ALWAYS HAVE AN ACE UP YOUR SLEEVE
What happens in Vegas when an all-asexual online friend group attempts to break into a high-stakes gambling club? Shenanigans ensue.
Some people join chess club, some people play football. Jack Shannon runs a secret blackjack ring in his private school’s basement. What else is the son of a Las Vegas casino mogul supposed to do?
Everything starts falling apart when Jack’s mom is arrested for their family’s ties to organized crime. His sister Beth thinks this is the Shannon family’s chance to finally go straight, but Jack knows that something’s not right. His mom was sold out, and he knows by who. Peter Carlevaro: rival casino owner and jilted lover. Gross.
Jack hatches a plan to find out what Carlevaro’s holding over his mom’s head, but he can’t do it alone. He recruits his closest friends—the asexual support group he met through fandom forums. Now all he has to do is infiltrate a high-stakes gambling club and dodge dark family secrets, while hopelessly navigating what it means to be in love while asexual. Easy, right?
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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“Honesty, accountability, and family stand out as significant themes in Jack’s character development. His all-ace friend group highlights the diversity of identities within the spectrum of asexuality and affirms the fluidity of sexuality. . . . A fast-paced, thrilling diversion.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Jack’s narration is by turns humorous and heartfelt, and his feelings for Remy are both sweet and fraught as he struggles to understand how to be in love while ace. . . . DeWitt skillfully employs a breezy narrative and tender emotional beats, centering found family and self-acceptance, to craft a rousing debut..” —Publishers Weekly
“Amid the glittering world of high-stakes Vegas gambling, the author balances suspenseful heist shenanigans with explorations of Jack’s personal and family struggles. . . . Hand this Vegas-heist-meets-teen-drama to readers who are looking for breathing space in their adventures, shady ethics, and asexual representation.” —School Library Journal
Now that Wren Martin is student council president (on a technicality, but hey, it counts) he’s going to fix Rapture High. His first order of business: abolish the school’s annual Valentine’s Day Dance, a drain on the school’s resources and general social nightmare—especially when you’re asexual.
His greatest opponent: Leo Reyes, vice president and all-around annoyingly perfect student, who has a solution to Wren’s budget problem. A sponsorship from Buddy, the anonymous “not a dating” app sweeping the nation. Now instead of a dance-less senior year, Wren is in charge of the biggest dance Rapture High has ever seen. He’s even secretly signed up for the app. For research, of course.
But when Wren develops capital F-Feelings for his anonymous match, things spiral out of control. Wren decided a long time ago that dating while asexual wasn’t worth the hassle. With the Dance rapidly approaching, he isn’t sure what will kill him first: the dance, his relationship drama, or the growing realization that Leo’s perfect life might not be so perfect after all.
In an unforgettably quippy and endearingly chaotic voice, narrator Wren Martin explores the complexities of falling in love while asexual.
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WHERE TO FIND IT
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
"Wren (sharply funny, endearingly grumpy) beautifully articulates the loneliness of asexuality in a world that doesn’t fully understand or engage with it, and the trajectory of his story feels lovingly earned." - Booklist ★
“Employing Wren’s wry, prickly first-person POV rendered in crisp, believable prose, DeWitt (Aces Wild) delivers a nuanced, hilarious, and highly readable rom-com.”—Publishers Weekly
“Sharp, lovable, and timely.”—Kirkus Reviews
“This delightful book had me swooning and squealing and laughing and crying (from laughing so hard). Wren Martin Ruins It All is correct, because I am forever ruined by this book! My mouth still hurts from all the smiling.” —Sonora Reyes, National Book Award Finalist
“Wren Martin is exactly the kind of narrator I adore—sharp and witty, but unable to hide his big heart. With a one-of-a-kind voice, Amanda DeWitt embraces the charming chaos of high school dances, online anonymity, and boldly choosing to be yourself. This is the ace rom-com we’ve been waiting for.” —Brian D. Kennedy, author of A Little Bit Country
“Wry, hysterical, and incredibly heartfelt, Wren Martin Ruins It All is an ace rom-com by way of John Hughes. Amanda DeWitt’s characters are messy and chaotic, but more importantly loveable and so easy to cheer for.” —Erik J. Brown, author of Lose You to Find Me and All That’s Left in the World
Thirty years ago, Grace’s mom left her hometown of Hermitage, Florida and never looked back—which is exactly why Grace thinks it’s the safest place to spend her summer now. Since her mom died in a car crash, Grace has been desperate to get away from the memories and reminders of her loss. Spending the summer transcribing cassette tapes for the Hermitage Historical Society might be boring, but boring is just what Grace needs.
Until she hears the voice of Jake Underwood—the boy who first recorded the cassette tapes back in 1992. When Grace realizes he can hear anything she records, despite thirty years of time between them, they strike up an impossible conversation through the tapes.
But the past isn’t any simpler than the present, and a mystery has haunted Hermitage through the generations. In the 1970’s, a hurricane made landfall and resulted in the tragic death of Jake’s uncle Charley. In a town as suffocatingly small as Hermitage, it’s impossible not to notice how no one talks about that storm, or Charley, and as the mystery unfurls, Grace can’t help but realize a worse truth: No one talks about Jake either.
A beautifully written exploration of grief and what happens when untreated wounds bleed into future generations, The Underwood Tapes is the perfect read for anyone in need of a good, cathartic cry.
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