Little Thieves effortlessly snagged my top spot in 2021, so I have been waiting for the sequel with rapt anticipation. I have since devoured the sequel in one day, and I feel like the best way to review this is in relation to the first book so that readers of the first can know if they want to jump into this one too. (I do not recommend reading this without context of the first, and I heartily recommend reading the first.)

First and foremost: Vanja. She was a gremlin in the first book, she remains a gremlin in this one, and I love everything about that. Her jokes, her attitude, and her ability to plan a very good heist are all here in spades, and I loved seeing her work her way through some sticky problems (albeit some that she created herself). I also loved seeing her grow as a person and work through a lot of her history.

Conrad remains excellent. His kindness, dedication to justice, and fondness for all things analytical are all in here. I'm a little disappointed we don't get nearly as much of his disarming clumsiness as the first book, but ugh, he's so good.

Vanja x Conrad: This will be divisive. I appreciated how real their teenage awkwardness came through. Their attempts to figure out how to get -ahem- physical are a painfully authentic mix of vulnerability, confusion, and excitement. Their mutual respect and dedication to communication are also big pluses. But truth be told, the awkward nights happened more than I personally needed. I would have been fine pushing most of it aside to a few summary sentences. Physical scenes in this book end in a fade to black style, so it's a safe read for anyone who prefers low spice.

Plot: Probably the biggest change. The stakes are higher, and the world is much more expansive. About halfway through, I started to wonder where the plot was going, as it felt like there were too many disparate pieces. But the ending snaps everything together into incredible clarity in a way that I think was more satisfying that the first book.

Overall: Vanja continues to be Vanja in all the ways I love, with a story bigger than the first book. The teenage drama was honest, but there was quite a lot of it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillian Children's Publishing Group for the advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.