Reviews with content warning for Lesbophobia - Ace of Spades

I fell in love with the cover of this book way before I knew what it was about. When I read the synopsis I thought "this is going to be a "5-star book" easily", but that didn't happened quite as I expected.

I really liked this book, it addresses very important issues that our society tries to pretend that don't happen anymore: not only bullying and racism, but also homophobia and classicism - And I think that the author does it very well.

I think my problem with this book it that every single character (except Devon) is so unlikeable... I understand that that's the point but, apart from Devon, I couldn't really connect with any of them. Chiamaka's "friends" are described in the most despicable way; Jamie is red flags all over, since the beginning of the story; even Terrell is a bit weird...; but for me Chiamaka is the worst - she is the worst main character ever: dates guys and makes "friends" for social status, mistreats people that she considers "inferior", thinks the entire world revolves around her... ugh...

Even though I think that some of the situations described are a bit "too much", what made me give a 4-star review is the plot itself - what a brilliant storyline!

I don't want to reveal to much but - if you are looking forward to read this book - you are not going to be dissapointed!

Content Warnings

leahrosiee's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is my actual face right now 😦
I couldn't read this fast enough, definitely binge-worthy.
The first half is very high school, Pretty Little Liars vibes except obviously racially motivated.
The second half is when it comes together and shit really goes down right at the end, which even if you can see it coming, you'll still be stunned.
The tension and pacing is amazing, but I think the best parts are the side stories and little details.
Silence is betrayal cannot be more evident in this book.
"This world, our world, the one with houses as crooked as the people in them"

IMPORTANT: This isn’t just a cute little queer/black representation high school mystery. There are many many many CW. It’s actually in the front of the book. For those exact reasons, I think everyone should read this but not everyone might be able to.

Content Warnings

olly_reads's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

amazing read loved it to bits.

Content Warnings

emily_journals's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Everyone speaks so highly of this book, when I picked it up, I was a little worried it wouldn't live up to expectations, but oh boy did it live up to the hype!

This book is such an incredible mix of a preppy high school setting with a secret society type mystery/thriller, and the setting, mystery, plot, characters, EVERYTHING, was so well done and blended together seamlessly. It did take me a little while to get into at the beginning (as with most mysteries and thrillers that are set up well and take the time to fully showcase the setting and characters), but once I was into it, I was SO INTO IT. The complexity of all of the characters was so expertly done, all of the characters were very multifaceted. The inclusion of other real world problems going on in the characters' lives added immensely to the feeling that this was something that was actually happening, and was very influential in the emersion of the story. The mystery aspects of this book were also incredibly well executed, and there were so many spine tingling moments and jaw dropping reveals that really fulfilled the mystery. The character growth in this book was also incredible, I loved watching both Devon and Chiamaka grow so much, and also loved that they grew both independently and together. The epilogue conclusion was also so beautiful; the fact that these characters didn't just try to bury or forget everything after, but continued to remember and try to help others was so great since a lot of thrillers and mysteries end on a more ambiguous notes or end with the character essentially saying that they'll just forget or move on past the events of the book.

Highly, HIGHLY recommend this book!

Content Warnings

phantasmaboo's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé tells the story of two African American students Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo, who go to a predominantly white private high school. It is their senior year and it is announced that they are both in the running for valedictorian. Soon after the announcement, and anonymous individual that goes by Aces starts using text messages sent to the whole school to out their most hidden secrets. Each text message escalates the situation until their safety and futures are threatened.

This book, to say the absolute least, was fantastic, and it is a must read. I believe that this is the author's first book and I cannot wait for more from them. I honestly cannot say enough good things about this book, but these were the highlights for me:

The Social Commentary
Àbíké-Íyímídé's portrayal of racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and classist social issues was masterful. I was so surprised when this worked for both characters equally, despite their differences in social class. I particularly liked how the intersectionality of these issues was handled, and how Àbíké-Íyímídé combined a use of show and tell when it came to how it affected these characters.

I truly felt a sense of terror for these characters as the book progressed and they realized how abandoned and betrayed they really were. Even now, my heart hurts for them: Chiamaka, who seemed to believe that her closeness to whiteness would save her and Devon, who firmly believed that he would not find acceptance. And make no mistake, this story is not about two students who happen to be Black, but rather a story that places their Blackness front and center and that is what increases the suspense.

At times, when Chiamaka would express hope by saying something like "that would never happen" or "they can't do that", I would literally put my hand on my heart knowing that they would because they could because it was unlikely that the system (or white individuals) would care enough to stop them

.

Compelling Characters
The character development in this book is so, so good. In this case, I mean both the character creation and the character development throughout the plot of the book. I don't want to give too much away, but within true Young Adult fashion, there is an examination of intimate relationships, community relationships, and familial relationships that expand past what we usually see within the genre. This is, again, a tribute to Àbíké-Íyímídé's incredible writing.

Finally, the Plot Itself...
...was amazing. It was well-developed and clearly well-thought out for the majority of the book. This isn't always easy with balancing two different characters, but I thought that there was a good, steady pace to the book that equalized the building of the characters and the advancement of the plot.

My only issue with the book -- and I stress that this is literally the only one I have -- was the ending. The ending to me felt very rushed. Once the plot twists were over and it was time to take action, I felt like the everything moved so fast, so much faster than the pace of the rest of the book. That being said, the ending was unsatisfying, it was just fast and I wish more time had been spent on this portion of the book

Overall, this book was simply amazing and it is a must-read. I will note here, however, that you should definitely read the trigger warnings, as this book does not lightly tread around some very serious social issues that can definitely be triggering to people who have experienced similar traumas. I would also say that it is incredibly hard to "skip over" those portions of the book, because they are fundamental to the lives of the characters.

Content Warnings

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