This felt like a modern-day AU of Six of Crows!! Which is... all I've ever wanted in a book. And the acespec representation??? Immaculate. Seriously- just look at the cover colors!! AND THE TITLE UGH. This book is truly breaking barriers in the YA market and I'm so here for it. The writing was a bit amateurish but that's just about it. The plot is gripping and the found family is wonderful. I rest my case.

Compare any book to six of crows and I’ll read it but there was not enough of a heist to begin to even compare it to that. I’ll start with what I liked, I loved all the ace rep and the whole main friend group was really fun. The biggest issue was that for being marketed as a heist, the heist wasn’t really that important. Also at what point, is there too many cliche poker metaphors and old immoral family wisdom? All of the “Shannon family proverbs” were just so annoying to read over and over again. I really wish this was a multi-perspective book too, I feel like some povs from the other characters would have elevated the plot a lot.

While I enjoyed the book and the themes of friendship and family that were explored, I think the premise fell short. We were told to expect heists, yet the only real heist that comes in factors in at the end of the story, and is still a little underwhelming in the way it doesn't feel very realistic. I would have also liked to see more on the exploration of Jack's demiromanticism, especially in terms of his relationship with Remy, since the difference between aromanticism and asexuality doesn't get explored as much in books. I do identify as asexual and not aromantic, so I was excited at the prospect of a romance with an ace character, but I think the characters being ace ultimately didn't factor into the story as I thought it would, especially when it is pitched in the synopsis as something to look out for.

But overall, I really did enjoy the book! I would rate this 3.5/5, but rounded down to a 3.

*Actual rating is a 3.5*

The most important thing to know about Aces Wild: A Heist is that this may be the most misleading book marketing I've come across. The heist plays an incredibly minimal role in the story and doesn't actually start to happen until very late in the story.

If I separate the book I was expecting based on the marketing and the actual book itself, I did really enjoy Aces Wild: A Heist. DeWitt's writing pulled me in from the very beginning. Jack's narrative voice was incredibly fun. I loved the asides to the reader, particularly when they were used to subvert my expectations about where the story was going.

Jack and his group of friends were the ace characters I've been dying to see on page for ages. There's such a range of diversity in how ace folks are represented that was truly great. I will also definitely be using Gabe's -- our ace and aromantic character in the group -- retort to Jack when Jack asks why he should take crush advice from Gabe: "If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times... coaches don't play."

The interpersonal conflicts is where Aces Wild: A Heist really shined. There's tension between Jack and his friend Remy as Jack tries to negotiate his crush on them now that they're together in person for the first time. There's conflict between Jack and his sisters, Beth and Kerry, as the three of them grapple with their mom's arrest and try to figure out what will come next for their family. And finally there's conflict between Jack and his friends while they work through the meeting in person for the first time. All of these arcs made for a really compelling character-driven story that pushed Jack to grow in relatable, interesting ways.

If you forget the comparison to Six of Crows and go in expecting a very character-driven story rather than a plot-driven heist book, there's a lot to enjoy in Aces Wild. I look forward to seeing what Amanda DeWitt writes next.

Thank you to Peachtree Teen and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

OOF. The disappointment in this one hurts. I heard about this book a couple of months ago and was so excited I immediately preordered it. So when I saw it on NetGalley I was super psyched to be able to read it early. It wasn't a bad book, I liked it, but it had some definite flaws for me.
The marketing for this book is really not doing it any favors. I know publishers love comparing books to other books, but comparing this to Six of Crows is a mistake. The tone and writing style are completely different. Apart from both involving groups of teens they have very little in common. And the emphasis on the "heist" aspect of this book is also a mistake. The plot didn't feel very well done when it came to the "heist" elements of the story, and there isn't even really a heist. Getting readers excited for a book by marketing it as something it's not is a great way to get disappointed readers.
I actually loved the first part of the book, up until around the halfway point I was totally on board. But then the middle just dragged on and the ending felt way too rushed. The pacing didn't work for me at all. I also felt like the plot needed to be much tighter. And the book occasionally directly addresses the reader, and while some of the time this worked for me, some of the time it felt awkward and broke up the story and at other times felt like a lazy way to get around writing more intricate plot elements.
I did love the characters and the friendship portions of the book. Some of the family dynamics were also really well done. Absolutely thrilled to see a book with so many ace characters. That element was definitely the one that worked best for me. I think it's worth reading just for the characters and their relationships, as some of the book is really fun. I just wish the plot had been stronger and the pacing better.
The tone is pretty light, and I'd say this is geared towards the younger end of a YA audience, which is totally fine, but again makes it a very different book than something like Six of Crows. I still think I'd recommend this one, there were things I liked about it and I'm extremely eager for there to be more books with ace characters, especially in YA. But I'd warn readers to change their expectations from those the marketing promises, and instead look to this as a lighthearted middle grade/YA book that's most successful when it comes to characters and relationships but doesn't quite deliver when it comes to plot.

Its fine. I was excited but i feel like it played on a lot fandom and I didn’t know it was just a bunch of fandom books.

The text of writing with characters was choppy and threw me off. I wont be buying this book. I am grateful I got to read it on NetGalley.

Thank you net galley for sending me an arc of aces wild:a heist in exchange for a honest review!


Its truly difficult to put in words how disappointed I am. There was SO much potential, and the result was...... not great.

As an ace person I was excited to receive this and see myself be represented, but sadly this book failed to meet my expectations.



Although I loved the cast of characters, and the representation was absolutely wonderful I really struggled to follow the plot, which was kind of all over the place.


This book was advertised as a heist and I truly struggle to judge whether that description is accurate or not considering that I'm still extremely confused over the events that took place. There were so many interactions and so much going from place to place and doing stuff that were later on never mentioned again?



The plot twist at the end wasn't much of a plot twist and the romance between the mc and Remy felt really undeveloped.
I get that it was trying to be relatable and realistic and there were some parts of it that I liked, however I really struggled caring about Remy since we never saw them from a point of view that differed from Jason's idolization.


Overall as I mentioned in the beginning, my experience reading this can be summarized in one word: disappointment.

»Aces Wild« combines two of my favorite things to read about: asexual characters (and there were a lot of ace characters in this book!) and a heist. As soon as I knew what this book was about I just knew I was going to love it - and I did. Thankfully. I think I may have cried if I didn’t like it because it just sounded like my perfect book.

To be honest, I think the subtitle »A Heist« is a bit misleading, it evokes the connotation that this actually is a Six of Crows-like story, especially because it gets described as Six of Crows goes Las Vegas in the synopsis. I don’t know why we need to compare everything to Six of Crows even though it is nothing like it. Apart from a lovely group of characters who banter a lot it has nothing in common with Six of Crows - which isn’t a bad thing at all! I love »Aces Wild« exactly for what it is.

Do you sometimes read books and think »this book is so fucking cool?«
Yeah, that was me while reading »Aces Wild«. I don’t know what it is about heist like stories and gambling but it’s just so interesting to read about? And bonus points for most of the important characters being ace. My asexual heart was just… imagine the heart eyes and crying emojis and then repeat.

Apart from that the book was written fantastic, I love how Jack in the beginning break the fourth wall and speaks to the reader, that was really cool and an amazing way to begin the book, I was instantly hooked and was invested in Jack and his story. I think that’s why I liked the book so much, because Jack was just such a likable character. The ending wasn’t super surprising but it was well done in my opinion and I just loved everything in between, especially the friendship between Jack and all of his online friends - I think it was super cool to read about online friendships in books because especially as reviewers we can probably relate because most of us are on social media.

»Aces Wild« was just objectively a perfect book for me and I will definitely get a physical copy for my shelf when the book is released and until then I won’t shut up about it and will recommend it to everyone.

This had the making of something really enjoyable – comped frequently as SIX OF CROWS in Vegas – but I just found the story incredibly dull for something that should be as quick and high-stakes as a heist thriller. I was so, so BORED. So bored in fact, that after halfway I skimmed the rest in one sitting to get it over with.

ACES WILD isn't a bad book, per se. It has good writing, and a great premise, but it is the mediocrity in which everything is executed that is a huge letdown. Everything is simply okay, and never pushes the boat out beyond the harbour.

Even as the heir to a massive casino empire and the owner of an illegal blackjack club at his illustrious school, Jack Shannon is a bland main character. He wasn't particularly... anything? Sure, he can card count and play cards and do sleight of hand, but being able to commit petty theft is not a personality trait. Coming out of the book I still can't really tell you who he is as a person. The rest of the friends are also uninteresting. By the halfway point they'd only just started to plan the heist, and unfortunately neither they nor their banter were compelling enough to keep me engaged.

The only thing I can say about these characters is I thought the asexual rep was good! It's nice to show the many different types of asexuality - that you can be romantic and asexual, gay and asexual, non-binary and asexual, or experience no attraction whether romantic or sexual at all. Even though this book didn't fulfil my personal expectations, it's a much needed story in terms of having the definitions on the page.

In conclusion, ACES WILD was a disappointment in an inoffensive, not-trying-hard enough way. This might suit other people's tastes, but it wasn't for me.

WILL I READ MORE BY THE AUTHOR? No.

Jack's mother owns a casino in Vegas and gets busted for.... money laundering? I can't remember, we just know she wasn't entirely on the right side of the law regardless of how she ended up being taken away in cuffs. Jack, who runs an underground blackjack club at his posh school is flown to Vegas to be with his family (it's also very conveniently Summer holidays). He quickly decides his mum was framed (even though we KNOW she was dodgy anyway) by his 'uncle', so he goes snooping and fails. After his sister hands him a secret credit card he flies in his online ace friends to help him uncover the truth. For a (former) rich kid, Jack doesn’t come across as too entitled. He definitely needs some life lessons but it wasn’t on an annoying level.

Jack's online ace friends are all aspec. I myself am ace, so I loved that someone wrote a whole book about a GROUP of aspec people. They're all young, bright eyed and willing to sneak into secret casino clubs. I had to keep reminding myself that not everyone experiences their sexuality the same as everyone else. A few comments pulled my from the narrative because I personally felt differently about what they were talking about, so it's a good book if you are curious about asexuality without the whole book being about their sexuality.

I found the book really enjoyable. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a low stakes casino heist or a book with good aspec rep. Definitely adding this to my aspec book list.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

FYI, there is NO acephobia in this book. It was refreshing to read about teens being who they are without anyone questioning their label/sexuality

“My name is Jack Shannon, and this is not a love story. It’s a confession.”

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

From the first sentence of this story, I was hooked. With a completely original voice, bright and bold storytelling, and a main character that keeps you on your toes, Aces Wild by Amanda Dewitt is an absolute must-read for fans of heists, high-stakes illegal gambling, and/or found family adventures.

Perhaps I’m biased, because heist stories are a personal weakness for me, but I can honestly say that I didn’t expect a single plot twist in this entire book. Cue me gasping dramatically to myself for about 320 pages straight. Aces Wild truly lived up to its name: wild as hell. Dewitt managed to balance just enough information to placate the reader for the moment, just to unleash the most bonkers thing you’ve ever heard when you’re least expecting it. True talent.

Every character was complex and intriguing, especially Jack, our main character. Despite not relating to a single of aspect of his life, I found myself desperate to know everything about him, what he would do next, and if he and his friends would come out on top. Pair him with a ragtag team of misfits that eventually becomes a found family of sorts, one with adorably sweet moments, and absolutely perfect comedic timing, and you’ve got yourself an incredible book.

While reading, I could practically see the visuals coming off the page. The glittering neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip, a casino coin flipping in the air in slow motion, the sound of a deck of cards being shuffled in an exclusive, smoky, back-room gambling den. I was enamoured by every single word.

If you’re looking for your next five-star read, or even just a fun as hell casino heist—except where the real heist were the friends we made along the way—, I would absolutely implore you to pick up a copy of Aces Wild!

I really liked 'Aces Wild', but I will say that the blurb does not accurately describe the book.

I enjoyed the friend/found family aspect of this book, but I was a little disappointed that it wasn't as heist-oriented as the blurb suggested. The friendship dynamics were incredible, although I would have liked to see a little more from a few of the characters. Having an all-ace main cast does wonders for ace representation in media, and I hope that other books, films and tv shows are inspired by this book to include more ace characters!

I did enjoy the 'heist' sections of the book, but they were few and far between, and everything seemed overly circumstantial and not thoroughly planned out in a realistic way.

As I stated earlier, the characters were the saving grace of this book.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in seeing more accurate ace rep, anyone who enjoys the found family trope, and those who don't mind books that are more character than plot based.

I feel like this book started off really strong but I lost a little bit of interest as it went further in. I love the subject matter, and the focus on ACE characters. There needs to be more books out there like this with diverse representation. At its core, the focus on how strong an important the platonic relationships we hold is a message that resonates with everyone.

I had extremely high hopes for this book, and I was not disappointed in the slightest. Aces Wild was everything I hoped for and so much more! It's the most insanely perfect balance between escapism and relatable affirmation; it's fun, suspenseful and atmospheric while also balancing a relatable, sweet, funny cast of characters. I get the warm fuzzies just thinking about this group of chaotic asexual Gen Z-ers going about their shenanigans amongst casinos and crime and luxury.

[3.5]
I'm a simple reader, I see "heist" and "asexual", I click and oops I accidentally requested an ARC. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a quick and fun read, although I would have expected more heist,

The characters were cute, although some fell a bit flat. Yes they were cool, but I would have liked to see more development flow into their characters. Georgia especially got little time to shine, Jack himself says he doesn't know her that well and it seems to stay that way over the course of the book. I liked Gabe and Remy, although Remy too could have used some more character development. Lucky was the only exception, I felt like she was properly fleshed out and funny.

The ace- and arospec representation was amazing. I rarely see openly asexual or aromantic characters on page (this is not a spoiler but the main cast (five teenagers) is all-asexual with varying romantic attractions although they are kept ambiguous except for Gabe who is aromantic (and I live for that aro-ace representation). The author stated on Goodreads that she "consider[s] Jack to be demiromantic" but on-page, only asexuality and aromanticism is mentioned to state the extent of on-page representation. Brilliantly done.

The plot felt a bit shaky sometimes, like a typical YA book where teenagers try to pull off a blown-blown heist and to be honest there wasn't that much heist and more friendship/family stuff which I personally enjoyed more because I'm here for the characters and their relationships, not stuff happened ie. action. However someone who likes action might not enjoy this as much as there is not as much action in here as you would expect from a heist novel. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed it.

Before I round this review up I want to say something I read from a deaf reviewer: they were made uncomfortable by hearing aids being used as a plot device and altered to fit the purposes of the heist. While I am not deaf or hard-of-hearing myself, I wanted to put this into my review to bring attention to the problem of the needs of people with disabilities being used as plot devices and not taken seriously.

Overall, however, I enjoyed this book. It wasn't amazing (although the a-spec representation was *chef's kiss*) but I think this book would be great for fans of character-driven books with a bit of extra plot, heists (although prepare for less heists and more feelings and vibes) and anyone who just wants to read about a-spec people being chaotic.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

3 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved the concept of this book when I first read the blurb: a heist, asexual teens, found family?? I thought, what more can one ask for?? The execution was mildly disappointing though.

One aspect I did enjoy was the world-building and the setting in Vegas with the casinos and illegal gambling. That part was super cool and you could tell the author really did her homework on that! Kudos!

Nevertheless, certainly, the best thing about this book was the fact that we got some asexual, aromantic, and nonbinary representation!!! It felt so incredible to see this reflected in a book as we do not get that many characters like that. This is obviously the main appeal of this book and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!! I loved the representation and feel it was well written.

The main problem to me was that there was no heist? Or at least it felt like there was no heist. The "heist" scenes were boring, though I will admit realistic as there is only so much a group of teens in the real world (not a fantasy one) can actually achieve.

In regards to the characters, they were all two-dimensional to me. All of them were likable enough but still fell flat. This would have not bothered me that much if it weren't for the boring heist that lacked action.

Overall, the story is entertaining enough and I had good laughs with it. There is a twist at the end I did not see coming so yay for that! I definitely recommend this book despite it's issues.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me this arc!

This book was marketed as “Six of Crows goes to Las Vegas” and as a massive SoC fan how could I resist?! I couldn’t wait for a fast paced heist novel that would make my heart race; and not to mention the cast of ace characters! Sadly though, this book didn’t give me what I wanted.

I’d like to blame it on the fact that I was in the middle of final exams but I don’t think that’s the reason. The book literally says “a heist” in the title and yet I found the heist extremely boring. They went to the same places and did relatively the same thing every time. By the time they got what they had been looking for (even with all the plot twists added in) I wasn’t even remotely excited.

Now while the heist might have fell flat I did enjoy the group of ace characters who absolutely SERVED the found family trope. I loved it when they interacted and honestly they are the saving grace of this book. The slow romantic relationship between Jack and another character was also very enjoyable.

Overall I honestly don’t think I’d recommend this book to others. While the characters might have been fun it doesn’t make up for the bland heist that comprises the majority of the book.

The premise of this book is absolutely wonderful, and I was really into it at first, but then it sort of fizzled out for me. As soon as Jack’s friends showed up, I started to lose interest. Especially Lucky, who was incredibly unpleasant. The heist element also was not a big deal, so this was a bit of false advertising. Overall though, it was fun and I LOVED the ace rep, it just fall a little flat altogether.

This book was aces! (Pun intended)

Jack Shannon’s family faces losing their hotel, The Golden Age, and the rest of the empire they’ve built on the Vegas strip if he can’t find a way to prove his mother’s innocence.
Jack invites his online friends, a group of badass asexual teenagers, to Vegas to help him save it all. With Jack’s mom in jail, an unreliable father, and his oldest sister contemplating selling her share of The Golden Age, Jack and his friends have to find a way to prove that Peter Carlevaro, the reigning “King of the Strip” is the one who really belongs behind bars.
Jack and his friends’ heists ultimately fail over and over again, but they compile a list of tips and clues with every attempt to infiltrate the Avalon Club and find out Carlevaro’s dirty secrets.
I really enjoyed Aces Wild. The characters are all well written and have surprising, interesting personalities that all worked well together. The story itself is fairly predictable, but it was a fun adventure to follow along with regardless of its predictability. 
Although it’s in the title, I wouldn’t really call the plot of this book a heist. (Especially not like Six of Crows like the synopsis eludes to.) The main “heist” doesn’t happen until nearly the end of the book, and it still isn’t carried out correctly. It doesn’t last long, and the tension isn’t as high as it should be for the final chance at taking down Carlevaro. Obviously the gambling is illegal for the underage main characters, but the stakes didn’t feel high enough for any of the events to feel like a real heist. 
Technicalities of the word “heist” aside, Aces Wild was an adventure. It was a fun, funny read, and had great asexual rep.

Aces Wild is about Jack, a rich kid from Las Vegas who is attending a boarding school (and true to his legacy, set up an illegal gambling club), who finds out his mom is going to prison for fraud. He suspects her rival is behind this and will stop at nothing to prove this. He needs help however, and flies in his friends from his ace support group to help. Or well, just for support, but they quickly become involved in the scheme. However, when this book mentions a heist and claims to be like Six of Crows, nope, that’s not what you get. You get an amazing found family idea who try to pull of a heist without a plan whatsoever, as Jack is your basic privileged teenage boy and doesn’t think anything through. At all.

I absolutely loved the original Las Vegas setting! Jack basically lives in a hotel, his family is a bit disjointed, a careless dad, an overprotective older sister and a middle sister that gets overlooked. Toss in an ace support group full of diverse characters, and you should get an amazing mix. Should, because I really think there could’ve been way more about these characters. I don’t know much about them, as the plot overshadows their personalities a bit. I feel like the author tried to do too much, too many characters and a heavy fast moving plot. I wish there would have been more space for introspection and getting to know everyone better. I feel even the ace part was a bit overshadowed, though the rep was excellent! But, all that aside, the writing style is amazing, hilarious banter everywhere, the setting is amazing, and I loved the characters to bits! So for me, these downsides are not deal breakers at all, I just think this book could be even more amazing. I was thoroughly entertained and the ace support made me feel seen. And there is so much humor throughout the book, especially when Jack breaks the fourth wall all the time. I think this book would very much benefit of being a series, in which each character of the ace group gets their own novel, so we can have more depth and even more banter!

I received a free copy through Netgalley, this hasn’t influenced my opinions.