Medici Heist by Caitlin Schneiderhan is a captivating read filled with clever twists and intricate schemes. This novel showcases the most brilliant heist of several centuries, making it a must-read for fans of suspense and intrigue. I was pulled into the story from the beginning and did not want to put this one down.

This book needed some more editing. First, with it being based in the 1500's, so much of the prose felt more modern day than trying to feel more like the actual time period. Plus the first chapter is not a strong enough inciting incident for the story. It felt too simple and it didn't help me stay invested or give a conflict I cared about. Plus, in the first chapter, it felt like the author on purpose stretched your beliefs too far. When someone hides with a foul smell on their hands and they hide under someone's skirt? The guards will notice it. That felt like logic was just thrown out of the window when that could have added tension or action to make things interesting. This felt like it started the story in the wrong place and I was bored after two chapters and didn't want to keep investing my time. A big bummer.

Medici Heist is an Ocean’s 11 style heist, but with teenagers going against one of the most powerful families in Italian history, the Medicis. Complex plans that need everything to go right, which of course means everything will go wrong. A fun, intricately woven story showing how a small spark is enough to take on giants, although one should probably be a little more careful in what they take on. Engaging characters, each with their own motivations unfold with each chapter

The book is based in Renaissance Italy, where a team of outlaws aim to pull off the biggest robbery of the new Pope for fortune and freedom.

There were a couple of things that I liked. I liked the multiple POVs, the story’s atmosphere, and the character's wit. However, there were a lot of characters and they had a lot of similarities, so it was a bit hard to keep them separated in my mind when reading.

Overall, it was an interesting debut.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It took a while for me to enjoy the characters and the plot of this book. To be honest, even at the end, I still had a hard time appreciating some of the characters. The only characters that I really love was Khalid and Giacomo and their blossoming friendship. When we're first introduced to these characters, I didn't really have any real attachments to them. It's not like I dislike them, it was just that their backstory wasn't so interesting. I still find it that I don't really care for the background of these characters, even at the end.

When we meet Rosa, I thought she would be the most interesting of the bunch. She seemed like a smart and cunning character based on the little trick she showed, but as the book progressed, it felt like there wasn't much to her beside organizing the group and giving a plan. That would be all good, but we don't see the finer details of her planning. Even the bits that were shown, it didn't wow me in any way. She was just an average character that wanted to get revenge.

I thought when we met Sarra, we would see more of her epic tinkering skills, but there really wasn't much. We're just shown the final results and it worked wonderfully. That was pretty much it. No failures or flaw to her. She was just perfect and she came up with these amazing contraptions within a short amount of time and that was it. There were issues with her brother which I did enjoy seeing since it showed some flaw within her life, but it was just here and there. Their relationship didn't feel much of a familial relationship though. It was mentioned how much she missed him when he went to school years ago, but it didn't really feel like there was much in the present. Yeah, maybe her brother said he was worry about her, but there wasn't much push on where she was. There was a question thrown in the air and she answered and that was it. I wish we could've saw more. Either more memories or more interactions between the two. I wanted to feel the connection between the two.

Giacomo was a fun character. His humorous personality lit the room and brought smiles (maybe even some annoyance) which I thoroughly enjoyed. I enjoy his skills of being able to transform into another person entirely, but it felt like it was the skill that was the least needed. But he didn't feel useless. After all, he did help Khalid gain some confidence to stand up to his boss. Out of everyone in the group, Giacomo had the most traumatic backstory which made me care about him the most. I kinda enjoyed how he didn't want to inflict violence on another person (even though they rightfully deserved it) because he didn't want them to suffer the same pain he did long ago. That was kind of him to consider.

I feel like Khalid's skill was the most helpful of the bunch. He knows how to fight and protect himself. However, it did seem like violence wasn't high on the list. After all, it is just a heist. But when a situation gets dicey, he's the only person you can count on to get out. It seemed like a weak point of the group if there's only one person they can depend if an attack happens, but luckily there was nothing too extreme. I think I like Khalid due to his skills of being intimating and being able to fight, but other than that, I didn't care much else for him. Of course, there was the blossoming friendship between Giacomo and Khalid which I absolutely love and was one of the two relationship I could care about in the book. The other relationship I cared about was between Rosa and Dominic. Even though he rarely shows up in the book, their interactions were just lovely and Dominic's skills seems like it would come in handy sometime in the future.

The remaining two members of the group, Michaelangelo and Agata were members that could care less about. Agata didn't have her own perspective and based on what we're told, she just seems to stay at home all day. She really wasn't involved that much. In regards to Michaelangelo, he seems to be helpful in some cases, but doesn't really contribute that much. He seemed like a big deal to everyone, but to me, he was just another average person. He was just a person with high status that could get the group in.

The plot of this book was okay. It was intriguing, but there really wasn't much exciting action involved. Just get the right set of people in the right places and boom, we got some of the plan done. Not much fighting. Just talking. And that talking doesn't explain how the plan will go. I know we're just suppose to go along for the ride and be awed by their plan, but it doesn't show Rosa's skill or contribution to this whole thing. It doesn't show her off which I wanted the most. The idea behind the heist of wanting to steal from Medicis due to what they did a while ago, I could care less. The time period seemed irrelevant to me and the Medici family were just a villain. Nothing special about them. Just a classic heist and nothing stands out. It was a classic ending and I'm glad it's a standalone. I don't see there could be more.

Overall, the plot and the characters was mediocre. It was hard to establish any connections with the characters and such things made me want to get this over with. I suppose the only thing that I could like about this book is Giacomo's and Khalid's relationship due to their banter. In addition to that, my fondness over Rosa's and Dominic's relationship. If those relationship weren't there, I wouldn't have cared for anything in this book.

What a delightful romp. I was hooked the second poop hit the corrupt pope's carriage. This book was a blast with a delightful set of characters and shenanigans set against the rich historical backdrop of Florence in 151 7. I can see this one getting show or a movie quickly, what a blast!

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, for the opportunity to read Medici Heist by Caitlin Schneiderhan in exchange for my honest review.

I was really looking forward to this one. As a huge fan of heist stories, the added bonus of the Renaissance setting, the inclusion of Michelangelo as a character, and Florence as the backdrop grabbed my interest immediately.

One of the highlights of the book is its atmosphere. The descriptions of the city and settings are vivid and highlight the effort that was put into capturing the essence of Renaissance Florence. Schneiderhan's attention to detail adds a rich layer to the narrative, making the setting one of the book's strongest aspects.

That said, the main characters felt underdeveloped. They lacked the depth and individuality needed to make them memorable. I struggled to understand their motivation until it was revealed around the 60 percent mark. The characters felt very similar, sharing overlapping motivations that made it hard to distinguish them from one another.

All that said, the book does offer an enjoyable escape into historical Florence, which I really did love. The found family dynamic is a favorite of mine. Medici Heist is a story that I would recommend to those who will enjoy the aspects that I felt were the strongest. In the end, it’s an excellent choice for people seeking an adventure through Renaissance Florence.

This book does get a little bland after a while, and all the characters start to merge together, as none of them have a particularly strong personality. I did finish the book, but did not find it particularly well written or engaging. The one thing I did appreciate about this title was the strongly presented setting, however, even a well written exposition could not salvage this book for me.

This was an enjoyable historical heist novel with plenty of emphasis on the heist team and their relationships. The characters and their interactions/backstories were the things that stood out the most. The heist itself seemed to be missing from the pages until it actually started happening. Because I had no idea what the plan was, I didn't really feel any anticipation or tension when certain events unfolded. I also thought that what should have been the most exciting portion of the heist was glossed over and not really done in detail, which was a little disappointing. I also wish that the main, personal motivation for targeting the Medicis had been brought up earlier, and that the historical setting had been more present--although the Medicis are the mark, it feels like they could be exchanged with any other influential ruling family.

With all that being said, the characters were the highlight of the story. I liked the emphasis on the idea that it's not just the job you are doing; it's also the people you are doing the job with. Each character has something crucial that they need to resolve, and I don't mind too much that it overshadowed the heist.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys heist books and the found family trope.

A fun heist story set in the Medici's Florence. I enjoyed the characters and the setting. Rosa was a wonderful lead. I had a slightly hard time getting into each character since the story is told from all four perspectives, but it definitely worked in the end. If you like historical fiction settings, you'll love this version of Florence, and if you enjoy a good heist, this book has all the fan-favorite elements.

I had such a fabulous time reading this. A heist at its core with a goofy bunch of teenagers, but make it historical fiction? Sign me up. This was an absolute blast in a glass and I would read from this author again.

A heist set in the Italian Renaissance? YES, PLEASE! I thought this was a super fun read. I'd heard a lot about it being compared to SoC, and I get it for the heist factor, but this book feels more like real teenagers to me, which was refreshing to see in a historical setting. Just because something takes place a long time ago, it doesn't mean that everyone is 'old', right?! If you love a good (and fun!) heist story, give this one a try!

The premise was the most striking thing about this book.

I love reading about heists, but there is another aspect that I hold in greater regard when I read and that is the complexity of characters.

Specifically with an ensemble cast, such as this one, each character needs to be different enough from the others to distinguish themselves and make the reader understand why they work as a part of this “team.”

Unfortunately, the characters fell flat throughout the story, often I would mix them up with each other as I read, and when you’re working with a cast of characters, that’s not something you want to have.

Because of the lack of character complexity and differentiation, I struggle to say that I enjoyed reading this.

DNF @ 25%

I very much loved the premise of this book, (a heist in Renaissance Italy???) and the opening hook drew me in immediately, but it did not take very long for me to lose interest. The story is told in multiple third-person POVs, and I had a hard time following along who was who because they all pretty much had the same personality.

By 25%, we were just getting to the intro of the big heist, and I didn't find that any person had a particular skillset that would make the rest of the book very captivating. Now, it could have been something I missed, being that everyone kind of blurred together, so I just chose to stop reading before I drew out my disinterest any longer.

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fun book and great period read. Geared towards the young reader who I think would enjoy it very much. Hopefully there is a sequel. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book just reinforced my belief that heist plots are the best.

Medici Heist is a YA historical fiction heist story that takes place in Renaissance Italy, and it's filled with all of the action and (mis)adventures that make heists so enjoyable. I really enjoyed the setting, especially with Michelangelo as a character, albeit more of a minor character than the description lets on. Honestly, pretty much my only complaint is that this book could've been longer. I wanted more character backstory (especially Giacomo), and I could've taken even more action during the heist itself because there were some parts that could've been elaborated on.
Like I said, I'm a huge fan of heist novels, and I absolutely loved the action in this one. I can see why some might consider it formulaic, but I liked the pacing, and I thought things went wrong when they needed to in order to keep me on the edge of my seat. There weren't too many "big" plot twists besides the usual heist shenanigans, but it didn't stop me from misreading multiple situations.
And, as with any multiple-POV heist, I absolutely adored the dynamics between the characters. Of the main cast, Rosa was my least favorite just because she was a bit hard to read at first (I think this could've been fixed with some more flashbacks). I liked Sarra and her dynamics with both Rosa and Pietro. Of the side characters, I actually found Dominic to be more interesting than I anticipated, and I'd be interested in learning more about him plus seeing his (hopefully) criminal character arc. Michelangelo's dynamics with the characters were intriguing as well, given most YA heists don't include adults. Khalid and Giacomo stole the show, though, rather unsurprisingly, because the guard/thief pairings are some of my favorites. Khalid reminded me a lot of Jude from Isles of the Gods, and Giacomo was my favorite because of his backstory and also just his personality in general.
Medici Heist is a fast-paced, action-packed, historical fiction heist following a lovable cast of characters that I would love to see in either a sequel or spinoff (hint hint).
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

4.5/5

I wanted to love this book because of its enthralling description but sadly was unable to get into it. This book wasn’t my cup of tea but I’m sure someone else will love it!!

I liked Medici Heist a lot in theory—indeed, it reminds me of my favourite TV shows but set in a historical era. However, I found myself quite underwhelmed as none of the Main Characters really set themselves apart, and after the heist was planned, I didn't find myself invested in it. However, I did love the writing and the atmosphere, so I would recommend this to people who love getting lost in new worlds.

Great combination of historical fiction and a heist. I like how the chapters switched between different characters viewpoints. Set in 1500’s Florence, Italy, a group of ragtag grifters set out to rob the Medici family of their riches. Special guest star, Michaelangelo. This is a fun book. Complications arise. Will they succeed or will they get caught?

I am grateful to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

A fun historical heist with a diverse cast of characters that strikes a great balance between history and fiction--Medici Heist captures the historical vibes while still being very approachable and reading as modern. I enjoyed the characters' various backstories, the inclusion of Michelangelo as a side character/heist crew member, and the tension of how they were going to pull it all off. I think my favorite part was the Khalid/Giacomo dynamic--I adored them both.

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