Imagine a mashup of Guardians of the Galaxy and Indiana Jones. Add in some of the charm of Heart of Iron and the Lunar Chronicles, and make all of the characters secretly ENFPs. Mix it all together, and you’ve got The Good for Nothings. But although all of the books and films that I mentioned should have made something I would love with every inch of my body, it was…decent, for me. Not bad, but not spectacular, for me.

I’ve mentioned GotG twice already, so I’ll attempt to make this quick: this novel certainly drew a lot from it, but with varying degrees of success. On one hand, it succeeded in making a classic, irreverent found-family sci-fi, filled with great treasures, banter, and reluctant friendships. But there were some portions that seemed to rip it off almost to a T–remember the “nothing goes over my head, my reflexes are too fast, I would catch it” scene with Drax, anyone?

Even though it’s been a solid four years since I’ve seen that movie, it was easy to see that Banas ripped off this gag with lines of Anders’ dialogue. Several times, too. I’m all for drawing inspiration from media, but don’t…y’know, borderline plagiarize it. As much as I love that scene, it fell flat for me with The Good for Nothings.

Now, onto my favorite part…found family! Though it’s not nearly as well-executed as, say, Aurora Rising or the Honors trilogy, I still liked some of the chemistry between Cora, Wren, Elio, and Anders. I wasn’t overly attached to any of them, but they were decent characters. All of them had moments of being funny or lovable. However…well, remember how I said in the first part of the review to make all of them secretly ENFPs? Now, nothing against ENFPs, but at their cores, all four of the main characters had the same personality. On the surface level, they had a few distinguishing traits to their names (Wren is cheerful, Anders is secretive and tough, etc.), as we got to know them better, their personalities were startlingly similar to one another.

With that aside, I’d say that The Good for Nothings was entertaining, if nothing else. The writing was decent, and the humor fell flat more often than not, but the world-building had moments of being fascinating, and I liked all of the different settings that Cora and the rest of the gang got thrown into. It’s a very light-hearted and feel-good novel, so if you’re looking for something to take your mind off the state of things (which I’m sure a lot of you are), The Good for Nothings would be a great pick for you.

Overall, a YA sci-fi that leaned too much on some of the material that it may have been based off of, but was still a fun, feel-good novel at heart. 3 stars!

I received an e-ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Review will also be available on *Milky Way of Books*

This was a very entertaining read! A group of ragtag thieves, a warrior, a human, an elf-like thief, and a bot that likes baking but can't eat join together in a space adventure in search of a lost artifact. I loved the premise and I couldn't stop laughing. It was enjoyable and very cute. The plot was easy to follow with action scenes and a hint of romance too.

But in the end, the story was more about who your actual "family" is rather the one you have been born into. It was a book I enjoyed reading very much.

Great fun YA adventure

This was a super fun caper, found family, high action story that surprises you with all the feels. This book is chockfull of parents that don't give a damn and the emotional turmoil / baggage that leaves their children to slog around. I do have to say the real story I want to read is of Cora's grandma and Verona!

Join Cora, Elio, Anders, and Wren as this rag-tag group of four sets off across the galaxy to search for infamous keys that lead to a priceless treasure...or at least one that may make them very, very rich and win them their freedom.

This is a very hard book for me to give thoughts and opinions on. For the better half of the book I had to drag myself to my kindle to read, and found myself needing to take several breaks from it because I desperately did not want to continue. I was very disappointed because, despite what is suggested in the summary of the book, it was nothing like the Lunar Chronicles and resembled a very watered-down version of the Guardians of the Galaxy. It wasn't until maybe the last 30% of the story that I felt like it really picked up pace and I got interested in what was going on. I also got extreme whiplash from what I perceived to be a sudden plethora of Guardian references and comparisons towards the end (not super obvious, just inferences I can make after seeing the movies so many times).

Those things being said: I really enjoyed the dynamic between our four crew members and I feel like they really developed as a team and family towards the end of the story as did the plot and pretty much everything else. This was a fluffy and predictable book that provides another option for readers who are normally averse to the fluffy and predicable of the romantic variety in their reading. I would recommend this book for younger YA readers, if not some juvenile as well mostly because content-wise there isn't a whole lot to be concerned about. We have a few cuss words and hand gestures thrown in, but the romance stays pretty innocent making it perfect for readers who may be ready for a mild introduction to YA.

**I received this book for free from its publisher and the Netgalley website in exchange for an honest review.

A very fun romp through the universe! A band of thieves and warriors from different planets and backgrounds have to come together to complete a treasure hunt straight out of galactic legend. They aren't the only ones on the search, and the hidden items are protected by plenty of booby traps and challenges, so there is a lot happening here. The characters and their developing relationships are fun to see, and the worlds provide some fascinating settings. Fun read!

That was so good!! I couldn't stop reading. :)


Cora is the daughter of a crime family, but she didn't exactly inherit the family's talents. She is the best at reading auras, and her inventions mostly work, but when her mother puts her in charge of distracting the guards at the huge job, she makes a complete mess out of it. To make up for it, and get back into the family's grace (mostly for the paycheck she desperately needs) she and her BF robot try to rob the family's next job a day before. Unfortunately, it goes horribly wrong and they end up in prison.

At failed escape plan, she bargains with the warden for their and their cellmates' release, in exchange for going on a treasure hunt.

Onboard of an ancient ship, Cora, Elio the robot, kleptomaniac Wren and disgraced soldier they call Anders, embark on an intergalactic treasure hunt.

It's such a fun story to read, it has a little bit of Lunar Chronicles vibe - which I love. :) All of the characters are very different, with secrets and secret agendas.

I was instantly pulled in to the story, it's gripping, fun, and very intense. One hard it's a trainwreck waiting to happen, on the other, it's a charming story of reluctant teamwork for a semi-common goal. :)

Highly recommend it!

received from Xpresso Book Tours

Interesting characters, but I couldn't really get into it.