Young Adult

Ace of Spades

Ace of Spades

  • Downloads：4741
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-12 07:18:58
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
  • ISBN：B08PW5QDR1
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

*Running Time => 11 hrs。 and 30 mins。*

An incendiary and utterly compelling thriller with a shocking twist that delves deep into the heart of institutionalized racism， from an exceptional new YA voice。

Welcome to Niveus Private Academy， where money paves the hallways， and the students are never less than perfect。 Until now。 Because anonymous texter， Aces， is bringing two students' dark secrets to light。

Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals， but he can't escape the spotlight when his private photos go public。 Head girl Chiamaka isn't afraid to get what she wants， but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power。 Someone is out to get them both。 Someone who holds all the aces。 And they're planning much more than a high-school game。。。

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Reviews

Alexis （Mother of Books） ，

*rating & review to come。

Ashley Holloway ，

This was such a chilling and absolutely unsettling YA thriller！ It kept me turning the pages and audibly gasping at the twists and turns。 I think if you enjoyed Pretty Little Liars （but wished it had more social commentary or wished that the reveals would have made more sense。。。） than this is absolutely a book that you should read！ This reminded me a bit of Alyssa Cole’s When No One is Watching， but I thought this was in some ways even better！！ This is absolutely one of those books where you fee This was such a chilling and absolutely unsettling YA thriller！ It kept me turning the pages and audibly gasping at the twists and turns。 I think if you enjoyed Pretty Little Liars （but wished it had more social commentary or wished that the reveals would have made more sense。。。） than this is absolutely a book that you should read！ This reminded me a bit of Alyssa Cole’s When No One is Watching， but I thought this was in some ways even better！！ This is absolutely one of those books where you feel like you can’t trust anybody in it to be “one of the good guys，” and you just can’t stop guessing and trying to add things up， really a great thriller。 。。。more

Kirsten’s Korner ，

Entertainment 4Writing 4Characters 5Execution 5Setting 5Plot 5Overall: 4。67

Lara ，

A YA book that dissects the intersections of race， gender， sexuality， and class in a way white people （including myself） will never be able to understand。 However， breaking it down into digestible bites for any white reader to grasp even the slightest concept of what it feels to not have that privilege。 This book was so phenomenal that it has got me so excited for the future of YA where BIPOC finally have a seat at the table and don’t have white authors writing about their experiences。

Taryn ，

4。5 rounded upThis book was teased as a mix between Gossip Girl and Get Out and it is just that。 Great read！！

Jaz （travelsinfiction） ，

Holy fuck。 So good I immediately went out and bought a copy after finishing the audiobook。 Full and comprehensive review to come but one of the most unique YA thrillers I’ve ever read that is expertly crafted and seamlessly explores deeper topics which are so often ignored in YA thrillers。

Belinda ，

This book was stunning。 Faridah builds the tension very well， and she really gets you in the characters' mind。 Honestly， props to Chiamaka and Devon for making it through; I probably would've dropped out by the second text。 This book was stunning。 Faridah builds the tension very well， and she really gets you in the characters' mind。 Honestly， props to Chiamaka and Devon for making it through; I probably would've dropped out by the second text。 。。。more

Booksandcoffeepleasemx ，

𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 。 。 。 𝘐’𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘳。 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘺𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘥𝘰。 ―𝘈𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵， 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦！What a stunning debut！ I saw this all over insta， loved the cover and decided to pick the audio， and holy moly， it was a wild ride！A story about homophobia， racism， privilege and classism that will keep you turning pages until the very end。Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC。https://www。instagram。com/booksandcof。。。 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 。 。 。 𝘐’𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘳。 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘺𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘥𝘰。 ―𝘈𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵， 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦！What a stunning debut！ I saw this all over insta， loved the cover and decided to pick the audio， and holy moly， it was a wild ride！A story about homophobia， racism， privilege and classism that will keep you turning pages until the very end。Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC。https://www。instagram。com/booksandcof。。。 。。。more

Staci Vought ，

I really wanted to like this one， and I am clearly in the minority with a lower review。 It had so much potential and so many great aspects on the surface…great representation， some truly awful mysterious bullying that keeps you intrigued， and the systemic racism piece is also important。 With all that said， the execution was problematic。 The pacing was too slow， then great， then way too fast。 The systemic racism is glossed over。 The role of the school leadership is confusing/glossed over。 Some ch I really wanted to like this one， and I am clearly in the minority with a lower review。 It had so much potential and so many great aspects on the surface…great representation， some truly awful mysterious bullying that keeps you intrigued， and the systemic racism piece is also important。 With all that said， the execution was problematic。 The pacing was too slow， then great， then way too fast。 The systemic racism is glossed over。 The role of the school leadership is confusing/glossed over。 Some characters are well developed and others are one dimensional。 It WAS intriguing overall， but just too sloppy for me。 The epilogue should not have existed and is a perfect example of how messy and rushed some aspects of this story were。 Looks like it is and will be loved by others。 。。。more

kat ，

THIS BOOK 。。。 WOW。 i was physically laughing， crying， shaking， and swearing at this book。 the emotional rollercoaster chiamaka and devons stories took me through is undoubtedly one of the loopiest coasters i’ve been on。 the relatable content and povs and experiences， the excellent concept with an ever better execution。 i had so many theories and so many thoughts， some were right and some were wrong and the ending blew me away in ways i couldn’t even imagine。 i had to put the book down so many ti THIS BOOK 。。。 WOW。 i was physically laughing， crying， shaking， and swearing at this book。 the emotional rollercoaster chiamaka and devons stories took me through is undoubtedly one of the loopiest coasters i’ve been on。 the relatable content and povs and experiences， the excellent concept with an ever better execution。 i had so many theories and so many thoughts， some were right and some were wrong and the ending blew me away in ways i couldn’t even imagine。 i had to put the book down so many times to take a breather， i had to remind myself this is fiction and that only a really good book could make me feel so many things。 chi and devon deserved so much better， and they took shit into their own hands in the end。 fuck the whites， the shit they pulled in this book was evil and sick and i was holding my stomach in physical and emotional pain reading about it。 it all hits close to home as a bpoc， and yet it’s all still so unique to chiamaka and devon and their own identities。 this book was a great commentary on so many real world instances and institutions and i appreciated every moment the corruption was called out and i cheered everytime the mask of evil was ripped away by the hands of those it had done harm for only being black。 this book is truly get out meets gossip girl meets pretty little liars， but with black queer main characters。 faridah really did what she needed to do on this one， i’m still in shock。 i will forever scream about this to anyone who will listen， and trust me i already have！ one of the juiciest， most poignant stories to hit the markets in a minute。 5/5 stars 。。。more

Hazel ，

~ 5 STARSWHAT A BRILLIANT DEBUT！！

OTAKU READS ，

Thank you Net-Galley and Macmillian Audio for the ALCAce of Spades came on my radar when I saw many of my friends being excited for it and then I read the synopsis and I wanted it in my hands （or in this case Netgalley shelf ）。 The moment I got approved I started listening to the story and let me tell you by just the 2 chapters I was captivated by the plot and in love with the characters。The two characters- Devon who is a Talented musician and Chiamaka who isn't afraid to get what she wants are Thank you Net-Galley and Macmillian Audio for the ALCAce of Spades came on my radar when I saw many of my friends being excited for it and then I read the synopsis and I wanted it in my hands （or in this case Netgalley shelf ）。 The moment I got approved I started listening to the story and let me tell you by just the 2 chapters I was captivated by the plot and in love with the characters。The two characters- Devon who is a Talented musician and Chiamaka who isn't afraid to get what she wants are attending Niveus Private Academy where they are being targeted by Aces who is bringing their dark secrets to light。 Is it just a prank or something much more than a high-school game ？“Growing up， I realized quite quickly that people hate being called racist more than they hate racism itself。” This is a YA Thriller with dark academia setting and in the truest sense it was awesome。 It has a good pace which will always keep you on toes and your hands turning the pages。 My heart was really beating a lot during some scenes I was scared a lot mainly because I am in love with characters and I knew bad things were going to happen。 What for that you will have to read the book？“So listen， it’s the twenty-first century。 No one hates gays no more。”I didn’t get the memo。” This book also dealt with so many issues like elitism ， racism and racists institutes ， classism and homophobia。 Both the main characters are queer and magnificent。“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。 We’re all in this bubble being affected by the past。 The moment they decided they got to be white and have all the power and we got to be Black and be at the bottom， everything changed。 If we can’t talk about it honestly， and I mean really talk about it， then what’s the point？” I hope all of you pick this book up 。。。more

eta ♡ ，

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Kierra ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book was absolutely breath taking。 Every aspect of this book was wonderfully written and the story was really heartbreaking。 In a way I can really relate to the struggles of being a black girl in a mostly white society， and most of my life I have tried to fit in with everyone else， like Chiamaka。 It⁴ was a nice change of pace for me to see actual well done representation of the struggles of being black in a white-oriented society。 The mystery was very well done and the message that followed This book was absolutely breath taking。 Every aspect of this book was wonderfully written and the story was really heartbreaking。 In a way I can really relate to the struggles of being a black girl in a mostly white society， and most of my life I have tried to fit in with everyone else， like Chiamaka。 It⁴ was a nice change of pace for me to see actual well done representation of the struggles of being black in a white-oriented society。 The mystery was very well done and the message that followed it was a bad reminder on how you're not never safe when you're black， and how people that you thought you knew could change on you just based on sexuality or race。 All the praise should be given to the author， because this book is truly amazing and I'm so excited to read what's next from her。 。。。more

sam ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️。5WHATTTTTTTTTTI am still in shock。 Mystery and Queer？ I couldn't ask for more！！ I'm can't believe it， the ending and how the bomb drop。One of my favorite book in 2021！！ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️。5WHATTTTTTTTTTI am still in shock。 Mystery and Queer？ I couldn't ask for more！！ I'm can't believe it， the ending and how the bomb drop。One of my favorite book in 2021！！ 。。。more

Victoria Vieira ，

*3。5* This was one of my most anticipated books of the year， but I guess my hopes were too high。 Definitely could’ve been a 5 if it just hit a little harder and didn’t try so hard to stick with the “Gossip Girl meets Get Out” thing。

Shannon Bumstead ，

I could not recommend this book more！！ it’s like gossip girl meets pretty little liars but with badass black and queer characters。 even in the dedication it is said that she wrote this book for bipoc people but it doesn’t change the fact that the book is incredible and I kept forgetting I was reading while reading it y’know？ anyways please read this book！！！

Catherine Funk ，

Gossip Girl meets Get Out is a VERY accurate brief description for this book （the author's note even includes how much she loved Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars， but wished there had been any black characters in the shows）。The book got very good， but at 60%， it still hadn't picked up pace。 I was even considering DNF-ing it early on because the plot points were fairly repetitive。 But when things got good， they REALLY got good。 This book is from a young， debut author， and I expect great things Gossip Girl meets Get Out is a VERY accurate brief description for this book （the author's note even includes how much she loved Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars， but wished there had been any black characters in the shows）。The book got very good， but at 60%， it still hadn't picked up pace。 I was even considering DNF-ing it early on because the plot points were fairly repetitive。 But when things got good， they REALLY got good。 This book is from a young， debut author， and I expect great things from her future works。 。。。more

Elvira Berezowsky ，

I was on the edge of my seat the entire time。 Binge read it in three days and loved every tense minute of it。 The kind of book that will stay with you forever。

Faith Noelle ，

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021， and luckily it did not disappoint！ Gossip Girl meets Get Out is the perfect comp for this book。 It's intense， thought-provoking， and rather than being a "whodunnit， here's the mystery killer" kind of thriller， it's more of story that gives you a chill when you realize the real extent of what's going on and the bizarre insanity of the whole situation。 It's incredible， Faridah's writing is great， and I love both protagonists。 As a whole I really e This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021， and luckily it did not disappoint！ Gossip Girl meets Get Out is the perfect comp for this book。 It's intense， thought-provoking， and rather than being a "whodunnit， here's the mystery killer" kind of thriller， it's more of story that gives you a chill when you realize the real extent of what's going on and the bizarre insanity of the whole situation。 It's incredible， Faridah's writing is great， and I love both protagonists。 As a whole I really enjoyed this read and can't wait to see what this author comes up with next！ 。。。more

Stephanie ，

I’m not crazy about YA thrillers， but this one worked！ The two main characters， Chi and Dev， were absolute perfection。 In addition to being a total page turner， it also contained poignant commentary on racism， classism， and homophobia。 I can’t believe author， Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé， is only 22！ The author's note is a must-read on this one。 I hope many people not only read this book， but also really LISTEN to what she’s trying to say。 I’m not crazy about YA thrillers， but this one worked！ The two main characters， Chi and Dev， were absolute perfection。 In addition to being a total page turner， it also contained poignant commentary on racism， classism， and homophobia。 I can’t believe author， Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé， is only 22！ The author's note is a must-read on this one。 I hope many people not only read this book， but also really LISTEN to what she’s trying to say。 。。。more

Sharanya ，

**TW: racism， homophobia， psychological torture， suicide ideation**—“𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮。 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦， 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘢， 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘔𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵， 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘫𝘰𝘺。”—Whew， y’all， that was D A R K。 The plot was fantastic — really fast-paced， pretty surprising & occasionally twisty。 It had me second-guessing my theories， even if some of the turned out to be true。 The relationships wer **TW: racism， homophobia， psychological torture， suicide ideation**—“𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮。 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦， 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘢， 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘔𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵， 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘫𝘰𝘺。”—Whew， y’all， that was D A R K。 The plot was fantastic — really fast-paced， pretty surprising & occasionally twisty。 It had me second-guessing my theories， even if some of the turned out to be true。 The relationships were interesting， if not always hella swoony or anything， & definitely added depth to the main story。 Chiamaka & Devon were FANTASTIC。 Raw， relatable， with compelling， dynamic background & depth。 They really drove this story home。 Definitely a good pick for fans of Get Out。 。。。more

Kayla ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book was amazing！！！ When I read the description for the book and it said Gossip Girl meets Get Out I was immediately sold。 I was wondering: how is the author gonna pull that off？ The answer: flawlessly。 There were so many twists and turns and I couldn't stop reading。 When I first started reading the book I thought it was gonna be one person that was Aces， but it turns out that it was a whole system that went back decades。 This was a system built on white supremacy and pure evil。 Chiamaka an This book was amazing！！！ When I read the description for the book and it said Gossip Girl meets Get Out I was immediately sold。 I was wondering: how is the author gonna pull that off？ The answer: flawlessly。 There were so many twists and turns and I couldn't stop reading。 When I first started reading the book I thought it was gonna be one person that was Aces， but it turns out that it was a whole system that went back decades。 This was a system built on white supremacy and pure evil。 Chiamaka and Devon aren't perfect characters and I liked that。 They were both flawed， but they felt real。 I found myself rooting for them and wanting them to get their happy ending。 This was a fast paced thriller and wildly entertaining from start to finish。 Everyone should read this。 。。。more

Geordan ，

THIS BOOK WAS EVERYTHING。 Starting out it doesn’t seem like much wow does it get intense。 When this was compared to Get Out they weren’t kidding。 I would say if you are interim this book just go for it and try to not read to much about it。 This had a lot of twist and turns and the main characters don’t tell us everything about their secrets。 It’s just so good and a really quick read。 This can be VERY TRIGGERING especially a certain page （you will know when you see it） but I definitely think this THIS BOOK WAS EVERYTHING。 Starting out it doesn’t seem like much wow does it get intense。 When this was compared to Get Out they weren’t kidding。 I would say if you are interim this book just go for it and try to not read to much about it。 This had a lot of twist and turns and the main characters don’t tell us everything about their secrets。 It’s just so good and a really quick read。 This can be VERY TRIGGERING especially a certain page （you will know when you see it） but I definitely think this worth the read。EDIT: I just did the thing you’re not supposed to do and looked at all the 1，2，and 3 star reviews and let me just say this is a YOUNG ADULT THRILLER DUH ITS NOT GOING TO BE THE MOST REALISTIC IN SOME ASPECTS AND OBVIOUSLY IT IS DRAMATIZED FOR SUSPENSE。 I’m really annoyed that that’s the complaint from reviewers specifically white ones as even tho this is extremely dramatized at some points its themes and messages are very real and up to date。 As a Black Bi girl who was fresh out her senior year and attended a predominantly white high school and graduated the summer of 2020 during all the protest I learned that a lot of the white people I called friends did not support Black Lives Matter， stayed silent， or completely didn’t care what was happening and what still is happening to Black people in America。 My bestfriends and I were the only POC in our senior class and at the end of the year we even had to set up a meeting with the board of education because we were having racial issues within our school。 It was a very mentally exhausting and emotional time for us and something we all could never forget。 So when I see 1， 2， 3 star reviews that are by predominantly white reviewers with their main complaint being that’s it’s too unrealistic it just goes to show how blinded America is to an issue that they say doesn’t exist anymore。 Full blatant racism still exist。 And even if it didn’t today it did years ago。 This book is NOT unrealistic because it literally is an example of our history。 。。。more

Jack Stark ，

Consider this:My next book is going to be called 'Gay Dates' and the cover will have two twinks on it and lots of rainbow imagery but none of the main characters will be gay。 A supporting character might be gay， but it won't be explicitly stated。 The Gay in the title refers to an antagonist named The Gays who is evil， and the protag will win by taking out The Gays， and I'm sure that'll be just fine and acceptable。 /sI went back and forth on whether I should rate this book or not。 I almost never Consider this:My next book is going to be called 'Gay Dates' and the cover will have two twinks on it and lots of rainbow imagery but none of the main characters will be gay。 A supporting character might be gay， but it won't be explicitly stated。 The Gay in the title refers to an antagonist named The Gays who is evil， and the protag will win by taking out The Gays， and I'm sure that'll be just fine and acceptable。 /sI went back and forth on whether I should rate this book or not。 I almost never give a 1 star rating， but I feel it’s only fair to be honest。 I can see why this book is popular。 It's an an okay YA story。 There is some social injustice commentary with good insight， and the plot has some interesting aspects， although it's a little contrived in parts。 The characters are well developed and the writing is solid enough。 There's even some good queer rep throughout。But all of that is vastly outweighed by the acephobia going on with this。 It's。。。 problematic， to put it kindly。 To ace-bait folk by calling your book Ace of Spades， to use an asexual symbol all over the cover， and to promote it as a YA queer story， and then have none of the main characters be ace， and to have a group of antagonists known as 'Aces' that need to be exposed for what they are， and taken out so the other queer characters can be happy， treads just a little too close to acephobia。 Actually， who am I kidding？ It is blatant， and it stomps all over ace folk。 Anti-ace sentiment is already an issue within the Gender and Sexual Diverse community， and seeing this book being championed and lauded as a great queer story from folk within the community who are choosing to ignore the prejudice and hate promoting subtext in a story all about harmful subtext is disheartening at the least。 。。。more

Mel ，

WOW！ My heart hurts and I feel so many different emotions。 I’ll be back with a review but RUN AND GRAB THIS BOOK！

Areej （reejreads） ，

I can’t even comprehend how much I loved this book。 Typically I do not like mystery or thriller type books， this book tackled some very serious and important issues like systemic racism towards black people while balancing an important addicting narrative with very likeable characters。 I couldn’t get enough of it。Above all else， it sent a very important message and I will be recommending this to everyone I know。

Maren Johnson ，

4。5 but I wanted to round up cuz I'm regretting some of my 4。5 rounding from the past。 It happens。 Okay， this book has one serious flaw: it's so addicting that you'll get behind in the rest of your life。 You'll sit down to read one chapter and read 20。 And then it's late at night， and you have work the next day， and then you're late， and then you come home and read 20 more instead of doing your homework。 It's not a possibility; it's a guarantee because this book is SO ENGAGING。 You would never k 4。5 but I wanted to round up cuz I'm regretting some of my 4。5 rounding from the past。 It happens。 Okay， this book has one serious flaw: it's so addicting that you'll get behind in the rest of your life。 You'll sit down to read one chapter and read 20。 And then it's late at night， and you have work the next day， and then you're late， and then you come home and read 20 more instead of doing your homework。 It's not a possibility; it's a guarantee because this book is SO ENGAGING。 You would never know this is a debut。 It reads like a seasoned （and genius） thriller writer wrote it， and I'm so impressed。 The writing is SO， SO GOOD。 I love it when I find debuts that are this freaking good， so I can read everything else that author publishes， no questions asked。 It's such a good time to discover an author。 Her whole career is ahead of her， and I get to read all of her books right as they come out。 What a blessing in my life。 Really though， I loved Chiamaka so much。 There was just something about her that I love。 I liked Devon too。 What a Soft Boi。 But CHIAMAKA though。 She's so cool and smart and tough and amazing and I love her so much 😭 And I loved that for once the two POV characters weren't the romance plot line。 The romance plot lines were potentially the weakest point of the book， but I understand why （it's cuz there was too much excitement happening that they kinda got put to the sidelines， and that happens）。 These two were both excellent POV characters。 Also this book will make you so ANGRY 👿and it's deeply uncomfortable and painful and that's the point。 The mystery of the Aces takes such a dark turn， and you're not ready。 PSA for people like me: this book does swear lots。 You've been warned and can't text me later all confused。 Just skip over those parts lol 😂 。。。more

Kezia Duah ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 。。。And we finished another book guys！！Oh。 My。 Fucking。 Goodness。 I am in awe。 This was sooooo good！ Books like these make me proud of my decision to give up a lot of things just to spend time and read。 I am fucking blown away， like Aces was more than one person？ Aces was the whole school？？ Aces had camp meetings？？？ In the beginning， it felt like this was going to be a big bag of high school clichés， and I knew exactly what to expect。 Boy was I wrong！ This book sparks conversations surrounding tr 。。。And we finished another book guys！！Oh。 My。 Fucking。 Goodness。 I am in awe。 This was sooooo good！ Books like these make me proud of my decision to give up a lot of things just to spend time and read。 I am fucking blown away， like Aces was more than one person？ Aces was the whole school？？ Aces had camp meetings？？？ In the beginning， it felt like this was going to be a big bag of high school clichés， and I knew exactly what to expect。 Boy was I wrong！ This book sparks conversations surrounding trust， race， and sexuality。 I really loved how they all came together to create such an emotional rollercoaster。 I almost never cry when reading books， but the ending of this book got me in tears。 Despite everything that happened， Chiamaka and Devon became a doctor and a professor。 I was so happy and emotional that they had a good ending。 Chiamaka and Devon’s friendship was something that really made me happy。 I was scared that it wouldn’t develop because they are quite different from each other， with Chiamaka being really sassy and a fighter and Devon being more cautious and tending to bury things inside till it hurts。 They really complimented each other well。 Every single character was so interesting， and it got to a point I didn’t know who to trust anymore。 It was really scary， and I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for Chiamaka and Devon。 Devon’s love for Dre was so heartbreaking。 I really hope that Dre got a happy ending in the fictional world。 Belle and Chiamaka were so cute too， but not gonna lie， Belle was sus from the minute she started being extra friendly with Chiamaka。 Terrell and Devon’s conversation about race in chapter 18 was really deep。 I learned a lot in that conversation。 Thank you Àbíke-Íyímídé for that。 I also loved the addition of Chaimaka’s Nigerian heritage in her conversations with her mom， the food they ate， and her struggles with her hair。 By the way， Jamie is a fucking piece of shit。 Glad I got that off my chest！ Overall， I absolutely loved this book and look forward to more work by Àbíke-Íyímídé。 P。S。 I would really like one of Terrell’s hugs。 。。。more

Margot ，

OK so my brain is telling me to give this 3，5 because of the slow beginning but I don't care， I'm going to follow my heart and bump it up to a 4。This was good。 The concept was amazing and I loved some of the twists （and I don't usually enjoy some of the tropes tha5 t are presents so you know it's well done）。 However， I think the book was about 150 pages too long。 The beginning was really slow， but it picked up really well。 It's a good YA mystery and tackles some big problems in a great， creepy w OK so my brain is telling me to give this 3，5 because of the slow beginning but I don't care， I'm going to follow my heart and bump it up to a 4。This was good。 The concept was amazing and I loved some of the twists （and I don't usually enjoy some of the tropes tha5 t are presents so you know it's well done）。 However， I think the book was about 150 pages too long。 The beginning was really slow， but it picked up really well。 It's a good YA mystery and tackles some big problems in a great， creepy way that I enjoyed。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Ace of Spades

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Ace of Spades&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Ace of Spades&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0