King, Queen, Bishop, Knight, Rook, and Pawn show up for heist in this young adult thriller.

Life has changed drastically for Olivia Owens since her parents got divorced - she and her mother were kicked out of the house, they are cut off from any funds, and her father is getting remarried to a women who could be her sister. Rather than wallow in her unhappiness, Olivia takes matters into her own hands when she chooses to accept her father's wedding invitation. Her plan? Gather her chess pieces and execute a revenge checkmate on her father and his fortune.

The many twists and pitfalls in this thriller made for some entertaining, though at times hard to believe, scenes, and there were some enjoyable subplots woven throughout the story. With this book releasing in June, I can see many readers choosing to indulge in the heist pull side and get a few laughs.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were very complex and the setting was gorgeous. I loved the little details, to me they really make the story. I would definitely recommend!

Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown Books for Young Readers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"Heiress Takes All" by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka is a fun and engaging YA heist novel that blends suspense and humor into an exhilarating adventure. If you are a fan of heist movies, such as “Ocean’s 11,” then you will definitely enjoy this book, especially due to the diversity of the crew in the book.

The story revolves around Olivia Owens, a ex-heiress teenager who concocts a daring plan to reclaim her rightful inheritance during her father's wedding. With a carefully assembled team, Olivia navigates the complexities of familial betrayal and romantic entanglements while executing her high-stakes heist.

While the main focus of the book involved the actual heist, there was also a gripping mystery infused with elements of revenge and female empowerment about the truth behind Olivia’s inheritance and who exactly is entitled to that money. I really enjoyed that aspect of the mystery, maybe even more than the actual plot itself. I loved learning all the little clues while also learning more about the characters. There were several intricate plot twists throughout the book that keep you guessing throughout on whether the heist will be successful as well as more about the inheritance itself. I will say that I think there were almost too many twists and unexpected occurrences going on with the heist that, while keeping me guessing, also made me think that there was just too much going wrong. Though I suppose that’s true for any kind of heist, that nothing ever goes according to plan.

I also really enjoyed the cast of characters with each member bringing a distinct personality and skillset to the table. From the chess-themed nicknames to the banter, the ensemble shines with vibrant energy. Particularly, Kevin emerges as a standout character, providing a source of entertainment and intrigue throughout the narrative. I like how each character’s motivations were explored throughout the book, especially a particular character towards the end that was involved in a plot twist I definitely wasn’t expecting.

Despite the high-stakes premise, the book maintains a balance of humor and heartfelt moments. While heist stories often veer towards tension and seriousness, "Heiress Takes All" injects plenty of laughter and levity, making for an engaging and enjoyable read. The romance was sweet in the book as well between Olivia and Jackson, though his utter devotion to Olivia felt a bit unrealistic for teenage characters. He was basically willing to do anything for Olivia, and while this did bring adorable golden retriever energy, I also don’t think there are many teenagers who would actually act like that.

Overall, "Heiress Takes All" was such a fun read that delivers on its promises of suspense, romance, and unexpected twists. While the ending wrapped everything up nicely, it does suggest a potential sequel in the future, which is definitely something I would want to read.

I found the premise of this book really interesting and was excited to pick it up on NetGalley. The Inheritance Games meets Ocean's 11 sounds like something I'd like. It did not work for me. I just did not like the characters, except maybe Kevin. I could not connect with the FMC Olivia. The romance was a very small part of the story. Overall, the book dragged for me.

5⭐️
These two authors never fail to surprise me. ITS ANOTHER HIT! If you love the inheritance games, you won’t want to miss this. This story is fun and entertaining.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the authors for this ARC!

Olivia is a teenager who, with the help of some schoolmates and a former teacher, is going to steal the fortune that is rightfully hers. The target? Her own father. The place? His wedding.

I already knew the authors' work after reading The Roughest Draft, but I hadn't read any of their young adult yet. And what a delicious surprise!

I expected to like the story just because of their writing, but I also ended up getting hooked because of the fluid and engaging narrative, the chapters are short and always end in a mini cliffhanger, it's impossible to stop reading.

In addition to the heist, we have the romance between Olivia and her ex-boyfriend Jackson. I admit that the cheating plot made me afraid for the couple, but everything ended up working out, phew!

As the wedding unfolds, we see that even with a seemingly solid and flawless plan, Olivia and her accomplices will face many obstacles, nosy guests and surprising twists.

Heiress Takes All is a very funny, entertaining, cute book that at the end leaves signs of having a sequel. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

Thiis book was fabulous. It reminded me of both Finlay Donovan and A Good Girls Guide to Murder. I have read other books by Emily Wibberly and Austin SB and they are some of my favorite authors to read. I absolutely loved this book and I would consider reading it again for sure! I 100% recommend it. It's part romance, part mystery and part drama. I think it will be going on my list of favorite books of 2024!
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I'll admit it. I was a little skeptical when I saw the announcement for this book as I have only ever read the romance books written by these authors but boy was I in for a treat!

"Heiress Takes All" is a YA thriller that really had me rooting for the characters. Olivia, the protagonist and heist leader of a ragtag team was hard not to like, even when she's quite literally committing white-collar crime. Going into this book, I had a clear layout in my mind of how I thought this book was going to go and up to the 60% mark, I was pretty spot on. The twists and turns, however, started coming and I could barely guess what was coming next! Even though the book isn't long by any means, the characters all had really satisfying arcs. I really enjoyed the subplot of romance as it was present throughout the book but wasn't distracting from the actual heist and other pivotal plot points. In addition, the authors set themselves up perfectly for a sequel (which I would read in a HEARTBEAT)!

I would highly recommend this book, especially if you're looking for a fun, YA, quick-read thriller!

this was entirely my fault for not reading the blurb and getting excited at seeing my favorite author duo write a new book. this was a let down for me- not in the sense that it was a badly written book (it was actually quite captivating), but more so that this is not the genre i typically gravitate towards, and for that i was simply uninterested for most of it. it was a cute YA novel i still recommend for fans of knives out or the inheritance games.

What a fun read! The found family in this novel was one of my favorite parts. Had a GREAT time reading this book!!! Overall rating: 4.5/5