The concept of this story was unique and fun but it took a LOOOONG time to get to the actual heist. Heist stories are difficult to pull off and Bond did their best, but this never had the right amount of tension and "will they get away with it?" The supernatural abilities were a neat idea but maybe they needed to fall into a magical realism realm.

I loved Sunflower.

This is about a group of people with magic abilities that go on art heist, that brings up some painful memories along the way. I had a hard time getting in into this book, but I thought it had good writing.

I received an advanced copy through Netgalley, but all opinions are my own.

The Frame-Up has such an unusual and inventive plot! Our protagonist Dani is very charming and I enjoyed the story though I do wish there was a bit more development of the romance sub-plot. The pace felt a little slow so the tension wasn't as high as it could have been considering the high stakes the heist going smoothly. I would definitely read more by the author given the creative premise of this novel.

Thank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

I found the heist details to be really entertaining and the makeshift family dynamics (not so much Dani and her mother's relationship) to be touching. I wanted more information on the magic aspect though as it took me a minute in the beginning to realize that they weren't just really talented thieves but instead had their own magical abilities suited to the job.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had never read a book by Gwen Bond before but after The Frame-Up, I'm willing to read other ones written by this author.

This book was exactly what I needed after the stressing month I've had. A good heist plot with a pretty fun twist (supernatural abilities!) was all it took to make me feel better.
I couldn't resist the found family aspect nor the second chance romance that I found deeply enjoyable. It made for a pretty great adventure!
And as a bonus, for pet lovers, you will without a doubt love Sunflower!

Needless to say, I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book once it releases in February 2024. And you should as well.

This was a fun read! Thank you to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the ARC.

A few weeks ago I read "Moorewood Family Rules" and was on the hunt for another heist book, and Gwenda Bond's "The Frame Up" met that need perfectly.

We are immediately thrust into the action in the first chapter, and are going play-by-play with Dani and her old crew in a well paced, magical realist world.

I really enjoyed the elements of magic in the story. They were light touches that didn't force the reader to accept a massively changed world - rather they were personal enhancements, but not the type characters were solely depend on to be relevant.

There are some nice layers to the story as well regarding the heist crew, the villain and the past from 10-120 years ago, which gave a well roundedness to the entire story. I would classify this as definitely more of a feel-good-low-pressure adventure - which isnt to say it is a shallow story, but it is definitely one that feels made solely for enjoyment, and I really liked that.

There is a dog and there is no harm done to her - just to alert readers.

There is also a light love triangle, but it is more of a simmer, and there is nothing graphic or any main focus on relationships - I would not qualify this as a romance.

I did read a bit about Gwenda Bond, and see she has written a Stranger Things novel, and, compared to the show, I felt she showed a vast knowledge of making magic/mystery in The Frame Up as well.

I would definitely recommend this to readers!

Summary:
It’s been 10 years since Dani has seen or spoken to her mom after setting her up to be arrested. When a mysterious “family friend” offers her a heist job with the reward of being in her mother’s life again, she can’t resist—but can she pull it off?

Title: The Frame-Up
Author: Gwenda Bond
@gwendabond
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
No spice

Tropes:
Supernatural Abilities
Making Amends
Overcoming Regret
Second Chance Romance
Found Family


Triggers:
Murd€r
Mention of r@pe and SA
Complex mother/daughter relationship


Whitney’s Thoughts:
I love Gwenda’s writing and this book is no different! This is fast-paced and compelling; Dani is a strong FMC and while there is some romance, the focus is really on Dani’s character growth. The supernatural element is weaver in seamlessly and manages to stay grounded in reality without being too fantastical. The fact that Gwenda is a local author and writes about places I know so well is just icing on the cake.

I do love a book where a character works through (blood) family toxicity and comes out on the other side with a found family instead. Yes, this is a heist novel (which, Leverage superfan that I am, I loved), but at it's heart it's about Dani's relationship with her mother and their mutual found family. To say more would be to spoil things, but if you like magic, heists, more than a little mayhem, and a heaping helping of family drama, I'm pretty sure you'd like this book a whole hell of a lot.

I was given an ARC for an honest review.

This was my first "heist" novel and I actually quite enjoyed it. It absolutely took me by surprise because I didn't realize this was a sci-fi categorized book. I love the found family trope and this was just written very well.

Also, I love the dog. Sunflower deserves the good pets.

The cover is beautiful. A dog, a heist, a bit of magic, sign me up! A heist is quickly becoming one of my favorite tropes to read about. Each heist has a different twist and it's always interesting to see how elaborate the heist is. My toxic trait is thinking I could easily and flawlessly pull of a heist.
The characters were excellent and Dani's journey of finding herself was the most enjoyable part. That, and the heist of course. Each member of the crew held their own and they didn't necessarily feel like side characters as I learned enough about them to care and root for them as well.
I will definitely have to check out the author's other books and I hope there are more heist books in her future. I will definitely be recommending this to my friends when it's released to the public

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

"The Frame-Up" by Gwenda Bond is a fun, fast-paced magical heist novel that I read in less than one day. If you like stories about art, found family, smart dogs, magic, and second-chance romance, you will really enjoy this book. It's like a magical version of Ocean's Eleven, with tons of references to art history...a very fun read!

Most of my favorite books are heist novels. Love the feeling of reading unexpected twists. I thought the author did a great job structuring the heist plot in a way that's believable but not predictable.

I knew this was categorized in the sci-fi/fantasy genre, but with the cover being the way it was - I was really just expecting maybe some magical realism and maybe some rom-com tropes thrown in. There's definitely more fantasy than I expected, but still thought the magical elements were a nice touch.

Also loved each member of the 'crew'- Definitely had a found family trope going on. Overall I found the story wonderfully clever.


4/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC.

What a fun book! I’ve read a handful of Bond’s books in the past, and this was a fun ride just like her previous ones. I don’t typically read heist books, but this was such a fun ride.

I absolutely loved the characters, especially Brad and Mia. The story was unlike any other heists I’ve ever heard about with all sorts of magic included.

I enjoyed Dani's journey of self-discovery she went on throughout the book. I also enjoyed how she learned about her mother and her mother's obsession with power throughout the book. The plot is interesting and drew me in. I'm happy to have been trusted with an advanced reader copy by the author and Netgalley.

Really fun read. Once I got into it. Fun and wacky with an easy writing style. Overall a good time and I'm glad I gave this a chance. Would recommend if you enjoy heist novels

This is one of those cases where I wish there was an excerpt I could've looked at—writing didn't work for me at all unfortunately.