T L Costa

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. Tyler MacCandless has ADHD, even at the best of times he has trouble focusing. He doesn’t have anyone he can count on except his mentor, Rick. Ani is a gaming genius. Not only does she play, she also creates them. She gets hired to create a flight simulation program to train future pilots. This is how she meets Beta Tester Tyler. This is most likely Tyler’s last chance at getting into flight school, so he gives it his all. This is when his troubles really begin.

Playing Tyler came across as a modern day War Games. I loved the way how realistic the relationship between Tyler and Ani were. This book was a suspenseful mystery, one I enjoyed thoroughly. I also loved how they discussed the morality and ethics of what was really going on. Playing Tyler is a brilliantly written first novel, and I look forward to more from this author!
… (mehr)

Playing Tyler is a cross between the movie War Games and the book Ender's Game. Tyler suffers from ADHD, and has a mostly absent mother and a drug-addled brother. His only adult friend asks him to test a video game, which turns out to have been written by Slayer Grrl, one of his idols. She has problems of her own, but has been granted a new lease on life, and is attending Yale. They fall for each other. When Tyler figures out the game is real, they go on the run, seeking someone to help them stop the madness.… (mehr)

Tyler is a teen boy who feels like he has to take care of his brother Brandon, who is in rehab again and his mother who can’t seem to move on since the death of his father and her son Brandon who does not seem to be able to kick his drug habit. Tyler spends his time gaming trying to escape reality and he is recruited by his mentor Rick to test out a new game and then he meets the game’s designer and falls for her. Then things start getting strange with the game and he can’t figure out what’s real…..
This writer totally captures the imagination of the gaming teen and their world. It was an exciting story and an absolute page turner. I could feel Tyler’s feeling of being overwhelmed with the stress of looking after his brother and mother. Sometimes I could feel his mental anguish having to deal with his ADHD which the author portraying very realistically like his rambling thoughts which would not stop and he could not stop it, but then he had so much to think about really. This is very modern day story with some twists which could make for a really good movie.
… (mehr)

Tyler is a teen boy who feels like he has to take care of his brother Brandon, who is in rehab again and his mother who can’t seem to move on since the death of his father and her son Brandon who does not seem to be able to kick his drug habit. Tyler spends his time gaming trying to escape reality and he is recruited by his mentor Rick to test out a new game and then he meets the game’s designer and falls for her. Then things start getting strange with the game and he can’t figure out what’s real…..
This writer totally captures the imagination of the gaming teen and their world. It was an exciting story and an absolute page turner. I could feel Tyler’s feeling of being overwhelmed with the stress of looking after his brother and mother. Sometimes I could feel his mental anguish having to deal with his ADHD which the author portraying very realistically like his rambling thoughts which would not stop and he could not stop it, but then he had so much to think about really. This is very modern day story with some twists which could make for a really good movie.
… (mehr)