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.

As a rule i do not post horrible reviews on my platform, but i promoted this book on my tiktok. This was purely a fail for one reason. it is sold as a heist. there is no heist. as someone who is an avid hiest story enthuisiast, this flopped HARD.

When Jack’s mother is arrested, he won’t stop until he gets her freedom and his life gets back to normal.

This was a pretty good book. It started off a little slow, but I really enjoyed it. First off I loved the fact that most of the cast of characters were Ace. I don’t see nearly enough Ace representation in books. I got all kinds of Oceans Eleven vibes from this book and beyond the heist, these characters were amazing. I really loved the whole group of Jack’s friends. The way they interacted and their personalities were so relatable and lovable. The situations this group of kids gets into, while trying to find a way to free Jack’s mother from jail, are both hysterical and nail biting. This is the perfect blend of a heist, found family, and acceptance. It may have started slow, but it finished strong and I would recommend this book to almost everyone.

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: ableism, incarceration of a parent, injuries

Many thanks to Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for access to the eARC in exchange for an honest review

"Anyone can get lucky. But sometimes... you need five aces to win.”

For Jack Shannon, legality has always been more of a suggestion than a hard fast rule. After all, its hard to lead a life on the straight and narrow when your family has ties with organized crime and runs one of the most seductive hotel casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. When the crimes of his family suddenly catch up to them, and his mother is arrested, Jack can’t help but think that something wicked is going on behind the glittery curtains of sin. He knows his mother was sold out, and he knows by who. Peter Carlevaro: rival casino owner and her jilted lover.

Jack hatches a plan to find out what Carlevaro’s holding over his mother’s head, but he can’t do it alone. He recruits four of his closest friends — members of an asexual support group he met online. Now all he has to do is infiltrate a high-stakes gambling ring and dodge dark family secrets better left alone.

This was a fun, fast paced read and I blew through it in 2 days. Though it is pitched as a heist novel, i would more confidently call it one of espionage. Most of the events center around the main characters gathering intel rather than actual thievery. That being said, it was very fun accompanying these chaotic ace teens as they tried to bring down one of the biggest casino moguls in Vegas.

I do however wish there was a bit more character development, as most of Jack’s friends felt a little one-dimensional, But I still really liked the connection they seemed to have with one another. For what it’s worth they really felt like a group of friends who were in way over their heads, which you know, they kinda were.

One thing that struck me as odd was the appropriation of hearing devices, specifically of a hearing aid used by those who are HoH or deaf. In the story, Jack tinkers with his sister’s old hearing aid to use as a means of communication between him and another character, and although I myself am not hard of hearing or deaf, i didn’t see the point of him doing so. There was no need for him to use a hearing aid when he had access to money that could buy an appropriate in-ear communication device. I would definitely encourage seeking out HoH and Deaf voices in regards to this issue in further reviews of this book.

I liked this book, I just wished the actual heist lasted longer than like the last 50 or so pages. Jack was good, I just wished it was further explained as to how his revenge would free his mother.

Aces Wild is truly a one of a kind story. It gave me everything I wanted from it- emotional, funny and awkward moments, some GREAT representation, and a perfect slightly over-the-top plot.

The book follows the story of this young boy named Jack, who is a son of the casino mogul, and his mom has just been arrested (on TV) for f......

As you can gather from the synopsis, Jack believes that his mom is innocent, and he calls upon his group of online friends (who are all asexual) to get her out and take revenge on the person who got his mom caught.

It sounds kinda far-fetched, but the way the author makes this set-up happen feels very realistic and organic.

There were so many elements that I adored in this story. The first and foremost being the friends group. It's a group of 5 friends: Georgia, Remy (they/them), Ben (he/him), Lucky (she/her) and Jack.

Not only are these characters well-written in terms of LGBTQ representation, but also because there's so much more personality to them than their sexuality. That is just one aspect of who they are, and they're memorable because of many other reasons.

Jack had met them all online and has never seen them in real life, but he has such a close relationship with them. We also get some snippets of their chats and they're fun to read.

The story is incredibly fun to read. It's sprinkled with solid good humor that will make you chuckle, and emotional moments that make you feel closer to the characters.

It explores so many things- friendships, sexuality, sibling relations, self-discovery and

The plot is also just an incredibly good time. I had such fun with it. It's just extra enough to entertain, but still has its feet on reality enough for it to make sense.
There's a lot of pick-pocketing, spying, hacking, finding unlikely allies and revelations of secrets that Jack is so not ready for.

The only thing that really bugged me were the little things left unresolved in the ending.
The first thing was that one of the new characters that was introduced wasn't given a proper conclusion. This new character was a part of a huge twist in the ending, but they weren't given the clearest, happy ending that I wanted them to have. I still have questions about them that the author didn't clarify.

The second reason is related to the first. Overall there were quite a few things in the ending that I felt were left unaddressed. I mean, the plot wrapped up pretty cleanly, but there were a lot of questions about how things are going to go forward from here on that we just didn't not get any idea about.

Overall it was a truly an amazing read and I loved all the characters and the representation that we got to see having unapologetic fun.

This book!!!!!!

It just means so much to me that we got a book with a crew of ace characters planning a heist!!!!!! And i may be a bit biased writing this but this book just WORKED for me.

The writing is amazing, the humor is on point and it's emotional when it needs to be.

And the plot was actually GOOD. It had the right amount of mystery but it didn't completely rely on it.

i loved that it didnt drag on at all!!! Everything happened with the right pace in my opinion.

The found family and the character developement and the building of relationships between the characters although they knew each other before we knew them was so well done!!!!

I loved this book very much and had fun reading it!!!

HOWEVER i have to say ... the blurb written for this book is setting it up for some disappointment.

*editing to add that i have heard people talk about ableism in this book and i have to say that just because i liked this book i dont want to ignore the problems that have rightfully been pointed out. As a person who does not use a hearing aid it is not my place to talk about this but i urge you to listen to those who have spoken about it!♡


Thank you netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

This was a fun, fast-paced read. I liked the voices of the characters, and I have recommended this book to a couple of my ace friends. It definitely reminds me of Six of Crows especially how Jack Shannon is like Kaz Brekker, but with an Inheritance Games writing style.

A Casino heist with a cast of queer teens? Yes, please!

As someone on the ace spectrum, I was so excited to find this ARC on NetGalley. I got even more excited when I realized that Jack is asexual, but not aromantic, just because that fits perfectly with how I identify, and it was so cool to read about an experience that was so close to mine.

Of course, as a lesbian who loves a MILF, I was really into Aileen immediately, so … that didn’t hurt. It certainly pushed me to read the book even faster.

The book is fast paced and written in a super accessible way, so my interest had me flying through it.

Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed with the story. I don’t think the heist itself is bad, but it does disappoint that Jack is so clearly being indulged from the beginning and doesn’t have the capacity to realize it. To wonder a Casino full of cameras with barely a disguise and think you’re being discreet is silly even if the book is written for an audience that is a lot younger.

I also really disliked Jack’s sister from the start and having the book clearly set her up to be the one character who was right was a bummer. That is very personal, though. I don’t like characters that are super self-righteous and are positioned, in the end, as the only ones with good morals. I also think it takes a lot of fun out of the book and a lot of wind out of the stakes—I pick up a heist book to root for the heist and I expect the characters to steal what they want to steal AND to get their larger goal accomplished.

The fact that the book, a lot of times, seems to be morally opposed to both the characters doing the heist (because it’s dangerous and they’re teenagers) and Aileen getting out of prison left me with the sensation that the book author herself didn’t want me to be invested in any of the goals the main character has. And it’s fine for a character, especially a teen one, to have a need that is much more important for them to get than their wants—most books have moral lessons. I just didn’t feel that this one was particularly subtle or fun to engage with.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Amazing. Stunning. Fabulous. All these things describe Aces Wild. It did not disappoint.

The asexual representation was absolutely amazing. Ace rep usually falls through the cracks, so I almost fainted at a whole group of ace characters. (Not really but I definitely had a cheesy grin.)

All the characters were lovable and quirky. I loved their dynamics with one another and the development of all their relationships. I’m also a sucker for smart main characters who are capable.

Aces Wild had me on the edge of my seat. I gobbled up this book as quickly as my schedule would allow. I laughed out loud, screamed, and kicked my legs so many times while reading.

If you are hesitant to read Aces Wild, DO IT! This book contained elements similar to Six of Crows and the Inheritance Games so if you enjoyed those you will definitely enjoy Aces Wild.

When I saw this being compared to Six of Crows, I had to read it. Unfortunately, it had none of the fun I felt reading Six of Crows. It was still a fun read but the comparison to Six of Crows was too bold. However, I did like the asexual representation found in this book, which is why I'm rating it three stars instead of two point five.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have quite a few mixed feelings about this book. This book is not without its weaknesses. Firstly, calling this book a "heist" book would be a bit too much, considering how little heist actually happened. The execution fell short, and it was obviously way too convenient for the MC most of the time, sneaking into places that should have better security. I was willing to suspend my disbelief, especially considering this is YA, but sometimes it's just too easy, especially when a new character appeared as a convenient plot device. Still, this book is quite fast-paced with conflicts scattered throughout the book just at the right time, and the writing flows nicely, so I was able to finish this book quickly.

Yet, reading this is partly like coming home, knowing that there are people that are just like me. I rated it higher than I would have if this book didn't have ace characters, because reading this felt like the sort of self-indulgence that always brings warmth and comfort to my lonely heart. Having the casual representation and a friend group comprised of an all-asexual members is a joy, and I obviously am going to look for more books that have these.

I particularly loved how the author portrayed asexuality in this book, how diverse one asexual support group can be. It may not be the main focus of this book, but it's so refreshing to just have asexuality be treated as something completely normal. The MC, Jack, is demiromantic asexual. He has a crush on Remy, who's non-binary and is romantically attracted to him. The other friends in the ace group all exist on different spectrum; there's Georgia who's implied to be homoromantic, and there's Gabe who's aromantic. Speaking of, I adored the Aces Wild's group dynamic. I need more banter between Lucky and Gabe.

Overall, this book is a nice and quick read. It has its flaws, but it warmed my asexual heart and that's enough for me.

thanks to NetGalley for the copy!

✨be ace do crime✨

This was a fun and lighthearted read! It wasn’t perfect and it didn’t reach all of its potential but I wouldn’t recommend it for perfection, just for the entertaining and wild-but-more-like-mild ride.

I will admit it dragged a little at times, specifically during some of Jack’s internal monologue that felt more like long winded tangents but that could just be my impatience at the disruption of the flow of the plot and dialogue. But for the price of a rare abundance of decent asexual (and non-binary and aromantic) reputation I’d put up with a lot worse :)

some other points:
-calling it a heist was a biiit of a stretch, there was a lot of big talk about big action to be taken but the action fell a little short, nothing “big” actually happened except them sneaking into the same floor of a hotel a few times so it came off a bit anticlimactic and amateurish
-would’ve loved to see Jack’s friends fleshed out a little more, extra details to get invested in them individually rather than just the obvious character types of “the older goofy one” or “the prodigy hacker one” etc.
-it was stated numerous times how they’re all best friends but I would’ve liked to read them actually being/acting like best friends rather than just being told that, just to establish it a little more and make it more authentic and believable
-I kinda hated Lucky?? but I’ll cut the fourteen (and a half) year old some slack bc we’ve all been that annoying fourteen (and a half) year old. also really kinda hated Beth too.

Despite my criticisms there were a lot of little moments in the book I genuinely loved and made me snort out loud. The pros and cons of the book equal out to definitely make it worth a read.

I reviewed an eARC of this book, so it may not match the final edition. Thank you for the opportunity.

Jack Shannon, heir of a Vegas casino hotel empire with ties to organized crime has a decent life, with his underground gambling club at his elite boarding school and his group of online friends that had connected because they had one thing in common-they’re asexual.

When Jack’s mother is arrested and his life threatens to fall apart, he calls his friends to him, and the Aces Wild work together to beat the hotel kingpins at their own game, save Jack’s mom, and explore their friendships-and maybe more, since ace and aro don’t always come together.

This was an entertaining, fun book to read, and Ace representation (beyond maybe a side character) is rare in YA literature. Even more so is the concept that someone can be ace, but still be emotionally attracted to someone, and that these can be beneficial, mutual relationships. For that, by itself. It deserves inclusion. Because every kid deserves to see themselves in books.

Jack is the son of a casino owning family in Vegas that definitely has some shady ties. Things are fine until his mom is arrested and Jack becomes determined to bring the culprit to Justice. In order to do this, he decides to ask his best friends for help. They all are members of an asexual support group online. Together, they are determined to help jack’s family out.

I really enjoyed this book! In my opinion, it’s not as heisty as the synopsis makes it sound - I got more goonies type vibes, but that’s fine! I liked all the characters here and while it seems unlikely there will be a sequel, I find myself wishing for one based on the group’s dynamic. It was also nice to read something that features an often less represented facet of the LGBTQ+ spectrum. I would definitely recommend this book!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a fun ride.
I love the title - it's absolutely fantastic!
I can definitely see myself rereading this via audio book!

DISABILITY AIDS ARE NOT PLOT TOOLS FOR ABLED PEOPLE.

WHY are we using hearing aids as a spy device? being deaf/HoH is not a costume for abled people to put on when it’s convenient. this entire plot device was unnecessary, if they needed a subtle way to communicate with the person behind the scenes, there are a variety of earbuds that are small and subtle, easy to pocket when getting past (frankly very light) security and slip back on in the super secret club.

this book would have been very fun and enjoyable if it hadn’t been for all the ableism, and i’m so disappointed.

i’m hoping it gets fixed before the final publication.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a digital arc of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

This debut novel follows the exciting tale of an online asexual friend group who plan an attempted break-in into one of the highest gambling clubs in Los Angeles. What could go wrong? After his mother is wrongly accused and arrested, Jack Shannon's life is turned upside down as he becomes determined to prove her innocence. He begins to hatch an elaborate plan, one that involves flying all his online friends out to his family's hotel and then trying to smoothly pull off the wildest heist in their lifetime.

I have many mixed emotions about this book. On one hand, I loved the asexual representation and the accuracy of online friendships that were represented, especially because it's something that I value and can relate to the most (shoutout to my favorite online friends, and people, in the whole world - tsuna and lila, I love you both). But on the other hand, this book is not really about a heist. Sure, there's a lot of scheming and sneaking around, but the heist part is extremely minuscule. The characters themselves could have been discussed in more detail because there was not enough said about such an important element of this story. I really did like this story, and I believe that it deserves higher than my 3.5 star rating, but I couldn't bring myself to do it because there was not enough development of the "heist plot" even though that is what it was mainly marked as. The fact that this is compared to Six of Crows is an inaccurate marketing plan, and if its true nature of being a contemporary story of friendship and bonding is the key element in this story's promotion, then I strongly believe that it would reach its target audience much better,

Overall, a really fun story to read and pass some time, but definitely lacks in many areas to be considered a heist novel. I believe that this is a very strong first debut and I will keep updated with the author's release schedules because I believe that their writing can only grow from here. I really appreciated reading a book with such an abundance of asexual representation and I am grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an opportunity to read this novel.

This book definitely wasn't i was expecting & i ended up not finishing it after forcing myself to reach the 50%. I'm a lover for heists & books involving it instantly get my attention but the text messages & the trouble with the family/mother, wasn't for me.