Leverage or not Leverage, that was my question when I read this book. I started the book with very clear expectations based on the back cover blurb. The book sounded like it could be like Leverage and Leverage Redemption, my favorite shows. That fact that these 2 ladies on went after those who deserved it was even more reason to believe it would like my show. Perhaps, that was unfair, but we are all shaped by our experiences. With that said, this book had some Leverage like moments, and I clapped to myself every time one of the ladies referenced the term.
As I was drawing parallels all along to my favorite show, I wanted to like it. It was interesting and I did keep reading but occasionally felt we got a little weighed down by all the flashbacks. Some were relevant like the two stories of how Emma and Nellie came to be where they were, but others were just a little too much. Nellie and Emma both rose from the ashes of a shattered life and built something new, it may have been illegal, but as I said above, we are all shaped by our experiences. The author did a nice job of showing the pain and difficulty they both Nelie and Emma, especially Nellie, suffered through.
The heist, while the heart of the story, shared the stage in my opinion with the one truly good thing that came out of it all. Nellie and Emma with Dax and Sophie built a family. And in another tie back to Leverage, they created their own thing in CodeRed. Their catch phrase became something more and with it a twist I did not see coming. The twist was necessary for the next book.
The author has a team of characters to build on for future stories and since this story got better when we got to the last third, I think better things are ahead. For now, we get 3 stars because we have not yet eclipsed 4 but let’s see what happens next. With a strong team or family and the Game fully established, the next book should allow us to make the jump to the 4th star. Overall, it is worth reading. Don’t give up when things get bogged down,
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Emma and Nellie have built a life for themselves. After wiping their old digit footprint clean, they've become Robin Hood like crusaders. Taking from those who don't need riches, to keep themselves afloat. When someone catches on to their tricks, everything will change. Emma will have to adapt her ways to save herself and Nellie from a bullet through the head. This guy means business, he wants the big heist. The two women will have to pull off the ultimate heist to make it out alive.

Emma and Nellie are immediately fun characters to follow. They lean on each other, ultimate girl power. However, this felt very predictable. I could see the twists coming, still a quick and fun read. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

Who doesn't love a good heist? I love them and I love female con artists more! It's the romance of it all...and Tess Amy builds a perfect story complete with lavish riches and robin hoodesque tale.

Emma and Nellie have only had each other for many years and they have made it count as they developed multiple cons to swindle men that have done things to deserve it. Life is good, until Nellie is kidnapped and Emma is tasked with the con of a lifetime in order to free her!

Join Emma as she ascends into the Confidence Game of her life as she tries her hand at stealing a priceless article in broadday light.
You will hold your breath and cheer for the cons! It's a delightful story and I only hope to read more from Tess Amy!
#berkley #theconfidencegames #tessamy

After the devastating loss of everything in Emma's world: her parents (who don't really count because they have always been disengaged and disinterested), her job and her fiancée, she turns to the only friend she has ever really known: Nellie. Nellie and Emma go way back, and under the tutelage of a de facto grandmother, the friends became experts in con games. The most recent involvement has strings attached, and an attempt is being made to blow the girls' racket wide open. They must race against time to pull off the biggest heist yet to save lives and their freedom.

I loved this book! Full of action and suspense, plus the twists and turns of a con game which keep the reader wondering who the real con artist is and who is really being conned. I wouldn't classify this as a cozy mystery, but it does not have graphic violence, language or sex scenes. I am disappointed in the cover art, which I did not find appealing. I'm very glad I was in a browsing mood, and took the time to read the content description because this is one I am truly hoping will turn into a series. This is a good choice for readers who enjoy Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan series, or the Oceans (11, 12, 13+) movies.

When life knocks Emma down, her life-long friend Nellie is there to pick up the pieces. They decide to take life by the horns and make their own karma, creating an underground high-end stolen goods market on the dark web. But when Nellie is kidnapped, it's up to Emma to act and make the biggest heist of their careers to pay the ransom. What follows is a suspenseful, character-driven twist of a mystery, but in the end do the two best friends have what it takes to make the biggest swindle of all?

This was a quick and fun read through a high-action plot. While a little suspension of belief is necessary to think they could really pull this off, it's still a good mix of reality and thrill. This would be a good recommendation for fans of the Finlay Donovan series or Ocean's 11 movies.

3.5 stars - would have liked it to be a little longer and a little more detailed with the character relationships.

What's not to like about two bad-ass women taking on the bad guys. Had enough action to keep me reading. Would have been nice to "see the two in action" rather than references to their escapades. An enjoyable read.

I enjoyed the idea of the two female con artists and enjoyed the idea of heist books. I thought the story was everything that i was hoping for and thought it uses the heist element perfectly. The characters were everything that I wanted and thought they had a great feel to them. Tess Amy has a great writing style and I was hooked from the first page. I enjoyed getting thought this book and was glad I got to read this.

I feel really bad about this because after I read the book blurb I was so excited for this heist novel with two badass con women but I found this book highly boring and predictable. I'm going to keep this short because I have nothing nice to say here and I DNF'd this book at about 20%.

This was a really enjoyable, quick read.

The characters were likable and the relatable even though they were “criminals”. I say that because they had strong moral compasses even when it came to the heist they were running with guns to their heads.

This was my first time delving into a heist-themed book, and it exceeded my expectations!
The writing style was particularly appealing due to its smooth and engaging flow.
The book skillfully blended action, humor, and drama, creating a captivating read.
In sum, I found it thoroughly enjoyable, and I couldn't help but be reminded of the vibes from Ocean's 8.

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this advance reader copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. It's full of heart about two women who life has not treated kindly who become Robin Hood-like characters to help karma along. It was full of twists and excitement and I enjoyed every minute of it. If you like heists, then try it out.

Emma and Nellie are longtime friends who reinvent themselves as high-end grifters, making a great living at it. But then Nellie is kidnapped and Emma is blackmailed into stealing a very high-profile bracelet from an exhibition. This is a fun, frothy book but doesn't have much character development and I felt these two were much more lucky than smart. But Sophia was a doll and she was my favorite character. This would be a great summertime "beach book." or a good fireside read.

The confidence games is one of the best books I have read this year. Tess does a great job of building the story with a great conclusion. This is the first book I have read by Tess Amy and I can't wait for more. She is an author definitely worth following.

In this novel, two best friends are elite con-women and who pull off intricate jewelry heists. They are making big names for themselves on the black market, and we meet them preparing for their next job. Though, a wrench is thrown in their plans and now we have to follow them to see if they can make it out.

The premise is such a fun idea and I was really hoping for a fun action packed novel following these two strong women scamming people left and right. Emma says they are the best in the business of conning crooked men, but Nellie is kidnapped in the 2nd chapter. We didn’t get to experience how elite they are, and it just didn’t make sense for us to not see that. With Emma constantly reiterating the quality of their work, the story also didn’t feel cohesive when seeing how insecure she is. I did not finish and stopped at 30%. It might pick up in the latter half of the book but the first few chapters didn’t keep my attention, this book just isn’t for me.

Now I did enjoy how the writing was very detailed and vivid. I felt like I was experiencing Emma’s flashbacks, it was really vivid. I also really appreciated the sisterhood representation between the two FMCs. Very much found family with them. I think readers who love female protagonists and an action forward plot, this will be a good selection for them.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tess Amy & Berkley for a digital galley of The Confidence Games in exchange for an honest review.

I knew by the cover and the synopsis that it would be the perfect book to fit my reading style & I was not disappointed!

I absolutely loved the spin on con-artistry with two female leads in something that has normally been a man's world. Girl Power!

I also really enjoyed the concept that they would only con men and only the lowest of mean who deserved to be conned. I've encountered this same type of plot in thrillers with the murders of unsavory characters.

Emma & Nellie, best friends their entire lives, lead us on many of their heist/con adventures and they don't all go off a smoothly as would be preferred. There was multiple LOL moments, which reminded me a bit of Elle Cosimano's writing with the Finlay Donovan series (that's a huge compliment).

Everything is great until they get swindled themselves into an extremely dangerous heist that is far out of the comfort zones of both Nellie & Emma. It's a life or death situation that they have to make happen, which requires calling in reinforcements to assist them. Now we're getting into an Ocean's Eleven or Now You See Me situation.

I literally loved everything about this book from the cover art, to the writing style, to the characters, the plot, the ending - literally everything.

Tess Amy is an author to watch & I look forward to many more 5-Star reads from her.

I cannot imagine any not loving this fast-paced, perfectly written, clever story. I will highly recommend this book to everyone.

This review is on my Goodreads account.

“They called us swindlers, fraudsters, tricksters, cheats. But make no mistake: we never crossed anyone who didn’t deserve it”

Brief Summary-
In The book The Confidence Games, you follow two best friends Nellie, and Emma who made a career of being con-artist and making a name for themselves in the European Black Market. In a life that they chose, something was bound to happen that would rock their world. Emma and Nellie now found themselves in the toughest job yet. They have to steal The Heart Of Envy a very important jewel in an exhibit in London that is filled with high-tech security with people and press everywhere. If they dont this.. they will find themselves in a life or death situation. So how do they do it? And do they pull it off?

What To Expect :
💅Badass Female Main Characters
💅Action/Adventure
💅Strong Friendships
💅Mystery
💅A Twist At The End

My Thoughts-
I loved this book. It was an incredibly fun read. If you like movies like OCEAN’S 8 & OCEAN 11. Then you will love this.It was a great mystery, action packed book. I think the plot is great. I was immersed in the story rooting for Nellie and Emma. I felt like I was part of the heist. I think this story was more than two friends being trickster. You really fell in love with the friendship Nellie and Emma has. It was very inspiring and I had the warm and fuzzy. I hope we all have a girl that we can count on that will help us with anything in life. Including swindling old men hahah but also ready to commit a crime and help each other cover it up lol.

“Sometime it takes the scary things to show us how brave we really are.”

The writing was easy to follow along. The pace went well with this story. I was never bored. I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know how the heist played out. At the end of the book, I was questioning how people come up with these plot twist?! Because my brain is definitely not wired like that so I was the perfect target audience.

The Characters in this book was very unique to the story. There is a lot of side characters at play and they were woven in perfectly.

❤️‍🔥Nellie- was the tall blonde tanned, stylish FMC. All eyes on her. I really enjoyed her energy. I think her spunky personality really added a fun layer to this story.
❤️‍🔥Emma was the timid FMC. She stated a few times that was nothing with Nellie. And I dont think that was entirely true. Emma’s character development was amazing I was really proud of her by the end of the book.

Overall I truly recommend this book It’s a quick easy story that will have you on the edge of your seat. I was really impressed. This book comes out in July so make sure you add this to your TBR as it will be a sizzling summer read.

This is my first book by this author. The Confidence Games is her debut contemporary fiction novel. I can’t wait to check out her future work.

“..it’s the storyteller that counts, not the story. It doesn’t matter what you do or say; as long as you’re confident, you can get away with anything”

Playlist-
💎I AM WOMAN-Emmy Meli
💎Looking At Me- Sabrina Carpenter
💎Breakfast- Dove Cameron
💎Diva- Beyonce
💎Play With Fire- Sam Tinnesz Feat Yacht Money
💎Woman Like Me- Little Mix Feat Nick Minaj
💎Boss Bitch- Dojo Cat
💎7 Rings- Ariana Grande
💎Lithuim- Nirvana
💎Castle- Halsey
💎You Should See Me In A Crown- Billie Ellish
💎Watch Me- The Phantoms
💎Work- Iggy Azalea
💎Bitch Better Have My Money-Rihanna
💎Queen- Loren Gray
💎I Did Something Bad- Taylor Swift
💎Devil Is A Woman- Cloudy June
💎Me & The Devil- Soap&Skin
💎Bad Girls- M.I.A
💎Mount Everest- Labrinth
💎Just A Girl- No Doubt

✨Thanks to NetGalley, The Author, and Berkley Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review✨

The premise is great. The writing is easy to follow along with. I wasn’t personally gripped and stopped after chapter 2 (11%). That said, I can see this being a solid three to four stars for the target audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

Great little heist book! Immediately the book took a different direction than I was anticipating. Female friendships rock. Lots of "you go girl" moments <3

Focus x oceans 11 x taken, this was a really fast and fun novel to read.

I’m always a sucker for a heist so this read was right up my alley! Loved it

What a fun quick read! Two friends have a thrilling job where they steal from others and then sell stolen jewelry and watches and etc for more money. This job is thrilling until one of the friends gets kidnapped. If you’re looking for a standalone, quick and easy read, this one would be recommended!