This rollercoaster ride is truly Gossip Girl meets Get Out. It’s dark, twist, and I was hooked. The dual narrators really brought our MCs to life. I struggled a bit with the large cast and keeping up with all the names. I can’t believe this is a debut. My favorite part was the author’s note at the end as she tells readers what sparked the idea of this story and the journey of bringing it to publication.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Ace of Spades is out now!

The Short Version: Clear 10-15 hours from your calendar for this MUST READ social thriller. Do yourself a favor and allow yourself to read it in one go....it’s that addicting. For a debut novel this is about as good as it gets

The Long Version: I got to listen to the audiobook of this novel thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

Chiamaka Adebayo and Devon Richards are the only two black students at Niveus academy, a prestige prep school in their town. Early in senior year an anonymous bully known only as Aces starts spreading gossip about the two of them. Things start to escalate and it feels like Aces is going to bring their whole lives crashing down unless they can unravel the mystery and set things right.

Ok, so this is a tough review to complete with no spoilers, but I’m going to try my best. The story is told through the rotating POVs of Chiamaka and Devon as the events unfold.

Both characters are extremely well constructed, with rich backstory, troubled pasts, secrets, and plenty of character flaws. I really love that the author made these two characters from different classes. It creates two unique view points that are both unapologetically black and it really enriches the tension and the narrative.

The pacing was pitch perfect, especially at the beginning, we very quickly meet the characters and get a good feel for them, then things kick off and it’s a pure page turner from there. I could not put the audiobook down, finding every excuse to listen to it.

The mystery was well crafted and you’ll be twisting in the wind, sufficiently paranoid, suspecting everyone, trusting no one, sometimes appropriately so, sometimes not. In equal parts this book makes you feel like an idiot for not guessing things, and feel smart when you correctly distrust someone who has bad intentions.

The audiobook has a male and female narrator and both of them were excellent, they embodied the characters fully and really immersed me in the story. They could have heightened the emotion a little more in some spots, but they were very enjoyable and add a little extra to an already well written book.

For most of the book I was cruising toward a 5 out of 5 overall, but in examining a little further, there are some things that didn’t bother me during the listen, but looking back, weren’t entirely on point.

First off, while it’s a very accurate description, I wish the summary didn’t describe it as Gossip Girl meets Get Out. Get Out was so profound because of the shock the ultimate twist generates. Putting this upfront does sap some of the power from the ultimate reveal of what’s really going on.

Chiamaka is a supremely ambitious character and has spent three years clawing her way to the top, a black Regina George. As she starts to get bullied she expresses only the faintest regret that to claw her way to the top she’s treated people no differently than she’s treated. She’s more or less absolved of how poorly she behaved and I think there was room to transform that arc a little to a more satisfying end.

This is where it gets tough not to spoil things, but I’ll do my best.

Everyone has skeletons in their closets and Aces is set on exposing Chiamaka’s and Devon’s. Some of their secrets are pretty messed up, and while Aces’ overall plan is horrible and evil, Devon and Chiamaka don’t really answer for those skeletons. Some of those skeletons match negative stereotypes as well which is a bit problematic in the construction of those characters. It also creates a moral equivalency issue and there’s a gap from the logical extension of Aces’ actions vs. what happens in the resolution of the story.

Part of Aces’ plan takes part in the library, and the way that unfolds didn’t make a lot of sense. Up to that point Aces is like 50 steps ahead, but the shocking reveal there didn’t really fit with the overarching goal of Aces’ plan. It seemed more like a shocking reveal for the sake of a shocking reveal.

Lastly, this book ventures toward a troubling trend I’m seeing in stories with protagonists from historically marginalized communities (Women, POC, LGBTQ). Increasingly I’m noticing a lack of contrasting antagonism. What I mean is marginalization takes many forms explicit, implicit, intentional, unintentional, active, and passive. I’ve noticed an uptick in stories where there’s marginalized protagonists and basically everyone in the non marginalized group is really blatantly evil. I think it’s healthy to show that people can be racist and sexist in passive and unintentional ways, it provides a richer narrative and I think it forces people to examine their own actions more clearly. The everyone else is pure evil perspective is a bit reductive and I do hope to see that trend diminish.

Overall a more than solid 4.5. Highly addictive, highly enjoyable, and an easy recommendation for fans of YA, suspense, mystery, thrillers, LGBTQ stories, own voices, dang, pretty much just book readers. There’s a couple little nagging problematic things for me but they’re easy to forgive and they don’t hurt the reading experience.

Component Ratings
Concept/Idea: 5 out of 5
Female Protagonist: 4.5 out of 5
Male Protagonist: 4.5 out of 5
Antagonist: 5 out of 5
Supporting Characters: 4.5 out of 5
Character Development: 5 out of 5
Plot: 4.5 out of 5
Pacing: 5 out of 5
Dialogue: 4.5 out of 5
Narrator Performances: 5 out of 5
Ending/Resolution: 4 out of 5

Entertaining and very sloppy all at once. Ace of Spades that that big-budget investment thats been hyped for over a year, and a lot of folks are probably going to really like it, but let's talk about it.

Jumping into the good stuff, both main characters, Chiamaka and Devon are charming as heck, and have extremely distinct and clear POVs. I genuinely liked following them around and being in their heads. The writing is clear and concise- and while the book grinds sometimes, it's usually pretty fast paced. The side characters without POVs also had really strong personalities and it was easy to respond to and engage with them.

I also liked that Ace of Spades wasn't a romance focused thriller. Devon is gay and Chiamaka is queer and while there is SOME romance, this wasn't "smush the main two characters together and make that more important than the plot".

I was on board and enjoying the book until the secrets were revealed

Ace of Spades was labeled as being "Gossip Girl meets Get Out" so I should have heeded that warning. There is this weird trend in horror where racism is the root cause of the bad things, but that racism is so fake and flanzerized that it's hard to relate back to the real world. When Get Out came out, the concept was fresh and interesting, but several pieces of emotional racist torture porn have come out since and I am getting sick of the genre.

While Ace of Spaces has some focus on microaggressions and institutionalized racism, the racism aspects of the plot are absolutely over the top.

It's some extreme thing that allows white people to easily distance themselves from. See, THATs racism- and move on with their microaggressions. This is a suit and tie version of the "hillbilly racist"

This element of the plot is something you get beat over the head with too. The plotholes and impossibilities of the twist as it relates to racist institutions start to become glaring the more it goes on in a way that feels like a fantasy- as though someone gets bitten by a bug that makes them racist and their personality changes and they become this different person. Ace of Spades grounds itself in reality, but it asks you constantly to suspend disbelief.

Specifically, the idea that almost an entire student body is full of gen z racists- hundreds of people would invest hundreds of hours over the course of 4 years in both excessively praising and worshipping the leads only to invest hundreds of more hours to meticulously tear them down and stalk them. The effort and time for this plan is absolutely batshit for this many people to buy into.

Not only did not one person blab/gossip about this, but they were like "okay, I will throw numerous hours of my life into this"

Additionally, some of the characters apparently pretended to be completely different people and emotionally invested all of this energy into their victims. There are scenes where the main characters are chilling with one of their white friends and all the sudden, their voice goes dark and creepy and they are saying old racist grandpa shit.

It would have been more interesting to see this executed on a much smaller scale.

It also became routinely exhausting every time there was a new betrayal. Move over, fantasy grimdark authors, because in the Ace of Spades world, everyone you care about will let you down or do something terrible to you. Like everyone. Every single person.

Finally, I was really put off by the setup of Jaime, Chi's apparent best friend. I assumed he would be "a bad guy" but the switch flaps INSTANTLY. Another love interest of hers also has secrets, but those are handled with finesse. They are detestable, but their behavior is more true to life . Jaime just turns into a cartoon villain.

Before he went full evil, Chiamaka exudes "nice guy" energy, attempting to manipulate and destroy his relationship for her own self gain. After Jaime goes into evil mode, this is really just brushed off, even though its super creepy. I don't understand why they handled her that way with him, there wasn't really a reason, and that make it super offputting.


So ope, the twist was really dumb. If you dig thrillers or you vibe with this particular type of thriller, I still recommend picking it up. I would avoid this book if you do not like race-based torture horror or you thought the final reveal of Gossip Girl was the worst.

For fans of “When No One Is Watching” and “Pretty Little Liars”, make this your next read!

This story starts off as a private school mystery, where secrets of two students are being spread mercilessly around the school. Somewhere down the line, the story goes from spreading embarrassing rumors to deadly.

The two characters are so different, and I enjoyed both of their perspectives. While Devon is a quiet, shy, musical genius, Chiamaka is a competitive, intense, Blair Waldorf type. Each character had such a distinct voice and role in the story. I despised many of the side characters though.

"It sounds wild, I know, but racism is a spectrum and they all participate in it in some way. They don’t all have white hoods or call us mean things; I know that. But racism isn’t just about that-- it’s not about being nice or mean. Or good versus bad. It’s bigger than that."

Niveus is a rich private academy for the most elite and wealthy students. It seems like a normal year until an anonymous texter "Aces" starts texting the student body exposing secrets. Devon and Chiamaka are both being targeted and must try to find and stop Aces before they ruin their lives.

This is such a thrilling, dark and overall emotional read - that touches on some seriously heavy topics. I didn't know much about this book but saw the cover and knew I had to read it. I'm honestly left speechless and emotional drained. Such great qpoc representation while also being well-paced, easy to read and entertaining.

I instantly fell in love with the characters, they are flawed, complex, and felt so real. I was rooting for them and every time someone fucked with them I felt enraged on their behalf. Faridah did such an amazing job at bringing these characters to life. Even though this book wasn't long I felt like I really got to know them - and I am so proud of both of them!!

Aces in such an evil antagonist, it's totally next level. I absolutely hated them and could feel my blood boil. There is no justifiable reason for their actions, but it's such a reality that it makes it even more upsetting. I honestly trusted nobody and as the book went on my anxiety levels went up. I don't want to give away too much, but get your stress ball ready.

This book shows the characters overcoming and experiencing, institutionalized racism, blackmailing, educational gatekeeping, outing, stalking, murder, PTSD, elitism and classism. Faridah does such an excellent job of covering and showing you how these can impact someone's life. Even though in this book everything is at an extreme, things like this really happen, and I think that is what makes this book so intense.

Even with all the dark themes, there were some funny and heart-warming moments, that kept me dedicated and invested. I cried and gasped multiple times at how things unfolded and even though I was able to anticipate what was going on, I would of never guess to what extent. I don't want to say too much because I highly recommend picking this book up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Described as Get Out meets Gossip Girl, Ace of Spades covers the hallowed halls of Niveus Private Academy as things become harrowing for the only two Black students, Chiamaka and Devon.

Senior year starts off wonderfully, but soon an anonymous tester named Aces enters the scene and begins releasing secrets that are designed to destroy - leaving Chiamaka and Devon racing to discover who the culprit is before their lives are ruined. What they uncover is ,ore insidious than they could have imagined.

It’s such a creative debut from.a young writer. My only critique is that with the shifting narration, the book sometimes lost momentum. Still. I’ll look forward to reading more from this author.

Many thanks to the author, narrators, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Gossip Girl, but make it queer and diverse!! This book exceeded my expectations and more! It was such a compelling read. Chiamaka and Devon are unforgettable characters! Chiamaka is an unstoppable force and is not ashamed to do what needs to be done to get to the top. Devon keeps a low profile, focusing on his musical talent in hopes to get in to Juilliard. Their paths crash together after they are both targeted by an unknown messenger going by the name of Aces. Aces is brutal and nothing is off the table for them to use against these two characters. I am so impressed and hope to see more books from this author! The narrators did an excellent job on the audiobook. This book is a must read! Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Gossip Girl meets Get Out? The premise had me immediately hooked and boy did Ace of Spades deliver!!! If you are going read a YA book at all this year, consider making it this one. It's a stunning debut that is tense and well-paced with great character work and is thought-provoking in an incredibly nuanced way. It delivers (as promised) the drama of a privileged high school with a secret person named Aces revealing dangerous gossip (a la Gossip Girl), but with the primary targets including the only Black students in the school as racist (and homophobic) microagressions and gaslighting slowly ramp up into something truly terrifying (akin to Get Out).

I would recommend this to people who enjoyed When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole because while the plot and target audience are different, the books have a lot of thematic similarities. That said, I think Ace of Spades is actually more accessible to readers who don't understand the real impact of microagressions on the lives of people of color. The author does a fantastic job of slowly ramping themes up and demonstrating the very real consequences, not to mention psychological impact for these young people. I don't want to say too much and spoil things, because the twists here are fantastic, but please do yourself a favor and read this! I absolutely loved it. The audiobook is also quite good in terms of conveying that tension. I received an audio review copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

While I appreciated the messages this novel delivers, I couldn’t overlook the slow pace, plot holes and unanswered questions in the end. Many people are loving this book though so please check it out for yourself!

Thank you to Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to Ace of Spades in exchange for an honest review.

Holy Shit. This book is a roller-coaster of exposed secrets and lies. Chiamaka and Devon are both seniors at the elite Niveus Acamedy and they are also the only Black students there. When an anonymous texter names Aces starts exposing Devon and Chiamaka's deepest secrets to the entire school via text messages, their college prospects are in danger but so are their relationships with their families and friends. Their lives may even be endangered. Who is Aces and why are they so determined to ruin everything for Devon and Chiamaka?

Two seniors, Chiamaka Adebayo and Devon Richards, have a lot in common. Both of them are of African descent; attend Niveus Private Academy; and, have started receiving anonymous threats from a serial texter who goes by the name of Aces. In order to thwart the uncovering of their deepest, darkest secrets, these two decide to work together in order to discover and expose Aces' true identity.

This fast-paced thriller is an engaging and issue-oriented piece. It is an allegorical examination of systemic oppression in predominantly (and historically) White institutions. This thought-provoking title could serve as the catalyst for many deep discussions regarding the intersectionality of race, class, sexual preferences, and stockholm syndrome.

The only two black students at an upperclass private school become targets for Aces, a mysterious texter, who starts spreading their secrets to the student body. They have to figure out who is behind it before it becomes too dangerous or ruins the chance for their futures.

Ace of Spades is a phenomenal read. The characters are beautifully written with completely different personalities. Devon is a scholarship student who dreams of going to Juilliard while Chiamaka has everything she's ever wanted. This book was advertised as a mix between Gossip Girl and Get Out and it is crazy accurate to that. The whole time I was so nervous for them and did not anticipate the ending of who Aces was at all. I loved that the book dealt with so many topics including the most important of racism, but it also dealt with homophobia, racial profiling, and classism. If you like thrillers, school dramas, books that make you take a hard look at the widespread racism in the world, this one is definitely for you.

I listened to the audiobook and fell in love with the narrators. They truly made the story feel so real and I flew through it.

I received a copy of this audiobook free from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review, but I really cannot recommend this book/audiobook enough.

Enjoyed the back and forth style of this story. Pacing was good, building suspense with a few unexpected turns in the story. Terrifying in lots of ways, hats off to the author for a killer debut story.

Ace of Spades by Faridah Abike-Iyimide and audiobook narrated by Jeanette Illidge and Tapiwa Mugweni is an excellent YA fiction that is: gripping, suspenseful, and thrilling novel that is truly stunning and had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

This book was most certainly entertaining with its fast pace, twists and turns, and impressive and complex character cast, but it also brought with it the more serious issues of racism, suppression, and the imbalances within society.
The author’s ability to interweave these immensely important subjects and issues along with sexuality, elitism, and sexism with the mystery, suspense, and fascinating plot are indeed impressive.

I loved the concept that ensnared Devon and Chiamaka, and I especially loved Chiamaka. She kicks butt, is feisty, fiery, intelligent, and just a great female character all around. I really am glad she was presented into this book. I was drawn in from the very beginning and felt like I didn’t get a chance to blink or exhale until I finished the last page.

Excellent!

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Macmillan Audio for this excellent audiobook arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR, Bookbub, Instagram, Amazon, B&N accounts immediately. Publish date 6/1/21.

Ace of Spades had strong ideas but fell a little flat. The story follows Devon and Chiamaka as they head into senior year as Niveus Private Academy where they are selected as head boy and girl. Soon after they start receiving threats from a mysterious entity called Aces.

Niveus Private Academy is described as an amalgam of British and American private school traditions and I understand the author wanted to appeal to an American audience but the story should've just been set in the UK. Nothing really felt American to me and she was too vague on the setting because she didn't want to tie it down to any one place. The concept of head girl/boy is a very British concept and the closest American equivalent is Class president but I don't feel like it's held to the same standard. This was compared to Gossip Girl but it never get me those vibes. Outside of name dropping a few designers this felt very generic private school.

There was a lot of telling in this story and I would've liked to see more showing. The book emphasized the problem I have when the plot is racism vs racism being one of many factors. There was a narrow focus on micro and macroaggressions but little levity needed to balance this story out. There's so much more to the Black experience than just suffering at the hands of racists. It felt like the book was all about showing how anti-Black society is but lacked joy. And I'm saying this as someone who went to a very white private school where I was at one point one of four Black people in a class of 100. So much happened in this story but none of it had me on the edge of my seat. I wasn't really excited or surprised by the reveal of the identity of Aces. The motivation for Aces also wasn't well plotted.

What saved this story was Devon's strong and engaging narrative voice. I enjoyed him despite the character being weighed down by having all the issues thrown at him like being poor with a dad in jail, having a single mother with multiple kids she was struggling to raise, having a drug dealing friend in addition to being a young gay boy struggling with his sexuality. Aces was spilling his deepest secrets . While in Chiamaka's case her issues were more about her struggles to fit in as a biracial girl and wanting to be the school's elite. So Aces drama was more manufactured to break down her perfect image.

I received an audio book for review from Macmillan Audio. The narration was good and made for a quick and easy read despite the page length. I liked that their were dual narrators and they didn't try to do male/female voices when it came time for dialogue. I listened on 1.75 speed.

I was especially attracted to this book because of the comparison to Get Out. The mention of “relevant social commentary” in the blurb I read on BookishFirst further heightened my interest.

The development was fairly slow. Chiamaka was such an unlikeable character, although I am sure that was intentional, but I was having such a difficult time spending time with her narrative. It, while seeing things through her perspective, I’d been given a reason to see her as sympathetic, I might have had more of an interest in the game that Aces was playing. I don’t think anyone deserves that, to be clear, but I struggled to connect with what the story was offering.

Admittedly, I don’t understand the vicious, deceptive climb to the top of a social hierarchy. I don’t mean that I don’t understand that it exists. I do. I just can’t understand why anyone chooses to sacrifice identity and morals for the sake of popularity. It seems a source of inauthentic praise and fake friendship, not an emblem of success, and I will truly never comprehend being blinded by this ambition. I think I may have been able to invest in the story better if there had been some redeeming qualities presented for Chiamaka early on. Of course, this is a book about high schoolers, which offers greater opportunity for growth; for them to see the error of their ways. So, I tried to press forward, hoping that was the direction this all was headed.

I’m not the target audience. This isn’t always an important factor because I’ve often enjoyed books written for age groups other than my own, but this one just didn’t do much for me. I’ve no doubt the author worked hard on this and, technically, no story is wholly unique, but this felt far too familiar to me, following a formula I’ve seen play out before.

I truly hate to abandon another audiobook I received for review, but if I push through this any further, I know I won’t rate it well. I’d like to think that this is really a case of “it’s not you, it’s me.” I am reading another book right now with social commentary on racism and it suits me a lot more. It’s so hard to decide on YA books. I try to determine if it will be one that works for all ages or if it’s something that will end up feeling really young. I’d hoped for the former, but this feels like the latter. To be fair, I’m almost 45. I think, even with my complaints in mind, that the issue is that I’m just too old for this story.

I won’t review elsewhere, since I didn’t finish, and I’m rating it with three stars, not based on my enjoyment, but based on how I can see why it would appeal to a younger audience.

I am immensely grateful to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my audio review copy.

This really is a book you need to go into as blind as possible. So what I'm going to try to keep this review vague as possible: two exceptional Black students, a boy and a girl, with normal teenage problems (dating unsuitable people, being secretly in love with your best friend, wanting to do everything possible to get into your dream college). But surround them with extremely privileged white students. And then someone knows all their secrets - and is willing to tell the whole school.

Faridah is a genius at building tension, sowing doubt in the reader, making you guess and flounder and worry right along with the protagonists. Who can you trust? Who might know something? And... At least it can't get any worse - or can it?

The second half of the book is an absolute whirlwind as things about both characters' pasts and the secrets that have been hinted at throughout come to light. And the epilogue really works to address the root problems rather than just leaving the book with small solutions

Great book. Loved the way the story developed and how the characters grew. And it dealt with important issues like racism and homophobia

Chiamaka, the Queen Bee, and Devon, King Nobody, are the only two Black kids at Niveus Academy, an elite school, which only accepts the best of the best, whom eventually become creme de la creme of society after graduation. I must emphazise that the narrators
Jeanette Illidge and Tapiwa Mugweni brought these two characters to life beautifully. Both are looking forward to making their exits, Devon to Juilliard to create a better life for his mom and brothers and Chiamaka following in the footsteps of her parents and becoming a doctor. Those plans are put in jeopardy when their deepest and darkest secrets come to light through texts from an anonymous source, known as Aces. Everyone understands why someone would want to take down the The Queen Bee Chi, but Devon's takedown is a bit of an anomaly, since nobody really knows who he is, the only thing obvious is that it just may be time for these students to make the exit from Niveus Academy by getting out!

The YA thriller Ace of Spades was one of my most anticpated reads of the year, I enjoy reading dark academia. Unfortunately, I did not love this book but I did not dislike it either, I thought it had important queer voices that need to be explored, particularly in Black books. I did think the book was very heavy handed on showcasing Black misery, and could have displayed some Black joy in each of these character's lives, despite the difficulties that come with being Black, it is not an onus. Again I must admit that the two narrators Jeanette Illidge and Tapiwa Mugweni brought this pain to life where it felt really visceral to the reader. In addition I take issue with the plot, the implementation of racism to enhance white supremacy should not be the only tool used to advance the story's arc, we were never really given any explanation of how the school was able to be so successful in their nefarious endeavors, nor did Chi or Devon speak to former students to help the reader better understand the school's success in ruining its Black students and I wished their had been more bonding between Chi and Devon as more information was revealed, prior to the end of the book. Still, I am happy I read this book mostly because I enjoyed getting to know Devon, queer voice, even if passive at times, his point of view resonated strongest with me and it did tackle very important social themes like classism and homophobia.

DNF at 20%

I was granted complimentary audio access to Ace of Spaces via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts are my won and my review is honest.

So, in the interest of being honest, this was an impulse request. I opened the new audiobooks page, recognized a cover everyone's talking about in my Twitter circle, and hit request. I wasn't actually counting on an approval since I requested a day after release, so I was pleasantly surprised when I got the approval email. Then I noticed I had less than a week to listen and review before it archived, so I let it play as I worked on some mindless tasks immediately after finishing my last read. This wasn't ideal because I was tired and I was coming straight out of a solid 4 star in the same genre & category.

I know this book is super popular (see above) and I know it's rated really well everywhere. I really, truly hate to give it a less than stellar rating, but I have to be honest. I was bored. I see what people love about it, it's diverse and ambitious and people love Faridah (for good reason! She's awesome.) But strip away the diversity and the little things that make the school a unique setting, and this is just every late-2000s teen TV drama, particularly Gossip Girl, rehashed. And to go along with the TV comparison, I saw someone else's comparison that feels exactly right: the writing has a very adults playing teens feel to it. (Insert "Hello, fellow kids" meme here.) I just read two other YA high school drama stories, both with diverse rep, right before this. I'm still very much a YA reader. This just doesn't read the same.