Before even reading the author’s background, The Medici Heist reminded me of a script. Finding out the author is a screenwriter makes so much sense.

Medici Heist is about a group of dubiously talented individuals who gather together to eat the rich. They each have secret motivations for wanting the Medici family to suffer, but these hidden agendas cause issues for the overall heist.

This felt like a script because of how lifeless it read. There’s info dumping galore: historical info, heist plans, and character backstories. I kept waiting for life and personality to shine through, but I was disappointed.

There are four or five main characters, but I couldn’t distinguish them. The two girls specifically, Rose and Sarra, are the same sassy sharp women who don’t fit into traditional feminine roles, which is all well and good, but there needs to be personality beyond that. The two boys, Khalid and Giacomo, fit neatly into the grumpy and sunshine roles, but I didn’t care for either one. By the time the sad backstories for all four of our characters were revealed, it didn’t have much impact, despite being objectively awful. It’s a bad sign when the characters can pull no emotional response halfway through a book.

There are good building blocks here. The combination of Historical Fiction and a heist is something I can get behind. But it’s so boring. This book would have been fantastic if the plot, background, or characters had depth or personality. Unfortunately, this reads like a rough draft.

CW: death of parents, homophobia, some violence and gore

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan’s Children’s Publishing Books (Feiwel and Friends) for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

A good heist is hard to pull off well. A good heist is even harder to write well--this is what all my years of loving and consuming heist-related media has taught me.

And so, when Medici Heist--straightforward name for the book, but sadly lacking pizazz--landed on my digital bookshelf, I was skeptical. Heist books are very tricky things to write, and a debut author writing a historical fiction heist. Well, it could have been a disaster. But thankfully, in Schneiderhan's hands, it is absolutely NOT a disaster. Medici Heist is an engaging, adventurous romp through Medici-era Florence, where tensions are strained between the ruling Medici family and the working-class citizens and our characters are happy to push those tensions to their breaking point...and steal a whole lot of gold along the way.

The characters are deftly written and developed. Most of them are rather color-by-numbers and predictable, but they are colored in well and I can't say I mind. A heist is not about the characters. Or at least not mostly. I liked that there were distinct and sympathetic motivations for the characters, making their choice to engage in a heist understandable and sensible.

The setting was a bit of a letdown. I can tell a screenwriter wrote this--the lack of focus on what should be a gorgeous setting is forgivable and keeps the pace clipping along, but, as someone who loves setting descriptions, it did scrimp on giving us period and place flavoring.

The heist itself is decently written. Schneiderhan pulls off the various moving parts well, and most of her writerly slight of hands work to push and pull the plot and action where it needs to go. It was very cinemaesque in how it was written, and that is a compliment. I did think the ending lacked a bit of punch. The reveal, as it was, was a bit confusing and felt less like the "ah-hah!" than an "...oh..." Still, I can't be mad about it.

For all my critiques above, I will happily look for more of Schneiderhan's work, should she write and publish more. I did thoroughly enjoy my frolic through historical Florence at her hands and would love to go again.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

An interesting merging of a fantasy adventuring party and mid-Renaissance Florence. I hope there will be more in the future.

This book was delightful. Well developed characters, fun premise,, and a period piece which I love.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I received early access to this book through NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review (which is very late, but better late than never!).

I genuinely enjoyed this read, which is (as the title implies) a heist caper set in Renaissance Italy--just far enough from historical reality that even a medievalist can enjoy it. The protagonists were engaging, and the variety of their backgrounds allowed for fun banter between them even as it added emotional depth. I also quite liked that the main characters' youth (all are in their late teens and early twenties) came through in their reactions without veering into the still realistic but aggravating illogic that so often drives young adult narratives. The author played key parts of the plan a little too close to the chest for me, but better that than giving it all away too soon!

Given the situations involving violence and arson, I would recommend this for older teens and up.

Would give this closer to 3.5 stars. It was a fun and intriguing read but felt a little slow and a tad chaotic at points. The cast of characters is intriguing and diverse and overall the story felt worthwhile. I loved the setting of the story and the historical details that were mixed in made for an interesting read.

I loved this book! It was such a fun story, and Schneiderhan is such an engaging writer. The characters are perfectly intertwined in their talents and they ways they help each other grow over the course of their mission. One romance in particular really stole my heart and I will never stop screaming about them. I'm not usually a big fan of anything historical but the writing really drew me in on this one!

What an ending! The last 10-20% of the book really saved it for me. The title of Medici Heist would suggest a fast paced, thrilling tale of conniving thievery, but it took me a while to get through. There was A LOT of detail in this one and several characters - each with their own complicated back story. The story is told from multiple POVs, which I liked, but there was almost too much information about the characters which made the story drag a bit. Most of the planning for the heist is lost in the back stories. It's not until the heist actually begins that the story really picks up. The ending left me wanting more, and wishing more of the book was about the heist and the aftermath. Overall, it was a fun read, even if it took me a while to finish, and I would love to see the characters again to see what they are up to now!

The teen historical fiction heist novel of the year! Well-rounded, entertaining; I found myself smiling as I flipped the pages.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Even Michelangelo couldn't save this one from itself. There are too many character points of view and not enough explanation of what is happening and why.

I'm not normally a big historical fiction fan, but this was an absolute delight of a book! Having a basic understanding of the Medici family, Rennisance Florence, and the cosmopolitan nature of the city will absolutey help enjoy the story, but is not necessary. This would be great for anyone who wants a fun, fast paced heist. I will be keeping this book in my back pocket for reader's advisory!

I read this ARC via Netgalley Shelf.

It's Florence in the 1500s, and the Medici rise to power has not been supported by everyone, especially not Rosa, who lost her family when the Medici soldiers put down a rebellion in her village. But with the new Medici pope, Rosa has an idea: to steal the Medici fortune. She'll need help, and finds it with Sarra the Tinkerer, Giacomo (who enjoys explosions), Khalid (the brawn), and unexpectedly, from Michelangelo and his assistant who is great a forgery. But the Medicis are powerful, and the locked room was booby-trapped by Leonardo da Vinci.

This was the heist novel I didn't know I needed. I was a big fan of the TV series "The Borgias" and this told the side of those not in power. Each member of the heist squad had a good reason to want both money and revenge against the Medicis. While this had a large cast, I was never confused between characters as they each had different goals and pasts. There were a few romances that bloomed along the way, and I really loved the historical details and cameos - Michelangelo was a fun character - and one of my favorite tropes, where characters in historical fiction use fairly modern sayings, kept this feeling fresh. Overall this was a fun read and perfect for fans of [book:Six of Crows|23437156].

Medici Heist was a fun read, albeit a little chaotic. The characters were interesting, but not deep or complex enough for me to sympathize with them. Giacomo was the typical comic relief character with a secret, and his love interest Khalid was a stoic young man trapped in a bad situation and trying to support his family from overseas. Sarra was the inventor character with a soft heart, and Rosa was the brains behind the main operation, while her love interest Dominic was an apprentice artist under the thumb of the Medici family. While the dynamics were interesting enough, we never hear enough about the characters' backgrounds and stories to really resonate with their emotions and experiences. The interactions between the characters were fun at times, but there was a distinct lack of chemistry or cohesiveness between the cast in general. I did enjoy Michelangelo's character as a cranky, curmudgeonly artist who is "dragged" into a heist against the Medicis - though it would have been nice to read more about his historical influence as well.
The plot was very scattered - I wasn't really sure what was happening for the first 25% of the book. Each chapter was from a different character's perspective, and each had their own individual lives and voices, so it was really difficult to get an idea of what was happening. There was no explanation as to how the group members even knew each other, let alone trusted each other enough to work together on such a high-stakes operation. Once I got a feel for each character, though, the rest of the book fell into place and progressed nicely. The author did an excellent job developing each character's individual voice and style.
I liked the plot, too - it was engaging and fast-paced, never slow or boring. I feel like the ending could have been explained a little better, though. It was wrapped up very quickly, so the last 10-15% of the book was a little rushed. The setting of Renaissance-era Florence was well-researched, and the author did a great job bringing the different locations to life. I also liked that she didn't use modern slang/swearing, and that really elevated the writing in a lot of ways. Overall, Medici Heist was a fun read with a diverse cast of characters, an engaging heist plot, and a vibrant and unique setting. Perfect for fans of Six of Crows, heist novels in general, and historical fiction.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the digital ARC!

There are not enough great heist novels out there. This gives Oceans 11 vibes set in historic Florence with a dash of romance (just a dash). Diverse characters and queer characters. Content warning for period treatment of queer characters (ie basically torture) and for racism.

Medici Heist transports you back to the time of Michelangelo in Florence. A group of " highly-skilled misfits" are recruited by a teenage grifter to pull off what many would consider impossible - to rob the Medici family.

As a YA title, the budding romances are written where attractions happen, but nothing is laid out in detail. Note: there is a gay relationship that occurs later in the story.

Overall, the story was okay. I enjoyed the historical components. But, I never felt like the story completely roped me in.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2024--ever since I first heard about this book, I was so excited. So, I was thrilled to be able to read this early! I definitely think that this book takes a little while to suck you in. I found myself really having to push myself through those first one hundred or so pages, but I'm glad I stuck it out. After that, the pacing and the excitement really pick up. I definitely think this is a really fun historical heist story, set in the 1500s. Once we got past the initial slowness, the characters and the plot were really fun and pretty compelling! I would definitely read more from this author or set in this world. Considering it was one of my most anticipated reads, I was a bit bummed by how long it took to get into the story, but I did ultimately end up liking this a good amount!

It took me a while to get into the Medici Heist, but when I did, I enjoyed it more than I anticipated I would. Florence is one of my favorite cities and the Medici history runs deep there. Schneiderhan does a good job with mixing the historical details and fiction into this adventure, it reminded me of a young adult version of Ocean’s Eleven. Medici Heist is set in the 1500’s where a young conwoman is looking for revenge against the corrupt Pope, and that comes in the form of a heist. She wants to reclaim what has been extorted from the people and to achieve this she rounds up a group misfits each skilled in their own way. As everything unfolds, the tension within the group rises…will this be the destruction of not only the group but the heist as a whole?

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillian Children’s for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

Heist story lovers, buckle up. Medici Heist is a fast-moving caper tale set in Renaissance Florence, bursting with wild twists, snarky dialogue, and even a dash of romance. As a historical fiction, it’s heavy on the fiction, but as a YA caper tale, it’s good fun. 17-year-old conwoman Rosa Cellini arrives in Florence the same day that the Pope, a Medici, returns to the city. And Rosa bears a deep grudge against that family. She gathers a plucky team of oddballs — Khalid, the muscle; Sarra the tinkerer; Giacamo, the master of disguise; and even the great Michelangelo — with one goal: Stealing the mountain of money that the Pope has extorted from Florence’s citizens. The team sets to work on their plan, but everyone has a past, and their pasts start catching up with them. Will these ragtag thieves be able to pull off the crime of the century against the most powerful family in Florence?

It took me a while to get into this book, in fact I broke my normal reading rule and continued reading after 100 pages even though I was kind of bored. I’m glad I finished, as it was a fun story. As a history buff, I very much enjoyed the historic details as well as the liberties the author took for the narrative. A renaissance Ocean’s Eleven almost, I thought the characters were fun and the plot clipped along at a great pace. I definitely will be purchasing for my niece when it is published!

This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review, all opinions are my town!

I snagged this book because it looked interesting. It started off with a bang, but then I got bored with it. It just didn't have a real solid focus. It was attempting to be like...well I guess Six of Crows or Oceans 11 is an apt comparison. With all these KIDS having different skills. But you have to always remember KIDS or young adults. No one was fleshed out in story. It is HEAVILY fiction over historical fiction. The setting was a great concept. The book itself a great concept. But it just didn't do it for me. Also the POVs were a bit confusing to keep track of.

I just can't give this one more than a 2 stars when comparing it to other YA books. :/

*I received a copy of this ARC from NetGalley and the Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are 100% my own.