This book was so amazing. I would have read it in three days if I didn’t keep losing my kindle (sigh).
These characters were amazing. The writing was amazing. What wasn’t amazing you might ask? Not much.
I’ve seen criticism of deveroe and Ross’s relationship and how quickly it advanced, but until the end I thought it was very accurate to how teenagers are.
The pacing of this book never slowed down, but wasn’t too fast it was drowning you either.
I recommend this book to pretty much everyone

I absolutely could not put this book down. The author does a great job of creating a fast-paced plot with believable, flawed characters.I believe the comparison between Oean's Eleven and the Inheritance Game is accurate. A must-read for high school students, young adults, and even adults. I hope to see a sequel to this title.

This book is so good!! I really liked the concept, and the author really followed through. The characters were all so believable. The author wasn’t afraid to make them flawed. I really appreciated the details! I think the cross of Ocean’s 11 and The Inheritance Games describes this book to a T! Ross and Noelia’s relationship was perfect. All around good vibes, I love it.

Fast paced, thrilling, page turner you won’t want to put down. I loved this book! The twists and turns and puzzles were great and kept my interest. Such a fun and interesting read! Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed the romance between the MC and Devroe. I never saw the ending coming and love when books do that! I love how the book ended and hope there’s a sequel! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of this book.
I managed to finish the entire thing in 2 days while reading digitally and for me that is a feat.
This book is very good and well written. It lives up to the hype it is given with the books it is being compared to but it doesn’t compare well to them. It briefly mentions oceans eleven and that’s the main parallel. Overall it is a good book and I’m looking forward to rereading in physical format.

The tag line on this book really sold me. The Inheritance Games meets Ocean Eleven in a heist thriller with a cutthroat competition. Those are all of my buzz words. I also saw that the film rights were also bought before the book has even released. The character diversity and cultural references in this book are top notch. You really get a bit of everything and the author did a great job with representation. I enjoyed the main character Ross Quest and the fact that she had to fight for her mother’s life in this competition. There was a little bit of a pacing issue for me though. The book just seemed to have a slow burn and at the end it was boom bam wham all these different twists and it was hard to keep up at times. The ending also left room for a sequel so we will see if it actually happens. If so, I will be picking it up.



**Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.**

Thank you to #NetGalley for sending me an ARC! I genuinely loved reading this book and was at the edge of my seat the whole story long! With a pretty fast plot pace, a diverse cast of characters, and mounds of twists, this book is captivating. Obviously, as with most heist stories, some of the heists and finer points weren't super realistic or totally smoothed out but I found it didn't distract from the main idea, but rather made it even more high stakes!

Loved this book. Unique plot, interesting characters, nice segway to start a series. Can’t wait to read the next one!

I don’t really read much YA anymore but this was worth making an exception for.

It was an unusual kind of story, teenage thieves. I half-expected it to have a fantasy feel to it but was glad it was set in the real world (or as close to the real world you can get). I’m glad it didn’t spend the whole time every man for himself. The interaction between the characters was enjoyable and the heists were tense.

It sets itself up for a sequel and I’ll definitely be back for the next one.

Reviewed on Instagram. Thieves’ Gambit (release date September 2023). Kayvion Lewis writes a lively plot different from anything we’ve read recently. As readers, we felt as if we played the gambit along with the characters.

If you like:
- international heist competition tropes
- trust no one, not even that cute boy
- a quest to save her mother
- a strong cast of characters

Get ready for Thieves' Gambit coming out 9/12/23!!

Our FMC Ross is such a well crafted character. Her struggles are set up early as well as her deeply ingrained priorities. She has had very little socialization so she's a bit awkward and very direct with people. She has the mother of all trust issues which is so great for her love interest, Devroe. He's incredibly charming and funny. I liked the little ways we saw him looking out for her. I liked that there was the subplot thread of a romance but the story was definitely focused on the main plot.

I adored the side characters specifically in this book, they kind of carried it for me. Kyung-soon was a favorite for sure, I also really enjoyed Taiyo's character. All of them had really unique personalities and skills. The only one that fell kind of flat for me was Adra, she was so quickly slotted into Noelie's side kick that she didn't get much personality past that.

There's a fantastic cinematic vibe, I can definitely see how this would translate well to the screen. I enjoyed Lewis's style. It's very punchy and direct, it is perfectly geared towards a current YA audience. She literally says something was "yeeted" across the room and I loved this it made me laugh so much cause I would have said it the same way.

The pacing felt a little bit off to me. The first challenge took maybe 10-15%, the second one took like 50%, and only <25% was left for the final challenge. The second one definitely felt like it was dragging on a bit too much. However once we got through that final challenge, the pace shifted into high power and I could not put it down.

Overall, I actually really enjoyed this book. I went into it cautiously optimistic because I don't *normally* like competition tropes. They have to be handled a very specific way for me to enjoy them, and Lewis used the trope really well! I can't wait to see Thieves' Gambit on shelves in September!

Note NONE OF YOU ARE READY FOR THE TWISTS!!!!

ARC received from Penguin Teen in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.
Thieves Gambit was SUCH a fun and easy read! It's a young adult Oceans 11 meets hunger games inspired story. It centers around a thieves competition that takes place around the world that involves characters from all over the world. I love the inclusiveness and representation this book gives. It's got high stakes, it has a slow burn romance, it's got heists, it has twists and turns! The ending will leave you wanting more and I can't wait to see where this series goes!

Ross is a 17 year old thief who feels isolated by her illustrious crime family and the fact that her mother has hammered the mantra "Trust no one" into her head for most of her life. She devises a plan to sneak away and attend a college gymnasts camp, just so she can finally be around kids her own age. On a last minute mission before she's set to make her escape, disaster strikes and her mom is captured by the people they're robbing. They demand a ridiculous ransom which forces Ross to enter into the very secretive and shadowy Thieves Gambit. The gambit consists of a handful of the world's most talented young thieves and criminals and they need to compete against each other to win the coveted wish at the end of the competition.

Ross struggles with whether or not to trust her fellow competitors, one of which is an old friend who had wronged her in the past. What follows is a fun heisty romp around the world: a museum in France, a high end auction at a luxury hotel in Egypt, and more private planes than you can shake a stick at.

The first half was a little draggy for me and I didn't feel totally immersed until the second task. The ending was interesting, but felt rushed and I kept having to reread bits because I felt like I kept missing key details, but they weren't there. The writing was tight and polished, but I did have a hard time believing that our characters were all 16-18 years old. I also felt like there could've been a bit more details during their heists, because like I said, I felt like I kept missing crucial information.

All in all, it was super fun and I look forward to continuing on with the series!

There were parts of this book I really loved and others that felt really slow. The second half of the book was fast-paced and kept my attention pretty well, the beginning had a few struggles for me. I enjoyed the idea of this novel a lot. A competition between teenaged thieves, high stakes, and a prize anyone would wish for. I do think it was odd that it was brought up that you could hurt your competitors and killing wasn't off the table but that wasn't brought up too much again. Near the end there were plenty of plot twists and the ending surprised me. Overall, I think the main character was likeable, but I do think she questioned herself a lot for being a thief. Near the end, she seemingly gave up a lot for people who betrayed her, which to me is rough. I would be interested to see a novel about the year after. 3.5/5 stars.

Thieves’ Gambit is marketed as The Inheritance Games Meets Oceans 11, and it delivered. Packed full of action and heists. The story kicks off with glitz, glam, and luxury you're sure to escape into.
Kayvion Lewis has written a wide cast of characters, nine in total including our Main Character, competing in the competition. Within this large cast there's so much diversity and unique characters. While I tend to struggle with large cast stories, trying to keep track of who everyone is. Lewis wrote all his characters with defining characteristics, physically and personality wise to set them apart.
There was never a dull moment while reading, I was hooked from the start and was engaged throughout. The chapters were super short and made for easy and quick reading. The plot twists definitely kept me unable to put it down, while some twists may have been predictable, overall I was surprised when things were revealed.
The ending had my jaw on the floor and eager to read the next book, which I am now anticipating. Prepare for a cliffhanger.
If you’re looking for the luxury and easy reading of The Inheritance Games combined with the heists and action of Oceans 11 and a side romance then Kayvion Lewis’ Thieves’ Gambit is for you!

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Title alone makes me think it’s a copy of The Inheritance Games, but it’s described as Inheritance Games meets Oceans Eleven. Also not a huge fan of the cover, but that’s fine, I’ve liked books with bad covers before.

It’s an okay book. I think it’s trying to compete with The Inheritances Games too much, and that’s where it looses its appeal.

The writing was also fine, there was a lot more telling than showing than I would have liked. Also the teen drama had me rolling my eyes, it was a little much at times.

I LOVE a heist! Any book, movie, or tv show where a heist is involved and I'm there. I love trying to figure out what plan the characters are going to come up and how they deal with roadblocks along the way.

Thieves' Gambit was such a fun read. I really enjoyed all the different challenges that Ross and crew had to handle. There were multiple heists in multiple locations and while I guessed at some of the plot twists, I genuinely had such a fun time reading this that it didn't bother me. There were a few moments that felt a tad repetitive for me, but I never thought the book felt slow and liked the pacing a lot.

The romance and flirtation between Ross and Devroe was great, but I absolutely can't want for more of Ross and Noelia - I feel like they could get up to some absolutely wonderful mischief together. After that ending, I need another book asap!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Penguin Group for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was not at all what I was expecting. It had much more thrilling and dramatic moments than I was anticipating.

I really enjoyed the fast-paced nature of this, but the romance felt unnecessary. And this is coming from somebody who loves everything romance. 😂

It very much gave me Oceans 11 vibes but mixed in with a little bit of a who done it mystery.

I can't really say much about this book without spoiling it because everything is a spoiler when it comes to this book.

But I will say if you are at all intrigued by thrilling adventures. Lots of heists and a lot of death defying moments then this is definitely a book to pick up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

For those readers who like high adventure and constant twists and turns, you will enjoy this book. The romance, friendships, and family dynamics are all interesting and I really liked the main teen characters. They were what made me continue to the end.
However, I really struggled with the adults in the book. and the end goal. It all seemed slimy. I didn't care about the gambit, I didn't like the adults immorality. I don't have any interest in the gambit going forward.
I would like to read more about the teens and their interactions but not if it involves the gambit.
Maybe a sequel would make the story more palatable than where it ended with this one..

Working in a library where The Inheritance Games is a top topic of conversation, I knew that I had to give Thieves' Gambit a try. Kavion Lewis's novel is fun and fresh, and though it didn't have me dreading the end, I enjoyed it! My students will love this one, and it stands out above the glut of mystery and suspense novels currently hitting the shelves. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy!