Dani and trusty dog Sunshine were a great team of Robin Hood-esque con artists. I enjoyed the way magic works here; it reminded me a bit of Graceling with people having very specific talents which the protagonist and her friends have put to use to steal art. The twists and turns were fun, but I cared way more about the mission/group as a whole than Dani and her love interest. There just wasn't enough detail to him for me to care. I would read a second book in this universe!
#TheFrameUp #NetGalley

I had high hopes from requesting this arc - the premise is SO unique and the cover is so eye catching. But unfortunately The Frame Up was… boring. I think the writing style fell short, since this is supposed to be a literal art heist - none of the events (there’s a fight, the stealing of the art, there’s even a fire?? how did it all feel so bland) are written suspenseful or in an engaging way. Like, these events are supposed to be page turners and have you feeling nervous for the characters. NOTHING! There’s nothing! The magical realism element also went over my head at times because of how many characters there were that weren’t fully developed. I didn’t like the romance because I truly didn’t see the chemistry between the main characters besides their shared past.. give me more? I actually did like Dani (I think everyone’s favorite character will be her dog Sunflower) but again I just felt like the story dragged onnnn. There’s so much about Dani’s relationship with her mom, but I never really got invested in the Maria in the first place.

I was super excited for this book, but unfortunately it just didn’t work for me. It took me almost 2 months to slog through this.. Bummer. Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book more than the actual writing. The idea of it being a fantasy novel is there, but it isn't until the last third of the book that the writing really gets immersive and the magical system explained. There didn't seem to be high stakes and the villain was just not believable enough, nor was Mira.

I really wanted to like the characters more, but they didn't get enough background or personality to be likable. The most likable characters were Brad and Emma to me and I disliked Elliot the most, so the ending fell flat and fast for me.

I loved the heist scenes and feel like maybe this would've worked better with more editing or even as a different format, like a play or film. All in all, it was still an enjoyable read, but the plot was strung out for a good 2/3rds of the book.

I gave this a solid 3 stars.

I really enjoyed the historical aspect and homage to Dorian Gray.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review! The Frame-Up will be published in February 2024, just in time for Valentine's day!

So, I loved Not Your Average Hot Guy and The Date from Hell but The Frame-Up was not for me. I couldn’t get into this book at all. I didn’t really like the characters and couldn’t force myself to continue to read it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I've only read romances from Gwenda Bond, but I really liked those, so I was excited for this. It was a different vibe from the others I've read by her, as the romantic element was present but not the main thing. The story here is that Dani Poissant, infamous daughter of an infamous thief who happens to be in prison because Dani was talked into setting her up when she was 17, is basically living a nomadic life, earning a living by running blackmail schemes, when her mother's old partner finds her and convinces her to come back home to Kentucky to steal a painting for him and win back her mother's love and trust. Dani, who feels really guilty about how she let the FBI use her and really hurt that her mother basically hasn't spoken to her and has also gotten her blackballed among their small community of thieves (which I'll get back to in a minute), is convinced because the job involves access to a holy grail personal art collection in Louisville whose owner has recently died. Okay, so back to the community of thieves - part of what makes Dani, her mother, and their former accomplices special is that they all have some kind of magic. Dani's is that anything she forges looks just like the real thing (especially art), and her mom's is that she can persuade anyone of almost anything. They were a tight-knit group and they completely turned on Dani when her mother was arrested, even her best friend Mia and boyfriend Elliot. Her mother convinces them to accept Dani back to help her do this job, which involves her posing as a security consultant (based on her mother's reputation as an art thief) and finding a way to steal the painting that Archer wanted. I did feel like this got a little bogged down in some of the details of the art stuff, though that may have been because I was actually more interested in the magic side of things, including a whole magical history subplot involving one of Dani's ancestors, an artist in Paris. Anyway, this was kind of like Ocean's 8/11/13 but with actual magic, and I did find it fun and entertaining.

The Frame-Up one had a super unique premise with a dose of magical realism which I really liked. It kept me hooked for the entire book, and I just had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next and how the story was going to end.

I enjoyed Dani’s character and how strong she was and her relationship with Sunflower (of course!). The other characters seemed a little flat to me, including their relationships with Dani. I think it definitely could’ve benefited from being a bit longer to deepen those characters and relationships. I did like the found family that was created through the book, which is one of my favorite tropes.

Overall, I really liked this one! It was a quick, engaging read and I would definitely recommend if you like heists and magical realism! Thank you to Random House Publishing and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't get into this book. I tried multiple times, but still ended up not finishing. Maybe someday I'll give it another shot.

Unfortunately this one just did not land for me. I hope it finds its audience, but I won't be recommending it to people. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read it early.

Usually I am all in with art theft novels, but some how this one didn't do it for me. It was confusing from the start and I felt as if I had starting reading in the middle of a series (although I know that is not the case). The magic aspect was confusing and I did not like the main character Dani and I felt as if she was in over her head with this project.

The premise of this one sounded fantastic, but I think this might be one of those "it's not you it's me situations." I gave this book a good shot but after several false starts I just couldn't get very far into it--something about the prose and the main character wasn't clicking for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

I was originally very excited to read this book, as it was pitched as PORTRAIT OF A THEIF meets OCEANS 11. However, while the premise promises an exciting, fast paced heist novel, the actual novel underdelivers on that promise. The pacing feels slow, the characters fell flat, and the plot itself seems to move at a high speed of 10 miles an hour. Usually, a mystery or heist novel like this one takes a few hours to read, maybe two or three days. This book took me two weeks to finish because it really was not holding my interest. Perhaps if looking for a heist novel to pass some time while on a plane or long train ride, this book could do the job. However, I believe there's better written heist books out there (See: Portrait of a Thief).

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

I love Gwenda Bond. I've loved every book of hers I've read. I always like the way she writers her characters and their adventures in a believable way without losing the excitement of an interesting plot of wacky adventure. Which is why it was especially disappointing for me to not really connect with this story or these characters.

I really wanted to like Dani, but I never really feel like I was connected with her and her backstory with her Mom took so long to be explained that I felt I was missing parts of the world that would make the story make more sense to me. I love a good heist, but I couldn't finish this book to get to the best parts. The story felt so slow for so long, and it was would've liked to be invested in the love story.

Synopsis:
Dani Poissant is the daughter and former accomplice of the world’s most famous art thief. There was no job too big for Maria and her loyal crew. The secret to their success? A little thing called magic, kept rigorously secret from the non-magical world. They seemed unstoppable . . . until a teenage Dani turned her mother over to the FBI.
Ten years later, with Maria still in prison, Dani finds herself approached for a job that only Maria and her crew could pull off . . . if any of them were still speaking to her. But it’s the job of a lifetime and might just be the lure Dani needs to reconcile with her mother and be reunited with her mother’s old gang—including both the love of her life and her former best friend.
The problem is, it’s an impossible task—even with the magical talents of the people she once considered family backing her up. It’s a heist that needs a year to plan, and Dani has just over a week. Worse, the more Dani learns, the more she understands that there’s far more at stake in this job than she ever realized.

I was very close to DNFing this book. It felt very slow for most of the time. I loved the premise but this just did not land for me the way I would've like it to. While reading I was just very bored. The MMC and the FMC are just boring in my opinion so it was hard to be invested in the love story. I was expecting a little more but it was a quick read so I did enjoy that.

I also love the cover!

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved the idea of this novel but I was kinda bored? It was okay but maybe generic? The characters, the story... it was all just okay. Unfortunately, it didn't hook me the way that I hoped.

This book was such a unique idea filled with amazing morally grey characters. I want to say that I loved it, but I unfortunately it was very slow places in some parts and I was really close to DNF'ing it. Once I quit trying to read through the slow parts and just started skimming I enjoyed it a lot more. The idea was there but the pacing was just really off in my opinion. I honestly hope that this book finds a group that will love it because it's got such a great thing going for it.

Honestly, I was expecting a little more with this one, but it was still a good read! I found myself flying through this one!

A books cover should tell you what to expect. This cover pictured cutesy characters, with a candy pink and baby blue color scheme that hints at fun and romance. Oh, how wrong it was.

We begin by meeting Dani, and quickly learn she is part of a 'family' of thieves who each have a magical power. The first half of the novel is entertaining and engaging, as we learn the background of each of the characters, how they are all connected, and what their particular talent is in the magic world. At about the halfway point it starts to drag pretty relentlessly, taking us on repeated tours of a private art collection. Over and over again. The romance aspect looked promising in the beginning, but by now its waaay on the back burner, with Dani's two suitors all but forgotten. Even her dog Sunflower, who could have been an adorable part of the whole, was shoved into the background and rarely seen or heard from. We are introduced to three ex-wives, a precocious 11-year-old daughter, an overly efficient secretary, magical evil twins and an old friend of Dani's Mother, who also want to steal from the art collection. All could have been fascinating additions to the story, but we meet them, they are mentioned a few more times and then never spoken of again.

The ending was good, wrapped up all the threads in in a tidy little knot. And there is a miniscule epilogue which didn't really satisfy but was better than nothing.

The plot could have been great, but it kept getting bogged down with side stories that didn't amount to anything. It's like seeing a big ol' chocolate cupcake, all decorated with swirled frosting and colorful sprinkles, and you bite into it only to find its pretty dry and hardly any chocolate flavor. So disappointing.

An art heist, a family drama and a magic twist are a recipe made for me. What worked: the heist was meticulously planned and explained. Our protagonist was complicated and likeable, as were her two peers in her former heist family. Her mom made a credible, even terrifying foil. The resolution was all action and satisfying. What didn’t work for me: too many characters and details to keep track of! It was hard to follow some of the level of detailed introduction of characters and stories and motivations and double crossings that all took place over, ostensibly, about a week. The machinations involved in the big heist were a bit too detailed to follow, we could have dropped a few of the side characters/plots.

Overall fun and different than anything else out there!

The Frame Up is a heist story with a fantasy twist, but I'm not sure it worked for me. I found myself not particularly gripped by the plot, and not very interested in what happened next. It's a quirky story though, so I hope it finds its audience!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy

The story of this book is super unique. I have never read a similar plot to this one. One of our most important characters in an adorable dog and our protagonist is witty. There were moments I felt a little lost or disengaged, but if you find yourself in a reading slump because all the books are starting to sound the same, this book could really help.