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Aces Wild: A Heist
What happens in Vegas when an all-asexual online friend group attempts to break into a high-stakes gambling club? Shenanigans ensue.
For fans of Alice Oseman and Casey McQuiston, a hilarious and heartfelt story that will captivate readers looking for found family and a heist.
"A fast-paced, thrilling diversion."—Kirkus Reviews
Some people join chess club, some people play football. Jack Shannon runs a secret blackjack ring in his private school’s basement. What else is the son of a Las Vegas casino mogul supposed to do?
Everything starts falling apart when Jack’s mom is arrested for their family’s ties to organized crime. His sister Beth thinks this is the Shannon family’s chance to finally go straight, but Jack knows that something’s not right. His mom was sold out, and he knows by who. Peter rival casino owner and jilted lover. Gross.
Jack hatches a plan to find out what Carlevaro’s holding over his mom’s head, but he can’t do it alone. He recruits his closest friends—the asexual support group he met through fandom forums. Now all he has to do is infiltrate a high-stakes gambling club and dodge dark family secrets, while hopelessly navigating what it means to be in love while asexual. Easy, right?
A wild romp told in a can't-look-away-from voice, Aces Wild is packed with internet friend hijinks and ace representation galore!
Named to the TAYSHAS Reading List
For fans of Alice Oseman and Casey McQuiston, a hilarious and heartfelt story that will captivate readers looking for found family and a heist.
"A fast-paced, thrilling diversion."—Kirkus Reviews
Some people join chess club, some people play football. Jack Shannon runs a secret blackjack ring in his private school’s basement. What else is the son of a Las Vegas casino mogul supposed to do?
Everything starts falling apart when Jack’s mom is arrested for their family’s ties to organized crime. His sister Beth thinks this is the Shannon family’s chance to finally go straight, but Jack knows that something’s not right. His mom was sold out, and he knows by who. Peter rival casino owner and jilted lover. Gross.
Jack hatches a plan to find out what Carlevaro’s holding over his mom’s head, but he can’t do it alone. He recruits his closest friends—the asexual support group he met through fandom forums. Now all he has to do is infiltrate a high-stakes gambling club and dodge dark family secrets, while hopelessly navigating what it means to be in love while asexual. Easy, right?
A wild romp told in a can't-look-away-from voice, Aces Wild is packed with internet friend hijinks and ace representation galore!
Named to the TAYSHAS Reading List
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 13, 2022
157 people are currently reading
10566 people want to read
About the author
Amanda DeWitt
4 books293 followersAmanda DeWitt is an author and librarian, ensuring that she spends as much time as books as possible. She also enjoys Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragon-ing, and also writing, just not whatever it is she really should be writing. She graduated from the University of South Florida with a Masters in Information and Library Science. She lives in Clearwater, Florida with her dogs, cats, and assortment of chickens. Aces Wild: A Heist is her debut novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 944 reviews
Want to read
July 7, 2021AN ACE HEIST BOOK ?????? INVOLVING FANDOMS AND A WHOLE CAST OF ACE CHARACTERS ?????? y'all i'm crying i need this book RIGHT NOW
Want to read
July 7, 2021“modern asexual Kaz Brekker” + “crew of ace teens” + “Las Vegas heist” = I NEED THIS IN MY HANDS NOW
dnf
April 12, 2022me? crying about the fact that we're getting a whole cast of ace characters? absolutely not. why would you think that...
January 10, 2024
When Jack's mom is arrested for organized crime, teenage Jack leaves his boarding school on the east coast to return to his family's casino in Las Vegas. There Jack decides he wants to get back at the man who put his mom away, rival casino owner Carlevaro. He enlists the help of his friends online, all five of them are asexual teens who met in a chatroom.
I'm really not sure how you can write . All of the characters except the older sisters were unbearably annoying and yet all somehow lacked personality at the same time.
I feel very strongly that ace representation matters in books, but I honestly felt that the author loved the idea of a Vegas book with the title "Aces Wild" and so the characters were all made ace as well. Which is fine, but then we never really delved into the nuance of what that meant. You could remove the fact that all the characters in this book were ace and it wouldn't change the plot at all, and to me that does a disservice to the ace community.
This was originally a two star read for me but thinking about all these things and more tipped it over the edge to a one star review. That and I heard about the book originally using hearing aides instead of airpods as a plot device and was genuinely horrified.
I'm really not sure how you can write . All of the characters except the older sisters were unbearably annoying and yet all somehow lacked personality at the same time.
I feel very strongly that ace representation matters in books, but I honestly felt that the author loved the idea of a Vegas book with the title "Aces Wild" and so the characters were all made ace as well. Which is fine, but then we never really delved into the nuance of what that meant. You could remove the fact that all the characters in this book were ace and it wouldn't change the plot at all, and to me that does a disservice to the ace community.
This was originally a two star read for me but thinking about all these things and more tipped it over the edge to a one star review. That and I heard about the book originally using hearing aides instead of airpods as a plot device and was genuinely horrified.
September 27, 2022
When I saw that Aces Wild follows a group of asexual people partaking in a heist, I just knew I had to read it. The amount of books I’ve read with asexual representation is still much lower than I would like, so I’m always looking to read more. And how could anyone resist that gorgeous cover? While Aces Wild might not have been exactly what I was expecting, I did still enjoy it!
I thought the plot of Aces Wild was entertaining and made for a quick and fun read. I hadn’t read many stories with a family quite like Jack’s before, so I thought it was interesting to see how all of that drama played out. The heist itself was more a gathering of information to help prove Jack’s mom had been set up, but regardless, I was always curious about what would happen or which clue would be revealed next.
The author did a great job of describing the scenery. I had a clear picture of Las Vegas and each casino the crew ventured to. I’ve never been to a casino or Las Vegas before, but I could practically hear the sounds of the slot machines and the card tables as the characters described their surroundings. The writing itself was also clean and effective, so I had no issues with that.
My biggest complaint is about the characters. I was so, so excited to see an all-ace cast of characters, but unfortunately, most of them fell flat. Each of the characters were very surface level, and we never actually learned all that much about them aside from a few facts about their time together online or where they’re from. Even the relationship between Jack and Remy, which was the most developed connection in the book, still lacked depth.
I also wish asexuality had been discussed more. It was stated several times that each member of the group was ace and that it’s a spectrum, but we were never really shown that. I know this wasn’t a book designed to educate people on asexuality, but this would have been the perfect opportunity to showcase just how varied asexuality can be. With so few books that shine a lot on the different parts of the ace spectrum, I had high hopes that this one would really demonstrate that.
One positive note about the asexual representation was Jack’s point of view. In a lot of the ace books I’ve seen, the characters are always repulsed by sex and make it seem like all asexual people are. I like that Jack didn’t have that mentality. Instead, he simply seemed uninterested in it himself. This is the kind of variation I want to see more of. I just wish it had gone even further than that, especially in regards to the other characters.
Even so, I have to give this book props for including the representation that it did. We had all of the asexual characters of course, an aro-ace character, a non-binary character, and more. I think Aces Wild is definitely a great starting point for more asexual representation, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
While I did have some issues with Aces Wild, I will definitely check out what the author does next, because her writing was solid, and I enjoyed the plot. Honestly, I flew through this book in one or two sittings, so it was definitely engaging.
I would still recommend Aces Wild, especially if you’re aware going in that the story is more focused on plot and less on developing the characters. If I had known that, I feel I definitely would have liked it more. All in all though, I’m not disappointed I read it and I did enjoy it!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
I thought the plot of Aces Wild was entertaining and made for a quick and fun read. I hadn’t read many stories with a family quite like Jack’s before, so I thought it was interesting to see how all of that drama played out. The heist itself was more a gathering of information to help prove Jack’s mom had been set up, but regardless, I was always curious about what would happen or which clue would be revealed next.
The author did a great job of describing the scenery. I had a clear picture of Las Vegas and each casino the crew ventured to. I’ve never been to a casino or Las Vegas before, but I could practically hear the sounds of the slot machines and the card tables as the characters described their surroundings. The writing itself was also clean and effective, so I had no issues with that.
My biggest complaint is about the characters. I was so, so excited to see an all-ace cast of characters, but unfortunately, most of them fell flat. Each of the characters were very surface level, and we never actually learned all that much about them aside from a few facts about their time together online or where they’re from. Even the relationship between Jack and Remy, which was the most developed connection in the book, still lacked depth.
I also wish asexuality had been discussed more. It was stated several times that each member of the group was ace and that it’s a spectrum, but we were never really shown that. I know this wasn’t a book designed to educate people on asexuality, but this would have been the perfect opportunity to showcase just how varied asexuality can be. With so few books that shine a lot on the different parts of the ace spectrum, I had high hopes that this one would really demonstrate that.
One positive note about the asexual representation was Jack’s point of view. In a lot of the ace books I’ve seen, the characters are always repulsed by sex and make it seem like all asexual people are. I like that Jack didn’t have that mentality. Instead, he simply seemed uninterested in it himself. This is the kind of variation I want to see more of. I just wish it had gone even further than that, especially in regards to the other characters.
Even so, I have to give this book props for including the representation that it did. We had all of the asexual characters of course, an aro-ace character, a non-binary character, and more. I think Aces Wild is definitely a great starting point for more asexual representation, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
While I did have some issues with Aces Wild, I will definitely check out what the author does next, because her writing was solid, and I enjoyed the plot. Honestly, I flew through this book in one or two sittings, so it was definitely engaging.
I would still recommend Aces Wild, especially if you’re aware going in that the story is more focused on plot and less on developing the characters. If I had known that, I feel I definitely would have liked it more. All in all though, I’m not disappointed I read it and I did enjoy it!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Read
September 2, 2022Alrighty, let's chat.
If you say you're going to fix a problem, fix it completely. I'm really hoping that this is just something that is in the advanced listener copy of the audiobook but the supposed fixes for the ableist language was kind of half-assed. Now I went and redownloaded the e-book Arc I had and they did actually totally change the scene to an AirPod with an mp3 player and there's no ADA discussions etc. I need that conversation in the audiobook because then we're good to go. Obviously I won't know if that has been changed until publication and someone can listen to the full audio, but as of now the ALC of this book is not fully changed.
Moving on, I liked this book. This works a lot better for me in audiobook format versus ebook. I think that this is a personal preference of mine and doesn't really reflect on the story itself. The narrator did a great job and I really loved them. I loved the group of five aces and the spy kid ask adventure they're going on to help save Jack's mom, but it was all just a little lackluster for me. It felt like they're promising a heist but it's not really a heist. I also think that the ending was both rushed and tied up a little too neatly for me.
That being said, having five, count them FIVE, asexual characters in a book was amazing. It literally healed my soul hearing them all talk about their aceness. I loves that we got both romantic asexuals and aromantic asexuals. Asexuality is a spectrum!
This is definitely a book that I'm going to recommend on the caveat that the audiobook is fixed upon publication, because I think that having that asexual representation is so important. It isn't my favorite book but it was a fun read for sure.
Update! Just got approved for an alc through netgalley and I'm gonna give it another shot. The ableism has supposedly been addressed and I'm hoping the audio can hold my attention better than the ebook.
(Original review)
Officially DNFing this it it hurts me to do so. As an ace person, I was thrilled to see a book with 5 asexual MCs, but honestly it's just boring. I've also seen multiple reviews now about the ableism within and it's not a book I'm willing to endorse or waste time on.
To be honest, I started this in April, got a few chapters in and then forgot all about it so good riddance.
We shouldn't allow a book to be praised for having one type of representation while shitting on and being discriminatory/problematic to another type of rep.
If you say you're going to fix a problem, fix it completely. I'm really hoping that this is just something that is in the advanced listener copy of the audiobook but the supposed fixes for the ableist language was kind of half-assed. Now I went and redownloaded the e-book Arc I had and they did actually totally change the scene to an AirPod with an mp3 player and there's no ADA discussions etc. I need that conversation in the audiobook because then we're good to go. Obviously I won't know if that has been changed until publication and someone can listen to the full audio, but as of now the ALC of this book is not fully changed.
Moving on, I liked this book. This works a lot better for me in audiobook format versus ebook. I think that this is a personal preference of mine and doesn't really reflect on the story itself. The narrator did a great job and I really loved them. I loved the group of five aces and the spy kid ask adventure they're going on to help save Jack's mom, but it was all just a little lackluster for me. It felt like they're promising a heist but it's not really a heist. I also think that the ending was both rushed and tied up a little too neatly for me.
That being said, having five, count them FIVE, asexual characters in a book was amazing. It literally healed my soul hearing them all talk about their aceness. I loves that we got both romantic asexuals and aromantic asexuals. Asexuality is a spectrum!
This is definitely a book that I'm going to recommend on the caveat that the audiobook is fixed upon publication, because I think that having that asexual representation is so important. It isn't my favorite book but it was a fun read for sure.
Update! Just got approved for an alc through netgalley and I'm gonna give it another shot. The ableism has supposedly been addressed and I'm hoping the audio can hold my attention better than the ebook.
(Original review)
Officially DNFing this it it hurts me to do so. As an ace person, I was thrilled to see a book with 5 asexual MCs, but honestly it's just boring. I've also seen multiple reviews now about the ableism within and it's not a book I'm willing to endorse or waste time on.
To be honest, I started this in April, got a few chapters in and then forgot all about it so good riddance.
We shouldn't allow a book to be praised for having one type of representation while shitting on and being discriminatory/problematic to another type of rep.
April 24, 2022
Buddy read with Ishika and Ash 💖💖
Arc provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review
☆彡 ☆ミ Synopsis
"My name is Jack Shannon, and this is not a love story. It’s a confession."
Jack Shannon son of a Las Vegas casino mogul runs a secret blackjack ring in his school’s basement. His mom gets arrested for their family’s ties to organized crime. Everyone knows his mom was sold out by Peter Carlevaro: rival casino owner ex-lover
"Peter Carlevaro were also not a love story, as much as Peter wanted to believe they were. She was a casino heiress, and he was a crime boss’s son, brought together by their fathers’ friendship. To Peter, the medieval idea of marrying the two families together was obvious. To Aileen, less so."
He recruits his group of asexual online friends he met through forums and together they will infiltrate Peter's casino while... easier said than done!
☆彡 ☆ミ Plot
"If anyone was going to fix this, it should be me. At least, I was the only person who seemed interested in doing anything besides damage control. Personally, I was a little more interested in doing some damage.
The plot ... it's not a heist and the Six of Crows comparison has no right being there (sorry). It's not what I would call a heist story. Most of the time, it felt like it wasn't taking itself seriously enough and it felt... shallow and mediocre at best. I also lost interest in the middle and was just there for the characters.
☆彡 ☆ミ Characters
"Call it Internet addiction or call it fate, but they had a knack for being online when I needed them to be."
THE MOST RELATABLE GROUP OF CHAOTIC ONLINE FRIEND GROUP OMG!! I feel so seen and represented by this friend group because of the queer reps, dynamics and dry humour!!
"[georgia]: he’s so acute
[jack]: guys don’t be obtuse
[remy]: no she’s . . . right . . . angle."
I happen to be lucky to have a very very similar online friend group to the one in here and all I can see is that we need so much more online friend representation in books to make jobless people like me feel less alone for talking to strangers on the internet and spilling our guts at them.
"My friends weren’t just my casual Internet acquaintances anymore. After a year, we’d definitely transitioned into spill-your-guts-at-three-in-the-morning friends"
They're so funny, entertaining, and diverse!! They even have inside jokes similar to mine I wonder if one of my online friends wrote this lol.
☆彡 ☆ミ Writing
"Risk and reward, I reminded myself. In this town, you didn’t have one without the other."
The writing felt very light (more than my taste for a heist book with criminal families) and it felt... kind of middle grade at points. But it was super funny a lot of the times.
☆彡 ☆ミ Conclusion
❌Plot
✔️Characters
🆗✔️Writing
--------------------------------
Rating system
❌= I did not like it
🆗= It was ok, I have nothing against but it doesn't stand out
✔️ = It was great and I wouldn't change anything about it
❌🆗 = Somewhere between I did not like it and ok
🆗✔️= Somewhere between ok and great
Find this review and others on my blog
Arc provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review
☆彡 ☆ミ Synopsis
"My name is Jack Shannon, and this is not a love story. It’s a confession."
Jack Shannon son of a Las Vegas casino mogul runs a secret blackjack ring in his school’s basement. His mom gets arrested for their family’s ties to organized crime. Everyone knows his mom was sold out by Peter Carlevaro: rival casino owner ex-lover
"Peter Carlevaro were also not a love story, as much as Peter wanted to believe they were. She was a casino heiress, and he was a crime boss’s son, brought together by their fathers’ friendship. To Peter, the medieval idea of marrying the two families together was obvious. To Aileen, less so."
He recruits his group of asexual online friends he met through forums and together they will infiltrate Peter's casino while... easier said than done!
☆彡 ☆ミ Plot
"If anyone was going to fix this, it should be me. At least, I was the only person who seemed interested in doing anything besides damage control. Personally, I was a little more interested in doing some damage.
The plot ... it's not a heist and the Six of Crows comparison has no right being there (sorry). It's not what I would call a heist story. Most of the time, it felt like it wasn't taking itself seriously enough and it felt... shallow and mediocre at best. I also lost interest in the middle and was just there for the characters.
☆彡 ☆ミ Characters
"Call it Internet addiction or call it fate, but they had a knack for being online when I needed them to be."
THE MOST RELATABLE GROUP OF CHAOTIC ONLINE FRIEND GROUP OMG!! I feel so seen and represented by this friend group because of the queer reps, dynamics and dry humour!!
"[georgia]: he’s so acute
[jack]: guys don’t be obtuse
[remy]: no she’s . . . right . . . angle."
I happen to be lucky to have a very very similar online friend group to the one in here and all I can see is that we need so much more online friend representation in books to make jobless people like me feel less alone for talking to strangers on the internet and spilling our guts at them.
"My friends weren’t just my casual Internet acquaintances anymore. After a year, we’d definitely transitioned into spill-your-guts-at-three-in-the-morning friends"
They're so funny, entertaining, and diverse!! They even have inside jokes similar to mine I wonder if one of my online friends wrote this lol.
☆彡 ☆ミ Writing
"Risk and reward, I reminded myself. In this town, you didn’t have one without the other."
The writing felt very light (more than my taste for a heist book with criminal families) and it felt... kind of middle grade at points. But it was super funny a lot of the times.
☆彡 ☆ミ Conclusion
❌Plot
✔️Characters
🆗✔️Writing
--------------------------------
Rating system
❌= I did not like it
🆗= It was ok, I have nothing against but it doesn't stand out
✔️ = It was great and I wouldn't change anything about it
❌🆗 = Somewhere between I did not like it and ok
🆗✔️= Somewhere between ok and great
Find this review and others on my blog
June 24, 2022
I really liked the start of this story, but my enthusiasm faded after a few chapters. The writing was okay, Jack was okay, Remy was nice, the asexual friends' group was nice, the rep was okay, but furthermore?
I had a couple of issues with the story. At times, the writing was action-packed, but nothing really happened. There was a lot of (ridiculous) spying, but that’s it. Somehow the book felt more MG than YA to me.
Furthermore, I really loved to read a story with mainly asexual teens (I’m more and more accepting that I’m demi/graysexual). And then ace gets explained as ‘the lack of sexual attraction’. And that’s it. What about demi or gray? What about the teen’s journeys in finding out they were ace?
Last but not least, I felt that I didn’t really get to know the friends' group. They were ace, aro-ace, or non-binary, or …, I knew their age, where they came from, and that was … it? It just felt very one-dimensional to me.
Other people might feel different. Therefore, please check out other reviews if you’re thinking of reading this story.
In the end, I rounded up my rating to three stars because of the diverse rep and because I liked the writing.
I received an ARC from Peachtree Teen and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I had a couple of issues with the story. At times, the writing was action-packed, but nothing really happened. There was a lot of (ridiculous) spying, but that’s it. Somehow the book felt more MG than YA to me.
Furthermore, I really loved to read a story with mainly asexual teens (I’m more and more accepting that I’m demi/graysexual). And then ace gets explained as ‘the lack of sexual attraction’. And that’s it. What about demi or gray? What about the teen’s journeys in finding out they were ace?
Last but not least, I felt that I didn’t really get to know the friends' group. They were ace, aro-ace, or non-binary, or …, I knew their age, where they came from, and that was … it? It just felt very one-dimensional to me.
Other people might feel different. Therefore, please check out other reviews if you’re thinking of reading this story.
In the end, I rounded up my rating to three stars because of the diverse rep and because I liked the writing.
I received an ARC from Peachtree Teen and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 10, 2025
#️⃣3️⃣3️⃣6️⃣Read & Reviewed in 2025 🌀🌊💠
Date : 📬 Thursday, July 10, 2025 🫧🛌
Word Count📃: 86k Words 🛢️✈️
𝜗𝜚⋆₊˚ 💧🥏🩻 ‹𝟹 𓇢𓆸 𓂂 𓇼˚｡ •
ʚ(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )ɞ My 20th read in "Why is Lorde's latest album so bad" 🩻 July
3️⃣🌟, not the representation im looking for
——————————————————————
➕➖0️⃣1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣🔟✖️➗
Thank you @As_You_Wish for the buddy read 😚 (its a bit bad tho)
So for this book i have a very very high expectation but it didn't really meet it. it was extremely underwhelming for me. There was this conversation all about asexuality and aromanticism and there's this really hectic adventure of going through a casino and trying to pinpoint the organized crime of your uncle and trying to put him in jail. But the thing is that what's this book down or the dialog in the conversations which are funny but is too shallow and doesn't relate to the mentioned topics, they're kinda just going on with it, doing whatever, silly convos online and offline. It's good for a middle grade book but for this one that boasts such profound insightful ideas on their topics but it certainly failed to reach any of those points.
plus for a book that literally has the word "heist" in the title...
WHY IS THERE NO FUCKING HEIST 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 THEY'RE JUST GAMBLING & HAVIN FUN & HAVIN DISCUSSIONS ON HOW THEY'RE AROMANTIC ASEXUAL BUT WHERE IS THE HEIST IN HERE????????????? I MEAN THERE'S THE UNCLE THAT THEY WANT TO PUT IN JAIL WHO'S DOING AN ORGANIZED CRIME IN A GAMBLING FACILITY BUT...really where's the heist in there? The least this is is a thriller.
This book has the diagnosis of "trying to do too much at the same time but at the end it just ends up being extremely underwritten for all the subjects and topics that it tries to expand about". Heist, Aroace representation, Family Dynamics, Online & offline friends and many more. It's trying to write too many things at the same time that it becomes messy.
Date : 📬 Thursday, July 10, 2025 🫧🛌
Word Count📃: 86k Words 🛢️✈️
𝜗𝜚⋆₊˚ 💧🥏🩻 ‹𝟹 𓇢𓆸 𓂂 𓇼˚｡ •
ʚ(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )ɞ My 20th read in "Why is Lorde's latest album so bad" 🩻 July
3️⃣🌟, not the representation im looking for
——————————————————————
➕➖0️⃣1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣🔟✖️➗
Thank you @As_You_Wish for the buddy read 😚 (its a bit bad tho)
So for this book i have a very very high expectation but it didn't really meet it. it was extremely underwhelming for me. There was this conversation all about asexuality and aromanticism and there's this really hectic adventure of going through a casino and trying to pinpoint the organized crime of your uncle and trying to put him in jail. But the thing is that what's this book down or the dialog in the conversations which are funny but is too shallow and doesn't relate to the mentioned topics, they're kinda just going on with it, doing whatever, silly convos online and offline. It's good for a middle grade book but for this one that boasts such profound insightful ideas on their topics but it certainly failed to reach any of those points.
plus for a book that literally has the word "heist" in the title...
WHY IS THERE NO FUCKING HEIST 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 THEY'RE JUST GAMBLING & HAVIN FUN & HAVIN DISCUSSIONS ON HOW THEY'RE AROMANTIC ASEXUAL BUT WHERE IS THE HEIST IN HERE????????????? I MEAN THERE'S THE UNCLE THAT THEY WANT TO PUT IN JAIL WHO'S DOING AN ORGANIZED CRIME IN A GAMBLING FACILITY BUT...really where's the heist in there? The least this is is a thriller.
This book has the diagnosis of "trying to do too much at the same time but at the end it just ends up being extremely underwritten for all the subjects and topics that it tries to expand about". Heist, Aroace representation, Family Dynamics, Online & offline friends and many more. It's trying to write too many things at the same time that it becomes messy.
Read
May 24, 2022Definitely check out this book if you’re looking for a cast of ace characters sneaking around Vegas
September 2, 2023
Really appreciated the ace representation (when do we ever get any real rep, amirite?) but besides that, there wasn't much there for me to care about. Neither the story nor the characters felt particularly fleshed out or thought-through. Overall, it was just a bit disappointing and somewhat boring.
May 3, 2022
3rd may~lowered rating to 2.5 stars👀
14th april~lowered rating to 3.25-3.5 stars
13th April
i definitely enjoyed it but it was more about friendships and bonds rather than heists
review to come closer to release date!
buddy read with ishika and elena! 💕
3.75 ⭐
Goodreads | My blog | Storygraph | Pinterest | Instagram
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I'M SCREAMING I GOT AN E-ARC SGHSJDGHSKJDGHLDSH
asexual teens committing heists is #lifegoals tbh
according to the author on twitter this has
-five very chaotic asexual teens
-aromantic and nonbinary darlings
-messy family (found & my blood)
-arthurian myths
- h e i s t s
(br with ishika! <3)
prereview written 13th april 2022
14th april~lowered rating to 3.25-3.5 stars
13th April
i definitely enjoyed it but it was more about friendships and bonds rather than heists
review to come closer to release date!
buddy read with ishika and elena! 💕
3.75 ⭐
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----
I'M SCREAMING I GOT AN E-ARC SGHSJDGHSKJDGHLDSH
asexual teens committing heists is #lifegoals tbh
according to the author on twitter this has
-five very chaotic asexual teens
-aromantic and nonbinary darlings
-messy family (found & my blood)
-arthurian myths
- h e i s t s
(br with ishika! <3)
prereview written 13th april 2022
May 17, 2022
“My name is Jack Shannon, and this is not a love story. It’s a confession.”
→ 3 stars
The concept of this book was really great. However, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. This was advertised as a story about a heist, but there really wasn’t much of a heist. I did love that this book was about a group of asexual teenagers and found family. This was a pretty cute read, but I was a bit disappointed.
I felt like there wasn’t much depth to the characters, and I didn’t really care for the main character, Jack. I loved the other characters, but I felt like it wasn’t realistic that all of the characters were so skilled, and that a group of teenagers could get away with a “heist”. I also felt like I didn’t know much about the other characters, since the story was mostly focused on Jack.
I really loved the concept, but I didn’t really care for the overall execution of this story.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
→ 3 stars
The concept of this book was really great. However, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. This was advertised as a story about a heist, but there really wasn’t much of a heist. I did love that this book was about a group of asexual teenagers and found family. This was a pretty cute read, but I was a bit disappointed.
I felt like there wasn’t much depth to the characters, and I didn’t really care for the main character, Jack. I loved the other characters, but I felt like it wasn’t realistic that all of the characters were so skilled, and that a group of teenagers could get away with a “heist”. I also felt like I didn’t know much about the other characters, since the story was mostly focused on Jack.
I really loved the concept, but I didn’t really care for the overall execution of this story.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
May 26, 2022
thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc!
aces wild: a heist is pitched as six of crows going to las vegas, featuring a cast of all asexual main characters. the main issue with this book is that it is not a heist novel. it’s a book about friendship and family that has a vague crime subplot.
what aces wild does well is writing its friendships. there’s no doubt that the crew cares for each other deeply despite living hundreds of miles away from each other. jack’s relationship with his family is also pretty well done— we know that everything jack does is for his family’s well being, despite the fact that he doesn’t necessarily get along with them. the ace rep in this book is also well done, as it explores what it means to be an ace teenager and have a crush and how being ace can impact relationships with your family.
that being said, the book fails to deliver on its main premise. there is no heist, unless you count a few teenagers illegally hanging out in an underground casino and eavesdropping as one. there are almost no stakes for this “heist” either. we know that jack wants to get his mom out of jail by getting back at the conman who put her there. however, it’s never explained how jack’s revenge will free his mom, making it impossible for the reader to really care about the crew’s success. this plan isn’t very well thought out either. granted, the “brains” of the operation is a precocious 14 year old, who is consistently kept in the dark about jack’s true motivations. in fact, all of jack’s friends have one main character trait that defines them— remy is the cool nonbinary love interest, gabe is the worldly older brother who gives great advice that he refuses to follow himself, georgia has a good memory, and lucky, at the ripe age of fourteen and a half, can hack into casino security systems. jack’s siblings are also written flatly— i could not tell you the difference between his sisters, only that they’re exasperated with him. because these characters are so flat, the climax falls flat as well. the final showdown was underwhelming and the ending unsatisfactory.
overall, this book seemed juvenile. it had a lot of potential but i felt like it was written for diversity points at the expense of an intriguing plot and fleshed out characters. that being said, i do want to acknowledge that i appreciated the ace representation in a book that wasn’t about a romance.
aces wild: a heist is pitched as six of crows going to las vegas, featuring a cast of all asexual main characters. the main issue with this book is that it is not a heist novel. it’s a book about friendship and family that has a vague crime subplot.
what aces wild does well is writing its friendships. there’s no doubt that the crew cares for each other deeply despite living hundreds of miles away from each other. jack’s relationship with his family is also pretty well done— we know that everything jack does is for his family’s well being, despite the fact that he doesn’t necessarily get along with them. the ace rep in this book is also well done, as it explores what it means to be an ace teenager and have a crush and how being ace can impact relationships with your family.
that being said, the book fails to deliver on its main premise. there is no heist, unless you count a few teenagers illegally hanging out in an underground casino and eavesdropping as one. there are almost no stakes for this “heist” either. we know that jack wants to get his mom out of jail by getting back at the conman who put her there. however, it’s never explained how jack’s revenge will free his mom, making it impossible for the reader to really care about the crew’s success. this plan isn’t very well thought out either. granted, the “brains” of the operation is a precocious 14 year old, who is consistently kept in the dark about jack’s true motivations. in fact, all of jack’s friends have one main character trait that defines them— remy is the cool nonbinary love interest, gabe is the worldly older brother who gives great advice that he refuses to follow himself, georgia has a good memory, and lucky, at the ripe age of fourteen and a half, can hack into casino security systems. jack’s siblings are also written flatly— i could not tell you the difference between his sisters, only that they’re exasperated with him. because these characters are so flat, the climax falls flat as well. the final showdown was underwhelming and the ending unsatisfactory.
overall, this book seemed juvenile. it had a lot of potential but i felt like it was written for diversity points at the expense of an intriguing plot and fleshed out characters. that being said, i do want to acknowledge that i appreciated the ace representation in a book that wasn’t about a romance.
April 17, 2022
i had an EXCELLENT time with this one
gonna start by saying there was not a ton of heisting but the heisting that did happen felt very on-par with, you know, a collection of contemporary teenagers who've never done this before lksjf
my favorite aspect was the whole meeting-internet-friends-in-person one it made me so happy and i loved the group's dynamic so so much! they were so close and also had all the traditional trappings such as the oldest being 18 and all the others (mostly 17) constantly teasing him about being ancient i kept laughing not necessarily bc it was funny but bc it was so familiar.
also they are ALL ACE which! first of all i'm still flabbergasted as to how this even got published but also meant we got relatable gems such as "i don't see how anyone has time for sexual attraction" and the aroace member of the group being the one to dispense relationship advice.
honestly online friend group + overwhelming number of aces just gave me lots of awip feels yknow.
the voice was also refreshingly unique and i really liked the sarcastic narration style and all of jack's little side commentary. it was enjoyable to read and made me laugh!
i also liked jack's relationship with his sisters and his complicated feelings towards his parents! his development and voice overall felt very "teenager thinks he's slick (even though he's largely not) but also he's rly insecure and needs therapy and has to try really hard to keep up a front" which was so nice and definitely "i know people like that"
gonna start by saying there was not a ton of heisting but the heisting that did happen felt very on-par with, you know, a collection of contemporary teenagers who've never done this before lksjf
my favorite aspect was the whole meeting-internet-friends-in-person one it made me so happy and i loved the group's dynamic so so much! they were so close and also had all the traditional trappings such as the oldest being 18 and all the others (mostly 17) constantly teasing him about being ancient i kept laughing not necessarily bc it was funny but bc it was so familiar.
also they are ALL ACE which! first of all i'm still flabbergasted as to how this even got published but also meant we got relatable gems such as "i don't see how anyone has time for sexual attraction" and the aroace member of the group being the one to dispense relationship advice.
honestly online friend group + overwhelming number of aces just gave me lots of awip feels yknow.
the voice was also refreshingly unique and i really liked the sarcastic narration style and all of jack's little side commentary. it was enjoyable to read and made me laugh!
i also liked jack's relationship with his sisters and his complicated feelings towards his parents! his development and voice overall felt very "teenager thinks he's slick (even though he's largely not) but also he's rly insecure and needs therapy and has to try really hard to keep up a front" which was so nice and definitely "i know people like that"
April 20, 2022
Yeah be gay do crime is cool but be ace pull off a heist is a whole new level!!
Did I like this book because the plot was good or did I like it because the main characters were ace? We'll never know I guess, does it make a difference? Absolutely not.
It was a fun read and I enjoyed it enough to read it in only a few days. I was expecting so much from it and it didn't disappoint!
Sure it was YA, so the writing wasn't the best and it could have been a bit deeper, but the characters were genuinely interesting and the heist was well done too. The plot was predictable I'm not gonna lie I knew what was going to happen right from the beginning but it's not that bothering.
I fell in love with all the main characters, and I'm kinda glad they acted like actual teenagers, made mistakes and did stupid things. Their friendship was the best part of the book, I have so many friends I've met on the Internet who live far away and I related way too much with the gang. The take on asexuality was nice too, because it wasn't part of the plot, it was just a thing the characters had in common but it wasn't their whole personnality. I'm glad there was a bit of love too tho, because what can I say I'm a romantic.
I just have to say it has kinda nothing to do with Six of Crows so maybe some of my expectations were a bit too high but it was a good enough book in itself.
Did I like this book because the plot was good or did I like it because the main characters were ace? We'll never know I guess, does it make a difference? Absolutely not.
It was a fun read and I enjoyed it enough to read it in only a few days. I was expecting so much from it and it didn't disappoint!
Sure it was YA, so the writing wasn't the best and it could have been a bit deeper, but the characters were genuinely interesting and the heist was well done too. The plot was predictable I'm not gonna lie I knew what was going to happen right from the beginning but it's not that bothering.
I fell in love with all the main characters, and I'm kinda glad they acted like actual teenagers, made mistakes and did stupid things. Their friendship was the best part of the book, I have so many friends I've met on the Internet who live far away and I related way too much with the gang. The take on asexuality was nice too, because it wasn't part of the plot, it was just a thing the characters had in common but it wasn't their whole personnality. I'm glad there was a bit of love too tho, because what can I say I'm a romantic.
I just have to say it has kinda nothing to do with Six of Crows so maybe some of my expectations were a bit too high but it was a good enough book in itself.
November 29, 2022
3.5 stars!
September 11, 2022
I received an ARC from Edelweiss
TW:
4.3
As a chronically online asexual with a love of far fetched mystery/heists and friend group centric books, this was for me and I loved it! I will say, it's less focused on actual heisting than a heist-y atmosphere and friend goals, but that's not to say it doesn't deliver.
This book is actually really cute, and, better yet, super affirming. The friendship is not only wonderful to see, but really realistic to teens forming ties solely online. Seeing groups like this find each other than then come together in person is such a dream, I always love to see it play out, and I especially loved how it was done here.
But by also showing this diverse group of aspec people, you get great conversations and casual representation for identities that rarely get good- or any- representation! It was lovely to see, and I left feeling affirmed and positive about representation in the future.
It's also a feat that not only did DeWitt get a great sampling of identities through out the a-spectrum without it feeling shoe horned or overly emphasized, but she also managed to keep them all distinct, something that's hard even without having to focus on varying identities. These characters all felt strong, fun, and they made a real unit.
Beyond the romance itself being great, which I was hoping for but not exactly hopeful, I wasn't expecting much from the romance, but was surprised by it being wonderful. I loved the romance here so much! It helps that the characters are, again, distinct with vivid personality, but the chemistry itself and the way Jack's feelings are explored and discovered is really, really well done.
I've seen some complaints about the pacing, but it didn't actually bother me. The thing is, this is more of a story of friends and character arcs, than stealing anything. And the time given allows important change and understanding for Jack, which managed to gt nailed due to not rushing through it.
Though, yes, as a heist, it's really slow. I sort of wish it wasn't billed as a heist so you weren't holding your breath for the plan to be put into action the whole time- I think it's the waiting and expectation that messed with some reading experiences. This is not a fast paced story by any mean, nor a story with that many daring hijinks.
This story is also a little cliche- it's not the most original thing at its bones, and it gleefully plays with lots of tropes of the heisting genre. But I don't think that's a bad thing. What isn't cliche? And getting to turn heisting stories into a sandpit and have some fun with it seems to be the main point of the story, anyway.
Is this a breakthrough, genius novel everyone will love? No. But is it great aspec rep, well written, full of queer friendship and love, and a lot of fun? Absolutely cannot overstate it.
Pre-review comments below
A heist pulled off by an entirely ace cast....
I don't want to get my hopes up too much but I am 👀👀 intrigued 👀
TW:
4.3
As a chronically online asexual with a love of far fetched mystery/heists and friend group centric books, this was for me and I loved it! I will say, it's less focused on actual heisting than a heist-y atmosphere and friend goals, but that's not to say it doesn't deliver.
This book is actually really cute, and, better yet, super affirming. The friendship is not only wonderful to see, but really realistic to teens forming ties solely online. Seeing groups like this find each other than then come together in person is such a dream, I always love to see it play out, and I especially loved how it was done here.
But by also showing this diverse group of aspec people, you get great conversations and casual representation for identities that rarely get good- or any- representation! It was lovely to see, and I left feeling affirmed and positive about representation in the future.
It's also a feat that not only did DeWitt get a great sampling of identities through out the a-spectrum without it feeling shoe horned or overly emphasized, but she also managed to keep them all distinct, something that's hard even without having to focus on varying identities. These characters all felt strong, fun, and they made a real unit.
Beyond the romance itself being great, which I was hoping for but not exactly hopeful, I wasn't expecting much from the romance, but was surprised by it being wonderful. I loved the romance here so much! It helps that the characters are, again, distinct with vivid personality, but the chemistry itself and the way Jack's feelings are explored and discovered is really, really well done.
I've seen some complaints about the pacing, but it didn't actually bother me. The thing is, this is more of a story of friends and character arcs, than stealing anything. And the time given allows important change and understanding for Jack, which managed to gt nailed due to not rushing through it.
Though, yes, as a heist, it's really slow. I sort of wish it wasn't billed as a heist so you weren't holding your breath for the plan to be put into action the whole time- I think it's the waiting and expectation that messed with some reading experiences. This is not a fast paced story by any mean, nor a story with that many daring hijinks.
This story is also a little cliche- it's not the most original thing at its bones, and it gleefully plays with lots of tropes of the heisting genre. But I don't think that's a bad thing. What isn't cliche? And getting to turn heisting stories into a sandpit and have some fun with it seems to be the main point of the story, anyway.
Is this a breakthrough, genius novel everyone will love? No. But is it great aspec rep, well written, full of queer friendship and love, and a lot of fun? Absolutely cannot overstate it.
Pre-review comments below
A heist pulled off by an entirely ace cast....
I don't want to get my hopes up too much but I am 👀👀 intrigued 👀
May 2, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Publishing for an arc of this book! This was cute but my main issue is the actual heist is in the last 50 pages, I wish that storyline could’ve been expanded on more. I also really didn’t like Jack, I just felt he wasn’t as developed as a character as well as all of the other characters
Want to read
July 7, 2021NOT JUST ONE, BUT AN ENTIRE CREW OF ACES??? AND ON A HEIST??? TO SAY IM EXCITED WOULD BE A MASSIVE UNDERSTATEMENT
August 2, 2022
**UPDATE 8/2/22: The ableist plot point has been removed! According to the publisher, the first edition hardcover, audiobook, and e-book will all reflect the change. I downloaded an updated eARC and looked through a few major places where the issue originally came up - with the change, the characters modify an AirPod instead of a hearing aid, and the main character doesn't pretend to be hard of hearing. In light of this, I'm increasing my rating to three stars. While I'm still disappointed that the issue was there in the first place, I'm glad that it's been addressed and that all finished copies will incorporate the change. I'm leaving my original review below for full transparency.
Original review 7/28/22: Biggest thing first, and the main reason I can't give this over two stars: as part of the heist, our main character steals his sister's old hearing aid, repurposes it as a microphone, and pretends to be hard of hearing in order to use it without suspicion. I don't even know where to start with that. Faking a disability is bad. Taking someone else's assistive device, even one they're not actively using, is bad. Modifying that assistive device to the point that it's probably no longer usable for its intended purpose is bad. And hearing aids are ridiculously expensive. It's just all bad. And none of this is ever challenged or even addressed beyond half a sentence where it occurs to the main character that his sister will probably be mad that he went through her stuff. There are absolutely other ways this could have been written in order to achieve the same result. On top of all that, the sister being hard of hearing is never once brought up in any other context, despite her appearing quite a few times throughout the book, so it's just entirely a plot device.
Even without the glaring ableism, I have mixed feelings. Some plot twists were surprises to me, but the biggest ones were glaringly predictable, and not in a way where it's satisfying to see something finally play out like you know it will. The characters were interesting in some ways, but one-dimensional in others. The humor was great - I laughed out loud quite a few times - but that's not enough to make a great book. I'm left feeling underwhelmed and disappointed.
CW: incarceration of a parent, injuries
I recieved an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Original review 7/28/22: Biggest thing first, and the main reason I can't give this over two stars: as part of the heist, our main character steals his sister's old hearing aid, repurposes it as a microphone, and pretends to be hard of hearing in order to use it without suspicion. I don't even know where to start with that. Faking a disability is bad. Taking someone else's assistive device, even one they're not actively using, is bad. Modifying that assistive device to the point that it's probably no longer usable for its intended purpose is bad. And hearing aids are ridiculously expensive. It's just all bad. And none of this is ever challenged or even addressed beyond half a sentence where it occurs to the main character that his sister will probably be mad that he went through her stuff. There are absolutely other ways this could have been written in order to achieve the same result. On top of all that, the sister being hard of hearing is never once brought up in any other context, despite her appearing quite a few times throughout the book, so it's just entirely a plot device.
Even without the glaring ableism, I have mixed feelings. Some plot twists were surprises to me, but the biggest ones were glaringly predictable, and not in a way where it's satisfying to see something finally play out like you know it will. The characters were interesting in some ways, but one-dimensional in others. The humor was great - I laughed out loud quite a few times - but that's not enough to make a great book. I'm left feeling underwhelmed and disappointed.
CW: incarceration of a parent, injuries
I recieved an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 28, 2022
Aces Wild: A Heist is a young adult, bit thriller, and an LGBTQ+. It's a wild ride with a crew of asexual in Las Vegas. The first thing that got me reading this book was casinos, illegal gambling, and the heist. The first few chapter was exciting but I was expecting more of a Heist thingy. The revelation at the end was a bit expected and was a bit confused with some scenes. I think would be better if asexuality was explained more. But i like their chapter headings, so witty! Writing was good, I like the humor and the MC's narration. Overall, I'll rate this book 3.5/5
My name is Jack Shannon, and this is not a love story. It’s a confession.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARCs. I enjoyed reading this one.
#AcesWild:AHeist #NetGalley
My name is Jack Shannon, and this is not a love story. It’s a confession.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARCs. I enjoyed reading this one.
#AcesWild:AHeist #NetGalley
June 10, 2022
As an ace, I was so excited to read this book. Group of asexual friends going on a heist. And it's been compared with “Six of Crows” by my favorite Leigh Bardugo. You've sold that book to me already.
So, the book tells us about Jack, whose mom gets arrested in Las Vegas for her family ties to organized crime. Why did the police arrest her? Because of her ex, Peter, a rival casino owner. So, that's why Jack asks a group of his ace internet friends to come and infiltrate Peter's casino.
This book has an amazing representation of asexuality. I loved all those characters. But, nevertheless, I was really bored with the plot. “Aces Wild” is not really about a heist and you shouldn't compare it with “Six of Crows”. This one is more about internet friends finally meeting for the first time.
I wish we had more books about asexuals, but characters are not enough. In addition to them, we also need an interesting and exciting story.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.
So, the book tells us about Jack, whose mom gets arrested in Las Vegas for her family ties to organized crime. Why did the police arrest her? Because of her ex, Peter, a rival casino owner. So, that's why Jack asks a group of his ace internet friends to come and infiltrate Peter's casino.
This book has an amazing representation of asexuality. I loved all those characters. But, nevertheless, I was really bored with the plot. “Aces Wild” is not really about a heist and you shouldn't compare it with “Six of Crows”. This one is more about internet friends finally meeting for the first time.
I wish we had more books about asexuals, but characters are not enough. In addition to them, we also need an interesting and exciting story.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Want to read
September 9, 2021AN ALL ACE CAST AND A HEIST??? YESSSSSSSSSSS
May 1, 2022
2.5
First of all if you expect a heist there isn't actually one. There's no heist planning or anything with a well-thought plan that a team can soundly execute.
Now that we got out of the way, this book is just drawing on the vibes of ace(sexuality)/ace(card) by having a group of aces hanging out in Las Vegas. And the Las Vegas vibes are top-notch. This wouldn't be a bad thing and quite new as we don't have books where most of the cast is ace. However, this would require the friend group to be interesting. Jack, the lead and narrator, is the only one with some complexity. We meet the friend group in person around 50% in the book and their previous appearances are brief group texts. They're undeveloped as hell which is a shame for a book that marketed this crew this hard. We have: Remy (they/them) the love interest I don't know much about them, Gabe the big aro brother who gives guy talks and is tall, Lucky the kid who is the genius hacker and Georgia who... can count cards really well? Also she had a girlfriend once? We know like two things about them and I forgot that Georgia was there most of the times. The characters too because she's not involved in some key moment.
Jack is his older sister Beth's biggest nightmare and as an older sister I can't even IMAGINE having to deal with him. She does her best to accommodate his needs and he runs off without thinking to create chaos. I did think that the family dynamics were the most interesting part of the book and clearly a theme but its diluted by Jack being with his friends a lot so it's a big pot with a lot of ideas but none of them are mixing well. Too many characters and plotlines not enough time. I do think it would have been interesting to pick either the friends or the family as the central people of the story instead of an unbalanced mix.
If we didn't have enough characters that the narrative spend some time on, there are also Dad, Kerry the middle sister (who is hard of hearing and Jack borrows and repurpose one of her old earing aids to communicate with Lucky. Jack also plays the hard of hearing card to get out of a situation with his "earing aid". It's mentioned later that Kerry wears hoodies and her hair to hide her earing aid. So Jack doing that felt uncomfortable knowing his sister's story) and also Morgan whose main characteristics are pink hair and impossible to understand loyalties.
Since this is a book about asexual people and wants to celebrate their diversity here are some subjects the books talk about: being ace and in a relationship and what crush means in this context, being young and ace, briefly touching on someone being aro and giving love advice, not wanting to come out to your family. This is mostly background as this less a book about teens being ace and more a book about ace teens doing things. I was also glad to see that the narrator was an ace boy as I find that in YA books, ace protagonists are more usually women.
To conclude, and I don't mean this in a bad way but this felt like a movie on Dinsey Channel (same plot twists and all) but if Disney sucked it up and added queer characters. Which means it's probably going to work well for some of you but did feel like a plot I had seen before.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review
First of all if you expect a heist there isn't actually one. There's no heist planning or anything with a well-thought plan that a team can soundly execute.
Now that we got out of the way, this book is just drawing on the vibes of ace(sexuality)/ace(card) by having a group of aces hanging out in Las Vegas. And the Las Vegas vibes are top-notch. This wouldn't be a bad thing and quite new as we don't have books where most of the cast is ace. However, this would require the friend group to be interesting. Jack, the lead and narrator, is the only one with some complexity. We meet the friend group in person around 50% in the book and their previous appearances are brief group texts. They're undeveloped as hell which is a shame for a book that marketed this crew this hard. We have: Remy (they/them) the love interest I don't know much about them, Gabe the big aro brother who gives guy talks and is tall, Lucky the kid who is the genius hacker and Georgia who... can count cards really well? Also she had a girlfriend once? We know like two things about them and I forgot that Georgia was there most of the times. The characters too because she's not involved in some key moment.
Jack is his older sister Beth's biggest nightmare and as an older sister I can't even IMAGINE having to deal with him. She does her best to accommodate his needs and he runs off without thinking to create chaos. I did think that the family dynamics were the most interesting part of the book and clearly a theme but its diluted by Jack being with his friends a lot so it's a big pot with a lot of ideas but none of them are mixing well. Too many characters and plotlines not enough time. I do think it would have been interesting to pick either the friends or the family as the central people of the story instead of an unbalanced mix.
If we didn't have enough characters that the narrative spend some time on, there are also Dad, Kerry the middle sister (who is hard of hearing and Jack borrows and repurpose one of her old earing aids to communicate with Lucky. Jack also plays the hard of hearing card to get out of a situation with his "earing aid". It's mentioned later that Kerry wears hoodies and her hair to hide her earing aid. So Jack doing that felt uncomfortable knowing his sister's story) and also Morgan whose main characteristics are pink hair and impossible to understand loyalties.
Since this is a book about asexual people and wants to celebrate their diversity here are some subjects the books talk about: being ace and in a relationship and what crush means in this context, being young and ace, briefly touching on someone being aro and giving love advice, not wanting to come out to your family. This is mostly background as this less a book about teens being ace and more a book about ace teens doing things. I was also glad to see that the narrator was an ace boy as I find that in YA books, ace protagonists are more usually women.
To conclude, and I don't mean this in a bad way but this felt like a movie on Dinsey Channel (same plot twists and all) but if Disney sucked it up and added queer characters. Which means it's probably going to work well for some of you but did feel like a plot I had seen before.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review
September 9, 2022
I was so excited to read Aces Wild, but honestly the book left me a little underwhelmed. This ended up being a book with such a fantastic premise that it simply couldn't live up to. I will say, maybe the issue was that I expected too much of it, but whatever the case, I enjoyed the book but I didn't love it as I expected I would.
Aces Wild is a book following Jack, who runs a secret blackjack club at his private school. Then Jack's mom gets arrested for some illegal business regarding the Vegas casino she owns, and all hell breaks loose in his life. Jack is convinced his mom has been set up by Peter Carlevaro, rival casino owner and jilted lover. He forms a plan to find out Carlevaro's secrets and his accomplices are his closest friends - his online friends he bonded with on the fact they're all asexual. So now he has to sneak through Vegas to find Carlevaro's secrets, while he navigates family drama and what being in love means for him.
First of all, I will say I love that this book features an all-ace crew, I always love seeing ace rep in books. I really enjoyed the parts of this book that deal with figuring out yourself and the friendships between the characters. I definitely love a good queer found family (which I say in pretty much every review, but as you see it never fails to make me happy).
However, I will say that for all I did like the characters and their relationship I had some issues with the book. This book is advertised as a heist and while I wouldn't say that's wrong, it definitely feels a bit like overselling it. I think, and I've only recently realized this, with a lot of heist books (or convoluted plans performed by teenagers) you really have to suspend your disbelief quite a bit. A lot of it feels quite juvenile and way too convenient. I also want to say that most of the book is a preparation, of sorts, for the heist that happens at the very end. And the 'preparation' is more about gaining intel, but the characters are really not doing all that much. It's mostly just 'sneaking' around and going to a secret gambling club (which is way too easy to find for supposedly being so secret). I say 'sneaking' as I feel like they weren't actually hidden for a lot of it, they just thought they were sneaky enough.
As I said, I really did like the characters. I found them all charming and funny in their own way. I really like the dynamic of their friend group and their inside jokes. I liked how they all bring something else to the group, and how all of them have such different personalities. I wish we saw more of some of them, I think they were pushed to the side a bit for the sake of the 'heist'. And besides the plot, I think Jack was definitely the focus of the story, and I had the impression it would be all of them. I liked Jack, though I think he is not an easy person to like. But I feel like I understand why he acts the way he does and given his family situation, I am feeling sympathetic.
I do want to say that I thought one of them being 14 and apparently a super capable hacker that can override pretty much any system was definitely a big stretch and a little bit weird. I wish that said character was older, I think. It would still be unbelievable but maybe less so at least. I enjoyed the character aspect more than the actual plot, which is fine but slightly disappointing when the plot sounded so promising.
I did mention how I think most heist books are quite unrealistic, but also a big issue I had was not understanding how this plan was supposed to help. There is very little elaborated on how exactly this would help Jack's mom. First of all, we do know for a fact Jack's family has been doing some illegal stuff, so even if she's been sold out by Carlevaro, I don't think the evidence is fake. And at most, it would just mean that both she and Carlevaro are gonna be in jail. Also, the big revelation at the end was quite predictable and I didn't really care about it either way.
All in all, this book ended up being quite different than what I expected. I liked it, but the plot simply felt too underwhelming to rate higher than this. I would still recommend it if you're interested, but don't go into it expecting an elaborate heist. I think you should read it for the all-ace cast of characters, as they truly were the strong point of the book!
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!
Aces Wild is a book following Jack, who runs a secret blackjack club at his private school. Then Jack's mom gets arrested for some illegal business regarding the Vegas casino she owns, and all hell breaks loose in his life. Jack is convinced his mom has been set up by Peter Carlevaro, rival casino owner and jilted lover. He forms a plan to find out Carlevaro's secrets and his accomplices are his closest friends - his online friends he bonded with on the fact they're all asexual. So now he has to sneak through Vegas to find Carlevaro's secrets, while he navigates family drama and what being in love means for him.
First of all, I will say I love that this book features an all-ace crew, I always love seeing ace rep in books. I really enjoyed the parts of this book that deal with figuring out yourself and the friendships between the characters. I definitely love a good queer found family (which I say in pretty much every review, but as you see it never fails to make me happy).
However, I will say that for all I did like the characters and their relationship I had some issues with the book. This book is advertised as a heist and while I wouldn't say that's wrong, it definitely feels a bit like overselling it. I think, and I've only recently realized this, with a lot of heist books (or convoluted plans performed by teenagers) you really have to suspend your disbelief quite a bit. A lot of it feels quite juvenile and way too convenient. I also want to say that most of the book is a preparation, of sorts, for the heist that happens at the very end. And the 'preparation' is more about gaining intel, but the characters are really not doing all that much. It's mostly just 'sneaking' around and going to a secret gambling club (which is way too easy to find for supposedly being so secret). I say 'sneaking' as I feel like they weren't actually hidden for a lot of it, they just thought they were sneaky enough.
As I said, I really did like the characters. I found them all charming and funny in their own way. I really like the dynamic of their friend group and their inside jokes. I liked how they all bring something else to the group, and how all of them have such different personalities. I wish we saw more of some of them, I think they were pushed to the side a bit for the sake of the 'heist'. And besides the plot, I think Jack was definitely the focus of the story, and I had the impression it would be all of them. I liked Jack, though I think he is not an easy person to like. But I feel like I understand why he acts the way he does and given his family situation, I am feeling sympathetic.
I do want to say that I thought one of them being 14 and apparently a super capable hacker that can override pretty much any system was definitely a big stretch and a little bit weird. I wish that said character was older, I think. It would still be unbelievable but maybe less so at least. I enjoyed the character aspect more than the actual plot, which is fine but slightly disappointing when the plot sounded so promising.
I did mention how I think most heist books are quite unrealistic, but also a big issue I had was not understanding how this plan was supposed to help. There is very little elaborated on how exactly this would help Jack's mom. First of all, we do know for a fact Jack's family has been doing some illegal stuff, so even if she's been sold out by Carlevaro, I don't think the evidence is fake. And at most, it would just mean that both she and Carlevaro are gonna be in jail. Also, the big revelation at the end was quite predictable and I didn't really care about it either way.
All in all, this book ended up being quite different than what I expected. I liked it, but the plot simply felt too underwhelming to rate higher than this. I would still recommend it if you're interested, but don't go into it expecting an elaborate heist. I think you should read it for the all-ace cast of characters, as they truly were the strong point of the book!
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!
May 8, 2022
*Actual rating is a 3.5*
The most important thing to know about Aces Wild: A Heist is that this may be the most misleading book marketing I've come across. The heist plays an incredibly minimal role in the story and doesn't actually start to happen .
If I separate the book I was expecting based on the marketing and the actual book itself, I did really enjoy Aces Wild: A Heist. DeWitt's writing pulled me in from the very beginning. Jack's narrative voice was incredibly fun. I loved the asides to the reader, particularly when they were used to subvert my expectations about where the story was going.
Jack and his group of friends were the ace characters I've been dying to see on page for ages. There's such a range of diversity in how ace folks are represented that was truly great. I will also definitely be using Gabe's -- our ace and aromantic character in the group -- retort to Jack when Jack asks why he should take crush advice from Gabe: "If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times... coaches don't play."
The interpersonal conflicts is where Aces Wild: A Heist really shined. There's tension between Jack and his friend Remy as Jack tries to negotiate his crush on them now that they're together in person for the first time. There's conflict between Jack and his sisters, Beth and Kerry, as the three of them grapple with their mom's arrest and try to figure out what will come next for their family. And finally there's conflict between Jack and his friends while they work through the meeting in person for the first time. All of these arcs made for a really compelling character-driven story that pushed Jack to grow in relatable, interesting ways.
If you forget the comparison to Six of Crows and go in expecting a very character-driven story rather than a plot-driven heist book, there's a lot to enjoy in Aces Wild. I look forward to seeing what Amanda DeWitt writes next.
Thank you to Peachtree Teen and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The most important thing to know about Aces Wild: A Heist is that this may be the most misleading book marketing I've come across. The heist plays an incredibly minimal role in the story and doesn't actually start to happen .
If I separate the book I was expecting based on the marketing and the actual book itself, I did really enjoy Aces Wild: A Heist. DeWitt's writing pulled me in from the very beginning. Jack's narrative voice was incredibly fun. I loved the asides to the reader, particularly when they were used to subvert my expectations about where the story was going.
Jack and his group of friends were the ace characters I've been dying to see on page for ages. There's such a range of diversity in how ace folks are represented that was truly great. I will also definitely be using Gabe's -- our ace and aromantic character in the group -- retort to Jack when Jack asks why he should take crush advice from Gabe: "If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times... coaches don't play."
The interpersonal conflicts is where Aces Wild: A Heist really shined. There's tension between Jack and his friend Remy as Jack tries to negotiate his crush on them now that they're together in person for the first time. There's conflict between Jack and his sisters, Beth and Kerry, as the three of them grapple with their mom's arrest and try to figure out what will come next for their family. And finally there's conflict between Jack and his friends while they work through the meeting in person for the first time. All of these arcs made for a really compelling character-driven story that pushed Jack to grow in relatable, interesting ways.
If you forget the comparison to Six of Crows and go in expecting a very character-driven story rather than a plot-driven heist book, there's a lot to enjoy in Aces Wild. I look forward to seeing what Amanda DeWitt writes next.
Thank you to Peachtree Teen and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Want to read
January 31, 2022Ace culture truly is having asexuality-related puns on your covers <3
August 25, 2022
Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review.
As the son of a wealthy Las Vegas casino owner, Jack is content running a secret blackjack club at his high school. But then his mother is arrested for shady dealings– but Jack knows that she was set up by the family’s rival, Peter Carlevaro. When no one else seems to be trying to help, Jack decides to recruit his best friends, who make up an online asexual support group. Will Jack and his friends be able to uncover the truth?
I wanted to love this book. I wanted to at least like it. A cast of ace characters??? A heist??? In Vegas??? The potential is astounding! But it just didn’t land for me. I honestly started skimming just so I could get through it.
I loved the ace rep. There is not enough ace/aro rep in YA (or any books). I like that it explored their relationships with each other. But the characters were mostly unlikable or not fleshed out enough. I really just didn’t like Jack very much. I found him very arrogant and annoying.
As for the heist? Can we really even call it a heist? I won’t give away too much, but it was very disappointing. Honestly, I could nitpick a lot of things I didn’t like, but I don’t want to be THAT negative. But you can to here to see some of my spoiler-filled rantings: https://bit.ly/3ALAZB9
I keep going back and forth between 1 or 2 stars. On the one hand, I honestly didn’t care too much to finish the book. On the other hand, the ace rep! ACE REP! But take my personal bias out of it, and I just didn’t like it much.
As the son of a wealthy Las Vegas casino owner, Jack is content running a secret blackjack club at his high school. But then his mother is arrested for shady dealings– but Jack knows that she was set up by the family’s rival, Peter Carlevaro. When no one else seems to be trying to help, Jack decides to recruit his best friends, who make up an online asexual support group. Will Jack and his friends be able to uncover the truth?
I wanted to love this book. I wanted to at least like it. A cast of ace characters??? A heist??? In Vegas??? The potential is astounding! But it just didn’t land for me. I honestly started skimming just so I could get through it.
I loved the ace rep. There is not enough ace/aro rep in YA (or any books). I like that it explored their relationships with each other. But the characters were mostly unlikable or not fleshed out enough. I really just didn’t like Jack very much. I found him very arrogant and annoying.
As for the heist? Can we really even call it a heist? I won’t give away too much, but it was very disappointing. Honestly, I could nitpick a lot of things I didn’t like, but I don’t want to be THAT negative. But you can to here to see some of my spoiler-filled rantings: https://bit.ly/3ALAZB9
I keep going back and forth between 1 or 2 stars. On the one hand, I honestly didn’t care too much to finish the book. On the other hand, the ace rep! ACE REP! But take my personal bias out of it, and I just didn’t like it much.
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