BLOG TOUR: Eve 2.0: The Ultimate Gaming Experience by Winter Lawrence @WinterBLawrence @TLCBookTours #Eve2point0 #bookreview

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, Winter Lawrence’s Eve 2.0: The Ultimate Gaming Experience was a surprising delight for me and one I wouldn’t normally pick up, but I’m glad I did!

About the Book

Gwen Nielsen doesn’t consider herself the most extraverted person. The daughter of a former beauty queen and sister to a current beauty queen, Gwen is more the type to stay home and immerse herself in her video games. She likes the mental engagement and thrill of the games. 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 and hang out virtually. The relationship is non-traditional, but it works for Gwen.

When Pete 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 grave and mysterious illness. Within hours, an ambulance arrives at the house next to Gwen where her ex-boyfriend and neighbor 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.

Reflection

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!

For a YA novel, there were some surprisingly chilling scenes in the book. It was a perfect fall read and definitely those scenes delivered for me! I’m not well-versed in games, but there was such a variety in terms of what Gwen was doing. I think video game fans in particular will enjoy that, and being a non-gamer, I was still on the edge of my seat!

I liked Gwen a lot. She’s sweet but also tough as nails and full of spunk. Her love triangle with Pete and Ryan is kind of weird at first. She has never actually met Pete and Ryan is basically her arch enemy. When we open, Pete is definitely the dream boat—sweet, caring, funny. And then through Gwen’s eyes expect to not like Ryan much. But these things change some as the book goes on! Pete isn’t as perfect as he seemed, nor is Ryan as awful as we thought he was.

I liked the bits of mystery and relationship drama. 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.

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About the Author

Winter lives in the moment and loves nothing more than being surrounded by her family, her fur-babies, and a ton of great reads! When she doesn’t have her nose stuck in a book, she’s usually thinking up far away, fantastical worlds or she’s cooking up a storm in the kitchen! Because of her love for all things literary, Winter pursued a Master of Arts degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. Professionally, she is a manuscript editor and, in her spare time, she enjoys hosting author spotlights, posting book reviews, and teaching workshops. In her private time, she is an avid reader of science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal romances, and one day she hopes to inspire young readers in the same way her favorite authors continue to inspire her today.

Find out more about Winter at her website and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.