A crew of queer women—each with personal struggles and secrets—band together to pull off a high-stakes sting against a decadent, AI-run space casino, aiming to reclaim their freedom and futures from debt, blackmail, and abuse. Blending sci-fi worldbuilding with romance and themes of found family, the story centers more on the characters’ emotional journeys and relationships than on the intricacies of the heist itself.

Reader Review Summary

Set in a decadent, AI-run space casino called The Elysium, the novel follows a group of five queer women as they attempt a high-stakes sting operation to free themselves from various forms of oppression and debt. The main character, Psalome Shipmen, is a top-earning hostess working to pay off her late father's gambling debts, while her sister Psylina is a hacker in a relationship with the casino's artificial intelligence. The crew also includes Kiyo, a disgraced heiress being blackmailed over a sex tape; Finley, a recovering alcoholic and card counter; and Ilaria, a Jewish woman seeking a divorce from her abusive husband. The plot centers on their plan to manipulate a high-stakes poker tournament to recover a pair of earrings that serve as blackmail material, with the narrative unfolding through multiple first-person points of view. The story blends elements of science fiction, romance, and heist fiction, with a focus on the characters' emotional struggles and relationships as much as the mechanics of the heist itself.

Readers appreciated the book's queer representation, with lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, and asexual characters, and the inclusion of a romantic subplot between a human and an AI. The setting of a space casino run by a sentient AI was frequently cited as engaging and imaginative, and some found the world-building accessible and easy to immerse in. Several reviewers enjoyed the character-driven approach, highlighting the flawed, emotionally complex women at the story's center and the exploration of their personal traumas, romantic longings, and interpersonal dynamics. The fast pacing and the interplay of multiple perspectives were also noted as strengths by some, and a few readers found the resolution of the romantic arcs and the ultimate outcomes for the characters satisfying.

Many readers expressed disappointment with the execution of the heist element, noting that the plot did not deliver the intricate, suspenseful, or action-driven heist promised by the marketing and title. The actual heist was described as simplistic, underdeveloped, or even nonsensical, with much of the planning and execution happening off-page or being resolved abruptly. The use of five first-person POVs was widely criticized for making the characters' voices indistinct and for diluting character development, with several reviewers stating that the characters felt one-dimensional or that their emotional arcs were repetitive. The romantic relationships, particularly the prevalence of 'insta-love' and lack of on-page development, were also seen as unconvincing or lacking depth. Some readers found the handling of sensitive topics, such as Ilaria's background in an Orthodox Jewish community and her trauma, to be superficial or tonally inconsistent. The pacing, especially in the final act, was often described as rushed, with important scenes summarized or skipped.

The book is scheduled for publication on July 31, 2025, and is categorized as adult science fiction with strong LGBT and romance elements. It has received 45 ratings and 40 full reviews, with an average rating of 3.44 out of 5. The narrative structure relies on rotating first-person chapters among the five main characters, all of whom are in their early twenties. Content warnings noted by readers include addiction, sexual content, sexual harassment, domestic abuse, and violence. While the book was compared in marketing to Ocean’s 8 and Lady Eve’s Last Con, many reviewers felt these comparisons were misleading due to the story’s focus on character relationships and emotional processing over heist mechanics.