*E-ARC received from Netgalley*

“...sometimes you have to break a few ethical standards to make an omelet.”

Jack Shannon isn’t afraid of skirting the rules. Growing up in a Las Vegas hotel and casino (which his family happens to own) taught him that sometimes, not everything is completely legal. When Jack’s mom is arrested for said illegal activity, he turns to his group of online friends to distract him… and perhaps to help take down another big name in Vegas who had a hand in sending his mom to jail. Jack flies all his friends out to Vegas and soon enough all five of them become embroiled in the world of underground casinos and possible mob connections. Did I mention that Jack and his friends are all asexual and are learning about their identities along the way?

Aces Wild is one of my new favorite reads of 2022. As someone who also heard the word “asexual” for the first time at 16, this book made my heart so happy. I, like Jack, never really knew what I “should” be wanting from a relationship. I didn’t know how I was supposed to feel. His struggle with his identity feeling romantic love but no sexual feelings hit me hard. Dewitt hit the nail on the proverbial head with the ace/aro representation, specifically noting that someone can be asexual but still experience romantic feelings and have crushes. As we are warned at the beginning of the book, this is not a romance. We do, however, get to see characters gain more of an understanding of their sexualities and romantic preferences which I absolutely loved.

Now for the heist! The pacing began a bit slow, but picked up as soon as Jack’s friends all arrived in Las Vegas. These kids are witty, smart, funny, and just brave enough to try taking on a multi-million dollar hotel and casino tycoon. The only reason my review sits at a 4.5 and not a perfect 5 is because a good bit of the heist planning is spelled out for the reader. There are a couple of notable mastermind reveals and twists, but for the most part we (the audience) are told most of the steps. Aces Wild is marketed for people who enjoyed Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo; I think that remains true, however SoC is most known for the characters’ great reveals that the audience had no idea were happening behind the scenes.

Overall, Aces Wild was a delightful read and I’m so glad I got the chance to read it!

*This review also appears on Storygraph and Goodreads