I have mixed feelings about A Million to One. I loved all the different culture representations and the female leads with all their differences that still end up working together! However, I had a hard time staying focused on the story. There wasn't much action and a lot of descriptors I felt weren't necessarily relevant to the story. I wanted to feel more emotions along with the characters as well as excitement but it unfortunately didn't deliver for me. I think readers who enjoy slow burn heists, historical fiction and a slower story will love A Million to One though! I also loved that it was set on the Titanic!

The idea was incredible but the execution...
l liked but I wish I could have connected better with the story and the characters.

This is a fast-paced adventure story focused on 4 girls determined to change their lives by pulling of a heist on the Titanic. In my opinion, it's a very accessible historical fiction story for teens (and even tweens!) with engaging characters and plenty of twists along the way. I appreciated that it also didn't shy away from the tragedy and packed an emotional punch. I would recommend this to young readers who are looking for thrilling stories that take place in immersive settings and value diversity and representation in their reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Historical fiction in YA is a tricky field when it doesn’t involve fantasy/magical elements as well. It’s rare that I read a YA contemporary historical fic that I think will capture a teen audience, but Million to One certainly does. Who isn’t captivated by the Titanic?? And the way that these four girls each of such distinct personalities and purposes to the story, but they come together to pull off this heist is so fun to see. I think the end felt a bit rushed, but overall, Million to One is one worth picking up!

i don’t even have words. i absolutely loved this book.

first off, i love retellings. any retellings, even though i hate history, are always so interesting. so when i heard that this was a sapphic titantic retelling with a heist, i was so on board (pun unintended) with it.

the relationships between the characters were phenomenal. i absolutely adored emilie and josefa together. even though there was so much happening at once, they continued to have a chemistry that had me kicking my feet at their scenes. the general friendship between all four women was so important. i love found family, so this book was perfect for me. they all care about each other so much and i loved exploring their relationships with one another.

the elaborate plans and secret pasts had me on the edge of my seat. the heist is truly all you can ask for. every character had their own speciality and contributed to the success of the heist. they work like a well-oiled machine, and it’s just truly wonderful.

overall, this was an amazing book. it had me laughing and kicking my feet while also bawling my eyes out. amazing novel. i would definitely recommend it.

3.5⭐️

hmmm, not sure how to feel about this one.

while this book on a craft level is good, it had a fast paced plot, likeable characters and easy yet pretty writing, i just couldn't connect with the story.

the plot was very engaging and had good pacing, i think the short chapters really made the plot never dull and always moving forward. i really enjoyed this.

i liked all the characters, especially violet as i did find her the one with the strongest personality. all of them have their own unique character and an end goal they wanted to reach and i think more fans will enjoy them much more than i did.

i felt the romance subplot was slightly, slightly forced and it wasn't my favorite part of the story which really disappointed me. yk what i really enjoyed though?
hinnah and violet's friendship! i loved the platonic bond they had with each other, they had amazing chemistry and i just felt a stronger connection to their friendship.

i have nothing much to say about the writing. it wasn't corny or dry and it was very easy to read and well crafted. i enjoyed seeing jaigirdar's experimentation with 3rd person writing as i'm usually more familiar with her 1st person writing from her previous books.

overall, despite me not being way too attached to the story, i think fans of the author will enjoy this much more than i did and it will definitely be a favorite for some!

Set to Release on December 13 . This book is definitely one to snag . It’s been a bit since I’ve dove into a Historical Fiction book and I was hooked from the very beginning. I was sold from the very first chapter as well as the part of stealing tickets to get on the Titanic.. iconic . I’ve always been fascinated by the Titanic and this book was just so beautiful descriptive and I’m positively sure it did it justice . From the raw moments in the end to ever other bit in between. The girls found refuge in each other when they didn’t have anything. Just such a beautifully written story wrapped with some real historical people even if they didn’t make it off the Titanic. An awesome way to honor those who survived and to remember the losses. This book is just is one for all ages . Wonderfully , magnificent. 💜

A Million to One asks the question "what if Ocean's 8 happened on the Titanic? And two of the crew members fell in love?" Four girls, each with a completely unique background and personality, team up to pull off a once-in-a-lifetime kind of heist, to steal a priceless book. While they had planned for any obstacles to come their way, they could never have imagined that the biggest one of them all would be the impeding sinking of the Titanic.
This book was a fun and fast-paced read. The characters are multi-dimensional and endearing even in their faults. I agree with other reviewers that this read more like a MG book than YA, but I can see why the particular historical setting could make it a YA book.
I do wish that the heist had started a little earlier in the book; though I appreciated the details of the characters' backstories, the heist felt rushed at times, even though it was the central plot of the book.

Thank you NetGalley for sending an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

A Million to One’ by Adiba Jaigirdar was so good! Thrilling, fun, emotional, suspenseful, poignant, sweetly romantic, devastating…this book kept me on the edge of my seat, made me fall in love with all four girls, and made my heart absolutely ache in the most beautifully bittersweet way. Highly recommend this one—just make sure you bring tissues.

In Adiba Jaigirdar's new Young Adult novel we follow four girls as they commit the heist of a lifetime on the infamous ship the Titanic. Josefa recruits Violet, Hinnah, and Emilie to help her execute her plan to steal the Rubaiyat, a priceless book inlaid with jewels that they will dissemble and sell for parts once they land in New York. Assuming everything goes as planned...
These four girls all bring their own talents to the heist at hand and risk everything to steal the valuable book. Will they pull off the heist? And even if they do, will they survive the sinking of the Titanic?
I thought that this historical fiction was so much fun and such a unique story. I haven't read any historical fictions about the Titanic and I loved learning all about the ship and the opulence that it carried. Throughout the story you cannot help but fall in love with our four girls and root for them despite their faults (and in some cases, because of their faults). The action and thievery begins on page one and is a constant presence throughout the entire book.
I loved watching Josefa, Violet, Hinnah, and Emilie bond with each other and battle their pasts together throughout the book. I thought that this was a well written tale that brought a lot to the table. The only other book I've read by Jaigirdar is The Henna Wars and I felt like this book blew that one out of the water. I didn't have any pressing problems with The Henna Wars but it just felt a little juvenile and I felt like this book brought a lot more substance and attention to detail to the story which I really enjoyed. It doesn't quite hit that 5 star perfection for me but I thought that it was a well-written story that I thoroughly enjoyed nonetheless. If you are considering picking it up I highly encourage you to do so.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4/5 stars.

I'm a sucker for a heist novel. I'm a sucker for historical fiction...it combined beautifully in this novel...AND LOOK AT THE COVER.

4 girls from different backgrounds team up to steal a priceless book aboard the Titanic. This whole novel makes you forget that the ship sinks, and the only thing that reminds you is the ominous chapter titles with the time remaining until the ship goes down. I enjoyed the multiple POVs from each of the girls, but I also struggled because while there are POVs for each girls, it felt like Josefa's received the most attention. I would love more backstory than there was for each character, but I do appreciate how each girl was unique in their skills.

The ending also killed me. Yes, it is the Titanic. Yes, I should have been expecting it. I was still sad, though.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I was already all for this because Titanic, but the queer representation and character development had me flying through each page. I couldn’t put it down.

I loved how each girl has their own point of view chapters, yet the voices don’t run over each other. I also loved the nods to historical figures that did exist and board the Titanic. Frankly, there wasn’t a thing I DIDN’T like while reading.

I appreciate especially the content warnings at the beginning of the book, especially the death by drowning and parental neglect. When planning on using fictional or nonfictional accounts of history, this is so important as students make their reading choices.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was SO good. I was hooked from the start and could not put it down. Heist and Titanic, sign me up. This was really so entertaining and fun to read admist the tradgedy of what happened that night.

Full of adventure and suspense, this book is likely to be popular with young adult readers. Teens will be drawn to the four main characters and their compelling backstories as well as the plans for a heist on the ill-fated voyage.

I loved this book! The characters were wonderfully written and their interactions and choices really influenced the plot well.

I wish there was more background om all the characters as they were so interesting to read about. I was glad, that although the book surrounded the sinking of the titanic, it was not the primary focus of the story.

The ending was tragic, but definitely a good for the story and felt appropriate.

3,5, rounded up. The actual heist felt plodding, and while I liked hearing about the four girls at the heart of the story (and appreciated their diverse backgrounds and upbringing), the romantic subplots and deception between them felt tiresome at times. But the suspense Adiba Jaigirdar builds throughout the novel (punctuated by a countdown at the beginning of each chapter) culminates in a high-stakes, exciting ending, and it's one that doesn't sugar-coat the losses from the Titanic. It's worth reading if you can stick with it until the end.

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

The description for this one was basically designed to draw me in: a HEIST on the TITANIC and it’s SAPPHIC? Sign me the eff up!

I probably should have been bracing myself and expecting the tears considering it’s the freaking Titanic, but oh. Ouch. Gut punch.

The whole book was very fun, though. Even if I did find myself yelling at the characters to stop going down the stairs when the ship was sinking. I had to remind myself that they didn’t know and I was speaking from the future.

Josefa has come up with a plan to steal a priceless artifact from the Titanic, the Rubaiyat. In order to pull it off, she had to form a team. So, she finds an artist (Emilie), an acrobat (Hinnah), and an actress (Violet). Stealing the Rubaiyat is the key for all of them to get a better life. To achieve their goals.

However, Josefa wasn't honest about the nature of the mission. Careless mistakes and a possible new romance through a wrench into their plan. When tragedy strikes the Titanic, they all realize they might be in more danger than they ever thought possible.

Thanks to HarperTeen and NetGalley for an advanced copy of A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar to review! I didn't know I needed a sapphic heist on the Titanic story, but here we are! It's a unique place to set a heist novel, but it surprisingly works really well. Knowing what happens on the Titanic adds an element of urgency to the novel, even if the characters themselves don't know it. I was impressed by Jaigirdar's pacing, and it really drove the entire story forward.

And the characters! We get four points of view throughout the book, which always runs the chance of the voices all blending together. But each of the characters felt unique enough, and they all added a new element and perspective to the story. They each have their own strengths they bring to the table. The main romance also felt natural; the two characters had excellent chemistry.

All in all, even if this book might end in tragedy, the setting and the plot at times make you forget it. I definitely recommend picking it up when it comes out in December!

A Million to One summoned me. A queer historical fiction set on the Titanic with a heist? It's like everything I love all put into one written by one of my favorite authors ever Adiba Jaigirdar. Having loved The Henna Wars and Hani & Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating, I knew I had to read A Million to One. Let's break down what I loved about this book. First of all, the queer tension and pining was *chef's kiss*. I love these tender moments you always want to return to. The butterflies in your stomach, the fragile feeling you feel with your heart in your chest.

"Make the most of what we yet may spend, before we too into the Dust descend."
-A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread-and Thou

Content Warnings (per the title page of the ARC): This book contains mentions of parental neglect, parental abandonment, parental death, and abuse. It also contains instances of death (specifically death by drowning).

A Million to One was flying completely under my radar until a few weeks ago, when I stumbled across a post on Instagram including upcoming YA publications, and I'm so glad I saw it when I did. As a card carrying member of the Mood Readers Bookclub of America™, I'm always looking for ways to shed my current TBR and pick up an entirely new book that I have no business reading at the time, and this one did the trick. After immediately heading to NetGalley to request the book, I found myself devouring the first pages about an hour later, and was hooked from the very beginning.

One thing to point out is that, while this is billed as YA and the characters certainly fit that demographic, the book as a whole does feel a bit more MG when compared to what's being published today. This isn't a criticism, just a statement that some who are used to upper aged YA books might feel a little disjointed picking this one up. As a fan of MG novels myself, this was no issue, just a bit of a surprise that I adjusted to quickly and it did not detract from my enjoyment of the story.

Over the course of the book, we get POVs from our four main characters: Josefa, a pickpocket from Spain, Emilie, a Haitian-French painter, Violet, an actress from Croatia, and Hinnah, an acrobat from 1912 India (currently Pakistan). I used the descriptions for each character off of the author's Instagram page, as I wanted to ensure I portrayed their heritages correctly. This portion of the review is not my original wording, and credit goes to her!) Together, these four create the perfect team for a Titanic heist, become an emotionally satisfying found family, and two of the characters find the sweetest love story along the way.

The plot is two-fold, with the heist taking front and center for the first 75% of the book, and as you may have expected, the final 25% covers the Titanic's demise. I'm assuming the heavy and sad feel of the ending is what earned this a spot in the YA genre vs. MG, which is understandable, but the subject matter is handled so well, and I found myself researching many of the people and artifacts mentioned in the book, so I was able to learn a few new things along the way! If you're looking for a historical heist full of heart and courage, while also including timely discussions involving race, colonization, gender, etc, please give this one a try. I'll be thinking about this book for a long time, and cannot wait to check out the author's previous work as well.