I loved every minute of this amateur heist gone hilariously awry.

Simi Chopra is the good daughter, except she's still single, she's not a doctor or a lawyer (she's got a business degree, the HORROR), a series of entry level jobs, a basement apartment that floods forcing her to move home again, and a friend who's been accused of theft. Simi will do anything for her best friend, Chloe, and that includes assembling a highly unlikely group of misfits with some questionable talents to help her pull of a heist and save Chloe from prison. Along the way she has to throw good-looking Detective Garcia off the track, and try and keep track of Jack (aka Oliver Twist), a very sexy mystery man who seems to show up when she needs him most.

This had some Ocean's 8 vibes with the women taking point on planning and executing a heist. What could go wrong did go wrong, which made for some fun and unexpected twists and turns. I found myself highly entertained throughout the entire story.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If Simi has anything, it’s bad luck. Being in her late 20s, not married, having to search for a new job – AGAIN, the last thing Simi expects is for her best friend Chloe to be set up for a crime. Now, Simi must work with Jack who has his own secrets that he hides.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced and hilarious. The story’s focus is Simi and wherever our leading lady goes, there is sure to be trouble. There is some closed-door romance / chemistry between Simi and Jack, but the story’s main goal seems to be to help us understand Simi’s character development and showing us how she grows throughout the story. She is figuring out what it is that she wants/needs from her life and relationships, especially as someone who is fixing to be in their 30s which I think many of us 30 somethings can appreciate.

Sara Desai is one of my favorite rom com authors. I always know I’m going to be in for a good time and lots of laughs when I pick up one of her novels and her latest release To Have and To Heist is no exception. I love a good heist story and this one is just full of shenanigans and such a fun time. Imagine a mashup between the Ocean’s 11 movies and the Finlay Donovan series and that’s the vibe of this book.

When we first meet the protagonist, Simi Chopra, her life is a mess. She has just been fired, is drowning in student loan debt, and has been forced to move back in with her parents because her apartment flooded. Worse than all of that combined though, her best friend Chloe has just been accused of stealing a multimillion dollar diamond necklace. I adored Simi. She’s smart and resourceful, and her messy life is all too relatable.

I also loved how much of a loyal friend she is. It’s her sense of loyalty that really drives the plot of this story, because as soon as Chloe calls Simi and tells her she’s trapped in a museum that someone else has broken into, Simi’s first instinct is to drop everything and try to rescue Chloe all by herself. When her attempts fail and she hears the police sirens, Simi refuses to give up and even tries to scale the outside of the museum with nothing but her bare hands. Who wouldn’t want a friend like that? Simi then makes it her mission in life to exonerate Chloe and with the guidance of Jack, the mysterious man who grabbed Simi before the police could spot her, Simi orchestrates a jewelry heist of her own to steal the necklace back from the thieves, all while serving as the wedding planner for the biggest wedding in town. What could possibly go wrong?

My absolute favorite part of the novel is the motley crew that Simi assembles for this heist. Aside from her bestie Chloe, Simi’s team consists of Rose, her octogenarian landlord; Jack the mystery man; Cristian, who works with her dad at his tailor shop but also has a side hustle as a male escort; Emma, the aggressive Uber driver who drove Simi to the museum to try to save Chloe; Anil, a tech nerd who still lives with her meddlesome matchmaker parents; and lastly, gun-toting, broody Gage, who Jack has brought in as the muscle. It was hilarious to watch this crew in action as they fumbled and bumbled their way through every aspect of the heist, and I just adored them all!

There’s a bit of a slow burn romance as well, and while I definitely enjoyed that aspect, it took a backseat in comparison to all of the action and comedy of the heist plot. I was fine with that though since the book was just such a fun time! If you’ve enjoyed books like the Finlay Donovan series, you’ll definitely want to check out To Have and To Heist.

This was just fantastic! Although the love triangle was a little strange, it also sort of worked, so I won't criticize it. The book's plot was engaging and never dragged out or became unclear. I recommend reading it because it's fascinating.

Simi's continual chatting throughout the book causes many humorous moments. Simi and Jack's first encounter was amusing, even though I pleaded with her to leave him and fetch Chloe so they wouldn't have to deal with the cops. Though initially, being a wedding planner was only a ruse to obtain the stolen necklace, I loved seeing Simi settle into a career she could pursue. Additionally, the theft itself and the fact that the crew members were all different from one another added a great touch because you never knew what would come out of their mouths. It was terrific how well-matched Jack and Simi were.

I do wish the ending was a little different. And by different, I mean finally having Mr. X be gone for good.

This is the first time I've read this author, but it will not be the last. Simi, in an attempt to keep her best friend out of jail, hooks up with Jack, a retrieval expert, in locating a diamond necklace. This brings in a unique cast of characters that make this book a fun read. Readers are taken from one escapade to another, while Simi attempts to help her friend and find her calling in life. Simi's family is also a delight as they try to find a find a husband for her and basically mettle in her life.

This is fun enjoyable fluff, but not a lot of substance and it was a little flat for me. I think the chemistry or suspense could have been punched up a bit. Good beach reading, but didn’t totally click for me.

This was such a FUN summer read. The equivalent of a popcorn blockbuster! Heists. Misfits. Wedding planning. I read multiple reviews that compared it to Ocean’s 8 meets The Wedding Planner, which I’m on board with… maybe a dash of My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Thelma and Louise too?

FMC Simi will do anything for her ride or die bff Chloe. When they stumble upon a jewel heist, things escalate quickly, and when Chloe is facing charges for the theft, Simi will stop at nothing to make sure Chloe lives a free and happy life. Even if that something means assembling a rag-tag crew to steal a $25 million necklace under the guise of planning and executing a multi-million dollar wedding. It’s a grin-inducing, super-fun read! The perfect book to take away on a vacay or escape during a staycation.

Simi Chopra hasn't quite found her way in life and she's still trying to find a job she finds compelling. Her best friend Chloe is a white hacker and penetration tester who is set up to look like she was involved in a museum robbery. Simi tries to rescue her but instead meets Jack, who says he's there to steal the very necklace that has already gone missing. In order to clear Chloe and Simi's name with the police, Jack suggests stealing the necklace back from the people who took it. To do so, Simi poses as a wedding planner for the daughter of the mafia member who now has the necklace and enlists a motley crew to plan the heist. The further into the heist they are, the more Simi falls for Jack and wonders if he can be trusted. Overall, a fun rom-com with a range of characters who each have their specialty and are just trying to get ahead in life. Some of Simi's spiraling thoughts were hard to read, but the banter was fun and it was nice to see Simi find her passion as a problem solver with her wedding planning business.

This is a romcom in truest sense with very healthy dose of rom and com. There is a good dash of adventure and friendships. All around this is fun read where you laugh, swoon and maybe forget you put water on stove to boil and forgot…for couple of hours 🙈…,or maybe you are more put together and won’t 🤷🏽‍♀️

This is the first time I am reading this author and I really enjoyed the writing style. It was absolutely hilarious and such a fun read. The story involves a heist, there’s quite a bit of action & adventure, which also happens to include the most interesting & unique group of misfits . I enjoyed the banter and wit . Both Jack and Simi’s characters were likable. I really enjoyed this story. Looking forward to reading more books by this author.

This is a great funny and romantic read! I loved their little heist crew, and how they could all not be more different, but somehow worked so well together! The banter was great, and some things said will definitely have you laughing! But this book still has the swoony romance factor! Jack and Simi are truly such a cute couple! I loved learning more about jack as the story continued! Everything about the heist once it started had me turning to the next page to know what happens next! There were a few times when things were being described so deeply that I was skimming over it because it was just too much for me, but someone else may love that! I think this is definitely a book you should add to your tbr!

Honestly, this is one of the most fun and entertaining books that I have read all year. I laughed, I cried, I shook my head at the utter ridiculousness. The characters are incredible, I wanted to jump into the book to be their friends. Their interactions are even better. The story line is so far fetched and unbelievable, that it is easy to get lost in the chaos. Throw in some mystery and romance and you won’t want to put this book down! I am still thinking about the future for this group!

Simi organizes a heist in order to save her best friend who is being falsely accused of stealing a necklace. With 25 million as a reward, she finds a group of “misfits” to help her. They never expect to find love, friendship, laughter, chaos and belonging along the way.

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced reader copy

This was an okay read for me, not fantastic, not terrible. I think a reason I struggled to enjoy this book was that I had just reread "Partners in Crime" by Alisha Rai and loved that book and I felt that this book did not deliver the way that book did. I will say that I did love Jack's character, how he would just appear and was also just very competent at thieving. Simi was also incredible relatable as a fellow Desi woman myself. She was having a quarter-life crisis and dealing with constant commentary from her family. I think because the author was so focused on the aspects of the heist, I felt that Simi and Jake lacked chemistry. If you're just wanting a fun read with lots of crazy antics and less of an emphasis on romance, this is the book for you:)

This is hands down one of my top 5 favorites of the year! I laughed so much and so hard. It had everything I love - comedy, great banter, a bizarre found family of misfits, a snarky heroine and spice thrown in for good measure.

Simi’s on a mission to save her best friend who’s been set up and accused of stealing a multi-million dollar necklace. To prove her innocence Simi will plan a heist to steal the necklace back from a fence, and with the help of a master thief, Jack who’s also looking to steal said necklace. She ropes in friends and strangers into her plan. Y’all it’s Simi and her band of ridiculous misfits. Each one of them is a character with unique traits, and I swear it’s shenanigans 24/7 with this lot. Her flirtations with Jack, and also the detective investigating the case are as steamy as they are fun.

Holy cow, the narrator is so freaking talented! She has perfect comedic timing, great deadpan delivery, and each character shone thanks to her. She had excellent material to work with. Desai has written a wonderfully upbeat, hilarious, super entertaining and a little suspenseful heist story. I enjoyed every minute of this caper. I think this would make a fantastic tv series. Someone let @mindykaling know about this book, please! The humor and the romance are right up her alley.

Do yourself a favor - if you want laugh-out-loud fun and lots of heart, this is it! It’ll be good for your soul. Sooo good!

Many thanks to @prhaudio for my ALC, @netgalley & @berkleyromance for my ARC in exchange for an honest review. 𝗧𝗼 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗛𝗲𝗶𝘀𝘁 is out today!!

If Sara Desai writes something, I am going to read it! I love her books so much! While her other books are more traditional romcoms To Have and to Heist goes in a slightly different direction with a heist story with a romance and I am here for it. Simmi and Jack and crew are a blast! I love a story with a solid friend/secondary character crew and this book has it in spades! I also love a book that makes me laugh out loud because life is hard and we all need some laughter. Sara knocked it out of the park again with To Have and to Heist!

this book can be summed up in two words: CHAOS ENSUES ✨

it’s fast-paced and so fun, centered around a missing multimillion-dollar necklace and a ridiculous plan with a ragtag crew to get it back and clear the innocent’s name. it has a good girl/bad boy, opposites attract love story woven throughout, but even stronger found family dynamics, and such dramatic antics that you won’t want to put it down. it feels just like reading an action movie in book form!

Simi got a lot of nothing going on right now. She is out of work with a mountain of debt and nowhere to really live. She can barely see ahead, but when her friend is accused of stealing an expensive diamond necklace, Simi steps up to solve the mystery. She doesn’t anticipate being caught up as an accomplice and meeting a mysterious stranger who’s willing to help.

Simi needs all the help she can to clear her name. She enlists her best friend, Jack (the mystery guy), and a whole weird ensemble who bring humor to this story. There is tons of action, as there are some bad guys thrown in the mix. Can Simi really handle anything else that is thrown at her?

I had reservations about reading this one because the blurb doesn’t sound like my jam. However, I’ve read books by this author, and she knows how to do romances that give that community vibe with a dash of humor. To Have and To Hold doesn’t give up on that, but there’s so much more that the author’s normal style gets lost in translation.

This was like reading an action film. I kept trying to figure out what happened. How would Simi clear her name? Could she pull it off with the cast of characters in the book? Then to throw a little bit more excitement in the mix, the author had a bit of a love triangle vibe going on. I don’t want to give it all away, but it left too many of my emotions up in the air. I don’t like books with competing love interests. Since this had so many elements, I wonder why the author chose that route.

While this certainly wasn’t my favorite book by the author, I did enjoy it. I still can’t wait to read other books by her. If fans like to read romance with a high pace action theme, they will love this book.

~ Samantha

To Have and To Heist is a entertaining tale I couldn't put down. The story was funny, action-packed, with a dash of romance and takes us on quite an adventure with Simi and her team who were all an unlikely crew but I loved them.
Simi and her best friend Chloe were BFF goals as it was obvious from early on, they would do anything for each other, which leads to Simi going all out to clear Chloe's name.
Part romantic suspense, part heist, this story was funny and outrageous and I enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it.

Really absolutely gorgeous book!

Thank you so much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

This book is not working for me. I've read about half, and while I'm enjoying parts, the overall reading experience isn't what I want it to be. There is so much dialogue compared to other types of narration that it's overwhelming and takes me out of the story. The narration (and especially the dialogue) feels overly witty and as if it's trying too hard to be clever. A lot is happening, and I'm interested in the plot, but there's no emotional depth and I can't connect to the characters. I am wholly uninvested in the romance aspect of this book, and actively put off by the forced love triangle.
I may come back to this in the form of an audiobook, because that may help with my dialogue issues, but for now I'm giving it 2.75 stars.