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Coin Heist
The last place you'd expect to find a team of criminals is at a prestigious Philadelphia prep school. But on a class trip to the U.S. Mint - which prints a million new coins every 30 minutes - an overlooked security flaw becomes far too tempting for a small group of students to ignore. United by dire circumstances, these unlikely allies - the nerd, the slacker, the athlete, and the perfect student - band together to attempt the impossible: rob the U.S. Mint. This diverse crew is forced to confront their true beliefs about each other and themselves as they do the wrong thing for the right reasons. Elisa Ludwig's COIN HEIST is a fun, suspenseful and compelling thriller, told from the revolving perspectives of four teens, each with their own motive for committing a crime that will change their all of their lives - if they can pull it off.
"Jackpot! Smartly plotted, morally fascinating, and featuring the most engaging crew of prep school outlaws, Elisa Ludwig's COIN HEIST is a heist story with heart." -- Diana Renn, author of Tokyo Heist and Latitude Zero
"COIN HEIST is indeed a tale of an epic break-in at the Philadelphia Mint. But that's only half the story. The other half is a touching coming-of-age story and the third half is a wonderful character study of teenage life in America as it's lived now. Look, maybe I'm not good at math and maybe three-halves is impossible. Or maybe COIN HEIST is just that good." -- Josh Berk, Edgar Award finalist and author of The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin and Guy Langman: Crime Scene Procrastinator
"Jackpot! Smartly plotted, morally fascinating, and featuring the most engaging crew of prep school outlaws, Elisa Ludwig's COIN HEIST is a heist story with heart." -- Diana Renn, author of Tokyo Heist and Latitude Zero
"COIN HEIST is indeed a tale of an epic break-in at the Philadelphia Mint. But that's only half the story. The other half is a touching coming-of-age story and the third half is a wonderful character study of teenage life in America as it's lived now. Look, maybe I'm not good at math and maybe three-halves is impossible. Or maybe COIN HEIST is just that good." -- Josh Berk, Edgar Award finalist and author of The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin and Guy Langman: Crime Scene Procrastinator
296 pages, Hardcover
First published June 6, 2014
24 people are currently reading
2024 people want to read
About the author
Elisa Ludwig
10 books340 followersI'm the author of the PRETTY CROOKED trilogy (HarperCollins) and COIN HEIST (Adaptive), now a Netflix Original film starring Sasha Pieterse. My story "About You Now" is featured in the forthcoming anthology BEHIND THE SONG (Sourcebooks). Visit me at elisaludwig.com, @ElisaLudwigYA and www.facebook.com/ElisaLudwigYA.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
Want to read
January 11, 2017if you're going to read this book, make sure you get the one with the fancy new netflix cover,
because then you get all the color photo pages from the movie, including this very tiny picture of my friend connor as mr garcia:
which will no doubt become a collector's item, since they misspelled his name.
also, spoiler alert - at one point mr. garcia and mr. rankin will lead the class through the u.s. mint.
OOH, THE MOVIE IS ON NETFLIX NOW!
and they spelled his name correctly in the credits - huzzah!
my bestie is in a teen flick with a pretty little liar - the mind reels....
because then you get all the color photo pages from the movie, including this very tiny picture of my friend connor as mr garcia:
which will no doubt become a collector's item, since they misspelled his name.
also, spoiler alert - at one point mr. garcia and mr. rankin will lead the class through the u.s. mint.
OOH, THE MOVIE IS ON NETFLIX NOW!
and they spelled his name correctly in the credits - huzzah!
my bestie is in a teen flick with a pretty little liar - the mind reels....
June 9, 2023
This was such a fun book!
This story centers around 4 very different kids trying to pull of the heist of the century. Alice, Dakota, Benny, and Jason all go to the same school but run in very different circles, but when their school looses all it's money they pull their strengths together and plan to rob a US mint.
This story in a word was fun, the characters were hilarious and relatable, and the story was super engaging. It was an extremely light read, and something that can be read in one sitting! It had this great Oceans 11 meets Breakfast club feeling. The thing I enjoyed most about this story was the characters, and the fact that you got to read from each persons perspective. It was nice to know everyones back story, and also what they assumed about other characters based on stereotypes. Overall I say this book is a perfect summer read and can really reach any age group.
This story centers around 4 very different kids trying to pull of the heist of the century. Alice, Dakota, Benny, and Jason all go to the same school but run in very different circles, but when their school looses all it's money they pull their strengths together and plan to rob a US mint.
This story in a word was fun, the characters were hilarious and relatable, and the story was super engaging. It was an extremely light read, and something that can be read in one sitting! It had this great Oceans 11 meets Breakfast club feeling. The thing I enjoyed most about this story was the characters, and the fact that you got to read from each persons perspective. It was nice to know everyones back story, and also what they assumed about other characters based on stereotypes. Overall I say this book is a perfect summer read and can really reach any age group.
February 8, 2017
01/08/17
: I had to rush back here and double check if 2016 is over yet... Aaaand it isn't over yet. Seeing as this has been made into a film, and I'm finding out 8 days into the new year.
I rated this 1.5 STARS, so OFCOURSE I'M WATCHING THIS. Because the #thuglife ain't got no time for weekends. I just know this is going to be colossally AMAY-ZUNG.
1.5 STARS
Haverford Friends is a prep school in Philadelphia whose funds has been pilfered by the headmaster. This translates to revoked scholarships, the suspension of the student budget for extra-curriculars (i.e. no more Bollywood Club, Queer Straight Alliance and Stock Market Watchers… among others) and, of most imminent importance, frozen chicken fingers for the upcoming prom’s menu.
To curb this impending disaster and save their beloved alma mater, four unlikely students band together, put their collective brilliant young minds together to rebuild the school’s 50 million dollars endowment… by robbing the U.S. Mint.
Of Coins.
You have to admit, it is quite hard to ignore that premise because it could go either of two ways and one of them is in a blazing glory of camp and satire. Especially with how this started off. I was really curious how exactly these high school kids will execute their supremely noble, idiotic plan and every scenario I imagined renders me speechless from the sheer stupidity of it all. Wouldn’t it be a terrible waste not to bear witness to that? But “fun, suspenseful and compelling thriller” you say?
Unfortunately it took the other road. It was hardly compelling, the suspense level was practically non-existent and I suspect is as fun as a rectal exam. For both parties. Because instead of actually robbing The Mint of 50 Million Dollars in quarters and dimes, Operation EagleFly centered around forging a couple of hundred collectible faulty coins and fencing them in the market for a hefty sum.
Not only was the actual planning ridiculously flawed, much of the book was focused on detailing the extremely mundane lives of four shitty people with a stake at the welfare of Haverford Friends leading up to the actual heist. There’s the secretly bulimic queen bee, Dakota, who’d be sent to a boarding school if HF shuts down; Jason, the headmaster’s pothead son who has fallen from grace in the social strata with his father’s stunt; Benny the scholarship jock and Alice the Math geek who is quite possibly the shittiest of this shitty band of shits and whose stake in the whole heist lies in her desire to hump Jason’s leg and eliminating anyone who might stand in her way.
There’s some serious reverse Betty and Veronica dynamic (minus the Archie) going on between Alice and Dakota. One I have no interest in revisiting at this day and age. I think Alice missed out the memo that corrected the misconception that math nerds who look like a feminine Harry Potter are given free pass to hate and judge the popular rich blonde just because she’s popular, rich and blonde.
Not to mention that the only thing worse than a self-proclaimed genius is a self-proclaimed genius who single-handedly sets to motion a shit-storm that wrecks a poorly-planned heist by fucking up the one thing people are expecting of her: to be smart.
To make matters worse, it really is much far too soon to read a YA-contemporary book told from the alternating POVs of the high school archetypes. Not when I’ve just read one done so very well in what feels like days ago. And definitely not one that veers too closely to false advertising. Also, what is up with the funky names? Junibel? Chadwick? How these people have yet to commit filicide is beyond me. But I digress.
For a while there, I thought this was going to be taking a crack at that YA-heist genre the way Scary Movie spoofs teen-slasher films. And I’m still not quite sure if I am meant to read it as such or take it seriously. Because if it was aiming to mock something, this was either too subtle, too serious or too fail. I make no issue about the writing and the delivery, apart from it being exceedingly soporific for a supposed heist, was quite straightforward. The dialogue was okay but did its extremely unsavory cast of characters no favours.
And that was the best this had to offer. Move along.
ARC provided by the publishers.
I rated this 1.5 STARS, so OFCOURSE I'M WATCHING THIS. Because the #thuglife ain't got no time for weekends. I just know this is going to be colossally AMAY-ZUNG.
1.5 STARS
Haverford Friends is a prep school in Philadelphia whose funds has been pilfered by the headmaster. This translates to revoked scholarships, the suspension of the student budget for extra-curriculars (i.e. no more Bollywood Club, Queer Straight Alliance and Stock Market Watchers… among others) and, of most imminent importance, frozen chicken fingers for the upcoming prom’s menu.
To curb this impending disaster and save their beloved alma mater, four unlikely students band together, put their collective brilliant young minds together to rebuild the school’s 50 million dollars endowment… by robbing the U.S. Mint.
Of Coins.
You have to admit, it is quite hard to ignore that premise because it could go either of two ways and one of them is in a blazing glory of camp and satire. Especially with how this started off. I was really curious how exactly these high school kids will execute their supremely noble, idiotic plan and every scenario I imagined renders me speechless from the sheer stupidity of it all. Wouldn’t it be a terrible waste not to bear witness to that? But “fun, suspenseful and compelling thriller” you say?
Unfortunately it took the other road. It was hardly compelling, the suspense level was practically non-existent and I suspect is as fun as a rectal exam. For both parties. Because instead of actually robbing The Mint of 50 Million Dollars in quarters and dimes, Operation EagleFly centered around forging a couple of hundred collectible faulty coins and fencing them in the market for a hefty sum.
Not only was the actual planning ridiculously flawed, much of the book was focused on detailing the extremely mundane lives of four shitty people with a stake at the welfare of Haverford Friends leading up to the actual heist. There’s the secretly bulimic queen bee, Dakota, who’d be sent to a boarding school if HF shuts down; Jason, the headmaster’s pothead son who has fallen from grace in the social strata with his father’s stunt; Benny the scholarship jock and Alice the Math geek who is quite possibly the shittiest of this shitty band of shits and whose stake in the whole heist lies in her desire to hump Jason’s leg and eliminating anyone who might stand in her way.
”And Alice, you’re great at math and tech stuff. I’m sure you can figure out the computer part.” She gave me her dazzling smile, which was only slightly less luminous than her bright blue eyes and highlighted hair. It hit me right on the flattery bone. Damn her. “So it’s airtight. And of course, I’ll help with the organization.”
The last thing I wanted was for her to distract Jason with her boobage, but if we let her in, we could at least continue with the plan.
There’s some serious reverse Betty and Veronica dynamic (minus the Archie) going on between Alice and Dakota. One I have no interest in revisiting at this day and age. I think Alice missed out the memo that corrected the misconception that math nerds who look like a feminine Harry Potter are given free pass to hate and judge the popular rich blonde just because she’s popular, rich and blonde.
Not to mention that the only thing worse than a self-proclaimed genius is a self-proclaimed genius who single-handedly sets to motion a shit-storm that wrecks a poorly-planned heist by fucking up the one thing people are expecting of her: to be smart.
To make matters worse, it really is much far too soon to read a YA-contemporary book told from the alternating POVs of the high school archetypes. Not when I’ve just read one done so very well in what feels like days ago. And definitely not one that veers too closely to false advertising. Also, what is up with the funky names? Junibel? Chadwick? How these people have yet to commit filicide is beyond me. But I digress.
For a while there, I thought this was going to be taking a crack at that YA-heist genre the way Scary Movie spoofs teen-slasher films. And I’m still not quite sure if I am meant to read it as such or take it seriously. Because if it was aiming to mock something, this was either too subtle, too serious or too fail. I make no issue about the writing and the delivery, apart from it being exceedingly soporific for a supposed heist, was quite straightforward. The dialogue was okay but did its extremely unsavory cast of characters no favours.
They’d both purposely blown off the costume idea, the idea that made Mixed Metaphors memorable, because - did I even have to spell this out? - it was itself a metaphor for our name. And here I was in a red tartan suit jacket, a canary yellow plaid tie and green-and-brown plaid Doc Martens. “What’s the point if we don’t all do it? Now I look like an asshole.”
“Nah, you just look like you’re Scottish.”
And that was the best this had to offer. Move along.
ARC provided by the publishers.
September 27, 2014
What might have been a really fun book turned out to be Read-me-if-you-want-to-sleep kind of book.
I was bored and spiritless throughout the whole book. Yet again, this would have been a really good book if I had read it a few years ago. My eyes actually fell asleep while reading this book. True story. That's why I took such a long time to finish this book.
The Story
Jason, Alice, Benny and Dakota are high school kids who go to the same school but they're not really friends. They never run into each other because of how different their lives are. Suddenly, the school loses all of its money and cancels all the projects the students were doing which obviously angers the student body. So these kids decide to rob a US mint.
The point of view switches from the aforementioned characters. According to me, all of them sounded the same. They have no originality, no uniqueness or any standout quality. They all sounded BORING.
Initially when I saw this title I was like "Oh goody! It has thieving in it! Yay!" and after starting this book I was like, "Is this the right book?" Turns out it was :(
15% through and I was already like this:
Throughout the whole book I was like this:
I was sourly disappointed because I really wanted to like this book. The title for me was very misleading because "COIN HEIST" sounds like "COOL" when it's actually like "SLEEPY-SLEEPY-SLEEP!"
This book was robbed of life. Maybe if it had a bit of energy or a bit of sunshine it would have been really good. I would have definitely enjoyed it. Oh wait, I found the right word! This book was dry.
The characters seemed typical and cliched. I didn't see anything that I liked in them. There were no glimmer of hopes in this book. Every chapter I finished, I felt nothing. I felt like a robot reading this book. No wait, I'm wrong. I felt dread. I felt this sickening feeling that this book was never going to end. I was constantly afraid of slipping into that weird kind of sleep where your eyes are closed but your brain is still wondering what's going on.
Overall, I didn't enjoy nor did I like any part of this book. This is a light read, thankfully so I would suggest that you read this book at your own cost. Or really just skip it, you won't be losing anything.
See this review on my blog.
I was bored and spiritless throughout the whole book. Yet again, this would have been a really good book if I had read it a few years ago. My eyes actually fell asleep while reading this book. True story. That's why I took such a long time to finish this book.
The Story
Jason, Alice, Benny and Dakota are high school kids who go to the same school but they're not really friends. They never run into each other because of how different their lives are. Suddenly, the school loses all of its money and cancels all the projects the students were doing which obviously angers the student body. So these kids decide to rob a US mint.
The point of view switches from the aforementioned characters. According to me, all of them sounded the same. They have no originality, no uniqueness or any standout quality. They all sounded BORING.
Initially when I saw this title I was like "Oh goody! It has thieving in it! Yay!" and after starting this book I was like, "Is this the right book?" Turns out it was :(
15% through and I was already like this:
Throughout the whole book I was like this:
I was sourly disappointed because I really wanted to like this book. The title for me was very misleading because "COIN HEIST" sounds like "COOL" when it's actually like "SLEEPY-SLEEPY-SLEEP!"
This book was robbed of life. Maybe if it had a bit of energy or a bit of sunshine it would have been really good. I would have definitely enjoyed it. Oh wait, I found the right word! This book was dry.
The characters seemed typical and cliched. I didn't see anything that I liked in them. There were no glimmer of hopes in this book. Every chapter I finished, I felt nothing. I felt like a robot reading this book. No wait, I'm wrong. I felt dread. I felt this sickening feeling that this book was never going to end. I was constantly afraid of slipping into that weird kind of sleep where your eyes are closed but your brain is still wondering what's going on.
Overall, I didn't enjoy nor did I like any part of this book. This is a light read, thankfully so I would suggest that you read this book at your own cost. Or really just skip it, you won't be losing anything.
See this review on my blog.
August 26, 2016
Thank You Net Gallery and Adaptive books for this advance kindle copies
Firstly I would like to say this book was amazing.
Because I am a fan of Ally Carter's Heist Society this seemed like a good book to me
The Story circulates around 4 different teens successfully pulling of he biggest Heist ever
Alice, Dakota, Benny, and Jason all go to the same school but run in very different area but when their school looses all it's money they pull their strengths together and plan to rob a US mint.
This story in a word was fun, the characters were hilarious and relatable, and the story was a page turner
The thing I enjoyed most about this story was the characters, and the fact that you got to read from each persons perspective.
It was nice to know everyones else's story also what they thought about other characters based on stereotypes. Overall I say this book is a perfect light read and can really reach any age group.
Bottom line I would recommend this book to anyone
Firstly I would like to say this book was amazing.
Because I am a fan of Ally Carter's Heist Society this seemed like a good book to me
The Story circulates around 4 different teens successfully pulling of he biggest Heist ever
Alice, Dakota, Benny, and Jason all go to the same school but run in very different area but when their school looses all it's money they pull their strengths together and plan to rob a US mint.
This story in a word was fun, the characters were hilarious and relatable, and the story was a page turner
The thing I enjoyed most about this story was the characters, and the fact that you got to read from each persons perspective.
It was nice to know everyones else's story also what they thought about other characters based on stereotypes. Overall I say this book is a perfect light read and can really reach any age group.
Bottom line I would recommend this book to anyone
April 30, 2014
I had the privilege of reading an advance copy of COIN HEIST. What a fun read! Four teens plot to rob the US Mint (for a noble purpose), and the scheme is so cleverly, and unpredictably, worked out. COIN HEIST is also full of intriguing tech details and US Mint lore -- you'll start looking twice at all the spare change in your pocket! Best of all is the ensemble cast of prep school outlaws, who take turns telling the story. They all have distinct motivations for getting involved in the heist and they forge new relationships with one another.
COIN HEIST plays with some recognizable conventions of heist novels, and would translate easily to the screen. But it also subverts some of the hallmarks of heist stories. There is a fascinating moral dilemma at the heart of the story; COIN HEIST really takes on ethical issues in a way I haven't seen much of in YA novels. And the characters are more complex, more real, than you find in typical heist stories. Elisa Ludwig's new novel is a fun, fast read that will leave you thinking.
COIN HEIST plays with some recognizable conventions of heist novels, and would translate easily to the screen. But it also subverts some of the hallmarks of heist stories. There is a fascinating moral dilemma at the heart of the story; COIN HEIST really takes on ethical issues in a way I haven't seen much of in YA novels. And the characters are more complex, more real, than you find in typical heist stories. Elisa Ludwig's new novel is a fun, fast read that will leave you thinking.
May 11, 2014
How to you save a private school, once the headmaster has blown all its $50 million for his totally disasterous day trading? Join four kids who narrate this incredible adventure, as they try to hack the Philadelphia mint so they can somehow replace that $50 milion and keep their school open.
Coin Heist has everything - romance, intrigue, super suspense, and one great read.
Coin Heist has everything - romance, intrigue, super suspense, and one great read.
May 17, 2018
✫✬⭐️ 3/5 STARS ⭐️✭✫
Genre: Young Adult> Contemporary > (Mystery?)
POV: 1st-POV > 4 POV'S > Boys and Girls
EW: Just missed something..
WOW: The good feeling it gives you.
ROMANCE: Yes.
INSTA LOVE: No
DO I SHIP IT: Mmh, maybe.
__________________
✎Review:
I really liked this book!
If you liked 'One of us is Lying' then this book is for you!
This isn't a mystery, but the character's and they're problems kinda reminds me of One of us is lying. This book was published way before One of us is lying, so you would say that One of us is lying is the ripoff , but for me it didn't felt like that. I wished i read this book before One of us lying. OKAY, Enough of One of us is lying.
This book is awesome. There is action, a good ending, really nice characters, nice character development, Romance and a good plot.
__________________
★ Why 5 stars?
It was all very good. But i wanted just a bit more.
I wasn't blown away. It was just a nice read. The concept is original tho!
---------------------
♥The Characters:
Alice:
She was for me, the least out of the four. She didn't got my feelings, or she didn't developed over the story. She was not a boring character, but for me the least interesting.
Jason:
This dude for sure was interesting. He has a lot going on, and loved his mind set.
Dakota:
MY FAVORITE. She had a awesome character developed. I flew trough her chapters.
Benny:
I think the most different character out of the four. Liked this guy.
--
In general:
Nice cast of characters. That made the story so good. They all had they're own things. And they all added something to the story.
_____________________________
❀TV-SHOW OR MOVIE?
So, i bought this book like more then a year ago, because there was a netflix movie coming out. That was a adaptation of this book. I ended up never reading it, and a few days ago, i was just like, fuck it. Gonna read it now. So did that, watched the movie a day later. And i HATED the movie. Damn, the acting was so poor. There were good actors in it tho. But some were so bad omg. And they changed things from the book, that made me hate some of the characters i loved. So yeah, please, don't watch the movie and be like 'The book will be shitty 2" because i won't.
_____________________________
❖REST OF THE SERIES:
Stand-alone.
Can there be more book?
No, i really think this warps up the whole story.
-----
Thanks for reading!
Genre: Young Adult> Contemporary > (Mystery?)
POV: 1st-POV > 4 POV'S > Boys and Girls
EW: Just missed something..
WOW: The good feeling it gives you.
ROMANCE: Yes.
INSTA LOVE: No
DO I SHIP IT: Mmh, maybe.
__________________
✎Review:
I really liked this book!
If you liked 'One of us is Lying' then this book is for you!
This isn't a mystery, but the character's and they're problems kinda reminds me of One of us is lying. This book was published way before One of us is lying, so you would say that One of us is lying is the ripoff , but for me it didn't felt like that. I wished i read this book before One of us lying. OKAY, Enough of One of us is lying.
This book is awesome. There is action, a good ending, really nice characters, nice character development, Romance and a good plot.
__________________
★ Why 5 stars?
It was all very good. But i wanted just a bit more.
I wasn't blown away. It was just a nice read. The concept is original tho!
---------------------
♥The Characters:
Alice:
She was for me, the least out of the four. She didn't got my feelings, or she didn't developed over the story. She was not a boring character, but for me the least interesting.
Jason:
This dude for sure was interesting. He has a lot going on, and loved his mind set.
Dakota:
MY FAVORITE. She had a awesome character developed. I flew trough her chapters.
Benny:
I think the most different character out of the four. Liked this guy.
--
In general:
Nice cast of characters. That made the story so good. They all had they're own things. And they all added something to the story.
_____________________________
❀TV-SHOW OR MOVIE?
So, i bought this book like more then a year ago, because there was a netflix movie coming out. That was a adaptation of this book. I ended up never reading it, and a few days ago, i was just like, fuck it. Gonna read it now. So did that, watched the movie a day later. And i HATED the movie. Damn, the acting was so poor. There were good actors in it tho. But some were so bad omg. And they changed things from the book, that made me hate some of the characters i loved. So yeah, please, don't watch the movie and be like 'The book will be shitty 2" because i won't.
_____________________________
❖REST OF THE SERIES:
Stand-alone.
Can there be more book?
No, i really think this warps up the whole story.
-----
Thanks for reading!
May 31, 2014
You can also find this review at YA Midnight Reads
I’ve read two other books by Elisa Ludwig, both part of the Pretty Crooked series. They were enjoyable enough reads, perfect for a light summer read. I’ve read them quite a long time ago though. Still, it’s because of them that I requested Coin Heist, excepting something similar. However, I found myself to be quite disappointed by Coin Heist. My expectations were quickly dashed and I even found myself questioning my love for the Ludwig’s other books due to the time that has passed since I read them.
The summary did leave me feeling a little wary. It describes four characters that will narrate the story, meaning multiple POVs. I’m pretty picky with my multiple POVs and I did find the transitions between the characters to be quite abrupt and awkward. Something of great importance would happen to one character and then BOOM . You’d be back to another character when things were somewhat (well as much as possible in this read) getting interesting. I really would have preferred one singular POV.
This would have allowed me to better connect to that one character and for their story line to develop well. Each character did have their predictable issues. However none of these issues were resolved in the slightest way, which made the fact Ludwig brought them up pointless and seemingly devoid of any reason. There was one issue that particularly annoyed me. “The perfect” character had a eating disorder. Except no, it wasn’t even called that in the book. It was mentioned only once or twice, but not with seriousness it deserved. It wasn’t resolved in the least either. It was like it was just forgotten, and there’s honestly no way that something like a eating disorder can just dissipate into nothingness. It’s something that’s a really big issue and should be dealt like such. By not even going into the issue other then a surface level description, it’s really just tossing the issue around like it’s worth nothing. Which is completely wrong and untrue in my view.
The characters themselves highly annoyed me too. I knew there was a risk of the characters being stereotypical judging from the summary. Still, I hoped that Ludwig would managed to spin these characters into something more. Instead I just ended up more disappointed. These characters really are the epitome of their stereotypes, especially in the negative ways it seems. It made the characters almost appear juvenile since they stuck to these cliche and contrived traits so much. It gave the characters no depth whatsoever and led to predictable scenarios that somebody who hadn’t even looked at the book could figure out. It was truly unrealistic that the characters would model these stereotypes to such a close degree. Really, the only thing the author did to break the stereotypes was allowing them to hang out together to plan the robbery Mint. Like wow, you’re really breaking walls and stereotypes here! A slacker, athlete, perfectionist and nerd nerd planning to commit a felony.
Really breaking away from those stereotypes by continuing to enforce them but also allowing these people to hang out . Which would obviously never happen in real life, right????
The reason these walking and talking stereotypes are hanging out is because THEY’RE GOING TO ROB THE US MINT. In case you missed that little thing. But, don’t worry! Everything is all good. Obviously they’re robbing it for a very good cause, to not lose a scholarship, to make up for his own dad’s stealing mistake by doing more stealing (what is this logic???), to not be perfect, to get with some guy, sorry I mean to give back to the school they all attend which is going through some funding issues. Obviously. No ulterior motives with these inspirational students. Okay, enough sarcasm. The truth is that the plot is so freaking impossible and honestly hard to take seriously. I know that books are meant to be fiction, they’re not supposed to model real life situations perfectly. I just couldn’t suspend my belief to this crazy level. However, if you except me to believe that these flat characters (who are fairly unremarkable, minus ‘the nerd’ of course) are going to rob this Mint, which is a tightly protected building, then you got another thing coming. Even talking about this idea seems ludicrous.
Which is exactly what 75 percent of the book is, planning. THERE WAS NO PLOT DEVELOPMENT FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE BOOK. This enraged me. It made everything super slow and made me feel like I was reading a bunch of nothing. That’s because I was. I was just reading about insipid walking and talking stereotypes talking about impossible things. The ending of the book was even more improbable. Everything went to their ridiculous plan at first. Then there were snags! Yay, maybe this book would actually minimally enter the realm of possibility. My hopes were quickly dashed when somebody who was in an authoritative position and knew all of these children was easily manipulated into helping escape with the money from the Mint building. By the very end of the book these criminals get no repercussions from their crime. I believe this is a standalone also which basically means these teenagers managed to infiltrate the US mint no problem. It takes unbelievable to a whole new degree After robbing a super well guarded building these teenagers return to prom like nothing is wrong. You see the relationship between the slacker and the nerd develop. How shocking. This romance, alike the characters, felt super stereotypical and contrived. There wasn’t much development towards it, the relationship really did develop from thin air.
And I thought this book couldn’t get any worse
Overall this book really fell flat for me. I honestly wouldn’t recommend it if you’re like me and dislike stereotypes, unresolved plotlines, complete and utter impossibility and annoying multiple POVs.
~Thank you Adaptive for sending me this copy!~
I’ve read two other books by Elisa Ludwig, both part of the Pretty Crooked series. They were enjoyable enough reads, perfect for a light summer read. I’ve read them quite a long time ago though. Still, it’s because of them that I requested Coin Heist, excepting something similar. However, I found myself to be quite disappointed by Coin Heist. My expectations were quickly dashed and I even found myself questioning my love for the Ludwig’s other books due to the time that has passed since I read them.
The summary did leave me feeling a little wary. It describes four characters that will narrate the story, meaning multiple POVs. I’m pretty picky with my multiple POVs and I did find the transitions between the characters to be quite abrupt and awkward. Something of great importance would happen to one character and then BOOM . You’d be back to another character when things were somewhat (well as much as possible in this read) getting interesting. I really would have preferred one singular POV.
This would have allowed me to better connect to that one character and for their story line to develop well. Each character did have their predictable issues. However none of these issues were resolved in the slightest way, which made the fact Ludwig brought them up pointless and seemingly devoid of any reason. There was one issue that particularly annoyed me. “The perfect” character had a eating disorder. Except no, it wasn’t even called that in the book. It was mentioned only once or twice, but not with seriousness it deserved. It wasn’t resolved in the least either. It was like it was just forgotten, and there’s honestly no way that something like a eating disorder can just dissipate into nothingness. It’s something that’s a really big issue and should be dealt like such. By not even going into the issue other then a surface level description, it’s really just tossing the issue around like it’s worth nothing. Which is completely wrong and untrue in my view.
The characters themselves highly annoyed me too. I knew there was a risk of the characters being stereotypical judging from the summary. Still, I hoped that Ludwig would managed to spin these characters into something more. Instead I just ended up more disappointed. These characters really are the epitome of their stereotypes, especially in the negative ways it seems. It made the characters almost appear juvenile since they stuck to these cliche and contrived traits so much. It gave the characters no depth whatsoever and led to predictable scenarios that somebody who hadn’t even looked at the book could figure out. It was truly unrealistic that the characters would model these stereotypes to such a close degree. Really, the only thing the author did to break the stereotypes was allowing them to hang out together to plan the robbery Mint. Like wow, you’re really breaking walls and stereotypes here! A slacker, athlete, perfectionist and nerd nerd planning to commit a felony.
Really breaking away from those stereotypes by continuing to enforce them but also allowing these people to hang out . Which would obviously never happen in real life, right????
The reason these walking and talking stereotypes are hanging out is because THEY’RE GOING TO ROB THE US MINT. In case you missed that little thing. But, don’t worry! Everything is all good. Obviously they’re robbing it for a very good cause, to not lose a scholarship, to make up for his own dad’s stealing mistake by doing more stealing (what is this logic???), to not be perfect, to get with some guy, sorry I mean to give back to the school they all attend which is going through some funding issues. Obviously. No ulterior motives with these inspirational students. Okay, enough sarcasm. The truth is that the plot is so freaking impossible and honestly hard to take seriously. I know that books are meant to be fiction, they’re not supposed to model real life situations perfectly. I just couldn’t suspend my belief to this crazy level. However, if you except me to believe that these flat characters (who are fairly unremarkable, minus ‘the nerd’ of course) are going to rob this Mint, which is a tightly protected building, then you got another thing coming. Even talking about this idea seems ludicrous.
Which is exactly what 75 percent of the book is, planning. THERE WAS NO PLOT DEVELOPMENT FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE BOOK. This enraged me. It made everything super slow and made me feel like I was reading a bunch of nothing. That’s because I was. I was just reading about insipid walking and talking stereotypes talking about impossible things. The ending of the book was even more improbable. Everything went to their ridiculous plan at first. Then there were snags! Yay, maybe this book would actually minimally enter the realm of possibility. My hopes were quickly dashed when somebody who was in an authoritative position and knew all of these children was easily manipulated into helping escape with the money from the Mint building. By the very end of the book these criminals get no repercussions from their crime. I believe this is a standalone also which basically means these teenagers managed to infiltrate the US mint no problem. It takes unbelievable to a whole new degree After robbing a super well guarded building these teenagers return to prom like nothing is wrong. You see the relationship between the slacker and the nerd develop. How shocking. This romance, alike the characters, felt super stereotypical and contrived. There wasn’t much development towards it, the relationship really did develop from thin air.
And I thought this book couldn’t get any worse
Overall this book really fell flat for me. I honestly wouldn’t recommend it if you’re like me and dislike stereotypes, unresolved plotlines, complete and utter impossibility and annoying multiple POVs.
~Thank you Adaptive for sending me this copy!~
June 4, 2014
The highlight of this book for me was the development of the characters and seeing their relationships to one another evolve throughout. I loved their voices and perspectives and really felt each of their individual stories were interwoven well into the through line of the whole book.
The details that went into planning the heist really blew my mind. The heist itself doesn't take place until later in the story, however, there are a lot of really nail biting moments leading up that were highly enjoyable.
And then of course the heist itself was a thrill ride not to be missed!
I was also taken by the bits of romance thrown in, as well as the beautiful self awareness that each main character really came into in themselves when faced with life's challenges. This was a really fun book, I highly recommend it!
May 16, 2014
When the headmaster of their prestigious prep school is arrested for embezzlement and the school risks closure if it can't pay a debt of 50 million dollars, four teenagers gang together to rob the US Mint. Those kids are at first defined in term of high school cliques -- the nerd, the slacker, the loner, the school diva -- but obviously the moral of the story is that they're not so different after all, and the only way they can pull off this heist is by working together and using everyone's talents.
I was lured in by the pretty cover and by the fact that I love stories about heists. The problem was Alice: she's a computer nerd, she's on the math team, she plays D&D, she doesn't have many friends... In short, she's so much like me in high school, I knew from the start that I'd either love her or hate her. Unfortunately I ended up hating her in the first chapter, and I almost gave up on the book straight away, which would have been a crying shame. See, Alice likes to think that she's so smart and knows so much about math, and she often makes comparisons between set theory and the cliques in her school. The problem is that what she says is so, so wrong. For example, to explain her status as social outcast she says: "If you want to get technical, that made me a null set. Which wasn't even plain old nothing. It was immeasurable nothing." Which, no, it's not. Because the very definition of a null set is that it is measurable and its measure is zero. If it was immeasurable, it would not measure zero, it would literally have no measure. To put this in proportion, this is the math equivalent of saying that her blue eyes are the colour of the crimson sky at sunset: it doesn't make sense, and it makes Alice sound like a poser who's trying to impress the reader with words that she doesn't know the meaning of.
Anyway, I'm glad I stuck with this book, because after I got past Alice's stupidity it was a fun, quick read. There is a lot of suspension of disbelief involved, but it is after all a book about four teens who rob the US Mint so I knew from the start that it wouldn't be 100% realistic. And the book follows some well-established YA tropes, such as pairing off the two girls with the two boys, and it's obvious from the start who's going to end with whom. Also, the big night of the heist? It ~casually~ just happens to be on prom night. But despite that, or maybe because of it, it made for a great light read. I was really curious as to how they would manage to pull it off!
The one problem I had with this book, which makes it just very good instead of excellent, is that at times I had problems telling apart the different characters' voices. The story is told in alternating POVs, all in first person, and sometimes in the middle of a conversation the current narrator would be like "and then I said this" and I'd be like "wait... which one are you again?" With four protagonists as different as those, I would have really liked to see some more difference in their speech patterns aside from Benny saying "yo" and Alice using stupid math metaphors. It's a pity, because if they had been more fleshed out the characters would have been great. Jason especially had potential, with his desire to prove he wasn't useless like his dad and his friendship with the lunch lady, but in the end I felt like that was kind of swept aside and never addressed properly at the end of the book, which is a shame.
I know that this review is 80% complaining, but really what I'm trying to say is that this would have been my ideal kind of book if it had fixed a couple of issues, and also I don't want to talk much about the bits that I liked because that would be spoilery. So yes, I didn't much like Alice and Jason, but I loved Dakota and Benny and the story. And I'd definitely want to read a sequel that delves into the characters' personalities, possibly where they all run off to Europe to lead a life of crime. Pretty please, Ms. Ludwig?! I'd even fix the math metaphors for you. I definitely recommend Coin Heist to anyone looking for a summer read.
I was lured in by the pretty cover and by the fact that I love stories about heists. The problem was Alice: she's a computer nerd, she's on the math team, she plays D&D, she doesn't have many friends... In short, she's so much like me in high school, I knew from the start that I'd either love her or hate her. Unfortunately I ended up hating her in the first chapter, and I almost gave up on the book straight away, which would have been a crying shame. See, Alice likes to think that she's so smart and knows so much about math, and she often makes comparisons between set theory and the cliques in her school. The problem is that what she says is so, so wrong. For example, to explain her status as social outcast she says: "If you want to get technical, that made me a null set. Which wasn't even plain old nothing. It was immeasurable nothing." Which, no, it's not. Because the very definition of a null set is that it is measurable and its measure is zero. If it was immeasurable, it would not measure zero, it would literally have no measure. To put this in proportion, this is the math equivalent of saying that her blue eyes are the colour of the crimson sky at sunset: it doesn't make sense, and it makes Alice sound like a poser who's trying to impress the reader with words that she doesn't know the meaning of.
Anyway, I'm glad I stuck with this book, because after I got past Alice's stupidity it was a fun, quick read. There is a lot of suspension of disbelief involved, but it is after all a book about four teens who rob the US Mint so I knew from the start that it wouldn't be 100% realistic. And the book follows some well-established YA tropes, such as pairing off the two girls with the two boys, and it's obvious from the start who's going to end with whom. Also, the big night of the heist? It ~casually~ just happens to be on prom night. But despite that, or maybe because of it, it made for a great light read. I was really curious as to how they would manage to pull it off!
The one problem I had with this book, which makes it just very good instead of excellent, is that at times I had problems telling apart the different characters' voices. The story is told in alternating POVs, all in first person, and sometimes in the middle of a conversation the current narrator would be like "and then I said this" and I'd be like "wait... which one are you again?" With four protagonists as different as those, I would have really liked to see some more difference in their speech patterns aside from Benny saying "yo" and Alice using stupid math metaphors. It's a pity, because if they had been more fleshed out the characters would have been great. Jason especially had potential, with his desire to prove he wasn't useless like his dad and his friendship with the lunch lady, but in the end I felt like that was kind of swept aside and never addressed properly at the end of the book, which is a shame.
I know that this review is 80% complaining, but really what I'm trying to say is that this would have been my ideal kind of book if it had fixed a couple of issues, and also I don't want to talk much about the bits that I liked because that would be spoilery. So yes, I didn't much like Alice and Jason, but I loved Dakota and Benny and the story. And I'd definitely want to read a sequel that delves into the characters' personalities, possibly where they all run off to Europe to lead a life of crime. Pretty please, Ms. Ludwig?! I'd even fix the math metaphors for you. I definitely recommend Coin Heist to anyone looking for a summer read.
May 21, 2014
What a terrific heist story! Four private high school students band together to rob the Philly Mint to save their school! Talk about a huge undertaking.
I love how Elisa Ludwig approached this story from all their different points of view. We learned all the private motivations for the heist and the troubles in their personal life. When the storyline with the heist was in a waiting period, the story tension came from events in their lives and between the four of them.
I looked forward to seeing what kind of trouble the author could pile onto the students toward the end, and I wasn’t disappointed. Plans are changed. Big things go wrong. And they scramble not to get caught.
I loved reading the story and didn’t want it to end. The writing, story, and character development was fantastic. If you enjoy heist story and movies, then I highly recommend Coin Heist. You won’t be disappointed.
Thank you to Adaptive Books via Net Galley for a free copy of Coin Heist.
I love how Elisa Ludwig approached this story from all their different points of view. We learned all the private motivations for the heist and the troubles in their personal life. When the storyline with the heist was in a waiting period, the story tension came from events in their lives and between the four of them.
I looked forward to seeing what kind of trouble the author could pile onto the students toward the end, and I wasn’t disappointed. Plans are changed. Big things go wrong. And they scramble not to get caught.
I loved reading the story and didn’t want it to end. The writing, story, and character development was fantastic. If you enjoy heist story and movies, then I highly recommend Coin Heist. You won’t be disappointed.
Thank you to Adaptive Books via Net Galley for a free copy of Coin Heist.
May 16, 2014
(Read this review and more at Pretty Bookmarks!)
Disclaimer: I received a review copy c/o the Publisher via Netgalley.
Coin Heist was a solid action booked that kept me interested from the start.
Coin Heist follows four unlikely group of kids who attempts to create fake coins from their local Mint in order to save their school. I was really surprised at how good Coin Heist was. I loved books like this, but I was a little wary about how a bunch of teenagers would attempt to pull it off.
I enjoyed how diverse these group of friends are. They defied all status quo and really found themselves depending on one another for comfort. I could see myself a little in all of these characters; I was able to identify with the struggle of social status, the pretense of keeping it together and certainly with being a minority. The characters were very much enjoyable and well developed; there were a lot of character growth, each learning how to accept themselves and the circumstances they’re in.
The plot itself was wonderfully executed. It was a good blend of colourful teenage characters, humourous banter and action. The heist itself was well organized and was well thought of. It was interesting and a lot of fun being able to see the heist itself being organized and later put into play. In my head it made for such a good heist movie. My only issue with Coin Heist was the ending (of the heist). I wanted it to be something the kids saw through till the end on their own without help from adults (though I understood the rationale of having an adult coming to their rescue).
Overall, Coin Heist is a great book that delved into many social issues despite its focus being about a heist. Coin Heist is well rounded and also well written and worth reading. Highly recommended if you enjoy heists and action books.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy c/o the Publisher via Netgalley.
Coin Heist was a solid action booked that kept me interested from the start.
Coin Heist follows four unlikely group of kids who attempts to create fake coins from their local Mint in order to save their school. I was really surprised at how good Coin Heist was. I loved books like this, but I was a little wary about how a bunch of teenagers would attempt to pull it off.
I enjoyed how diverse these group of friends are. They defied all status quo and really found themselves depending on one another for comfort. I could see myself a little in all of these characters; I was able to identify with the struggle of social status, the pretense of keeping it together and certainly with being a minority. The characters were very much enjoyable and well developed; there were a lot of character growth, each learning how to accept themselves and the circumstances they’re in.
The plot itself was wonderfully executed. It was a good blend of colourful teenage characters, humourous banter and action. The heist itself was well organized and was well thought of. It was interesting and a lot of fun being able to see the heist itself being organized and later put into play. In my head it made for such a good heist movie. My only issue with Coin Heist was the ending (of the heist). I wanted it to be something the kids saw through till the end on their own without help from adults (though I understood the rationale of having an adult coming to their rescue).
Overall, Coin Heist is a great book that delved into many social issues despite its focus being about a heist. Coin Heist is well rounded and also well written and worth reading. Highly recommended if you enjoy heists and action books.
January 24, 2016
I went in to Coin Heist not knowing what to expect. This was my first "heist" story, but after watching films such as Ocean's I figured it would be a fun read. For the most part, it didn't disappoint.
Written in the point-of-views of four high school students, there were a few slow patches and little room for true character development. I would have liked to seen it written in two POVs, or better yet, third person. There were places where each character voice sounded the same. However, by the end I appreciated each character and the circumstances that led them to take part in hopefully saving Haveford Friends.
Read Full Review @ Lazy Book Lovers
Written in the point-of-views of four high school students, there were a few slow patches and little room for true character development. I would have liked to seen it written in two POVs, or better yet, third person. There were places where each character voice sounded the same. However, by the end I appreciated each character and the circumstances that led them to take part in hopefully saving Haveford Friends.
Read Full Review @ Lazy Book Lovers
May 18, 2014
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Review -
What to say? I really enjoyed this book, it's a fast fun read, something good for when you don't want something that is going to hook you and take up hours of your time but you still want something, this is that something. It has a nice variety in it's four main characters and I loved seeing things from each of their perspectives especially when it came to what they thought about each other and how you knew they were wrong for judging and then you got to see them changing their minds as they get to know each other they way you already do, that was probably my favorite part. The thing was none of them were very likable characters, I mean I guess the point was you got to see the differences between how they think they are and then how they act around other people, but just as I would read a chapter from one characters perspective and start to really love them they would be completely unlikable in the next chapter, this for me mainly happened with Alice. I guess my main problem with this book is while it was fun and enjoyable it's also forgettable, it's been like four hours since I finished it and I'm already having trouble remembering what I liked and disliked about this book.
Likes -
Dakota - I really enjoyed her character and her romance with Benny.
Jason - So he's kinda a flaky tool, he still really grew on me throughout the book.
Benny - I did like Benny but also I felt he was more than a little cliche
The premise - While not totally realistic it was still really fun to read about the "heist"
Dislikes -
Alice - I wanted to like Alice I did, but on top of the whole switching personalities thing, between chapters told in her POV and the other chapters where she was mostly kind of a b****, she was the only one who didn't really care, she didn't have a reason for the heist, she wasn't trying to save the school or right a wrong or save her scholarship, she just wanted to prove that she was smart enough to do it, which just irritated me.
Unrealistic - Mainly to me it was that the thought of four high school students being able to or wanting to pull off this "heist" that I found unrealistic and like if it's so easy why hadn't actual criminals figured it out before? I know I know it's a book!
Overall - It's a nice quick read when you don't want to have to think about what you are reading, when you just want a short escape, but not the best.
Review -
What to say? I really enjoyed this book, it's a fast fun read, something good for when you don't want something that is going to hook you and take up hours of your time but you still want something, this is that something. It has a nice variety in it's four main characters and I loved seeing things from each of their perspectives especially when it came to what they thought about each other and how you knew they were wrong for judging and then you got to see them changing their minds as they get to know each other they way you already do, that was probably my favorite part. The thing was none of them were very likable characters, I mean I guess the point was you got to see the differences between how they think they are and then how they act around other people, but just as I would read a chapter from one characters perspective and start to really love them they would be completely unlikable in the next chapter, this for me mainly happened with Alice. I guess my main problem with this book is while it was fun and enjoyable it's also forgettable, it's been like four hours since I finished it and I'm already having trouble remembering what I liked and disliked about this book.
Likes -
Dakota - I really enjoyed her character and her romance with Benny.
Jason - So he's kinda a flaky tool, he still really grew on me throughout the book.
Benny - I did like Benny but also I felt he was more than a little cliche
The premise - While not totally realistic it was still really fun to read about the "heist"
Dislikes -
Alice - I wanted to like Alice I did, but on top of the whole switching personalities thing, between chapters told in her POV and the other chapters where she was mostly kind of a b****, she was the only one who didn't really care, she didn't have a reason for the heist, she wasn't trying to save the school or right a wrong or save her scholarship, she just wanted to prove that she was smart enough to do it, which just irritated me.
Unrealistic - Mainly to me it was that the thought of four high school students being able to or wanting to pull off this "heist" that I found unrealistic and like if it's so easy why hadn't actual criminals figured it out before? I know I know it's a book!
Overall - It's a nice quick read when you don't want to have to think about what you are reading, when you just want a short escape, but not the best.
May 24, 2014
This review was originally posted on my blog: HiveretCafe
I was provided with an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book totes itself as a Breakfast Club meets Ocean's Eleven and I can certainly see the Breakfast Club elements in this book and the Ocean's Eleven bit is probably obvious seeing as Coin Heist is a novel centering around a heist.
The POVs in this book switch between the four main characters in each chapter in order for the readers to get a greater sense of the ordeals and the situations of the characters. And as the characters are introduced, we get to see deeper under the facade that each of the characters portrays and their situations. Each of the characters has their own issues to deal with and they all come together to pull of this heist despite their differences. However, because of their differences, they're somewhat dysfunctional, the facade each of them put on getting in the way.
The heist itself was meticulously thought through and it was easy to tell that Elisa Ludwig put time and effort into the research and planning of the heist. However, because this is a YA novel and I'm a pretty big crime story buff, the heist wasn't quite as sophisticated as I would have liked, though I probably expect too much from teenagers pulling off their first crime.
The quotes I'm pulling from this novel remind me just a tad of The Breakfast Club (which I adore), and there's not much snark in this one, though I'm not complaining.
The ending wasn't quite as satisfying as I would have liked, though I understand why it was done that way. I kind of hoped for something a little different for the ending, the ending is a little reminiscent of one of the movies it's toted as. Despite this, it was an enjoyable read and really fun. Coin Heist comes out June 10th!
I was provided with an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book totes itself as a Breakfast Club meets Ocean's Eleven and I can certainly see the Breakfast Club elements in this book and the Ocean's Eleven bit is probably obvious seeing as Coin Heist is a novel centering around a heist.
The POVs in this book switch between the four main characters in each chapter in order for the readers to get a greater sense of the ordeals and the situations of the characters. And as the characters are introduced, we get to see deeper under the facade that each of the characters portrays and their situations. Each of the characters has their own issues to deal with and they all come together to pull of this heist despite their differences. However, because of their differences, they're somewhat dysfunctional, the facade each of them put on getting in the way.
The heist itself was meticulously thought through and it was easy to tell that Elisa Ludwig put time and effort into the research and planning of the heist. However, because this is a YA novel and I'm a pretty big crime story buff, the heist wasn't quite as sophisticated as I would have liked, though I probably expect too much from teenagers pulling off their first crime.
The quotes I'm pulling from this novel remind me just a tad of The Breakfast Club (which I adore), and there's not much snark in this one, though I'm not complaining.
"'You're not boring," he said. 'Not at all. But you're also not perfect, because nobody is.'"
"Anything to keep up the illusion of my perfection."
"My voice peeled out in a ribbon of sound curling around the room, bigger than me, bigger than anyone."
"'He did what was good for him,' I said. 'People act in their own self interest.'"
The ending wasn't quite as satisfying as I would have liked, though I understand why it was done that way. I kind of hoped for something a little different for the ending, the ending is a little reminiscent of one of the movies it's toted as. Despite this, it was an enjoyable read and really fun. Coin Heist comes out June 10th!
June 4, 2014
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
I loved the premise behind Coin Heist and found myself entertained by the group and their antics! The plot focuses on four teenage misfits, who, for varying reasons band together to 'make' their own money to save their private school.
Although I've greatly simplified the plot because I don't want to spoil any of it, the story is really clever and I was surprised how believable the idea of these teenage wannabe crooks actually was. I completely understood their motivations and the rationing behind the plan.
Alice, Jason, Dakota and Benny are all very different characters, yet they are not afraid to stand up for the important matters and to band together to help their plan. All of them go on an emotional journey, and I felt they are well developed throughout the course of the book. I was waiting for Alice to lose her beanie!
For the most part it was easy to forget how young they are because they never seem overly immature (even with the 4 different POV's). There are a few moments of teenage angst and dating dramas but this didn't detract from the plot and made sense for high school characters.
The ending was perhaps a little quick and I'd have liked to see it developed a little more, but I was happy with how Ludwig finished things and enjoyed the story. Coin Heist is a fun YA story, with several clever twists. I also really love the cover!
4 Stars in my Sky!
Also Reviewed on my blog Zili in the Sky
May 19, 2014
3.5 stars.
Thanks to Adaptive Books via Netgalley for providing me with this ARC.
I went in to Coin Heist not knowing what to expect. This was my first "heist" story, but after watching films such as Ocean's I figured it would be a fun read. For the most part, it didn't disappoint.
Written in the point-of-views of four high school students, there were a few slow patches and little room for true character development. I would have liked to seen it written in two POVs, or better yet, third person. There were places where each character voice sounded the same. However, by the end I appreciated each character and the circumstances that led them to take part in hopefully saving Haveford Friends.
What I loved was the way these four, very different, characters came together to commit a crime for the greater good of their school. Of course in the real world I would never condone this, *but* I couldn't help but root for Alice, Jason, Benny (my favorite character), and Dakota.
Watching these relationships evolve was gratifying. Through all the differences, roadblocks, twists, these four had to learn to trust one another, and somehow, with little nuance, the author pulled off showing this to the reader.
While, yes, this was about a heist, it was about so much more; family, friendship, the politics of high school. If you're anything like me, and find this teetering toward your "Did not finish" pile, I recommend you continue to see how this played out in the end.
Thanks to Adaptive Books via Netgalley for providing me with this ARC.
I went in to Coin Heist not knowing what to expect. This was my first "heist" story, but after watching films such as Ocean's I figured it would be a fun read. For the most part, it didn't disappoint.
Written in the point-of-views of four high school students, there were a few slow patches and little room for true character development. I would have liked to seen it written in two POVs, or better yet, third person. There were places where each character voice sounded the same. However, by the end I appreciated each character and the circumstances that led them to take part in hopefully saving Haveford Friends.
What I loved was the way these four, very different, characters came together to commit a crime for the greater good of their school. Of course in the real world I would never condone this, *but* I couldn't help but root for Alice, Jason, Benny (my favorite character), and Dakota.
Watching these relationships evolve was gratifying. Through all the differences, roadblocks, twists, these four had to learn to trust one another, and somehow, with little nuance, the author pulled off showing this to the reader.
While, yes, this was about a heist, it was about so much more; family, friendship, the politics of high school. If you're anything like me, and find this teetering toward your "Did not finish" pile, I recommend you continue to see how this played out in the end.
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April 2, 2017Coin Heist launched on Netflix this past Friday as a Netflix Original Movie.
Check it out!!!
Are you looking for something light and fun to sweep you away that's Ocean's 11 meets The Breakfast Club? Look no further than COIN HEIST by Elisa Ludwig, a YA caper that just became a Netflix original movie!
I watched the movie AND read the book this past weekend, so I can tell you a little bit about both of them!
For one thing, you can both read the book and watch the movie and not be bored. The two are VERY similar to one another, but different enough to keep you guessing as well. I decided to watch the movie first, then read the book--and normally, I do it the other way around!
Both versions of the story center around four teens:
Jason's dad is the headmaster at Haverford Friends...and he's just been arrested for embezzling school funds. The school has had to cancel all clubs except for yearbook and the newspaper, and par down on the upcoming prom. Staff salaries have been cut as well, and school lunches have gone from healthy to from-a-can. The school will close at the end of the year...unless Jason and his classmates can do the impossible.
After a class trip to the Philadelphia Mint, Alice notices a security glitch that could allow her to hack into the system and put a rare coin into circulation, turning a hefty profit. Alice and Jason decide to go ahead with the plan in order to make money to save their school, and are eventually joined in their plans by class It Girl Dakota and in-danger-of-losing-his-future-thanks-to-a-pulled-scholarship-student Benny. The quartet has never really interacted much, being from different social circles, but together, maybe they have enough smarts to pull off a crazy heist and save their school.
One thing I really liked about the movie was the way you can see coins being made, and see the heist in action. It's very visual in a way my brain wouldn't have portrayed on its own. The cast is made up of Sasha Pieterse (of Pretty Little Liars fame), Alex Saxon (The Fosters, Finding Carter), and YouTube vloggers Jay Walker and Alexis G. Zall:
(L to R: Jay Walker as Benny, Alex Saxon as Jason,
Alexis G. Zall as Alice, Sasha Pieterse as Dakota)
The book gets into characters heads a little more. Readers see what they're thinking, and thrill in what they're feeling. There are also a couple of serious issues not brought up in the movie that are raised in the lives of various characters, from their messy home lives to their own disorders and ways of coping in life to diverse issues such as parents living in other countries and attending school on scholarship in order to be the first in the family to get ahead. Dakota's character is probably the most changed in the two versions, and I understand Benny and Jason so much more through the book, but Alice is fierce and awesome no matter what version she's in!
What's really interesting about COIN HEIST is the fact that the movie hails from Adaptive Studios. Last June, when Barnes and Noble stores across the country held its first annual Teen BFest, one of the events was a Writing Workshop I attended that featured various book titles from Adaptive Studios. Everyone got little booklets that talked about how Adaptive Studios took failed screenplays, had writers convert them to books, then worked to make a new screenplay that could eventually lead to a successful movie or TV series. Of all the ideas mentioned at the Workshop, the one that appealed to me most was the look we got at COIN HEIST.
Here's a really cool, in-depth look at how Adaptive Studios works if you want more details!
Check out the process here!
At first, the title appealed to me because Elisa Ludwig is a local author that I've met before. Plus, the book takes place in Philadelphia, which isn't so far from me, and how cool is that??
I really got pulled in hook, line, and sinker by the concept and wanted to know how everything would turn out. COIN HEIST has been on my radar ever since. (Although I'm pretty sure it changed between drafts here, too, because I initially recall teacher involvement? I'd have to get ahold of the workshop booklet and double check! I'd love to see how it evolved even further!)
Seriously, you guys!!
When I found out it was going to be a Netflix original movie and it was going to be available starting January 6th? I watched it on...January 6th! And then immediately started reading the book! (And what's ironic about that is that I'd just FINISHED reading SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo the day before, so all of a sudden I'm in the mood for capers, I guess!)
Granted, COIN HEIST isn't something likely to happen in real life, but the idea of it is a fun, entertaining way to pass the time. I read the book in one sitting! And seriously, I want to take a trip sometime and go visit the Philadelphia Mint now. I always subconsciously knew it was in Philadelphia, because my NJ grandmother used to teach us how to collect quarters and taught us our Ps vs our Ds--and Ds were really hard to get unless our grandparents in Arizona saved some for us, just because we were so close to where the Ps were made. But I guess I really never processed the fact that I lived so close to the place where money is made. For as close as I am to Philadelphia, I've been there so infrequently in my life. New York City is more the city I know like the back of my hand than my own home city is (Which is kind of sad, I know, but true, too!). But after reading and watching COIN HEIST, I need to take a tour of the Mint! I'll probably wait a couple of years until my niece is old enough to take, because there's something extra-special about experiencing something new when a child's wonder opens your own eyes in new ways, but it's going to happen! And I probably would have never thought twice about it if not for how intriguing COIN HEIST made everything out to be!
Check out the movie trailer, and if you have Netflix, add it to your Queue now!
June 9, 2014
Originally posted on
Thoughts in General:
This is actually the first book I got approved on NetGalley and I am so glad I followed my gut! I had so much fun reading Coin Heist by Elisa Ludwig that I actually finished it in one day (that’s a big thing for me). The story of this book just grabbed my attention from the very first sentence. The wonderful cast of characters and their unique voices was so addicting that I had to read and finish it. The plot was familiar yet I found myself loving every moment of it. This book was such an amazing read!
Thoughts in Details:
Characters
Coin Heist centers on the First Person POVs of four totally different teenagers and I completely love them all. If I were to give the reason why I enjoyed this book, it is all due to the main characters.
We have Alice, the math magician and technology extraordinaire. From the get-go you know that she is very smart. The way she compared things to mathematical equations was an interesting quirk which made her real for me. She was also very straight-forward, brave yet there was still this vulnerability in her that I feel that a lot of people could relate to.
Then there’s Jason, the rebel. Out of all the four main characters, he was the one I wasn’t that fond of. I still liked him but the thing that bothered me about him was his trait of not taking certain issues seriously and how he handles sticky situations. Although I really get how messed up his life has gotten and I am happy and satisfied with his overall character development.
Dakota, the over-achieving princess, is probably my favourite among the four because of how she was depicted. I actually didn’t like her at first because of how prissy she was, but when I got the chance to know her story and what she was going through, my perspective suddenly shifted.
Benny, the athlete, is the surprising one for me. I had some initial assumptions on how his character was going to be played out, but that got shot on the face immediately when I read his parts. I am glad that his character represented something that is sometimes lost in many YA novels. I liked his motivations and his ideals in life.
Elisa Ludwig should be applauded for her ability to craft such captivating characters. They are the reason why I kept on turning the pages and why I got so hooked on this book. Their voices were all so distinct and their experiences were very authentic that I just couldn’t help but cheer them on (even though what they were doing was bad).
Setting
Coin Heist’s main setting was Haverford Friends (the school that they all attend) and Philadelphia. Although there weren’t many descriptive details about the setting, I was still amazed on how well researched the facts that she presented in this book. Going into this book I had no idea about mints or how the American coin manufacturing system worked, but the way she wrote those factoids in her book didn’t feel like info-dumping at all.
Story
It is said that Coin Heist is a mash-up of The Breakfast Club and Ocean’s Eleven and I exactly got that vibe and more. The whole heist plot of this book was exhilarating and I enjoyed learning how these teenagers were about to pull off such a herculean task. I felt like I was watching a really good movie in my head. The way everything flowed was on point and I enjoyed every twist and turn this book offered. The internal conflicts the characters had just added a valuable layer to this book which made it immensely enjoyable.
Thoughts in General:
This is actually the first book I got approved on NetGalley and I am so glad I followed my gut! I had so much fun reading Coin Heist by Elisa Ludwig that I actually finished it in one day (that’s a big thing for me). The story of this book just grabbed my attention from the very first sentence. The wonderful cast of characters and their unique voices was so addicting that I had to read and finish it. The plot was familiar yet I found myself loving every moment of it. This book was such an amazing read!
Thoughts in Details:
Characters
Coin Heist centers on the First Person POVs of four totally different teenagers and I completely love them all. If I were to give the reason why I enjoyed this book, it is all due to the main characters.
We have Alice, the math magician and technology extraordinaire. From the get-go you know that she is very smart. The way she compared things to mathematical equations was an interesting quirk which made her real for me. She was also very straight-forward, brave yet there was still this vulnerability in her that I feel that a lot of people could relate to.
Then there’s Jason, the rebel. Out of all the four main characters, he was the one I wasn’t that fond of. I still liked him but the thing that bothered me about him was his trait of not taking certain issues seriously and how he handles sticky situations. Although I really get how messed up his life has gotten and I am happy and satisfied with his overall character development.
Dakota, the over-achieving princess, is probably my favourite among the four because of how she was depicted. I actually didn’t like her at first because of how prissy she was, but when I got the chance to know her story and what she was going through, my perspective suddenly shifted.
Benny, the athlete, is the surprising one for me. I had some initial assumptions on how his character was going to be played out, but that got shot on the face immediately when I read his parts. I am glad that his character represented something that is sometimes lost in many YA novels. I liked his motivations and his ideals in life.
Elisa Ludwig should be applauded for her ability to craft such captivating characters. They are the reason why I kept on turning the pages and why I got so hooked on this book. Their voices were all so distinct and their experiences were very authentic that I just couldn’t help but cheer them on (even though what they were doing was bad).
Setting
Coin Heist’s main setting was Haverford Friends (the school that they all attend) and Philadelphia. Although there weren’t many descriptive details about the setting, I was still amazed on how well researched the facts that she presented in this book. Going into this book I had no idea about mints or how the American coin manufacturing system worked, but the way she wrote those factoids in her book didn’t feel like info-dumping at all.
Story
It is said that Coin Heist is a mash-up of The Breakfast Club and Ocean’s Eleven and I exactly got that vibe and more. The whole heist plot of this book was exhilarating and I enjoyed learning how these teenagers were about to pull off such a herculean task. I felt like I was watching a really good movie in my head. The way everything flowed was on point and I enjoyed every twist and turn this book offered. The internal conflicts the characters had just added a valuable layer to this book which made it immensely enjoyable.
June 10, 2014
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MY THOUGHTS: LOVED IT
The Breakfast Club with a plan to steal!
What happens when your father embezzles your school's money and you become a pariah? You come up with a plan to repay the money by minting "error" coins at the Philly mint! Just a few of these coins, sold on the market, could be enough to repay the funds that Jason's dad has lost to day trading.
Four high schoolers are thrown together in a design class and visit the US Mint as part of their class. You have Alice, queen of the nerds, who hasn't met a math problem she couldn't solve. Jason, whose father is responsible for the financial downfall of the school and a bit of a rebel. Dakota, picture and paper perfect, but has several dark secrets and has some self esteem issues. And Benny, the star football kid and scholarship student who wants out of the crushing poverty he lives in. Each has their own reason to save the school, but these four unlikely friends overcome their inner voices to pull this off. Except they don't quite do it right or according to plan.
I really enjoyed this almost perfectly clean read. There is just a bit of language that is well placed, but nothing out of the ordinary. There is a bit of romance between Jason and Alice (the nerd who is actually unknowingly cute) and between Benny and Dakota. These four kids are from all opposite ends of the social spectrum and wouldn't normally have never come together. So yes, you get that special kiss at the perfect moment. There is just enough suspense to make your heart rush in parts, wondering if these kids can hack into the mint's computers and then actually steal the newly minted coins. I look forward to more from this author!
MY THOUGHTS: LOVED IT
The Breakfast Club with a plan to steal!
What happens when your father embezzles your school's money and you become a pariah? You come up with a plan to repay the money by minting "error" coins at the Philly mint! Just a few of these coins, sold on the market, could be enough to repay the funds that Jason's dad has lost to day trading.
Four high schoolers are thrown together in a design class and visit the US Mint as part of their class. You have Alice, queen of the nerds, who hasn't met a math problem she couldn't solve. Jason, whose father is responsible for the financial downfall of the school and a bit of a rebel. Dakota, picture and paper perfect, but has several dark secrets and has some self esteem issues. And Benny, the star football kid and scholarship student who wants out of the crushing poverty he lives in. Each has their own reason to save the school, but these four unlikely friends overcome their inner voices to pull this off. Except they don't quite do it right or according to plan.
I really enjoyed this almost perfectly clean read. There is just a bit of language that is well placed, but nothing out of the ordinary. There is a bit of romance between Jason and Alice (the nerd who is actually unknowingly cute) and between Benny and Dakota. These four kids are from all opposite ends of the social spectrum and wouldn't normally have never come together. So yes, you get that special kiss at the perfect moment. There is just enough suspense to make your heart rush in parts, wondering if these kids can hack into the mint's computers and then actually steal the newly minted coins. I look forward to more from this author!
May 25, 2014
More like three and a half stars.
Coin Heist is a novel where four students decide to exploit a security flaw at the local Mint. One wants to try it as a challenge, and the other three have various interests which all accumulate into saving their prestigious school, which is soon to close down after the principal (who happens to be the father of one of the four) stole $50 million from the school, effectively bankrupting it.
The four students are an odd bunch. The Principal’s son, Jason, is a hopeless case – skips classes and doesn’t do the homework, and is known to be unreliable and a bit of a jackass. Alice is the smart techie who notices the security flaw and wouldn’t mind proving her self worth, as she lacks friends and is fairly insecure due to her lack of height and boyish looks. Dakota is a seemingly snooty honour student who hides a nest of anxieties as she struggles to be utterly perfect in every way, and Benny is one of the very few students of colour in the school, having secured a scholarship to be there.
To continue reading this review, please click here.
Coin Heist is a novel where four students decide to exploit a security flaw at the local Mint. One wants to try it as a challenge, and the other three have various interests which all accumulate into saving their prestigious school, which is soon to close down after the principal (who happens to be the father of one of the four) stole $50 million from the school, effectively bankrupting it.
The four students are an odd bunch. The Principal’s son, Jason, is a hopeless case – skips classes and doesn’t do the homework, and is known to be unreliable and a bit of a jackass. Alice is the smart techie who notices the security flaw and wouldn’t mind proving her self worth, as she lacks friends and is fairly insecure due to her lack of height and boyish looks. Dakota is a seemingly snooty honour student who hides a nest of anxieties as she struggles to be utterly perfect in every way, and Benny is one of the very few students of colour in the school, having secured a scholarship to be there.
To continue reading this review, please click here.
June 12, 2014
Me during the climax of this book:
I loved this so much. Well-developed, charming, funny characters. Definitely give it a win.
I loved this so much. Well-developed, charming, funny characters. Definitely give it a win.
October 17, 2017
Ocean's Eleven meets The Breakfast Club, but with a totally unbelievable ending, flat characters, and profanity that does nothing for the story.
Picked it up because Netflix has optioned Coin Heist as a movie or series. I'll be passing that one up.
Picked it up because Netflix has optioned Coin Heist as a movie or series. I'll be passing that one up.
June 16, 2014
An excellent YA Thriller kudos
May 31, 2014
This was a fun & quick read! Review soon!
June 6, 2017
4.0 out of 5 stars
While the plot had some implausible moments, it pulled me in and kept me wanting to know what happened. Now I want to watch the Netflix movie of it
While the plot had some implausible moments, it pulled me in and kept me wanting to know what happened. Now I want to watch the Netflix movie of it
started-but-didn-t-finish
January 7, 2019Tried to read as part of the Popsugar Reading Challenge Prompt “book about a heist”: DNF
Bored and I don't care about any of these teens
Bored and I don't care about any of these teens
June 14, 2014
Coin Heist by Elisa Ludwig reminded me a lot of the movie The Perfect Score with Chris Evans. It's got a similar premise: group of high school students who would normally never speak to one another come together to pull off a heist. And even a similar cast of characters: the slacker/stoner looking for redemption, the smart girl who thinks it's fun, the popular girl looking to be bad, and the jock who needs the plan to work to get into college. And, after reading the book, I have to say, it was also just as fun as the movie was to watch.
My favorite part of Coin Heist wasn't the heist itself, but the characters behind it. The book starts out with Alice, the petite tech head who often gets overlooked in favor of the taller, blonder, bustier girls at school, and her crush on Jason, the headmaster's pothead son. When Jason's dad gets arrested for embezzlement and the future of their prep school is in danger, Alice and Jason concoct a plan to rob the Philadelphia Mint, which eventually includes Dakota (tall, blonde and busty herself) and Benny (the scholarship kid from the wrong side of town). I loved how these kids had nothing in common except for the fact that they all had reasons to want to save their school. These four take turns narrating in alternate chapters throughout the book. I can't even say I had favorite because they all stole my heart. They each had their own reasons and problems that made the heist seem like a good idea.
The heist itself, while enjoyable, was riddled with plot holes, but I had fun reading about it. There were times where I knew beyond a doubt that, in real life, this scenario just never would have worked, but it's a story and sometimes you just have to accept unrealistic things in a story. Like, for instance, four teenagers being able to steal coins right off of the presses at the Mint! Logically, it might not work, so if that's what you're looking for, this one is probably not for you, but if you're just looking to lose yourself in an adventure then you might just love Coin Heist.
There is a bit of romance thread throughout Coin Heist. It's a sweet romance though. It's a "like" sort of romance, not a "love" sort. There are no over the top declarations of undying love. These kids really act like they're in high school, you know, except for the whole pulling off huge robberies thing. But there's also the feeling of friendship while reading. Alice, Jason, Dakota and Benny are not friends, but throw anyone into a high pressure theft and they're sure to bond. I especially enjoyed the end because you got to see that, even though they had their differences, they learned and grew because of each other.
Coin Heist is a fast and fun read, that will have you flipping the pages to see what comes next. If you enjoy stories about teenage thieves this is definitely one you'll want to give a try!
My favorite part of Coin Heist wasn't the heist itself, but the characters behind it. The book starts out with Alice, the petite tech head who often gets overlooked in favor of the taller, blonder, bustier girls at school, and her crush on Jason, the headmaster's pothead son. When Jason's dad gets arrested for embezzlement and the future of their prep school is in danger, Alice and Jason concoct a plan to rob the Philadelphia Mint, which eventually includes Dakota (tall, blonde and busty herself) and Benny (the scholarship kid from the wrong side of town). I loved how these kids had nothing in common except for the fact that they all had reasons to want to save their school. These four take turns narrating in alternate chapters throughout the book. I can't even say I had favorite because they all stole my heart. They each had their own reasons and problems that made the heist seem like a good idea.
The heist itself, while enjoyable, was riddled with plot holes, but I had fun reading about it. There were times where I knew beyond a doubt that, in real life, this scenario just never would have worked, but it's a story and sometimes you just have to accept unrealistic things in a story. Like, for instance, four teenagers being able to steal coins right off of the presses at the Mint! Logically, it might not work, so if that's what you're looking for, this one is probably not for you, but if you're just looking to lose yourself in an adventure then you might just love Coin Heist.
There is a bit of romance thread throughout Coin Heist. It's a sweet romance though. It's a "like" sort of romance, not a "love" sort. There are no over the top declarations of undying love. These kids really act like they're in high school, you know, except for the whole pulling off huge robberies thing. But there's also the feeling of friendship while reading. Alice, Jason, Dakota and Benny are not friends, but throw anyone into a high pressure theft and they're sure to bond. I especially enjoyed the end because you got to see that, even though they had their differences, they learned and grew because of each other.
Coin Heist is a fast and fun read, that will have you flipping the pages to see what comes next. If you enjoy stories about teenage thieves this is definitely one you'll want to give a try!
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