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To Have and To Heist
by Sara Desai
Read Completed 9/17/23 | TO HAVE AND TO HEIST was really cute! I excepted it to "just" be a romance novel, but it was actually more funny thriller with vibes like Finlay Donovan meets Stephanie Plum with a dash of Ocean's 11. There is definitely romance in it and it is a significant part of the book (enough that I'm not sure where to categorize the genre) but the main focus is the heist and the funny crew that assembles to pull it all off.
Simi is a great main character and she really does hold everything together in this book! She ends up planning a heist to steal back a necklace when her best friend Chloe was accused of stealing it. She'll do anything to help her friend and her daughter, and she's willing to do what it takes to keep Chloe from going to prison. A handsome, mysterious stranger finds her during the rescue mission, and afterwards, a heist plan ensues between them all to get the necklace back. The rest of the oddball crew also includes Simi's 80-year-old and spirited neighbor Rose, a distant cousin Anil who the family keeps trying to marry her off to and who is great with gadgets and tech, co-worker Christian who thinks he's a gift to women (but actually has a good heart), Emma who has a need for speed, Gage as the muscle, and of course Simi, Jack, and Chloe who all have their own talents as well. It's a funny misfit crew and I adored their dynamics.
The romance is between Simi and Jack with a dash of policeman Garcia on the side. Things heat up between Simi and Jack along the way and Jack is delightfully mysterious, a little broody, and also a little flighty due to his past and connections, which is the perfect recipe for a relationship in a book that you want to root for but also causes a little drama. I also really liked Garcia as a character and the chemistry between Simi and him as well. It's not really a love triangle, thank goodness, but I liked the potential romantic and the stated platonic chemistry there. There's a little flirting before Simi really gets involved with Jack and a little jealousy, but there's one clear winner/relationship.
I had a lot of fun reading this book BUT there was just a little bit that didn't click. I think it was mostly just the pacing of book and there was a slight lack of flow. The beginning was just a little confusing because I was expecting a romance-forward book and it was more action, then moved from one concept (rom-com plot of Simi having no job and her parents wanting to marry her off) to heist, to heist WITH a career and a romance. It wasn't a bad thing but I felt like it took a while to find its footing. Ultimately, I really did enjoy this and the way it was set up, it could definitely be a series. And if it is a series, I'm totally here for it!
Simi is a great main character and she really does hold everything together in this book! She ends up planning a heist to steal back a necklace when her best friend Chloe was accused of stealing it. She'll do anything to help her friend and her daughter, and she's willing to do what it takes to keep Chloe from going to prison. A handsome, mysterious stranger finds her during the rescue mission, and afterwards, a heist plan ensues between them all to get the necklace back. The rest of the oddball crew also includes Simi's 80-year-old and spirited neighbor Rose, a distant cousin Anil who the family keeps trying to marry her off to and who is great with gadgets and tech, co-worker Christian who thinks he's a gift to women (but actually has a good heart), Emma who has a need for speed, Gage as the muscle, and of course Simi, Jack, and Chloe who all have their own talents as well. It's a funny misfit crew and I adored their dynamics.
The romance is between Simi and Jack with a dash of policeman Garcia on the side. Things heat up between Simi and Jack along the way and Jack is delightfully mysterious, a little broody, and also a little flighty due to his past and connections, which is the perfect recipe for a relationship in a book that you want to root for but also causes a little drama. I also really liked Garcia as a character and the chemistry between Simi and him as well. It's not really a love triangle, thank goodness, but I liked the potential romantic and the stated platonic chemistry there. There's a little flirting before Simi really gets involved with Jack and a little jealousy, but there's one clear winner/relationship.
I had a lot of fun reading this book BUT there was just a little bit that didn't click. I think it was mostly just the pacing of book and there was a slight lack of flow. The beginning was just a little confusing because I was expecting a romance-forward book and it was more action, then moved from one concept (rom-com plot of Simi having no job and her parents wanting to marry her off) to heist, to heist WITH a career and a romance. It wasn't a bad thing but I felt like it took a while to find its footing. Ultimately, I really did enjoy this and the way it was set up, it could definitely be a series. And if it is a series, I'm totally here for it!