This one took me awhile to get into, but once I did, I enjoyed it. Ross comes from a family of highly skilled and successful thieves, but she longs for a normal life. She makes a plan to escape, but things go wrong and suddenly she has to come up with an exorbitant amount of money to rescue her mom. She agrees to participate in the Thieves Gambit competition to get her wish and save her mom. What she didn’t bargain on was making friends and finding a love interest. Suspenseful tasks and story twists abound- it’s a fun read, and I will read the next book in the series. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The biggest problem as an ARC reader is that you have to wait even longer for the sequel!!!

Thieves' Gambit by @kayvionclewis is exactly this sort of book! There are... five heists, three of them with multiple sub-heists, and puzzles and riddles throughout. It's gripping, fast paced, with characters you absolutely root for and can't get enough of! I had guessed just one of the...three? four? plot twists at the end, and while this story wraps up completely, I truly hope we get to see the next chapter in their adventure too!

I love heists. Movies, novels, documentaries… if there are heists involved, I’m here for it! Thieves’ Gambit had so many of the traits I’d expect with a great heist book: strategy, thrilling twists, and questionable characters with a variety of motives.

The book was quick-paced and oh-so-fun to read, and I loved that different young thieves were set up against each other throughout the competition. This involved some excellent strategy as they all try to one-up the others, leading to some exciting twists and turns.

I quite enjoyed the book and will definitely be watching for book 2 in the future!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for this advanced copy!

this was so good with all the twists and turns! Wow, i am actually blown away from how much i enjoyed this, i devoured it and finished it in one sitting! it was so much fun and kept me on my toes, wanting to read more to find out what will happen next. The plot of this book was so intriguing, i love books with competition! the characters were so likeable too, ross is badass

A true thrill ride for fans of Ally Carter and The Inheritance Games! I've always wanted more books like the Ally Carter classics I grew up on, and this definitely fills that void. Kayvion Lewis has built a new world of globe-trotting, action-filled competition for a savvy, skilled group of teens. Protagonist Ross Quest is thrown into the Gambit, sometimes soaring and sometimes losing as she battles and alternatively works with a diverse group of rivals. The challenges are true challenges and fun to follow, and we get to see Ross work her way through the puzzles. This perhaps come at the loss of deeper development, though I was mostly just along for the plot-filled ride in this case. Lewis did keep me guessing and surprised enough, pleased with clever reveals, though the final twist is obvious - though it sets up an intriguing sequel that I hope delves into the emerging rivalry as well as the family issues.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley! This felt like YA Oceans 11 and I loved it! I appreciated the back story and twists and turns which left me hooked! I couldn’t get enough of this story and read in one sitting!!

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for advance copy!

This book will be published on September 26th.

This was my first ever heist book! And I really enjoyed it!!!

“A Quest can only trust another Quest.”

It is fate that Rosalyn's last name is Quest because her family's business is doing heist. And she pretty much was raised on doing these different tasks and is an assistant to her mom on these different missions. I love that the book opened with her doing a heist with her mom. Once her mom gets kidnapped, she joins the Gambit as the winning prize would be anything she wants. So naturally she wants to free her mom. And that's when the fun begins!

Trust is a big theme throughout the book. Ross has always been told not to trust anyone. But during the course of the Gambit that theory is constantly being tested. And it was tested in the form of another competitor - Devroe. The immediate attraction was hard to ignore. Ross did resist until she caved in. I felt bad for her throughout the book because you could tell that she had a hard time connecting with the other competitors. Though you could see things changing toward the end still you could tell she had difficulty accepting any sort of friendship. I really liked her character and thought she was could think ahead and was quick on her feet. Even if she had a hard time trusting people, people trusted her.

"These are real people, Devore." I felt my lips quiver. "Real people. Lives --"
"So are we."

There were a few different twists that I wish I could discuss but you have to read to find out what they are! I was surprised by the end and also disappointed at some of the characters involved. And the way that the book ended it felt like there could be sequel which I am in for! I want to see more of the new relationship Ross will have with this particular character. The last 50% definitely kept the pace moving and I was really sucked into the game.

I did see that this is going to be adapted for theaters and prior to knowing that I thought this would be a perfect movie!
I will definitely go and see it and I think my husband would enjoy it as well.

Check this book out if you enjoy young adult competition games with a wee bit of romance.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get too far into this one due to formatting errors in the PDF showing up strangely on my Kindle, but I enjoyed what I did read and look forward to finishing it when it comes out!

Inventive, captivating, and full of delicious twists! This is definitely a book to have on your radar with upcoming young adult releases. It kept me up reading all night wanting to know what would happen. I think it’s going to be a huge hit for teens.

Want a young adult novel full of heists and twists and turns that keeps you guessing until the very end? Then add Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion Lewis to your TBR or just read it right now. This fast-paced mystery thriller follows Ross Quest, a third-generation thief who wants to leave the thievery behind and just be a relatively normal 17-year-old. However, when she attempts to start a new life, her plan goes horribly wrong and now her mother’s life is at stake. Ross enters the Thieves’ Gambit, an international series of heists where anything goes, including killing off the competition. Survive and complete the heists to the satisfaction of whoever is running this “game” and you’re granted a single wish of anything you want in the world. Can Ross win it all and save her mom? Or will her competitors run her out of the game? Will Ross continue with living the family motto of “trust no one”? Or will she open her heart to developing relationships of friendship and even possibly love?
This novel throws you into the middle of the action from the get-go. Heist after heist keeps you on the edge of your seat and biting your nails. Although some of the heist details seem a little outrageous and somewhat unbelievable (but then again, what do I know about pulling off museum and expensive art heists?), Lewis takes hold of your senses and drags you into the action without letting you go. Just go with it and continue reading; you won’t be disappointed.
The one thing that threw me off a little bit is the idea of the potential romance between Ross and another competitor in the Thieves’ Gambit. While I can see why it was added and adds to the overall story somewhat, I think I would have enjoyed the book more without it. Maybe I just wanted a pure heist novel rather than elements of romance this time around with my reading.
I gave this novel four out of five stars. Lewis keeps you guessing until the very end and her ending leaves room for a sequel which I’ll probably want to read as well. Apparently, movie rights to this book have already been purchased, even before the story comes out, so it’ll be interesting to see where things go on that front.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Nancy Paulsen Books, for providing me an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This book comes out on Tuesday, September 26, 2023.

This was the perfect YA heist book! So many twists and turns; fun characters; interesting villains; amazing skills and action; and all of it perfect for a young adult audience or someone like me who just wants to enjoy a good ol' heist without a lot of language, gore, or other not so young themes.

Definitely "Inheritance Games," Ocean's movies, and old school Ally Carter "Heist Society" vibes, but in a more modern and diverse world.

Truly enjoyed the thrill of this one and I can't wait to see what else this author has in store for readers!

Wow, this book is so full of action, I was turning pages. I absolutely could not put it down. I love all the characters, the way they interacted with each other and each new layer that was uncovered about their pasts' was just really enjoyable to read.

I think the plot is good, the pacing is a bit slow to build, but once it's going, it doesn't stop until the end. I think here and there were some hard-to-believe feats, especially considering that the characters are all in their teens, but I didn't mind because I felt that the story was pretty engrossing and I was just in for the ride.

I did not know this was going to be a series, so I was quite disappointed to get to the end and basically be dangling on a cliffhanger. I will be waiting very impatiently to get my hands on the next book. I hope it comes out soon, because boy - what a way to end the book!

I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves spies and heist stories, or just some action-packed drama. This book has that in spades.

3.5 Stars (Round up to 4)

This new thriller is the perfect easy read for those looking for a fast paced heist book. It was fun to follow and had an enjoyable plot filled with twists. The book follows our main character, Ross, who has been raised to be a thief but longing to be a normal teenager as she ends up in a competition for thieves to save her mother. She is our typical stubborn and rash teenage heroine who is learning how to socialize with people her own age, including a charming competitor. 

Although this book is compared to the hunger games, I didn’t feel like the danger was present enough for a deadly game trope, but this is perfect for younger readers who may be into books about heists. I enjoyed the explanations about the heists that took place and the way she described all the techniques the thieves use. 

The only complaint I have is that the characters felt a little flat. There wasn’t too much character growth nor did I feel the friendships and chemistry between the characters. This may be part of the main character’s flaw as she’s never had any friends due to her family’s line of work, however it did make it hard for me to root for the romance or friendships. 

I would recommend this to anyone looking for an easy fun read about heists or anyone who enjoys books about competitions and found family tropes. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for providing me with an ARC of this book for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this DRC.
A fun and fast-paced multi-heist book with teen competitors. Young thieves from around the world are challenged to compete in a Gambit, a contest to be the best and receive a wish from a secret society. Ross Quest decides to compete out of guilt – she was planning to leave her solitary criminal life (at least for the summer!) when her mother is kidnapped. Now she must play for her life. Along the way she might learn something about friendship and trust.
This is a great fun book. Lots of twists and turns. Ross is a great character with a steel backbone and a secret squishy heart.
#ThievesGambit #NetGalley

Upon finishing Thieves’ Gambit, I entirely understand why it has the hype that it does. This is a book that received a million-dollar advance across auction with multiple publishers interested; it successfully combines elements from multiple popular books while still feeling fresh, and fills a void left behind by series like Heist Society and The Inheritance Games. Personally, I just love when a book is authentically global, taking part across multiple cities across the world without each location feeling like a placeholder. These characters are genuinely familiar with spots in France, the Bahamas, Switzerland, and elsewhere, so the globe-trotting aspect is vivid and larger-than-life. I had mixed thoughts about certain choices, but overall loved the book and will recommend it widely. A lot of it feels familiar already, but enough of the atmosphere and “little things” felt fresh that it’ll release with a bang.

First, I’m immensely grateful to Thieves’ Gambit for actually living up to its “for fans of” premise. If y’all read the blog regularly, you know how frustrated I was by Portrait of a Thief promising to be a heist book but then skipping over all of the logistics and promises of the genre in favor of internal conflict; I thought the stakes and the actions didn’t match, and therefore didn’t make any sense. Thieves’ Gambit, meanwhile, matches the characters’ focus with what they’re risking, so therefore feels much more satisfying. You’ll pick it up expecting a no-holds-barred global espionage thriller, and that’s what you’ll get. Many YA books take on a competition structure, but few lately have done it successfully. (Cue eyeroll towards Lightlark.)

It’s very classically action-packed, so the pacing will hook even the most reluctant readers. We start with Rosalyn assisting her mother while stealing artifacts, diamonds, and the like. While curled up to hide in a piece of furniture, she clicks into an email from a gymnastics camp she’d love to go to and reflects on how she’s trapped in the family business. Ultimately, she decides to strike out on her own—but doubles back to join a “dangerous” thieves’ competition when things go awry during a job. She must win the ultimate prize, as it’s the only way to save her family.

PLOT

The romance was eh and the prose was fine, but this book will be popular for its plot, which is 90 percent fabulous. I can see multiple comps throughout it that mean it will have a pretty wide variety of appeal (and for those unfamiliar with publishing, comp titles tend to be the reason a book will do really well $$-wise when acquired!) Those who love the cleverness of Rick Riordan and Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s challenges will thrive in Thieves’ Gambit. Pair the global intrigue of Heist Society with a light dash of Squid Game? Sure. When in doubt, this will be my go-to reluctant reader pick going forward. It pulls from a wide variety of popular media without feeling mishmashed or stale.

The competition itself pulls thieves from all corners of the world (some rivals) to compete to be a mysterious organization’s appointed thief for a year, with the winner receiving “their ultimate wish” at the end. There’s a love interest, an enemy, and an assorted other cast with unknown motivations (who did, admittedly, feel muddled at times.) The ensemble played off each other, so I loved the complexity of its dynamic. 

Where Thieves’ Gambit excelled was in the cleverness of its execution. We get a challenge; it seems impossible. Rosalyn must use her wits to solve the case, even when unknown obstacles and twists are thrown her way. Reading each chapter of the game was such a joy, as it was so mentally satisfying and well thought-out up until the ending. The book succeeds on a micro level, and it also didn’t pull punches, which I appreciated. People get injured and nearly killed. There are real consequences and stakes that propel each character. The pacing reminded me of James Dashner or Ally Carter, i.e. an actual domino effect that means each chapter hinges on the previous.

CHARACTERS

Where the book struggles most—and fails to grab me—is in its internal and emotional arcs, which are so heavy-handed and telegraphed that they fail to feel authentic. You can tell exactly how carefully Lewis has placed specific statements to show the goals of each character, so each trajectory feels overly obvious throughout the book. Because of that, it feels like these conflicts are plugged into a formula rather than feeling genuine, and some of the quote-unquote betrayals are eye-rollingly obvious because they’ve been mapped out the entire time. I loved Rosalyn and how creative she was in her solutions, and readers of Jennifer Lynn Barnes will absolutely love her too, so I occasionally thought that you really had to suspend belief in order to believe that she could be so naive to something later revealed as a big twist. I also loved one character, who was there teaching himself how to be a thief; his logic and strategy were so compelling to me.

The characters were endearing, and I appreciated how intricate and complex Rosalyn’s relationship was with her mother, especially when things go awry. The familial conflict will resonant with many as she navigates questions of loyalty versus autonomy.

THE ENDING

I didn’t enjoy the ending. I thought one of the betrayals was incredibly clear, and that Rosalyn was too smart for its convenience. She was way too quick to trust, considering the stakes of the game, which felt a little off. Similarly, I really struggled with the supposed raised stakes of the final challenge in the Gambit. On a moral level, it felt weird that the thieves’ would suddenly have such a hard time with this one challenge but not the others; honestly, it felt extremely naive of them to suddenly think this was wrong to do, but not examine the consequences of their previous actions and how they might ultimately lead to similar outcomes. So the ending felt pretty silly and superfluous to me, because you kind of all knew what you were getting into? How was this supposedly bad but not the rest? 

The previous tasks were just handled so well that I thought the ending really flopped, as there was nowhere near the same level of creativity and impact. It felt like Lewis got to the end and panicked, and didn’t really know how to get from the middle to the big reveals, so some of the climax felt somewhat thrown together. In that sense, I was disappointed by how it all came together, which would normally be the KISS OF DEATH for me and a book, but I loved the middle and experience enough that I still considered this a fun, fabulously entertaining read. It’s smart despite its bumpiness, and I’m hoping the sequel will be even smoother and more capable.

OVERALL

Although it does feel like everything is plugged into a structure we’ve seen before and a lot of the book feels overall relatively obvious, the execution was done well enough where the book feels crisp and appealing. The macro layout of it is familiar. The middle was so good, which is where most books sag for me, so I think ultimately if you’re like me and despise the ending, you’ll still love most of the book and it will be a winner. Do I think the payoff’s there? No. But everything else is so well done that I don’t entirely care. It still annoys me a little bit, but I’m choosing not to be a brat about craft. It’s such a net-positive.

Thieves’ Gambit is a delightful, plot-heavy, and international read that will hook you from the first chapter and entertain you the whole way through. That’s all I want and need, and it’s why so many people will pick up and love this one. Definitely buy this for teens, classrooms, libraries, friends…oh, and it’s optioned for film too.

Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion Lewistells the story of Ross, a teen from a notorious family of thieves for hire, who is desperate for a normal life. Unfortunately, events conspire to draw her further into her life of crime as she enters a competition for young, promising thieves intent on winning a very valuable prize. Things are not always what they seem, and Ross is unsure who she can trust.

Though I didn’t feel connected to Ross immediately, I eventually grew to appreciate her and her competitors, enemies, and friends. The competition was the highlight of this story for me, and the fantastic ending was worth the slower start.

This read like Hunger Games meets Ocean Eleven, and I quite enjoyed the ride.

Thieves’ Gambit releases September 26, 2023.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the advanced reader copy.

(Review posted on Instagram within a week of release date.)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
4.5/5 STARS

Genre: YA mystery/adventure

Similar Books:
The Inheritance Games

Synopsis:
Raised in a theiving family, a girl enters a gambit to pay her mother’s ransom.

This was such a fun book! It has the puzzles of The Inheritance Games mixed with the heists of Oceans 11. I love books with competitions and this one did not disappoint. It is fast paced and so full of twists and turns that I couldn’t put it down. The different heists were very creative and very enjoyable to watch unfold. The ending leaves potential for a sequel and I really hope there is one!

Thank you Penguin Teen for the gifted copy! 🥷

4.5 stars

This was such a fun and entertaining read! Action, adventure, mystery, and a bit of romance too! The Gambit was like a cross between the Italian Job/Ocean's Eleven and the Amazing Race (and a little Hunger Games too). I loved the variety of characters and how diverse they all were. You never knew who was truly working with you or against you. The secondary characters added great tension and humor to the story. The book was fast paced and kept me engaged and guessing. I did figure out one of the plot points earlyish, but even that one I didn't realize the full extent of until the big reveal.

Ross was such a fantastic character. She was smart, quick on her feet, and showed so much grace under pressure. She was also a wonderfully relatable teen, who wanted to spread her wings and leave the nest. It was her complex relationship with her mother that really intrigued me and set the emotional stakes very high. I wasn't as invested in her connection to Devroe though and the romance aspect felt a bit forced between them.

I both listened to and read the ebook of Thieves' Gambit and the narration by Jade Wheeler was amazing! She did such a fantastic job with the variety of characters and accents. I had no problems differentiating between all of the characters. Definitely recommend enjoying this one on audiobook if you can!

Audiobook Review
Overall 5 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 4.5 stars

Note: Thieves' Gambit is part of a series (maybe a duology, but probably a trilogy). Readers should know that while the main action of this book is wrapped up, the larger storyline is not complete. The book does end on a cliffhanger, but not a gut punch/rip your heart to shreds cliffy.

CW: violence (guns, knives, etc), fighting, life threatening situations, kidnapping & ransom, theft, death of parent (past), grief

*I voluntarily read and listened to an advance review copy of this book*

The Thieves' Gambit was such a fun read! Lewis did a fantastic job of creating a tense and action-packed story that is hard to put down. Everything about this book was intriguing: the plot, the characters, the setting. What I liked most about the Thieves' Gambit were the characters. I liked the complexity (and diversity) of the characters and not knowing who to trust. The ending was WILD and I am eagerly waiting for the next book in the series. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers for the ARC.

I’ve been hearing nothing but amazing things about this book so I couldn’t wait to pick it up. Thankfully, it lives up to the hype. This book started off with a bang and grabbed my attention immediately. I couldn’t stop reading. It’s very fast paced and very easy to read and I really loved our MC, Ross.