Thank you to Netgalley and Feiwel & Friends for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. Medici Heist is exactly what you’d expect from
the title, and so much more. A fun historical fiction heist in Florence, with compelling characters and even a few famous Renaissance figures along the way. It dragged a bit in the middle, but the payoff for character development was worth the wait. Definitely check this one out!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This was an amazing book with lots of twists and turns. A great team is assembled to steal a huge quantity of gold from the Pope and Cardinal. Medici. The characters and descriptions of Florence were fascinating. This would make a good movie.

The MEDICI HEIST has everything you look for in a YA read: Tension, adventure, found family, romance, and just the right amount of mystery. 10/10 would recommend.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. The premise of the book was very intriguing. I wanted to be captivated; but the execution of the book was just falling a tad short for my taste. The choice of some of the wording within the story took me out of it because I was not sure that it would have been used during that time period. The wording was just too modern at some points, and too antiquated at others.

Fantastic book! I can’t even tell you how much it kept me on my toes. I cannot wait for this book to be on my shelf. 10/10 would recommend.

Sadly DNF’d this one. I was so excited for it, I love the premise of a renaissance heist but this was not it. I couldnt connect to the characters, didn’t have a clear picture of their motivations (or at least enough to keep me reading as it unfolded) nor did I know why they agreed to this heist other than at a very surface level. Ultimately at 60% in I just didn’t care what was going on and stopped reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan for the ARC

This book starts out slow and well... seems slow for most of it. The story develops over time, but what I found intriguing is that you don't really know the plan as they are going through it, and as new complications arose, I found myself wondering if they would find a way to get past it. Knowing that the Medici weren't really good people, I was definitely rooting for these kids to find a way to pull off their heist while also hoping that they would work out their own personal issues as they all have something they're dealing with in some form or another as the book unfolds.

This book was very enjoyable! A group of teenage thieves and con artists band together to take down the powerful Medici family by robbing them blind.

Was this story super believable? No, not really. But, it was fun and fast paced, and it definitely kept me engaged throughout, so I don’t really care about that part. The characters were funny, and I enjoyed their interactions throughout the story,

I would have liked to see more of the planning that went in to the heist, as well as more of what actually went on during the escape from the Palazzo. Some of the pacing seemed a little rushed, and the actual heist came out of nowhere; it felt like the characters were not prepared for it at all yet. There were also quite a few typos, but since this is still an ARC I have hope that they’ll be fixed by the time this is published.

Overall, while this book wasn’t perfect, it was super fun and enjoyable, especially in the last third of the story. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I really wanted to like this but it felt rather boring and flat.

Things I enjoyed: the inclusion of the disillusion artist Michelangelo, “find the lady,” Giacomo and Khalid, and the premise.

I struggled with the pacing of this story, it felt like the story only really came alive two thirds of the way through. I know I was supposed to root for these characters but I never really got to that point for the most part. Honestly, it felt like I was forcing myself through this read at times.

This book was reaching for Oceans 11 but didn’t really differentiate itself from the pack in terms of the heist genre. I wanted to like it so much more.

FUN! This book is one big, fat pile of fun! It has a most interesting cast of characters with wildly different personalities who come together to steal money from the corrupt Medici pope. Their quest takes you through Renaissance Florence (and beyond) where you get to see and experience the scenes from high (the pope's palace) to low (a printer's shop). It's immersive and hard to put down. Very well written, this one goes on the shelf of rare books that I will read again.

Medici Heist" by Caitlin Schneiderhan promises a romp through Renaissance Florence filled with intrigue, rebellion, and a daring heist that would make even Danny Ocean envious. Set against the backdrop of 1517 Florence, where the Medici family holds sway over the city, Schneiderhan weaves a tale of sharp-witted Rosa Cellini, a teenage con-woman with plans to liberate the people of Tuscany from the Medicis' grasp.

The narrative kicks off with Rosa assembling a motley crew for her audacious plan, including the reluctant help of none other than the famed artist Michelangelo. As tensions rise and the authorities close in, what begins as a robbery evolves into a bid to save Florence itself from destruction. With snark, innuendo, and plenty of action, "Medici Heist" promises a rollicking adventure from start to finish.

One of the book's strengths lies in its vibrant cast of characters, each with their own quirks and motivations. From Rosa's cunning to Michelangelo's misanthropy, every member of the crew adds depth and flavor to the story. While some readers may find the pacing occasionally sluggish, especially in the middle, the overall narrative momentum keeps the pages turning.

Schneiderhan's background in screenwriting shines through in the book's dialogue, which crackles with wit and humor. Despite some clunkiness, particularly in establishing the stakes early on, the characters' banter injects energy into the story and helps to carry it through its twists and turns.

Ultimately, "Medici Heist" is a fun and entertaining read, perfect for fans of historical fiction, young adult adventure, and, of course, heist stories. While it may not break new ground in the genre, its lively cast and rollicking plot make it a worthwhile addition to any bookshelf. So, if you're looking for a swashbuckling romp through Renaissance Italy, look no further than "Medici Heist."

I understand that the author is a screenwriter, but this read a little too much like a screenplay just begging to be adapted on Netflix. I didn't find the heist particularly compelling and kept comparing this to Six of Crows, which is the premier YA heist novel. I also wonder how much the setting of Renaissance Florence will attract teenagers to this book.

3. This one will be difficult for struggling readers or those with limited English proficiency. It was difficult to get into because of all the names and characters introduced in the first several chapters. Paired with the names of locations and a Renaissance setting, many students may become lost. However, for students who enjoy epic fantasy, this may be a good entry point into historical fiction. The idea of fighting corrupt leadership with well planned sabotage is a familiar one for many teen readers. Also, if students look into the locations and some of the people mentioned, they will learn a lot. The glittering backdrop of Florence and a group of plucky teen thieves is bound to be appealing to many.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of Medici Heist! To be completely honest, I ended this read with mixed feelings. While a fascinating premise, I felt that the book didn’t really reach its full potential. I mostly struggled with three main elements: the pacing, the heist, and the characters. The book is divided into three parts—and if you ask me, it doesn’t really hit its stride until the third part. The story is slow at the beginning, introducing us to the cast of characters without really fleshing out their backgrounds of their connections to each other. Then, we move into a “planning for the heist” segment that is, honestly, a bit nebulous. The plan or how the different characters work into it is never completely explained, which makes it difficult to follow what everyone is supposed to be doing in the lead-up to the actual heist. There is always an element of “show, don’t tell” with heist stories, but we honestly weren’t told enough about the heist to appreciate the show later on. As someone who loves this genre, I did feel let down by the heist set-up and description. There were too many details missing to fully understand and appreciate the nature of the heist. Lastly, in terms of the characters, I just didn’t feel a connection to them. We get sparse details about their backgrounds throughout the novel, with everything really only coming together in the third part. Additionally, while we know that some characters already know each other and have had relationships in the past, these dynamics didn’t feel well-established or particularly lived in. The “found family” dynamic really only kicks in at the end of the novel instead of being laced and built on throughout, which I was disappointed to see. However, despite my qualms, I did enjoy this read. While the worldbuilding does rely on some historical knowledge from the reader, I thought the setting was fantastic and I liked seeing the history sprinkled throughout. Additionally, while I’m not always a fan of the multiple-POV structure, I did think it worked well in this novel. Overall, while not a gold standard for the “found family/heist” genre, I did find Medici Heist to be an entertaining and refreshing addition to it.

For the most part, I enjoyed Medici Heist. I think the central premise is interesting and I liked the themes explored. The author did a pretty decent job of setting the scene during the time period. The only issue I had, however, was that this book pretty heavily relies on having the reader be at least passingly familiar with the landscape. There are a lot of names of places thrown around and minimal, if at all, descriptions of them. So, as important as the city is, it never feels fully alive. Because, if you're like me, and none of the names really mean all that much to you, then it's pretty easy to just dismiss the world itself because there's not a lot there to picture.

As for the characters, I liked them mostly. Khalid and Giacomo were the stand-outs for me, personally. Rosa and Sarra were almost there, but I needed just a little more. There's a definite tension between Rosa and Sarra and while there is a resolution, it felt like it happened a bit too abruptly to be completely satisfying. Rosa, as a character, is very closed-off and protective of herself, hiding behind a smile. While I liked that aspect, I think the way she opened up to her found family also felt like it needed to be a little more smoothly done.

Ultimately, though, I think this book does set out to do what it wanted to do, even if there were a few places where I wanted a bit more.

This was a NetGalley approved read.
This was a great heist book, like Ocean's 11 in Florence. It's got multiple povs, lots of interesting characters. Found family and a few young love and brother sister moments. This would be good for a young audience, nothing too graphic or hard to understand and it reads fairly fast and flows nicely.
I think I would've liked to see an additional pov from the Cardinal or Pope during some of the more hectic moments. And a pov or two thrown in for Agata our apothecary grandma but other than that this was a pleasure to read.

Medici Heist was one of the best heists novels I have ever read - and that includes Six of Crows. The little twists and small details came together perfectly and had me thrilled the entire time. Each character showed true development and turned this story into something more.

If you love YA, Heists, Found Family, and Eat The Rich vibes, this is the perfect book for you!


Thank you for the opportunity of an eARC, and I am leaving this review willingly.

For those who love a Robin Hood story, heists, and ancient Florence, this YA novel is for you! Following a team of thieves intent on knocking down the Medici power, this book unfolds an intricate tale. At times, each character’s individual storyline felt difficult to track, but in fully fleshing out each one, the story has a wholly complete feeling, and we come to appreciate each thief in their own right.

The Medici Heist was a unique take on historical fiction. It wasn't about WWII or the Bolshevik revolution like a lot of books I've read. Instead, it was about the Medici family and corruption in the Catholic Church, which made it so interesting. Told with multiple POVs, the story follows a group of thieves and their (at first) unwilling friends to not only rob Pope Leo X and the his family, but also expose him and the other leaders in the Church as cruel, greedy frauds.
The characters were compelling (I liked how Michelangelo was part of the plot) and their backstories made it clear how much was at stake for each of them. Overall, I'd say it was similar Six of Crows without the fantasy aspect. I'd recommend this to any friend who reads YA.

Ever since Assassin's Creed II I have been intrigued by the Medici. Pair that with thieves, I was hooked. I will say that the start of this is a bit of a slow burn in figuring things out, but then the end picks up. Give it a chance and you won't be sorry.