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If many book trilogies suffer from the "weak middle book" syndrome, The Hawthorne Legacy is the opposite; heck, I'd argue that this one's the best and most solid in the TIG trilogy. The beginning of them trying to find Toby only for it to turn serious was solid, and I absolutely love this book's ending with Sheffield and those postcards from Toby compared to this trilogy's actual finale. By far this book has the best balance between the mystery and the "rich family drama" thing. The bittersweet moment between Avery and Toby made the ending much more impactful

After two weeks of reading TIG, it finally came to an end, it's been a fun journey, really. But in all fairness, I felt like out of the three, this one had the least impact. Don't get me wrong, the start is strong with the whole Toby suddenly going missing part and Eve coming in, the middle part about Xander meeting his dad or Mallory and Eve's whole drama? I love it. But for reasons I can't quite pinpoint, the ending just doesn't hit as hard as the first or second book. If anything, I felt like the second one has the strongest ending in this trilogy; Avery reading the postcards that Toby wrote to Hannah? Genuinely bittersweet, I LOVE that part, and to top it off the whole "Sheffield Grayson confronting Toby for something that was actually his fault" part made it really better. This is a personal nitpick: I kinda wish the ending focused more on wrapping things up rather than Avery's interview with someone about 'The Grandest Game' (which I know is some sort of continuation of the TIG-universe). On it's own, this book is pretty decent. The weakest out of the three but still enjoyable.

Never have I ever cried over a book. And I'm saying this as a grown adult, Bianca's journey hits way too close to home. If you're interested in buying this book, stop here cuz spoilers, but I assure you it's gonna be one heck of an emotional ride. *Major Spoilers* Throughout the It has been hinted since after the accident that Lonnie never survived yet somehow they manage to hide it on plain-sight because of Bianca's unwillingness to accept it (unreliable narrator), the "Lonnie" vilager npc was simply manifested by her grieving subconscious in the VR Minecraft headset all along. The reason why she was so hellbent on staying in the game was because how she's afraid of facing and accepting what has happened. One thing that I love and hate at the same time is how she never get to say goodbye with Lonnie throughout the story; usually in such stories you'd get the protagonist getting a final chance to say goodbye with their deceased loved ones—either through a fake hologram or something like a ghost. But that didn't happened here, Lonnie—Bianca's 7 year long best friend was ripped away from her all in a blink of an eye, yet that's exactly what happens in life. The story doesn’t shy away from the pain of unfinished goodbyes. Bianca never got the closure she wanted with Lonnie, which is an experience many people can relate to. Real life rarely gives us perfect moments of resolution when someone we love is lost. Instead, it’s about learning to accept what can’t be changed and finding a way to honor their memory while continuing to live. Man I gotta go weep now