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The Same Backward as Forward

By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Series: The Inheritance Games
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Brief Description
The Same Backward as Forward by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a star-crossed, enemies-to-lovers, tragic love story and prequel to the number one bestselling Inheritance Games series. Full of danger, mystery, and truly epic romance... Hannah Rooney has a plan: keep her head down and avoid the... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2400
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Releases 10th November 2026 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "The Same Backward as Forward" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

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The Same Backward as Forward by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a star-crossed, enemies-to-lovers, tragic love story and prequel to the number one bestselling Inheritance Games series. Full of danger, mystery, and truly epic romance...

Hannah Rooney has a plan: keep her head down and avoid the dealings of her criminal family. She's biding her time in nursing school, waiting for her beloved sister, Kaylie, to turn eighteen so Hannah can get them both far away.

Tobias Hawthorne II acts every inch the entitled heir. Yet behind his razor-sharp cheekbones and devil-may-care attitude, Toby is guarding a nest of deadly secrets and a fiery anger.

Then, Hannah and Toby's lives collide in one tragic night, where an act of arson leaves Kaylie dead and Toby barely alive, with no memory of who he is—or how responsible he is for the fire.

Now, fueled by her hatred, Hannah is determined to deny Toby his death wish by keeping him alive. But as she nurses him back, Hannah begins to realise that Toby Hawthorne might just be earning her love rather than deserving of her hate...

Series: The Inheritance Games

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  • The Inheritance Games
    The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is an international bestselling sensation that has captured the imaginations of readers worldwide, becoming a viral phenomenon on TikTok. This twisty thriller is brimming with dark family secrets and high-stakes intrigue, all wrapped in a new global cover look that will entice readers from every corner of the globe. Avery Grambs has always...
    By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
    Paperback
    $1800
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    (1)
    Backorder
    Ships early September
  • The Brothers Hawthorne
    Return to the world of the international #1 bestselling, TikTok sensation, Inheritance Games series, and the stakes have never been higher... FOUR BROTHERS. TWO MYSTERIES. ONE EXPLOSIVE READ. Grayson Hawthorne was raised as the heir apparent to his billionaire grandfather, taught from the cradle to put family first. Now the great Tobias Hawthorne is dead and his family disinherited, but...
    By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
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    Elsewhere:
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  • The Final Gambit
    The thrilling conclusion to the global bestselling, BookTok sensation, Inheritance Games trilogy, where Knives Out meets One of Us is Lying. Avery's fortune, life, and loves are on the line in the game that everyone will be talking about. To inherit billions, all Avery has to do is survive a few more weeks in Hawthorne House. The paparazzi are dogging...
    By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
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  • The Hawthorne Legacy
    The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a spellbinding sequel that delves deeper into the tumultuous world of intrigue, fortunes, and complicated relationships that mesmerised readers in The Inheritance Games. Ideal for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson, this novel continues the gripping saga with even more intensity and mystery. Heiress Avery Grambs's life was completely upended at...
    By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
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    Games Untold
    Romance, luxury, and secrets abound in this thrilling new story collection that takes 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 favourite heiress, and three nights in Prague. An unlikely...
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  • Games Untold
    Romance, luxury, and secrets abound in this thrilling new collection that takes 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 favourite heiress, and three nights in Prague. An unlikely pairing...
    By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
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  • The Inheritance Games Collection
    OVER 2 MILLION COPIES SOLD OF THE #1 BESTSELLING SERIES! Fall in love with the series everyone is talking about with this hardcover boxed set of the #1 New York Times bestselling Inheritance Games trilogy! The Inheritance Games, The Hawthorne Legacy, and The Final Gambit are together for the first time. Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future:...
    By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
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  • The Inheritance Games Paperback Collection
    Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why--or even who Tobias Hawthorne is--and she must move into Hawthorne House and live alongside the four...
    By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
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    $11500
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    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • The Brothers Hawthorne
    OVER 6 MILLION COPIES SOLD OF THE #1 BESTSELLING SERIES! Four brothers. Two missions. One explosive read. Jennifer Lynn Barnes returns to the world of her #1 bestselling, TikTok sensation Inheritance Games trilogy, and the stakes have never been higher. Grayson Hawthorne was raised as the heir apparent to his billionaire grandfather, taught from the cradle to put family first....
    By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
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    $4100
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    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • The Final Gambit
    The Final Gambit
    OVER 6 MILLION COPIES SOLD OF THE #1 BESTSELLING SERIES! Avery's fortune, life, and loves are on the line in the game that everyone will be talking about. To inherit billions, all Avery Kylie Grambs has to do is survive a few more weeks living in Hawthorne House. The paparazzi are dogging her every step. Financial pressures are building. Danger...
    By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
    Paperback
    $3900
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • The Hawthorne Legacy
    The Hawthorne Legacy
    OVER 6 MILLION COPIES SOLD OF THE #1 BESTSELLING SERIES! Intrigue, riches, and romance abound in this thrilling sequel to the beloved bestselling The Inheritance Games The Inheritance Games ended with a bombshell, and now heiress Avery Grambs has to pick up the pieces and find the man who might hold the answers to all of her questions—including why Tobias...
    By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
    Paperback
    $3700
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • The Same Backward as Forward
    Pre-order
    The Same Backward as Forward
    The Same Backward as Forward by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a star-crossed, enemies-to-lovers, tragic love story and prequel to the number one bestselling Inheritance Games series. Full of danger, mystery, and truly epic romance... Hannah Rooney has a plan: keep her head down and avoid the dealings of her criminal family. She's biding her time in nursing school, waiting for...
    By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
    Paperback
    $2400
    Pre-order
    Out 10 Nov 2026

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241772249

Publisher: Penguin Random House Children's UK

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 November 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd

Audience: Children, Teenage

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 35.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 500g

Pages: 400

Collections

Children's Fiction Children’s, Teenage and Educational Fiction Jennifer Lynn Barnes Penguin Books Pre-order Books Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date Series: The Inheritance Games Teen Thrills Young Adult

About the Author

Jennifer Lynn Barnes is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty acclaimed young-adult novels, including The Inheritance Games series, Little White Lies, Deadly Little Scandals, The Lovely and the Lost, and The Naturals series. Jen is also a Fulbright Scholar with advanced degrees in psychology, psychiatry, and cognitive science. She received her Ph.D. from Yale University in 2012 and was a professor of psychology and professional writing at the University of Oklahoma for many years. She invites you to her online at www.jenniferlynnbarnes.com or follow her on Twitter @jenlynnbarnes.

Also by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

View all
  • The Final Gambit
    The thrilling conclusion to the global bestselling, BookTok sensation, Inheritance Games trilogy, where Knives Out meets One of Us is Lying. Avery's fortune, life, and loves are on the line in the game that everyone will be talking about. To inherit billions, all Avery has to do is survive a few more weeks in Hawthorne House. The paparazzi are dogging...
    By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
    Paperback
    $1600
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Brothers Hawthorne
    Return to the world of the international #1 bestselling, TikTok sensation, Inheritance Games series, and the stakes have never been higher... FOUR BROTHERS. TWO MYSTERIES. ONE EXPLOSIVE READ. Grayson Hawthorne was raised as the heir apparent to his billionaire grandfather, taught from the cradle to put family first. Now the great Tobias Hawthorne is dead and his family disinherited, but...
    By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
    Paperback
    $1800
    Elsewhere:
    $2300
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Inheritance Games
    The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is an international bestselling sensation that has captured the imaginations of readers worldwide, becoming a viral phenomenon on TikTok. This twisty thriller is brimming with dark family secrets and high-stakes intrigue, all wrapped in a new global cover look that will entice readers from every corner of the globe. Avery Grambs has always...
    By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
    Paperback
    $1800
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    (1)
    Backorder
    Ships early September
  • The Hawthorne Legacy
    The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a spellbinding sequel that delves deeper into the tumultuous world of intrigue, fortunes, and complicated relationships that mesmerised readers in The Inheritance Games. Ideal for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson, this novel continues the gripping saga with even more intensity and mystery. Heiress Avery Grambs's life was completely upended at...
    By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
    Paperback
    $1900
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    Backorder
    Ships mid September
  • The Naturals: Bad Blood
    Cold cases get hot in this unputdownable mystery from Jennifer Lynn Barnes, no.1 New York Times bestselling author of The Inheritance Games series. Perfect for fans of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. All of your burning questions are answered in this shocking conclusion to the Naturals series - now with a bonus Naturals novella, "Twelve", in print for the...
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  • The Grandest Game
    Return to the romance, danger, puzzles and plot-twists of the #1 bestselling, TikTok sensation, Inheritance Games series in this brand new spin-off series - now in paperback! Seven tickets. An island of dreams. The chance of a lifetime. Welcome to the Grandest Game, an annual competition run by billionaire Avery Grambs and the four infamous Hawthorne brothers, whose family fortune...
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    12% off
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    Romance, luxury, and secrets abound in this thrilling new story collection that takes 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 favourite heiress, and three nights in Prague. An unlikely...
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  • The Same Backward as Forward
    #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Lynn Barnes delivers a star-crossed, enemies-to-lovers, tragic love story like no other! Read her side of the story, then flip the book over to experience their love anew through his eyes in this lushly designed deluxe novel that you can read backward or forward. Hannah Rooney knows how to be invisible. At twenty,...
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  • Glorious Rivals
    The impossible puzzles, irresistible romance and shocking twists continue in the second instalment in the brand-new GRANDEST GAMES series, set in the world of the #1 bestselling The Inheritance Games. FIVE PLAYERS REMAIN. Seven Players arrived on Hawthorne Island to play a billionaire's game. Now only five remain, and the race to the finish line is on. EVERYONE IS A...
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