THIS BOOK IS SUCH A MASTERPIECE!
From the moment I opened it, I was whisked away on a whirlwind adventure filled with cunning cons, unexpected romance, and a healthy dose of humor. Lady Eve's Last Con is perfect in every way, with well-developed characters, unique, entertaining plot, wonderful world-building, rich and detailed settings, incredible writing style and much more!!

First off, let's talk about Ruth Johnson—what a character! A masterful con artist who navigates the world with wit and charm, she's the kind of protagonist you can't help but root for. And when she sets her sights on revenge after her sister's heartbreak, disguising herself as the elegant debutante Evelyn Ojukwu, you know you're in for a wild ride.

But what truly sets this book apart is its rich tapestry of genres seamlessly woven together. It's part adventure, part rom-com, with a sprinkle of science fiction and a dash of humor thrown in for good measure. You'll find yourself laughing one moment, on the edge of your seat the next, as the plot twists and turns with each passing chapter.

And let's not forget about the incredible world-building and detailed settings that bring this story to life. From the bustling streets of the city to the opulent halls of high society, every scene is painted with such vivid detail that you'll feel you're right there alongside the characters, experiencing every twist and turn firsthand.

Now, I will admit, the ending did leave me wanting more—I would have loved a bit more closure to tie up loose ends. But hey, maybe that just means there's another thrilling installment in the works!

"Lady Eve's Last Con" is a must-read for anyone who loves flawed yet endearing characters, refreshing storytelling, and witty dialogue that will leave you grinning from ear to ear. Trust me, once you start this book, you won't be able to put it down. It’s a five-star adventure from start to finish!netgalley uno-202439 s3 comments Gali 118 3

"Lady Eve's Last Con" by Rebecca Fraimow is wonderfully unique, and without a doubt, one of the best books I have read in the genre in a long while. In this fantastical sci-fi/space opera/rom-com tale, we get to follow Ruth Johnson, a small-time con artist and one of those characters you don't want to leave behind when the book ends.

Meet Ruth Johnson, a con artist who speaks Yiddish with her younger sister Jules, and lives on her wits. When her sister falls in love with one of their targets, Esteban Mendez-Yuki, and gets dumped by him for lack of class, Ruth decides to take revenge. Disguised as the provincial debutante Evelyn Ojukw, she plans to make Esteban fall in love with her and take him for all he is worth in the process. However, she didn't bargain for falling for his cool sister Sol, a charming and sharp-witted gal who is proving to be far more interesting than her dull brother, Esteban. The plot thickens when the mafia enters the picture, further complicating an already convoluted con.

I loved everything about this book! Kosher ducks, playful and witty banter, great setting, wonderful world-building, aristocratic society in space, gay romance reminiscent of Jane Austen—what's not to ? I loved the Jewish angel, the Rachel and Lea reference, and the use of Yiddish to hide intentions. The concept of shipping Kosher ducks with consideration to Shabbat made me cackle.

The characters are well-rounded, and the author does a great job of establishing them as people you want to root for. Ruth is smart and feisty, and I just love the way she infiltrated her way into the snobbish society. The observations on class and old wealth were right on point, and playing the provincial debutante was a clever move. I enjoyed the interactions between the characters and the relationship between the sisters. The dialogue is quick-witted and clever, building a strong intimacy between characters. Sol was delightful and a good counter to Ruth. Jules was hardly in the picture, which is a pity. She seems more clear-headed than her sister.

The book was well-written, well-plotted, and kept me interested throughout. The pacing of the plot is perfect; it’s not too fast or too slow, and everything has just the right amount of detail. The author paints beautiful pictures of the settings and scenes. You can see every image as she describes it: the balls, the outings, the zero-G restaurant scene—which was hilarious—and the bike rides. I loved it all!

It's a brilliant book—an adventure, a rom-com, science fiction, and humor all rolled into one. The ending was a bit abrupt, and I would have d a bit more closure. Hopefully, another book is on the cards. In sum, this is one of those books that are very difficult to put down once you've started. I don't have words adequate enough to express how much I enjoyed this book. If you love flawed characters, refreshing tales, and tongue-in-cheek dialogues, then this is totally for you. Lovers of the genre would be well advised to immerse themselves in this story. Full stars from me!

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

* Review in my blog: https://galibookish.blogspot.com/2024...23 s6 comments L1,127 65

The Sting meets Fiddler on the Roof

Ruthi Johnson, our first-person narrator, arrives at the wealthy resort New Monte (which seems to be a satellite orbiting the quondam planet Pluto, not that that ever matters) bent on revenge. Esteban Mendez-Yuki, the scion of the obscenely wealthy Mendez-Yuki family and corporation, knocked up Ruthi's kid sister Jules then abandoned her. Ruthi is here for revenge. Since she and Jules are con artists, conning Esteban is the best way she knows of getting vengeance. Also, the money couldn't hurt. Jules is not here with her -- she's back at a nice resort colony making Esteban's baby.

OK, this is obviously a disaster waiting to happen. It's hard to read Ruthi's schemes of revenge and imagine any way this can have a happy ending. While Esteban is kind of feckless and oblivious, he has a half-sister Sol who is both protective of him and frighteningly smart and competent. She is also, as it happens, very attractive to Ruthi. So, Ruthi begins to enact her plan to reel Esteban in and stuff happens to Sol and to Ruthi.

At about a third of the way through the book, I began to discern a possibility for pulling off a happy ending. That was, for me, the main interest of the story -- watching Rebecca Fraimow engineer a plausible path. I'm not telling you there IS a happy ending. I'm not telling you there is NOT. But we need that possibility to make the story work -- the is-there-a-path-out-of-this-disaster suspense drove the story -- and it's very well done. There was even a twist near the end that I totally failed to see coming, although it made perfect sense.

When I was in High School, I saw the movie The Sting. In The Sting two small time con artists play a revenge con. It is impossible to watch the film and not come out of the theatre smiling, or even dancing a little with joy. (Well, it may not be literally impossible, but it certainly was not something I could do.) That's what Lady Eve's Last Con felt . Now, I want to emphasize that aside from the points I've just mentioned, there is no similarity between the plots of The Sting and Lady Eve's Last Con. In particular, I'm not telling you whether or not Ruthi's con succeeds.

One thing that took me entirely by surprise (and the reason I'm marking this review a spoiler) was the Yiddishkeit. Ruthi and Jules grew up culturally Jewish. I seriously doubt that Ruthi keeps shabbat or eats kosher -- but I am quite confident that she would be comfortable doing both if she wanted to. And, although it is not huge, Ruthi's Yiddishkeit even has an essential plot function. There's also an explicit reference to Fiddler on the Roof.

Heist/con stories can be tremendous fun, and this one is. It left me smiling.

I received an advance reader copy of Lady Eve's Last Con from NetGalley and Rebellion. This review expresses my honest opinions.

Blog review.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review2024-ew-ng netgalley netgalley-2024 ...more15 s4 comments Iona SharmaAuthor 9 books138

I love this! It's a stylish, twisty jaunt through a kind-of-dystopian Golden Age, with disaster lesbians. The only sensible person in the entire book doesn't appear until the last chapter! Just a delight.202310 s3 comments PlotTrysts816 347

I LOVED THIS BOOK.

I love science fiction, and I love romance, but it's been hard for me to find a science fiction romance that hits the SF and the romance spot for me. The SF in Lady Eve's Last Con, in many (most?) sci-fi romances, is primarily window dressing. That said, it's gorgeous window dressing: the logic of the universe holds together, there are no weird physics discrepancies, the new cultures of far future humanity make wonderful, messy, glorious sense. The MCs aren't out to save the universe; this is "cozy" worldbuilding.

At its heart, this is a confidence artist romance. Ruthi is in town ("town" = a satellite orbiting Pluto) to infiltrate high society, get a specific scion of corporate nobility to fall for her, and then take him for all he's worth. This isn't just a con, it's a revenge scheme: Esteban, said scion, was originally Ruthi and her sister Jules's mark on a luxury space liner. But Jules actually fell for him, and when he left her, she was left high and dry. So Ruthi not only wants his money, she wants to break his heart the way he broke Jules's. The only thing standing in her way is Esteban's sister, Sol. She not only thinks there's something fishy about "Evelyn Ojukwu," Sol is also inconveniently (for Ruthi's state of mind) hot.

Everything was just perfect about this book. The identity reveal happens at exactly the right spot. The character chemistry is off the charts. Sol and Ruthi's compatibility makes so much sense. Be prepared for a slooooooow burn; the book is on the longer side, but the pacing is so perfect it never feels too long. The book isn't closed door, but it's also not high heat. The sexual tension, though, is really well calibrated (Ruthi's got to make Esteban fall in love with her while also feeling nearly uncontrollable lust for Sol, and Fraimow never lets the reader forget it).

I really hope Fraimow returns to this universe in the future, but regardless of what she writes, I'll be reading it.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel. netgalley non-pod romance-adjacent7 s Bethany JacobsAuthor 2 books211

I cannot say enough about how fun, exciting, sexy and downright GOOD this novel is. With fascinating worldbuilding that blends futuristic technology with 1920s flapper aesthetics, it's sci fi you've never seen. Also perfect for fans of Becky Chambers. Its main characters are so extra and so gay and so fantastic. Recommend this so highly! It had me delighted from page 1. 4 s Lirazel337 12

Everything of Rebecca Fraimow's that I've had the pleasure to read has worked for me, from short stories to novelette to novella, so I had high expectations going into this one and it did not disappoint.

It's a rollicking good art deco space opera on a lovely intimate scale. A small-time conwoman from a hardscrabble background infiltrates the upper crust of a rich planet for money, revenge, and--most importantly--love of her sister. She's very, very good at what she does, but of course things get complicated when she starts to develop feelings for a very inconvenient person.

This is an established kind of plot that depends entirely on style and characterization to work. Because it's Fraimow, it has both. The worldbuilding is fun and colorful with loads of delightful details, and our main characters are lovable with just enough rough edges to lend some weight to what might have been pure fluff.

There's a ton going on here that I love: identity porn, protective older siblings, hot girls on motorcycles, plotting, disasters in zero-gravity, fashion, kosher ducks, and a compelling central romance.

From here on I'm going to get into some thematic spoilers, so read no further if you want to avoid those.


***spoilers below***

The whole thing works because our lead is the perfect mix of justified and wrong. We get why she's doing what she's doing, we understand how she's justifying it to herself, and we understand how a person with her background and experiences would come to this place. Thankfully, the reasons she's wrong are less "it's bad to con rich people" (is it, though?) and more "sometimes you have to let your little sister grow up." I love a storyline about codependent siblings learning how to be less codependent while still loving each other, and that's what's going on here: Ruthi has spent her whole life protecting her sister, and she was right to do that, but she has to come to terms with the fact that "protecting" and "controlling" often end up being the same thing, and once your sister is an adult, too, you have to relinquish your desire for control.

As for the main romance, I'm a hard sell for romances. I love them when they work for me, but 90% of the time they do nothing for me. This one works: I believe that these two people and admire each other, that they could make a go of it in the future. Fraimow also understands that nothing is more romantic than actually being able to trust someone, and it takes real skill to make me as a reader believe that Ruthi and Sol *can* trust each other despite the layers of deception. I buy that these are two people from different backgrounds who sense a commonality of soul and really *want* to be honest with each other.

All in all, a very fun time. I can't wait to see what Fraimow publishes next! (No pressure, Becca!)aliens-and-spaceships best-world scifi ...more3 s Siobhán1,260 22

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book!*

"Lady Eve's Last Con" was a very fun and entertaining read, especially the beginning was Pride & Prejudice revenge in space, where Elizabeth (Eve) wants to avenge how her sister has been treated by a rich dude and then ends up falling for his sister. Loved the queer twist too.

Sadly the world building and the story in parts did not make a lot of sense, tons of plotholes, the ending was rushed and over engineered, that kinda marred my enjoyment a bit.

I'll still give four stars because the vibe was impeccable and I just enjoyed being in this world!2 s Heather308 64

This was super interesting. I loved the focus on the sisters, and the romance between the leads was filled with whipsmart banter, which I LOVED. Sapphic enemies to lovers is always a win in my books.

There were pacing issues for me, but I found it hard to tell if this an objective issue, or an "I am struggling with sci-fi terminology and words" personal problem, hence why I rounded it to a 4 rather than 3.5.

I found a lot of the worldbuilding very cool, and the visual descriptions were perfectly done, I could picture everything so well, and it combined a lot of really fun elements.2 s BookishlyJewish83 17 Read

This review first appeared on my blog BookishlyJewish

A quick perusal of publishing deal announcements will show you that there are basically two types of fiction books: those described as “lyrical” vs. those described as “voice-y." It’s a fairly decent stand in for picking out the literary books from the genre. I enjoy both varieties, but skills wise, I’m pretty fairly entrenched in the “voice” camp. Plus, as a reader I find them compulsively fun. Which is why I practically inhaled Rebecca Fraimow’s adult sci fi Lady Eve's Last Con

I’ve enjoyed Fraimow's short stories before, because they are often the delicious form of bizarre that makes my heart sing (robot nuns anyone?) and sometimes come paired with queer Jewish representation. In this longer piece we meet Ruthi, a con artist looking to pull a scam on the billionaire that knocked her sister up and dumped her. That's all well and good, except the young man in question has a big sister named Sol that is hot on Ruthi’s tail and has some shady dealings of her own that keep complicating matters. 

Within two sentences I was completely immersed in both Ruthi's world and knew exactly who and what she was. This is no small feat, as Lady Eve's Last Con has a tremendous amount of world building - imagine a space age Bridgerton - yet by carefully selecting Ruthi's words, Fraimow allows the reader to grasp it all seamlessly. By the time Sol, a veritable lady killer in her own right, shows up I was having a debate with myself about whether I wanted to be Ruthi or be with her. Sol cleared that up - all the girls want to be with Sol. Including Ruthi, which presents a bit of a challenge to the whole conning Sol's brother plan. 

The book has a delightful sense of humor, exceptionally witty banter, but mostly the best love interest I’ve seen in a very long time. And lest I miss out on any of my favored bizarre factor - kosher duck plays a crucial plot point. 

I’ll admit that my reading and writing favor high heat romance. But sometimes watching two extremely clever individuals circle each other, almost but not quite bringing their flirtation to fruition, has its own benefits. Namely a sex scene at the end that can only be described as explosive. Maybe sometimes good things do come to those that wait. Plus, given the speed with which I read this book, I didn’t have to wait all that long. 

The ways in which I fell in love with these characters are numerous, but it was all made possible by Ruthi's unique voice. She’s possibly the most distinct character voice I have read this year. I could pick up a random page, out of context, and know instantly that it came from Lady Eve. It’s aspirational, and swoony, and I hope to see more bizarre shenanigan books soon from Fraimow. 

Note: BookishlyJewish received a free e-ARC of this book through NetGalley1 Bookish Martina47 3

Lady Eve's Last Con is a sapphic sci-fi rom-com and one that really had me intrigued from the start! Con-woman Ruthi Johnson is masquerading as a young debutante to con the man who broke her sister's heart - she plans to make him fall in love with, break is heart in return and run off with half of his fortune. What she hasn't accounted for, is her target's charming sister, Sol, who seems to see through her right from the start and she somehow finds herself gravitating towards! And when some dangerous figures she knows from her past enter the scene, she also struggles to stay out of the way...

This was such an enjoyable read! I haven't read huge amounts of sci-fi yet, but loved all the explanations about life in space and other planets. There is a scene on a beach, where the MC takes a moment to reflect on how scientists have managed to make a beach work on a satellite with supposedly no gravity - I found all these details so interesting. It made for such great world-building!

The main characters are excellent - Ruthie (/Evelyn) is a planner and an expert at her job. She knows she is unly to fail and takes pride in her skills. Sol is a brilliant businesswoman and has a clever mind that helps her scope out trouble around her - well, except when it accidentally leads her into a huge problem she has to deal with throughout the book. The relationship between the two is so well developed, with tension, banter, heated scenes, some yearning and all the chemistry. I kept hoping they'd let go of their resolve to stay away from each other, because gosh are they good together!! The relationship with their families was also interesting to explore (in the present or through memories), and it was clearly a huge driver for both of the women's actions. I also loved that they are both in their late twenties, around my age!

The author's writing was really enjoyable. Although the pacing was a little slow at times and some events felt a bit repetitive in the middle, it remained interesting and really had me wanting to know more. I loved how things were wrapped up at the end, following many cool twists of events and daring plans!

What to expect?

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