Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Release Date: July 19th 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller, Fiction
Rate: 4/5 stars
Synopsis:
Ocean’s Eleven meets the star-crossed lovers of West Side Story.Grab some popcorn and get ready for an adrenaline-filled heist!
LEXI is a rich girl who loves a good rush. Whether it’s motorcycle racing or BASE jumping off a building in downtown Los Angeles, the only times she feels alive are when she and her friends are executing one of their dares. After her father’s arrest, Lexi doesn’t think twice about going undercover at his bank to steal the evidence that might clear his name. She enlists her hacker brother and her daredevil friends to plan a clever heist.
CHRISTIAN is a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. The local gang has blackmailed him and his friends into robbing banks, and he is desperate for a way out. When the boss promises that one really big job will be the last he ever has to do, Christian jumps at the chance for freedom. In fact, he’s just met a girl at the bank who might even prove useful. . . .
Two heists. One score. The only thing standing in their way is each other.
Told in alternating points of view, this caper is full of romance and fast-paced fun. Hand to fans of Perfect Chemistry, The Conspiracy of Us, and Heist Society.
I absolutely loved The Conspiracy of Us, and although I haven’t read any of the other books the synopsis compares this one to, I had a feeling that I was really going to enjoy Smash & Grab. It was really entertaining, and I loved that about the book. There wasn’t really anything deep to consider, no subtle meanings that you have to unearth – it was simply great entertainment, and that was exactly what I needed to read.
The first main character in the book is Lexi. Lexi is a rich girl who loves to do absolutely anything to get a good rush – stealing, riding motorcycles, and even doing stunts and jumping off of buildings. The more dangerous the activity is, the more Lexi tends to enjoy it. It makes her feel alive in ways that nothing else seems to. So when her father is getting arrested, Lexi is more than up to the task to go undercover at the bank and get the evidence that will help her father prove his innocence.
The second main character in Smash & Grab is Christian, who is a boy who has been involved in gangs and dealt with some troubling things. The gang of guys that he is with decide that if Christian helps with one more big bank robbery, he can be free of them and do as he chooses. So he decides to help him. After all, he just met Lexi, and she could probably be an asset during the whole thing.
So the two of them work together to each get what they need, forming a friendship…and even something more…in the process.
This does have a bit of a romance angle to it, but since it’s not front and center, it doesn’t really ruin the book or anything. It adds a little bit of extra depth to it, and gives us even more of a reason to feel attached to these two characters. While I really liked Christian, I found myself not caring as much for Lexi at first. She reminded me of a spoiled little rich girl (which she was), but as time went by and the story really picked up I found myself liking her character more and more.
Smash & Grab is an incredibly original novel with a plot that doesn’t fail to deliver the thrills that you know you love!
Note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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