toby as much I was bringing myself to believe. The grief hit me hard enough, yet it was nothing for me to feel afterwards, it was all plain, black and white, and mind you after I came back from preboards I started reading this and got a terrible headache.

of course the puzzles my head ached so bad for a relief but I'm of course I'm impressed by authors creativity like of course I expected it but it just seemed more like a puzzle book story as well, Toby gave puzzles and Hannah solved it. i know Hannah is so much smarter than I am but you can't blame a girl for banging her head against the wall after coming from a brainstorming exam and have to face this thing again.

The ending made me shed a few tears soon enough, yet I hoped for an everlasting pain my heart that I did not get (bahaha im so sadistic) but yes I wasn't connected so much as I'm mentioning it in the last few sentences EVERY TIME.

I would definitely recommend you to read this after TIG? I think many would prefer that way but then I don't think it changes anything because I had bunch of spoilers and I knew how they are gonna end. And then even a few tears are enough to rate it 5 stars but oof, I expected so much more pain and heartbreak.

6/11/25
did this book made me cry? yes. did this book exceed my expectations? no. rtc soon

[maria ₊˚ෆ (travelling hiatus)]

THE COVER REVEAL I AM SHAKING, I NEED IT IN MY HANDS JUST FOR THE COVER 😭

if the uk cover isn't as gorgeous as the us one, I will COMBUST!!

[Amina · Rating 4 out of 5]

✰ 3.75 stars ✰

“I became real that night
And now I am a rebel who fights
To worship you”

I really enjoyed Hannah and Toby's tragic love story the first time around, so it was nice to return to it a little more in-depth by having Toby's POV added to the mix. Although I do wish he could've toned down calling her Hannah the Same Backward as Forward. 🙄 I mean, it's such a mouthful of a nickname that even I trip over the w's. 😅

From their fated first meeting to the sudden tragedy, how Hannah nursed him back to health while cursing him as the bane of her existence, the root of her grief and rage and guilt, despite him having no memory of it - their love-hate relationship was effortlessly built up. 👍🏻Their chemistry is kinetic - charged by her intense hatred of a man who destroyed her happiness but still committed with a burning passion to not let him escape his painful existence so easily by healing him with all her efforts.

“Anything is possible when you love someone with no regrets.”

Hannah's own breakthrough of finally letting go of that hatred was just as captivating as it was how Toby coyly but determinedly draws her out of her shell, enticing her with puzzles and riddles that captivate and mystify her for how easily he slips under her skin.

And it was romantic. 🫠 The way they both finally were openly vulnerable with each other was moonlight and him and this. 🥹 I can't explain it, but you could feel it - the tides shifting their dynamic with such conviction and passion. It was always written with such vivid, beautiful emotions that I was swayed even further by feeling it through Toby's heart, too. 💕

“You might be the only person on this planet who knows the real me.”

While a tad repetitive at times, Toby's POV definitely filled in some very necessary blanks, especially his unexplainable yet timely arrival at Avery's birth. But I liked also seeing how he fell deeper in love with his everything girl, his meaningful convos with Jackson, and his own efforts to ease the pain and anguish from the injuries he'd sustained - a small comfort found in Hannah's reassuring, soothing touch, reminding him that his scars prove he survived. 🥺

Through the moments and time spent together, it was nice seeing how deeply he loved her - my anchor and my distraction and the center of my darkened universe all at once - how indebted he was to her for saving him, that she would forever be the part of him he'd never let go. 😢 His regret of returning to a life of lies when the truest he's ever felt is with her.

Their final moments are heartbreaking; it makes you wish so strongly for what could not have been when, together, they were everything. ❤️‍🩹 After Hannah's death, Toby may have given up on himself, but he never gave up on protecting Avery, the last tie to the one who saved him from himself. 💮

[mia ౨ৎ [hiatus]]

pre release:
omg omg omgggg i BAWLED when i read this 😭😭 im so exciteddddd. i swear jlb never sleeps

[liz ౨ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

i feel this book so deeply in my bones

[Ash {in my driver era} · Rating 5 out of 5]

KILL ME NOW

WHY WHY WHY DID JENNIFER LYNN BARNES KILL HER

THIS IS WORSE THAN IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME

[Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! I loved seeing Toby’s point of view, and truly seeing his feelings for Hannah. His love for Avery is so sweet, and I also loved learning about his life after leaving Hannah and Avery. I also did not expect Jackson and Eden Rooney to have been together, and it’s so sad that Jackson lost his son. All in all, this was an amazing book, and it made me cry when Toby learned that Hannah was dead. The stuff about Alice is wild too, and I really hope we learn more about her in the Gilded Blade. Really great book, and beautiful cover too.

[shiloh]

as soon as this was announced on instagram I was squealinggg 🤭 I hadn’t even read their novella in games untold—but now I have and it was so. good. I rated it 6 stars 🫠 so needless to say I’m esctatic for this!!

I understand why people are saying JLB is “milking” this series but I don’t agree 😭 like guys she’s the author they’re HER books, so she can write as many as she wants. why do you care?

but yeah. this will be preordered. 😌

[Josie J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really fun. Not necessarily the most needed book, but still pretty enjoyable. I liked getting back into this world again and spending more time with it. I'm back to being all caught up in this world until summer, I'm very excited.