yeah not bad could definitely use some work but in the end it wasnt my cup of tea but i would definitely recommend it to someone else

This was such a fun read!
I really enjoyed the world building, the plot twists and, most importantly, the characters. Cannot wait for the sequel!

I'm reviewing this one because I received an ARC for the second in the series and somehow missed the release of this one! As a middle school librarian, this is just the type of book my students would love. It has the mystery, the game, the young romance that my kids are looking for - fun and addictive. It took me longer to get through than most books (probably because of back-to-school mode) but I really enjoyed both the plot and the writing. Can't wait to dive into book 2!

Thieves' Gambit was a lot of fun. I loved all the set up with the heist. The plot had some fun twists and turns that may catch many by surprise. The characters were engaging and I enjoyed seeing Ross come into her own over the course of the story. The ending left me dying to know where they heck it is going to go next so I will definitely be pre-ordering the next book (thankfully is out in November). Fans of YA heists like The Inheritance Games and movies like Oceans 11 will enjoy this one. Check it out!

Thank You Netgalley, Penguin Group, and Kayvion Lewis for the eARC! I did pick up the audio part way through from Libby and it was also really well narrated.

Theives’ Gambit is a compelling new title that excites with compelling characters and fast paced action. Kayvion Lewis leaves readers wanting more of everything which means that this title is not just a great title but the beginning of a series that promises to engage all.

Thank you Nancy Paulsen Books and NetGalley for the eARC of Thieves' Gambit. All opinions in this review are my own.

I really liked the premise of Thieves' Gambit and at times, I really liked the book. However, I felt like the pacing was a little too slow for me. In what I expected to be a thrilling mission-based story, there are a lot of downtimes in between action that slowed the plot down.

The ending was good but I don't think I will be continuing with the series.

That was fun. I do love a good heist, there was good lessons involving friends and trust. I did call part of the ending but not completely. It did leave on a complete cliff hanger so luckily the next book comes out in November, because I must continue the series. Definitely YA appropriate. Thank You Netgalley, Penguin Group, and Kayvion Lewis for the digital copy. I was able to get the audio from Libby, which I did enjoy following along with.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

This was YA writing in an adult world. It didn't really work for me, because of that, but I did enjoy the heist sensations it evoked. The main problem I had with it was probably something that is not fair to the character which is that she is so suspicious of everyone but doesn't ever suspect the people she should! I also didn't really buy into the love story, especially given the end. I might read the sequel, I might forget forever that I read the book. I do think that it will really work for the right person, I just don't think that person was me.

I love competition books and this competition between thieves did not disappoint! While there were not many unexpected twists, this book fits well into its place in the Oceans Eleven, InHeritance Games categories.

*Thieves' Gambit* by Kayvion Lewis is an engaging young adult adventure that brings readers into a high-stakes, world-wide challenge between young thieves, each with their own skills and secrets. The story centers on 17-year-old Ross, who hails from a notorious family of thieves and must compete to fix problems of her own making. While some of the main events are predictable, the novel’s blend of adventure, suspense, and the theme of found family—where Ross must learn to trust others—makes for a fun and exciting read. As the first in a series, it successfully sets the stage, and I'll definitely be preordering book two.

So this is a very fun book I would said , perfect for teens and people that like clever games and don’t mind the thieving 😅. I really like how it was set up, how the Gambit developed and that ending was quite shocking. Like wow. Well played!!!
Great adventure like book . Definitely would recommend.

Pacing is a bit slow, but by the end I was definitely interested. Some good twists made this YA heist book better.

If you like The Inheritance Games series, or movies like Ocean's 11, this is definitely a series you will enjoy.

Rosalyn "Ross" Quest is a seventeen-year-old member of a Bahamian family skilled at thievery, Ross's strength lies with finding the perfect escape route. Ross longs to leave this world behind and meet friends and improve her gymnastics skills like others her own age. She creates a plan to escape during a heist she and her mom are committing, but something goes wrong. Ross escapes, but her mom is captured. The bounty? One billion dollars. Ross has no choice but to compete in The Thieves' Gambit, an international competition with the prize of a wish granted to the winner. She joins eight other teens to complete tasks and eliminate the competition to win.

I liked this book more and more as it progressed, and really connected with Ross as a character. I felt for her and her longing to be "normal" and escape the life her family had prescribed for her. The supporting characters definitely added to the story as well, and I hope we see some of them in future installments.

The twists towards the end elevated the story and made it more unexpected and intriguing. As the action ratcheted up, the book got more interesting to me and I had more investment in what happened. I felt like the setup was too long and it took took long to get going with the actual Thieves' Gambit. I also did not care for the romance angle, can't we ever have a good heist/adventure novel without romantic tension? Yes, it achieved a purpose but I also felt as if solid friendships could have done the same thing.

I listened to the audiobook and Jade Wheeler's narration was superb. She handled the various characters' accents with ease and helped me to keep the characters straight, even when the cast "on screen" was numerous.

Overall, I was absorbed enough in the story to want to move along to the next book in the series to see where things go from here. I saw some announcement that this might be heading to the screen and I think this would make an excellent movie, many of the scenes are quite cinematic.

"Thieves' Gambit by Kayvion Lewis is an absolute thrill ride that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish! Picture The Inheritance Games meets Ocean’s Eleven, but with higher stakes and a badass teenage protagonist, and you’ll get a glimpse of the excitement packed into this novel. Ross Quest is a fierce, resourceful heroine who’s not just playing for glory but for her mother’s life, which adds an intense emotional layer to the already gripping heist competition. The dynamic between Ross, her childhood nemesis, and the charming new competitor is electrifying, full of trust issues and romantic tension that spice up the plot. The heists themselves are incredibly clever and cinematic, making you feel like you’re right there in the middle of the action. If you love high-stakes thrillers with smart twists, complex characters, and a dash of romance, Thieves' Gambit is an absolute must-read and I am ecstatic for the opportunity to follow up with the sequel!

I was hoping this book would be more adventurous. I was looking for something with more action. I didn't really connect with the characters and the plot moved slowly and really didn't go anywhere.

I liked the idea of the heist. I really liked the main character, Ross Quest. Initially, I also hated Noelia but she grew to be quite likable. Ross's mother is actually not what she seems and I can't believe she would do this to her daughter. Sick!

Anyways on to spoilers!

I can't believe Devroe backstabbed Ross. Like all of that just to play her like that? Not cool! Played dirty. Also Ross's mother making Noelia and Ross not be friends anymore and faking the kidnapping to make sure Ross played in the Gambit, like what kind of mother does that ????? I'm still confused on why Noelia thought that her mom wasn't her mom? Noelia I guess assumed Ross's mom was just a worker. Ross's mom is so manipulative. I hope the next book we do see Devroe not use his wish to kill Ross because I think they genuinely liked each other. Devroe probably saw that Ross was nothing like her mother. Ross shouldn't die just because her mother beat his mother and used up the wish for something else and not to help Devroe's dad. I wonder what the organization will make Ross and Devroe do for their year long contract.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Such a great story loved the characters the world building the writing and the plot twist.
Highly recommend.

Thieves' Gambit is a fun action packed young adult heist novel. Ross is a member of the infamous Quest crime family but she has been aching for freedom and the chance to be with kids her own age. Ross lives with her Mom and Aunt, who are all estranged for some unknown reason from the rest of the family. However, Ross has been taught her whole life that she can trust no one but their little pod so she has had hardly any interactions with the other people. Because of this Ross is planning her escape from her family to an ultra competitive gymnastics camp when she receives an invitation to the Thieves' Gambit. The Thieves' Gambit is a competition between other high level teenage thieves where you play to win a wish of your choice. Ross is planning on passing on the invitation when something happens that forces her to need that wish.

Lewis did an incredible job of describing everything so perfectly that I could see the action taking place in my head. I also thought the heist competitions they had to complete were fun and surprising. But this story was more than just heists and also had a fair amount of surprises and had a great ending.

My biggest issue with this book is the character's ages. The situations they were in made it so unbelievable that they weren't at least 19. Without spoiling anything it just became too many times where these 17 year olds are passing themselves off as adults. And that prevented me from being fully immersed in this story because I just couldn't suspend my disbelief enough.

I'm not sure if this is a duology or the beginning of a series but the way this book ends ensures that there will be a lot to deal with in the next installment. I was a bit ambivalent on if I was invested enough to want to know what happens next but the ending definitely answered that question for me. And it's a resounding yes, especially since it takes place 6 months after this one ends so they will probably be adults.

Fans of The Inheritance Games and Six of Crows will find much to captivate with this one, because it features a high stakes heist competition that pits the world's best thieves - who also happen to be teenagers - against each other. All of them have their own reasons for playing, but for Ross Quest, it's about saving her mother's life.

What follows is a suspenseful, plot whirring story that teems with secrets, betrayal, rivals to lovers romance, and trust issues that may or may not be surmounted.

I enjoyed tagging along with Ross as she completed the thieving tasks and as she slowly lowered her guard for a few of the other competitors. The twist at the end was somewhat expected, but it'll make for great emotional complexity in book two so I am here for it. Looking forward to seeing what happens next!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the ARC in exchange for my review.

I can't say that I remember reading a book like this almost ever. I have watched heist movies but no books involving heists with sleuthing families and history. To say this book was unique in my opinion was an understatement. I liked the concept of a 17-year-old who has no social life except for her family growing up in the world of thieves wanting more for herself. And good for her for taking the opportunity that happened to spin completely out of control. I liked the characters a lot- they all had such individual personalities and were perfectly quirky. I liked the different setting. I just liked the overall idea of this story. I liked the added intrigue of romance between Ross and Devroe. I found myself very entertained while reading this one and wondering how everything was going to shake out.

Ross Quest has made a decision and she is sticking to it. She is going to do something normal for once in her life. She is going to have to escape her family for a bit, but she is going to go to gymnastics camp. She just has one last job to complete with her mom before doing so. Said job which goes completely off the rails and ends up Ross's mom being kidnapped and Ross being roped into something called the Thieves' Gambit. She will have to compete against several other kids who are in her industry and upon winning can get anything she wishes including the ONE BILLION dollars her mom's kidnappers are demanding. So what does she do? She goes of course. She is going to prove to everyone in their world that you don't mess with the Quests. She has always been taught not to trust anyone, but in this competition she finds herself questioning that. Should she not trust the people on her team to help complete a mission? Should she not trust her own judgment in wanting to see if her feelings are reciprocated with Devroe? Should she not wonder if she will be able to trust that this wish will solve all of her problems?

My heart kind of shattered for Ross at the end of this one- I did NOT see that coming. I am VERY hopeful however that things will become clearer in book 2 which I thankfully also got the ARC for :) I would recommend this one if you are wanting something fast paced that is full of action.

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