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.

I did not finish this book. The cover is cute and the synopsis is interesting, but I struggled to get into the story. I read about 20% before deciding to DNF.

The Frame-up takes a fun magical twist on a classic heist book. The magic of the world is fun and was a great way for Bond to spice up the heist genre and make it her own. the book starts slow, like really slow, but once we hit the twist in the heist planning about halfway through Bond really steps on the gas.
There is a love triangle and it's honestly not my favorite part of the book. It could have probably done with a little more focus to make me care about the two options. I guess Dani the main character had too much else to focus on. Which is fair I also would care more about a heist than a man.
The highlight of the book for me is the dog Sunflower, she is very much a good girl.

Gwenda Bond has really created a great little niche of fun romance books without too much spice for readers who don't want a lot of bedroom scenes. These would be great for new/young adults as well.