This was a delight! A fast paced heist story with heart. I didn’t know who to trust but I fell for the characters anyway. The challenges were fun and unique. The author is extremely well at writing and I could picture each action scene as if I was in the audience. I can’t wait for more in this world.

OHHHHH MY GOD. TJIS BOOK WAS PHENOMENAL! The characters are UGH, I adore them. Everything about this book was so fun to read!

Teens who want something like Six of Crows but without the fantasy elements will absolutely devour this fast paced, page turning read and want to re-read immediately upon finishing.

Thieves' Gambit is an incredibly strong debut that will keep you guessing throughout and stunned upon final reveal. Kayvion Lewis brilliantly created a large cast, maintaining the individuality and voice of each through the eyes of our main character, Ross. While there were moments I was itching for another point of view, the story was ultimately stronger without one, as figuring things out with Ross kept the story on its toes.

While there are many twists and turns in this book, as soon as I thought I had it figured out, I was proven wrong. Lewis kept me wondering until the very last chapter where she masterfully tied the loose ends together.

My only complaint about this book is that I don't know how long the wait will be until I can continue with book two. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel and the high-paced adventure that is sure to continue!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group and Netgalley for the advanced review copy.

I really really enjoyed this young adult action adventure novel. It felt like a mix of Ocean's 8 & Squid Games.

In this novel, young thieves are chosen to be part of the Thieves' Gambit - an extremely dangerous set of games and tasks where you are pitted against one another until only one is left standing. The winner is to be contracted as the gamemaker's thief and they also receive a "wish".

Our main character, Ross, receives an invitation but would rather pursue her other dream. However, this dream forces her to lie to her family resulting in the kidnapping of her mother and results in her joining the games to "wish" her mother back.

Ross has been taught her entire life not to trust anyone else, so when she enters the games she is hesitant to make allies. However, she starts to learn for herself who she can and cannot trust.

I absolutely adored pretty much every plot line in this book, the games themselves, the friendships, the romance, her family, all of it. I was also pleasantly surprised when I found out this is only book one. I eagerly await the next installment!

Rosalyn "Ross" Quest is a teen who is isolated - both by her controlling mother, and by the fact that she's a thief in a family of professional thieves. Her mother has taught her that only those with the last name "Quest" can be trusted. Still, Ross longs to make connections with teens her own age, to make friends, and to get away from her family for a while. But when a job goes horribly wrong, she finds herself competing in a competition for the best teenage thieves out there. Whoever wins the Thieves' Gambit will be rewarded with a wish granted - and Ross plans to win and use her wish to undo the fallout from her last disastrous job.

What she doesn't expect to do is connect with the other teens she meets there, thieves like herself. And she really doesn't expect to fall in love with one of her competitors. As the challenges grow harder, Ross finds herself debating - can she really trust these people, like she wants to, or was her mother right?

This novel is a fun heist/thriller novel with some interesting plot twists and an ending that leaves plenty of room for the next installment. Ross is a believable and sympathetic main character, and the prose is very fluid, the pacing quick, making it an easy read with one event flowing into the next. The dialogue is mostly great as well, with a few slightly cringey exceptions. They didn't make me want to put the book down, regardless. I wanted to know what happened next.

All in all, a well-earned 4 out of 5 stars. I will most likely pick the sequel up as well to see how Ross's adventures continue. Thank you to Penguin Young Reader's Group, Nancy Paulsen Books and Netgalley for the advanced copy. This is my voluntary and honest review.

Definitely a book right up my alley with the thieving and globetrotting and action adventuring! The twist at the end felt a little rushed, but it definitely made me want to read the next book!

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

Ross Quest was born into a legendary family of thieves. While her family makes great money acquiring goods for others, it is cautious life that ultimately Ross wants a break from. When a job goes south and her mother is kidnapped, Ross is forced to compete in the "Thieves' Gambit" a dangerous multi-level heist that pits her against some of the best thieves in the world.

Part Hunger Games, part Ocean's Eleven, Thieves' Gambit is a teen drama with high stakes and a very big crime thriller vibe. Ross as a character is written and developed fully as a street smart teen willing to walk the line between childhood and adulthood. My only criticism is how the novel ends. It sets itself up for a sequel or follow up in a series which I believe is unnecessary.

I wanna start by saying I really liked this book. The lot was very fun to read and it went with the description of the book. At first, I didn't like the main character because of how she acted when she first got to the gambit and some decisions she made. I will say she grew on me. I understood that I had to be more understanding of how she was raised and that affected her a lot. I do think the romance was lackluster for me. I hated that there was a cliffhanger but it was a good cliffhanger. I couldnt put the book down and it was a fast book to read. I can't wait for book 2 and I heard it's being turned into a movie.


Thanks to NetGalley and Nancy Paulsen Books for providing a copy for an honest review.

All Ross Quest wanted was to take a break from the hyper-controlled world of her mother – a legendary thief from a legendary family of thieves – and spend part of her summer acting like a normal teenager instead of executing heists. But her plan to ditch her mother at the completion of a job ends up getting her mother captured, and the ransom demand from her captors is $1 billion. Desperate, Ross joins the Thieves’ Gambit, a competition made up of a series of dangerous, international heists, where killing the competition isn’t exactly off limits, and the grand prize is a wish for anything in the world — a wish that could save her mom. This high-octane thriller is perfect for fans of Jennifer Barnes, Ally Carter, and the Oceans 8 and 11 films.

Thank you to netgalley for giving this ARC, and this doesn't influence my review. Wow. Read the book. I don't know what else to say. Also, apparently they're making a movie on this I think???

Well that was... a book? Honestly I should have gone with my gut and dnfed at the beginning because now I'm annoyed I wasted my time.

At first I found the main character super annoying and unlikeable. I get the whole sheltered no friends thing but still.

Then the gambit started and I was like oh, maybe this is actually going to be not bad. And yeah, the characters are sort of one-note and flat (diversity points though), and yeah this crew of uber-smart, uber-rich, uber-competent teenage thieves/spies requires a LOT of suspension of disbelief as they work to outwit ... literally all the adults in the book, but maybe?

And then what was that ending? Like. Bang it was all a lie the end. I think I was supposed to care about the big reveal/plot twist but I just didn't because the book was over and we didn't even really get to see her reaction? I think it's trying to be a cliff-hanger for book 2 but also wrap things up at the same time and it didn't really do either effectively.

Ugh. I love heist books and this just did not cut it. I think the fact that I was listening to the audio was the only thing that kept me reading to the end.

*Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Young Readers, and Nancy Paulsen Books for providing an early copy for review.

A YA novel focused on an action-packed heist competition. Ross is a member of one of the top families of thieves, the Quests. However, at seventeen, she is ready to leave the nest. When her plan goes awry and her mother is kidnapped, she makes the decision to take part in the Thieves' Gambit, a competition of the world's top thieves, where the winner receives whatever they wish for. In Ross's case, she hopes to save her mother. Among her competitors are her childhood friend turned nemesis and an intriguing new love interest. Only one can win. Let the games begin.

Heists and competitions are both compelling plot lines in my opinion, so I was in when I read this book's description. And I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed the read. This novel is fun, full of action and whip smart teens. Throughout the story, we see Ross develop some real friendships for the first time in her life, as well as experience some dramatic betrayals. Quite the cliffhanger ending. I really hope to see more in the future, and would absolutely watch if a movie is developed.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed Thieves' Gambit. I thought it was a fun edge of your seat thrill ride. It is twisty and turny and full of excitement. I will be purchasing it for our library. I think our students will be standing in line for it!

Imagine Oceans Eleven, but all of the cast are young adults / high school age, and instead of working together to pull of the heist... they are COMPETING.

*dun dun dun*

Honestly the stakes were so high in this book, I couldn't put it down. The main characters and some of the plot are predictable, but very well written. I found the energy high and pacing fast, and I really really enjoyed it. I definitely will be reading the rest of the series.

[Hardcover copy gifted by Penguin Teen, and ebook copy gifted by Nancy Paulsen Books / Netgalley - thank you! All opinions are my own.]

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing this book for me to review. This book is a lot of fun while still being thrilling. The characters are well-developed and the writing is engaging. Ross is a teen high calibre thief that gets invited to an underground thieving competition to save her mother. A little farfetched, but it could happen. The challenges were outlandish, but I suspended my disbelief and pretended that they were legitimate. Many friendships and rivalries were established and the ending definitely left room for a sequel.

Thank you to the author, publisher and @NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Inheritance Games meets Ocean’s Eleven is damn right!! This was an awesome YA read that follows the Quest family’s thieving youngster Rosalyn as she tries to find a way to leave the family business and live a semi-normal life. But, a heist gone wrong means she’s drawn in to the dangerous underground Thieves’ Gambit: a competition where everyone is playing to win and she can’t trust anyone. Or can she?

I loved this! It was so exciting and fun to read, even when characters were in peril.

Thieves' Gambit was an exciting, adventure mystery which is a hot category for my students right now. I think kids will eat this book up. Ross' background, coming from this intense family of thieves, is really intriguing, and then her participation in a high-stakes, international thief competition in order to save her mother is absolutely no fail. I did feel like the ending of this book wrapped up too quickly. There were some big twists, which were exciting, but there almost wasn't enough resolution and explanation. It felt too fast. I sense there is a sequel coming which may explain the rapid conclusion, but it left me feeling like I missed something. That being said, I can't imagine a world in which this book isn't popular with teenagers. It's going to fly off the shelves.

Sometimes I can tell what I like more. Scary thrillers or these adventure type heist books.

Thieves Gambit was fun. I was a little irritated with Ross but I think it's because I'm the not thief version of her. Putting your faith and trust people can be hard. Anyone who was in middle school during the 90s knows that. We all know the sting of a secret three way call with someone listening on the other end.

This was very much an Oceans 11 type story with themes of trust, friendship, and a WILD betrayals. We've been set up for the possibility of a book two and while I can already imagine the library teen I would give this book too, I'm not sure I would read the second book. The pacing was good, there was a lot of action, I think this is just one of those books that my brain is a little too old for, but I'm so glad to add this to readers advisory repertoire! And we've already purchased it for our library!

I liked this book a lot at first, it was exciting and captured my attention. As the book progressed I started to lose interest in it. I think maybe it was the length of the book combined with so many different characters to keep track of that caused my mind to start to wander elsewhere while reading. I would suggest giving this book a chance if you are a fan of this genre as it was different and had a nice diverse character list.