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A review by courtofsmutandstuff
To Have and to Heist by Sara Desai
2.75
I feel bad about how much I didn't like this book. The writing was fine, and I like the idea of basically Mindy Lahiri organizing a heist to save her best friend - I just didn't really like it, mainly because Jack was an absolute asshole and it didn't help it was closed door. Chloe and Gage were a much more compelling romance couple for me because Gage actually HELPS Chloe, and never leaves her naked and alone while he runs away from men breaking down her door (and Gage does the opposite - empowering Chloe to keep herself and her daughter safe from her abusive ex, while providing support at all times). I really wish I got to see more of Chloe and Gage, because I just could not root for Jack, especially with every passing lie, mistruth, deception, etc. He wasn't a good person and the "oh he just has to keep things hidden" did not work for me, and it honestly made no sense for me why Sini got back with him to the point I was honestly thinking she was going to end up with the cop in the end.
The heist also was almost... perfunctory? Like I liked that it seemed realistic (just keep trying the safe combination possibilities in blunt force rather than anything fancy like in a heist movie) and I liked the quirky characters for the most part (but they are very much in the adorkable or overly quirky vein and I see how they might grate some people, especially as the supporting characters have largely one characteristic they are focused on). Sini also largely works for me as a FMC (and I thought she had some ADHD coding, especially when she talks about how her brain always worked differently then others and she thrives when she has multiple different tasks at once) and I really liked how she flourishes with her wedding event business. I just HATE that she fell for Gage and stayed that way. I also love how much she and Chloe love each other.
I was disappointed in this one, and am disappointed that I'm disappointed, as I really do love heists, best friends who would do anything for each other, books set in Chicago, and big, overbearing families while the protagonist is just trying to live his/her life.
The heist also was almost... perfunctory? Like I liked that it seemed realistic (just keep trying the safe combination possibilities in blunt force rather than anything fancy like in a heist movie) and I liked the quirky characters for the most part (but they are very much in the adorkable or overly quirky vein and I see how they might grate some people, especially as the supporting characters have largely one characteristic they are focused on). Sini also largely works for me as a FMC (and I thought she had some ADHD coding, especially when she talks about how her brain always worked differently then others and she thrives when she has multiple different tasks at once) and I really liked how she flourishes with her wedding event business. I just HATE that she fell for Gage and stayed that way. I also love how much she and Chloe love each other.
I was disappointed in this one, and am disappointed that I'm disappointed, as I really do love heists, best friends who would do anything for each other, books set in Chicago, and big, overbearing families while the protagonist is just trying to live his/her life.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Domestic abuse