Playing the Cards You're Dealt by Varian JohnsonMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is the story of Anthony (Ant) who is preparing for a spades tournament. His family has a reputation of doing well in the tournament, so Ant feels extra pressure to perform well. In addition to navigating the spades tournament (and finding an unlikely partner in a new girl), Ant is working through a complicated family situation. The title of this one very much speaks to the focus of the book. Yes, there's the literal connection to a game of spades, and there's also coming to understand what hand life has given you and how to proceed. More than anything, this is Ant learning some difficult truths and coming to see certain people and situations were not what he thought. It's some tough stuff to work through, and the book is very much about how we often have to do this as humans. Thanks to Scholastic for the free copy of this October 2021 release.
View all my reviews
