First off, thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Secondly, I WANT TO SCREAM ABOUT THIS BOOK FROM EVERY SINGLE ROOFTOP BECAUSE OF HOW AMAZING IT IS!!

I'll start off by clearing up some misconceptions other reviewers have put in their reviews. It is not a story like Army of the Dead/Army of Thieves, it's a coming-of-age tale about a group of kids trying to find out what it means to be them, while being their clumsy, sarcastic, sassy, ace/aro selves while also trying to take down the head of the local organised crime. There are heists, and a lot of spy work, but it's a bunch of kids with no experience in this stuff. If you're wanting super sophisticated and well planned attacks, this aint it, but also I think that's what makes this better in a way.
There was also mentions about a deaf side character being written terribly, but as someone who's hard of hearing I personally don't think this to be the case. Siblings act like siblings, and not every deaf person is "stereotypically deaf". It'd have been nice to have it be more of a topic, but she's a small side character so I'd say it works in my honest opinion.

I love all the characters. I love just how honestly clumsy and young everyone is. Trying to shoulder so much trauma without knowing who you are fully must absolutely suck. No one's perfect, but no one's absolutely evil either. It's just the asexual support group and they know they've got each others backs no matter what.

I loved every moment of this book. I loved how it showed asexuality was complicated, a spectrum, and everyone under the umbrella is different. I loved how it didn't try and be a fantasy, it was just kids trying to be adults, but realising they're still just kids in the end.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Peachtree and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Fast paced and impossible to put down. Full of humor and delightful characters, an east story to navigate.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When I first heard this book will have an aces friend group AND a heist? I was instantly sold. So I jumped at the chance to read it when I saw it was available on NetGalley.
The writing style and storytelling were so well done, they kept me hooked till the very end. I just couldn't stop reading this book. It was really engaging and captivating. There were also a lot of hilarious instances!
The themes addressed in the book of friendship, sibling dynamics as well as familial relationships were really well written and I enjoyed every aspect of these.
I loved the ace representation and the various romantic spectrum representation we got, and the non-binary rep! I just wish there was more to this than just the fact that they were all asexual. I realize that this wasn't an ace book per se but with an ace friend group I had expected there to be more on asexuality.
The characters did seem to be more like caricatures, especially the side characters except for maybe Remy. I don't feel like I know anything about the side characters except for what was supposed to be their personality traits, even with Remy most of the time.
Even though the storytelling is amazing, I think heist fans (especially Six of Crows fans) will be a bit disappointed on that front. I enjoyed everything but the heist didn't feel solid enough, which turned out to give the teenagers a more realistic view rather than the usual teenagers doing big things in spite of their age view, which I appreciated. It focuses more on the connections between the characters, their feelings, and what they're going through while keeping the heist part pretty simple for the readers.
Lastly, it was still an enjoyable book but definitely shouldn't be compared with Six of Crows just because both of these books have heists. Highly recommend it if you like books with an engaging writing style and a good plot.

This is a delightful book about an internet friend group of aces who team up to get Jack's, one guy from the group's, mother out of prison. She's a Las Vegas mogul and was put into prison by... a former friend.

The story was fun and easy to read. There were forth wall breaks. I wish the heist itself felt more nerve wracking - though Jack does worry about what would happen if he doesn't break his mum out of jail, the worst case scenario seems to be not that drastic, with his mom (who was definitely guilty of what she was charged with and was neglectful all his life) staying in prison and him living off of his trust fund. In the end, this was more of a family/friendship YA, rather than a heist one as I had expected and hoped for, but it was still fun and precious.

It would be a nice read for teenagers, especially if they're ace.

ACES WILD is an excellent and exciting read that will appeal to fans of contemporary novels as well as heist/thriller books. Aside from having one of the most brilliant moments in which the title is first mentioned in the book, it is a fun story with great representation and a perfect example of found family in a modern era.

One of the strongest points of the book is the voice. The writing style is smooth to read itself, but Jack has such a great sense of humor and way of seeing the world, and I was hooked from the first page. (If not sooner, as I am a sucker for books with fun chapter titles.) Overall, the characterization of the book is well-crafted. Jack is easy to root for, and while he makes mistakes and has his flaws, is still well-rounded and compelling. The other characters in his friend group each have their unique personalities and the relationships between them are sweet and a delight to read.

The asexual representation is especially wonderfully done, but the inclusion of other queer identities was wonderful as well!

Personally, as a fan of the heist genre and someone that lives for tropes, I would have liked the book to center more around the heist and lean into some of those tropes, as the actual plan for the heist didn't really seem to come together and be the central story of the book at all times. However, this didn't negatively impact my reading as it is something purely subjective, and I still enjoyed the overall tone of the book.

All in all, ACES WILD is a book filled with excellent characters and a great concept, and will certainly not disappoint.

I needed a few days to gather my thoughts on this book, because I went through it so fast, and my response to it was mainly to scream about it on Twitter.

After I finished it, I experienced that drop of a book hangover, so I didn’t want to write about it right away. I was pretty excited about the premise of this book, and it did not disappoint in delivering it. My main barrier with heist books tends to be believing that people would do something so risky and trust such convoluted plans to work, but I had no problem understanding Jack’s motivation and buying his mostly improvised plans. This was a desperate child trying to rescue his mom from her own mistakes, and I was one hundred percent invested. Even more so when we meet the group in person.

The personalities really shined through with the crew, and I love that they were all Ace in a completely natural way (because honestly, I too have mostly online friends that are all queer). I especially loved Lucky and Gabe, and I’m waiting for the sequel where they get to be MCs already. They’re hilarious.

Overall, though, a super enjoyable, incredibly fast read, and as someone who is probably on the spectrum myself (more on the grey side), it just feels so good to read a book with so many characters that are not falling in lust with some other character! We need more casts like this. I loved it.

3,5⭐

Well you can't expect me to not jump on board when I hear (illegal) gambling, family secrets and asexual representation, so it was clear for me to get into this story asap.

"Aces Wild" is, well, wild when it comes to its concepts. It's a retelling of King Arthur's story dressed in Las Vegas clothes – or, perhaps I should say, cards. Jack Shannon's family has its flaws, but they stick together, even if they seem like puzzle pieces from five different boxes. He also has his own crew of friends, with which help he's going to change the playing world of casinos with a bang.

The writing is really good, the best part of it is humor. Gosh, I love such narration, Jack's way of telling story can give high five Percy Jackson's one. Characters don't seem like a cardboard cutouts, but real, complicated people, and that's great. I fell in love with the crew of Aces Wild deeper the longer I kept reading.

The story itself is not the complicated one, which I should praise, as the author managed to keep it real to the character's age. There wasn't anything unnatural or impossible that would make it abstract, which counts as a positive. Yet in its simplicity lies the fact that not really much happened. It's a heist, sure, and there is a heist, but besides from that one moment it's more static? More focused on emotions and ways such plot twists influence characters? Which is interesting, because AW goes for a young adult book, but unfocused on the romantic subplot – in fact one lacking such, and it successes. It could use one last big boom at the end, cause while the main story is closed, it would be nice to see other subplots' finales, too.

It's a great book if you're looking for a nice YA, the same yet so different from its genre, with ace and non-binary representation, marvellous jokes and a cast of characters you'll love.

an ace friend group breaks into a casino? t sounds right up my alley. unfortunately it was underwhelming. i expected it to be exciting and action-packed but i felt it was lacking that aspect. the characters were also quite underdeveloped despite the amount of time they had in the story.

Thank you to PeachTree Teen for providing me with an eARC of this book!

This book was so fun! From the description, I was expecting a much darker story, but I actually appreciated the lighter/sweeter tone it actually took. This is a story all about friendship and the things we do for our friends/found family, and it was a really refreshing story, honestly.

The heist was great, though I found it did drag a bit in the middle. The characters were my favourite part. They worked well as a group and you could really feel the friendship. As someone with a similar group of 'we met online' friends, their entire dynamic felt all too relatable.

Overall this was a fun little story that got me out of a reading slump (thank you, Amanda DeWitt!) and was thoroughly enjoyable. I very much appreciated the asexual representation, and specifically the discussion about how being ace really can be a spectrum and mean different things to different people. If you're a fan of heists and teens doing questionable things, I highly recommend this!

As a librarian, I will also be suggesting this for addition to my YA collection. I think a lot of my kids will enjoy this as well!

This book had everything that I needed. Asexual rep? Check. A heist? Check. Teenagers making Star Wars references? Check. Aces Wild was a super fun read that is essentially “be asexual, do crime.” It was so refreshing to read a book with characters that I could see myself in. But also, the teenagers in this book genuinely felt like teenagers. I adored this book from start to finish.

The good
+ A group of asexual friends planning a heist
+ Their online friendship turning into live friendship and even sibling-like interactions sometimes
+ "I didn't know where people found the time to have sexual attraction"

The neutral
o I was kindly provided with an ARC. My review remains honest and unbiased
o I don't really understand why Jack, the youngest Shannon, was the heir, and not one of his sisters. I understood why not Beth, but why did Kerry get skipped?

The bad
- We didn't really get to know any of the characters. I knew like two facts per friend (Gabe is aro and tall, Georgia is not from Georgia and good at maths, Remy has a dog and is bad at maths, Lucky is fourteen (and a half) and good with tech), which I think is way too little for the amount of screentime each of them had
- Lucky was fourteen and able to hack a casino. Yeah, right...
- Beth was an awful sister and dealt with zero repercussions for her behavior. If I were Jack, I wouldn't have forgiven her
- Kerry was a plot device instead of a sister. She should've been involved
- Jack invited all of his friends, then basically ignored them, lied to them (after they all promised no more lies) and tried to do everything alone time and time again
- Jack was going into a dangerous situation. Lucky tried to give him critical information. Jack removed their only source of contact before she could finish. What the fuck, Jack?
- Jack was gone for a looooooooong time without contacting his friends at all and just leaving them alone when they counted on him. They were all worried sick and Jack was just like yeah but I got information (accidentally) so I don't feel guilt
- Jack was just a bad friend to his ace buddies
- We didn't get to know Jack's love interest at all. They shared one moment, held hands once and then went back to other sides of the country. Then the book was over. Just exclude the romance if it ends like this, instead of involving it like some kind of mandatory ingredient for a story
- Basically, everything Aces Wild did as part of their plans failed or had the wrong results. In the end, everything happened due to chance and an outside source of help


I was really excited for this book. Hello, a gang of ace friends robbing a casino? Count me in! Unfortunately, it was just Jack the horrible friend ditching his friends and using them whenever it was convenient for him, only to fail at all of his plans time and time again. I wouldn't recommend this book, as it did not deliver what was promised.

4.5 stars rounded

Five aces plan a Las Vegas heist, what could possibly go wrong?

Quite a lot, as it turns out, but it's a fun ride nonetheless.

This was a book that I, as a person who is always on the look out for more ace books, knew I had to read as soon as I saw the description.

Now, when it comes to asexual representation (and queer representation as a whole), there's always a need for both books that are about being asexual and books that are about people who just happen to be asexual doing interesting stuff & having adventures. And though it touches upon the first (it is, after all, an important part of who these characters are), for the most part this book definetely falls into the latter category.

Five ace friends who first met online come together in RL after one of their number, Jack's, mother is arrested. He is determined to prove that fellow Las Vegas casino owner and all round shady guy Peter Carlverlo is responsible and free his mum. The best way to do this? Sneaking into Peter's secret high-flyers-only casino club, of course.

Jack as a character is compelling and messy and human - a teenager in over-his-head but determined not to give up. I really enjoyed the dynamic with him and his friends, in particular, the scenes between him and his crush, Remy, as the pair try to navigate their feelings and being ace and just the messiness of a teenage crush. As Jack himself says, this is not a love story, but it still has a few sweet little moments. Though, I would have perhaps liked to have seen a little more of the friends throughout the story and gotten to know them as people a little bit better - Jack does have a bad habit of going-off to do his own thing.

I loved the style of the writing in this. First person can be a little hit-and-miss for me, but it works here, with Jack narrating the story of what happened, which allows for some humour and playing around with narrative choices.

Overall, a fun heist novel with a touch of heart and ace characters at its centre.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in return for a honest review.

This is a solid YA, coming-of-age story about (found) family and (online) friends and it's good rep for asexual kids.

However, it's not really my cup of tea and it let me down a bit. Comparing anything to Six of Crows or Kaz Brekker is going to give me VERY HIGH expectations, especially when we're comparing heist books. The heist wasn't as suspenseful as I was hoping for. Also, generally speaking, I should probably stay away from YA - I'm starting to grow out of it and it's starting to feel a little too repetitive and childish.

But for someone who likes YA, this is great. I was worried it would sound a little too much like (bad) fanfiction. It didn't.

This was my most anticipated book of the year and it did not disappoint. All it took for me to get excited about this was the cast of asexual characters and adding a heist on top of that was even more spectacular. I will say that this definitely is more relationship and character focused than it is on the heist part but for me that made me love it even more and it was all very fun to read. The characters all have my heart, they were amazing and I love them more than anything. Overall I really loved this and I would highly recommend it!

I had to dnf this book at 85% as no heist was in sight and I could feel myself getting into a reading slump. Unfortunately, I can't give a good review as I did not finish the book but have to write something for the sake of my ratio 🙈

If I could describe this book in one word it would be fun! It reminds me of a mixture of Ocean’s 11 and Artemis Fowl (minus the magic) with the addition of queer representation.
This book deals with the idea of found family and discovering oneself coupled and a casino heist. At first Jack comes across as a spoiled rich kid, but overtime we see him develop into a nuanced teenager trying to figure out his asexuality in an allosexual/romantic world. I think this would make a fun beach read.
I would rate this 3.5 stars if I was able, it’s nothing groundbreaking but certainly entertaining and fast-paced sort of like a movie.

Aces Wild is one of my most anticipated releases of 2022. I mean, you all know I love a good heist, and to make it ace on top of that? Perfect.

The blurb of this book compares it to Six of Crows, and while I don't think that's entirely inaccurate, it is a little misleading. This book reminded me much more of another one of my favourite books: Heist Society.
Do not go into this book expecting the grit and darkness of SoC. The humour, tone and writing are much more like a Riordan book. Which I absolutely love.

This book was really, really fun. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The characters are lovable, the writing smooth, the jokes funny enough to make me laugh out loud a couple of times.

I love the representation as well. An entire (Mini)busload of Aces, all with unique identities, including an aromatic ace and a nonbinary ace. Love it. Aces pursuing a romantic relationship. Love it.

It was overall just a really fun and quick read.

Ther were two flaws that presented it from being a full 5 star read though.
One: The whole book is based on our MCs desire to get his mom out of prison. The thing is, she is absolutely guilty. And I just do not feel bad for the multi-millionaire casinobowner with mob- ties who's a neglectful mother going to jail for fraud, just because she wouldn't have got caught withiut the interfaceof a rival. I just don't.
And the second flaw: The Heist itself was quite underwhelming. You know that point in a good heist novel, where you as a reader think everything has gone down the drain but then it turns out that was the plan all along? Well in this the narrator all but tells you that is what's happening. And just how a joke isn't funny anymore when you explain it, the story just wasn't as entertaining anymore at that point.

Do not get me wrong, I still enjoyed this bookba lot and definitely recommend you read it. I also can't wait to get my physical copy of it.

With an absorbing and exciting story, a humours and engaging voice, a relatable cast of characters and a whole heap of ace-spec badassery, the ARC of Aces Wild by Amanda DeWitt is truly one of the best things I’ve read in the last five years and I almost couldn’t put the book down. This is a spoiler free review and you can get your own copy of Aces Wild on September 6th, 2022.

Perhaps I’m a little biased. It’s very rare that you get to read something that showcases one character that’s asexual, let alone a cast of them. Jack and his friends are part of an online ace support group, which in of itself is awesome. The novel doesn’t go into the nitty gritty details of what it means to be ace, showcasing these characters are inherently normal and don’t actually need much explaining. Get with the program, reader, we’ve got an epic heist to undertake!

Jack is a fantastic main character and, through his eyes, we see how lonely he is at school, but how deeply un-lonely he is when he goes online to talk to his friends. As someone that struggled to make deep and meaningful connections during my teens and 20s, but whose best friend in the world and platonic soulmate is someone I met on an online roleplaying forum, this spoke volumes to me. My best friend helped me to understand I was ace and, being queer herself, made me feel comfortable with her in a way I couldn’t with real life friends. Thus, Jacks nervousness at meeting his online friends for the first time absolutely resonated with me, so much so it made me cry!

Aces Wild is the book I wished I’d had as a teenager. I skipped a lot of YA because it was so heteroamatonormative. Too much romance, too much girls kissing boys, not enough awesome shit. Though there is a little romance in Aces Wild, as a romance-repulsed aromantic I still enjoyed it; it was sweet, and awkward, and I think if I ever ended up having a crush on an actual person and not an actor, or fictional character, it might go something like that.

While I’d guessed a few of the book’s bigger twists, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Unlike multi-million dollar film franchises that like to pull the rug out from under the audiences’ feet just for shock value, Aces Wild actually follows through with its twists and they make sense. There were a few in there, still, that made me gasp and grin with delight.

Though the ace-rep isn’t all encompassing within the book (there’s no mentions of other ace-spec labels in the text), this is a huge stepping stone for ace fronted media. The asexual stuff is super ingrained into the story without it shouting in being in your face, the ace characters are all different, all multi-faceted, all awesome. There’s a discussion about “aren’t you too young to know you’re ace?” which I absolutely loved! The book hit all of the emotional notes incredibly well and had me tearing up in a few places, laughing quite a lot and having a whale of a time with the Aces Wild team.

If you, like me, are lamenting the fact that there isn’t enough ace-spec rep in media, then Aces Wild is the book for you. It’s witty, snarky and packs a powerful punch. The ace-spec characters are awesome, and I grew to love every single one of them throughout the novel. If some of your closest connections are with people online, then this book is most definitely for you; it’ll give you the warm and fuzzies for people you wish you could hug tight. All in all, Aces Wild is a really fun, really engaging and really ace book, and I can wholeheartedly recommend that you get it when it comes out!

Review appears on my website, here: https://acereading.wordpress.com/2022/04/18/aces-wild/

If you slap A HEIST on the cover, title and blurb on a book, I am going to read the book expecting... a heist. It's not a lot to ask for. I did not feel that any of the events of this story, which mostly involved standing around gambling hoping to overhear some stuff or eating, constituted as "a heist".

I'm deaf, and I was really uncomfortable with the one deaf character, who uses hearing aids, being used as a tool for the plot - they hack an old hearing aid of Jack's sister to use as a mic. Mobility aids, hearing aids are really important to a disabled person's identity and I really hated them being used this way, and Jack pretending to need a hearing aid at all. Also his sister had no markers - no deaf voice, no difficultly hearing.

Some of this story might have been saved if I loved the characters. A group of asexual teens should immediately just grab me but I can't tell you much about most of the characters. Jack was self absorbed, Remy was cool simply because they're non binary apparently, I can tell you nothing about Georgia, Gabe switches between irrationally angry and really friendly and Lucky was the only one with a personality.

Overall, I'm pretty disappointed. Time to go binge watch BBC's Hustle again.

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

All you need to know about Aces Wild is that it features an all ace found family, a non-binary supporting character/LI, an accurate portrayal of internet friendships, and a good ol’ heist

If you’re coming into this novel excited for the plot I would probably say,,,, don’t (though the ending saved it a little bit). The selling point of this novel is really the found family, representation, and vibes!

Overall, Aces Wild was an admittedly not perfect but a very fun and quick read and if the blurb interests you, I say go for it ;)