This book was hilarious. Full of silly banter, crazy antics, and a goofy romance, this was an enjoyable read.

I read this from net galley and also for a book club and really loved it. I love a heist book and this whole book was just fun to read.

DNF'd around the 50% mark; I really wanted to love this one. I tried! I love Sara Desai's romcoms so make it a heist seemed right up my alley. but halfway through this book, I just wasn't hooked and I can't entirely tell where the romance is supposed to go. I hit a good stride and read the first half fairly quickly but I put it down about a month ago and dread the thought of picking it up. I might come back to it but I think I have to give up for now.

I am a picky romance reader because I like the chemistry to stay in the flirtation phase and have more plot to the story before heading into the steamy parts. To Have and to Heist executed on that vision in spades, and there was a point in the book where I almost considered this more of a contemporary fiction than romance—it had a lot of mystery and adventure to the plot and the heist storyline that drew me in stayed prominent through the end, as the romance unfolded almost as a side-story.

The story centers around Simi Chopra, who has been struggling in her career ever since she departed from the wishes of her parents and pursued a degree in business. Despite how much Simi loves her parents, she wasn’t passionate about science or medicine, and she isn’t interested in the string of men they bring over to set her up with. But even she must admit things aren’t working out as planned, as she loses another job and agrees to help out at her father’s custom suit business.

Simi is an incredible friend and fills her life with people who love her. She is there to help when her octogenarian landlady Rose finds her gentleman caller in a health crisis following a bit of extracurricular fun. She also drops everything to help her best friend Chloe when she finds herself caught in a museum theft that she accidentally helped thinking she was hired as an ethical hacker to assist in their security protocol. When Simi arrives, she finds her friend in a dire position, with the museum flooded with police. Simi is trying to help Chloe find a way out before the police nab her when a mysterious man pulls her backward into the bushes and holds her there.

Oliver Twist (who is actually named Jack) was there to steal the very same necklace that was stolen this evening. He informs Simi that he has just saved her from an arrest, but the two have an undeniable spark. When Simi eventually is able to break free to help Chloe, she finds them at the center of an investigation. Now, they must put a crew together with them and the mysterious Jack to steal the necklace back from a high society wedding before they find themselves in hot water with the police!

I loved Simi as a character. She loves candy, is an incredible friend, and is funny. Thankfully when it comes to the heist, she also has a lot of experience with over-the-top wedding celebrations in her middle eastern community. I liked that Simi didn’t question her life choices, but did find herself struggling to know what direction to take her life. This was a different take on this leading character prototype in contemporary fiction novels.

I would actually say the romance plot is the secondary story in this, though it may be the one you find yourself rooting for by the end. This was at it’s core a story about a group of people who come together because they aren’t sure how to find their place in this world or how to afford to get there. It is a book about friendship, perseverance, and trusting yourself even when life seems like it will never come together.

Absolutely a must read for contemporary fiction fans!

To Have and To Heist was such a delight to read! I am truly loving Sara Desai’s writing style. This is the 3rd book that I have read by her and thoroughly enjoyed ALL of them!

I will say that this book did take me a minute to warm-up to this book even though I was laughing all the way from beginning to end. I absolutely loved the banter!!! It was the perfect blend of Oceans Eleven, Finlay Donovan and The Wedding Planner. It was very well written but a few times in the book, I felt that it was a little too wordy. Regardless, I loved this book!

I loved how Simi would do anything for her bestie Chloe and her daughter including committing a crime. Simi is just so loyal, full of sass and witty comebacks. Her devotion was really one of the best parts of this book. The shenanigans that happened throughout this book were just so entertaining. I could definitely see this book being turned into a movie!

Jack…so handsome & mysterious! I loved his knowledge of all of the botanicals. He did give off a lot of shady vibes but in the end, I really fell for him. His backstory with his grandmother was just heartbreaking. You could definitely tell the ways that it defined him as a person. As much as I enjoyed Detective Garcia, I was Team Jack all the way! This potential love triangle totally gave me Janet Evanowich’s Stephanie Plum feels!!!

All of the side characters were a blast to get to know. I loved each and everyone of them. They were all misfits and it was a delight to watch all of the character growth amongst them. I was a little worried that this group wouldn’t be able to pull off the wedding/heist but the group effort to get the job done was highly comical. Loaded with twists and turns, I would highly recommend this book to those who are looking for a really good summer romcom! I really hope that the story of this bunch continues on into a sequel!

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐬:
Found Family
Romantic Suspense
Best Friends - Ride or Die
Cozy Mystery
Wedding Planning

Thank you to @netgalley, @berkleyromance, @valentine_pr_ & @saradesaiwrites for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

When Simi’s best friend is accused of stealing a diamond necklace worth millions, she teams up with Jack and her misfit crew in order to infiltrate a high-society wedding and steal the necklace back.

This was just MEH to me. I like it, but I definitely liked Sara Desai’s other books more - this was kind of a let down. I do think you should definitely try it - the audiobook was good! It just wasn’t for me at the time I read it.

This was such a good time! I laughed aloud many times reading this and couldn't put it down!

Simi is 29, unmarried, and in need of a new job- again. Still looking for something that fulfills her, and pays her student loans, she has her best friend, Chloe, to always be there for her.

When Chloe is set up for a crime, Simi is ready to do anything to save her best friend, including working with Jack, perhaps (hopefully?) a Robin Hood, but who may just be a thief with secrets he'll never share. No matter how close he and Simi get.

Simi puts together a ragtag (hilarious) team, starts a wedding planning business, and survives her South Asian family ready for her to marry and settle down to keep her closest and longest friend out of jail. The story is fast-paced, funny, and full of great, dynamic characters.

I really like Simi. She was far from perfect, but she was intelligent, real, and caring. Her love for Chloe is beautiful and I loved seeing their friendship develop and them BOTH get their happy ever after (and take care of business).

This story really was about Simi first and foremost, with her relationships second, including her romantic one. While it is clear from the beginning that Jack and her have chemistry, I liked how the story focused on Simi's development and her figuring out what she needs and wants from life, from career to family to friends to partner.

You do get Jack's POV at one point to confirm his (obvious) feelings which is nice. Overall, they were a perfect match for each other and fit together so well.

Feat: closed door romance, heist adventure, found family, iconic meet-cute, true villain gets what they deserve 👊, perfect match ❤️, South Asian representation, mixed race relationship

4 stars

This was my first book from Sara Desai, and I can’t wait to go back and read all of her other books! 🥰 This book had a lot going on: a robbery, a heist, a wedding, and a love story! First, I loved that this takes place in my hometown of Chicago! And I really enjoyed Simi, our female lead - especially her relationship with her best friend Chloe. 💕

In order to save Chloe from a crime didn’t commit, Simi has to plan a heist with the help of some hilarious characters and then Jack, the mysterious master heisted/sorta criminal.

Jack and Simi’s chemistry was great, but really the best part of the book was the hilarious hijinks of Simi’s heist crew/friends! 😅 There we’re moments when I busted out laughing! It was such a sweet found family moment. If you want a good, fun read - you definitely need to read this!

interesting plot and loved the vibes but the execution fell flat especially since the romance subplot wasn’t done that well

This book is bonkers, but I mean that in a positive way. Simi's ostensibly undiagnosed ADHD tendencies grew on me, especially when coupled with her fierce determination and loyalty to her family, friends, and crew. (Speaking of, the crew members are all heartwarming in their well-intentioned awkwardness.) Her inner thoughts and basically all the conversations between characters are so silly and enjoyable that I actually laughed out loud a few times; it's been a while since I've read dialogue like that.

Regarding the romance, Jack was not terribly appealing in his tendency to disappear at crucial moments--as Simi points out, it's cowardly--but I guess he comes through in the end and technically has a noble cause in his thievery. The love triangle bit feels unnecessary, but maybe it's set up to play out in a sequel? Honestly, I would have rather had more scenes with The Wedding Crew.

Read this book if you like: Dual POV, Ocean's movie vibes, hilarious relatable characters, steamy 🔥
I loved this one! It's so funny, charming, and sexy. I couldn't put it down. I loved the whole concept of having to do a heist to help her best friend. Anything to do with the wedding planning was great. I highly recommend this book!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Read this book if you like: Dual POV, Ocean's movie vibes, hilarious relatable characters, steamy 🔥

I loved this one! It's so funny, charming, and sexy. I couldn't put it down. I loved the whole concept of having to do a heist to help her best friend. Anything to do with the wedding planning was great. I highly recommend this book!

I love this! It could be a bit silly but was still very enjoyable. I loved the cast of characters. My favorite book genre or romance comedies and my favorite type of movies are heist films and this felt like the perfect combination of both I could read a ton more books just like this
Thank you!

3.5/5⭐

What a riot! This was so much fun; the entire cast of characters was likeable and entertaining and the ridiculous shenanigans they got into kept me laughing out loud. I loved the friendship between Simi and Chloe and the writing was breezy and engaging. I'm looking forward to reading more by Sara Desai!

This is one that's definitely lighter on the rom, heavier on the com. The romance was lacking a bit for me: it's very instalove/lust and there wasn't much development to their relationship. There's a bit of a baby love triangle and I kind of wanted it to go the other way, haha. But honestly I didn't mind this too much, since the story itself was such a fun ride.

I recommend this if you're looking for something light and fun that doesn't take itself seriously at all!

Thank you Berkley and Valentine PR for the ARC!

I loved every minute of this amateur heist gone hilariously awry.

Simi Chopra is the good daughter, except she's still single, she's not a doctor or a lawyer (she's got a business degree, the HORROR), a series of entry level jobs, a basement apartment that floods forcing her to move home again, and a friend who's been accused of theft. Simi will do anything for her best friend, Chloe, and that includes assembling a highly unlikely group of misfits with some questionable talents to help her pull of a heist and save Chloe from prison. Along the way she has to throw good-looking Detective Garcia off the track, and try and keep track of Jack (aka Oliver Twist), a very sexy mystery man who seems to show up when she needs him most.

This had some Ocean's 8 vibes with the women taking point on planning and executing a heist. What could go wrong did go wrong, which made for some fun and unexpected twists and turns. I found myself highly entertained throughout the entire story.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If Simi has anything, it’s bad luck. Being in her late 20s, not married, having to search for a new job – AGAIN, the last thing Simi expects is for her best friend Chloe to be set up for a crime. Now, Simi must work with Jack who has his own secrets that he hides.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced and hilarious. The story’s focus is Simi and wherever our leading lady goes, there is sure to be trouble. There is some closed-door romance / chemistry between Simi and Jack, but the story’s main goal seems to be to help us understand Simi’s character development and showing us how she grows throughout the story. She is figuring out what it is that she wants/needs from her life and relationships, especially as someone who is fixing to be in their 30s which I think many of us 30 somethings can appreciate.

Sara Desai is one of my favorite rom com authors. I always know I’m going to be in for a good time and lots of laughs when I pick up one of her novels and her latest release To Have and To Heist is no exception. I love a good heist story and this one is just full of shenanigans and such a fun time. Imagine a mashup between the Ocean’s 11 movies and the Finlay Donovan series and that’s the vibe of this book.

When we first meet the protagonist, Simi Chopra, her life is a mess. She has just been fired, is drowning in student loan debt, and has been forced to move back in with her parents because her apartment flooded. Worse than all of that combined though, her best friend Chloe has just been accused of stealing a multimillion dollar diamond necklace. I adored Simi. She’s smart and resourceful, and her messy life is all too relatable.

I also loved how much of a loyal friend she is. It’s her sense of loyalty that really drives the plot of this story, because as soon as Chloe calls Simi and tells her she’s trapped in a museum that someone else has broken into, Simi’s first instinct is to drop everything and try to rescue Chloe all by herself. When her attempts fail and she hears the police sirens, Simi refuses to give up and even tries to scale the outside of the museum with nothing but her bare hands. Who wouldn’t want a friend like that? Simi then makes it her mission in life to exonerate Chloe and with the guidance of Jack, the mysterious man who grabbed Simi before the police could spot her, Simi orchestrates a jewelry heist of her own to steal the necklace back from the thieves, all while serving as the wedding planner for the biggest wedding in town. What could possibly go wrong?

My absolute favorite part of the novel is the motley crew that Simi assembles for this heist. Aside from her bestie Chloe, Simi’s team consists of Rose, her octogenarian landlord; Jack the mystery man; Cristian, who works with her dad at his tailor shop but also has a side hustle as a male escort; Emma, the aggressive Uber driver who drove Simi to the museum to try to save Chloe; Anil, a tech nerd who still lives with her meddlesome matchmaker parents; and lastly, gun-toting, broody Gage, who Jack has brought in as the muscle. It was hilarious to watch this crew in action as they fumbled and bumbled their way through every aspect of the heist, and I just adored them all!

There’s a bit of a slow burn romance as well, and while I definitely enjoyed that aspect, it took a backseat in comparison to all of the action and comedy of the heist plot. I was fine with that though since the book was just such a fun time! If you’ve enjoyed books like the Finlay Donovan series, you’ll definitely want to check out To Have and To Heist.

This was just fantastic! Although the love triangle was a little strange, it also sort of worked, so I won't criticize it. The book's plot was engaging and never dragged out or became unclear. I recommend reading it because it's fascinating.

Simi's continual chatting throughout the book causes many humorous moments. Simi and Jack's first encounter was amusing, even though I pleaded with her to leave him and fetch Chloe so they wouldn't have to deal with the cops. Though initially, being a wedding planner was only a ruse to obtain the stolen necklace, I loved seeing Simi settle into a career she could pursue. Additionally, the theft itself and the fact that the crew members were all different from one another added a great touch because you never knew what would come out of their mouths. It was terrific how well-matched Jack and Simi were.

I do wish the ending was a little different. And by different, I mean finally having Mr. X be gone for good.

This is the first time I've read this author, but it will not be the last. Simi, in an attempt to keep her best friend out of jail, hooks up with Jack, a retrieval expert, in locating a diamond necklace. This brings in a unique cast of characters that make this book a fun read. Readers are taken from one escapade to another, while Simi attempts to help her friend and find her calling in life. Simi's family is also a delight as they try to find a find a husband for her and basically mettle in her life.

This is fun enjoyable fluff, but not a lot of substance and it was a little flat for me. I think the chemistry or suspense could have been punched up a bit. Good beach reading, but didn’t totally click for me.