“They say life is full of surprises. That our dreams really can come true.  Then again, so can our nightmares…” – Gossip Girl
 
“All I know is sometimes, if there’s too many white folks…I get nervous.” –Get Out
 
Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where the students work hard to get into the colleges of their dreams.  Most students are wealthy and seem to be perfect, but one day that all changes when anonymous texts by someone calling themselves “Aces” start targeting two students, Devon and Chiamaka.  Devon is talented musician who keeps to himself, and Chi is the head girl who isn’t afraid to get what she wants.  So why is Aces out to get them both? 
 
Ace of Spades was one of my most anticipated summer reads, and it did not disappoint.  I loved the dual point of views between Devon and Chi.  Both Devon and Chi’s characters are developed really well throughout the story, and the author, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, gave us a clear insight into each of them.  The story definitely has Gossip Girl and Get Out vibes so I think it was perfect that the author started the book with quotes from each of these. 
 
I listened to the audiobook, and loved it. I really didn’t want to turn it off because I felt the two narrators, Jeanette Illidge and Tapiwa Mugweni, did such a great job of creating suspense in a story that touches on controversial topics such as racism, homophobia, bullying and suicide ideation.  I needed to see where the story was going and just had to know who Aces was and why they were targeting these two students. 
 
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

My booksta friend and I both got approved for this at the same time, so we did a bit of a buddy read and OH MY GOODNESS this was AMAZING and had us both on the edge of our seats the entire time. I adored the two main characters - they were strong, smart, and knew how to get things done. I listened to this book in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. It also tackles some important social issues and handles them incredibly well.

This book grabbed me from the start and held on until the last third. Then it slowed down, but I still enjoyed it very much. The characters were interesting and realistic. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

4.5 stars
What a ride! I really didn't know what this book was about when I decided to request it, I just know I had seen it all over Instagram. I'm so glad I decided to snag it. It was so good!
The 2 main characters Chiamaka and Devon, the only 2 black students at a prestigious private school, were great. At first I liked Devon more because Chiamaka was a super snobby popular girl, but I ended up enjoying her inner journey throughout the book. Devon really seemed grounded, he loved his family (mom and younger brothers) and just seemed like a good guy. The side characters were pretty good, a lot of them were meant to be snobby and popular like Chiamaka and were great in their roles. But when we start to learn about Aces who is anonymously sending out Chiamaka and Devon's deepest secrets, I had no idea who to like and who to think was sending out these secrets.
As someone who eagerly awaited the next episode of Gossip Girl to come out on tv (although I never actually finished the series, don't hate me!) I was instantly hooked and instantly trying to play detective to find out who Aces was. While I did half figure something out, I would have never guessed in a million years who Aces actually was! There were so many twists and turns and side plots where some had something to do with Aces and some didn't, but it was a guessing game on which was which so no matter what was happening it was totally engaging and I was trying to figure out how it was all connected.
That epilogue really got me and made me wish this wasn't a standalone!

This is one of the best YA books I've read in a while! This was an expertly crafted novel. Fans of the movie Get Out and the book When No One is Watching will absolutely love this one. I'm typically a fan of dark academia and this one did not disappoint. It deserves all the hype it has been getting.

This was incredible! I teared up many times. Up until the first part, I was enjoying the book as a whole but expected a story based in high school drama. While there's nothing wrong with that, Ace of Spades is SO much bigger than high school drama. It's relevant, moving, and dark, and it's a book that everyone should read. I can only speak on LGBTQ+ rep, but the coming-out story in this novel moved me to tears. Both narrators were absolutely amazing. This is a fantastic take on racism in predominantly white schools across the world, and one of the most important books I've had the opportunity to read.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for this advanced listening copy of Ace of Spades in exchange for my honest review. I went in with high expectations for this book because the reviews for this one were amazing, but I’ve gotta say it was not my favorite.

The high school drama was pretty intense (think sex tapes being released, murders being committed) and it felt hard to connect to the characters. There was a lot of very good commentary about racism and how it permeates white, elitist schools, yet there are other books that I preferred that also presented these important themes.

The characters all wore facades at school and I didn’t feel I really got to know them or was helped in relating to them throughout. There was also a lot of promiscuity in this book, which I was not a huge fan of, but I know is definitely more of a personal preference.

I have to confess that I just could not finish this one. I got more than halfway and didn’t feel like enough was happening and the suspense did not draw me in. I wish there could have been more focus on the thriller part of this read early on than on the sex lives of the students.

Overall, I know a lot of people love this book, it was just not for me.

I received this as an audio galley to listen to for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for giving me access.

Pretty Little Liars meets Gossip Girl meets POC and racism. This book had me hooked. I didn't think I was going to enjoy it as much as I did. There were very dark moments that really get you thinking how things like this happen everyday and we just have a blind eye. My mind is still blown with that plot twist towards the end.

i adored this book. i’m glad i listened to it on audiobook because i could see the /whole/ experience in my head. it deals with some heavy topics like systemic racism and homophobia. i loved both of the main characters even though they were so different from each other.

bad things kept happening to them and i thought the ending would be sad but THEY GOT THEIR HAPPY ENDING AS THEY DESERVED

A WILD RIDE. This book shocked me with surprisingly in depth representation of black teens in a PWI who are trying to make their way to success in two different ways (from two different worlds).

Once their secrets are starting to be revealed, we see then try to hold their fragile futures together.

There was representation of different sexualities, socioeconomic statuses, and how our limited opportunities can change the choices we make through our lives.

This book frustrated me to no end but I needed to know what was going to happen! I definitely recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Round of applause for Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé's debut novel (she started writing Ace of Spades during her first year of University!!). Excellent story telling that will stay with you long after you finish the book. There were multiple reveals that I didn't see coming. I look forward to reading more from Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé in the future.

Wonderful narration by Jeanette Illidge & Tapiwa Mugweni.

Wow, wow, wow! The tension in this book is non-stop. I loved the dual narrative, was totally enthralled with the mystery and both of the audiobook narrators were fantastic. Loved seeing the LGBTQ+ rep.

Gossip Girl meets Get Out is an apt description for this, and I would highly recommend checking it out.

***Thank you to Macmillan audio for providing me with a copy of the audiobook for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review.

Dark academia is not my kind of genre but I couldn’t resist this one because everyone seems to be loving it. With a powerful queer Black protagonist duo, this debut thriller doesn’t shy away from tackling some important issues like suicide, bullying, abuse etc, but ultimately it’s about the insidious nature of white supremacy and racism, and how it destroys anything it touches. The writing is exquisite and the thrills very intense, which kept me guessing all through the narration. And I have to commend the audiobook narration because it was amazing and brought every single emotion to life.

This book was really good! It was initially a Gossip Girl like story but it quickly went into more disturbing territory. This was a terrific debut novel.

Yo this book was stunning. I don't think I loved it as much as a lot of other people but damn this was an impressive debut that will stick with me for a long time.

Obligatory poorly-articulated synopsis! (seriously, just read the blurb, its 12000 times better than what I have here):

Ace of Spades follows two high school seniors, Chiamaka and Devon, who are the only Black students at their prestigious school, Niveus Academy. When a mysterious anonymous texter by the name of Aces begins revealing their secrets to the school, the two come together to figure out who Aces is to save their futures at the school.

I am nothing if not a sucker for books with school settings so this book gets points for that alone, but asides from that everything else about this book was also so great. Chiamaka and Devon are such compelling and well-developed characters who you can't help but root for. They had such distinct voices and I was totally invested in their own lives, relationships, and stories in addition to the main plot. Oh, and I loved that there wasn't a romantic relationship between the two protagonists.

The writing was also fantastic and I loved the way Àbíké-Íyímídé explored and delivered important messages about institutionalized racism. In addition, the suspense and creepy atmosphere in this book were done so incredibly well and had me completely engrossed in the story as I listened to the audiobook. The pacing was perfect, there was truly never a dull moment, and that ending was just breathtaking.

I really don't have any complaints about this book and am not sure why it's not getting five stars other than just a gut instinct, but yeah, go read this book. I'm for sure going to be picking up anything else Àbíké-Íyímídé comes out with in the future.

This book has been getting a lot of hype on bookish Twitter, and it is well deserved! ACE OF SPADES more than satisfied my need for diverse dark academia, and I hope it starts a new trend because I need MORE. Both narrators are well-developed and interesting, and I couldn't decide which one was my favorite. From the first page, this book pulled me in, and it definitely delivered!

Audiobook provided by NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Macmillan Young Listeners in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! There is a lot to unpack in ACE OF SPADES. On the surface, this is a novel about bullying and prep schools, and how social media influences the lives of teens. But at it's heart, this is a novel about the Black experience... globally.

Niveus Private Academy is basically a school for the rich, white, elite. But every 10 years they admit two Black students, this book is about the experiences of Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo, who happen to be those two students when the book takes place. As readers go deeper into the story, they watch social eugenics unfolding.

I was hooked early on and devoured the rest of this novel, needing to know what happens. And the resolution did not disappoint.

If this is what Àbíké-Íyímídé writes as a debut novel while being a University student, I cannot WAIT to see what they hit us with next. This novel is seriously impressive knowing that it was written by someone that young.

Jeanette Illidge and Tapiwa Mugweni do an amazingly good job with the audiobook. While this will be an engrossing read regardless of the format you consume it in, I highly recommend checking out the audiobook, listening to the events unfold adds a whole other layer to the story.

This is a fantastic audiobook. Both narrators did a fantastic job conveying the emotion throughout the book and I love that I could listen. I lost myself in their voices and in the story. This is my favorite book of 2021!

Wow wow wow. I apologize in advance but I don't know how else to articulate how good this was! Any book I read half of in a day is a winner, and this was no exception.

Comped to Gossip Girl and Get Out, this dual POV story follows the only two Black kids attending Niveus Private Academy. In their senior year at the elite private school, the pair suddenly become the target of an anonymous figure named Aces. Every corner of their lives are scoured and their secrets exposed with incriminating videos and images. Any shred of privacy or safety they once had is gone. What follows in a dark and twisty mystery that is so well written and nuanced.

This was such an intense book. It was so hard to put down because I needed to know what came next. As each secret was spilled, I had this awful sense of foreboding that would keep growing. There's this ominous undertone to the story that had me believing there was no way this could end well for Chiamaka or Devon, but it's such good storytelling. The mystery of Aces was so intriguing. As the two investigate Aces identity, you are taken down so many twisting revelations that you can't trust anyone. It's so nerve-racking! And the way it integrates race and white supremacy was truly so well done.

The two main characters in this were fabulous. They come from two very different worlds and yet I found both to be so relatable as their worlds crashed down around them. Chiamaka is a wealthy and popular fixture at Niveus. Half Italian on her Dad's side with both her parents as doctors, she is relatively new rich for the school but she is queen bee regardless. Senior year is going to be her year. This is when her best friend finally realizes he's in love with her, she'll be crowned queen at the Snowflake Ball, and she will get into the university of her dreams. Devon is at Niveus primarily due to good grades and a scholarship. His Mom is working herself to the bone to keep him there so he can make something of his life instead of selling drugs like other kids in the neighbourhood, including his ex-boyfriend. Devon only has one friend, but all he needs in life is his music and the dream of joining Juliard.

I was lucky enough to receive both an e-ARC and an early audio version from Raincoast Books and the publisher respectively. I chose to do the audiobook and was so glad I did. First, the narrators for the two main characters were fabulous. Their voices suited the story so well and sucked me in with every chapter. Second, I think listening to this made the story that much more intriguing. Hearing the fear in their voices made me want to root for them so much more and hope with an almost desperation that they get a happy ending.

Faridah is definitely an author I'm going to be watching from here on out. Can't wait to see what she writes next!

Chiamaka and Devon are characters readers will root for as they search for "Aces", the racist source of much strife for them personally and professionally. As the book unfolds, revelations are explosive. The narrators were fantastic and kept me listening on the edge of my seat. This one is a must read!