Smash and Grab

by Joe Albanese

Wick was a normal young man, passing his days at a part-time job and wasting his nights with friends and booze. That was until someone smashed a brick to the side of his head and knocked Wick’s life upside down. The culprit, Kenny, a young man in a dire situation, has only one goal: to get the job done, no matter who gets in his way.
On opposite sides, Wick and Kenny, along with their shared circle of friends, low-lifes, drug dealers, an ex-flame, a cop battling his own demons, and each other, will find out just how similar their situations are, and if only one of them can make it out alive.

52 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 28, 2018

About the author

Joe Albanese is a writer from South Jersey. His fiction, nonfiction, and poetry can be found in publications across the U.S. and in ten other countries. Joe is the author of Smash and Grab, Caina, Candy Apple Red, For the Blood is the Life, and a poetry collection, Cocktails with a Dead Man.

Reviews

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novella about two young men, Wick and Kenny, and their shady group of friends and acquaintances.

This is a quick read at 52 pages. A clever story with crime, drugs, and enough twists to keep it interesting.

I received a free digital copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this copy of Smash and Grab from Joe Albanese. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I really liked about this book was how it slowly reveals the relationships between different characters in this book. You get thrown right into the story, without explanation and that's also the storyline throughout the book.

A longer review can be found at BiteIntoBooks

The book has a clever ending and I like how the plot was finished up. I didn't really root for anybody in this book, but was happy with the outcome.

[Karen (BaronessBookTrove) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Can Wick pay back the boss?
Smash and Grab by Joe Albanese is a different novella that won’t take you long to read. We follow three different characters throughout the story who are Wick, Kenny, and a cop.
What I like

The novel is so straightforward, as it goes from one scene to the next and you knew what was happening.
Wick is trying to outsmart the boss.
The novel is short and to the point.
Wick is trying to get out of what he was being made to do.

What I dislike
There were some things in the book that I didn’t like. One of those things being the three murders and the other something I prefer not to mention.
Three Star
Smash and Grab by Joe Albanese is an excellent book that one can read in one sitting and not feel bad about doing that. It’s a good starter book for this upcoming author. The fact that each character seemed so real and very developed in this novella. It made me want to root for Wick, someone that I usually wouldn’t and hoping that he will make it out okay. My rating for this book is three stars because it’s not something that I typically read and it was different than I thought it would be.



Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Smash and Grab by Joe Albanese.

Until the next time,



Happy Reading!

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

Smash and Grab is a short story about Wick, a young man who used to sell drugs and has gotten himself into some trouble with a dealer but he’s trying to take care of his problems and clean up his act. His good friend, Dustin, is only interested in going to parties and making sure that he has enough drugs for everyone to have a good time. Wick’s acquaintance, Kenny, is in the same dire circumstances with the drug dealer so they are trying to work together to scrape up the money to pay him back.

Their plans don’t work out as they expected and things quickly come to a head. Even though this story is short, it has some suspense and I found myself connecting with Wick and wanting things to work out for him. If you want a satisfying quick read, Smash and Grab is a good choice.

[Gordon Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe Albanese and his characters specialize in a cynical sort of irony. They know their lives are crappy and they never expect anything to turn out well. Which is a good thing, because several of them turn out dead.

The problem with cynical irony as a cornerstone for a novel is that there isn’t a whole lot of emotion involved. If you basically have no hope, then, well, you don’t get your hopes up, and neither does the reader. This leads to a lack of suspense. We expect nothing to go well, and then it doesn’t. Whee.

The saving grace of this story is the twisty plotline. Back to the cynicism again; when you expect something to go wrong, the most fun is when it goes wrong for a reason you didn’t expect. Or maybe you did expect. In this case, it’s a matter of reading the characters. The moment you say, “Oh, he/she would never…” then that’s what happens. The art of the double-double cross. The lengths people will go to in order to get what they then discover they never really wanted.

And the last laugh is on the reader, but I’m not going to tell you the ending.

Recommended for fans of the cynical, the sly laugh, the middle-finger-to-fate attitude.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the very first page I was fully immersed into the story and as soon as I took the dive I was on a speed boat racing through the pages.  The use of short sentences and dialogue throughout the book was a great focal point.

The story is written at an amazing pace and the use of the short sentences I mentioned above kept my interest piqued ALL THE TIME!! I loved how, even though the book is short, the author did a great job with allowing the reader to get to know Wick and Kenny through the dialogue and through their thoughts.

The author also manages to highlight some of the problems that young adults face nowadays through Wick and Kenny's stories which, to me at least, is commendable. 

This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Sandra Lopez · Rating 2 out of 5]

A brick. A blow to the head. A robbery.

Not what our dear Wick would’ve expected and definitely didn’t want. Ironically, he ended running into that same robber at his own liquor store.

Most of it revolves around the colorful repartee of a bunch of knuckle-head guys. The dialogue is not always understood, especially those referencing the use of drugs.

Short and simple story, but I felt that it didn’t quite evolve beyond the crude—albeit fitting—dialogue. I’m sure there was a point to this, but I just failed to see it.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story of theft, drugs and the lives behind them, “Smash and Grab” is a gritty tale with several twists to keep things interesting. It’s a short but enjoyable read that I’d recommend to crime fans – 3 stars from me.

Thanks to the author Joe Albanese who sent me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My full review can be found online here: https://whatrebeccasread.wordpress.co...

[Joe Albanese · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first published book. I hope you all enjoy it!