The Jewels of Manhattan

by Carmen Reid

Can you steal the perfect life?Find out, in Carmen's fabulous Christmassy stand-alone novel!It started with too many cocktails, as all great plans do...1) Rob Auction house where sister works.2) Sell the jewels.3) Disappear and live happily ever after.A completely brilliant and perfect plan... when you are a few Cosmopolitans down!The three very different Jewel sisters, Amber, Sapphire and Em, all came to New York looking for a new life. But things aren't working out as well as they hoped. Em has had enough. She wants fame and fortune, and she's got it all mapped out.

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, New York

384 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2011

About the author

Carmen was born and brought up in a chilly and windy corner of Scotland in the depths of the countryside.

This may explain her lifelong phobia of cows and abiding interest in cities, department stores, books, the cinema and newspapers.

She is currently working on her eigth novel for grown-ups and her third novel for teenagers. Well, she likes to keep busy.

Carmen did once study English Literature at University College London, but, ignoring everything she’d learned, she spent most of her 20s working as a local, regional and then national newspaper reporter.

Knowing deep down that she was supposed to be an author not a journo, she left her day job to have a baby and write her first novel. (Hey, and just four sleepless, penniless years later it was published!)

Although there is a corner of her heart that will always belong to London (property developers welcome) she now lives in Glasgow, Scotland, with her husband, Thomas, and two children, Sam and Claudie, plus Jimmy the (lunatic) Jack Russell and Clive, Orangey and Gorcha, the fish.

Fortunately her hobbies are cooking, cleaning, arguing about whose turn it is to walk the dog, clean the fish tank, take out the rubbish, do the laundry... and so on.

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's different and kept my interest from start to finish.

Romantic comedy meets Crime with three sisters, a New York robbery, diamonds and a sexy cop.

My song choice would be Diamonds by Rihanna or Everyone's at It by Lily Allen.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carmen Reid is an author I very much enjoy. I haven’t read any of her stand-alone novels, but I really, really enjoy her Annie Valentine series. I’ve read the first three books in the series and have the other two books to read and it’s a series I really like reading. So when I heard Carmen was releasing a Christmassy stand-alone novel I was thrilled. As soon as I saw the synopsis for The Jewels of Manhattan I was even more excited – it sounded like a Chick Lit version of Hustle or Leverage, two shows I looove. I was so pleased to receive a proof copy of the novel and after finishing up all my other review books, The Jewels of Manhattan was up next.

The Jewels Of Manhattan sees Carmen Reid taking her writing in a bit of a different direction. Usually, she’s directing the rather outrageous Annie Valentine as she tries to take over the world, one fashion item at a time, but here she’s wrestling with the Jewel sisters who have moved from their native Texas to Manhattan to find the perfect life. Trouble is, finding the perfect life is a lot easier in thought than in reality. So the Jewel sisters do what any sane sisters would do… And they decide to rob some jewels. Well, that’s what the synopsis tells me anyway, but the book plays out a lot more different than that. Sure, jewels are heisted (is that even a word), but the book isn’t about the Jewel sisters suddenly becoming criminal masterminds. In fact, only one of the Jewel sisters is a (potential) criminal mastermind and that’s Em. Amber and Sapphire want nowt to do with it and there is not a cocktail napkin in sight as Em plans to make her fortune.

But despite the misleading synopsis (I expected the three girls to be totally on board with the heist and for it to be very Hustle/Leverage-esque as they scale walls and disable security alarms and… well, you know, do heist-y things) I did enjoy the book; it’s massively readable and I finished it in double-quick time. It is very cheesy though. One thing you may not already be aware of (but you will be after one page of The Jewels of Manhattan) is that Carmen Reid is not a Texan Southern Belle. Therefore, making your three sisters Texan probably wasn’t the smartest idea, especially since the result was rather soap-opera-ish. (Not helped by the fact Carmen says Dallas was one of the things she watched to get all the Texan stuff correct.) I’m not entirely sure Carmen meant for the sisters to be OTT Texan belles, but that’s how they panned out and it was a tad cringe-worthy. I mean, the sisters were nice and all… But they couldn’t pull of a jewel heist, not even if they wanted to. They were just too nice, and despite the fact things do happen that mean they have to get smart real quick, well it’s still a tad unrealistic.

Obviously because it’s a Chick Lit novel, you expect some romance, but since the book was meant to be about three sisters stealing the perfect life (take a look at the synopsis. That’s what it says!) I was rather surprised at how much romance there was. For starters, I’d just like to say that Detective Jack did not sound particularly handsome (nor smart, which I’d think is a requisite for a New York Detective). I mean, that’s part of the trouble. If you want to write a Chick Lit/crime hybrid well, you have to make sure you have the players to play their parts. And you have to keep the romance to a minimum, and I did somewhat feel the romance got in the way a little bit. That there was a bit too much of it. Basically, because I expected a heist novel, the fact that I didn’t disappointed me. I was mis-sold, if I’m honest. The synopsis is much, much different than the inside product, so I suppose that’s where my disappointment lies.

If there’s one big downfall of The Jewels of Manhattan – though it may seem I’ve pointed out many downfalls, I would like to say here and now I did like the novel, even if it does sound as if I doth protest too much – it’s the writing. Like I said, Carmen Reid is not Texan. Not even close. She’s Scottish. She’s not even a little bit American and it shows. Badly. It’s as if before settling down to write she watched a ton of bad American soap-operas and then well, her imagination ran away with her and suddenly, everybody in America talks in metaphors akin to this one: “You must have been sweating like turkeys before Thanksgiving”. The book is filled with metaphors like that and it’s embarrassing. Also, nobody in New York uses the word you. It’s all “yas” and “y’alls” and well, it all should have been edited out. Because it sounded like a bad 80s or 90s movie/soap. Reid is a talented writer, and she should have just written the novel properly, normally, rather than trying to make it sound American because instead it did come off as fake and cringe-worthy and it ruined the book. I enjoyed it, to all intents and purposes, but the writing rather ruined a lot of it for me. I’d have enjoyed it much, much more if it had been written normally. It’s definitely a novel where you need to suspend your beliefs, especially the ending, but it is enjoyable if you can get past the writing and the cliched Americanisms. I would recommend it and I did enjoy it, but The Jewels of Manhattan isn’t the jewel I was expecting. (Sorry for the pun. It’s inexcusable.)

[Agi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
Have thought really long how many stars is the best.
First of all, although Carmen Reid herself is just amazed with her idea of the plot, ie. stealing jewels by Jewels sister, I guess it doesn't take to me so much. Maybe it's not controversial, it's too big a word, but it just suit nowhere. What is this, actually? We should excuse the main characters, as they are the main characters and we are supposed to stand by them and like them and understand them, but sorry, it doesn't work that way and doesn't matter what happens, I am really not so delighted with the whole idea of this book. I was very, very curious about this book when I read the synopsis, I mean, stealing in a Christmas time... Maybe I am a bot too old - fashioned?
I would say this is the best stand - alone novel written by Reid. I love the Annie Valentine series and I don't like the stand - alone novels, simple as this. This one is okay and is easy to read. I was actually very interested how it is going to end, although I knew from the very moment who has stolen the jewels.
The only problem were the three sisters herselves to me. The only one that was normal and to be liked was Amber. I just hated Em, her need of money, her stealing, shop - lifting, actually obsessing about money, money, money and what is she going to do with all the millions that she's going to steal. And the way she behaved after they got the money from Monsieur M., shopping, shopping, shopping, I guess she goes to bed thinking about dollars and wakes up thinking about dollars... It was like an obsession. And coming her with her tail between her legs because the rich life was not exactly like she thought it will be. I don't remember such a selfish person in a book, really. Then there was Sapphire - oh god, how old was she again? Twelve? Her obsession with getting married, getting wedding presents, finding a right man, doesn't matter how and when and where, it was all so, so childish, she herself was like a big child.
And really, what I still don't understand is the way the sisters were so dissapointed with their father one moment, because he has cheeated once, and they herselves were running around with stolen jewelery and planning to sell it and live long and happily... Hello? How does it call? Hipocrisy or what?
So all in all, am a little confused about this book. Not bad to read but the plot and idea themselves do not hook with me so much.

[Rea Cobb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this book in just under two days which I found quite surprising as I can’t say I enjoyed every minute of the book, I can only say it is like when you taste something for the first time and you’r not sure if you like it so you keep going hoping it will get better, having said that there must have been something great about the book as usually I wouldn’t read pass the first chapter if I didn’t like the feel of the story.

Our main characters in this book are the three Jewel sisters Amber, Em and Sapphire. Each of the sisters are completely different and in my opinion all of their characters are developed well which is unusual in a book with three characters as I usually find there is one who stand out more than the others but this is not the case. The book gets off to a great start with Amber and Sapphire being in the wrong place at the wrong time in a jewellery store robbery but I did find that after a great start the story started to take a bit of a dip for me and as I was getting to know the girls I couldn’t see how these girls where going to carry of a jewellery heist as they just didn’t feel like the type of characters to do something like this. This is where the synopsis is a little misleading because it wasn’t all three sisters who plot and carry out the jewellery hoist.

The storyline is obviously not very believable but that for me is not a problem as I tend to find books like this easy reads but I think this would have been helped with a little humour involved but there is no humour in this book which makes the book feel a little flat.

All in all it was an ok read but it is not one I would be rushing to read again. I found it a shame as I loved the characters in this book but I just wasn’t keen on the storyline.

[Paula Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Carmen Reid's Annie Valentine series about Personal Shopping, I knew I loved her books. However, I'm not sure what it is but I've been going through a reading slump when it comes to certain books and the library in my opinion hasn't had many great books out there to read lately. So when I took The Jewels of Manhattan home , I didn't exactly know what to expect but as I started it OMG I was hooked from the first page and definitely could not put down. The Jewels of Manhattan was fast-paced, thrilling with robberies galore and kept your heart racing in places as you sit back and try and think about the characters and the people they encounter and of course the amounts of trouble that they seem to attract.
The Jewels of Manhattan features three sisters Amber, Sapphire and Em Jewel, all three sisters moved from their Texas Ranch to New York to be somebody. Amber moved to become an Asset Manager and help pay the mortgage of her family's ranch in Texas , Sapphire loves antiques and jewellery and got a job working in an jewellery auction house and Em wanted to be a singer/actress and ended up a waitress by day, actress by night. When tragedy strikes the family, Amber loses her job and Em quits and something is up with Sapphire's new boyfriend Fergus - Em comes up with a plan to steal the Duchess of Windsor Jewels and sell them in a plan to become rich and fast. What follows next is a humourous chick lit novel as we read what happens next when Em has the jewels , this part of the novel made me laugh as it sounded so outrageous but in a way was actually pretty realistic. The Jewels of Manhattan would have to be one of the best Chick Lit Books that I have read in a long time.

[Bioquímica da Leitura · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://bioquimicadaleitura.blogspot....

Opinião:
Este título pareceu-me sugestivo e a sinopse captou o meu interesse. Amber foi para Nova Iorque à procura de um bom trabalho, as irmãs seguiram-na após as suas vidas se revelarem uma desilusão.
As três vivem juntas num "cubículo" mas apenas Sapphire está satisfeita com o rumo que a sua vida está a tomar. Durante uma noite de bebidas, Em elabora um plano para roubar as jóias da duquesa e partilha-o com Amber que tenta dissuadi-la.
Não há nada que a faça mudar de ideias, nem mesmo o potencial da irmã se envolver com um detective. Parece uma loucura mas o sonho de ser rica e famosa fala mais alto e a jovem está determinada em consegui-lo.
Gostei deste livro foi bem divertido de ler. As irmãs, as suas vidas, aquilo que as diferencia e aquilo que as une foi algo interessante de seguir. Então quando surge aquele plano mirabolante de assalto às jóias da duquesa, é que foi a desgraça!
Tem amizade, amor, sonhos, esperança, acção e comédia exactamente na dose que eu estava a precisar (foi uma mudança bem vinda). Aconselho :)

[Carous · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nota real: 3,5
Bom, a história começa com Amber e Sapphire parando numa joalheria antes de irem para casa e então elas são testemunhas de um assalto. Ao chegar em casa, ainda estão nervosas e tentando assimilar o susto que passaram e nesse meio tempo, Em bola o plano de roubarem joias também para tirarem as irmãs da situação ruim que estão. E quando digo ruim, é tudo na vida delas: problemas na fazenda da família no Texas, problemas para se sustentarem em Nova Iorque, problema de relacionamento, problema de moradia, problema de emprego. Ufa! Fica claro que essa família precisa se benzer para afastar tanta má sorte.
Esse é o segundo livro da Carmem Reid que li, mas o primeiro não terminei. O outro, Uma cama pra três, eu desisti depois de 12 páginas porque não gostei da personalidade da personagem principal.
Já percebi que a autora adora colocar personagens assim: que andam na tênue linha entre serem corretas ou cometerem pequenos delitos e traições. O velho, mas muito bem colocado desvio de caráter.
Acho os livros dela difíceis de engrenar. Quero dizer, comprei outro no mesmo dia e enquanto o segundo consegui ler numa rapidez assustadora, este eu tinha a impressão que demorava mais. Porém, depois que todos os personagens foram apresentados, a história contada, a leitura fluiu como uma maravilha. E fiquei feliz, pois é um livro muito bom!
De cara minha favorita deste livro é a Amber, irmã mais velha das Jewel e mais responsável também. A que não gostei foi a Emerald (ou apenas Em) primeiro porque ela rouba peças de roupas das lojas, algo que ela não considera um delito tão grave porque às vezes devolve as peças e qual o grande problema de roubar de ricos para uma pobre texana? Segundo, porque é por culpa de sua cabeça de vento e obsessão em ser uma Lady Di (ou milionária mesmo) que põe as outras numa enrascada cujo fim, se elas não pensarem num plano maravilhoso, pode ser a cadeia. Lindo, não?
Sapphire foi do começo ao fim indiferente pra mim. É estranho pensar que aprecio meus amigos com as mesmas qualidades que ela, no entanto, todo esse conjunto num papel apenas me dá preguiça. Ela é muito meiga, muito boa, muito gentil, a mais frágil, a que mais entra em pânico em situações estressantes, a que precisa ser protegida e poupada e pra finalizar, é romântica ao ponto de acreditar em príncipe encantado. Alguém mais suspirou e revirou os olhos vendo como esse anjo é?
Comecei a resenha antes de terminar o livro e estava bem insegura pensando que ia quebrar a cara quanto ao comportamento da Em e teria que reescrever tudo, mas ela continuou a mesma assim como minha opinião sobre ela. Aliás, não gostei do fim da personagem porque ela não pareceu nada arrependida da confusão que arranjou para as irmãs e nossa, como essa moça foi empata do namoro da Amber com o Jack, que é o policial que investiga o caso das joias e uma luz no fim do túnel para a sem sorte e sem esperança Amber.
Ao final da leitura, cheguei até a mandar um tweet para autora parabenizando-a porque o livro é realmente muito bom.
Agora vamos aos poréns: nos Agradecimentos, Carmen Reid explica que usou livros de pesquisa para saber as expressões tipicamente texanas só que na tradução do livro para o português, esse cuidado da autora meio que se perde. Sim, algumas frases ditas pelos personagens são incomuns então o leitor até pensa “Ah, essa deve ser uma expressão texana!”, outras também são, no entanto, usamos em nosso cotidiano então passam despercebidas.
Segundo, sabe quando dizem que estadunidense olha apenas pro próprio umbigo? Achei isso das irmãs. Elas viajam para Genebra e sequer sabem a língua oficial do país e depois embarcam para Montenegro, um país que não tinham conhecimento da existência! Achei muita ignorância delas e fiquei pensando o que os alunos aprendem em Geografia. Quem não se lembra do professor falar do país Sérvia e Montenegro e depois fazer a piadinha que o país se dividiu em dois ficando Sérvia... e Montenegro? Sem contar o fato que elas escolhem o destino, mas não pesquisam sobre ele (a língua oficial de Genebra você encontra em uma pesquisa de 5 minutos no Google, alô!!!).
♪
Ps.: Cada capítulo traz diálogos de mulheres milionários que são engraçados e cheios de sarcasmo. Confesso que perdia um bom tempo apenas lendo e relendo os diálogos e rindo como uma boba.
Ps².: Eu não falei muito do Jack né? Ele é o personagem masculino principal e apesar de não aparecer o tempo todo, aparece nas horas exatas (e some também). A Carmen Reid falou superficialmente da vida dele íntima e eu imaginei todo o resto chegando à conclusão que esse é um cara bom de namorar. Por isso fiquei tão feliz dele ser par da Amber, vamos concordar que ela precisava de alguém legal e descomplicado na sua vida. E ele parece ter se ligado tão forte nela que apesar da gente entender os motivos dela querer ir com calma nessa relação queremos ao mesmo tempo que ela não desgrude mais dele, aceite logo ser esposa dele e vá viver feliz sem olhar pra trás.

[Lu Wilson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hahahahaha! Seriously this book is bad. Really bad. In fact I was sure it was written by a pre-teen as it had a very young and naive air about it. Firstly it was centred around the Jewel sisters named Amber, Sapphire and Emerald. Yep they were all named after jewels just to match their surname and Sapphire conveniently works in the antique jewellery trade! So Amber and Emerald decide they are going to steal some jewels from Sapphires employer, sell them in Geneva and live in the sun for a few years until everything settles down. Like you do. Emerald sneaks into the building in order to steal the jewels, and finds somebody else is already there with the same idea! At the same time she realises she can't go through with this robbery as her sister Sapphire will be accused (well duh) so then decides to sneak back out of the building. At the very same time, the alarms go off, she is trapped in the toilets and finds the stolen jewels in a bin. Yes in a bin. So what do you do? Do you climb out the window run off and get on with your life knowing you had a lucky escape, or do you take the jewels, climb out the window and think it's ok, I accidentally came across them anyway? Yep that's right, she takes the jewels dropping all three sisters in the shit. After Amber and Emerald run off to Geneva, sell the jewels to a collector who is secretly working with the police and then head to the airport with all the money, to NYPD catch up with them. However as the creepy and dim witted lead detective has been 'involved' with Amber, he quickly comes up with a pathetically rubbish story, which not only lets them off the hook, but also gives them the reward money for miraculously 'finding' the jewels and handing them over to a trustworthy collector, all the way in Geneva!! So as you can tell I was not the least impressed with the plot. Also, these three gals originated from Texas and they are extra mature cheesy! The accents are terrible and the phrases sound like really tacky red neck hicks. I'm pretty sure Southern Belles haven't spoken that way since the 1950's. An example: After being held at gunpoint themselves in a robbery at the beginning of the book, Sapphires first words (after having a loading gun pressed against her head) was Oh My, Oh my! That was so scary. That was the scariest thing ever. I seriously think I would be coming out with some expletives if that was me. In fact even the classiest Southern Belle would too!

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light fun book. I actually listened to this as an audio book. This somehow added to the fun of this book, especially as it was an American narrator trying to do a Scottish accent! A very entertaining, enjoyable book which transported me to a happy place, bliss.

[Laura Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just a bit too silly. Mindless enough fluff, but completely unbelievable and I’m not sure how I feel about a book glorifying shoplifting and jewellery theft. Still, it passed the time when I was wanting a light read.

[Aline Ramos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um pouco divertido e muito previsível. Fiquei irritada com a Em e a Amber uma boa parte da estoria. Essa Em é uma insuportavel e a Amber uma "banana".

[Gineke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice enough plot twist.

[Mel Davis-Gates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful light reading from Reid

[XO · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit ober the top. Em was annoying the crap out of me.

[Victoria Wagland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy reading and a bit of fun.

[Jessica.Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this book slow at the beginning, however it soon started to pick up half way through.
A twist near the ending which was unexpected.
Not an amazing read but overall a good book/easy to read.

[Claire Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read a Carmen Reid book in a while as I loved the Annie Valentine Series, so I was looking forward to reading this book and boy I was not disappointed.
In this wonderful Jewel Sisters, Amber moves up to New York a year after her father dies for a fresh start but not for long as her sisters are hot on her heels. Emerald and Sapphire decide they need a fresh start away from Texas too…
All three sisters have different personalities Amber is a dress down kind of gal and doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty. She works in a bank and has been there for just under a year now. Then there’s Sapphire who is a princess in her own right and loves all old and shiny things which suits her job in the auction house , but she has a story runaway bride but seems to fall in love to quickly which seems to get her into trouble. Then there the lovely Emerald who has two jobs to get by and wants to be a wanna be actress but has a taste for shoplifting.
We catch up with Ambre and Sapphire doing a bit of window shopping with Money they don’t have and nearly home they pop in a local designer Jewellers to cheer them up when the shop is raided, both the girls survive but the owner has lost a lot of stock. Walks in Detective Jack he interviews them and from the start there is chemistry between Amber and the detective.
When Amber loses her job from the bank as she was last in so first out, but thinks she lost her job because she informed a client that she had to stop paying money into a charity that only her family benefited from. So money became tight in the Jewel house hold.
So when Sapphire comes home and tells the girls that’s her action house was to sell the Windsor Jewels, Emerald just to dream and making plans to stealing them……. While Emerald is plotting Amber relationship with Jack is hotting up and finds that they have a lot of things in common, and that he has caught the men he was looking for he also does catch them in the end. Amber insists that Emerald drops her plans for the jewels they go for drinks and she wakes the next morning and she realizes that her drink was spiked by her own sister… Amber arrives at the scene just in time buy Emerald says that she never went through with it but has somehow managed to pick up the stolen jewels so sister love kicks in and she hides the jewels in the community garden for her. Then tries to stop her selling the jewels before Jack catches them!!!! Amber had fallen for Jack he was her happy ever after.

Will the three sisters stay together, will Emeralds plan work and the sisters get they fortunes and will they all get they happy ever after or land up in jail?????? Go grab and copy and find out.

[Kate’s Book Spot · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an impulse buy, I loved the cover and the blurb intrigued me so I went ahead and got it (welcome to the simple world of my book buying requirements!).

The action started straight away with Amber and Sapphire becoming caught up in the middle of an armed robbery – this was a great way to start the book because it meant that I was hooked immediately. There were lots of laugh out loud moments throughout and there were many times that I found myself shaking my head in disbelief at some of their actions, I was willing them to make the right choice!

Amber was my favourite character, at the beginning I would’ve said she was the most level-headed sister but as the story progressed she seemed to get swept along with all the mad things that Em had started. Speaking of Em, I’m afraid I didn’t like her at all – I was waiting for her to have some redeeming qualities that I could warm to but it just never happened. Sapphire was much more likeable, she was very innocent and childlike in some ways and I found this rather endearing.

There were lots of predictable moments but this didn’t affect my enjoyment in the slightest, I just loved the whole idea and the comfortable style of writing made it easy for me to read. This kind of unbelievable storyline is the perfect example of why I love reading fiction so much – it’s great to escape to a bit of unreal craziness now and then.

This was a light-hearted read that I was addicted to from the very start.

[Damaskcat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a fan of this author’s Annie Valentine Personal Shopper series so I approached this book with a certain amount of caution. I did enjoy it but maybe not as much as her other books. The Jewel sisters from Texas are all sharing an apartment in New York.

Amber and Sapphire are involved in the robbery of a jewellery store by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. From that point on their circumstances go downhill fast with Amber losing her job with an asset management company and the three of them being given notice to quit from their landlord.

The most adventurous of the sisters, Emerald – usually known as Em, decides to plan a huge jewel robbery and retire on the proceeds but her more cautious sisters don’t think that’s a good plan and besides Amber is dating a cop. There are many amusing incidents in this fast paced story and the three sisters are likeable characters even if Em has a tendency to ignore boundaries when it comes to other people’s property.

If you want a light hearted read about what happens when people decide to take extreme actions to solve their problems then give this is a try. The portrait of the relationship between the three sisters is excellent and I loved Jack – the detective investigating the case. This is a feel good read but I prefer Annie Valentine.

[Ellemiek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great idea for a novel a jewel heist by three sisters in Manhattan. However a couple of things didn't sit right with me. First of all the sisters were too young. As I am getting older I like my characters to grow up as well. Secondly there were no surprises at all. You could see it coming from page one. Thirdly: reality check please!! I like escapism as well as the next person but even I cannot suspend my willing disbelief this long!!

[Liz | lizzuplans · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this book would get better. It did not, so DNF at 25%.

The three Jewel sisters (Sapphire, Emerald, Amber) live in Manhattan and decide to organise a jewellery heist. The story was not entertaining or exciting at all, perhaps because this book is from 2011 and is frightfully old fashioned.

Too bad, I enjoyed other books by this author.
I probably bought it for the cover and the NYC setting.

[Aileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the synopsis of this book and wasn’t sure I would like it, I don’t like or read Crime Novels, however after the first few chapters it moves swiftly on, I did eventually enjoy this book, but it wasn’t Carmen’s usual style of writing, the book was funny and I would recommend, but there was something missing for me.

[Chantal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't you just love the cover! And the story itself is a perfect mix of light yet enthralling. Let me tell you, you DON'T know how its going to end. I got it for Christmas (it was on my wishlist) and I finished it before New Year's Eve. This was my perfect Christmas holiday read. Will always love it.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have given it 4 stars but for the fact I got annoyed with the behaviour of one of the characters and the fact that it was sometime completely unrealistic. But saying that I did enjoy the book something a bit different to the normal chick lit I read, although the crime aspect of it was a bit obvious as to what would happen.
Will consider reading other books by the same author.

[Letitia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This author is trying to write in the voices of Americans, but she is definitely missing the mark. She is using vocabulary that no American would ever use or even know what half of them mean. It's bugging me so much, it's really hard to focus on the story. In addition, the story is extremely mediocre and not very entertaining. Do NOT recommend.

[Emelie Johansson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so good. I had no idea what I would think of this and I ended up really enjoying it. It was so fun and quick to read. Just what I needed. I is over 400 pages but it went by so fast that it did not feel like it. This is just a fun, easy read about three sisters in New York and there daily struggles with life and I loved it. Really want to read more of Carmen Reid's books!

[Andie Long · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was really looking forward to this book as I like the author and my friend really rated it. I thought the characters were vacuous, wanted a vacuous life and everything worked out tickety boo for them all even though they needed a good slap. About as Christmassy as an Easter egg.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light-hearted, fun, escapist read, with strongly drawn characters, I warmed to Amber in particular. I was keen to find how the storyline panned out, but some aspects of the plot were a bit far fetched.

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Jo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not many books that I give up on but I couldn't carry on just couldn't get engrossed :(