REVIEW: To Have and to Heist by Sara Desai

To Have and to Heist by Sara Desai: Simi has been having a string of bad luck recently, she just lost yet another job, her students debts are only growing with each month, her basement apartment seems to want to become a pond and now the cherry on a the very unappealing cake is that her best friend has been accused of stealing a multimillion dollar diamond necklace. So naturally the next logical thing for any friend to do is go on a hunt to find said stolen necklace and clear the friends name, right? Well when smooth talking Jack waltz back into Simi’s life he convinces her that this is exactly what they should do, all the two need to do is round up a ragtag heist crew, steal the necklace back from a dangerous criminal and try not to get caught in the process. Should be a total piece of cake…

Picking up a Sarah Desi book is a total no brainer for me, her books always guarantee relatable, easy to love characters with a catchy plot that will have you glued to the book, and this is very much the case with To Have And To Heist. I just loved this book with its Ocean’s 11 ragtag team of wanna-be master mind thieves, truly an absolute hoot to read. Sami, Jack and their crew had me in stitches for the entirety of this book with all the silly zany antics that they got up to as they tried to steal back the necklace from under the noses of two major mob families!

I just adored Simi, not only was she such a brilliant best friend but I just found her character so easy to relate to. Simi really represented as a south Asian leading lady, embracing her brave, fearless and loyal qualities all while still being a total goof. I loved her relationship with her bestie Chloe, these two really were two peas from the same pod, they had a great bond and sister connection. I really liked that Simi found her person in Chloe after always feeling left out by her family. As much as I loved the connection and relationship that formed between Jack and Simi, it was the bond between Simi and Chloe that really stole my heart, these two really were ride or die besties, and I was so here for this story arch. Now I think it would be safe to say that we all like a dark and mysterious hero and to a large extent this was Jack. I just loved getting to peel the layers back as we got to know who Jack truly was. Im not going to say to much on Jack, all I will say is that you are going to love him as you get to know the cheeky bugger.

I really liked the chemistry between Jack and Simi, these two really hit it of right from their very first roll in the bushes. I really liked that there was kind of a love triangle feeling between Jack, Simi and Detective Garcia. Even though it was clear as day that Jack was going to win Simi’s heart, I liked the extra little layer that Garcia added to the story.

The supporting characters in this book was absolutely incredible! We were spoiled for choice in this book with such an eclectic group of supporting characters. The ragtag group that Simi and Jack put together were just a hoot, I really don’t know who I loved most from; the Octagonarian dominatrix geese lady Rose, Chloe the white-hat hacker, their inside man and total playboy Christian, the sweet mamma’s boy tech-man Anil, Gage their hitman or Emma their very own Fast and Furious Uber driver. This group had me hooked with their banter, makeshift family vibe and unending silliness.

To Have And To Heist was the perfect balance of cosy romance, action packed heist drama and a whole bunch of hilarious characters. This book is a definite must read!

Book Info:

Publication: July 18, 2023 | Berkley |

Simi Chopra is on a bad-luck streak. She’s lost yet another job, her student loan debt won’t stop growing, her basement apartment is a certifiable flood zone, and now her best friend has been accused of stealing a multimillion-dollar diamond necklace. To put it lightly, she’s desperate for a break—that’s right when Jack waltzes out of the bushes and into her life.

Jack is just as charming as he is mysterious. When he offers to help her find the missing necklace and steal it back, Simi jumps at the chance to clear her friend’s name and collect the substantial reward. But every good heist needs a crew. All she needs to do is transform a ragtag group of strangers into an elite heist crew, infiltrate a high-society wedding and steal the necklace from a dangerous criminal before the happy couple say “I do.” Meanwhile the bride is keeping secrets, a detective with a slow-burn smile keeps showing up at her door, and the ultimate robbery might not be the wedding con, but the way Jack is stealing her heart.