HEIRESS TAKES ALL, by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, June 4, 2024, Hardcover, $18.99 (young adult)
A teen sets out to pull of the perfect heist during her father’s wedding in Heiress Takes All, by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka.
Seventeen-year-old Olivia Owens isn’t thrilled that her dad’s getting remarried…again. She’s especially not thrilled that he cheated on her mom, kicked them out of their Rhode Island home, and cut Olivia out of her rightful inheritance.
But this former heiress has a plan for revenge. While hundreds of guests gather on the grounds of the gorgeous estate where she grew up, everyone will be thinking romance—not robbery. She’ll play the part of dutiful daughter, but in reality she’ll be redistributing millions from her father’s online accounts. She only needs the handwritten pass code he keeps in the estate’s safe.
With the help of an eclectic crew of high school students and one former teacher, Olivia has plotted her mid-nuptial heist down to the second. But she didn’t plan for an obnoxiously nosy wedding guest, an interfering ex-boyfriend intent on winning her back, greedy European cousins with their own agenda, or a vengeful second wife. When everything seems like it’s going wrong, Olivia has to keep her eyes on what really matters: getting rich. And when she’s done, “something borrowed” will be the understatement of the year. —Synopsis provided by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Heiress Takes All is one of those books that you really want to love and end up really liking it instead. It’s a fun adventure that gets a little slow in places, but keeps you engaged nonetheless.
Authors Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka have plotted out an intricate story that does keep you guessing. Their characters are varied, though some members of the supporting cast is more realized than others.
The story unfolds from Olivia’s point of view. And through her view, you get sort of a George Clooney laying things out in Ocean’s Eleven vibe. She’s a character who knows when to pivot, and that makes for some interesting setups.
Revenge is at the heart of Heiress Takes All, though other themes betrayal, trust, socioeconomic disparity, and forgiveness also come into play. There’s a touch of romance, too, but it all circles around the heist.
The plot of Heiress Takes All is fairly over the top, which lends to its cinematic feel. And the ending leaves room for further stories where things could become grander.
Heiress Takes All is a fairly fast read that should appeal to fans of mysteries or thrillers with a touch of comedy thrown in for good measure.
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