The Heiresses

The Heiresses - Sara Shepard Review posted on From the TBR Pile

I was really interested in reading The Heiresses because I will admit to being a fan of Pretty Little Liars on TV. I haven't read the series, but love the show. So, when I saw that the author was coming out with an adult series, I had to give it a try. Honestly, I'm still trying to decide if I liked the book or not.

None of the characters were particularly likable. I lost respect for most of them within the first half of the book. Does no one stay faithful anymore? I was kind of put off by the amount of infidelity that ran through this crowd. I was a bit disappointed that the author felt she had to go that route with just about everyone. I think the only character that I really ended up liking was Aster. She was the most changed by the end of the book.

The other disappointment for me was the feeling throughout the book that I had spent time with these characters before. In essence, I had while watching every episode of PLL. The "heiresses" are essentially adult versions of the teens on PLLs. Oh, there are differences yes, but I really felt like at the heart they were the same women. Then there is also the similarity to Gossip Girl with the website. So, the lack of originality was a let down.

Ignoring all of the disappointments, I did like the mystery part of the book. There are several suspects and several "red herrings", so it was hard to guess all of the truths. That part was fun in trying to figure out what was important and what wasn't. The solution(s) were a surprise, so the author gets points for that.

This is supposed to be the first in a series. Honestly, I would have been happy to see this be a stand alone. I felt satisfied with the ending before the "one year later" epilogue that ended of with a cliff hanger and opening for the next book. Will I continue? Probably, if only to see whose body was found.