Emma and Nellie are life-long friends, each of whom possesses some unique skills learned from a family member long ago. Nellie loves to shine, and is comfortable being the center of attention. Emma has always struggled with self-esteem; born to parents who didn’t really want a child and mostly ignored her, she’s found at the opening of the book just dumped by her rich fiancé who is suing her for keying his car. Together, they are more than the sum of their parts.

Forging new identities, the duo emerge as jewel thieves with a difference–they only steal from marks who deserve a little bad karma. CEO in the news for sexual assault of your employees? Wealthy woman being rude to waitstaff? “Annie” and “Janet” might just happen to bump into you, and you find out later that Patek Phillippe on your wrist is now a fake, or your diamond earrings have metamorphosed into cubic zirconia. They sell their stolen goods on the dark web under their assumed names, and are living the high life.

But while they’re masters at the art of the Switch, they don’t really do heists. Until, that is, Nellie is kidnapped, and to ransom her Emma has to agree to pull off a heist at the top echelon of society–under the watchful eyes of the best security in the world. With an unlikely “family” formed around the duo, a homeless child, and a tech support guy, they have no choice but to try.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Confidence Games. There are so many twists and turns and obstacles that you’ll be constantly guessing, but you’ll cheer for these unconventional friends who operate by their own guidelines and morals. Highly recommended–the perfect summer read!

Emma Oxley and Nellie Yarrow have been best friends since they were children, always being there for each other when the people who were supposed to love them the most not only failed but outright abused them. But as the day of Emma’s university graduation looms closer, free-spirited Nellie senses that her best friend is heading towards a far more conventional life than she wants for herself. After giving Emma her blessing to prosper and bloom, she goes off to travel the world as she’s always dreamed.

So when Emma’s life falls apart after she catches her fiance cheating, Nellie swoops in to set things right again. Well, “right” as Nellie defines it. Having honed her skills as a con artist during the time they’ve spent apart, she offers Emma the chance to join her in the life of glamor and thrills that they’d talked about as kids. With conventional morality having done so little for her, Emma willingly jumps into a far more criminal yet oddly more just lifestyle.

Five years on and Emma and Nellie have created a solid reputation for themselves as thieves extraordinaire. With the help of the Dark Web, they’re able to fence their stolen goods – invariably taken from rich and terrible men – on Goods Exchange International, a clearinghouse for coveted luxury items. Emma and Nellie aren’t even particularly good at technology, having been forced to hire a trusted hacker to help keep them protected and organized. But they are really good at both sleight of hand and, perhaps more importantly, weaving the stories they use for their cons:

QUOTE
And while everyone would like to believe they can tell the difference between a truth and a lie, here’s a little something I’ve learned over the years: it’s the storyteller who counts, not the story. It doesn’t matter what you tell someone, it doesn’t matter how outrageous it is, how obscure or far-fetched, as long as you tell it well. And rest assured, Nellie and I could spin that yarn better than Rumpelstiltskin himself. We’d tell you exactly what you wanted to hear, soothe your fears, confirm your biases, and give you something to believe in. We’d smile and nod in all the right places, and by the time you realized what we were really up to, we’d be fifty miles away, painting our nails and sipping Dom Perignon in our MG.
END QUOTE

The best friends have just arrived in London to case the jewelry industry’s glittering Exhibition Month, with Tiffany & Co.’s invite-only showing being the most renowned event taking place over a series of glamorous weekends. Having booked rooms at the Ritz, they already have a target and a well-rehearsed plan. Emma is about to turn in for the night when she realizes that Nellie isn’t actually in their suite any more. This discovery is swiftly followed by the appearance of a little girl named Sophia, who walks into their rooms with a note. According to its message, Emma is to lock the child in the bathroom then head to the Denmark Hill Station or Nellie will definitely get hurt.

A frantic Emma soon learns that Nellie has been kidnapped by a criminal named James Reid and his own small crew. Having somehow figured out the true identities behind the duo’s Goods Exchange profiles, he wants Emma to steal the priceless Heart Of Envy bracelet from Tiffany’s Serenity And Splendor exhibit for him. If she does, he’ll return Nellie alive.

Emma would do anything for her best friend. She’s pretty sure though that not only is this heist in direct contradiction of their moral code, but that she cannot pull it off by herself. The bracelet is heavily guarded, and a lone thief stands little chance against the security measures put in place to protect it. As she negotiates with James in a desperate attempt to outwit him without jeopardizing either Nellie’s safety or poor Sophia’s, she’ll have to step into a new role, assuming a confidence in herself that she hasn’t ever previously had:

QUOTE
I [had] wanted to be seen and heard and loved, whatever the cost. And maybe that person, the old Emma I’d worked so hard to bury, had been just as much a fraud as the string of alter egos that had come after her. Maybe I’d been wearing a mask my whole life and it was only now that I’d finally allowed myself to drop the disguise and look in the mirror. To really look. Maybe it wasn’t so much a transformation that was required but an acceptance. Because wasn’t I already who I was meant to be?
END QUOTE

This crime caper is filled with twists and double crosses as Emma learns to trust herself in the process of pitting her excellent mind against that of another master manipulator. I grew to care so much for her and Nellie and their little found family, even as I was wary of believing any of the criminals depicted in these pages. The ending filled me with such happiness, as Emma not only saves the people she cares about most, but learns to step into the spotlight that she’s been more than happy to cede to Nellie all this while. This was a deeply satisfying heist novel with plucky protagonists doing their best to be good people while outwitting the truly bad guys.

What a fun read!

The Confidence Games centers around two female con artists with the reader getting to see everything unfold via Emma’s eyes. Both Emma and Nellie are extremely likeable characters and I think you’ll find that for con women, they hold a high moral standard. Getting to know these two women and the small cast of connected secondary characters was a mixture of entertaining and heartfelt storytelling.

May smartly keeps the pace to this story moving quickly which serves to build an air of tension. This overall vibe had me glued to the story trying to figure out where things were going and if our con women could pull off a huge job.

This book has that fun “feels like a movie” quality to it that will keep you entertained for hours!

I’ve got my fingers crossed big time that there’s more Emma and Nellie to come!

Emma and Nellie have been best friends their whole lives. As adults, they gave themselves new identities and began to live a life of adventure as con artists. But when they are blackmailed into completing the biggest heist of their lives, the stakes are much higher than usual.

This wild roller coaster is the type of book I read in one sitting. The suspense, the action, the twists and turns along the way made this such a fun read. This story was fast-paced and often bananas and I had so much fun reading it. In addition to the fun plot, the real heart of this story is the friendship between Emma and Nellie. They aren’t just best friends, they are truly chosen family and their bond is so beautiful and these women are badass! This debut from Tess Amy was the perfect summer adventure and I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

3.5/5 stars rounded up

Thank you Berkley Pub for the advanced reading copy!

SYNOPSIS -- Emma Oxley and Nellie Yarrow weren't always con artists, but they were always, always inseparable. After finding it necessary, for lots of reasons, to reinvent themselves, they join in on the Games -- stealing from men who deserve it by adhering to a few simple rules and playing things just right. Now known as the most trustworthy and successful swindlers on the European Black Market, Emma and Nellie have made quite the (fake) name for themselves. Their success is almost too good, however, when a competitor shows up and attempts to blackmail them into stealing a priceless bracelet from a high-security, high-society event. New to this type of game, Emma and Nellie have to question everything they know about the Games, and who is behind them, in order to save themselves before it's too late.

I sooo love a con artist story and this one was no difference -- what a fun premise! While it lost me a little bit towards the middle, we came back strong and I couldn't wait to see how things would turn out. Con artist stories are always fun and exciting, but this one was touching, too! With some found family, coming of age and friendship themes, the story was really taken to the next level and made even more meaningful. I really enjoyed reading the process of planning this heist, especially because us readers were kept in the dark about somethings, making it even more exciting. There were some great, unexpected twists that added to the enjoyability a ton. Though I think the execution of this story could have been slightly better, I still really enjoyed it and would definitely read more of Tess Amy!

Note: NetGalley provided the review copy, opinion 100% my own.

“They called us swindlers, fraudsters, tricksters, cheats. But make no mistake: we never crossed anyone who didn’t deserve it”

There's a woeful lack of lady-led heists but "The Confidence Games" is fills the bill (almost) perfectly. This is a solid 4.5.

If you are a fan of a good heist/con this is the book for you. It has Leverage feels (though not quite hitter, hacker, mastermind, thief, grifter) both in the narrative and the underlying rules of the cons. The end leaves me hopeful that we will see this ragtag family group again.
4.5 stars

Life long friends Emma and Nellie are very successful con-artists who only target men who deserve it. They’re criminals with a conscience, if you will. The tables are turned, when the two are suddenly being blackmailed into pulling off the biggest job of their careers. To save both their lives, Emma must work alone to steal a priceless bracelet on display at London’s version of the Met Gala before it’s too late.

This was a fun premise and at 288 pages a short read. Unfortunately, I felt this thriller lacked any real stakes and required a hefty amount of suspension of belief to finish. Overall, both the story and characters lacked the development I’m looking for.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Confidence Games is a sharply stylish modern heist/caper standalone novel by Tess Amy. Released 9th July 2024 by Penguin Random House on their Berkley imprint, it's 288 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

An appealingly cynical pair of confidence trickster best friends making the evil b@stards of the world pay for being jerks. Distinct overtones of Thelma & Louise without the violence, they're loyal to each other and it's definitely them against the world (and they're winning). They've got a hapless IT assistant wing-man sidekick apprentice, and very (very) high stakes games.

The mystery/twist and the heist are very well constructed and the action driven plot careens along at breakneck speed, dragging readers along for the ride. The denouement and resolution are satisfying and well wrought.

Four stars. One for readers who enjoy revenge fantasy, mystery, and capers like Oceans 11, it's sleek and smart.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

A little girl power meets Ocean’s Eleven. This was an entertaining read about friendship, misdirection and a heck of a heist. I connected with Emma and Nellie from the start and liked that they were an opposites attract pair. The loud one and the quiet one. The bold and the shy. It made for an intriguing read to see how the two would solve their issues.

There are quite a few supporting characters but it never felt like there were too many or they were hard to follow. Some are quirky and all are quite memorable. I think young Sophia aka Daisy Duck stole the show, but I was also a fan of Sir Sebastian, Emma’s cat.

I’m starting to be a fan of the author omitting details from the story that change the dynamic. They lead me down the path, letting me draw my own (incorrect) conclusions. Knowing I will later go Oh when I figure it all out. I’m not sure if that is a twist or just a misdirection, but no matter what it is called, I like it.

This is really a roller coaster of a ride. From start to finish I was entertained and bamboozled by the twists and misdirection. There is no way I would have figured it all out no matter how much I tried to work it all out. The suspense kept me not wanting to put it down. Wondering how they would pull off this elaborate heist and which characters were ultimately their allies throughout it.

This is not your typical mystery or thriller with it relying a little more on the characters, their friendship and their found family, but it is definitely worth the read. If you are looking to change things up, this is definitely the book you need. Quirky and unique.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own. @BerkleyPub @BerkleyRomance #BerkleyPartner #Berkley #BerkleyBookstagram #BerkleyBookTok

I had high hopes for this book and while the book wasn't awful., my expectations were unfortunately too high. I thought this book was slightly boring and the plot a little bit wishy washy. With that being said, I would check out more books by Tess Amy in the future!





Many Thanks again to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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If you are interested in seeing more of my reviews and other content feel free to connect with me here <3:

https://linktr.ee/bookreviewsbyjules (links to my Instagram, Goodreads, TikTok, Storygraph, My blog and Substack newsletter, etc)

If you are a publisher or author who has questions about my reviews (as well as questions about my stats, reach or engagement), please free to email me. I am also open to requests for book reviews from authors or publishers. Thank you again for taking time to read my review, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

High stakes and charming friendship relationships! This included excellent characters discovering the depths of found family and a challenging life or death con that Emma and Nellie must run. Some nice humor and glamour round out the story.

Emma Oxley and Nellie Yarrow have reinvented themselves as thieves and con women who swindle men who deserve it. They often change their names and minimal digital footprints, and have a reputation as the most trustworthy swindlers on the European black market. To save Nellie, Emma will have to steal a priceless bracelet from a high-security exhibit. This will take a team to pull off, as well as allies willing to help them. She can only hope they make the right decisions along the way.

Emma started on this path after a traumatic breakup, and it's now a life where she second-guesses the motivation of others and only trusts Nellie. The pair have their business, but also secret codes and extraction plans. They are up against someone better than they are, setting off a chain of events that challenges Emma’s new life. The tension rises and falls as she tries to figure out a way to save Nellie and stay alive. As much as she doesn't want to get other people involved, this is a job she can't do alone. Multiple people aren't who they seem to be, and it's difficult for Emma to stay ahead in this game. She's a planner, and not a heartless thief, which is partly what got her caught in the trap.

It's a heist story, but also one where Emma gets to learn who she is without Nellie, and that she doesn't have to slink in the shadows. She isn't the only one who made errors in judgment but realizes along the way that she can handle herself after all. She isn't the hopeless case her ex thought she was and made her think about herself. She's every bit as capable as Nellie thought she was, with a found family that cares about her. This was a fun read, with great cinematic moments to really showcase their skills and the connections between them. Emma started on this path after a traumatic breakup, and it's now a life where she second-guesses the motivation of others and only trusts Nellie. The pair have their business, but also secret codes and extraction plans. They are up against someone better than they are, setting off a chain of events that challenges Emma’s new life. The tension rises and falls as she tries to figure out a way to save Nellie and stay alive. As much as she doesn't want to get other people involved, this is a job she can't do alone. Multiple people aren't who they seem to be, and it's difficult for Emma to stay ahead in this game. She's a planner, and not a heartless thief, which is partly what got her caught in the trap.

It's a heist story, but also one where Emma gets to learn who she is without Nellie, and that she doesn't have to slink in the shadows. She isn't the only one who made errors in judgment but realizes along the way that she can handle herself after all. She isn't the hopeless case her ex thought she was and made her think about herself. She's every bit as capable as Nellie thought she was, with a found family that cares about her. This was a fun read, with great cinematic moments to really showcase their skills and the connections between them.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own. @BerkleyPub @BerkleyRomance #BerkleyPartner #Berkley #BerkleyBookstagram #BerkleyBookTok

I had high hopes for this book and while the book wasn't awful., my expectations were unfortunately too high. I thought this book was slightly boring and the plot a little bit wishy washy. With that being said, I would check out more books by Tess Amy in the future!





Many Thanks again to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

********


If you are interested in seeing more of my reviews and other content feel free to connect with me here <3:

https://linktr.ee/bookreviewsbyjules (links to my Instagram, Goodreads, TikTok, Storygraph, My blog and Substack newsletter, etc)

If you are a publisher or author who has questions about my reviews (as well as questions about my stats, reach or engagement), please free to email me. I am also open to requests for book reviews from authors or publishers. Thank you again for taking time to read my review, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

I really enjoyed this one. I went in completely blind - had no idea what it was about and was pleasantly entertained. Lots of action and adventure in this one. Loved the mystery, the thrill of a heist and plenty of twists. Perfect for fans who enjoyed the movie series Oceans 8/9/10/11. I was immersed in my visualization of the scenes with this book. It was playing out like a movie for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Pub for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Short and sweet - had a hard time visualizing some of the things in this one, a rare occasion when I think it would be a better movie than a book. 🫣

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this copy of "The Confidence Games."

This was such a fun page-turner with very-well crafted twists and turns, so it feels like we readers are part of Emma and Nellie's team.

After training with Nellie's "Gran," best friends Emma and Nellie don new identities to start their "con women" team, but they only target unscrupulous men.

Emma prefers to stay in the background and let Nellie have the limelight. But when Nellie is abducted and Emma is forced to use her skills to craft a theft in exchange for Nellie's freedom, she devises a plan that can save them both.

Thank you to Berkley, Netgalley, and Tess for an advance copy of The Confidence Games!

Emma & Nellie are lifelong best friends. After some time away, Nellie comes back at a pivotal moment in Emma’s life and the two decide to reinvent themselves…by becoming conwomen and duping unsuspecting men. But only men who deserve it. They vow to only stick to these Robin Hood-esque punishing of those worthy scheme and they hold true to their word becoming two of the most notorious in the game on the dark web.

When Nellie is kidnapped and held for ransom, Emma must make the decision to stick to their original plan of never pulling a con for the sake of pulling one or sacrificing her morals and pulling off the ultimate heist in order to save her best friend. She will plot to steal one of the most invaluable bracelets from one of the highest security exhibits, without the safety net of her partner in crime.

I had a good time with this one! I definitely went in expecting it to be a little more on the light-hearted side of things, kind of like a cozy mystery, but it was actually quite the opposite. Instead, I got a high octane thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see if Emma could pull off the impossible.

There’s a little time jump at the beginning of this book that I thought was great. We see Emma go through a devastating break up and then we flash forward several years and see the new and recovered version of Emma. I enjoyed not having to wade through the repairing of her and watching her friend pick up the pieces. Instead Tess expertly shows us that while Emma is a much stronger and more confident person than she used to be, there are parts of her that are definitely still healing and learning to cope.

I don’t often seek out heist books, but I think the fact that 1) the cover has neon on it, and 2) the cons are women getting revenge by way of other jerks made it intriguing. So I would definitely still recommend checking this one out even if the normal heist plot isn’t typically your thing.

I was hella impressed that this was a debut and will have Tess Amy on my radar for future releases.

This was such a fun read! The two main characters, Emma and Nellie, were a bit older than I expected from the cover and have a bit more life experience and history. There skills compliment each other well and they've found a mission that gives their conning a focus. They're also intelligent and sympathetic characters. I loved the Emma and Nellie's friendship and especially loved seeing them work together when the stakes become high.

The story hooked me from the beginning and the pace really took off a chapter or two in when the heist gets underway. I was rooting for the characters and holding my breath a bit to see just how everything would play out. Emma and Nellie pick up a few characters along the way and it definitely enriched the book and I could not have loved the ending more.

If you're looking for a fast summer reading with likable characters that's a bit different from the usual mystery this would be a perfect choice!

The Confidence Games by Tess Amy
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Emma and Nellie have been besties their whole lives and the past few years they have traveled together as con women, with their own rules. But someone has been watching them and they will have to pull off the biggest heist of their loves to avoid trouble.
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What I liked:
-Two women who are con artists? Yes please! I adore heist books and Confidence Games lived up to all my hopes for this story. 🥰
-Emma and Nellie’s back stories made me love them more.
-Daisy Duck stole my heart.
-There’s a grumpy cat named Sir Sebastian.
-Emma and Nellie’s rules for conning were perfect.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Confidence Games was non-stop entertainment featuring a suspenseful heist, found family, and friendship.