Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - To Have and to Heist

A fun heist rom-com that had the best side characters and found family. No steam but I thought this paired so nicely with the "happy for now" ending for Simi and the overall silly and funny dialogue.

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lulimaffeo's review against another edition

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funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I know it in my bones that the book was supposed to be called The Wedding Crew. It even matches with all the other Sara Desai's books (The Wedding Plan, The Dating Game, The Single's Table, etc).

Sadly, the title is not the only thing that separates it from the whole trinity. I hate that my main thought after reading this was "she should stick with what she knows (indian romcoms)" because you never want to limit the author to rewriting the same story over and over again, you want them to try new things. However, this book lacked the chemistry of the main characters, the "will they, won't they?" burn and the impossible choices and shocking endings that the other stories had. By setting the story around a heist it makes everything a little bit more silly, the characters very one dimensional with their gimmicks, and the romance takes a second place in the plot.

Not everything is bad, and if it weren't a Sara Desai book that made me have expectations, I might've scored it higher. The dialogue is great, the plot while ridiculous, it's entrataining and it has a good couple of plot twists, it is not a predictible heist. All the characters are lovable (again, although very simply crafted) and you end up with a smile after reading it.

Super recommened for a good time, easy read. Great if you are coming back from a reading slump.

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katiemack's review against another edition

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adventurous funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book is bonkers, but I mean that in a positive way. Simi's ostensibly undiagnosed ADHD tendencies grew on me, especially when coupled with her fierce determination and loyalty to her family, friends, and crew. (Speaking of, the crew members are all heartwarming in their well-intentioned awkwardness.) Her inner thoughts and basically all the conversations between characters are so silly and enjoyable that I actually laughed out loud a few times; it's been a while since I've read dialogue like that.

Regarding the romance, Jack was not terribly appealing in his tendency to disappear at crucial moments--as Simi points out, it's cowardly--but I guess he comes through in the end and technically has a noble cause in his thievery. The love triangle bit feels unnecessary, but maybe it's set up to play out in a sequel? Honestly, I would have rather had more scenes with The Wedding Crew.

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purplepenning's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

Finley Donovan meets Dial A for Aunties in a mystery caper rom-com (romp-com?) with an Oceans Eleven heist and an Indiana Jones love interest. Perfect for readers searching for an updated Stephanie Plum.

I could've done with just a little less thirst and a lot less torture, but in general this was a frothy rollick that delivers what it promises.

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analenegrace's review against another edition

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adventurous funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I was really hoping for good things for this one, but unfortunately, it felt so childish it was hard to read at times. It also needed a better editor; there were mistakes throughout that were confusing.

Simi's narration was at times so annoying I wanted to stop reading, but I was interested in the actual heist plot more than the romance plot. The way she and others talked felt like what you would find in a not-so-good YA book rather than an adult romance.

Jack was also just such a basic bad-boy character with a soft background, there was nothing interesting about him.

This book was somehow too long but also didn't ever give me enough...

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katrinaward's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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cassielaj's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A fun adventure with excellent characters. The plot lagged a bit in the middle, but by the end I was tearing through this book to see how everything turned out. As any good heist story should, this has a number of twists to keep the audience on its toes. I thought the romance was overshadowed by the rest of the story, but I was in it for the adventure so I didn’t mind.

I did want more of jack’s backstory, but I understand why it wasn’t included.

Also, f*ck Kyle

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