Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

The Quick Cut: Two black teens are targeted by a mystery individual named "Aces" at a prestigious prep school. Chaos ensues the more they discover the truth behind it. A Real Review: Everyone dreams of giving their kids the opportunity to do more and be given greater opportunities than themselves. In order to do that, sacrifices are often required. However, what would you do if you found out your sacrifices were a waste and planned to wipe you out? This is the question on the mind for two teens at Niveus Private Academy named Devon and Chiamaka. Devon and Chiamaka are shocked when they are selected as two of the four students to be prefects at their elite school. It's a rare and celebrated position that most there wish to achieve. These two take it as a sign of a great senior year when they start getting mysterious texts from someone named Aces. Aces' goal? To reveal Devon and Chiamaka's secrets to everyone at their school. Can they discover the truth behind what's going on and why they are being targeted? I've heard so many wonderful things about this book that it felt like required reading. It is absolutely appropriate to call it Gossip Girl meets Get Out - this story really is a blend of those two stories. While in concept this story works, there are many elements of it that kept pulling me out of the story. Yes, systemic racism is still an issue. This level of coordinated effort though felt unrealistic and made me wonder why the author went the unbelievable route. It would have had such a stronger punch if it was believable what happened. Devon and Chiamaka are two kids who go to the same school, but live in different social circles. Seeing one another get targeted and end up working together to figure out what's going on helps them build a repoire. Seeing these two learn to trust one another when everyone else is proving distrustful is fun to watch. It's also interesting to watch their darkest secrets get exposed to everyone they know, especially since they didn't think anybody knew them. It's plenty of drama that is fueled by the impossible feats that Aces pulls off. The ending is satisfying, but very much asks you to check reality at the door. Considering it starts in such a typical fashion, I would've preferred a more believable ending. A fun thriller that ends in the unbelievable. My rating: 3.75 out of 5