Scan barcode
sarahdeutsch's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
2.0
2.5/5
I feel like this book was a disappointment. I was so excited to read a book with ace representation but I got lost in the story literally.
I feel like this book was a disappointment. I was so excited to read a book with ace representation but I got lost in the story literally.
silk4k's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-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
4.0
annabelle's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
It’s been so long since I’ve enjoyed a YA novel and I am so thankful I loved this!! It’s funny, heartwarming, and full of hijinks. I loved Jack (even when he frustrated me) and his friends and how deeply they supported each other 💜 And while this story is a heist, it’s more about how far we’ll go to help the people we love. I had so much fun reading this and so happy to see more ace rep!!!
kristin_c_a's review
4.0
Thank you so much to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book!
rating: 4/5 stars
When I first read the blurb for this book I thought “group of teens go on a heist together? tik tok’s gonna love this.” And while I think that’s still true, I can add that it’ll also be loved for its balance of lighthearted scheming and emotional maturity surrounding some heavy topics as well as just generally good writing throughout.
While the plot of this book is technically “wealthy Las Vegas hotel-owning family being torn apart by the arrest of the matriarch”, it still manages to not feel too heavy or too inaccessible to a younger crowd. This book is firmly within the YA genre which makes me a little old to be its target audience and occasionally the writing reflects that with some cheesy comedic beats and occasionally predictable twists. That said, it’s an enjoyable read the entire way through.
Let’s talk asexuality. The mc of Aces Wild is Jack Shannon, kinda traumatized youngest child of emotionally immature hyper-rich Vegas casino magnates. He is also asexual and has found a community in a group of online friends all of whom are also asexual. I found Jack to be an extremely charismatic mc to follow through this experience and the occasional fourth-wall breaks are fun and witty. Although we get insight into how he discovered asexuality and how the label fits him, it’s not the main plot which I found refreshing. The fact that all the friends are asexual is brought up and talked about throughout the book, but it never feels forced or unnecessary. It truly just feels like a group of teens who are excited to meet people who identify the same way they do and reading along, I felt excited for them.
All in all, I loved this book and I can’t wait to read more from Amanda DeWitt in the future!
rating: 4/5 stars
When I first read the blurb for this book I thought “group of teens go on a heist together? tik tok’s gonna love this.” And while I think that’s still true, I can add that it’ll also be loved for its balance of lighthearted scheming and emotional maturity surrounding some heavy topics as well as just generally good writing throughout.
While the plot of this book is technically “wealthy Las Vegas hotel-owning family being torn apart by the arrest of the matriarch”, it still manages to not feel too heavy or too inaccessible to a younger crowd. This book is firmly within the YA genre which makes me a little old to be its target audience and occasionally the writing reflects that with some cheesy comedic beats and occasionally predictable twists. That said, it’s an enjoyable read the entire way through.
Let’s talk asexuality. The mc of Aces Wild is Jack Shannon, kinda traumatized youngest child of emotionally immature hyper-rich Vegas casino magnates. He is also asexual and has found a community in a group of online friends all of whom are also asexual. I found Jack to be an extremely charismatic mc to follow through this experience and the occasional fourth-wall breaks are fun and witty. Although we get insight into how he discovered asexuality and how the label fits him, it’s not the main plot which I found refreshing. The fact that all the friends are asexual is brought up and talked about throughout the book, but it never feels forced or unnecessary. It truly just feels like a group of teens who are excited to meet people who identify the same way they do and reading along, I felt excited for them.
All in all, I loved this book and I can’t wait to read more from Amanda DeWitt in the future!
kristenraeham's review
5.0
Read if you love…
✨chapter titles
💬texts & group messages on page
✨Arthurian myth
🎲casinos, blackjack, etc
✨a group of five chaotic ace teens
🫶🏼found family
✨YA
👏🏼mystery with a minor amount of romance
The way I binge read this one is unreal! It was so fun and fast-paced and unhinged and chaotic and heartwarming and hilarious and just all around wonderful!
The whole premise was incredible and sucked me right into the Las Vegas strip. Jack and his ace support group pals are just the absolute best. I loved the way they all met, their group chats, and everything about them finally hanging out in person.
Even knowing nothing about gambling / Vegas, it was so fun reading all of the scenes with gambling games and learning more. The chaos with the rival casinos and Arthurian myth was perfection.
I absolutely loved the Ace rep. The MCs are all ace, and I loved the conversations around being ace / aro / non-binary / crushes / still figuring out being ace!
📍Nevada
✨Rep: ace MC; ace & non-binary side characters
‼️Content: parental abandonment; ableism; child abuse; anti-ace/aro; toxic family relationships; gaslighting; classism; emotional abuse
abby_readsalot's review
5.0
Fan. Freaking. Tastic. This book was brilliant. It was engaging the whole way through, and had well-rounded, MULTIPLE asexual characters! I wish younger me had read this, but this is the kind of representation I do dearly hope becomes more common.
bronwyn's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
megshomelibrary's review
5.0
I LOVED this book! The action was interesting and kept me hooked, and I loved the team of Ace characters. I have internet friends that I met because of concerts and when we get together it feels a lot like what Jack and his friends were described as (or at least all the chaos & fun, but none of the illegal gambling).
This book felt like a cross between Lucky by Melissa Stapley and The Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I’m excitedly looking forward to more books by Amanda DeWitt after how much I enjoyed this one!
This book felt like a cross between Lucky by Melissa Stapley and The Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I’m excitedly looking forward to more books by Amanda DeWitt after how much I enjoyed this one!