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A review by chippyreads
Aces Wild: A Heist by Amanda DeWitt
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.0
Jack's mother owns a casino in Vegas and gets busted for.... money laundering? I can't remember, we just know she wasn't entirely on the right side of the law regardless of how she ended up being taken away in cuffs. Jack, who runs an underground blackjack club at his posh school is flown to Vegas to be with his family (it's also very conveniently Summer holidays). He quickly decides his mum was framed (even though we KNOW she was dodgy anyway) by his 'uncle', so he goes snooping and fails. After his sister hands him a secret credit card he flies in his online ace friends to help him uncover the truth. For a (former) rich kid, Jack doesn’t come across as too entitled. He definitely needs some life lessons but it wasn’t on an annoying level.
Jack's online ace friends are all aspec. I myself am ace, so I loved that someone wrote a whole book about a GROUP of aspec people. They're all young, bright eyed and willing to sneak into secret casino clubs. I had to keep reminding myself that not everyone experiences their sexuality the same as everyone else. A few comments pulled my from the narrative because I personally felt differently about what they were talking about, so it's a good book if you are curious about asexuality without the whole book being about their sexuality.
I found the book really enjoyable. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a low stakes casino heist or a book with good aspec rep. Definitely adding this to my aspec book list.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
FYI, there is NO acephobia in this book. It was refreshing to read about teens being who they are without anyone questioning their label/sexuality
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood