je t’adore

OCEAN'S ELEVEN - DEWEY GRAHM: ★★★★★

-AT A GLANCE: fun, witty, true to the movie, an all-around good time

Here, you really can't go wrong. This novel tie-in was released alongside the movie in 2001 and was based on the screenplay by Ted Griffin. There are a few changes, but they are very minor, those being some of the dialogue exchanges here and there. The most noticeable are between the twins, but they still carry the same humor they do in the movie, only you get a few different jokes. I actually found the book shed some light on a few details, like when Danny and Rusty 'argue'; it is made clear right after it is all a part of the plan. Its just as classic as the movie, and this is the absolute closest you will get to the original feel and plotline.

GUNSHOT STRAIGHT - LOU BERRY: ★★★★★

-AT A GLANCE: fast-paced, clever, twists that actually had me turning the pages

At first, I considered not including this one because it felt like cheating. Though half of the story takes place in Panama, the whole mess Shake and Gina find themselves in originates in Las Vegas. The thing I enjoyed the most about this book was that, though it veered off from what I was looking for and didnt include a heist, it had the same tenacity I loved in Ocean's Eleven. I find that Shake and Gina are well-thought-out characters; Shake isn't just some guy trying to start up again after getting out of jail, and Gina isn't some damsel in distress; she isn't just the babe either. All of the characters have charm; Jasper grows from just being a gunman, and Lucy humanizes Gina(though I am upset they don't stay together; I'm biased, okay). Overall, it has that same laid-back, put-together vibe despite the circumstances the main characters find themselves in.

VEGAS: A MEMOIR OF A DARK SEASON - JOHN GREOGRY DUNNE: ★★★★☆

-AT A GLANCE: deep, humanizing, a cast of characters you can't help but remember

Though this doesn't follow the typical heist or crime type beat that Ocean's Eleven does, the characters and atmosphere really put me back in that feel like I was roaming the streets with the narrator, waiting to see who popped up next. It feels a lot more like a commentary, but it is nice to read alongside a plot like Ocean's Eleven, painting it as the actual city of sin it is rather than just a fun little spot where people happen to be corrupt. (Terry wasnt much of a villain besides being a rich asshole, so this kind of makes up for it). This book shows you the darker sides of things: the people down on their luck, just trying to get by, all while the narrator starts to lose it.

BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE - BEN MEZRICH: ★★★★☆

-AT A GLANCE: informative, a real teachable novel, the closest you will ever get to a real-life Ocean's Eleven

This book took me longer to get through than I like to admit, but that didnt mean I didnt like it. It really is cool to see the whole thing play out in front of you, even if they do get made at the end. I like the idea that these ordinary students used their brains rather than cheats and charms to take Vegas; they didnt brag much about it either. Also cool that it is the basis for the 2008 film 21, and makes for a good kinda heist. Of course, it doesn't inherently dissuade the reader from trying their own hand at such a job, but with all the modern technology, you think twice; Kevin and his classmates definitely didn't. And if you're ever bored, try your own hand at card counting; it's easier than you think.

THE WHEELMAN - DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI: ☆☆☆☆☆

-AT A GLANCE: messy, all over the place, just how not to do a 'crime novel'

This was an absolute nightmare; I can't even pretend there was anything redeemable about it. Though I read this in one sitting, I wish I hadn't read it at all. Not only does the heist Lennon gets screwed for have anything to do with the rest of the book, but there are so many people that get introduced so haphazardly I can't even remeber their names(I had to look him up just for this). I put this out of my mind so fast because I wanted to make room for something that actually had a plotline that made sense. If Danny and his crew pulled off anything like Lennon makes his decision in this book, they all would've been dead before Danny even pitched the job. Don't waste your time or money. I'm sure I could've gotten a lot done the night I consumed actual slop branded as a similar story

VEGAS HEIST - VAN ALLEN PLEXICO: ☆☆☆☆☆

-AT A GLANCE: a whole load of BS, a pure copycat, the laziest attempt I've read for a 'heist'

This will be the longest review of sorts that I write because when I read this book, it didn't disappoint me; it filled me with actual rage. It is clear from the very beginning that this book is supposed to be based on the original Ocean's Eleven from 1960 with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, which causes MANY problems. Any fans of the 2001 film will know that the original is the exact example of how NOT to do a heist film. It's flimsy, slow, outdated (look that one up), and the actual heist has very little to do with the plot itself. The 1960's version being outdated goes more than one way. Not only does the cast take part in blackface(for literally no reason too, wtf guys), the plot is centered around the main men being the Rat Pack, but men in general. Of course, this is to be expected from a movie that was produced in the 60s, but Vegas Heist took all of the worst parts of the original Ocean's Eleven and tried to do them again?? (No blackface though, thank God) It takes place in 1965, and the contractor's widow tries to pull a whole Tess with one of the organizers of the job, but it works very poorly, if at all, because she's just a woman to them. Sure, Tess wasnt the prime example of a strong female in the remake, but she's smart, educated, and she knows what she wants. The part that bugged me the most was the whole 'impossible vault' that they, of course, found some stupid backdoor way into (literally), which is the build-up of the whole novel, and the chapter where they get into it is TWO PAGES. If I could give this a negative rating, I would. If I could save everyone from the absolute anger I went through, take this as a warning. (There is a sequel called Miami Heist, so if anyone wants a review of that, lmk)

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