I don’t think I’m the target demographic anymore. Teenage me would have really enjoyed this though. I do like the writing style and the premise. But overall wasn’t for me

Posting on Forever Young Adult's blog on 9/24/24:

Cover Story: Delectable

I love this cover; it’s eye-catching and relates not only to weddings in general, but one of the characters is an aspiring baker and the cake is a bit part of the heist plan. Having the title carved into the frosting by a sneaky hand is, well…the icing on the cake. *ba-dum-cha*

The Deal:

Life threw once-heiress Olivia Owens a few curveballs over the last few years: her father cheated and divorced her mom, kicking them out of their Rhode Island mansion and leaving them with nothing. Now she’s decided that she and her mom deserve what her mother was denied with no prenup: a portion of her father’s wealth. She’s spent the last few months putting together a rag-tag group of wannabe-thieves who all have their own reasons for needing extra cash, and the day of reckoning is finally here. It also just so happens to be her father’s wedding day to his third wife.

BFF Charm: Eventually

I never disliked Olivia, but I don’t know if she was bestie material at the start. She’s clearly been through a lot, and while she’s had a lot of hurt, I do think in the long run it’s going to make her a more empathetic person (I think she’d agree). I can always count on Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka to give us a sometimes unlikeable but complicatedly layered main character.

Swoonworthy Scale: 4

Olivia broke up with her practically-perfect boyfriend when she learned he was cheating on her, but this was all after he’d already been invited to the wedding. Of course, it’s not a heist story without some wrinkles, and a certain someone is determined to win Olivia back.

Talky Talk: A Decent Risk

This is a bit of a different kind of plot for Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka, who’ve often leaned more romance than thriller in their writing. It can be a challenge to translate the high-stakes of a typical heist story into YA-appropriate levels of thrills, and, for the most part, I think they pulled it off. Were some things a bit hokey? Sure. But Olivia’s righteous anger felt real, and we’ve seen enough shitty, real-world parents to know that there’s plenty of Dashiell Owens out there. I was willing to suspend any disbelief I may have had and go along for the ride.

I did think the first few chapters were tougher to get into (they do that whole “drop you in the middle of the action and then rewind a few hours” story beat) but I eventually caught the groove and it was smooth sailing from there.

Bonus Factor: Heists

I think it’s human nature to enjoy a good puzzle, and a heist has everything it takes to keep us engaged. Of course nothing about the plan ever goes quite right, but isn’t that half the fun?

Bonus Factor: Found Family

What would a heist be without a team? We don’t get to spend a TON of time with the entire group, but I liked seeing how they would pop up within each of Olivia’s heist phases and watch her soften up to them, because sometimes it really is about the friends we make along the way.

Bonus Factor: Plot Twists

Because this is a teen heist story about stealing millions of dollars from her father, I did spend most of the book wondering if Olivia was going to get the money and then have to, like, do the moralistic thing and not actually take it, or realize along the way money isn’t everything (or some such nonsense). But I won’t ruin the story for you, so enjoy also wondering about this and other plot bunnies until you finish the book!

Anti-Bonus Factor: Dan Scott Award for Awful Parenting

The way Dash Owens is written makes him sound like a Joe Rogan, jerk-for-shock-value type, but if he came from old money (I actually have no idea if Joe Rogan grew up rich or not and really don’t care to Google this to fact-check myself). He is a slimy weasel who deserves to lose every penny he has. I also found Olivia’s relationships with her step-moms interesting and complex, and while they aren’t as bad as Dash, neither woman is that great.

Relationship Status: Give Me A Disguise

I mean, if we were REALLY going to be thieves together, Book, I’d probably be the worst person to be on your team because I’d be a nervous wreck the whole time, plus I’m a horrible actor, but if we’re talking fantasy (and we are) then sign me up to infiltrate the catering staff!

FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Little Brown Young Readers. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review. Heiress Takes All is available now.

The Inheritance Games meets Ocean's 11 in this thrilling YA adventure about a teenager determined to pull off the perfect heist in the midst of her father’s wedding.

This was fine. It didn't quite live up to its own expectations, but I didn't hate it by any means.

I think I have determined that these authors are not for me. I’ve tried several books and I just do not jive with the writing style. I really struggle to get through the books and did not enjoy this one. DNFed at 46%.

I messed up the dates on when to download so missed my chance to get it on my kindle. School has been super busy! This gives similar vibes as the Inheritance games and sounds right up my alley that I will probably try and get a copy from the library to read!

I am a huge fan of Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka's YA (hello from previous PYR publicist!) so I knew I was going to like this one, but I was unprepared for just how FUN this book is. I love Olivia's anger and her spirit and how she plans so much but still finds spaces to grow. Possibly controversial opinion but I loved Kevin. He was a delightful spanner in the wheel of all of Olivia's plans. And I love a heist book and this more than delivered. Congrats to Emily & Austin on an another amazing read!

3.5 round up to 4

Heiress Takes All by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka is a fun, high-stakes YA adventure with a heist twist. Olivia Owens, a seventeen-year-old with a serious grudge against her father, is determined to take back what she believes is rightfully hers. After being cut out of her inheritance and witnessing her father’s betrayal, Olivia hatches a daring plan to steal millions from his accounts during his lavish wedding.

The setup is intriguing, and the idea of Olivia masterminding a heist amidst wedding chaos is exciting. With a crew of quirky high school friends and an exasperating ex-boyfriend complicating things, Olivia's mission is anything but smooth. However, while the heist elements and the high drama were engaging at times, some parts of the story struggled to maintain momentum, making it a bit uneven. Overall, it's a clever and entertaining read with a few hiccups along the way. If you're into thrilling adventures with a side of revenge, this book might just hit the spot.

A heist story is typically a very careful thing. While we love the story of detailed plans and sneaking around we're left with an important question - is it okay to cheer for a thief? So the author must justify the act and this book handles that dilemma well. Olivia's rationale for stealing from her father is well laid out, certainly, but there are frequent challenges to that reasoning. There are points where even she must question whether she is making the right choice, if it's okay to lead her crew into criminal territory. And there is a great deal of moral complexity. Not only does she have a conscience character reminding her that there are alternatives to revenge, she also questions her loyalty to both parents. While she resents her father, does she also seek his approval? With strong pacing and believable twists, this is a strong, entertaining read.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Beware of spoilers.

More of a 3.5

You know what? This was decently fun. I really enjoyed watching the heist unfold, especially because Olivia knew the house and the people, so it really showed in how she prepared. Tom, McCoy, and Kevin were easily my favourite characters. I really would have loved to see more of Deonte, but he didn't have as much time on screen than I thought he would.

The first couple of chapters were a little slow, but once they got the heist going, I was totally hooked. I really wanted to see what would happen next, especially with all the added problems that kept popping up on them.

I think the thing that really didn't work for me was Olivia. It isn't that she was a bad character. In fact, I liked her way of figuring things out quickly and totally willing to jump into thievery to get what she wanted. What bothered me was that she often jumped to conclusions without any sort of fact. Especially when it came to Jackson. I understand she had issues with trust because of her father's serial cheating, but to randomly trust a girl she didn't know, sending her a DM out of the blue? I'd be contacting my boyfriend pronto, not drop him immediately.

On top of that, she learned how to plan heists from watching Ocean's 11 and reading Wikipedia pages? Really? She needs more than that. Why couldn't she have also enjoyed logic puzzles or something? Give me a real reason as to how she can simply work out all these things. It just wasn't enough to believe she could be THAT good.

This is 100% a personal thing, but I also wasn't sure I liked that she got back together with Jackson. Don't get me wrong, he's a sweetheart, but he's almost TOO good. I almost would have liked it if she leaned more into Tom, who was still a good guy and cared about her, but who was also totally willing to go with her crazy schemes. I love that Tom and her are friends, and I do think there needs to be more male/female friendships shown in books. But....I just think he was the better choice out of the two for who Olivia is, if that makes sense.

Overall, I had a fun time reading this and if there's a second one, I'll be picking it up!
If you love heists and interesting characters, this is definitely a book for you.

Thank you to Little Brown Books for Young Readers for this ARC of Heiress Takes All in exchange for an honest review! This book was silly and fun and I really liked the fact that Emily and Austin were able to capture the true teenager experience. A lot of YA books nowadays have a main character that lacks the flaws of actual teenage girls, and I really enjoyed the coming of age internal monologue that they displayed through Olivia, the main character and narrator. She is a bit impulsive, her plans are not thought through, and try as she might to be above it all, she often succumbs to jumping to conclusions and the general cattiness that comes with a girl in her position, born into wealth and trying to navigate her new life without it. The cast of characters were cute in the moment but forgettable pretty much whenever they were not on the page with Olivia. It was hilarious and all over the place and the heist never felt like it was anything actually thought out or planned, but that the plot was just pulled from random heist movies (which to be fair, it was. Olivia did say that was where her research for this heist came from). The plot twist became obvious by the end, which I didn't mind since something like that is to be expected. Overall, I'm really glad this book was standalone because it was a fun, corny, coming of age film type movie that was feel good and forgettable (in a good way). It was easy and breezy and in the end, like a good YA novel, Olivia learns her lesson and is a better person than she was in the beginning with a lot of chaos in between.

I never want to be a teenager again, LOL.

I know these kinds of books are meant to be far-fetched and not taken seriously...but for some reason I couldn't really get into it. Olivia was just okay and honestly not that interesting.

I liked the premise of a heist to go after Olivia’s truly scumbag dad. While the heist was interesting and adaptive and showed how well Olivia thinks on her feet. I thought the characters were interesting, and I loved Kevin in particular, he was wacky and fun and set an unexpected and funny tone. There was a good dynamic with the crew that made aspects of the heist that should work, work. I didn’t love the romance subplot in this as it really felt out of place in the whole of the action.

Olivia Owen is not happy that her dad is getting remarried- especially since he has already cut her off from her inheritance. He has millions while she lives with her mom in a small apartment where they struggle to pay medical bills.

She creates a plan to redistribute all his money during the wedding if only her ex-boyfriend, European cousins, and a vengeful second wife do not interfere with the heist.
I could not wait to read this book that was billed as a cross between Inheritance Games and Ocean's 11 and it did not disappoint. It was such a fun read with so many moving parts, it's a perfect read for the beach.

I will read anything by this author duo. This was so fun and great for fans of The Inheritance Games and The Princess Diaries, with a hint of Gossip Girl.

rating: 3⭐️

From page one “Heiress Takes All” menaged to grab my attention with the promise of an exciting heist, and it kept me engaged for the most part. However, the excitement began to fade as the story went on.

Olivia’s cleverness was one of the highlights of the book and I ended up liking her as a character. Her friends and teacher were a good addition to the story but I felt like they were hard to get used to, especially in the beginning. That part felt massively underdeveloped.

The relationship between Olivia and her love interest was well handled and it provided a nice balance to the plot.

Overall, this was a decent read but sadly some parts were underwhelming.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Emily and Austin and autobuy authors to me! They are incredible and always a joy to read!!! Thank you for the opportunity to read an arc of this book!

Olivia used to be an heiress. After growing up in the Rhode Island mansion owned by her father, controversial podcaster-multimedia mogul Dashiell Owens, Olivia and her mother are on their own, trying to make ends meet after Olivia’s mother left Dashiell for cheating on her. But it’s okay because Olivia has The Plan.

It’s her father’s third wedding, and along with a crew of fellow students (and one former teacher) who have goals bigger than their bank accounts, she’s going to steal her inheritance back from her father by obtaining the passphrase to his online offshore accounts from the safe in his office.

But pretty much everything that could go wrong does go wrong, including an obnoxious and nosy acquaintance who keeps getting in Oliva’s way, her ex-boyfriend who’s determined to get back together, and her former stepmother (the one Dashiell left her mother for) who’s set on a revenge plan of her own.

Olivia’s heist makes for a fun, fast-paced read, and we’re glad we got to come along for the ride. Between the ultra-glamorous setting, the unbelievable number of mishaps, and the love-to-hate-them characters, we think your students will have a hard time putting this one down. Some profanity and a couple mature situations make this more appropriate for high school students.

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are our own.

*Review will be posted at https://threeheads.works/category/blog/ya-books/ on October 28, 2024.

"Heiress Takes All" was a delightful read that grabbed my attention right from the start with its fast-paced opening. The friendships that blossom throughout the story add warmth and depth, making the characters even more relatable and endearing. The internal back and forth that Olivia faces over her relations ship with her father post lie and divorce is very realistic and allows you to connect to her. In a deeper level. What really sets this book apart, though, is the surprise twist that keeps the narrative fresh, fun, and lively, ensuring you stay hooked until the very end. A charming and entertaining read!

This was such a fun read! I loved the rag tag team Olivia put together and the elaborate heist she planned. Kevin was such a fun addition and had me laughing with every interaction. There were a few surprises throughout the book as well. Set up for a second book? Can’t wait!

Heiress Takes All by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka is an enchanting and dynamic novel that masterfully blends romance, wit, and intrigue. The authors' sparkling prose and vibrant character development create a compelling narrative that keeps readers thoroughly engaged. The story's unique premise and delightful chemistry between the characters make for a captivating and heartwarming read. This book is a standout in contemporary romance, offering both charm and depth in equal measure.