Although this is only a preview, I ended up completing the entire book. It is a great narrative with a commentary on society. The statement of "Gossip Girl meets Get Out" really hit the mark. Overall, the book is good- the main characters were great and the storyline was easy to follow- I was constantly creating theories in my mind to solve who "Aces" was. I thought the first 100 pages or so were a bit slow and the end was rushed, but overall it did not affect my overall enjoyment.

I am still in awe of how beautiful this story was. This was everything! Definitely Gossip Girl feels. The plot was stunning. Talk of social eugenics, sexuality, homophobia and so much more. This book gave me all the feels that I needed and actually had me freaked out at some points for Chiamaka and Devon.

Chiamaka reminded me of Blair from Gossip Girl. As much as I enjoyed her, I also couldn't stand her. She was prissy, a know-it-all and downright rude to people. I couldn't stand the way she thought. The home scenes were amazing, but in school she pissed me off. She was aggravating.

Devon was my favorite of the two characters. He was sweet and hardworking. His backstory broke my heart. I loved how bold he was with his sexuality. He was amazing. I wanted so much more from him. His heart was everything to me. His innocence was pure. I enjoyed my time inside Devon's head more than I did Chiamaka's.

The romances were pretty interesting, especially Devon's with Dre and T. I honestly loved the purity of them both, but I couldn't stand Dre with how he ended things. The romances were a good addition to the plot of the story on all ends.

Dre was a good guy, but he was living in such a harsh world. I wanted to take a belt and beat him at some points, but with his lifestyle I understood his situation. I didn't like how he handled things, but I understood it. I did not like what happened to him in the end. I cried for him.

Terrell was interesting. I liked him a lot even in spite of what he did. I enjoyed his sincerity and adoration. He was sweet, attentive, caring, loving and took his time breaking down walls. I loved seeing him in the end.

Jamie was a dick! I could not stand him, especially as the story progressed on. He is an egoistical ass. I couldn't stand him and his end was PERFECT to me. Belle seemed nice. I didn't know whether to like her or slap her. She seemed to be genuine towards the end, but with the damage done it was hard to root for her. Jack was a terrible friend and person, I disliked his attitude and mindset.

Headmaster Ward was a villain to me along with Mr. Taylor. I wanted a good ending for Mr. Taylor, but that epilogue gave me EVERYTHING I needed for Mr. Ward. Aces was a shock to me. They were a savage all together. The things they did were just too much. I wanted to beat the mess out of them, but finding out the plot twists to Aces was INSANE!!! No words can explain my thoughts on Aces.

The epilogue was A M A Z I N G! The best ever!!!!

Overall, this was an amazing debut and I can't wait to read from Faridah. I hope this gets pulled as a TV show because this was epic.

This book had it all told like gossip girl it had you guessing who was really behind it all. What a great story of racism, high school age and the battles of growing up. Great book and very well written.

This book was teased as a mix between Gossip Girl and Get Out and it is just that. I thought the pacing was spot on. Great read!!

The sneak peak was enough to get me hooked! I ended up picking the book up and loved it so much. It is now one of my all time favourite and I even did an in-depth video essay on it on my channel in July!

This book will soon be a young adult classic. Mark my words!

This was just a sample but it was GREAT and I can't wait to read the whole thing on my TBR! The characters are exiting and the premise is super captivating.

I read the sneak peek before the book came out and it made me so intrigued. When the book came out and I read it, it surpassed my imagination. This book was so fast paced and creepy I adored it.

This was one of my most anticipated releases for this year and trust me this does not disappoint. I actually only received the sampler from #AceofSpadesSneakPeek #NetGalley but I ended up getting the ebook on my Kindle cause I loved the plot soo much.

Cannot find words to explain how much I enjoyed this book.

I loved this book. I don’t even know how to describe it. It does a wonderful job of expressing subjects that I, as a woman of color, carry around in my chest everywhere I go. It’s a fantastic study on systemic and institutionalized racism, but the story grabs you by the lapels and never once lets you go.

They were not lying when they said this is a cross between Get Out and Gossip Girl and it’s an awesome combination. This book was seriously fantastic. I’m usually not a fan of reading teenagers, but this was perfect.
Definitely ended up loving Chiamaka, but my heart really broke for her throughout the book. Devon is such a good character, too. His story is just as frustrating to read! I feel the author did a fantastic job developing their characters (even though they’re both going through racist harassment).
I would recommend this book if you want a mystery / thriller with a dark academia feel to it. It’s an engaging and creepy story that will keep you reading!

I actually only received the sampler from Netgalley but I ended up reading the whole book since it’s been published so I’m just going to review the book as a whole. I’m usually not that into YA thrillers but I had heard such good things about this book that I decided to pick it up and I’m glad I did.

I loved the main characters. Chi and Devon were the lights of my life. They both go through such similar but also vastly differing arcs in the book. I will say that Chi was definitely my favorite of the two. I paid more attention to her chapters than Devon’s. They were two people who came from different circumstances banding together to fight an issue that affected the both of them.

This is such an important book for young people. The issues that were discussed homophobia, racism, bullying were all dealt with in a respectful manner that really showcased the author’s writing. It being a thriller helped the discussion move along in a way that made it slightly easier to digest but you still could feel the horror of what the characters were going through. The twists were good and while I did guess some of them, I still found them to be well done and interesting.

I really liked this book and definitely recommend into everyone especially if you’re thinking about getting into thrillers. It was such an impactful book that I sat in shock for a few minutes after finishing it.

I read this books after a lonnnggg Slump, and boy did this kept me up all night.. It was hypnotically thrilling and chaotically incredible. Heart-twisting (is that a word?!) and darkly mysterious, Ace of Spades by Faridah Abike-Iyimide is a dark academia which explores being black and being queer in a school full of white orthodox hypocrites.

Fantastic.

I immediately put in an order for the book.

Sold.

Really grateful for the sneak peek and looking forward to reading the whole thing!

3.5 Stars.

Going into this I had very high expectations and I have to say I was a little disappointed. I don't have a problem with the plot; the plot is actually fine. It was mainly the characters that I had a problem with, mainly Chiamaka. There were times I thought she was going to grow as a person, and for her part, she did...kinda; but not really. She's still a b....(in her words) and still look down on Devon after everything.

A certain character motivation/twist at the end literally made no sense, it was out of nowhere and I didn't care for it.

I was buddy reading this with a friend and she pointed a twist before it happened and it was a good twist.

After everything was exposed we didn't get the parents reaction to all of it and I wish we did. Like a talk about how come they didn't come to them with what's going on with school. Devon and Chi had a lot of opportunity to tell their parents and I wish they did. I don't know how I feel about that.

The writing is good and I will definitely read more from this author

Thank you so much NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Feiwel & Friends, for the chance to read and review this book,

Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo are two students of the Niveus Private Academy and when they are selected to be part of the elite school's senior class perfects, it seems their year will be amazing. Soon, though, someone who goes by Aces begins to send anonymous text messages to reveal their secrets, threatening their plans, their futures and goals. When Aces doesn't stop, turning into something more and more dangerous, Devon and Chiamaka are forced to act and try to stop Aces.

This book is brilliant! The author wrote a magnificent social commentary in a story thrilling, with intense and complex characters and that reminds of Gossip Girl and Get out. Written skillfully, the plot is intriguing and full of twists, discoveries, lies and secrets. Devon and Chiamaka are wonderful main characters, each of them with their dreams, goals and secrets, both brilliant and relatable in their struggles. Aces of spades is one of the best thriller I've read this year, it left me breathless and curious, on edge and waiting to know more and more about everything. Absolutely magnificent.

I'm super excited to read the full version. The small bit I got is very promising and I'll be picking up a copy as soon as possible. Many of my friends have said this book was amazing and one of their favorites this year!

Ace of spades by faridah abike lymide is a debut novel by a person of color! I was highly anticpaiting this book because it sounded amazing and a perfect ya thriller that I was wanting. So this book is kind of hard to explain what it's about but in the first time in forever I wrote some notes down while reading. The reason why is because I had to read Ace of spades for a friend of mine book club!
Ace of spades follows two main characters name: Devon who is gay and is in the closet. Then we have a female main character name: Chiamka. Devon was an intresting character and was kind of intrested in his storyline more than our other character. But these two characters are the only two black kids in a white prominent school and there is someone who is spreading secrets/lies about each of these characters. Chiamaka is your perfect wanna be b**** girl from a perfect raised house hold. She's also the head prefect of the whole school until a dark and dirty secrets get reveal.
One word I can use to describe this debut novel was: Crazy. But, in a good way! There was so many twist and turns and I wonder if I would loved this one if I physicallly read this one instead of listening to the auido because the male narrator wasn't my favorite but overall I gave Ace of spades a 5 stars because it was just amazing and so many twist and turns! If u loved one of us is lying then I think u will really love this one! Also it was a great debut and can't wait to read the authors next book. Also that ending though!(:

Loved this! Definitely felt some Alice Oseman vibes, with the pranks/harassment at high school, but still had its own feel and I really enjoyed it!

Wow! Wow! Wow! I heard many good things bout this book but honestly, I never expect it will be so gripping! The writing style goes smoothly which makes me fly through every page. I like both of our main characters. They are so different but equally interesting to read. Definitely will pick up the copy to find out the rest of the book.

**ARC review of first few chapters**

This has been one of my most anticipated releases this year, and I just had to take the opportunity to read the first few chapters.

We follow teens that attend Niveus Private Academy, where everyone has money and you can tell by the way they appear almost perfect. When suddenly someone starts bringing two students flaws and secrets to light.

I pre-ordered this book, and I can't wait to jump back in. I need to know who Aces is, and the why's behind it all.