Part romantic suspense, part heist novel, I am one hundred percent loving Canadian South Asian author Sara Desai's plunge into more mystery/thriller romances!! This latest was a super fun take on an Ocean's Eleven-esque heist that takes place at a wedding and keeps you guessing right to the end.

Funny, tender and twisty, this book was hard to put down and great on audio narrated by one of my favs, Soneela Nankani. While it was a tad longer than I wanted, I thoroughly enjoyed all the South Asian cultural aspects and the three-dimensional cast of characters.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Romance and @prhaudio for early digital and audio copies in exchange for my honest review!! Recommended for fans of Sonali Dev, Farah Heron or Portrait of a thief by Grace D. Li.

Simi Chopra’s failed attempts at adulting so far have included losing multiple jobs, a very large student debt, living with a rowdy octogenarian in her basement apartment which recently flooded, and being caught up in a museum robbery involving her best friend, Chloe who was tricked into helping the thieves. Answering Chloe’s panicked call for help, Simi is dragged into the bushes behind the museum by Jack, a mysterious guy who has his own interest in the stolen, immensely valuable necklace.

Jack says he can help Simi and Chloe recover the necklace; however, she will need a crew to pull it off. The group they assemble looks more like refugees from the Island of Misfit Toys, a reference Simi would appreciate as she is a movie and TV buff. Each of the motley crew members have certain skills to help facilitate Simi’s grand plans of pretending to be a wedding planner in order to steal from the mob boss who has the stolen piece she so desperately wants.

Jack seems to know all about recovering expensive items by nefarious means and while Simi is very attracted to him, it is clear he is keeping a lot of secrets. Simi also draws the interest of a police detective involved in the stolen jewelry case. Detective Garcia is not sure whether Simi is guilty or not, but he knows wherever she goes, trouble follows. Simi seems to live much of her life on a sugar high from her parttime job at a mall candy store; her frenetic antics pervade this tale.

While much of it is entertaining, the story goes off on tangents that are distracting and the love interest, Jack, is often missing in action. I actually preferred Detective Garcia who gets more page time than bad boy Jack and seems like a better choice for Simi. The story has a lot of convoluted hijinks, failed attempts, crazy adventures as well as some darker moments connected to criminal brutality

This is a fun book! However, it was light on the romance. I definitely went in with the wrong expectations. Fans of Dial A for Aunties will love this one!

This was a really fun heist-y caper - a totally new direction from Sara Desai. I enjoyed the cozy mystery/ thriller vibe of this book, and the amateur heist crew, along with a strong romantic element.

Simi was an interesting character and definitely grew on me as the story progressed. I have to say the secondary cast of characters here was so strong, I was super intrigued by each and honestly wanted more.

The story kept me guessing and turning the pages, it gave me a little Ocean’s vibes but is also say it had the same feel as Alisha Rai’s Partners in Crime or Janet Evanovich’s One For The Money type feel. I think fans of any of the above will enjoy this one.

If you’re a fan of heists, misfit crews, unlikely friendships and some romantic suspense - definitely give this one a try. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Berkley for the opportunity to read an early copy! 🩵

Thank you to Berkley and netgalley for a gifted copy of this ARC.

I love Sara Desai! I saw a review that this book is "Wedding Planner" meets "Ocean's Eleven" and it is SO spot on! It was so ridiculous that it was good! I loved this group of misfits - they all had their own skills and together they were absolutely hilarious. As you can imagine, everything that could go wrong did and I was just dying to know if they were able to pull it off. Yes, there is romance in this book but, to me, it was not the main focus. I think to enjoy this book thoroughly you have to just let go of expectations and embrace the ridiculousness.

This was a fun mix of romance and actions/adventure. I liked following along with Simi and the band of misfits she pulls together to pull of a heist. It was fun to see them work to build and execute the plan, because obviously there are endless obstacles.

The romance was a tad unnecessary for me. But it was fine. And I wish we had some closure about the mysterious Mr X. But perhaps things will be revealed in a future book?

Overall fun and enjoyable and entertaining.

Simi and Jack meet when Simi is trying to rescue her best friend from a terrible situation. When it looks like her best friend Chloe will be going down for a theft she didn't commit, Simi works with Jack to try to help save the day. This book is a lot of hijinx and elaborate plans more than it is a romance. I felt like it was such a fun book, but I got no sparks between the two main characters. If anything, I felt like Simi was oogling pretty much all the attractive men in the book. I wasn't sure which one she would settle on even when I read the description of the book first. If you like a book with fun twists and crazy pranks, this book is for you. If you are looking for something with heavy romance, maybe come back to this one when you just want to read a fun light read.
Thanks to Berkley, Netgalley and Sara Desai for an early copy.

To Have and to Heist was unlike any romcom I've read recently. It is pure chaos in the best way. There's a heist, sure, but there's also an elephant, a sex-positive octogenarian, and a mafia wedding. I'm still not sure what I read, but it was sure fun.

To Have and to Heist was a delightful romp from start to end. It has the great makings of a traditional heist novel, with just a sprinkle of romance that Desai is already known for. I really enjoyed the main relationship and the added focus on the friendships that were introduced. I always prefer when a romance isn't one-note and only about the romantic love, so this book checked a lot of boxes for me and I would highly recommend anyone looking for a fun, summer read pick this one up!

This was an exciting and fabulous read. I really like the characters, although Simi initially annoyed me, and the plot was fast and furious. This will make a great summer read, and yes, I would definitely call it a cozy thriller.

Simi is a great character, although her habit of sharing way to much information, and just rambling on when she was nervous, annoyed me at the start of the book. But she did eventually grow on me. She is very smart, but does have issues with focus and staying still, so no desk job is going to work for her for long. She does eventually find her way, as she learns how to plan a wedding and a heist. She is the girl with the plan, and she can come up with alternatives when things go wrong as well. I loved her relationship with her bestie Chloe, who would help each other hide the bodies if necessary.

This is a romcom as well as a cozy thriller, and I just loved both of the men who are vying for Simi’s attention. Jack is quite the scoundrel, and there are a few chapters from his point of view, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Detective Garcia was also a delight and I loved how he kept just showing up, to ask Simi questions. I won’t say that there is a love triangle, as it is pretty obvious who Simi will end up with, but I loved her reactions to both men and there was lots of fun flirty banter.

Everyone of the characters on the heist crew, were also fun and feisty. I adored them all and I even enjoyed our criminal bad guys who were very intimidating all the time. I loved how they all came together to pull off the heist and worked well together for the most part, even when they were sniping at each other.

The story was so much fun. It was a little slow to start, and again I found Simi annoying at first, but if you stick with it, you will have a great time reading this. It eventually picks up the pace and there are lots of twists that will keep you guessing as to who has the necklace. You do have to suspend some disbelief, though as there are some pretty implausible things that go on, but isn’t that the fun part of a thriller?

I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend you add it to your summer reading list. It would be a fun one to read on a beach or poolside. The ending was left open enough that I am hoping for a sequel, as it would be so much fun to spend time with this ragtag group of characters again.

There were a lot of things I liked about this! But the obsession with food, weight, and people’s looks became really overwhelming and made it difficult to enjoy the rest of the book.

To Have and to Heist is the perfect rom com!!

Sara Desai's latest novel is absolutely fantastic and completely binge-able! I devoured this book in less than a day and had the WORST book hangover after because nothing was as funny/charming/entertaining as this book. To Have and to Heist is Ocean's 8 meets Finaly Donovan is Killing It meets every classic romcom. The millennial struggle is real for Simi, a South Asian woman living in Chicago who is overeducated, underemployed, and about to move back in with her parents. The one bright spot in her life is her best friend Chloe, who would help her bury a body--literally. When a jewel heist, a maybe-sort-of-date, and a rescue attempt go awry, Simi teams up with an unlikely cast of characters to clear Chloe's name. With a hot cop on her tail, and an even hotter thief popping in and out of her life, Simi leans to unlock a side of herself she never new existed.

I loved the entire cast of characters so much and I hope Sara Desai continues this series! Seriously this is the perfect heist romance and I cannot wait for it to hit shelves soon! Thanks so much to Berkley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review <3

When your best friend gets framed for stealing a priceless jewel whats a girl to do than set up a jewelry heist, become a fake wedding planner, and possibly fall for a very charming and mysterious thief in order to exonerate her? Simi Chopra lives a pretty mundane life, she tends to lose her jobs, her student debt is growing, and her best friend has just been accused of stealing a multimillion-dollar diamond necklace. Simi is ready to just break into the museum and try and get her friend out whens he is suddenly taken into a bush by a very handsome and mysterious stranger named Jack who says he did it to help her avoid getting arrested and says that he can help her find the missing necklace and steal it back but he wont tell her why or how he knows all this. The first thing they’ll need to do is get a heist crew together. Soon Simi finds herself befriending the most unlikely people, pretending to be a wedding planner and planning the wedding of a mob boss’s daughter... and dealing with the feelings she has for Jack. Jack is full of secrets but she can’t. help but feel drawn in, yet can their relationship really work when she knows so little about him? Can she save her friend and pull of the ultimate heist or was it doomed to fail from the start? This was a pretty good rom com, it felt a bit all over the place but it was interesting and it had some fun moments. I do enjoy a heist and the romance was very light but thats okay. I enjoyed the assortment of characters in the heist crew too. Overall, if you enjoy rom com heist then give this a go!

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

If you liked Ocean's 8 and Finlay Donovan, this is the perfect novel for you!! This was messy, witty, and just honestly such a fun rom com to read - the perfect book to sink into over your weekend!! The banter was hilarious, the plot was great, and how can we not love a plant-loving man?? There was a fantastic sense of found family, and just true, honest friendship - so refreshing!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for access to this e-arc in exchange for an honest review :)

This was my first ever book by this author, and I have to say I was not disappointed! This one was a quick and cute read.

Loved this fun heisty rom com! If you're a fan of Finlay Donovan, you'll enjoy this book. With steamy romance from a plant-loving man and a team of misfits who become as close as family, I really enjoyed this!

It took me a little while to get into this but once I did, it was fast-paced and funny. Very reminiscent of Ocean's 8 but different backstory and an even quirkier crew. Simi is underemployed, nearly thirty, and unmarried (to her parents' dismay), and now her basement apartment has flooded, sending her home to live with her parents temporarily. She's working part-time at a candy store and picks up some shifts at her father's tailoring business, and also trying to help out her best friend Chloe, a single mother with an abusive ex who is struggling to make ends meet. Chloe does freelance work as a white hat hacker and gets framed for stealing a necklace worth $25 million from a small museum in Chicago. Simi, as her ride or die, goes to try to help her escape the museum but is accosted by a strange man who hides her from the police who have just arrested Chloe. He introduces himself as Oliver Twist, and they have an immediate attraction and connection. When he leaves, Simi lets the cops find her and is taken in along with Chloe. Oliver (aka Jack, though it's not clear if that's his real name either) finds Simi and proposes a plan to clear Chloe's name - they'll steal the necklace back and return it to the museum. Willing to do anything to help Chloe, Simi pulls together a ragtag crew to plan a heist. It all involves drones, a getaway driver, a fence who turns out to be in the mob, an elephant, a fake wedding planning business, and Simi and Jack getting closer while she also has a weird flirtation going on with the detective who keeps questioning her about the original theft. I really enjoyed this, as I love my romance novels to have at least some hint of adventure, and this heist plan fit the bill. I haven't read Sara Desai before but I'll definitely keep an eye out for more.

Sara Desai’s books are always so fun. I love her writing and the characters. I would recommend giving this book a read this summer!

This was a fun and messy romcom. I was super intrigued by the heist part of the story and that was a good time. I didn’t fall in love with the couple though. I liked it but it’s not a new favorite or anything.

To Have and To Heist
By Sara Desai
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publication Date July 18, 2023

Simi is going through a lot at the moment. She's drowning in student debt, has lost her job, her apartment has flooded. And to top it off her best friend has just been accused of stealing a multi-million dollar necklace.

And then you have Jack who is charming and mysterious and can help Simi clear her friend's name. All he needs is a crew.

This was such a funny book. There are so many moments throughout it that I found myself laughing out loud because I could not contain it.

Though this book is marketed as a romantic comedy. I would definitely say that it is more of a comedy than a romance. Because the romance is not the center or the core of this book at all.

A lot of this book revolves around friendship. True, genuine, extremely close friendship. The banter in this book was just top notch hilarity. Highly recommend this book if you want a really funny book with genuine characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for an arc in exchange for an honest review.