brinasatt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Classism, Hate crime, Outing, Homophobia, Racism, and Bullying
Moderate: Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Car accident, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, and Stalking
Minor: Blood, Death of parent, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury
moniipeters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Blood, Car accident, Chronic illness, Classism, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Racial slurs, Racism, Alcohol, Slavery, Violence, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, and Self harm
oli_porti's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Blood, Bullying, Gaslighting, Homophobia, and Drug abuse
bookishchef's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Spoiler
I read the Get Out comparison and somehow I still didn't expect ALL of the white people to be in on it.I kept assuming it was either Jamie, Jack or Belle (in that order from most likely to least). So when the answer turned out to be "yes, and also all of the other characters", I was shook.
I really enjoyed the ride though, even though I thought the final plottwist
Spoiler
(with the news outlet being evil and the school going up in flames)Spoiler
The entire time while Terell and Chiamaka were chatting about breaking the story to the news, I was very sceptical. It felt so dumb? Especially after all they'd been through and the Belle revealing there were way more people in on it.There are also still some things that puzzle me:
Spoiler
1. Was Scotty in on it too? If so, he's a damn good actor if he convinced both Devon and Chiamaka that he didn't do it. His storyline got dropped halfway through the book so we never really got a resolution there.
2. What happened to Belle? She told Chiamaka what was happening and I don't assume that her family took kindly to that.
3. How did Devon end up the way he did? We get a little bit of an answer to that in the prologue, which shows that he's living with Terell and his mother but... How? He obviously wasn't getting into Juilliard and he dropped out. Yet the epilogue letter calls him "professor". So what did he do? How did he manage?
4. What happened to Andre? Is he still serving time? Am I not supposed to care?
5. Why did Devon's mom hide his father's death from him? It is said in the epilogue that Devon and his mother weren't on speaking terms for a while after he confronted her... And then what? How did that conversation go? This subplot feels unfinished now.
6. Was Peter the Hacker in on it too? If so, why did he help Chiamaka by revealing what pc the messages were send from? Why did he ask her to put in a good word for him with Belle if he knew Belle's family was in on it too?
And if he wasn't in on it, how did Aces expect the black students to not (accidentally) ask one of the students that wasn't in Aces for help?
I also have a minor headcanon/conspiracy:
Spoiler
We're told by a news anchor that the fire that burns down Niveus was caused by electrical issues. Which seems fair because those issues were mentioned many times before.
Only I thought those issues were just Aces manipulating the cameras, etc. With how it was set up, I assumed Jamie burned down the library. He was set up as a pyromaniac early on, and then threatened Chiamaka with his lighter. So, when she left him, angry and alone, in the library with his lighter, I assumed he was the cause of the fire.
Which he may still have been. After all, the book tells the reader many times that the media covers up white crimes all the time. But Jamie, according to the news broadcast, died in the fire. So that would mean he burned down the school without giving himself an escape? Or was he really that upset about being attracted to/friends with a black girl? I guess we'll never know. So, headcanon land it is.
Graphic: Hate crime, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Violence, Homophobia, Bullying, Car accident, Gaslighting, Racism, Sexual harassment, and Outing
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Police brutality, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcoholism
The N word is used once.linnea1801's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Sexism, Classism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Outing, Racism, Toxic friendship, Violence, Drug abuse, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Addiction and Blood
Minor: Gun violence and Police brutality
regaliaofchaos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Homophobia, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug abuse
missbreathing's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This is described as Gossip Girl meets Get Out, and that’s pretty accurate! It’s told from the POV of the only two Black kids at an elite private academy. As their senior year begins, a slew of defamatory messages about them begin to circulate, revealing secrets and ruining their reputations. They team up to find the anonymous messenger, Aces, and stop him before he ruins their lives for good.
The themes of systemic racism in this book are so important and tragically way too relevant. It’s maybe a bit heavy-handed in its delivery of these themes, but this might just be a case of me not being the book’s target audience. YA encompasses a vast age group, and some authors highlight their themes in ways that might seem obvious to me, an adult, but which would most effectively reach a 13 year-old.
There were times when it was hard to read because of how many awful things happen to one of our MCs. I won’t spoil anything, but I cried so hard for one of the MCs. It was almost too much; like the author piled on every bad thing that could happen to someone onto this one character. But the ending is hopeful for both the MCs and their epilogue is triumphant.
This book is TENSE. It kept me on the edge of my seat. The who isn’t the major question here (you’ll likely guess who Aces is), but the what and the how are really what drive the mystery. It’s the kind of story that makes the world seem scary and unsafe, leaving you with a lingering sense of discomfort. It’s an extremely successful thriller in that sense.
🌈 Rep: gay MC, sapphic MC
⚠️ TW: outing, car accident, homophobia, racism, violence, drugs, mention of suicide, incarceration
Graphic: Homophobia, Car accident, Outing, and Racism
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, and Drug use
123urmom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Stalking, Hate crime, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, Sexual content, Car accident, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Outing
Moderate: Drug abuse, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Alcohol, Body horror, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
peachythi_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book also discusses micro-agressions and the systemic racism black people have to go through in the systems set up by white supremacy. This book is also so deeply disturbing I cried multiple times. Because everyone is fucked up and I need people to read it.
Graphic: Hate crime, Gaslighting, Racism, Classism, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Murder, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Outing
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts
minke's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Blood, Bullying, Homophobia, Outing, Toxic friendship, Hate crime, and Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence
Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use