4.5 stars
Thank you Penguin for this ARC
Heist books are always so fun to read and this was no exception. Every heist, plan, and sneaky thief move had my heart pounding, and was just so exciting to read.
Ross and her Mom regularly perform heists, while they are very good at it, it is a lonely life. Ross's Mom constantly hammers into her brain the importance of never trusting anyone, and as a result Ross is incredibly lonely. Her plan to get away and make some friends is quickly botched when her Mom ends up getting kidnapped. Her only solution to get one billion dollars for the ransom is to enter in a cut throat competition between thieves.
This is a really enjoyable book, and truly is such a fun read. I would never have made it past round 0, I would definitely have failed and gotten stuck in the first room. It is so fascinating to see how different characters came up with different plans and ways to steal and lie. I would never have been able to think of a quarter of what they came up with!
There is of course a bit of romance, and while it did feel a bit fast-paced, I enjoyed their chemistry. Devroe is very persistent. I almost thought there was going to be a sapphic romance between Ross and Noelia because of the chemistry the two of them had, and their past.
I absolutely adored how diverse this book is, it's so rare to see this type of genre have this set of characters. Everyone felt so fleshed out and actually read as BIPOC.
Bad parents continue to be one of my favorite elements for books to have, I love that we are getting to see more morally grey or just truly sucky parents in books. (Seriously guys, I hate the trope of parents being infallible)
At times it did read more like it was made for a movie, then if it was made for a book. (This is odd, but does this make sense) I almost think it might make certain scenes easier to follow along when watching then when reading.
The ending was a bit of a let down, it was one twist then another. With two back to back twists it was hard to be invested and still find care for how everything went down. I also was a bit confused by some of the later events in the big just plot wise, there were a few holes. (Like the fact Ross has never worn an evening dress or similar attire but can walk in heels easily) The ending definitely felt a bit abrupt, I still have tons of questions.
I can't wait for the next book, and I would definitely read more of Kayvion Lewis's writing.
Highly recommend, perfect for fans of heist books similar to Ocean's Eleven.