While I had some fundamental issues with this book, I think the YA world in may just love it.

Immoral Code tells the story of five teens, best friends since forever, taking action against injustice.  Bellany is brilliant and could go full-ride to MIT... except that her umber rich father still shows up on her FAFSA and she can get an ounce of support.  Even though her father abandoned her before she was born.  When Bellamy tries to call him, he hangs up on her.  So that's it.  No MIT.

Except her friend Narioka, hacker extraordinaire, has a different idea.  What if they just... stole it?  And so starts the heist!

Where heist films like Ocean's Eleven do really well is that all the players are bringing something to the table, and they all have a good reasons for being there.  In building a teen-based heist, especially one that requires a road trip and where they're all friends and not professionals, Lillian Clark set herself up with some challenges.  First of all, there is a single clear mastermind.  With Nari's age, it stands reason that it requires a little suspension of disbelief.  Nari, more or less, plans this entire heist by herself.  There's an early section where she's connecting with other hackers, but in the meat and potatoes of the story, that doesn't seem to be happening. In fact, a lot of the planning doesn't make it to the page.  I really would have liked to see the planning before two days before the heist, but I also feel like Lillian Clark needed to use the time developing the characters and their relationships.

It took me a while to get into the characters.  Firstly, this book is told with five first person POVs.  I'm not crazy about multiple first person POVs; I feel like it is difficult to differentiate the characters.  Even at the end of the novel, I'd occasionally have to flip back to the start of the chapter to remind myself who was speaking.  Their individual voices weren't different enough, but fortunately, I got to know each character well enough through someone else's voice.  The characters aren't underdeveloped, they're just difficult to connect with.  That said, you know, I'm almost thirty... a sixteen year old may find these characters incredibly relatable all the time and I think that's fantastic.

Oh, and honestly?  All the asides in parentheses and second-guessing rambling drove me crazy.  I understand why it's there, but I don't feel like it added anything.

All this negativity aside, I did end up enjoying Immoral Code.  I really thought I would hate it at the beginning.  I was getting frustrated with some perceived inconsistencies and the characters themselves.  I still don't like the beginning, but this really picks up in the middle and it gets better from there.  There's a scene with Reese during the heist that was absolutely fantastic, filled with life and passion.  There were also a handful of scenes just before the heist where Keagan questioned the morality of it, and I think that contact was so important.  While I wasn't crazy about how things turned out with that, I appreciate that the argument was made.  It was so, so necessary.

The ending seemed way too easy for me, but the journey was interesting.  I think Immoral Code will appeal to any reader who enjoys YA and heist stories.  Don't expect an epic fantasy situation, a la Six of Crows or The Gilded Wolves, but it's a great contemporary companion to the heist subgenre.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted in February 2019 at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

I love heist stories, and this follows five teenagers who are planning a heist to take seventy thousand from their friend’s estranged father. He’s never even met her, but his massive fortune means she was denied financial aid and wouldn’t otherwise be able to attend MIT. I thought the concept sounded really fun, and Immoral Code has the added bonus of including an aroace protagonist, Reese, one of the five. I reached 60% before I decided to quit. Here’s the main problem: all five members of the heist crew have their own first-person POV sections, and their voices are almost completely indistinguishable. I constantly was having to flip back to the name at the start of the chapter to remember whose head I was in. Plus, the narration style is very rambly and not in a way that was working for me. The heist elements also weren’t super prominent in the part I read, which was more concerned about the group dynamics… which would have worked better if I cared more about the characters.

I’m breaking my pattern of “one paragraph per DNFs” to go more in-depth on the aroace representation in Immoral Code, since I haven’t seen much about it beyond that it’s there. I’m asexual and on the aromantic spectrum, and some things about Reese felt off to me. Firstly, the ARC calls her “acearo”, which I’ve never heard before (I’ve only ever heard “aroace”). Maybe “acearo” is used mostly in another country or in some specific corner of the aromantic and asexual communities? There’s also a use of an extended food metaphor to explain asexuality and aromanticism. AKA, “some people don’t like chocolate and that’s okay.” If you are on the aro or ace spectrum, you’ve likely heard this metaphor before, so it me feel like the whole thing was included for non-ace and non-aro people. Which is fine. More people knowing aromanticism and asexuality would make my life easier, but it also kind of made me feel that I wasn’t the target for Reese’s character.

Then there’s Reese’s friend group. It just felt so weird that Reese was the only queer person in the friend group. Out of my close friends from high school, pretty much all of us had come out by the end of our first year of college. Immoral Code does briefly show that Reese has at least one other queer friend, so it’s not like Reese is completely isolated. But it also felt weird that all her straight friends knew so much about asexuality and aromanticism, particularly the in-community stuff. Reese’s friends joke about her being a “space ace” and at one point use the word “allo” (which means non-asexual or non-aromantic). This is the sort of stuff I’d normally only see from other ace or aro people; I’ve never had even my allo queer friends use the word “allo” or reference asexual community puns. Legit, the one time I’ve had the word “allo” used around me was when an ace-exclusionist (AKA queer people who don’t think ace people qualify as queer) told me that the word “allo” was problematic. It’s perfectly possible that other ace and aro people have had friends more like Reese’s, and I don’t want to reject the representation that Immoral Code is offering just because it doesn’t fit my own experiences. In the end, it’s mostly just depressing that what struck me as so unrealistic was the in-depth knowledge and acceptance of her friends.

I love a good heist story, but something about this one just fell flat for me - perhaps it’s the narrative style? It was enjoyable, but I don’t know that I’d recommend it. Which is not a flaw of the book’s, but of mine.

I only made it halfway through the book. It was hard to keep track of all the characters, and their voices didn't differ.

The Quick Cut: A group of five friends work together to steal lots of money from the rich deadbeat dad of the girl who got into her dream school but can't afford it due to finances.

A Real Review:
 Thank you to Knopf Books for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

 When the opportunity for this book came, I got really excited because it's not often you see a book about a heist nowadays in the YA world. Although every story requires a touch of imagination and reality checking, you still have to find yourself (as a reader) enraptured in the tale to make it a success no matter what the elements are. Unfortunately for this one, I couldn't stop myself from questioning the details of the situation long enough to enjoy what was happening. 

 Bellamy got the dream of a lifetime when she was accepted to MIT. Too bad she can't go: her financial aid has been turned down due to her uninvolved, rich dad. With his billionaure status, the system says her family should be able to pay on their own without help and since her mom has debt issues as is - loans aren't an option. Her four best friends won't let her give up though and hatch a plan to steal money from daddy dearest to pay Bellamy's college bills and keep her future. 

 From the outside, this looks like a story about five friends willing to go all the way for one another. In reality, what you get is a poorly conceived plot where the author spent so much time building the characters, she didn't bother to properly construct the story. I get that college is expensive, but no offense: this shouldn't have come as a surprise to Bellamy and crime isn't your only (or best option) here. I went to community college for 2 years to afford my bachelor's degree. Others apply for a litany of scholarships or explain the extenuating circumstances. This is a case of lack of imagination and the far too happy ending makes it clear that the author never stuck to her deadbeat father personality all that seriously. 

 So much time is spent telling you about these people, I found myself skimming at multiple points to get back to a plot point again. It seems that they lost track of the point and meandered back to it (which is definitely a reading pet peeve of mine). 

 With not enough plot creation and too much character focus, this heist misses the mark. 

My rating: 2 out of 5

Although I'm far from a computer genius (it's a miracle I've managed my blog for so long), hacking stories fascinate me.  Nothing is private anymore, and a good hacker can get nearly any information they desire.  And that's downright scary.

These five friends are fiercely loyal and supportive of each other, and it's understandable that they want to help Bellamy.  Suspension of disbelief isn't anything new to me - plenty of stories require it.  But in this case, a phone call to MIT's admissions office seems like a logical first step before planning a heist of this magnitude - especially considering the numerous laws broken by these teens and the potential consequences of their actions.  Yes, Bellamy's dad is a total deadbeat for not having any contact with her, but it would have been more believable if all other possibilities had been exhausted.

Some of the interactions and dialogue between this group are amusing, and I especially enjoyed Bellamy's rational and literal explanations of things.  Even though the dialogue is entertaining at times, there's a tremendous amount of it among this group that does nothing to advance the plot, and other than Bellamy, I had trouble distinguishing the voices of each character.  Writing from five POVs is admirable and allows the reader more insight into the characters, but I referred back to the chapter header numerous times to see who was speaking.

Looking at other reviews, I'm in the minority on this one.  If you enjoy a good heist story (and who doesn't?), strong friendship bonds, witty banter, and are able to suspend disbelief, this may be the book for you.  In my case, I was hoping the plot would be heavier on the heist action.  

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I knew that I wanted to read this book once I heard the word Oceans Eleven. The movies have always been my favorite. Being an avid YA reader this combination piqued my interest.  The story is told from different perspectives about the ultimate heist. I love books where I am able to know more the characters and what got them to where they are now. If you want action and character development then this is the book for you.

I loved the entire squad and their shenanigans, but my absolute favorite part was Reese. I loved that she used the word allocishet (I still have not read another contemporary that has used this), and I loved her whole chocolate analogy for aromanticism and asexuality. It was very well done. This book really felt like a nice warm hug at moments, and it's set my standards higher for contemporary books.

This book was a little dialogue heavy.  The beginning of the book didn't flow as well for me.  I was hoping to jump right into it and let it take me to a great action-packed story, but it had so much back information right away that it dragged the story down.  I liked the characters and the concept of the book. But overall this book fell flat for me, nothing really grabbed my attention to keep me invested in the characters.  It was an ok, but enjoyable read, but not something I would highly recommend.

Hilarious, yet heartwarming story of five friends. Bellamy does not qualify for a student loan because her father is filthy rich. So her friends decide they will hijack his bank account for her. There are individual POV’s of the five friends which I usually find confusing, but not in this case. It is beautifully done!

The world, and life, generally isn't fair but most of us have come to terms with the fact that you can't always do something about it. But if you could do something about it but it is considered morally reprehensible, as in Lillian Clark's Immoral Code, would you?

Five friends with different ambitions bring together their unique skills for an unbelievable heist: Nari is cultivating her hacking and coding skills to be of use at one of the larger tech companies in the future; her calm boyfriend Keegan is happy to go where she leads, but tries his best to balance out her domineering personality; Reese is an adventurous and creative person, unafraid to take chances, assert herself, and stand up for her friends; Santiago is loyal and has dreams of diving in the Olympics while attending Stanford on a scholarship, despite his parents' objections to it; and Bellamy is a physics genius accepted into MIT, but her rich and uninvolved father has ruined her chances of obtaining the financial aid she so desperately needs in order to attend. These five high school friends, spurned on by Nari's determination to seek justice on their own, come up with and/or offer the support they can for a plan to siphon off enough money of her father's vastly wealthy company for Bellamy to be able to attend MIT and pursue her goals. 

A swiftly-moving story, the narrative unfolds quickly and the story is propelled forward with the inventive ideas and associated actions of the group. The premise requires a significant amount of suspension of disbelief, yet if you're able to it does offer an entertaining tale. The text provided readers with the perspectives of each of the five friends involved in the heist, allowing for a variety of characters, whose stories and backgrounds are introduced, that readers could relate to; although I found that their voices, though occasionally distinct, were on the whole rather similar, to the point of being nearly indistinguishable, particularly as they shared a sense of humor (which was quite relatable and enjoyable since it also meshed with mine).

Overall, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

I really loved the characters in this book! It is told from alternating points of view between the five characters, and each character has such a unique voice, making it easy to differentiate between narrators. I loved the plot, the pacing, and the characters. I wish there had been a bit more dialogue, but other than that I found the book to be extremely entertaining.

What promised to be a heist story a la the Oceans movies fell flat for me. One of the five (5!) main characters isn't getting a scholarship to college because her rich deadbeat dad has too much money and won't help pay for her college, so her friends scheme to help her get the money she "rightfully" deserves so she can go to school. 

1. There's a lot of willing suspense of disbelief in this story for a few reasons, not the least of which involves the fact that she could have talked to her school and gotten things taken care of that way. My sister was in the exact same situation and talked to her school and made sure they knew that our dad makes enough money to help with college but wasn't going to actually pay a dime, and they gave her the necessary financial aid.

2. The first part of this book, before we get to the actual heist, is an info dump. There are five main characters and they all have their back stories explained, which could be interesting but ends up getting in the way of the action of the story. Five main characters is a tough narration style to pull off, and I don't think this book achieved what it intended. 

Some readers may enjoy the story nonetheless, and if the teens at my library were interested in this one I would certainly purchase it for them, but as it is I will probably pass. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of review.

This book was a twist with trying to get money to pay for school. I did see some romance with this book and the couples. Overall a great story.

I’m a huge fan of the heist style thriller with the Ocean’s films and Leverage as some of my favorite examples of that genre and I was eager to start this book hoping to have some that beautifully crafted maneuvering in a Robin Hood like mission but unfortunately this book is not it. 

“Immoral Code” tells the story of five  friends who look to hack into the bank of Bellamy’s father and secure the funds she needs to go to MIT. 

This book jumps right in and gives us the POV for all five of our main characters with both part I and II of the book doing very little to explain the heist itself and instead focusing on very long exposition into their personalities and their parents I don’t know if this was to help us as readers tell them apart moving forward or just to fill time but either way it was a lot crammed into not enough space that leaves you waiting for the action you were promised in the synopsis to begin. 

Speaking of the heist, they take their cues not from the great works listed above rather they tailor their plan to that of the 1999 comedy ‘Office Space’ only with less humor and more techno jargon that I was thankful to have my kindle for otherwise I would have needed to grab a dictionary to keep up with half the things they said. Also I know with the heist style format you have to suspend your disbelief a little bit but for this I couldn’t manage to make it too far with that in mind because committing a federal crime is literally their plan a. It’s one thing if they’re seasoned criminals but these are high school students and there wasn’t even a conversation of alternative measures to exhaust before giving this a go and the only character who expresses fear over the consequences or questions the plan as a whole is treated like he’s the crazy one. 

If you want to see a well thought out plan with bait and switch maneuvering that makes you stop in your tracks to admire the mastermind behind such an idea despite its questionable legality I suggest you look anywhere else. 

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

Perfectly titled, the story revolves around five high school seniors looking to pull off a gray-area heist to help fund the MIT education of a group member. It's a good friendship story with a backbone of doing something wrong for the best reasons. All the while, the debate of what's right and wrong rages as each friend deliberates their lives post-high school. The story unfolds nicely, but the characters are underdeveloped because the story is told from each of their points of view in a rotation. However, because of this, it is hard to fully connect with each of them.

The characters are each unique in their own way with talents (or not) that help them attempt the heist of the cenury.  Is it worth the risk to right a wrong done by Bellamy’s dad-ignoring her since birth and having a rich lifestyle and a new family?  I enjoyed how close the friendships were in the group despite differences of opinions. And I especially enjoyed the ending- the right balance of justice and consequence.