I love me a good heist novel and so I was really drawn to the premise of this book that promised not just a heist, but a magical heist alongwith romance and then art history as a cherry on top. Sadly, it didn't work out too well. I won't deny that the story had it's moments. There was some really well thought out, edge of your seat scenes that you expect in a heist and they do deliver. The magic system is so unique and I really loved that. What didn't work for the book was that the author tried to do too many things at once and in the process wasn't able to do justice to any of it. There were a lot of unnecessary characters which gave way to subplots that didn't add much to the main story. Kill your darlings, please. Sometimes, it really is necessary. But, overall, it was an enjoyable read, so I guess we win some, we lose some.

I tried getting into this book but was unable to stay invested. The writing style was good but I was not feeling the plot much.

I’ve followed the author since her debut novel, so I was excited to see this title pop up on Netgalley. The synopsis sounded intriguing, which added to my interest.

Sadly, it fell a little flat for me. There were so many things that weren’t fully explained or fleshed out enough - lots of telling rather than showing. Also, I didn’t feel much for any of the characters.

Being a Kentucky gal, I enjoyed the references and setting of the story. Wish the magic system would have been explained a little more, and why Maria Poissant was considered the world’s most famous art thief.

I would, definitely, say if the synopsis intrigues you.. give it a read.


**I received this electronic book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity!

This book was a really unique take on magic in the modern world. I truly haven’t read any book that mimics a magic system like this one. I loved the whole plot with demons and magic users being meshed with a seedy underworld of crime. The whole things reads super quickly because you just want to get to the end of the heist and figure out what the heck is going on. It is chaotic in an oceans 11 kind of way that will keep you entertained from page 1.

The Frame-Up was not what I expected it to be and it took me a while to completely process my feelings about this book (and reconcile the delightful cover and blurb that drew me in and the surprisingly dark tone of the actual content). I came for a magical heist and while Gwenda Bond did deliver one, I found myself less than thrilled by the actual heist. There were a lot of explosive moments but the way they were executed was not engaging at all. Normally, if I don't connect with the plot, I find even the smallest bit of affection for the characters but that wasn't the case at all. There were too many unnecessary characters introduced that I barely had time to get to know Dani and care for her, I could not find it in me to connect with anyone at all. And the romance? It was there, sure, but the chemistry was nonexistent that it was difficult to root for the pairing (their interactions were stilted and the flow a bit awkward). I think The Frame-Up delivers what it promises: a magical heist with a dash of romance and a sprinkling of art history but the quality and actual execution of those components left much to be desired. One star for delivering what it promised and another star for Sunflower, who honestly stole the show.

I liked this book, but I felt like there was so much going on once things got started. I did feel like it was slow at first, and I didn't like the fact that the problems with the protagonist and her mother were hinted at over and over before what happened was finally revealed. Once the action got started, I really liked it. I just wish it had been that fast-paced through the whole thing.

The Frame Up by Gwenda Bond is a delightful blend of mystery and romance, with a quirky, adventurous plot that keeps you hooked. The charming characters and witty dialogue make it a fun and fast-paced read, perfect for fans of lighthearted thrillers.

This book has been on my Netgalley for a bit and I haven’t picked it up. I haven’t been into romance in a minute, so I’m not the right person to review it anymore. I have read another book by Gwenda Bond though and loved it, so I would recommend this author.

I was intrigued by the premise and the unique job. The cover is exceptionally adorable. But once I got to reading it, it kinda sloughed on. It was fun in some part but others I was wishing it was the end. The estranged mother thing really was pushed hard and often. The magical realism and the characters could have been fleshed out more, there were many characters. I feel that i would better understood it better.

I loved this book so much. The cover was wonderful and I love the heist aspect thrown in with the romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for providing me this Digital Advanced Readers Copy of the book!

This was a race read. It was a unique twist on a thief romance. I enjoyed the plotting and the cunning that all the characters had. I also found that the characters were just hilarious an awkward and also just tell each other so well. I thought the world had great development, and that the storylines all match together well as well.

I was really excited for this book and went into this looking for a light escapist read and I am happy to say that I think that made a big difference. This has a cute and original blend of magic and heist that had me chuckling. I think this is the key to enjoying this book. Just fall into the story and let it take you away. Suspend belief and disbelief and enjoy this the way you would the 1990s Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

If you are looking for a great read while at Little League or a quick read to help you get out of your day to day, then this is a perfect read.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group & Ballantine Del Rey for the copy that I read. The opinions and thoughts above are my own.

The premise drew me in but the actual story made me rushing to the end just to be done with the book. I didn’t hate it just didn’t love it

This was a fun slightly magical book which will likely appeal to reads that like heist books as well as readers who like low fantasy.

It took me a long time to get through this book. Months. It started of so, so slow. I did trdge through the first part. I was a little blindsided by the magic system because it didn't make a lot of sense. I love magical realism but when it makes sense. This was more a magic of convenience system.
The chemistry between Dani and Elliott had so much potential. It was there the first time they saw each other the first time, but after that it was meh. The chemistry between Brad and Dani was lacking as well other. The chemistry was a tell not show situation.
The actual heist could have been so much better. The obstacles that kept popping up felt so unnecessary. The night of the heist was confusing as all get out.
There were too many side characters, and because of that character development wasn't great.

I wanted to love this book, but I walked away from it just liking it instead. It's about a 3.5 for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for The Frame-Up by Gwenda Bond as I’m a sucker for a good heist. I would say this story was just okay. It wasn’t bad or good but it did drag along in pace and took me several days to finally finish.

If you want a so so heist story involving art and magical realism, this may be for you.

Like most reviewers, I had high hopes for this one. I love an art crime but this fell so flat for me that I DNF'd at 16%.

It's a heist story with magic.

Gwenda Bond admits, in the afterword, that heist stories are surprisingly hard to write. She does OK in this, her first attempt, but it isn't perfect. Maybe some more detailed story boarding would help.

The essence of a heist story or film is the elaborate setup. Films spend ages on it. The most famous heist-style film, although it isn't really a heist, is "Home Alone". The whole film is the setup with only the last few minutes of action. Here we have setup, but I found the characters confusing and their relationship to the heist logistics murky. It's OK to have characters whose loyalties are suspect, but again, I didn't have a clear notion of who all these people are so it was hard to ascribe motivations to them.

Overall the book's easy to read and enjoyable.

Fun read. A spin on the classic heist trope which made it pretty original and interesting. But the pacing for the story just felt so slow and draggy. Overall, good book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review.