Thanks to NetGalley and Tiny Reparation Books for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Had high hopes for this one but it did not hit the mark for me. Kudos to a first time author for publishing a fiction book while in medical school, but for me the story wasnt compelling or believable enough to stay engaged and I had to force myself to finish the book.

I had to suspend disbelief to even accept the premise of hiring a group of college students to pull off international art heists. The group of students were one dimensional, each representing a stereotype. I appreciated the recognition that not all software engineers are hackers and that she has trouble finding her way to contribute....but then somehow she instantly transforms into a hacker and is infiltrating the FBI and musem security systems.

As a middle aged white guy I am definitely not the geo profile for this book and I can completely see how it is appreciated by people who see themselves in the background of some of the players. As someone who was just looking for a good heist tale that happened to be set in Chinese art culture I was pretty disappointed.

One insane heist, 5 unlikely people, and a story inspired by the true story of Chinese art vanishing from western museums. Ocean’s Eleven meets The Farewell, this was a brilliant story discussing how the history, how the art world, has dealt with the colonization of art as well as discussing issues of diaspora, and the complexity of the Chinese American Identity. Will Chen is a Harvard senior majoring in art history and sometimes an artist.. but what he really yearns for is something more.. and when the opportunity to partake in a heist to reclaim stolen Chinese artwork from Western Museums presents itself... he’s never wanted anything more. The next issue is putting together the perfect crew for the heist.. which consist of Irene Chene, his sister who is a public policy major at duke and the ultimate con woman, Daniel Liang, a thief who is also a premed student and the son of an FBI agent, Lily Wu, the getaway driver, an engineer major who finds herself most at peace when behind the wheel, and Alex Huang, a hacker/MIT drop out turned Silicon Valley software engineer. Each member of this crew has their own motivations and questions that must answer when doing this heists and consequences they will have to ask themselves they are willing to face, but together they just might be able to pull of the ultimate heist, make history, and get away with fifty million dollars. This was an exciting and just all around beautiful story. It had thoughtful commentary on interesting issues, and discussed the issue of diaspora and identity in a way that many of us can relate. Being an Asian-American who grew up with parents who had moved to America to start anew, I could relate to many of the pressures, the guilt, the wants and needs that these characters had. This was honestly just such a great read, I enjoyed how thrilling and fun the heist plans were and the execution of the overall heists, and getting to know each of these characters. Definitely pick it up!!

*Thanks Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Tiny Reparations Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

An earnest effort, but this absurdly ambitious, 'The Bling Ring with Asian Americans' debut misses the mark on delivering a cohesive narrative, resulting in a series of self-indulgent melodrama, nonsensical logic, and over-simplification of complex subject matter.

As an oversea Chinese myself (my family immigrated to Canada when I was 12), Grace D. Li has perfectly captured the invisible pressure felt by the children; where the definition of success that's worthy of uprooting an entire family is solely judged in practical means (a recognizable degree or financial stability), rather than individual preference (I was forced to apply only to universities, rather than art school as I wished). Portrait of a Thief absolutely shines when it comes to articulating the personal turmoil of its early-20s characters, from the generational/cultural gap between the children and the parents, to the lack of identity when one is strung between two cultures.

While the inclusion of an art heist is enticing in concept, its execution here simply doesn't work; I was expecting a rompy, tongue-in-cheek narrative — because let's face it, what kind of adult in their right mind would hire inexperienced college kids to steal from international museums? But turns out Portrait of a Thief is absolutely serious about this setup, and Grace D. Li is no crime writer, so instead of maneuver that out-smarts the authority, we get grossly glossed over sections of thing just magically worked out, which defeats the point of reading a heist novel.

I am also conflicted on some of the underlying messages conveyed in Portrait of a Thief, where money is equated to ultimate happiness, and in particular, the idolized view of China. It is never made convincingly clear why these 5 Asian American college students have such a blind devotion to a country they are not fully familiar with; its ambiguity between accomplishing the mission at hand (returning art to its righteous owner), and equating it to general patriotism leaves me a little uncomfortable.

Portrait of a Thief feels like 2 ideas being forced together, resulting in a novel that's neither here or there. I wish I can read an intimate deep dive into the psyche of Asian American young adults, without the half-baked caper nonsense, or a rollercoaster action adventure, without the pretentious sentiment trying to be something poignant. As it stands, Portrait of a Thief shows potential, and I appreciate its representation; maybe younger readers will be able to overlook its superficiality and flaw, but objectively speaking this is neither polished nor enjoyable.

I requested this book because the premise seemed so interesting and i heard so many positive reviews and it did not disappoint, for a debut novel this was one of the best i've read.

Portrait of a thief follows the story of five chinese american students who all come together to pull a heist in order to reclaim stolen chinese art from american museums, it explores the struggles of these students as and talks about important themes such as colonization and colonization of art in particular.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, i felt connected to every character and their relationships were so real. it was a very fact paced read which i liked but the pacing was a bit off at times which is my only critique, other than that, this was such a solid debut novel and I can't wait to read more from the author.

Portrait of a Thief is an elaborately done art heist story about a group of Chinese American college students who are kinda randomly offered fifty million dollars to steal some ancient Chinese art from museums around the world, so it can be returned back to it's rightful homeland of China.

The writing is lyrical and literary and the cast of characters is an interesting mix of archetypes that somehow just work together. There's the smart planner dude, the getaway driver, the hacker, the con lady who can talk her way out of anything, and the lock picker who happens to be the son of an FBI agent.

There's fast cars, a smidge of romantic tension, lots of angst and much grappling about belonging. There's also a sense of recklessness that only seems to work if you suspend some belief.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am very happy to know Netflix picked up the movie rights because it'll be an excellent movie!

The only thing keeping me from calling this a 5 read is the overuse of "it went like this" "And this is how it happened" "it was like this" that started out almost every chapter and got a bit grating. Still, there's a lot to love about this debut and you should definitely keep an eye out for it when it releases this April!!

The premise of this book is fantastic, but unfortunately the story didn't hit the mark for me. The characters felt underdeveloped, and the plot required a heavy suspension of disbelief that I just couldn't swing as a reader, especially in regards to the haphazard heist planning. I agree with other reviewers saying this could be great on screen, and I'm still really looking forward to what's to come from Tiny Reparations!

The premise to this book is amazing. Chinese American college students stealing back art on display at Western art museum that were stolen from China, that sounds great! I also read that it was “Oceans Eleven meets The Farewell” and I was even more on board. I was very excited to read it. Unfortunately I did not like it. The characters are cardboard thin, there are constant references to how there life is going to change (we get it , they’re college students, if they pull off a heist they’re life will change. Each character doesn’t have to go over that in the book). Overall, it was a struggle for me to finish, which was really disappointing.

Phenomenal. I loved every bit of this heist book and would do just about anything for Irene Chen.
I hope this becomes a best seller and a billion dollar movie

this book was perfect. every character and their relationship with china was realistically portrayed (coming from the child of an immigrant). this book brought up internal conflicts we experience that were more than “i felt excluded because my food smelled weird 😕” and i appreciated it so much. i feel like it’s so rare for immigrants to discuss about class differences and i’m so glad this book did it (in a great way too). and the authors understanding of the american dream was flawless.

A very interesting concept, with compelling characters and a fascinating look at the diaspora. The book sweeps through the heists fairly quickly, which is fine, although this reader was looking for more heist!

Wow! What a great debut novel. The writing is fast-paced and cinematic. This is a heist thriller which makes you think about who gets to have great pieces of art and why. It’s a really interesting conversation that has been going on in the art world for several years, but I am glad to see these questions brought to light in such an accessible manner.

I received an ARC for my honest review.

the book’s stronger parts were the cultural analysis of chinese art and the diasporic experiences of the characters. the writing did deliver the “lush and lyrical” figurative prose, but it was repetitive. i think the book works better as literary fiction because it was more character-driven than action-packed.

my biggest pet peeve seems to echo with most people’s. the heist part. it was ridiculous and under-researched, judging by the fact that they planned stuff on google docs and it didn’t even last a minute(?) the themes of anti-colonialism should have also delved deeper.

overall, the premise was great but the execution fell flat. it just didn’t work for me.

There's so much to love about Grace D. Li's debut. This premise is ultra-compelling (love me a heist all day, every day!!!), the writing was great, and the insights and reflections on colonialism, the sense of "home," and young adulthood are so spot-on. Li created five fascinating characters who really run the gamut in terms of their feelings on the Chinese diaspora and how it's affected their present-day lives, and I admire any author who takes on the challenging feeling of being at a serious life crossroads for the first time.

Overall, what never quite felt right is that the book doesn't really commit to a genre or tone, and in failing to do so, its characters and their motivations get muddled all the way. We never get an answer to two central questions that are key for this sort of book to fully work. First of all, why on Earth would a massive Chinese conglomerate hire bunch of 21- and 22-year-old American randos to steal a shit ton of high art? And second, what are the big external stakes for those randos to make them actually want to go through with something so impossible?

If Li had leaned into the absolute absurdity of a bunch of young amateurs thinking they could get away with a heist of this magnitude, that could've been hilarious. Or, if there were some very real threats on their hands and we went more of an action thriller route, that also could've driven the plot a little bit more.

All of that said, I think this book would make an absolutely fantastic movie or TV series, and I'm already dreaming up who I'd cast in such a thing. (Hollywood!!! Are you listening to me???)

The writing was absolutely incredible. I LOVED the descriptive imagery and the metaphors and all the figurative language she used. But none of that even holds a candle to how purposeful ever single sentence felt. All the characters' mental tangents and side-stories-that-became-
backstories were included in such a way that I could both enjoy the content and fully admire how Li managed to tie everything back in to the
characters and their personal arcs.

Not only is "Portrait of a Thief" is an unbelievably fun and stylish heist novel, but it's also a complex look at what it means to live in a diaspora. When a mysterious Chinese benefactor reaches out with the opportunity of a lifetime—to steal five priceless Chinese artifacts from over the world and return them back to Beijing— Harvard-student Will Chen can't say no. An art history student with no criminal background, Will does what anyone would do: form a crew. He recruits four other Chinese American students, each with their own complex relationship to China and unique set of skills. Though they lack experience, none of them can turn down the chance to make history, and certainly not with fifty-million dollars on the line.

I absolutely loved this book! "Portrait of a Thief" is such a confident and exciting debut that does an exceptional job balancing the glamor of heist stories with the realities of the Chinese American experience. No immigrant experience is the same, and Li approaches the topic with lots of nuance, crafting complex and compelling characters. While there were times when I wished Li would delve a little deeper into the themes of colonialism, the book does an excellent job of introducing the topic to those who may be less familiar. At times, the pacing of the novel felt a bit off, but "Portrait of a Thief" is such a fun and gripping read that it's easy to overlook any of these issues.

Thank you
The story is a surefire winner. A classic art heist–in line with Ocean’s Eleven, a comparison made in the novel not-infrequently–with a self-aware twist. This time, the classy thieves are not notorious playboys or scorned cops out for revenge, but a team of Chinese American college students, out to steal back art that was stolen from China in conquest years ago. This twist on the classic is what initially drew me, and, again, the bones of the story are still there. Each crew member (the group is very quickly labeled a “crew”) has a different, nuanced relationship with China and America, portraying a range of immigrant experiences that felt authentic and diverse. In literature surrounding the immigrant experience–in particular the Chinese-American one–there is often only the opportunity to only explore one version, and I really appreciated Li’s ability to weigh so many, with a respectful and almost loving perspective.

The writing was also a stunning accomplishment. It was artful description after artful description, no detail escaping Li’s pen. The world of Portrait was art, and I felt that with every sentence. There was no ugly in this world, and I could quote every line as an apt example of how to craft a metaphor, how to knit a simile.

But the two together? They did not mix, unfortunately. The fast paced, jet setting, Furious 5 plot line–Street racing! Security hacking! Speedboats!--written in a lyrical, metaphor-ridden prose left the novel clunky. Because this unrealistic but undeniably fun story was told with such a serious, literary tone, a dissonance emerged, leaving me acutely aware of the unrealism of a bunch of college students pulling off so many hitchless heists. The characters are bogged down by the prose, and their development is stunted because of it. Every conversation is drawn out to pages and pages because the characters have to stop and frequently describe the light on the water and the cut of another’s cheekbones. There is an excess of cheekbones in this book. So much fine bone structure.

Must the two be divorced? Does creative language have no place in a heist story? Not necessarily. The prose felt appropriate when discussing the Chinese diaspora, for example, or the need to meet immigrant parents’ expectations. But when everything is so described and detailed, the reader is forced to reckon with the lack of realism, and it ultimately was not a novel I found myself able to enjoy thoroughly.

This was an interesting read! It has a really strong premise that I think a lot of people will be very interested in. From my perspective, the way that this book is advertised heavily emphasizes the heist aspect, whereas the story is certainly more interested in a cultural analysis of the Chinese diaspora and art world through the lens of it's characters - which is incredibly compelling! I do think that the heist scenes could have been punchier but given that this book will soon be adapted for the screen, I have no doubt that these scenes have the potential to become a really exciting film or tv experience. More on that, I do think that this premise and the way that the book is advertised (ie. Ocean's Eleven meets The Farewell) alludes to the fact that this plot might be stronger on the screen in execution as opposed to the book, but we'll have to wait and see! Overall, I enjoyed this read though I hoped for a little more in the heist aspects of the novel to be well-rounded and deliver on the promise of it's premise.

Thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss, and Penguin Group Dutton for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have.. a lot of mixed feelings about this book. Since its announcement, I have been so excited to read it — a Chinese-American heist novel featuring college students stealing back what violence and conquest stole? Sign me up — but as I finally started the book, I tempered my expectations. The marketing surrounding it promised crazy art heists and an unflinching examination of imperialism and colonialism while also investigating the diaspora experience, and I knew that was a big ask for a book not even 400 pages long.

We follow five main characters — Will, the art history aficionado and de facto leader; Irene, his sister with a silver tongue that can con her way in and out of anything; Daniel, a pre-med student with quick fingers; Alex, a software engineer who has achieved both everything and nothing that she imagined; and Lily, an engineering student by day and street racer by night. Each has their own struggles and anxieties, and each agrees when the opportunity is presented to them for their own reasons. These characters are the center of the story, for better and for worse.

For all intents and purposes, this is a heist novel in name only. The heists, the planning, and the aftermaths are not meant to be displays of sophistication, so don’t go in expecting detail that completely makes sense or feels feasible. In fact, thinking too deeply into the heists at all will ruin some of the reading experience. The heists are vehicles for character and thematic exploration, and when accepted that this is a character-heavy story rather than an action-packed adventure, the novel comes into its prime.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, Li’s development choices were also some of the most grating parts of the novel. This is a book of flowery language that seeks reverence in repetition, to the point of being overbearing. Way more than one too many times, we read about the “sun rising over Beijing” and see references to China, the impact China has on their perspective, the ways the characters feel a connection to China. In the end, it made it feel surface level, and I wish more than anything that we had gotten a more nuanced insight into their complicated relationships with China instead of just being constantly reminded that yes, they are each a member of the diaspora. Additionally, these constant references from each character served to make each POV more homogenous. While there is something to be said about how despite their differences, they all experience some of the same thoughts, this repetition undermined the work Li did in making each character unique with their own journeys in reconciling what their identities mean to them.

Despite the above, this is an unapologetic love letter to the Chinese-American diaspora experience, and I cannot find fault in it for that. Each of the characters is struggling with their own turmoil surrounding China, their relationships with their families, the expectations they feel pressing down on their shoulders, the expectations that they place on each other, and that is the soul of this book. Li so clearly draws on her own experiences and feelings, and I saw a lot of myself in each of the characters. As a Chinese-American young adult in my early 20s, who studied computer science and business in college and now works a corporate job as a software engineer, in so many ways this book was for me. Seeing all of those feelings and insecurities laid out in parallel with the representation of diaspora and the expectations that weigh on children of immigrants was something else.

Again, I had so many mixed feelings while reading this book. At times I found the plot way too unbelievable or the repetition extremely grating. But I also experienced so many times where I felt Way Too seen by the words I was reading. So despite my misgivings, I’m so glad this book exists and I’m so glad I got to read it, and I hope the readers who need this book find it once it releases in April. Li is a phenomenal writer and I am excited for what she writes in the future.

Very much enjoyed this book! A great and informative heist novel about a crew of college kids looking to set things right in the art world. I loved the ending and the whole tie in of Chinese history and the condemnation of colonialist attitudes! I think the heist scenes could have been better/lengthier/more intense - so much of the book builds up to them, but then they're so quick it's like you blink and it's over, which is a bit disappointing from a book portraying heists. But overall, I loved it! 4.25/5

Portrait of a Thief isn't about someone trying to steal a painting-there's actually five thieves after five Chinese sculptures. But the heists by a group of young Asian Americans is only the backdrop. Portrait of a Thief is about finding your place in the world (for these first generation Americans and Chinese immigrants this is a literal quest to learn if home truly is where the heart is), family, determination, and love. The heists aren't particularly dramatic or intense-the tension comes from the characters. They're all trying to live up to their parent's sky high expectations, juggling loyalty to dual countries, and avenging centuries of damage done to priceless Chinese artifacts by Western museums in the name of "art." Grace D. Li's writing is passionate and lyrical-her descriptions of the Beijing skyline and Paris nighttime are so profound you'll feel like part of the landscape. This may be Portrait of a Thief's only downfall-the book has been optioned as a series on Netflix and it will be interesting to see how Miss Li's lengthy prose translates to the small screen. But Portrait of a Thief will move you in ways few books do. As Dorothy says "there's no place like home." For the characters in Portrait of a Thief the search for home is as elusive and enlightening as it was for her.