Aces Up by Lauren Barnholdt

Aces Up by Lauren Barnhold (ARC)
Publication Date: August 10, 2010
Versions: paperback, kindle
Received from: Around The World Tours


Summary (from goodreads):
Seventeen-year-old high school senior Shannon Card needs money. And lots of it. She's been admitted to Wellesley, but her dad just lost his job, and somehow she has to come up with a year of tuition herself. But Shannon's dream of making big bucks waitressing at the local casino, the Collosio, disappears faster than a gambler's lucky streak. Her boss is a tyrant, her coworker is nuts, and her chances of balancing a tray full of drinks while wearing high-heeled shoes are slim to none. Worse, time is running out, and Shannon hasn't made even half the money she'd hoped.


When Shannon receives a mysterious invitation to join Aces Up, a secret network of highly talented college poker players, at first she thinks No way. She has enough to worry about: keeping her job, winning the coveted math scholarship at school, and tutoring her secret crush, Max. But when Shannon musters up the nerve to kiss Max and he doesn't react at all, the allure of Aces Up and its sexy eighteen-year-old leader, Cole, is suddenly too powerful to ignore.


Soon Shannon's caught up in a web of lies and deceit that makes worrying about tuition or a high school crush seem like kid stuff. Still, when the money's this good, is the fear of getting caught reason enough to fold?


This book is highly unbelievable. But even though I rolled my eyes at the pure stupid decisions that Shannon made, I enjoyed the flirty and funny tone to the book. It's about a teenager named Shannon and her family is suddenly tight on money. She has already gotten early acceptance to her dream school and now her family won't be able to afford it. So she has to get a job, which turns out to be one waitressing at a casino. She is underage so she has to use fake ids, and lie to her parents. But still, she isn't making enough money for college. So she joins a secret group called Aces Up where Shannon finds herself playing poker. 


This book is full of betrayal, love, quirkiness, and pure fun that will make you laugh out loud at some ridiculous comments. I enjoyed the book even though it was hard for me to relate to it or Shannon. I find it hard to believe that someone, as young as the main character, could actually pull all these things off. But I guess that's why they call it fiction.


Will I reread it?
Maybe? It was fun and flirty and an excellent summer read that will put you in a good mood while actually teaching you a lesson about underage gambling. All I can say is: lesson learned.