I want a movie for this book SO bad!! I’m always looking for fun action packed movies like Kingsman: The Secret Service or Tomb Raider and this book felt like that!! There’s a series of heists (we pretty much all love a good book with heists) throughout this entire book! There’s also crime families and friendships made and a ton of action packed into this book! This book literally gripped me from the start and had me until the very end! I’m also super excited to find out there will be a sequel 🥹.

The characters were all unique and fun, especially the main character, Ross Quest! I quite loved her personality and the fact that she has so much to lose throughout the Thieves’ Gambit made it so much more thrilling! Also the twist?! 👀 Rude!! lol

Overall, this book was such a pleasant surprise for me. I seriously look forward to the sequel releasing!

Okay! This was a good read! It was action packed and the stakes kept getting higher with every phase they went through. The danger and the difficulty was increasing, and never knowing if you can trust anyone. Because who would be stupid enough to trust another thief? I did guess at part of the big ending, but I still wasn't prepared for the cliffhanger that occurred. I really hope Ross's mom has a redemption arc in the next book, because right now, as of this ending? I kinda wanna kick her off a yacht into shark infested waters. I didn't know I could dislike a character so much that barely had any page time, but here we are. There is a smidge of romance, but nothing more than a kiss occurs (like any good YA book)

Ross is part of a master thief family. They are legends around the world. She has been training her whole life, never making friends, and never trusting anyone but family. And all she wants is a normal life. She is about to make a run from her family, when her mom is kidnapped and the ransom is a billion dollars. They don't have that much, even if they are great at what they do. So she enters the Top Secret, high stakes competition called The Gambit. Because while there is danger and difficult tasks around every corner, the winner gets a wish. And she is going to get her mom back.

As someone who loved Oceans 8 and all its sequels as well as had a ball with inheritance games I can say if you enjoyed those you will fall hard for this. It reminds me of Caraval but contemporary and with a POC lead (with the wish and finding a family member ) and Hunger Games but for thieves and less brutal, especially with the “ sponsors “. The representation was so great we need more black male characters ( say it for the back) “We need more black male characters”. Like this was fresh air I didn’t know I needed to breathe. I was giggling and screaming! I laughed at similar points when she did so It’s definitely YA humor and true to age which is nice though I think some older crowds can enjoy its youthfulness as well. I don’t want to spoil but It gives enemies to I don’t want to hate you to lovers to you’ll have to find out.

I have had the same problem with other books, where the premise had sounded so exciting, but I just couldn't get into it. I've seen so many influencers say that this book was phenomenal, and while I wanted to believe them, something about this book couldn't capture my attention. I did like the main character, from what I read of her, but I felt as though if I tried to read this book it might put me in a reading slump. The premise sounds so good, which makes me upset that I didn't have the motivation to read it. Maybe once I get a print copy of this book, I'll be able to read it, but for now, I just really can't find it in me to enjoy it.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

Thieves’ Gambit was an exhilarating and tightly plotted debut novel that really scratched my itch for YA action/adventure. With a thrilling heist and large and intriguing (if slightly unwieldy) cast of characters, Kayvion Lewis’s debut is sure to be a hit for anyone looking for a refreshing action-packed YA read.

Main character Ross was a well-developed protagonist, and I especially appreciated how, despite that high-stakes heist plot, her characterization and flaws felt authentically YA/teen. Her insecurities were relatable, and I think Lewis did a great job of using her trust issues to explore deeper themes of emotional abuse and parental toxicity. While Ross’s constant distrust could get repetitive at times, it never felt formulaic.

While most of the side characters were just serviceable to me (ie they served their purpose to the plot but could have been further developed), I thought that both Devroe (Ross’s love interest) and Noelia (Ross’s ex-friend) added additional tension that amped up the emotional stakes of the story. It was refreshing to see a heist story place equal emphasis on the external stakes as well as the emotional ones. Devroe was the perfect YA love interest: charming, mysterious, and with a secret affectionate side. His backstory was fascinating and I’m looking forward to learning more in the sequel! Noelia added some additional emotional depth to this story and heightened Ross’s personal growth, and I really enjoyed how Lewis was able to address the racial aspects between her and Ross.

Although I expected this book to be plot-heavy, I actually found the plot to be on the thin side when compared to the emotional story. Many things felt a hint too convenient, and while a healthy dose of suspension of belief is necessary for heist stories, I found the miraculous getaways a bit too much of a stretch. However, Thieves’ Gambit is a YA novel, and I’m sure my skepticism isn’t reflective of the more general YA reader. The pacing of the Thieves’ Gambit competition and various heists was well done, though I felt that the final reveal could have been stretched out a chapter or two more so that the plot implications could land as equally as the emotional ones did.

Overall I really enjoyed Thieves’ Gambit! This fun, compulsively readable heist action story was the book I never knew I needed!

3.75/5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin Teen) for the e-ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unfortunately I was unable to finish this book. I loved the premise but I just felt like I couldn't get into the story! I think that mainly had to do with me and not the book or the author! I am looking forward to picking this book up again though.

Oh this was so fun! The characters, the plot, the cliffhanger!! I heard the author speak on a podcast and knew I would enjoy reading the book. Definitely recommend this YA read to anyone interested in a good heist. I received an advance review copy for free via Netgalley (THANK YOU) and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a fun YA story. I am typically not the biggest fan of this genre but this was such a fast paced and easy to read story. I think this would be a good book for someone who just needs a simple story to get reading again!

So unfortunately I guess I didn't download this to my Kindle and the archive date hit, which meant I lost my chance to download it. I do have plans to read this book, as I have it on hold from my library. I will post my honest review on Goodreads and my bookstagram account when I finish.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 58%.
I lost interest in this story due to the fact the main character and others involved in the Gambit asked little to no questions about the tasks they were on. I was having a harder time with suspending belief as I watched the characters continuously work towards a prize that I didn't believe any of them truly wanted or needed outside our main character. But I was also having an incredibly hard time buying anything about the main character's mother's kidnapping and sole reason for competing. It all screams fishy to me, and the foundation of the story was quickly slipping. While the heists themselves were interesting, I was missing the stakes since the kidnapping seemed suspicious. This may be more enjoyable for younger teens.

I'm making a point to DNF books I feel like would be a 3 star or below, this one was feeling very solidly in the 3 star range. It wasn't awful, I just wasn't impressed enough to continue on.

Ross is a member of a famous family of thieves, and she finds herself having to play a dangerous game against other teen thieves in order to save her mom. However, not everything is as it seems, and through all the twists and turns, Ross has to decide who (if anyone) she can trust. I enjoyed the fast paced plot and the witty characters, but I didn't like how things ended with an obvious setup for the next book and unresolved issues. I’m not sure that I’m invested enough to read the next book in the series. However, if you’re a fan of heists, spies, or drama and betrayal on a teenage scale, you’ll probably enjoy this book.

For those of you who know me, know I love movies where the premise has to do with spies and thieves. No clue why I waited so long to look for books with the same tropes, but fret no further, the first one has been found and wow…..it did not disappoint! In Thieves’ Gambit we learn about the main character Rosalyn Quest, who is part of a very well known family of thieves from the Bahamas. Thieving is all Rosalyn (Ross) knows, however she’s seventeen and wants to start acting like one. On her own ‘quest’ to escape from the family line of business, things go awry and Rosalyn finds herself needing a hefty sum of money to pay off her mothers ransom. In comes Thieves’ Gambit, a competition where the best thieves around the world compete for the title and a wish. Ross enters the competition, knowing absolutely nothing about what each phase entitles, but she is sure of one thing, and that is to get that wish.

The competition was actioned packed! The challenges or how they called it ‘phases’, had me on the edge of my seat. The characters, especially the other competitors were so fun, even the ones you're not supposed to like lol and diverse which is appreciated! We saw some turmoil between competitors and some romance as well, although I could've done without the romance to be honest lol. This book is YA but the only time it truly felt YA was anytime there was a romantic scene. There were some good unexpected twists and the ending left the readers on a cliff-hanger. Even though I was hooked throughout the entire read, the final sentences were a bit anticlimactic. After all that hype it just came to a screeching halt, that I felt could’ve been worked on. Overall the book was very entertaining and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Big thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and author Kayvion Lewis for sending me this arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

I was really looking forward to reading this book and it did not let me down. I was even more excited to receive a physical copy of the story. I would definitely say that there was some good action in the book and I would say it’s good for a buddy reed as well.

This is like a cross between Oceans Eleven and Survivor - and I liked it a lot. The story moves quickly and is well-written. Although one of the main twists is not much of a surprise at all. A non-white main character and supporting characters of different diversities make for a well-rounded cast. The ending almost certainly guarantees a sequel.

This was a quick and fun ride. I enjoyed the world we get thrust into, the wondering of who our heroine can trust and what the whole gamit is even about.
What I wasn´t the hugest fan of was the love story aspect. I found it wasn’t needed and was introduced too quickly in an almost agressive way. The connection with the love interest could have been established slower and thus a bit more authenticly.
The ending, also, was very abrupt. I would have liked to get more of a reaction - not only to her new situation but also in regards to the betrayal. I´m sure we will get more of that in the sequel, but I wanted a reaction of some kind in this book as well.

A fun YA heist mystery that will keep readers in their toes. I recommend this one to readers of fans if mystery lovers 12 and up.

This was a great book! I thought it was everything that it was built up to be. I think this book is a perfect book to read by the fire and chill on a cold evening. I did not want to put the book down so for me I finished it quite quickly.

Love. Love. Love. Anything that puts a female lead in the driver’s seat is something that I’m going to check out. I couldn’t be happier with this selection. I can’t wait to put this in the hands of my students. Alex Rider, move over. This book (& the presumed sequels) deserve a place right next to Enola Holmes. I would love to see a graphic novel version. The setting shifts and fast pace certainly lend themselves to that medium!

An absolute romp of a heist, "Hunger Games" kind of novel! It was fun, engaging, and effortless read. An easy yes to our collection!