Member Reviews

Wow. The blurb about this being “in-put-downable” was 100% correct! This fast paced hunger games for young thieves is the perfect balance of YA drama and action. Can’t recommend this highly enough.

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This was such an enjoyable experience from start to finish. I loved so much of this book but especially the characters for their individuality and fun quirks. The story was well paced with interesting highs and lows as well as some fun twists and turns. The clues hidden throughout will keep you guessing till the last page, I am very excited to see what comes next 💜

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A gripping YA novel about a worldwide thieving competition- a rollicking, high-octane gripping story of heists, past tensions, love interests, kidnapping and double-crossing. This has it all. A really fun read - with undertones of The 39 Steps. This book is going to be huge!!

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This was a really fun story about a heist that had elements of Ocean’s Eleven and The Inheritance Games. It was an easy read that kept me entertained throughout and was full of action. A great YA novel and definitely an author I would read more from!

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An amazing fast pace read that took a couple of chapters to warm up and then it was hard to put down. I liked the representation from different countries and cultures. There were many twists that I did not see coming including their family history, camp setup revelation when the phone background was viewed and secret limo plan. I had the same feeling as Ross about not trusting Denver and felt like screaming 'Don't trust him'. It was left open-ended with some unanswered questions so hopefully, a second book will come soon! Thanks for the ARC NetGalley.

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The Thieves' Gambit involves a lot of running around famous places and learning about antique stuffs is exciting. And because the rules are strangely vague and putting teenagers who love to break them always makes a good story. Ross struggles to make friends as she feels alone in her struggles, but realizes that to win, she has to learn how to trust. The real fun? Realizing the error of her naivete and then finds out that she is missing a huge chunk of information... The author has left somewhat of a cliffhanger, so I can't spoil it. 

Predictable is one thing, the running around pretty places to steal things gets old. Ross is not a character I enjoy following around because she is stubborn. For a person of her caliber, her judge of the situation is basic. There is a lot of room to grow for our heroine, so hopefully there is a 2nd book for me to know her better. 

It tries to be a story of a new path, and betrayal, but at the moment it seems like it missed the mark just so slightly that I was a little sad the story ends without actually addressing any major issues.

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WOW! This action packed, fast paced, international heists, YA had my heart pumping! I read this in one sitting it was too good to put down!

This story follows Ross and her fighting to take the winning spot against the world's best thieves in order to win the prize of a wish. The wish that could save her mother.

The twists and the ending of this book had me WISHING that book 2 was available!

Would I reccomend this book? DEFINATELY!

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WOW!!!!
This book was AMAZING!
I could not put this gripping YA novel down. My heart is literally still racing after finishing the book.

This book gave me six of crows X oceans eleven X hunger game vibes!
The plot and action was epic. It’s a page turner with twists and turns that I did not see coming.
There’s still unanswered questions making me want to know more but still satisfied with the ending (I’m really hoping there is a book 2)!

We’ve got betrayal, lots of action, a diverse range of characters and a high stake competition.
Thank you to #netgalley and #simonandschuster for this ARC! I’m leaving this honest review voluntarily.

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I really enjoyed this book by Kayvion Lewis and am looking forward to the next book in the series. 📖📖👏👏

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This. Was. Fun!!

I would actually purchase this book from Audible and do a re-read with it I enjoyed it that much.

I can absolutely see why it's been snapped for tv/movies.

First time trying Kayvion Lewis but I dare say I'll be reading alot more from this author in thr future.

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Firstly, thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and author Kayvion Lewis for the opportunity to read this work, which will be published in September, 2023. In return I have given my honest review below.

I see this book has already been snapped up for a movie deal and I can see why. Fast paced action, dialogue fit for the screen and set in some beautiful locations through the globe. And while the theme and story is not necessarily new, we are finally getting representation to this fictitious heist/espionage genre.

The good things were, as I said, a diverse cast, backstabbing, betrayal and plot twists - as promised.

The bad things, well it may be exclusive to my experience but the formatting was doing very weird things on my kindle. And on that, it did feel like a final draft, there were plenty of errors, more then Id expect from a publishing house book. As far as content goes, the FMC only had little development arc and made some very YA decisions. I did feel the dialogue was a bit clunky at times and sometimes the action scenes where a little hard to follow, again giving me final draft feels. Also who approved the use of the word 'yeet'?. Just why?

Overall, I have given the book 3 stars, and even though it was predictable and the quality was on the lower side, I still had fun.

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This is giving The Amazing Race meets Hunger Games meets Oceans 11.
I almost gave up on this in the first chapter because it didn't immediately draw me in. How wrong I was.
This is a fast paced, creative YA heist novel. Young thieves are commissioned to compete for one wish. Any wish.
Ross Quest comes from a long line of thieves and her family is famous. After accepting an invitation, she finds herself up against competitors from all over the globe, and a familiar foe from an equally well known criminal family.
The tasks grow increasingly riskier, set to test the mettle of the thieves and after each one, people are eliminated.
Can Ross trust her gut, or should she trust other people?
Secrets are revealed, twists are twisted and the ending in nailbiting.
I did predict one twist, but didn't see the other coming.
There are questioned revealed in the ending I would like answers to, and feel like the story of Ross's father is maybe too tied in a bow for my inquisitive and suspicious mind.
I received a copy via NetGalley and all opinions are my own.
I hope this is the first in a series.

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“𝘙𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦….𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦”

This was definitely a good change of pace as I often would not reach out for YA books however I simply couldn’t help myself once I read the description! Who doesn’t love heists?

This story follows seventeen-year-old Rosalyn Quest who was raised by a legendary family of thieves. When her mother is kidnapped, her only chance to save her is to win the Thieves’ Gambit – a deadly competition for the world’s best thieves, where the victor is granted one wish. To win, she must outwit all of her backstabbing competitors, including her childhood archnemesis. But can she take victory from the handsome, charming boy who makes a play for her heart and might be hiding the most dangerous secret of all?

Overall this was a fun, fast-paced, action read that had many (big and small) twists and turns that had me engaged from the beginning to the end. I enjoyed the incredibly diverse characters who were of so many different cultures and the found family aspect of the storyline. It was hard not knowing who to trust and if they had ulterior motives as I was rooting for Ross from the get go! I’m already eagerly awaiting the next instalment to find out what happens next.

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Thankyou Simon and Schuster AU and Netgalley for the privilege of reading The Thieves Gambit.

This was a good change of pace from my normal read! I enjoyed the characters who were of so many different cultures and really enjoyed to portrayal of Ross and Devroe. Some of the language choice were very young- and I know this is a book for young adults! Sometimes language used threw me and took me out of the book realm, so it felt a bit disjointed for me.

I will be truthful and admit I almost put it down, but after reading other reviews I was encouraged to the end and glad I did - there are some really wonderful twists and turns right at the last moments and a great set up for book two.

Overall a teen or young adult would really enjoy this book. It felt a bit hunger games for me and I loved those books as a teen!

3/5 for me but I could see it easily being a 4+ for a younger audience.

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Who doesn't love a heist? Not me! This was a pacy, wild ride which I read in one sitting! I look forward to what this author does with this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and Nancy Paulsen Books for the advanced copy.

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This book was packed with so much action that I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish, eager to find out what happened next. I really enjoyed it, so much so that I have recommended it to all of my friends. The only reason I have given it four stars, rather than five, is because some of the language used (such as 'yeet') felt unprofessional and broke the illusion. However, that is just my opinion on the language that should be used for novel writing. Given the contemporary setting, the languages suits fine.

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*Thank you to Netgalley for my arc copy of this book.

“Rule number one….trust no one”

Rosalyn (Ross) Quest come from a legendary family of thieves. Her mums main rule is that you can only trust a Quest. Wanting a break from the family business Ross hatches a plan to leave her family behind. On a final heist with her mum, everything goes wrong and her mother is captured, with the ransom amount being 1 billion dollars. Unable to come up with that amount of money Ross has no other choice but to win the Thieves Gambit.

The Thieves Gambit is a deadly game comprising of a series of international heists for the most elite young thieves. There can only be one winner and the prize is one wish granted. Ross is determined to win that prize to save her mum. She is prepared to do what it takes to outsmart the other competitors but the game just got a whole lot harder when she sees her backstabbing archnemesis is also taking part of this years game.

This was a fast paced, interesting YA read with lots of twists and turns. I really enjoyed reading this and can see this book being made into a hit movie.

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Thanks to Netgalley for an advance Reading copy of Theives Gambit.
Action and adventure abound in this stunning YA novel where Ross Quest is the central character.
Ross is tested in her skills when she enters the thieves gambit, competing against eight other thieves in a deadly game where the winner takes all.
Very cleverly written with a sprinkle of romance and many twists and turns this book is sure to appeal to fans of Oceans Eleven and Mr & Mrs Smith.
I'll be eagerly awaiting the next installment to see what happens next.

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I’ve seen that the film rights for this book have been bought before this book has even hit shelves, and I understand why. Kayvion Lewis has written a really fun, cinematic, fast-paced YA action mystery-heist reminiscent of your favourite movies and books (think elements of Six of Crows, Inheritance Games, and Oceans Eleven) combined with elements of a less macabre Hunger Games or Squid Games (being YA) while creating incredibly diverse characters, spanning many cultures and continents, with authentic cultural names (never forget Cho Chang from HP), who are also likeable (mostly!) in the competition.

I had a lot of fun diving headfirst into the action with FMC Rosalyn ‘Ross’ Quest. She’s a 17-year-old high-calibre thief who could rival Danny Ocean, who then gets invited to join an underground thieving competition, which she accepts to save her kidnapped mother. The challenges in the Gambit are outrageous and outlandish, but I embraced them with open arms. I was always unsure about each character's motives, and unravelling who to trust in the “Thieves Gambit” was part of that fun. I loved the intriguing rivalries and friendships formed during the Gambit. I'm also pleased to announce the Bechdel test was passed with flying colours!

There were some plot points that felt a little bit too convenient and required an extreme suspension of disbelief here and there, and a lot was going on at the end, with twist upon twist, that I was nearly out of breath. However, all in all, I definitely recommend this book if you’re a fan of similar genres, it’s an easy and fun ride.

The ending definitely left it open for a sequel, which I am definitely going to put on my TBR if and when announced.

My thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and author Kayvion Lewis for the opportunity to read this work, which will be published in September 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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Seventeen-year-old Roslyn (Ross) Quest hails from a family of high-end professional thieves, and has been groomed since birth to follow in their footsteps. Although amazingly proficient at her job, her dream is to attend university and train as a gymnast. All too soon, her meticulous plans are thwarted when a rival faction kidnaps her mother. Ross’s only chance of saving her is to compete against eight equally-proficient teens in the Thieves’ Gambit, a notorious competition where murder is a permissible strategy to win. To complicate things even further, Ross has been taught to trust no one outside of her family, but when the handsome Devroe offers the affection and support she deserves, what is she to do?

This is a fast-paced read about heists that are as much fun as thrilling; and who doesn’t love heists? I cared about the characters from the start, and continued to be emotionally invested in their successes and failures, especially when they face choices that go against everything their parents have taught them. As the competition progresses, and the heists become more and more complicated, the tension ramps up, and the teens must try to cooperate with each other, while at the same time, both predict and take advantage of the probability of betrayals. When lives are at stake and morality enters the mix, which is more likely to win: nature or nurture? Needless to say, every adult in this entire novel is beneath contempt for forcing teenagers into situations that encourage physical and emotional abuse.

Social commentary aside, if you love heists and lots of action that keeps you guessing, along with a group of teens who are audaciously resourceful, this YA novel is for you. Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for sending this book for review consideration.

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