Book Review: How to Steal a Galaxy by Beth Revis

How to Steal a Galaxy by Beth Revis is an exciting, fast-paced heist-romance that effortlessly blends high-stakes science fiction with sizzling romantic tension. Known for her ability to craft dynamic characters and gripping plots, Revis delivers once again with this intergalactic adventure, making it a delightful treat for fans of witty, romantic sci-fi.

The book follows the exploits of Ada and Rian, two skilled yet morally grey characters who find themselves entangled in a complex cat-and-mouse game at an opulent charity gala. Ada, a reluctant member of a rebel group, is a seasoned thief who initially wants out of the gig. However, when the rebel group offers her a tantalizing opportunity—a covert mission at a high-society event where Rian, her longtime rival, will be present—she can’t resist. Rian, on the other hand, has his own agenda. Hoping to catch Ada red-handed, he volunteers to help at the gala, suspecting that she’ll be drawn to the valuable items up for auction. What he doesn’t realize is that Ada has a much bigger prize in mind.

The chemistry between Ada and Rian crackles from the first page, pulling readers into their tangled relationship filled with banter, suspicion, and undeniable attraction. Revis handles their dynamic with a deft hand, blending humor, action, and steamy moments that will have readers rooting for them, despite their opposing goals. Their romance adds depth to the already thrilling narrative, with both characters trying to outwit each other while grappling with their undeniable connection.

The story’s sci-fi setting is vibrant, full of futuristic tech, high-stakes espionage, and a glittering gala that serves as the backdrop for both the romance and the heist. The tension builds as Ada and Rian move through the luxurious event, with hidden agendas, unexpected twists, and betrayals heightening the drama. Revis masterfully paces the plot, balancing the romance with heart-racing action sequences and clever theft schemes. The auction at the gala, with its rare and valuable items, is a clever device that ties together both the personal stakes of the characters and the larger political intrigue of the galaxy.

Fans of Martha Wells and Becky Chambers will enjoy Revis’s approach to world-building, with its mix of humor, clever technology, and well-drawn characters. Like Wells and Chambers, Revis offers a story that is equal parts fun and heart, with deeper layers of rebellion, justice, and personal freedom woven throughout the plot.

The book is also a continuation of Revis’s previous novella Full Speed to a Crash Landing, but it works well as a standalone read. Returning readers will appreciate the ongoing evolution of Ada and Rian’s relationship, while newcomers will find themselves quickly caught up in the stakes of their dangerous game.

In short, How to Steal a Galaxy is a perfect pick for anyone who loves their science fiction with a dash of romance and a lot of adventure. With its sharp dialogue, unpredictable twists, and electric chemistry between the leads, this book offers a thrilling escape into a galaxy where love and crime collide in spectacular fashion. Beth Revis has crafted a sparkling, sexy, and thoroughly entertaining read that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment in Ada and Rian's saga.

Ada's next assignment takes her the Earth she despises the most, Rigel-Earth, aka. Rian's home planet. There Ada must interact with Strom Fetor, the galaxy's worst trillionaire, all while trying to throw poor Rian for a loop. Will Ada successfully pull off a heist while at the galaxy's fanciest fundraiser?

Ada is truly a woman after my own heart. Her anti-trillionare stance is *chef's kiss*. It was really fun to see the parallel between Fetor and Ted Faro from Horizon Zero Dawn. Both of them are pieces of shit, and truly deserve nothing the worst. And hearing about how Earth fell apart, and how slow it took for its people to recover was absolutely heartbreaking. Earth truly deserved better.

The thing that really sent me was Rian's observation about Glory's bunking situation. Read into that what you will 😊

How to Steal a Galaxy, is such a delightful high stakes heist with both heart and a twist! I can't wait to see how the series wraps up in the next book!

The second novella in the Chaotic Orbits trilogy is a fast, sleek joyride of SF hijinks! Ada matches wits with Rian again as she plans a heist to help save the beleaguered Earth. Fun and flirty banter, schemes within plots, and some seriously satisfying insults as Ada messes with Elon-esque mega-billionaire. Absolute fun reading!

It's a fun, quick read with captivating characters and a great plot. If you like the first book in this series, it may be slightly lacking, but it is still entertaining. This definitely leans more toward romance than sci-fi, so if that bothers you, I would steer clear of this book/this trilogy. I understand it's a novella, but I would have enjoyed it if the book were slightly longer and more fleshed out.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available for me.

This was a really fun caper book. Taking place immediately after the events of the first book, the majority of this book takes place in one evening, at a charity benefit/gala where the ultra-rich are bidding on items from Old Earth. Our anti-hero is there to steal something, but also for other reasons. Including getting close to her slow-burn love interest adversary. The book leaves us with a very nice setup for the final (?) book in this trilogy. Great fun.

I was drawn in by the title for this book. I have not read the first book, and did not feel particularly lost diving into this one, though I probably would care more about the characters had I read the first book already before starting this one. On its own this book is fun, reasonably fast paced, and feels longer than it is because it pack so much into so few pages. Of course the trade-off is that the setting and characters don't have much space in which to develop and by the end of the last page not much feels resolved. I would definitely want to read the next book, but I think this might be a trilogy that is easier to get into if it is eventually published as a single volume omnibus edition, maybe with some extra material to flesh it out into a 400-600 page novel. Overall, this was a fun read though as is, and the short length does make it perhaps more appealing to many readers.

I love a good caper and this is absolutely it! This second novella in a trilogy has a remarkable level of complexity for how short the stories are. I wasn’t sure how the heist would happen at the beginning, but by the end I was basically cheering Ada on! While each novella has a contained single arc, the through line is a compelling, fascinating perspective on the potential future of earth. Plus there’s an absolutely delightful send up of a fictional rich man who seems very similar to some current tech titans.

(4.5/5 stars)

The first novella in the Chaotic Orbits series set the stage beautifully for Ada to continue being a scrappy, single minded and absolutely feral disruption blowing up Rian’s heavily ordered, idealistic and principled world view.

Both of these books center on heists that Ada is running for her client, but whereas the first felt like higher stakes for Ada personally, this feels like higher stakes for people living on Earth-Sol. We get a slightly better picture of who Ada is working for, why she feels so virulently about not working with Jarra, and where her personal politics lie.

The majority of the book takes place at a gala event that almost felt like an Ocean’s Twelve style heist. While Ada and Rian continue to flirt, Ada reminds the reader constantly that she is in this for her own goals and that doesn’t include romantic attachment. And while their reparté is great, for me, nothing can possibly top Ada’s unmasked hatred of Strom Fetor, and her deadpan delivery of that sentiment upon their first meeting. Revis can write the heck out of a direct yet incredibly funny scene. I loved the very clear call out of the unethical nature of the building and hoarding of extreme wealth.

As in the first book, this novella ends on a cliffhanger, making you wonder what exactly Ada has planned. You’ll also get snippets of a message from Rian to wrap up the book in the same format as Revis included at the end of the first book, and once again, Rian’s buttoned up but deeply confused report provided a fun glimpse into what it would be to have your foundation absolutely wrecked by the magnetic force of Ada. I had a great time with this book and am eagerly anticipating the third book in this series! Thanks to Netgalley and DAW for an advance copy.

Thank you DAW and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Full disclosure I did not know this was the second book/novella in the series until after I had already read it so that definitely affected the reading experience because the whole time I felt like I was missing something and things felt out of place. Once I found out that there was a whole other book that set up the plot and character dynamic things made a lot more sense. Rounding my review up because my error should not affect the author/book. Sorry! I plan to go back and read the first book for context!

I was excited to read How to Steal a Galaxy because I love sci-fi romance books, but I am also pretty picky about sci-fi. I want a space opera type setting with romance, not dystopian or alien smut, both valid but not for me. This did fit into that category but felt like it was missing something. The story takes place over the course of one night and was a quick read since it was less than 200 pages. I was also expecting more of a heist setting, which I felt was lacking possibly due to the short length and what the target item turned out to be. I was hoping for my sci-fi elements but since this whole story takes place at an on-planet museum until the very end it was missing some of that element for me. I think the others in the series would fit that vibe more just based on the settings. There were a few points where the main character Ada gave a lot of narration/character background that felt like a little much and irrelevant to what was happening at the time and took me out of the plot.

I am curious enough that I will probably pick up the 3rd installment. If you are looking for a quick sci-fi-esque read, you might like this one. Just make sure to read the first one first!

3.5 stars/ while this was an enjoyable second installment of this series, I found the writing to be less strong than in the first novella and a bit less interesting. I will still probably pick up the third book, although this installment makes me feel as if this "series" would've functioned better as a longer novel rather than separate installments.

Wow, wow, wow. I´m so happy that I was able to jump right into the second book of the series.
This was just perfect. Full 5 stars.
I loved getting to see the characters in another setting and having a bit more mistrust and tension in the relationship.
Can´t wait to see what happens next.

Talk about a story that leaves you wanting more. How to Steal a Galaxy might be a novella, but it certainly packs a punch. This story sucks you in slowly and takes you on a fun, sci-fi adventure. It has a little bit of everything from different planets to heists and to subtle romance and a little chaos in between.

Admittedly, I didn’t read the first installment, but I surprisingly never felt lost. I jumped right into the story and was hooked before I knew it.

In the end, I thought this was a quick, enjoyable read that will leave you eager to get your hands on the next book.

Thank you to DAW and NetGalley for the ARC of this novella. I inhaled this book. I received the first as an ARC as well and had to immediately download this one so I could continue the story. Ada and Rian are absolutely fascinating in how they interact and proceed. The ending is phenomenal and I just want more of this right now. So well executed, world building is amazing, the characters are snapping and I just adored it. 5 stars.

This book was so much fun, just like the last one. However, it is different because it takes place mostly on one of the Earths instead of in space the whole time. I did end up liking this book more than the previous one, since I already knew the background set up in the last one, the story just moved right into the action. Additionally, it was great getting to figure out more of Ava’s beliefs and see her develop as a character. I cannot wait to read the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

After book one's cliffhanger ending I was desperate to get my hands on the next novella - How To Steal A Galaxy(out 12/03!) and I had such a fun time reading it too! Set a few months after the events of the first book, Ada is back again at a posh gala on Rigel-Earth to steal something - but neither we nor Rian know what it is. Rian is determined to keep a close eye on her this time and Ada is very happy to have all of the attention of course 😂 We get to learn a lot more about Ada's past and what has been happening in the different worlds - especially Sol Earth which has been devastated by climate change, political issues and corporate greed. I liked seeing all these forces at work and how the different characters navigated them as they all had different ideals and beliefs but a common end goal of sorts! The chemistry between Ada and Rian was just as good as ever but I really need mooore romance! I hope we get it in the next novella as I'm really looking forward to that one after the ending!😆

I loved every moment of this. While different from the first book, this book had even more of Ada's personality and the plot was just as complex and fun. I really appreciated how information is slowly dropped in and then at the end everything is put together and I noticed all the pieces and hints from before. The deeper themes are woven in amongst the general plot and Ada and Rain's chemistry that it creates such a beautiful story. I absolutely need the next one ASAP and I need this author to write so so many more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book picked up right where the first book left off and I loved Ada even more in this book. I am dying for the next book! I need to know what Ada’s end game is and how this will all play out. I loved the idea of this book surrounding a very different heist than the first book.

I loved the first installment in this short novella story series. This one was bad. I felt like it was really missing everything I loved from the first one. Still a fast and easy read but hopefully the next one is better than this wanna be spy one. Bring back the space epicness of the first one and I'll be happy.

How to Steal a Galaxy is a fun, fast-paced continuation of Ada and Rian’s story, but it doesn’t quite live up to the energy of the first installment. The novella is set entirely during a planet-side gala, which feels less dynamic compared to the space-centric setting of Full Speed to a Crash Landing. While the plot offers plenty of twists and double-crosses, Ada’s ever-changing persona makes it hard to fully invest in her motivations.

The chemistry between Ada and Rian is palpable, but their interactions leave you wanting more depth. The ending, however, is a highlight, setting the stage for what could be a satisfying conclusion to the series. Overall, it’s a decent read, but I’m hoping the final installment brings a more engaging payoff.

another fun, witty, bite-sized space opera. ada is back with a new plan to hatch—this time, a heist at the intergalactic met gala. very sci-fi ocean’s 8 with just one self-concerned, anti-capitalist little girly. but don’t worry, rian is back to thwart her… or so he thinks.

i enjoyed this one so much. because it was planet-bound, there wasn’t as much space stuff, but i had such a good time. i finished this book in just one sitting. it was so fun to see rian and ada’s little cat and mouse game and to watch ada dunk on space!elon musk. the twist at the end was delightful, and i’m so excited to see what ada and rian will do in the conclusion!