thephdivabooks's review against another edition

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3.0

For a gamer-girl, being trapped in her favorite video games for a while sounds like a dream come true. But when it seems like the program may be linked to illness in her boyfriend and another person, the stakes are no longer about winning, they are about making it out of the game alive…

Filled with adventure and towing that edge between young adult and new adult, this book was a surprising delight for me and one I wouldn’t normally pick up, but I’m glad I did!

Gwen Nielsen doesn’t consider herself the most extraverted person. The daughter of a former beauty queen, she’d take her Xbox any day over make up and a pair of high heels. Gwen’s boyfriend Pete is a fellow gamer who she met online. Pete’s father owns a video game company, and though Gwen and Pete don’t get to hang out in real life, they are able to beta test new games before their release.

When a new game that Pete sends to Gwen to test never arrives, Gwen tries to get ahold of Pete to let him know. Only then does she find out that Pete is in the hospital with a mysterious illness. Within hours, an ambulance arrives at the house next to Gwen where her ex-boyfriend Ryan’s younger brother has slipped into an unexplained coma. When Gwen sees the video game that Pete sent her, she begins to suspect that the game is somehow involved.

As Ryan and Gwen look into the game, they discover that it isn’t a game at all. It’s a high-tech government simulator called Eve 2.0, and it is programmed to lock players into the game until they either win or risk their lives. As Gwen begins to play the game, she realizes that with so much on the line, there’s even more pressure to win the increasingly harder levels to the game. And if she isn’t able to beat it, Pete and Ben might not be the only ones to risk their lives—hers may be at risk as well.

I’m not really a gamer, but I love the way that community can bond so easily over a shared passion. It actually reminds me a lot of the book community! Readers just tend to click well with other readers. Eve 2.0 isn’t a book that I would normally pick up, but I’m really glad that I took a chance. I found it really fun and fast-paced. Lots of action and interesting premise. While this idea isn’t exactly new, the way it was executed is fresh and fun. I think lots of readers, whether YA or adult, will find this book gripping!

I liked the bits of mystery and relationship drama of that love triangle. I also found there to be some really funny moments that were a pleasant surprise. Altogether, this is a fun edge-of-your-seat type of read that you will fly through in a day or so. You’ll want to know what happens to get these kids back out of the game!

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for my copy. Opinions are my own.

alongreader's review against another edition

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4.0

Teddy loves gaming and even found her current boyfriend, Pete, on a gaming forum. They now regularly game together and send each other new games and tips. It helps to distract Teddy from her ex boyfriend, Ryan, who lives next door.

Things start to go wrong when her boyfriend, and her ex's brother Ben, fall into unexplained comas on the same day. Teddy discovers gaming equipment in Ben's bedroom and realises that Pete must have sent it to her. When she tries it, she finds herself dragged into the game, shortly followed by Ryan. Now they have to battle through a series of video games, overseen by a constantly learning AI, before time runs out...

What a fun read! At first, it kind of felt like I'd been dropped into the middle of a story, with all the references to Teddy and Ryan's shady past. But as the story progressed it all made sense, so do stick with it if you're worried about that.

I'm a very casual gamer, so I was worried how well I'd understand that part of it. I needn't have. Ryan must never have even read the back of a game box if he couldn't follow the terminology Teddy was using, but it worked well to make sure the audience were following along. I really liked that they worked through different types of games, too, it wasn't just the same thing over and over.

I don't want to give away the ending, so I'll just say that I have my suspicions about some things that happened, and I'm not absolutely sure I understand the end of Pete's storyline, which is dealt with in two throwaway sentences. But I'm sure that the next book will explain it, and I'm looking forward to reading it to see what happens next.

(Oh, and I know the cover makes it look very sexy. That's really not an issue in the actual story.)

_belle's review against another edition

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adventurous

3.75

From the first 'balls', I immediately thought the author was paying homage to one - Bobby Singer. Then upon reaching the 'Wayward Son' chapter, it was conclusive. I approve! I also think that having an interactive playlist like that is really fun and clever. I was personally looking up every song before I read the chapter. It was interesting to get a gauge, as to the mood and tone the author was trying to project.

I'll be honest, I picked this up thinking that the picture on the front was Eve, the AI. Turns out it's the book's protagonist. I liked the story, it was a bit different to other lit-rpgs I've read. So far as, not just playing the game but actually being sucked into the simulator and being trapped with the AI. I also really enjoyed the secret government element, but wish it had been delved into more and made to feel more realistic. I struggled with some of the father's parts.

I was also left wanting more from the simulator itself, I was really wanting the author to go all out and push the boundaries but it was all pretty tame. Other than that, it was a smidge repetitive. By 70% I'd more than had my share of 'rosy cheeks' and 'parlor tricks'.

Overall, this was a fun read. I would recommend it to younger YA readers and kids interested in gaming. 

mystikai's review against another edition

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4.0

I really liked the concept of this book, characters trapped in video games, it was intriguing. The chapters are alternated between the parents and the kids POV’ which helps you get to know each character quite well. I think it reminded me of Total Recall where the characters are basically put into unconsciousness and then live in a simulated world. It was really good.
It was well written and fast-paced. I read it in a few days as it was so interesting.

felinity's review against another edition

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4.0

Gwen isn't your typical gamer girl. Or maybe she is... and she's just lucky to have an almost-boyfriend who gets insider access to the newest, coolest gaming systems. She didn't expect the latest game to leave her truly gaming for her life inside a super-secret government simulation, and the pressure is only just beginning.

A riveting YA novel, fun for anyone who likes RPG (on- or offline).

Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

oddandbookish's review against another edition

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4.0

I received this book for free from TLC Book Tours as part of a review tour.

I give this book 3.5 stars which rounds up to 4.

This was such a fun book! The premise is so cool and makes for an exciting read. The characters get launched into a wide range of video games and it was interesting to see how they adapted to each one.

One of the things I loved about this book was that each chapter of the book had a corresponding song to listen to, so you end up with a whole playlist of songs. I have to say that the selection of music was so good! Some of the songs were “Under Pressure” by Queen, “Livin’ On a Prayer” by Bon Jovi, and “In the End” by Linkin Park.

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I also liked the interlude chapters which gave the point of view of Gwen’s father. Those chapters added a little bit of mystery and intrigue to the story.

Since this is the start to a series not everything was 100% resolved which makes me interested in the sequel.

One thing I didn’t like however, was that the book felt a little long and slightly repetitive. There was a lot of bickering between the characters which happened every time the characters got thrown into a new game. With a little more editing the book could have been more concise.

Overall, if you’re a gamer then you’re sure to like this one!

pixiejazz's review

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4.0

Eve 2.0 is a young adult LitRPG novel about a gamer girl named Gwen who befriends another player named Pete. Pete's dad is a game developer, and Pete decides he and Gwen need to beta test his dad's newest game. Unfortunately for them, and her her neighbors Ryan and Ben (Ryan's her ex), the game isn't exactly what it seems, and soon they find themselves fighting for their lives, wondering if they'll ever see the real world again.
Eve 2.0 is a fascinating, fun, action-packed book that gamers (and even non-gamers) will enjoy. There's a variety of game that the characters get pulled into, and I think my favorite one was Desolation Peak. I do enjoy a good horror-survival game. The characters are likable enough, even with Gwen's back-and-forth internal fussing over Ryan and Pete. I think my favorite character was Ben, though.
The world-building is fun and unique, and it makes you feel as if you're actually in the games with the characters as they traverse through, trying to survive and complete their objectives.
If you're a gamer, or just a fan of YA sci-fi/fantasy, you'll want to give Eve 2.0 a whirl.
4 stars!

astoldbybex's review

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3.0



I reviewed Eve 2.0 as a part of TLC Book Tours!

Even though I have some mixed feelings about Winter Lawrence’s Eve 2.0, I must admit that I’m pleasantly surprised with this read. Automatically, I was drawn into the premise: characters being trapped inside a video game. Like — yes, please. Can that be the plot to every single story? Not only do they get trapped into one video game, they also get trapped into a few others — ranging from a child-friendly RPG (role-playing game, for you non-gaming folk) to a FPS (first person shooter). & here’s the kicker, kids — Lawrence even includes a game called Desolation Peak, which is a survival horror game that sounds very similar to my all-time favorite, Silent Hill. Hashtag BLESS.

This adventurous YA novel is a definite page-tuner. I had 0 problems making it through this book in the span of two days. In fact, I found myself needing to know how these kids were going to get out of this situation. I was also curious to how this was going to set-up future books, as it is a series (The Gamer Series). After reading Eve 2.0, I feel like it stands pretty well by itself. I personally feel like I’ve seen enough of this world, but am still curious as to what more Lawrence can add to this created universe.

In general, the main plot & book is pretty solid. But there are, unfortunately, a couple of issues that I had during my read. One, being the dialogue. An early chapter has our main character, Gwen, saying holy moly — listen, I say ‘holy moly’ at times, but it just felt awkward in Eve 2.0. & that’s not the only case of awkward ‘teen’ dialogue. Characters use words like ‘jeeze louise’ & ‘buttmunch'; without using it as a joke — do people, especially teens, still talk like that?

As much as I enjoyed the ship between Gwen & Ryan, I feel like it’s kind of shoved down the reader’s throat. Throughout so many dangerous circumstances in Eve 2.0, they find themselves having conversations about their past, forgiveness, etc. If you’re really into the romance aspect, this might 100% be okay with you! It just wasn’t my thing.

Even though I have my complaints, these minor nitpicks are so easy to ignore once you’re wrapped into the story of Eve 2.0. Taking a step back and looking at the entire picture, I am very glad I read this video game infused novel!
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