I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis held so much promise, but the book failed to deliver as much as I hoped for from it. I enjoyed it well enough, but with a few tweaks it could have been an even more enjoyable read.

I wasn’t able to finish this book. Because of this, it is my policy not to review the book on my site or on Goodreads/Amazon. I also didn’t mark it DNF.

I read this book in 2019, and I really thought I had reviewed it then, but alas here it still is on my NetGalley shelf. So, I’ll try my best to review it. I remember liking this book; there’s computer hacking and teen friendships. The characters were really developed and each chapter was from a different point of view. The characters also felt like real people and not just caricatures of what the author thought teenagers could be. I read a lot, and it’s been almost four years and a pandemic, so the fact that I don’t remember more is solely on me and not fault of this book. I wish I had reviewed it when I read it and not now when I realized my NetGalley review score needs work. Thanks for the advanced copy regardless, I did originally read it prepublication; I’m just sorry my review won’t be helping any readers decide if they want to read this or not.

I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again: I. Love. A. Good. Heist! If you do too, check this one out!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this title. Unfortunately, it is not for me. Since I didn't finish it, I will not post a review on Goodreads. Thanks again and best of luck!

High school. Seniors facing a strange future - the unknown of new schools, leaving friends and family - sometimes for the first time. Romances that are not likely to survive the changes that come with graduation. This is the setting for Lillian Clark's young adult novel, <em>Immoral Code</em>.

High School senior, Bellamy, is one of the senior class's smartest students. She's got her eye on MIT, which is maybe the only school that will really challenge her but getting accepted is only the first hurdle. After being accepted to the school of her choice, Bellamy learns that she is denied for financial aid, which will make it impossible to attend this elite school. But if she's in such need, why is she denied? Bellamy lives with her mother and it's no secret that the two of them are extremely poor. Bellamy's biological father, on the other hand, is a very wealthy business owner. He has made his child-support payments, as directed by the court following the divorce, but he's otherwise had absolutely no contact or interaction with Bellamy or her mom since Bellamy was born. None of this matters to the MIT institution, which only recognizes that Bellamy's father does not need their need-based financial aid.

Bellamy sends a letter of introduction and appeal for assistance to attend MIT to her father, but she gets no response and depressingly resigns herself to a different school.

Enter Nari - Bellamy's best friend and computer hacker genius. Suggesting that Bellamy is owed this money by a father she's never known, the two hatch a plot to hack into the father's business and divert (steal) the money that would be needed to attend MIT into Bellamy's account.

But this is not some Mom &amp; Pop business operation that they want to hack into. This is a mega corporation with layers and layers of security walls making it nearly impossible for someone on the outside to break through. Ah... but hacking from the <em>inside</em> might be much easier.

Enter Keagan (Nari's boyfriend), Santiago (a swimmer with a shot at making the Olympic team), and Reese - an aroace teen (and yes, I had to look that word up). This group of five students make their "Ocean's 11"-like plans to infiltrate Bellamy's father's business and rob them of enough money to attend MIT for four years.

I know that I am not the target audience for this book. It is definitely intended to student-aged readers, and probably more likely to be read by those who identify as female. Yet I enjoyed this.

Clark has given us a pretty straightforward, simple story (break into a business and steal money) and surrounded it with interesting characters who have much more going on in their lives than just trying to rob from an absent father. The actual action of the story probably could have been told in 1/3 the pages and normally I'd find this to be way too much time spent on character building, but I think that for the intended reader, this creates a better bond with the characters. A teen's life at this time is not really about just one thing (stealing from dad) but about a whirlwind of thoughts, fears, and emotions (Santiago is probably the poster boy for this).

This is not a book for me, but definitely a book I would recommend for many high school students (especially those who <em>don't</em> want to read a fantasy).

Looking for a good book? <em>Immoral Code</em> by Lillian Clark captures the life of a graduating high school student quite well, and gives us a good bit of action thriller as well.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I appreciate having had an opportunity to read and review this book. The appeal of this particular book was not evident to me, and if I cannot file a generally positive review I prefer simply to advise the publisher to that effect and file no review at all.

Not all YA novels hold up with adult readers, but this one certainly did. Clark does a great job with the character development. The dialogue and emotional experiences of the characters feel very real, which makes Immoral Code an enjoyable read. I enjoyed getting know each character and their different perspective of events.

Immoral Code follows Bellami who is trying to get into MIT with a scholarship but her father is rich therefore she isnt elligible to get the money. One of her friends, Nari who is Japanese-American, is a hacker and starts stealing money. Keagan is dating Nari and follows her wherever she goes. Reese is a visual artist who identifies as asexual and aromantic. Santiago gets a diving scholaship and goes to Stanford. Personally I thought there were too many characters which makes the story confusing and some of the dialogue was completely unnecessary. This focuses too much on the characters and althought I appreciate the author exploring them I thought there needed to be more of the heist plotline.

Immoral Code
by Lillian Clark

This book wins points for its diverse, inclusive cast of characters, with each of five friends telling a part of the story. Since it’s a heist story involving hackers, a digital reader would seem appropriate, right? Not exactly. While the characters have distinct stories, the switching points of view were difficult for me to track, and I spent a lot of time going back to the chapter heads to figure out who was talking. I did, however, appreciate the smart and funny dialogue; reminded me of a modern version of Friends, only they were all just a wee bit smarter. Despite the title, I was disappointed that only one of the characters seemed to have a moral conscience. Yes, I feel old now, having just used the term “modern version of Friends” and worrying about the moral conscious of fictional characters, but still.

As a parent of a child the age of the characters in this book, I am clearly not the intended audience, but I still consider myself an open and caring reader. I kept wondering why, if Bellamy was as brilliant as I’m supposed to believe she is, she could not confront her father (or mother) more directly about the money before it got to the point of a heist. Yes, I know there wouldn’t have been much of a story, but this plotline seemed incredible to me—and the neatly wrapped up ending kind of proved my point. I admit, the idea of robbing my parents (or attempting any kind of heist) would definitely have been more appealing to teenage-me than it was to mommy-me, so there is a decidedly large audience for this story regardless of my take on it. In any case, I finished the book because the writing was sharp and often funny, and I will be interested to see what Clark comes up with next.


For Goodreads:
Why I picked it —YA Heist book. What else do you need?

Reminded me of… Weirdly, I just read this book where the plot hinged on the protagonist carrying out an unbelievable scheme to get out of debt…
For my full review — click here

I read this book all in one sitting, forgoing food along the way. It was that good! It had more twists than a roller coaster, a fun adventure.

I give the book two stars. I really had a hard time getting through the book. I felt I had read this before. It’s not first book I would recommend.

5 close friends, seniors in high school, all uniquely gifted and dealing with college admissions, hopes and dreams that may or may not be supported by parents.

There’s Nari, aka Narioka Diane, aka hacker digital alter ego “d0l0s.” She’s bright, opinionated, and in many ways the natural leader of the group of friends who’ve been close all through school. She is dating Keagan, a sweet guy who sort of goes with the flow. He’s on the swim team with Santiago, who has already been accepted to Stanford’s swim team and has a real chance at the Olympics, although his parents are encouraging him to play it safe. There’s Reese, a creative free-spirited girl whose hair is always a different color and who wants to make art and see the world.

Finally, there’s Bellamy (aka Bells). Raised by a single mother who works menial jobs nonstop to support them, Bellamy is brilliant and has gotten into MIT. The only complication is that her birth father Robert Foster, a man she doesn’t know at all, is a tech giant billionaire in San Francisco. His income disqualifies her from receiving financial aid or scholarships, but her mother can’t afford to help and refuses to ask. Her friends are outraged. And Nari hatches a plan–to hack into Foster’s bank account, remove only enough to pay for MIT. Blocked by firewalls, she persuades the other 4 to a daring plan where they break in to Foster’s office and install malware physically on his computer.

Immoral Code is a fun, fast-paced read. I really enjoyed it, in spite of a few nit-picks (such as it is supposed to take place in a small coastal Oregon town, but there is no town on the coast of Oregon like the one she’s describing. Also, one high school in a small town has produced 5 such talented seniors? I dunno). The characters are well developed, and the plot has them thinking through the implications of their choices, and questioning their motives and actions. Another of my nit-picks is honestly how much they grew as people. It seemed a little unrealistic. Still, I’m all for a happy ending, and this hit all the right notes.

Oceans meets the Breakfast Club.

Ready for a heist novel with unbelievable high stakes and action and realistic and well-rounded teen characters? Well, Lillian Clark’s Immoral Code hits it out of the park with excitement and characters that steal your heart. (Yeah, I know. Heist puns, ouch.)

Nari, Bellamy, Keagan, Santiago, and Reese are inseparable best friends who would, quite literally, do anything for each other. While wrapping up their senior year of high school, Bellamy is hit with the news that due to her absent father’s billionaire status, she gets zero financial aid from her dream school, MIT. So Nari, hacker and tech genius, hatches a plan to skim just a little money from Bellamy’s father’s bank accounts to help pay for MIT. But, for the plan to work, all five of the friends have a part to play, and they have to played perfectly.

Our cast of characters: Nari, the Mastermind, the backbone of the heist– without her, it’s not possible. Bellamy, the Right-Hand Woman, the motive behind the heist. Reese, the Distraction, our acearo sass-master, born to perform for the mission– complete with fake blood and screaming in public. Santiago, the Grease Man, the only one of the group that can pull-off looking older than just a teenager and the only one that can manage to stay relatively calm in this situation. And Keagan, the Driver, who is absolutely opposed to the illegal scheme, quite sure that they’ll all end up in jail, and tasked with getting everyone out as soon as he can.

Not only is the set-up for this novel great, written in alternating chapters so we get to hear from each of our five main characters, but the execution is pretty spot-on. It’s full of tech-lingo that sets up the heist, but also is grounded in realistic friendships and high school drama. Plus, it’s full of fun, time-passing language, like “Pixel fade to midmorning Sunday…” which gives you a distinct heist movie feel, while allowing the narrative to flow easily.

Clark crafted each character’s voice in a way that made them distinct and memorable– everyone had a purpose that drove the story forward, or stalled the narrative, but in a good way. Also, bonus points for diversity and LGBTQ+ representation that felt authentic and not just shoved in there to check a box.

This book is a fun one. It’s different from a lot of what’s popular in the YA genre right now, so it stands out a little bit more. It did feel like it was missing something that I couldn’t put my finger on, so I knocked it down a star, but it’s still an enjoyable ride.

I lost interest a few chapters in and found it difficult to keep track of all the characters.
It’s probably just a “me” problem and others might find this much more interesting.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this. An interesting story with fun characters. Well written.

I have come to thoroughly enjoy heist novels in the past few years and Immoral Code’s diverse contemporary heist was no exception.


Immoral Code CoverFor Nari, aka Narioka Diane, aka hacker digital alter ego “d0l0s,” it’s college and then a career at “one of the big ones,” like Google or Apple. Keagan, her sweet, sensitive boyfriend, is happy to follow her wherever she may lead. Reese is an ace/aro visual artist with plans to travel the world. Santiago is off to Stanford on a diving scholarship, with very real Olympic hopes. And Bellamy? Physics genius Bellamy is admitted to MIT—but the student loan she’d been counting on is denied when it turns out her estranged father—one Robert Foster—is loaded.

Nari isn’t about to let her friend’s dreams be squashed by a deadbeat billionaire, so she hatches a plan to steal just enough from Foster to allow Bellamy to achieve her goals. (Goodreads)
Goodreads

I received an eARC of Immoral Code from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Immoral Code needs trigger warnings for non-present parents, mentions of ace and aro-antagonistic comments and actions, slut shaming, sexual harassment, sexual assault, rape culture, underage drinking, romance, divorce, and cheating in a romantic relationship by a non-POV character, not to mention the serious lawbreaking that is expected with a heist novel.

It took me a little while to get used to the character’s voices, since they used a lot of parentheses, but once I did, I really enjoyed the differences and similarities between all five of them. This cast felt really realistic to me even while most of them were astonishingly gifted. Keegan’s struggle to figure out what he wants to do in life was incredibly realistic to me, and the aroace rep in Reese’s character was awesome. It started off as very 101 but it got delved into a little more deeply. Their parents’ varying involvements in their teens lives was also awesome. It was nice to see some parents in YA.

The idea of needing to steal in order to afford college is an unfortunately real one for so many people in Bellamy’s position. I loved that this book really took the consequences of their actions into account, even though the kids were mostly ignoring Keegan’s protests about the morality of it and the fact that they could all ruin their bright futures by helping Bellamy reach hers.

Overall, I really liked this book and look forward to reading more from Clark. You can purchase a copy of Immoral Code on Amazon and Indiebound!

Such a fun, fast-paced read. I loved all the banter between the characters and how distinct each of their voices were.

I love heist books and heist movies. For me, these kind of stories have certain elements: defining the heist, assembling the team, then actually carrying out the heist. There’s a suspense that builds steadily.

To me, this book was not a great example of a heist book, but there were things about it that I liked.

In a nutshell, this book is about a girl who gets into MIT and then can’t afford to go, so her friends help her steal money from her estranged billionaire father.

If you regularly read my reviews you’ll know that my brain maxes out at about three POVs. This book had five, and all of them sounded a lot alike – like hip, almost painfully self-aware teenagers that made me feel that I’m most certainly too old to be reading YA. There was one character I could usually distinguish, but there rest were a bit of a blur. There was the MIT girl, who was a physics genius, a female computer genius, two male swimmers (one with hippie parents, one without) and an artist who is aroace (I’m by no means an expert on that and will leave the critiquing of that to others. I did think it was a little awkward that she was literally the fifth wheel in the group – the other four are romantically coupled up.)

So Bellamy gets into MIT, but after MIT finds out her bio dad is a billionaire, they expect her to pay tuition. Which really doesn’t seem unreasonable to me, given that there are a lot of kids whose parents truly can’t afford to pay. That was one problem I had with the book (and that the book seemed to have with itself): the reason behind the heist wasn’t really that compelling but the book and the characters tried desperately to make it so. I mean, it wasn’t like they were trying to raise money for Bellamy’s kidney transplant.

In some heist stories, the characters are criminals, and we accept that. But these characters were super, super angsty about what they were doing. They would constantly try to justify their crime, by saying it wasn’t fair that Bellamy couldn’t go to MIT. Or that it wasn’t fair that Bellamy’s dad just ignored her. Or it wasn’t fair that Bellamy’s mom had to work so hard. This (very first world) complaining did seem authentically teenager-ish, but it also took a LOT of time away from the actual heist.

I did like the characters – they were like an updated John Green cast – very smart, wise-cracking, and very, very, very, talky. As mentioned above, they talked a lot about the heist, but also talked about and reflected about and shared just about everything that came into their heads. Which I do like in a book, but … hello, heist? Often I was tapping my finger on my Kindle wondering if they were going to back out of the whole thing. The heist doesn’t really get underway until 75-80% of the way through.

In sum, I did enjoy the cast of characters and their teenage take on the world. As a true heist connoisseur, I thought that aspect of the book was more like heist lite. But if you love a cast of very talky, self-aware characters and do not have high heist expectations, you might really love this!

A computer hacker? Girls who genius in technology. Well, count me in. Honestly, the story plot was very interesting. So, the story centered on Bellamy, who has been accepted to MIT somehow she is not qualified to get financial aid due to her rich father whom she is not close to and that is when, her friend, Nari, the genius hacker, gets the idea to plan to heist Bellamy's father account so that they wire the money enough to Bellamy.

The beginning of the story was quite bored me, to be honest. The multiple POV does confuse me a bit over there but I'm able to follow through the story. Anyhow, when the plan was going to start, the story begins to kick it off and I became invested with the story. The story pace was good and I love every character and the friendship are amazing!

Overall, it was a good read.

Rating: 3.5 Stars