ReWired will, unfortunately, not be added to my favorites list. I wanted to love it and was disappointed with what I got. I understand that some authors write by the seat of their pants, but there needs to be a structure, a basic framework, in which the story is built on. This had none. Very flimsy plot.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. This was my first read by this author and not my usual genre but I must say I really enjoyed it. Ada is a senator's daughter who happens to be a very good hacker. She and her best friend Simone were hacker buddies until Simone gets caught and ends up having to go to ReBoot. After being released she commits suicide. Ada is lost and totally disconnected to everyone who isn't in her online world. 3 months after Simone's death Ada gets caught and ends up being sent to ReBoot also. ReBoot is a tech addiction program for teens. She quickly finds out that several kids have had mysterious deaths after leaving ReBoot. She sets out to figure out why. In the process she also starts to become friends with some of the other teens. None of these kids really know how to relate well offline. The story takes you through all that happens while Ada is at ReBoot.

ReWired had suspense and a little bit of young love, struggles making friends and learning to work as a team. There were a lot of unexpected twists and turns to keep you guessing who was the good guy and who was the bad guy. It also brought to light for me how many ways kids in today's world are addicted to technology. We see it in our daily lives but guess I don't really think about it. A much more insightful story than I was expecting. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Ada Lovelace is more than just the senator's daughter. She's part of the Orwellians, a successful group of hackers. Known online as Dark Angel, Ada spends her free time hacking into various corporations to teach them how to treat others appropriately. Since Ada's best friend's suicide, she has even more time to devote to hacking. When she gets nabbed by the FBI for a high profile hack, Ada knows she can't give away any information that would get the Orwellians in trouble, so she agrees to attend ReBoot--a rehabilitation program for teens who are addicted to technology. But the secrets Ada uncovers at ReBoot lead to something much more sinister.

ReWired is an action packed book that will appeal to adventure/mystery readers, especially those who are interested in computers. The hacking terminology used was a bit much for me, but those who understand it will feel right at home. I loved the mystery element of this book, and the relationships felt genuine. A good book that will definitely appeal to a niche group of readers.

The writing started off really slow. I never really felt fully gripped or interested in what was happening. I think it would be easier to follow if you understand technology jargon but the parts that are supposed to be thrilling are filled with terminology the average person (well at least me) cannot understand. This takes away from the overall effectiveness of the writing.

Johannes definitely takes the reader for a ride. When you think one thing is going to happen, you’re forced another direction. This happened several times throughout the book and because it happened so often I got confused with the story line. It also left some holes that never were filled.

The “romance” in this book felt very forced. The ReBoot facility Ada goes to has a group of 6 students and it was as if she was forced to go towards one guy. They’re “relationship” starts out strange. He follows her and asks a lot of questions and she asks him to stop. He doesn’t. So, she tries to be with him anyway. I didn’t sense a connection or a reason they were together other than to have a romance aspect to the book.

Due to the plot holes the ending left me wanting more. More questions answered and a clearer reason for why the characters acted the way they did. Overall, I understood the ending I just was expecting a bigger plot twist or a more thrilling read.

2.5 stars.

After reading the Nature of Grace series last year, I was really looking forward to ReWired. But it fell flat for me and just wasn't as interesting as I had hoped. The characters were just kind of okay, and the plot was somewhat predictable. Relationships and conversations felt very manufactured. In a way, it reminded me of the movie Anti-trust, but that movie is better. My feelings for this book are similar to the ones I have for Dangerous (Shannon Hale). It's actually kind of funny that I thought of that since it's been four years since I read that book.

I'm really hoping that my next complaint is because this was a copy of the book that hadn't been edited much yet, but I honestly don't know. There were just a LOT of errors--word usage, incomplete sentences (as in, the sentences cut off before they were done), missing words, etc.

Because I liked the Nature of Grace series, I'm willing to give Johannes another chance with future books. But if this had been my first exposure to her, I'd probably be done.

Note: Some swearing.

Read. This. Book. The world building, the character development, and the story progress was very interesting. Will be doing a more thorough review on my blog.

This was an amazing YA thriller. Techno thriller at that but high on the suspense side. Why are there so few thrillers for this genre? This was really well written and the premise was uniquely woven into an exciting mystery / thriller read. Kudos to S. R. Johannes.

The description of the book sums it up really well. What I did not expect were all the twists, turns and challenges Ada, the main character of the book, faced when she enters ReBoot Academy. First of all, that mansion for the academy is creepy. Second, all the kids with different cyber felonies are thrown together to overcome hurdles or challenges in a world without electronic devices. It basically is a boot camp for addicts.

The message stands out. Almost incapable of confronting some of the challenges, the kids are faced with their own fears, have to solve riddles daily and in some cases start to turn on each other. Coming partially from broken homes or other tragedies, these kids need to learn to cope as well as face the consequences of their actions and direct their smarts into useful ways. Sounds like the real world?

None the less, without getting boring or falling into an expected cliché, this mystery of why the kids that are released from ReBoot are dying, takes a pact of Ada and her new friends and foes outside the walls of the academy after disaster strikes and more people are dying mysteriously along the way, to solve.

Very engaging, fast paced and altogether a great suspense read. Try it for yourself. It does not fall into the current hyped YA fantasy genre, but almost stays true to an old fashioned mystery with a modern world take and earns its place at the top.

I received a digital copy of ‘ReWired’ from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you!

genius hacker, kick-ass heroine, and a character twists... might be a real life scenario...

Ahhhh!!! I loved this book! Great characters that are actually believable (and not the typical whiny airheads that seem to take over YA books lately). Great plot, something different - dealing with the tech world but reads like a dream. Sure it has a bit of “romance” but not nauseating. The friendships are true. A lot of kids think they don’t need anyone in their lives and live for their computers. This book is a refreshing voice that tells the tale of Ada who must deal with the consequences of abusing internet knowledge. Well done!

2.5 stars

I was into it in the beginning but the more I read the more I lost interest. And by the end, the book just wasn't really for me. The characters were inconsistent which really worked against them in getting me to care about Ada and her journey. The plot is interesting I just didn't love the execution. It began to feel less like a real world story and more like a mustache-twirling villain lurking in the background. Also, the computer tech-y elements occasionally felt inaccessible. This book really worked for me in theory but it just kind of fell short.

Thought and Plot

Ada is a hacker, an expert hacker that goes by the name of Dark Angel. She's the daughter of a senator who is currently trying to pass a bill to protect teens private information online. She's now the only female member of the Orwellians, an elite group of hackers responsible for high-profile hacks on major corporations, with a mission to protect the little guy. The other female member committed suicide. She was the Red Devil, and Ada's real life best friend, Simone...

At 16 Ada's capable of doing things like hacking into the White House, for a challenge. Little does she know that this will domino into something much larger than she realizes. When a fellow Orwellian betrays her to the FBI, ironically the new guy who convinced them to hack the White House in the first place, Ada is forced into ReBoot, a rehab facility for teens addicted to technology and the same rehab Simone attended right before killing herself.

Ada decides to use the opportunity to find out what happened to her friend while she was in rehab and see if she can discover why her happy, fun loving friend suddenly decided she didn't want to live anymore. But it's harder than she thought when she's stuck in an ancient, creepy mansion that has been converted into a rehab facility, complete with keypad locks, cameras and alarms. But expert hacker Ada has that covered and soon realizes Simone is just one of many teens that have died after leaving Reboot. Problem is, someone doesn't want her looking into these suspicious deaths.

So, what did I think? This book got me. I'm not sure how. I kept thinking it was a bit like watching an old teen tv drama with a mix of something new while I was reading it. How often do you read a book about a hacker teen who's trying to solve a mysterious series of deaths, while grieving for a friend who committed suicide, while trying to fix the trouble she's gotten herself and her politician father into, while in a rehab center for tech addicted teens? Let's not forget the love interest. I can't say I've ever come across the combo.

That said. I think I would have liked it a lot more without the 'young love' thrown in. I felt like it was a bit sudden...and of course the guy was practically the classic cliche; super smart, blue eyed, chiseled abs, great kisser...but he wears glasses. Because the glasses will redeem the cliche. lol Could have done without him. If he just turned out to be a smart-ass good friend, I would have been happier.

I also could have done without the multiple attempted kill offs of most of the supporting characters, kinda added to the teen drama feel. But it was fun how the author kept twisting and turning the story to try and keep you from finding the real 'villain'. Figured out some of the evil sidekicks easily enough, but a decent author won't go for the obvious guy, nor will they scream "LOOK THIS WAY, IT'S HIM!!!!" about the person they are trying to make you think is the bad guy. So that was refreshing.

I enjoyed how this book kept the pacing up, kept me interested and kept me wondering exactly how everything was connected and what, exactly, was going on. It's also not often that you get a teen fiction that makes a person think of what exactly they are posting on the internet and who has access to that information, in an entertaining format.

In Conclusion

Rewired is a Thriller, Suspense, Murder Mystery mash up that works. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a fast paced book that takes a rather short time to read.

I'm glad I read it.

Age Range: Mature pre-teen (see Other), Teen mostly
Profanities: Maybe one or two actually written that I can remember. The rest are referred to as swearing, cursing, etc.
Potential triggers: Simone ODs on anti-depressants and everyone thinks it's suicide, Crash has a heart attack, someone else dies by texting and driving...but all are a general, in-the-past events.
Other: There are kissing scenes, two boys bantering about things like 'shrinkage,' people get shot at, there's some martial arts fighting, people may be thrown off a roof...yeah. Good book!

First off, I would like to thank the publisher and author for providing me this ARC to review. Please note that the version I read was an advanced copy, and certain events/language may be changed in the published edition.

Stars (Out of 10): 3/10 Stars

Spoiler Free: I wanted to like this book, as the concept seemed super neat and reminded me of books such as The Program and Dark Eden, but the execution was just terrible.

I believe I saw somewhere that this is a re-release of a story originally written in 2012, so maybe that’s part of it, it just didn’t age well. And if I’m being honest, many parts of the story did feel pretty dated. (EDIT: I now know that this is incorrect, and rather some of the reviews at the beginning of my copy were misleading. Regardless, I still find the references and some of the tropes outdated. In writing in such a quickly changing area, it’s pretty important to either invent new references that cannot become outdated, or ensure any references used (such as the fact that everyone listened to Daft Punk in this book) are as relevant as possible. In my opinion, anytime popular culture is involved, you always run the risk of it being cringy, and unfortunately almost all of the pop culture use in this book was.)

But even if the story had been written now, with references that worked still in today’s time, the over-stereotyped characters matched with the juvenile, and at times, contradicting writing also would have made me rate this book the way I did.

Specifically in terms of characters, it was kind of ridiculous, and at times insulting, how certain types of characters were categorized. We have Varian, the gamer obsessed with WOW and changed his real-life name to his character one, who only dresses in black and wears a trench coat? We also have Raven, a punk looking girl who our narrator hates from the start because of how off-putting she is. And it continues on, with the stereotyped cheerleader and the lanky, quiet guy. Lastly, the most likable character is the dead best friend, as she is given the most characterization, even when compared to the narrator. (Also, there’s a lot of crying and emotions in this book that feel very fake and extreme.

In addition, we have a random romance thrown in that is very on and off and reminds me a lot of younger high school relationships. It honestly was all over the place, and without it, I probably would’ve rated the book higher.

Back to writing, it felt simple, and while this was good during the explanation of confusing, techy moments, it just contributed to the dated feeling of the entire novel. Additionally, I’m not sure if this book just hasn’t gone through any editing yet (have an ARC copy), but there was tons of errors that led to confusion during some scenes. But the main issue with the writing was how it contradicted itself sometimes, showing us one fact and then pulling an entirely different conclusion from it. (The most obvious example being a 3 day period shown, and then having that period being described as a week.)

Additionally, the ending left some things unresolved, and for a stand-alone book I find that very off putting. My favorite part about stand-alones is that they’re usually all wrapped up in a bow by the end of it, or at least don’t purposely introduce new “twists” in the last few chapters that never get resolved.

I do have to admit that the plot was semi intriguing though. The main reason I finished this off was because of the plot, and wanting to find out the secrets behind everything. If some of the other things above had been improved, I could see myself recommending this book based on plot alone. However, it is a package deal, and therefore I cannot recommend this book to people looking for a cool urban sci-fi.

This book.... this book. I don't really know how I feel about this book. It's good, but not really. The writing style just... doesn't suit me. I don't know.

Wow. WOW!

Okay, so yes, once I got this book it took me a few months to actually start reading it. I was in a reading slump. Fortunately, that made for a much better state of mind as I picked up "Rewired" and gave it a fresh start. This story completely pulled me in. I love the messed up characters. I love the fast-paced plot. I love the eerie and tech-y setting.

Two things I didn't love: the main character's name (I feel like we've heard this name multiple times before, and it always makes me cringe) and the forced attempt at romance (I've been there myself, but YA books do not need a romantic element).

Back to what I loved:
Ada is really fascinating and complex. You meet her as she is hacking as Dark Angel, then you find out about her life outside of the computer. She's a total limit-pusher online but in her real life is very timid and meek. Seeing both sides of her just makes for good storytelling. I appreciated the pace of the novel. None of my time was wasted. The intrigue of Reboot was there from the moment she arrived on campus and just got better and better. I was constantly questioning people, their words, actions, and motives. I was not disappointed in the follow through of those mysteries.

Arc provided by #NetGalley for my honest opinion.
I actually enjoyed this book, I love stories about hackers, i find them absolutely fascinating, so I was really excited to receive this.
The story moves along quite well, and keeps you guessing, I loved all the tech talk and the group dynamic, there was enough humor among them that it allowed for all the tech talk to flow nicely. I really appreciated that.
Ada Lovelace is a super cool character, I found her relatively easy to understand and relate to, the only real issue I had with her character is her insta-love with Fisher. They went from basically not talking at all, to her kissing him and all of a sudden they both care deeply. I would have loved for a little more connecting with each other to make it seem a little more real.
Fisher was also a really bland character, as part of the group he was great, but alone, he was really lacking. They made out like he was a great hacker, but we never see it, like ever. His skills are never shown and he doesn't really add anything at all to the story.
I hope we see more to this story, we never found out what happened to Raven for starters and that bothered me. Maybe an epilogue?

I personally struggled with this book, and admittedly, I couldn't finish it.

I didn't like the main character Ada. Her perspective on life and risks definitely comes from a teenage naivety that I couldn't relate to. Especially, being a Senator's daughter, you would expect her to know better. At least I would!

The vast majority of the writing (so far as I read) was clear and easy to follow. I am not all that technically-minded, but sections describing hacking were written in such a way as to be approachable to all, so I knew what was going on.

I thought there were sections which were quite clearly rushed in order to move the story on; for me, that was what tipped the scales and I knew no matter how hard I tried, this book was not for me.

This YA cyberpunk book is super intense and hard to put down! I loved how the tech lingo is interwoven throughout the story so you fee like you are experiencing what the character is doing as if watching a movie rather than trying to imagine it. Very well written!

Ada Lovelace is the daughter of a senator and part of a hacker group. When something happens to her best friend Simone in real life she thinks it may have a connection to their hacker group and decides to do everything she can to find out who is responsible. Her plans fall short when she is caught and sent to a hacker rehab clinic called Reboot. Can Ada survive this with her sanity intact?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel for a fair and honest review!

I LOVE the premise of this book, it's so interesting and full of mystery, plus having a hacker as a main character isn't something you see everyday! But apart from the great mystery about Ada's friend Simone and the fact that Ada does lots of hacking throughout this book, I don't have many positive things to say.

The love interest of Ada was absolutely bland - apart from being handsome and doing funny remarks, Fisher doesn't really have a personality at all. He's supposed to be an awesome hacker, but he doesn't do any hacking at all in the whole book. The romance was not really believable, it went from a crush and a stolen kiss to full-blown committed relationship, love declarations and so on.

Also, there is a character called Crasher who suffers from mutism since suffering a trauma when his sister dies when he's supposed to be watching her. And Ada in just a few days "cures" him by basically emotionally blackmailing him and then getting mad when he isn't talking to her, like it's a personal affront. I think Crasher's mutism wasn't well-dealt with at all in this novel and it bothered me a lot.

The book got cheesy a lot of times, and I had to speed-read through it to make it more enjoyable, skipping a few "smart remarks" from Fisher and some of Ada's internal monologue. So yes, I enjoyed this book, it was a fun read and full of mystery, but oh my god, it's so flawed.

Ada Lovelace is a hacker. Unfortunately, her dad is a Senator trying to push through a bill to protect the privacy of teens on social media. Ada gets caught hacking into SocialNet and to keep it quiet, she has to agree to go to a special rehab for the IT addicted. Only problem is that her best friend went there not long ago and committed suicide not long after leaving it.....
Ada finds a web of intrigue and suspicion when she gets there that leaves her unsure who to trust. Nobody is quite what they first appear ( just like on the internet) and gradually the secrets start to be revealed.
This was a fast, pacy book that was gripping and well written. The characters were done well so they were not one-dimensional and not overly cliched etc. I was overall impressed by this book and would definitely recommend it.

Ada's the Dark Angel, hacktivist, and life just went offline.
How can she get back on track and hack the real killers?

Rewired is a fast-paced YA thriller that will appeal to a large audience. There’s enough hacking, espionage, mystery, and suspense to keep teens engaged. Many will identify busy parents, being over-connected to social media, the internet, gaming, etc., and the desire to make a difference, to be someone special, to win.

Ada is a senator’s daughter; she is also the Dark Angel, a young member of the aptly named Orwellian hacktivist group, caught in a web of encroaching lies and hacks. She’s also addicted to hacking and avoiding real life connections since her best friend and fellow hacker, Simone, died. Caught in a hack, Ada’s sent to ReBoot to be rehabilitated with other hacker and internet addicted teens, Ada can’t stay away from the connection for long. Deprived of all her high-tech and sent to the program that Simone attended just before her suicide, Ada soon finds hidden computers, a hacking lab, and staff members who are hiding more than computers in the creepy buildings. Why have so many teens died within a few days of leaving ReBoot?

Shelli R. Johannes touches enough buttons that young people be thrilled with the ride, identify with the various teens at ReBoot, and perhaps assess whether their own internet and social media usage is excessive. Johannes makes clear that the online connection is the illusion of relationships and that it’s real life friends that save us from falling.

Fun and thoughtful read that I would recommend for teens.