Book: Aces Up by Lauren Barnholdt
Pages: 272
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Source: Library
Short Synopsis: Shannon needs money for school. That's when she decides to take a job at a local casino, but things go downhill quickly from there, and Shannon doesn't know how to get out of the hole she's dug herself into.
My Thoughts: An interesting read, but it definitely wasn't one of Barnholdt's best.
Shannon really needs money. Her father just recently lost her job, and tuition money for Wellesley College is expensive. Shannon decides that taking a job at a casino, even though she is underage, is the best way to go, compared to what she really told her parents, that she was working at a diner.
Things don't go so well for Shannon's first day, but she's slowly starting to get the hang of things. Then one day, a very attractive boy named Cole, offers Shannon a proposition. Cole tells Shannon that she's able to earn more money if she plays poker.
At first, Shannon is reluctant. But she desperately needs the money. She slowly starts to get into playing poker, and is surprised that she has a gift. But Cole has more plans for Shannon. Cole lets Shannon in on a group named Aces Up, where the group enters a poker competition, but in reality, this group specializes in cheating to get the money. Shannon doesn't know what she's gotten herself into, and must beat Cole and Aces Up at their own game. Can Shannon do what Cole wants her to do, or will she come clean and tell someone?
I really don't know what to say about this novel. Since it's a Lauren Barnholdt novel, I really wanted to like it. But I honestly don't think I liked anything about this novel. First Shannon lies to her friends and family about where she's working. Then she digs herself into a bigger hole, when she joins Aces Up and finds out the truth.
Though I really wanted to like Cole, I knew he was sort of a shady character from the beginning. And was it just me, or did it sound weird that Cole was supposedly having a relationship with Shannon, but still calls her Shannon Card?
Mackenzie was a weird character as well. It wasn't really stated that they were friends, and all of the sudden she expects Shannon to do what she wants to do? I think the only character I really liked was Max, who seemed pretty reliable, and understanding of the whole situation. And though I kind of liked the relationship with Cole and Shanon, Cole turned out to be a real jerk, and I couldn't stand him in the end. Overall, it was an okay read, but nothing really kept me interested at all.
Would I recommend this book: Not really
Rating: I give this book a 2.5/5.
No comments:
Post a Comment