I knew this was going to end on a cliffhanger and I knew there would be twists. BUT ALL OF THAT?! How dare the author not already write everything about this duology or series because I need to continue on already. And now I have to wait for this book to officially drop before getting any news about the next. The wait will be EXCRUCIATING.

Anywho. This did give off The Inheritance Games vibes for sure but I also felt some of that authors The Naturals series between these pages too. I can definitely see the oceans eleven aspect as well. Definitely dive in if you like Jennifer Lynn Barnes and heist movies for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for the ARC

A fun and easy ya heist thriller. It was The Inheritance Games meet Ocean's Eleven and I found it really enjoyable. It was full of little twists and kept the suspense. The pacing didn't always keep up, but it still kept my attention. And what was that cliffhanger? Excited for the next book!

The description was spot on - this is Ocean's Eleven meets Inheritance Games! Overall, I devoured this book and there was lots of little twists and turns that made it *chefs kiss.* However, I did sometimes find myself wondering "How did we get here?" and felt like there was very minor plot holes that left me with some more questions than answers (especially in the last few chapters). They weren't big enough for me to dislike the book, so will absolutely be reading #2 when it comes out! I recommend this book!

If you're in the mood for a light and fun read, "Thieves' Gambit" by Kayvion Lewis is a solid choice! When it comes to the heists, this book truly shines. It claims to be "The Inheritance Games" meets "Ocean's Eleven," and it definitely delivers on that description. I loved the diverse mix of characters from around the world and watching these teens navigate the gambit was a total blast.

I did, however, have a few complaints regarding the writing and pace. A few sequences felt a little too drawn out, while others just skimmed over details I wished were more fleshed out. The narrative felt a little jumbled because of the uneven pacing. If the flow had been smoother, I could easily see myself devouring this in one sitting!

The writing wasn't bad, but it felt like two different styles between the high-energy heist scenes and the slower, more introspective moments between jobs. I also felt like the players weren’t fully immersed in the game until the heists kicked off. Given how they were described, I expected them to be more deeply invested in the gambit from the get-go.

I loved seeing the bond Ross formed with some of the other players, but I wish we got to see more of those relationships develop on the page. She went from trusting no one to suddenly working with these non-family members pretty quickly, and it mostly happened off-page.

The ending and plot twists were pretty predictable, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how Ross handles the aftermath of the gambit in the next book.

If you're looking for an easy, entertaining read with some fun heist action, give this one a try!

I really enjoyed this! I expected a twist but did not predict the one that came. And the cliffhanger?! I cannot wait for the next book to be released!

This book had me hooked from the beginning. I loved the mystery, the treasure Hunty-thief aspect that was going on. The twist at the end was also something I hadn't figured out, at least definitely not both parts of it! I loved seeing the relatable aspects of Ross such as wanting to get away from her mom and be her own person, struggling to trust because of a past mishap, and being disappointed in your parent because they lied which is something that happens in the real world. This was a very new take on a Hunger Games competition type book, but I appreciated that it wasn't all about murder, but that there was action/danger involved in the situation. All of the double crossing kept you on your toes, and the witty back and forth all made for a book that kept me hooked from the beginning. I'm excited for book #2.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group and Nancy Paulsen Books for a copy of the ARC.

In this gripping story, a group of teenage thieves compete in a thrilling game of skill and strategy, each with their own compelling reasons for needing to win. Each character's unique backstory and complex family dynamics add depth to the story, revealing the motivations behind their desire to win. At the center of it all is Ross, a fiercely determined and agile protagonist who drives the plot forward. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I'm sure the fans of The Inheritance Games and movies like Oceans 11 will enjoy this one.

A YA novel that reminded me of Heist Society and Oceans Eleven with a strong layer of Hunger Games and Survivor. Like those you have to suspend belief and enjoy the ride. A diverse collection of characters with issues that reluctantly come together to survive. It was a fun read with some strong language and hints of a romance.

For fans of the Inheritance Games and any heist-type movies or book, this is for you. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed and remained captived with this story. I'm not much into heist stories, but this romance subplot is how you can get me to venture to other genre types. Romance is a slow-burn, rivals-to-lovers and that's slowly becoming a fave to me so I am interested in reading the next book to see how it goes.

Thieves Gambit by Kayvion Lewis was exciting to read! It is about a young woman named Ross Quest who is a member of a crime family that is famous among criminals. Watch out for your wallet, phone, keys and pretty much anything when she is around. She is clearly intelligent and she desires to be out of crime. She plans an excursion (without permission from her mom, who would never give it) when she discovers that she has been invited to a game called “Thieves Gambit”.

She and her mom are doing a job and Ross plans to ditch her mom and go on her own for a while, but her mom is taken hostage. Ross gets a call from the kidnappers and is told the price for her mom is a BILLION dollars! Ross feels incredibly bad about leaving her mom but she won’t be able to assemble that much, even with her skills as a thief. So she decides to enter the Thieves Gambit which has a prize anything of the winner’s choice. She will choose a billion dollars and free her mom.

It is suspenseful and surprising, Ross has lots to learn and has to learn to work with others. I can’t wait for a sequel.

This book has been on my TBR forever. After finishing, I should have read this sooner because THIEVES' GAMBIT was an thoroughly enjoyable novel that follows Ross Quest who was invited to participate in the Thieves' Gambit. With the help of the other contestants, while also competing with them, she tries her hand at thievery and quests in order to win a wish.
I was first drawn into this by the comparison to Inheritance Games. It may have been a different kind of puzzle, but it was great nonetheless. This book has everything: drama, secrets, and heists. It was an intriguing page-turner, and even though I was confused about how they came to some of their plans---it just seemed like the plans came out of nowhere without the characters talking until afterwards---Ican't wait to read the sequel.

An enjoyable experience, and while I did like the main character, there was some one character that I couldn't stand and while I was hoping that character would redem themselves, they never did ,plus this book was marked as young adult, there was some scenes that came off as ones that you would find in adult books , but none the less I'm looking forward to reading the next book.

This book follows Rosalyn Quest who is a 17 years old professional thief. After a job gone wrong, she must make up for her mistakes by joining the Thieves' Gambit, an international heist competition where the winner gets any one wish granted.

This book is a little outside of my normal genres but I really enjoyed it. It felt like a teen Oceans 11. It was really fast paced and the twists kept things interesting. There is a little romance subplot that felt a little surface level, but maybe we will get more in book 2.

The Quest family are famous for being thieves. During a heist, Ross mom is kidnapped she needs to find a way to save her.

It seems an impossible task coming up with a billion dollars, until she remembers a competition where she can win a wish. A wish for anything she wants. All she wants right now is her mom back.

Who will she trust?

The story gave me hunger game vibes without the hunger. Right off the bat I had a feeling this wasn’t for me, knowing that, take this review with a grain of salt.

The story starts out with a girl who wants to get away from her thieving family, famous thieving family I might add. I like the way the author tried to introduce the world that she lived in as if it was normal. As if being raised to be a thief is like any other job. Instead of going to college, she’s going to other thief related things.

In this story we have a little love interest, a little learning to work together, and overall has some really great hidden messages sprinkled throughout the story. I found it to be an overall really wholesome story with some fun action scenes and puzzles along the way.

I think I can really appreciate what the author was trying to do but for me it needs a lot more refinement.

The story is so young adult, it's almost cringey. I felt the main characters feelings weren’t sincere. I got the vibe of soap opera meets Disney Channel. Most of the storyline, conversations and action all felt really dry. Formula-like. I was bored most of the time, never feeling the emotions come off the page.

The action scenes were a big part of this story and the author struggled to put the reader IN the action. More telling instead of showing what was going on. As a reader the story was very predictable.

An interesting concept with a fun little twist at the end that tries to save the day but the reader is lost where the end isn't as impactful as it should be. In summary this book was not for me. I hope there is a lot more fine-tuning done on the manuscript before completely releasing it to the public.

Amazon Link -Thieves' Gambit By: Kayvion Lewis

Stats: 384 pages - First published September 26, 2023

***Thank you to Penguin Young Readers and NetGalley for a  copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Out now!

Seventeen year old Ross Quest is not your typical teenager. She is in fact a master thief. Raised by her mom and aunt, Ross has been almost everywhere in the world and has stole almost everything you can think of. When she tries to spread her wings, something tragic gets in the way. Her only way out is the to join The Thieves’ Gambit. A high stakes game against 12 other master thieves and only one can be the winner and granted a very sought out prize. Can Ross save her mother in time? What tasks will she have to complete to win.

I found this book quite interesting. The character development and world building was excellent.
Giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. The plot twist was clever, but the sub plot twist was predictable.

I was given a free copy from the publisher via the NetGalley website in exchange for a review.

Traditional format 📕 (digital). This YA book started off strong and gave Oceans Eleven vibes but at about the 30% mark the plot slowed to a complete crawl for me. The characters were not engaging and the book fizzled out quite quickly. For a YA book I think the writing actually needed to be a little more simple and engaging but lacked in both areas.

I ended up not finishing this book at the 59% mark. The pace was way too slow and the plot was at a standstill and I completely lost interest.

I will give this a 2/5 for the first part of the book that wasn’t horrible but I didn’t want to finish this one.

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Nancy Paulsen Books for an e-copy copy of this book in exchange for a review.

What an interest storyline, teenage thieves competing against each other to see who is the best thief of the year. Each teen has a back story of why they need to win and how their family helps or hinders their part of the game. Ross is the central character. She is agile, strong willed and determined. I was amazed with how well the characters clashed and yet connected. What an amazing imagination this author has. I liked the book.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

Firstly, I would like to thank Penguin Young Readers Group, Nancy Paulsen Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Secondly, I would like to state that I DNF this book after determining I was not the intended audience.

This book is about seventeen year old master thief Ross Quest. She loves her overprotective mother dearly, but she’d like a break for the summer to be a normal teen. Ross devises an escape plan she will execute when she’s on a mission with her mom. Everything is going accordingly until things take an unexpected turn and Momma Quest’s life is put on the line. In order to save her mom she enters the Thieves’ Gambit. Which is nothing like the thief rivalry Ross is used to. This is a competition consisting of international heist in which the winner will get the grand prize ~a wish~.

The premise is what caught my eye in the beginning! However, the more I read this book the more out of touch I felt. So, I think this book will appeal to the younger side of ya readers. This was really a case of right book wrong reader!

The author does a great job of thoroughly describing the scenes and all the intricacies of the heists. At some points I did feel like it was over done, but I think this was due to the lack of connection I had to the book. If you are a fan of spy thrillers you’ll probably like this!

Thieves Gambit was a great heist of a book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it.

Thieves Gambit introduces Black Bahamian 17-yr-old Ross Quest who comes from a family of master thieves. She has been invited to the ultimate heist competition, but all she really wants is to escape her family, lead a normal life and find friends. However, on their last heist Ross's mother is kidnapped with a billion-dollar ransom. Ross's only option is to compete in and win the quest, which promises the winner any wish they want. Her childhood nemesis, Noelia, and Devroe, a charming Black British thief, are among the competitors. As the Gambit moves from one heist to another, Ross is confused as to who to trust, including her mother. The sequel Heist Royale, in which she and Devroe must team up to work for the Gambit, comes out November 12, 2024.