This was a lovely YA historical fiction that had a good balance of action and character! I really loved all the girls and thought they complimented each other perfectly. YA sapphic romance is hard to come by so I'm glad we can add A Million to One to the canon - the romance was so sweet!

My main critique I have of this book is the pacing, some sequences felt a bit rushed. I don't know if the book benefits from being 75% heist and last 25% being the Titanic sinking. Although I do think the ending was bittersweet and wrapped up the story very well.

I wanted to love this so badly but I just do not think it was good. The writing is very simplistic and reads like very young YA. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but compared to Jaigirdar's other books, I expected more from this one. The sentences are very short which got annoying after a while, but it made for a very quick read.

The book is very plot driven with not much exposition that isn't straight action to drive the plot forward. This made the characters very one dimensional and virtually indistinguishable from one another, even with the alternating POVs. I know Jaigirdar can do better than this, especially with sapphic relationships!

My other problem with the heist was the girls' absolute lack of planning of any sort. The motivation was childish and the whole thing was poorly executed. The details of this are spoilery but just know it was not well plotted. The idea that they planned to make an exact copy of a bejeweled rare book without bringing any supplies is just dumb. The best part of a heist book is to see the planning stages, and we got none of that on-page.

There are also some historical inaccuracies that bothered me. The use of parchment commercially was virtually obsolete well before 1912 and I doubt the Titanic had it on board for writing purposes (the girls go searching for it on a supplies hunt). Other times the parchment is referred to as paper. These are not the same thing. My biggest issue with the whole thing is that I do not believe for a second that a 10-floor ocean liner would have a floor plan that fit on one page and could be precisely traced in just "a few minutes."

If you're going to write a historical fiction novel, do some research and do it right.

I was hooked by the "sapphic Titanic heist" concept of this book as someone who loves reading about all three of those aspects. However, the execution was lacking. All four main characters felt underdeveloped, and several of the plot points (especially in the beginning) happened too conveniently to really be believable. I also wasn't a fan of this author's blunt writing style.
That being said, I enjoyed the reading experience and was excited to see how the heist would unfold (especially with the ship sinking), and overall that was done pretty well. Fans of this author and her writing style would enjoy this book. It also reminded me in parts of Valiant Ladies by Melissa Grey and The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum.

Josefa is a skilled thief who sets her sights on stealing the Rubiyat, a valuable and rare book, from the RMS Titanic. To accomplish this, she assembles a team of talented women, including Hinnah, Violet, and Emilie. Despite their diverse skills, they are all seemingly united in their desire to break into the ship's vault. However, as they work towards their goal, they must navigate complications such as past conflicts and new relationships while also trying to avoid danger. Additionally, while on the surface, they all seem to share the same goal, at least one member of the team may jeopardize their plans. With the chances of success being low and the risks high, the team must use all their cunning and expertise to pull off the heist and survive.

The concept of a heist on the Titanic was certainly intriguing, but the execution left something to be desired. One of the main issues I had with the book was that the characters were difficult to keep straight in the first half because they were not well developed. This made it difficult to become emotionally invested in their stories and relationships. The romantic subplot between two of the girls also fell flat because I didn't know enough about them as individuals to understand the depth of their connection.

Additionally, the pace of the book was slow for the majority of the story. This made the plot feel stagnant at times. The action and excitement didn't really pick up until the last quarter of the book, which was a bit of a disappointment.

Overall, A Million to One had potential but was ultimately held back by underdeveloped characters and a slow-moving plot. It was an okay read, but didn't quite live up to its full potential.

I really love the Titanic. Along with one other specific 1910s historical point, the Titanic is my historical jam. So I went into this book with extremely high hopes, and while I wasn’t outright disappointed, I also didn’t fall in love. I feel like the star of this book is the developing and strengthening relationships between the four friends, while the heist kind of takes a back burner. I was often a little baffled by the reasoning behind why each person chose to come on the ship to do this and then by the choices they made to get the rubaiyat when they were actually on the ship. Everything seemed a little too simple, a little too easy for teenage girls. While I liked the intrigue of the heist aspect, I almost feel like this book would have been stronger and packed a more emotional punch if it had just been about the girls.

This is a great book to add to my classroom for students interested in the Titanic. I loved that we already knew the story of Jack and Rose but now we get to follow very unique a different cast of characters as they dive into a heist!

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

When someone mentioned the words "heist" and "the Titanic" in the same sentence, I just knew I had to read A Million to One.

I was immediately drawn to the premise. Having read this author's debut, The Henna Wars and having enjoying that, I was sure this book would be a delight. You should've seen me when I got the e-galley copy, I was over the moon and excited to start reading.

Unfortunately, this seemed to be a case where the concept didn't match up with the execution.

The book follows four girls, con artist and leader of the group, Josefa, circus performer, Hinnah, actress, Violet and aspiring artist, Emilie who board the Titanic to steal a rare and priceless book, The Rubaiyat from one of the First Class passengers. I was expecting a fast paced novel, high stakes and a slow romantic build up (since I knew there would be a sapphic pairing months before reading). But unfortunately, this book didn't live up to my expectations.

For starters, I had a few issues connecting with the characters. With Josefa, from the very start she annoyed me for some reason, and the way she was trying to get the girls to join her on her heist for the Rubaiyat just irked me. If you're trying to get someone to join you on a dangerous mission, especially when two of the said people joining you, you've never really talked to before, please sell their part in the mission as more than just "we need you, I've seen the work you do, there is nobody else in the world who can do [blank] as well as you can!" I don't know... if I were those girls I think I would've refused straight away. It takes a lot of trust and loyalty to a person to literally put your life on the line for them and for them to do so, and so willingly for someone they could classify as a stranger didn't really make sense to me. Even though the backstories were revealed as to why they were willing to go on this heist, to me, it didn't seem justifiable enough, especially for some of the other characters.

I didn't mind Hinnah and Emilie's characters but I still didn't feel connected to them despite the elaborate backstories about their personal lives. Violet was probably the character I connected to the most and even that is a far stretch. She had a brother she left in Croatia who she was trying to help and support as much as she could and I could see that desperate love in every chapter in which she mentioned Marko. But that being said, there were a few parts to her character that I didn't understand. She seemed to be very prickly towards Emilie for no real reason and it seemed like a petty sort of hatred, kind of like the two girls were pitted against each other for no other reason than dramatic purpose. At one point I thought how cool it would be if Violet and Emilie ended up in a relationship together as an enemies-to-lovers/grumpy-sunshine couple, having to work together against all odds to steal the Rubaiyat. The drama would've made more sense then, but unfortunately no reasoning apart from an annoyance at having an amateur con artist to help execute the heist, was used to justify Violet's unfair treatment towards Emilie.

Being a high stakes book featuring a heist, I would've expected the book to have been quite fast paced and action packed. The book however, followed a rhythm which looked something like 200 pages being on developing the characters and letting the reader in to their backstories and the last 74 pages being fast paced as the plot (and Titanic's unfortunate fate) played out which arguably was the most adrenaline filled part. I wished the high stakes and suspense of whether their plan would succeed or fail was continued throughout the entire book because by the time the book picked up the pacing, I just wasn't interested anymore. Because the start of the book fell so flat, I found I wasn't as emotionally invested in August's pursuit of the girls and the ultimate fate of their heist and their lives. When the ending occurred, while it was sad, I was so disinterested that the emotional aspects of the books didn't pack an emotional punch as much as I would've liked.

Now onto the romance. I felt like it was rushed. The two girls wanted to get to know each other and they already had some feelings developed before the events of the book, but the romance felt incredibly surface level without a desired build up of chemistry or romantic tension which I hungered for. I must admit though, the epilogue was very cute and it actually was the best part by far of the entire book.

The other aspect of note was that I never felt truly transported to the world of 1912 Ireland and the Titanic. The setting was never really prominent not when the girls were still living in their Irish boarding house nor when they were on the Titanic among more wealth than they have ever seen in their lives. Considering these girls came from poverty and from the poorer areas of Ireland, I would've expected more emphasis on the decadence of the Titanic to create this sort of fantasy-like dream of a ship, but that historical allure was barely there at all and I felt the remnants of a missed opportunity here.

All in all, I really wanted to love this book, it was a hotly anticipated novel for me but it unfortunately fell flat a bit with the pacing, romance, characters and setting. I do see a lot of things other readers may like, after all, a book sometimes isn't for everyone. Sadly, that is the case with me and A Million to One.

ACTUAL RATING: 2 STARS

I loved the idea of this book, TRULY I did. It just didn’t hit the mark for me though. I feel if it had been a little more fleshed out it would have been a much better read. I felt that the background we had on our characters was light and that their relationships seemed pretty forced. It drove me crazy that the countdown didn’t say to what. I was like the heist, the boat hitting the iceberg, it sinking? I really wish that would have been more clear or wouldn’t have been there at all. I felt like the romantic relationship fell flat, they didn’t really have anything in common so I didn’t make much sense. The heist which was the main reason I was interested in the book was over in no time and just kind of pushed away. After such a slow first three acts the ending felt very rushed to me. While those were things I wasn’t a fan of I did like the idea of the book and a younger reader would probably be more entertained by it than I was. I did like that it was an all female cast of characters and that they were so diverse. I also liked that I learned a few new things about the ship of dreams while reading. I liked that the author put in a bunch of info about some of the elements in her story at the end. So you could see some of the facts behind the story in further depth.

There was a lot that I enjoyed about this LGBTQ friendly Titanic heist book, but I’ll say up front: if you are a stickler for extreme accuracy in your historical fiction, you will find issues here. I’m not such a stickler in that, as still enjoyed this book!

This is an extremely fast, fun read with memorable characters, although the heist itself was a bit far fetched for me. It still largely held my interest and entertained me!

I received an advanced copy of A Million to One through NetGalley so I could share my review with you! This book has easily made it into my top-tier list of favorites for the year, which was no surprise! Adiba Jaigirdar has been one of my favorite authors since her debut novel, The Henna Wars, and she has not disappointed me yet!

A Million to One has got to be my favorite book Adiba Jaigirdar has published so far! The heist elements worked so perfectly on the contained setting of the Titanic. The close quarters of the ship elevated the tension and stakes of the story, and the creeping inevitability of the Titanic sinking made the whole story even more thrilling. I also loved each of the four protagonists with all my heart. Their unique strengths combined together into such a perfect team, and I would love to read more stories like this one!

My Recommendation:
If you love historical fiction, heist stories, and sapphic stories, you must grab a copy of A Million to One as soon as possible! I would give this book six stars out of five, and think it is a must read for the end of 2022!

A huge Thank You to The author, The publisher and NetGalley for providing the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Quite a bit late, but this book was magical! So fabulous and wonderful and loveable.

”One more minute and she would be caught red-handed. On one side of her was the Liffey in all its leafy green glory. She wasn’t sure if a swim in it would get her arrested or save her. She did know that it would destroy the very thing she had put herself at risk for, so she shrugged off that idea as soon as it came to her.”

A Million to One is the dazzling story of four girls—Josefa, Emilie, Violet, and Hinnah—all determined to pull off the heist of a lifetime. It’s very Six of Crows-esque. I like SoC more, but the two are far too different to compare.

A Million to One did a fascinating job of making its characters feel so incredibly real. My main critique is the writing. Often times, I would forget this was a historical fiction novel set on the Titanic because the writing felt very modern. That being said, I’m a huge Adiba Jaigirdar fan and will continue to read everything she writes. I would definitely recommend this book as well to anyone looking for a story with a refreshing lens on historical events.

A Million to One is about a heist on the Titanic. 4 young women have a plan to steal something that would give them enough riches to set them up for life. It is a fun adventure with unique and exciting characters. I love each of the girls for different reasons. And I mean, it’s set on the Titanic! So cool.

Thank you to @harpercollinsca for the early ebook!

A Million to One, is really a million to one. It doesn't stand out much.

I'll be honest, I almost dropped the book multiple times.

1. Bland Introduction - This is where you're supposed to capture your readers, not make them run.

2. The multiple POVs - I get the thought process, and I typically enjoy multiple POVs, but I enjoy casual introductions and soft guides into new POVs, not head-first hope you can catch up POVs.

3. Historical Fiction?? - As a kid who loved studying true crime and tragedies that struck the world (Blame CSI, Law & Order SVU, and my love for justice), this book carried very little historical realism. It very much just was like "Hey, can we borrow the Titanic for our setting, but ditch all of the other massively relevant details of the time? Cool thanks!" With settings like these you need to be careful, everyone is aware of what that time period was like, and trying to write over the harsh realities with fluffiness only further constitutes the unjustified glorification of those time periods. (The people who romanticize the Titanic [outside of the film] really need a wake up check to recognize how many people died because of selfishness, classism, and racism).

4. The Heist - It kind of resolves pretty quick. I was expecting some "we need to steal this gem while the boat is sinking" vibes.

To conclude, others may like this novel, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

I’ll read pretty much anything that involves the Titanic, and this book was especially appealing because it’s also a heist novel.

Overall it’s an enjoyable read, though the heist itself and most of the plot was less cerebral than I tend to prefer in this sort of story. The actual theft (and the plan for it) is pretty simplistic, has no real surprises or intricacies, and most of the related action is stuff you’ve seen in a summer blockbuster action movie at some point.

The good news is that it does all add up to a fun adventure anyway, and the book boasts four very likable heroines who are interesting and easy to root for.

I think there were some missed opportunities here in terms of setting and sense of place. Neither the grandeur of the ship in the early chapters nor the spectacle of the sinking in the later chapters was particularly evocatively rendered here.

What was well-executed was the dynamics between the characters, particularly as they shift throughout the story. As for who survives the wreck, you’ll just have to read it and see (and you should read it. It’s a fun, if flawed story). I’ll say that who makes it out alive and who doesn’t wouldn’t have been my first choice, but I appreciated the author’s decision not to go for the goofy happy ending where everyone who matters somehow survives despite the fact that this is based on a real event in which most of those present were not so lucky.

One last positive: I loved that the heist was centered around an object that actually was aboard the Titanic in real life (even if, per the author’s notes, some dramatic license was taken here), and bonus points for not using a piece of jewelry!

3.5 stars, rounded up for likability and concept.

I have to say I didn't know what to make of this one. As it's a Titanic meets Oceans 12 like story. But I ended up loving this heist on the Titanic story with four kick ass females. Where was the YA like this when I was a teen.

I LOVE heist stories. I love reading about the motivation, the planning and the execution of a heist. Fictional or non-fictional, I am there. Then add all of this happening to young women on the Titanic - gold!

I had been hearing about A MILLION TO ONE for about a year now and patiently waited for the release. I love the design of the cover and the premise is amazing.

I was so enthralled with the heist I realized halfway through the book this wasn't going to be a happy ending (in some ways it was!) but it is the Titanic after all. So even though this account is fictional, you know to expect death.

I thought this was such a unique premise in it's a type of Ocean's Eleven, but with young women who each had their own reasons for wanting to steal a priceless, jeweled book aboard the Titanic.

The pacing was a tad slow for me and then seemingly sped up too fast when the Titanic hit the iceberg. The true story was the heist itself, but when the story is set aboard the Titanic that's when the antagonist (the ship) must shine through.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Children's Books for an e-copy of A MILLION TO ONE to review.

I rate A MILLION TO ONE four out of five stars.

A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar, 304 pages. HarperCollins Publishers, 2022. $18. LGBTQIA
Language: PG (5 swears, 0 “f” + Croatian swear); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Josefa loves the thrill of a con, whether it’s pickpocketing or carrying out a planned heist, and, this time, Josefa has her sight set on a bejeweled book. She recruits Violet, Hinnah, and Emilie to help her, promising the jewels on the book will be enough to make all their dreams come true. Josefa has it all planned out. They just need to get on the same boat where the book will be: the Titanic.
I love heists: the deception, the planning, the improvising when the plan inevitably goes wrong. Making the Titanic the background for this heist was absolutely brilliant. None of the characters know what the readers do about the Titanic, adding to the suspense and urgency of everything going on. If you need a little more excitement in your life, this is the book for you – just remember that the Titanic will also add a dose of tragedy.
Josefa, Violet, Marko, and August are White. Hinnah is Indian, and Emilie is half Haitian and describes herself as Black. The mature content rating is for illegal activity, alcohol use, partial nudity, and innuendo. The violence rating is for knife use, mention of murder, and death.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

A good heist tale with a fun and queer collection of characters! I normally don't lean toward historical fiction, but I enjoyed reading about the girls on the Titantic, which is obviously a very famous event in history. I will say that I thought the author vastly overused ellipses--it began to drive me crazy when there were 4+ on a page.

Full Review to be posted when Harper Collins reaches an agreement with the union and the strike ends.