About the story: Emma Oxley and Nellie Yarrow have been inseparable their whole lives. Ever since they reinvented themselves, changing their names and wiping clean their digital footprints, they have made a game of following wherever the next adventure leads and challenging themselves to thefts, street cons, and mind games.

Adhering to only two rules—they will only swindle men, and only ones who deserve it—Emma and Nellie are secure in their reputation as the most trustworthy swindlers on the European black market. Until suddenly, they must play to save their own lives.

The reader is drawn into this story immediately when we meet Emma sitting outside her apartment in bunny pajamas and fuzzy slippers after Joel has kicked her out and left her there. Then she decides to stand in the middle of the street to end it all, but that can't happen at the beginning of a book where she is one of the main characters.

Enter, Nellie, Emma's one true friend, and the narrative is on a roll.

I was so captivated by this story that I actually started to read it one day recently and got a few chapters in before realizing I'd already read it. :-)

Nellie is kidnapped by someone who is bent on trying to destroy what the women have worked so hard to establish in the past five years and Emma is left to figure out what is going on and how to save her partner. Emma doesn't feel up to the job. She has always relied on Nellie to do the hard stuff. Emma never felt capable of managing anything, mainly because of the attitude her ex had that Emma was a hopeless case, constantly belittling her in public and in private.

So here Emma is, faced with the biggest challenge of her life and a ragged, homeless 10-year-old girl, Sophie. BTW, Sophie is a delightful character, wise beyond her years, and the part she plays in the story is important. She's more than an afterthought by the author, and how Sophie influences Emma's confidence as the story progresses is integral to the character arc of Emma. At the end of the story, Emma would never think of standing in the middle of the street and dare a car to hit her.

The Confidence Games is a heist story, but also one where Emma gets to learn what she is capable of - that's she's not hopeless. She's as strong and smart as Nellie and can truly step in to a tough situation and prevail. I highly recommend the book.

This was a fun read! At times it was silly, but in a good way I think. I enjoyed the characters and the progression of the story.

The Confidence Games by Tess Amy delivers a delightful blend of suspense and humor, making it a captivating read. The story follows a talented duo, Emma and Nellie, who navigate the chaotic world of heists and betrayals with charm and wit. Amy's writing is engaging and brisk, keeping readers on the edge of their seats with unexpected twists and inventive scenarios. Overall, it's a fun, action-packed novel that promises a good time for fans of thrillers and capers alike.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I tried to get into this one because I liked the first book a lot, but it was just too far fetched. I’m willing to suspend belief to a certain degree, but the idea of these amateurs succeeding in pulling off their plans was too much for me. DNF @ 30%.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Confidence Games was a delightful, quick paced heist read that I would recommend for most!

Emma and Nellie are two peas in a pod: always together making sure the "bad ones" receive what's coming to them. They con those who they feel truly deserve it with confidence. Yet, they find themselves in dark waters with a kidnapping involving blackmailing from someone who knows their legal identities. On a time crunch to steal a prized jewel and handover to the MOST notorious crime lord, they'll have to band together to survive what is sure to be the heist of their lives.

I immediately became invested in this con duo's story. While some twists were predictable, I couldn't stop turning the pages of my kindle to discover all the who's, what's, when's and where's in regards to the plot. Those wanting a quirky heist similar to that of the Finlay Donovan series will want to pick up The Confidence Games in bookstores or wherever you find books today!

I fear this type of storyline isn't for me. I enjoyed the characters, but I just didn't like the plot of being a con artist.

The book was pretty cute. Some parts were a lot of fun. Much of the narrative focused on what Emma and Nellie have done in the past, which was enjoyable to read, but it also took up a lot of story real estate. That meant that the actual heist they were going to do, for the Heart of Envy bracelet, kind of happened in a rushed way. Also, the marketing summary feels like it didn't quite capture what the book was about, which means my expectations were set in a different place when I started reading. It took me several chapters to re-orient myself to what the book actually was. We hear a lot about Nellie and Emma being con women, but we don't get to see much of that in action. There's more information about the things they stole, or the expensive things they bought, rather than the heists they pulled or, more importantly, how those heists taught the marks a lesson. Those of us who enjoy a good heist won't, as I didn't, feel fulfilled by the plot here.

I found the inclusion of Sophia, the little girl, kind of strange. At times, she balanced out Emma and Nellie really well. At other times, I felt like she just didn't fit with the story. If I'm imagining these to be real people and Emma and Nellie are supposed to be real con women, the fact that they were tangled up with a child just adds way more complications than I think the book was able to tackle. Sophia did have some fun dialogue, though, and I loved that she gave herself a code name and stuck with it throughout the entire story (even if "Daisy Duck" felt a little dated; maybe a more contemporary cartoon or pop culture character would have been a better choice. Imagine her calling herself Taylor Swift through the whole book -- that would have been a riot!)

I also felt that, given the amount of money on the line, all of the antagonist's efforts were incredibly childish and amateurish. He wants Emma to steal a costly bracelet for him, so he locks her in a seedy motel and leaves her there with Nellie with minimal security...? Really? He has a shady warehouse where Emma and Nellie see a dead body (and make an assumption about who's under there,) but other than that I never got the sense that our two con women were in true danger. I think part of this was the breezy tone for the story and a big part of it was in the details. The book, overall, just doesn't feel that believable as a major heist of a precious artifact.

I did, however, enjoy that breezy tone. I wondered, too, if the author was setting this up for a sequel/series. It kind of feels that way at the end. Even with the less-than-impressive heist itself, I did enjoy reading Emma and Nellie and wouldn't mind reading another book with them in it.

The Confidence Games is a fun and exciting story about two female con artist that have been friends since they were young. Who now set out to but reinvent themselves and go into a world of high stakes and set out to target men.
The characters, Emma and Nellie’s do have a moral code, which dictates that they only swindle men who deserve it, which adds an interesting layer to their ideas which makes them explores loyalty, trust, and what’s really right or wrong.
Along with element of mystery, thriller,
Thank you netgalley

Thank you @berkleypub for the free finished copy of this novel #berkley #berkleypartner Also, thank you to @prhaudio for access to the audiobook version of this story, I really loved listening to the last 40% of the book via audio and the narrator was great! #prhainfluencer

This was such a fun read and the audiobook version really helped to get me out of my slump I’ve been in for a bit 🙈 The friendship between Emma and Nellie was really sweet and I loved how clever, intelligent, and savvy they were! The heist aspect was interesting and I enjoyed seeing them devise a plan to steal the bracelet while also scheming behind the scenes to try and get out of the situation they were in. Secondary characters were great and helped bring the whole story together! Pace was good and the conclusion was satisfying! Would definitely recommend for someone who loves high stakes situations and morally gray characters that you can’t help but love!

Huge thank you to @berkleypub and @netgalley
for an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review

I’n real into this cover! Also, this was a fun one! Swindling, cons and capers make this a wild read. Emma and Nellie vow to con men and only ones who deserve it but everything is flying off the rails! This would make a fun tv series!

The Confidence Games by Tess Amy is an intriguing exploration of deception and manipulation, crafted with sharp prose and a gripping narrative. Amy’s well-developed characters and suspenseful plot twists create a captivating and thought-provoking read. The novel's fresh take on its themes makes it a standout in the genre.

The Confidence Games by Tess Amy gave me strong Thelma and Louise and Ocean’s 8 vibes with lots of found family and self discovery. What I really enjoyed was there was definite female rage, but it wasn't bloody or gory.

A fun and fast read about the lives of two female con artists. Full of intrigue, twists, grit and the fascinating details of how they pull off theses amazing cons.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic ARC and the opportunity to review this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC

You just know it's a Berkley thriller when the thriller part isn't very good. The books I've read from them tend to be romance, and it's fine that they have a specialty.

For being such high stakes, the characters certainly were not stressed or have tension whatsoever. They trusted one of the antagonists??? Like he was blackmailing the main characters and they still told him their plan?? And the fact that someone they were hiding was still alive?? They seemed too trustworthy for con artists who deal on the black market.

I didn't see the plot twist at the end coming, and I really liked it. Not gonna give any spoilers, but it was pretty unique.

Thanks to Berkley for an advanced copy of The Confidence Games by Tess Amy.

This had such a fun premise with con artists and a heist. A little different than what I usually read but I enjoyed it. Emma and Nellie cracked me up and I was entertained while reading!

Emma and Nellie have gone into business together swindling men who deserve it when their past comes to bite them. When Nellie is kidnapped, Emma is then blackmailed into participating in a dangerous heist that goes against their rules. Emma has to not only plan a heist, but also figure out how to get Nellie back. Overall, a mostly fun heist story though some of the internal monologues of Emma's were a little frustrating. The ending helped tie things together and really brought the story around.

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Tess Amy really didn't have to go this hard in this book, but I'm so glad she did. We've got con artists, kidnappings, hackers, really just the whole shebang. I'm still not entirely sure how they created their criminal empire, but it's clearly working for them. It absolutely flew by! I wouldn't be mad if we got a sequel where they con the assholes of the world. I'd recommend this to fans of Leverage, jewel heists, and anyone who wants a cozy thriller.

Emma Oxley and Nellie Yarrow have been best friends for years. When Emma gets simultaneously dumped and booted from her ex’s home just as she loses her job, Nellie comes to her rescue. They become successful con women, swindling only men who have shown themselves to be jerks. When one con is complete, they play a game to see what they will do next.

Their comfortable life together is threatened when Nellie is kidnapped and Emma is told the only way to get her back is to steal a famous and extremely expensive bracelet from an event in London. She must sell it to a ruthless criminal and turn over the proceeds to the kidnappers.

The scenario is terrifying for Emma because she has always relied on Nellie to do certain parts of their work together. And they’ve never attempted a heist like this, let alone one that would hurt innocent people.

But the clock is ticking and Emma has to figure out what to do. Will she pass this ultimate test? Or will she lose everything important to her?

The Confidence Games is an entertaining heist story that checks all the boxes of the genre. It has plenty of action and moments of tension. It has a nice number of clever plans, complete with extra secret plans that aren’t shared entirely with the reader. It has bad guys and some who have been thrust into roles they would rather not play, and it includes an old snarling cat and an adorable little girl. All these ingredients come together nicely to make a delicious and satisfying book that’s fun, easy reading.

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley and author Tess Amy for the arc!

How fun was this one!? I love the cleverness of an exciting & dangerous heist and a good con within a con story … ala the Ocean’s movies … and this one does not disappoint! There is action, mystery, humor, heist adventure, great characters & a nice big twist! A super quick & fast paced read that I binged right up!

I can see this leading to a series or at least a sequel … the set up reminding me of the TV Show “Leverage” (which I also loved! >> a band of “robin hood” type criminals who perform cons to get revenge for clients who have been cheated & wronged in some fashion!) If this does turn into a new string of books … sign me up!