Ross is a master thief. At only 17, he has it all figured out. Ways to steal and escape. But she wants an out, especially from her family. Her desperation makes her enter the international heist competition, Thieves Gambit. It’s an all out, everything’s on the table including murder, game. The winner gets any wish in the world they want. But that’s difficult when two of Ross’s friends enter the competition as well.

Ooh this was a fun read! Definitely like the description says, it has hints of ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ but also a tammer John Wick to me. This setting was so interesting and unique and definitely kept my attention. It’s very addictive. I mean who doesn’t love fighting to survive stories.

The characters, the plot, the action.. it has it all, from beginning to end. Thieves, spying, deception, betrayal, some romance, and competitiveness. I can’t wait for the next book!

If you like puzzles, heists, and adventures, then you definitely want to read this first book in a new series. Ross Quest is from a family of high level thief masterminds and she wants out. It's not that she doesn't love her family or that she isn't really good at the family business, she just wants to be a normal teenager for a little while. When she gets an invitation to participate in the Thieves' Gambit against other teens from similar backgrounds, she isn't interested. Until her mother is kidnapped and winning the gambit may be the only way to get her back. Now she is on an around the world adventure to beat out the other thieves and win it all, as long as she doesn't let silly things like friendships get in the way. Highly recommended for grades 7 & up.

This book was super good! It definitely felt like a movie while reading it, I’m not surprised that it already has an adaption announced. I read about 300 pages of this book in one day because I literally couldn’t put it down lol

There are so many supporting characters, but it never felt like too much because they had such distinct personalities! My favorite, besides Ross, was definitely Kyung-soon. I liked how all of them were morally gray because they are all very impressive thieves, so I never knew who to trust.

The heists were really fun to read about! There were only a few in the book, but all of them featured set up and the actual heist. I love heist stories so much, and this book did not disappoint.

The competition made it so that the cast got smaller with each heist, which also meant that I got to know the characters a lot better as the story progressed. There were often mini tasks within each heist, so there was added conflict, especially when they were divided into two teams.

There was a huge cliffhanger at the end of the book, and I was shocked to see it end that way because I didn’t know it was a series, I thought it was just a standalone. I really liked the ending, the overall plot of the story led up to that moment. It was not at all what I was expecting! I’m glad it wasn’t predictable for me.

Overall, I loved this book! I had such a fun time reading it, and I really recommend it!!

I don’t read a ton of YA but the synopsis for Thieves Gambit sounded intriguing and like it could be a lot of fun.

I was not left disappointed! While it had some teen romance (not my fav) the characters mostly presented older, likely because there were no parents present and they were doing adult thieving things. 😂

The pace, once passed the 20% mark, flew by in a hurry. The plot was hopping and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

I found the occasional gen-z slang fun and relevant. Gen-x and boomers (without teens at home) may sometimes be lost. 😂 I also really appreciated the fact that most of the main characters were people of color. It was a nice change from most stories that are all white with a token minority. I loved the representation!

The book is advertised as a cross between The Inheritance Games and Oceans Eleven. I’ve never read the Inheritance Games but found the competitive dog-eat-dog side of the competition similar to The Hunger Games. It is the first book of a series, so don’t expect a full conclusion as the ending tees up the next installment in line.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read this if you want some high-risk, high reward heists, with a YA romance slant, and a fierce last-man-standing style competition!

Book drops next Tuesday, don’t miss it!

Publication date: September 26, 2023
Pages: 384

Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinteen for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! Thieves Gambit is a mix of Inheritance Game and Hunger Games. I loved Rosalyn. The need to follow the path of her family and the desire to do her own thing. I feel it’s what every person goes through at some point.
The plot was great. The pace was fantastic. I didn’t get bored. The who is good and who is bad. The trust no one.

Can’t wait to read the next one.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc for my honest review.

First I want to say thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for a arc of this book. I honestly wasn’t sure how much I was going to like this book when I picked it up. I recently was disappointed with another arc that I had gotten from penguin and so I was very scared to read this one and then also DNF it. I will say this book has very heavy oceans vibes, which I really liked. I haven’t honestly read a heist book in a very long time. I will say I saw the big twist from the beginning which I think is what made my review so low for this book. If you see something like that coming, there has to be a twist to make it worth it and I think to bring the rating up. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this book. I will say I also thought that this was going to be a standalone, so that is what also dropped the rating for me. Besides that I really enjoyed this book. I’m glad I read it and I definitely recommend checking it out. I also know that this book already has a movie deal which I cannot wait to see because I know it’s going to be done so well.

Ross Quest is 17 and ready for independence from her family of thieves. She's ready to escape until her mother is captured on a job gone wrong. Ross is forced to join the Thieves' Gambit, a competition for elite young thieves. There's no one she can trust it seems, but can she survive all on her own? Lewis crafts a young adult heist story full of twists and turns. Every chapter kept me guessing. I also loved watching Ross develop as a character throughout the story, beginning to question what she's been taught. I do wish we could have gotten additional backstory on certain characters to better understand their motivations, but that may be something that Lewis expands upon later as the ending seems to imply a sequel. Overall, I really enjoyed this title and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a young adult action or heist story. 3.5 rounded up.
Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for providing me with a digital arc of this title.

Seventeen year old Rosalyn Quest has only ever had her family to rely on. High profile thieves by trade, the Quests travel the world seeking out their next great heist. Rosalyn, however, dreams of more; she wants to go to school and make friends and live the normal life of a young adult. But on the night she plans her escape, Rosalyn’s mother is captured, and it is up to Rosalyn to make things right. Luckily, a high risk challenge has been presented to her at just the right time, and Rosalyn soon discovers the strength that comes from believing in oneself and that the right kind of friends can be just as important as family.

This fast-paced young adult novel is ideal for fans of Legend and The Hunger Games. The writing is excellent, and it draws readers in from the first pages. Especially because the protagonists are thieves, there is a certain level of danger and unease woven into everything Rosalyn does, even as she proceeds in the life her family has led for generations. Themes of love, self acceptance, family, and the line between right and wrong are found throughout the novel, leaving readers to appreciate the unique experiences Rosalyn has while empathizing with more familiar circumstances of their own.

Though Rosalyn is a young adult, this book is well suited to upper middle grade readers, as well. Limited occasions of strong language are found within the narrative, and the action and peril are not as intense as they can be in novels for older youth. Romance is woven into the plot, as are friendships and a wide range of characters from diverse backgrounds, and all come with the twists and turns one would expect from characters who are highly trained in the art of deception. Readers who enjoy traveling the world and interacting with it in unexpected ways will appreciate the delivery and the design of this novel, and they will eagerly await subsequent installments. This is a highly enjoyable addition to library collections for young readers.

thank you so much netgalley and nancy paulsen books for the arc! i really enjoyed thieves gambit it very much had the inheritance games and only murders in the building mystery vibes which i really loved! the author did an amazing job with consistently bringing the plot in a new an exciting direction! i enjoyed the fact that it wasn’t a predictable book, i was on the edge of my seat the entire time reading it! it was fast paced and full of action! i loved the drama, the romance, the heists, the betrayals, the characters, overall it was amazing. i really loved our mc ross quest i think she was wonderful and i enjoyed seeing her grow throughout the book. i had been in a bit of a reading slump and then i read this and it pulled me right out of it, genuinely one if my favourite reads this year!

When there is a gathering of young thieves and a big prize, there is bound to be casualties. Here are reasons to read this Young Adult Mystery book:

Thief Family - Ross Quest is part of a long line of thieves

Hostage - but during a job, her mom is taken hostage

Competition - which then leads Ross to take part in a competition for young thieves in order to get her wish - 1 billion dollars for her mom’s release

Trust No One - but even as she make friends and encounters past enemies, she still has to follow the family motto of “Trust No One”

This book was on my most anticipated list for the month, and believe me it did not disappoint. Even though I was having a slump month, this book hit the spot for me! It was exciting and fed quite nicely into the next book in the series. It is marketed as The Inheritance Games meets Ocean’s Eleven and it really lived up to my expectations. There is so much subtext in these characters. I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this one! Everything I love in one book. Cinematic action, romance, betrayal, and a badass heroine who everyone wants to root for. Ross was a great MC and I wanted to see her succeed. She was likable and relatable and I wanted her to win of course. I really liked the side characters and had hoped we would get more into their backstories however. I felt like a lot was left open for the next book and I am so excited for what’s next. Some of the plot twists were predictable, but the journey to get there was fun so it was ok. I already can’t wait for book 2 because the drama is going to be amazing.

This was so fun to read. There were impossible heists, so many twists and betrayals. I was shocked. I loved the friendships that developed. The characters were diverse and unique, easily likeable, minus some though because they seems kind of crazy. This would be a great read for those looking for a fun, fast paced and easy read.

4.5 stars
“Everything worth doing is dangerous.”

Oh I loved this! Teens from all over the world are brought together for a tournament. They are thieves and con-artists and will compete to win a year working for a prestigious company using those skills.

Like it says above, this had an Ocean’s Eleven vibe but also the tournament felt a bit Hunger Games to me. That’s what drew me in and it proved entertaining. Each teen has been raised in these families famous for cons, theft and more. So the skills they have are unique and perfect for the tasks the tournament provides. They’re tested on working alone, in pairs and as a team.

“The best things you get in life are usually things you weren’t expecting.”

This book was never short on excitement. It may not seem like a unique theme but it felt different and flowed so well that I couldn’t wait to get to the end. It was fun, unique, had great characters, tons of betrayal, trust, family and more. I highly recommend this one!

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the copy and surprising me with the hardcover 😍

"Thieves' Gambit" is a thrilling heist novel that combines the intrigue of "The Inheritance Games" with the flair of "Ocean's Eleven." Ross Quest, our young protagonist, leads readers on a rollercoaster of daring heists and unexpected twists.

The book's action-packed narrative keeps you on the edge of your seat as Ross competes in a cutthroat competition to save her mother's life. The stakes are sky-high, and the competition is fierce, with intriguing rivals and a hint of romance adding depth to the story.

While "Thieves' Gambit" doesn't quite reach the pinnacle of a five-star rating due to some predictability in the plot, it earns a solid four stars for its engaging characters, heart-pounding heists, and the emotional weight of the quest to save a loved one. If you're a fan of heist thrillers with a dash of romance, this book is a must-read.

I will be honest. I could not read this book. The way it was formatted made it impossible for me to get through, having said that, what I did read I really enjoyed and will be purchasing this book soon so I can read it and give a more honest review.

This was a great read! Teenage thieves are put into a competition with each other and the winner gets granted a wish… anything they want, no limits. This gave Hunger Games vibes but with aspects of conning and thieving mixed in. This book kept me hooked from start to finish. After that ending I’m really hoping for a sequel! Thank you to Penguin Teen for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love a teenage heist story, and Thieves' Gambit offered all of that and more! Ross is such a compelling protagonist, with an exciting job and a complex family situation. These two factors combine to push her into a competition with other young thieves, all competing to win a wish of their choosing. The cast of characters is fun and engaging, and all of the competitors manage to have their own quirks and personalities. With any teenage heist story, there's some suspension of disbelief, but it's worth it to be brought along on a ride of museum break-ins, stolen artifacts and double-crossing. I can't wait to read the sequel!

Thieves’ Gambit is a faced paced wild ride! A story of who to trust or not to trust, family, and of course heists.
Ross is a teenager who just wants to make friends and have some space from her mom. Problem is she isn’t the typical teenager. She is a thief. She was born into the Quest family who just happens to be one of the most notorious family of thieves in the world. After she concocts a plan to try and live out a normal teenage life, she goes on her last heist with her mother, but things do not go according to plan. Het mother gets kidnapped. So in order to save her mother, she takes the opportunity to participate in the possibly life threatening game The Gambit.
With past friends turned enemies, new possibly allies, and a potential love interest- Ross has a lot to navigate while constantly looking over her shoulder. The writing was fun and action packed. The characters were cunning, evil and snarky. I really wanted more backstory on some of the characters and was disappointed I didn’t get it when I was getting closer to the end of the book. BUT then I found out it kind of ends on a cliffhanger so I’m hoping to get more from multiple different characters in book 2. I really loved Ross and I hope she gets some revenge.

Free eARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.
First of all, congrats to everyone who rated this book highly, I’m glad you liked it and now I know not to trust your reviews because not only did I not enjoy this book (that I was super excited to read) but I had such a hard time getting myself to finish it that at 9 pm on a Sunday, my kindle said I had 24 minutes left of reading time in the book and I thought, maybe I’ll go to bed early instead of finishing this book. And it wasn’t even because the action had wrapped up early and the ending was dragging on- we were still headed for the climax of the book and I simply did not care to know what was going to happen next. I know this book is YA, but I found the writing particularly juvenile (more middle grade than YA), the plot felt predictable and the characters were flat. I could barely tell you a single personality trait for the main characters because the whole book was someone being put in a situation and then reacting to it without any character development. Besides that, as another reviewer said, our main character has more chemistry with her “nemesis” than with her love interest, there’s nothing unique or compelling about that romantic arc, and I had no investment in what happens in the end with them, or any desire to see where future books in the series take them. I also had a really hard time rooting for the main character. She was so naive, she would make assumptions and demand answers as if it’s not a competition of a bunch of thieves who are going to lie to each other??? Seems obvious. I love heist media, particularly Leverage because I love a well executed plan and competence and teamwork and found family- this book gave me none of that which is why I think I was so disappointed.

Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion Lewis was a wild ride. Ross Quest, of the famous thieving Quest family, is invited to join a secret competition. She must battle a bunch of other young thieves from around the world, using all the skills she has to impress the judges. Ross doesn’t know who she can trust and is constantly looking over her shoulder. Against her better judgment, she befriends her fellow competitors—will this help her or blow up in her face?

The story twisted and turned all the way until the very end. It ended on a cliffhanger and definitely set up for a sequel. I enjoyed all the characters and I liked that the story kept me guessing until the very end.