I think my opinion of this title suffers because, much to this title's misfortune, I happened to read Thieve's Gambit by Kayvion Lewis right before this title. It is not that this is a bad book, it just doesn't quite reach the heights of Gambit. I do still think this is a decent book that my kids will like. It is a heist book - they will like it. Millie, the main character has a dream of becoming a film director. After the opportunity to attend a film festival, Millie discovers that her favorite director has stolen her script and p[plans to make her movie. Outraged, Millie plans her revenge - she will steal the movie! With an exciting (although more violent than expected) ending this is a book that will be popular with young adults.

Millie, a precocious and motivated teen, is determined to break in to the movie business and thinks she is close to her dreams when she is able to attend the Manhattan Movie Academy. Her assurance? The script she wrote research and is directing that is based on the actual grand heist in which he participated and which ultimately led to his demise. When Millie discovers the legendary director who is the owner of the school is a fraud, she goes from devastated to angry and begins her own brand of justice - with a break in.

This was a fun and different YA book! Being a fan of heist movies in general, I loved the concept of having a heist within heist, so to speak (Millie's movie version plus the real one she planned and executed). There were plenty of twists and characters that were easy empathize with and support. My only criticism is Millie had an extraordinary amount of freedom for a child her age, with parents who seemed supportive and stable. I look forward to what Schwanke will offer next!

Free e-ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher!
If you didn't know, I love a heist. I was so excited to read this book because of the premise- an aspiring filmmaker teen girl gets her script stolen and made into a movie as a comeback for a famous director, so she and her friends (with all the knowledge of a million heist movies) hatch a plan to steal it back. Honestly, I should've just watched the 2002 classic Big Fat Liar starring Frankie Muniz and Paul Giamatti. This book falls through on execution- there's too much of the strategizing and logistics of planning the heist, the characters are flat, there are too many movie references, like the author was getting an extra bonus for every heist movie title he dropped, but then explanations of movie references that are so obvious (most everyone has seen Star Wars, you don't need to explain Hoth being an ice planet) that I can't quite figure out who he thinks his audience is. The buildup is boring, the heist is unsatisfying, and the ending feels rushed. I can excuse some of the mistakes the characters make because they're teenagers, but what I'm looking for in a heist where I'm rooting for the thieves is competence- not to luck into a successful ending. This was a disappointment.

A good heist movie (or book) is meticulously plotted, has a motley crew and a compelling motivation to succeed. Schwanke's book has all of these, plus it flips the trope directly on its head.

Millie is a young filmmaker making a heist film in homage to her dead criminal father with her crew. Her film crew becomes her heist crew when their film academy director steals her film. This madcap romp through the flyover states combines humor, zombies, road trip, and actual criminals to make an endearing story. And really, the best heists make you root for the crew.

A fun heist novel with nonstop action and reminiscent of Fargo. Millie's script is stolen by famous movie director Ricky O'Naire, after she attends his summer film academy. She's determined to steal it back and plans a heist with her former film crew, based on her extensive knowledge of heist movies. Of course nothing goes to plan and they have to make sudden adjustments. The characters worked well together, though Millie's decisions often don't make sense, but it comes together in the end.

Some of the characters and situations felt a little two-dimensional, but overall this was an entertaining, fast-paced heist story!

Breaking In is a fun concept for a book. A film student who is making a heist movie decides to pull a heist after her movie is stolen by another film maker.
On the surface it’s a fast paced thriller that moves quickly. Unfortunately, for me anyway, the build up to the actual heist could have been a bit better.
I’m not saying it wasn’t interesting or important, it just could have been a bit tighter. Moved a little faster.
That said, I truly enjoyed the heist aspects of this book. I would definitely recommend it to others.

A fun fast paced story with a really uniquely interesting layout linking to heist films, this felt like a reverse adaptation bringing the big screen back to paper. This was really fun to read, with wild twists and lots of action I was hooked. I also really loved all the characters and thought everyone was written incredibly well. Overall I would recommend this.

This book was filled with so much action and classic heist film callbacks, I loved it. I felt Millie’s character was created so well, her desperation and determination to get revenge made for such a good plot! I loved the uniqueness of the rest of the crew, and I thought the characters meshed really well together.

this was a really good! I liked the characters, and they were super well-developed. the plot was super cool and fun to read, and the writing was also smooth and easy to understand
highly recommend