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milkteaser's review against another edition
4.0
the four stars is mainly due to jack shannon’s narration, the found family trope, and ace rep! the actual plot is maybe a 3 though i did enjoy the writing. my eyes glazed over the heist portions because i found it pretty ridiculous (as most high school heist plots are) but the story tied up nicely enough and left me with a warm fuzzy feeling
bookph1le's review against another edition
1.0
1 star because I personally disliked it, not because I thought it was a bad book.
I really hate one-starring this book. I'm seriously conflicted about it because I love that it has so much ace rep. Give me more of that, please. But that doesn't change the fact that I found it very disappointing for a variety of reasons. I'm not going to artificially inflate a rating solely because I think we need to see more of this kind of representation in books, even though I do worry that giving it a low rating risks scaring off publishers and making them less inclined to continue to dip their toes in the waters of diverse lit.
Also, can I please, please get more ace rep in adult books? It's awesome that YA is diversifying the way it is, but I have my quibbles with YA lit and would really like to see the adult world catch up with YA when it comes to seeking out more unique voices to publish. The cynical part of me understands this is a marketing ploy because more young people are comfortable identifying as LGBTQ+--and that is awesome. However, plenty of adults also fall on that spectrum, so wouldn't it be nice if publishers also offered adults voices they could identify with?
Okay, soapboxing concluded. On to what I didn't like about this book. I'll delve into specifics but won't give any major plot points away.
First off, I don't like it when media breaks the fourth wall. On rare occasions this does work for me, but it definitely did not in this book. Whenever that device was unemployed here, I thought it was done so in one of two ways: 1) Because the author was telling rather than showing--and I don't need you to spell out for me that Jack has some serious work to do when it comes to dealing with his emotions because it's already obvious through the parts of the book that do actually engage in showing and 2) As a way to handwave away any critique of the book using the same annoying tactics other media uses when it purposely doesn't offer the reader/viewer information simply as a lazy way of creating suspense.
I also thought this book was entirely predictable. None of the twists surprised me in the least.
My second biggest complaint about this book is I was promised a heist and never got one. Instead, what I got was teenagers bumbling around in ways that made absolutely no sense because Jack was so convinced of his own cleverness. Seriously, this group is about as subtle as a hurricane. It felt to me like not much actually happened in this book, and the utter lack of any action I found compelling was why it took me so long to read this book. I wanted to like it more than I actually liked it. If only the intriguing concept had delivered.
My biggest problem with the book, though, was Jack. Emotionally stunted characters who refuse to share anything but still triumph in the end are a personal pet peeve of mine. I really, really hate it when the things that happen in a book happen because one or more characters refuses to share a simple piece of information that would have allowed them to avoid the problems the book centers around. Now, I would have been okay with this had Jack shown some character growth, but in my opinion he never did. He does get that his failure to be open with his friends and family leads to a lot of the mess he creates, but he doesn't reckon with this in any real way. Plus, it irritates me to no end when things still work out for characters who don't show any growth or face any kind of reckoning.
So, yeah, that's my take on this book. I do think it'll resonate with plenty of other readers, but for me it fell completely flat.
I really hate one-starring this book. I'm seriously conflicted about it because I love that it has so much ace rep. Give me more of that, please. But that doesn't change the fact that I found it very disappointing for a variety of reasons. I'm not going to artificially inflate a rating solely because I think we need to see more of this kind of representation in books, even though I do worry that giving it a low rating risks scaring off publishers and making them less inclined to continue to dip their toes in the waters of diverse lit.
Also, can I please, please get more ace rep in adult books? It's awesome that YA is diversifying the way it is, but I have my quibbles with YA lit and would really like to see the adult world catch up with YA when it comes to seeking out more unique voices to publish. The cynical part of me understands this is a marketing ploy because more young people are comfortable identifying as LGBTQ+--and that is awesome. However, plenty of adults also fall on that spectrum, so wouldn't it be nice if publishers also offered adults voices they could identify with?
Okay, soapboxing concluded. On to what I didn't like about this book. I'll delve into specifics but won't give any major plot points away.
First off, I don't like it when media breaks the fourth wall. On rare occasions this does work for me, but it definitely did not in this book. Whenever that device was unemployed here, I thought it was done so in one of two ways: 1) Because the author was telling rather than showing--and I don't need you to spell out for me that Jack has some serious work to do when it comes to dealing with his emotions because it's already obvious through the parts of the book that do actually engage in showing and 2) As a way to handwave away any critique of the book using the same annoying tactics other media uses when it purposely doesn't offer the reader/viewer information simply as a lazy way of creating suspense.
I also thought this book was entirely predictable. None of the twists surprised me in the least.
My second biggest complaint about this book is I was promised a heist and never got one. Instead, what I got was teenagers bumbling around in ways that made absolutely no sense because Jack was so convinced of his own cleverness. Seriously, this group is about as subtle as a hurricane. It felt to me like not much actually happened in this book, and the utter lack of any action I found compelling was why it took me so long to read this book. I wanted to like it more than I actually liked it. If only the intriguing concept had delivered.
My biggest problem with the book, though, was Jack. Emotionally stunted characters who refuse to share anything but still triumph in the end are a personal pet peeve of mine. I really, really hate it when the things that happen in a book happen because one or more characters refuses to share a simple piece of information that would have allowed them to avoid the problems the book centers around. Now, I would have been okay with this had Jack shown some character growth, but in my opinion he never did. He does get that his failure to be open with his friends and family leads to a lot of the mess he creates, but he doesn't reckon with this in any real way. Plus, it irritates me to no end when things still work out for characters who don't show any growth or face any kind of reckoning.
So, yeah, that's my take on this book. I do think it'll resonate with plenty of other readers, but for me it fell completely flat.
brownwall268's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this book! The Asexual representation was great and I love that the main character was shown to be able to have a romantic relationship anyway. I liked the aromantic side character representation too and the whole feeling of this book was just really great. It was kind of like watching Ocean’s 11 but with a cast of Asexuals which I loved.
sxphia03's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
cassimiranda's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Single POV YA adventure story with family drama and a smidge of romance. Diverse ace rep. The plot points were very predictable, but the characters were well developed and the escapades were entertaining.
septi's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
- 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
multiplyoctopi's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
This was a very promising read. I really liked the premise a crew of asexual teens goes on a heist in Las Vegas. Personally, I just thought this to have more heist and suspense. I liked characters and representation and I think would make a good TV show.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a very promising read. I really liked the premise a crew of asexual teens goes on a heist in Las Vegas. Personally, I just thought this to have more heist and suspense. I liked characters and representation and I think would make a good TV show.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
nehaha's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
a great background book. Easy to follow plot and a low key read