This book was an historical fiction adventure. I felt like it would be amazing for students studying Rome and/or Latin students. It is set in Florence in the early 1500's and connected to many things that students learn about this time period. There were so many connections to history while also being a thrilling adventure. The accents of some of the readers were at times difficult to understand but the more I listened to them, the more I was able to understand them. There were times that seemed like there was too much description of the action and not enough information about the characters themselves but I enjoyed the book and I think many students would enjoy it as well. When reading it, I kept thinking it would make a wonderful movie. It has so much action, adventure and mystery within the adventure of stealing to gold from the Pope and Medicis.The chapters are told from different character prespectives which allows the readers to gain more insight into the entire situation but also prevents them from deep understanding of any one character.

A teen planning a heist... what could go wrong?

Well the plot was decent. I found the storyline quite interesting. The characters though... They were a bit one dimensional. I also wonder if teens would be interested. It didn't feel YA to me but what do I know, I'm old!

The audio was decent, it was a bit slow in spots but the end was really well worth it for me.

I think had the characters been a bit more developed, it would have been sooo much better.

3.5 stars

This book is as very entertaining. I loved the historical context, the characters and the plot. In occasions I would get a little lost on what was actually happening but it didn’t take me out of the story completely. I still thoroughly enjoyed the talk about art and the religious and political themes. Overall I enjoyed this read!

I had such a fantastic time reading this book! The idea of robbing the Pope, who was a part of a family that had basically ruled Florence, but had been kicked out, until he got this power, yeah, it was so thrilling to read! That a power-hunger, awful person got robbed, it was so rewarding!

Watching Rosa collect this band of misfits to pull of this heist, while we also got most of their perspectives was really wonderful. They all had their reasons for participating in the heist, mainly the money, but to take the Medicis down a peg was so gratifying!

I will say that this was an audiobook, so I did have a bit of trouble keeping everybody straight, particularly Sarra and Rosa, simply because I'd miss their name being said, and then have to figure out who it was, which is more of a me problem then a book problem, but it took a minute to sort everybody out.

Of course this is a heist story, and of course it's very clever, and things go wrong, but they might be planned to go wrong in that way, in that marvellous way that heist stories with a clever orchestrator happen. It was so much fun to watch everything unfold, and then be explained after thwarting the bad guys!

Loved reading this book and I'd love to read more by Caitlin Schneiderhan!

A tinker, a witch, a master, and an apprentice plan the heist of all heists each for their reasons and each with their own set of risks and rewards.

Let me start by saying I love books with cons, thefts, and heists. I love it all, and this book didn't disappoint. Intrigue and mystery abound in this book, steeped in history and imagination.

If you're looking for a good book to sink into and wonder if they will or won't, this is a perfect choice.

I had the luck to receive both the audio and ebook of this story, and I have to say our Narrator, Sara Alexander, really brought these characters to life; I found myself reaching for the earbuds more and more as the story went on because it was so much fun to listen to.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing a copy of this audiobook. I have listened to it, and all thoughts are my own.

This is one of those rare times where I'll say this would work better as a movie than as a book. I liked the concept and the general plot, but felt like the execution wasn't quite there. I did love that Michelangelo was part of the heist plot though. For how long this book is I was expecting for the characters to have more depth than they did. Often times parts of the plot and the players got a bit muddled because details were lacking.

I'm not sure this will catch or hold the attention of teen readers - this would work better as an Adult Fiction book that just happens to have teenage protagonists. But that's not to say that it wasn't an enjoyable read - there are definitely some good parts. But overall this one didn't live up to my expectations.

Sara Alexander does a decent job with the audiobook narration, though I was very confused why a book set in 1517 Florence was narrated with a British accent.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Macmillan Young Listeners in exchange for an honest review.

Seventeen-year-old Rosa Cellini plans to rob the Pope and the Medicis of their extorted indulgence money, assembling a team that includes a tinkerer, a fighter, a master of disguise, and even a reluctant Michelangelo. As old secrets resurface and tensions rise, their heist turns into a desperate bid to save Florence from destruction. However, the gang must navigate growing internal conflicts while evading the tightening grip of the Medicis' power.

The blurb for this book caught my attention. A Leverage or Ocean’s Eleven style heist set in the past with kids? Sounds amazing! Unfortunately, I found it didn’t keep my attention. It was all too easy to simply...stop listening, and I didn’t feel a rush to get back to it. Part of this is because there were so many people to keep track of! And the POV of jumped between characters, and I had difficulty keeping track of who was doing what.

The characters themselves were alright. It kind of felt as though there was an inclusivity list the author was trying to meet. Sassy female lead. Check. Character with family trouble. Check. Actually, a lot of checks for that one. And then there were a couple random characters that slipped in and I wasn’t sure what the point of them was.

When it came to the plot itself, nothing surprised me. Everything played out exactly like a Leverage episode. In fact, it made me just want to watch the show instead of listening to the audio book. The narrator was charming. She did a great job with each character, but the story just wasn’t there.

Overall, it was alright. Harmless, but I found it rather boring.

I really wanted to love this book. The narrator was great and did a good job. The subject of the book was exciting to me in theory, I loved the description but I just had trouble getting into the book. I loved the idea of the heist and the art but none of the main characters really grabbed me and I had trouble really seeing them as multi dimensional and people I wanted to be friends with and root for. They all felt like molds that were just thrown in to move the plot along and they weren’t very developed. I enjoyed the atmosphere of the story; the descriptions were good, especially of the city and the settings.The plot wasn’t gripping enough for me, especially for a heist plot, I think some people might enjoy this book but it just wasn't for me.

I got a few hours into this audiobook and decided not to continue. I was intrigued by the subject matter, but the writing was really hard to follow. There were too many characters and timelines jumping around. It is very possible that this would read easier as a print book and it is just hard to follow as audio.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the e-arc!
This book has it all: action, adventure, an amazing heist, a rag-tag group of misfits, and an amazing backdrop! Set in Renaissance Italy, a group of misfits team up to take a corrupt Pope down a few pegs by stealing back the money he extorted. Rosa is the brains and leader of the operation, puts together a specially crafted group to pull off this robbery. She even gets Michelangelo in on the heist!
And now I literally feel this book was written for me! I love Renaissance Italy and lived in Italy for a few months, so this book was everything I wanted. This reads so much like a DND quest that I would 110% want to play. The group of misfits was fun and interesting; I really like it when authors take prominent figures and add them into stories so Michelangelo being included was so fun. This book was just an overall great time and I am so excited for everyone to read this book.

Audiobook Review - Medici Heist is a fantastically narrated YA historical fiction that takes place during the Italian Renaissance. Highly recommended for fans of classic heist stories and historical fiction.

While the history is solid, at the end of the day you can tell the author has their history in screen writing. I can imagine this being the most exciting historical film, or a really stunning graphic novel. Sadly, for me, it didn't translate well into prose. Which is unfortunate because the characters were interesting.
I would love to give this another try one day when I'm more in the headspace for it. But for now, it's just an okay book that I might recommend to someone who really loved that one assassin's creed game and its sequel.

I did not finish this book. I DNFed at 30% because it was too detailed and too slow for YA. It read too much like a script and not a novel.

NetGalley Review

Star Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Another one that I picked up for a long drive. Almost wish I hadn't picked this one. I did what they said not to do, what I do almost every time, I judged a book by it's cover. I thought, Medici, like Italy?, like Assassin's Creed?, count me in! This is super fast paced and very hectic. Things are thrown together and then thrown at you so fast so that you don't realize that nothing is actually happening and what is actually happening could be happening much differently (better) than it is currently happening, but the way it's happening distracts you the whole time so that you are so busy trying to understand what is happening that you are now frustrated. I hope the way you feel after reading that last sentence conveys to you how I felt while listening to this book. Then at the end the author decides to throw a curveball right out of the end zone. She tried to play the let's be diverse game. All the sudden out of the blue, two male characters have gone from not liking each other to wanting an encore with each other. I've noticed that more and more with some of the books that I've read recently. All the sudden every book has some sort of poorly written diversity just so they can join the crowd and market their book as diverse.


Like always read it and decide for yourself!

I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a mix of Six of Crows and Assassin's Creed. Maybe because of the setting? I don't know, but sneaking around, stealing from the church gave me Ezio vibes.

Okay, onto the book. I enjoyed this to an extent. The plot seemed a little choppy at times, though it was easy enough to follow. My one thing about this is I would've liked a little bit more character development for some of the main characters. However, that being said, the setting was great, there was a love interest that came out of nowhere but was foreshadowed and I was totally okay with it, there were historical people that made an appearance and were central to the plot. All in all, it was a fun read.

I would probably describe this book as a combination of a Robin Hood tale with Ocean’s Eleven vibes set in Renaissance Florence. It definitely has the makings of an exciting swashbuckling story. Having been to Florence, I did really enjoy the descriptions of the city - the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio and the David. I could really picture the characters in the Medici home and imagined them in the secret passages with all the opulence around them. And I think the history around this family was accurately described by the author. So, the descriptions in the book were the fun part for me. At first, I didn’t like the idea that Michelangelo was involved in the heist because it seemed unrealistic but this just added more fun to the story.
The parts of the book that I didn’t enjoy were lack of character development and unlikable characters. Even though each character had skills and their plan was creative, I found that I just couldn’t get behind them. And the worst part for me was that the book was just too long - I think a shorter would have been more appealing.
The narrator of the book was fine and easy to listen to. I enjoyed her voice inflections when the action speeded up.

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio/Macmillan Young Listeners and NetGalley for providing me the ALC in exchange for my honest review.
Release Date: August 6, 2024

Set in Renaissance-era Florence, Medici Heist follows an ensemble cast of thieves as they prepare to raid the Palazzo de Medici. Meanwhile, political tension is boiling as Florentines buck against the Medici occupation of power and end of the Republic.

PROS: The setting is lush and grand. The author seems quite capable of imbuing atmosphere and history, along with delivering competent writing. The author draws out the historical fantasy by making Michelangelo a side character!

+ AUDIOBOOK + one of the major pluses of the reading experience. Narrator Sara Alexander delivers a superb performance, expressive but not overdone. Her voice fits is polished and holds a certain elegance that fits the vibe of the book. Audio quality is crystal clear.

CONS: I struggled at first to fully immerse because the POV shifts every chapter, as we swing from one heist crew member to another. My only other nitpick is the tone. I admit to being picky regarding heist books. Heist books by nature should have plenty of action if not be altogether described as action/adventure novels. The tone should be buoyant for the most part, with a steady pacing. I fear that Medici Heist’s tone and pace both got bogged down by the baggage-laden relationship drama and political dialogue. The madcap antics and dazzling surprises and pay-offs—which I expect from heist stories—were shortchanged.

The Medici Heist was a historical fiction with so much potential that fell incredibly flat.
First of all I t took forever to actually get into the story, the amount of background and world building was extensive.

I later discovered that the author is a screenwriter - this makes sense because a lot of what was written could’ve been background info to help set the scene of a stage or film, not something that actually needs to be said.

Secondly, the book was filled with plenty of lack luster characters. Sara and Rosa were indistinguishable for 3/4 of the book. Which is hefty for the amount of nothing that happens.

Lastly, it was just dull. Not once was I invested in this story, in these characters, or in the outcome of the heist. Just didn’t care. If I were someone to DNF books, it would’ve been DNFed.

All this from a Florentine that knows these streets, knows and has been in these buildings, and still found it a disappointment.

I will say, the imagery was well spun and the narrator was FAB! Her ability to pronounce the Italian words properly was wonderful and something I greatly appreciated as a native speaker.

The title had me expecting a historical Italian Job, and this was anything but.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC audiobook.

Thank you to the author, Net Galley , and the publisher for an ARC of Medici Heist in exchange for an honest review.
Medici Heist is a fun historical heist with a found family. I liked the quick pace and the characters. I thought it was fun to have Michelangelo as a character in the heist. If you like action, friends, and twisty plots give this a try.

So I heard heist in Renaissance Florence and I was immediately interested in this book! It’s a classic heist in a lot of ways, but with some unique elements for historical fiction and the somewhat unique characters. In some ways it was what I expected, and in other ways not so much. Part of that is the pacing, with the planning being the first half of the book and the second half being the actual heist. For the most part, I enjoyed the actual book and found it pretty interesting and compelling to read, although I never got fully sucked into it like I wanted to. I enjoyed the characters but I also had a harder time telling all of them apart at one part, which might be due to reading this as an audiobook versus a physical copy.

As for the actual audiobook, I think it was pretty good, and honestly one of the most consistent audiobook narrators I remember hearing. I did wish there was a little more differentiation in character voices and chapter narration but I still think it was pretty good overall.

I enjoyed this book (and its audiobook) and I think that if you’re a fan of heist books or heavier on historical politics historical fiction, or if you’re just interested in reading a book where Michelangelo is a character, and perhaps there are a few queer people too!