I almost DNF'd this book before I even got through the first couple chapters. It starts off like just another YA dystopia, all doom and gloom and "energy crisis" this and "giant evil tech corporations" that. Anyway, I'm glad I continued on with it. Once the plot picks up, the pacing and tension and character development help keep it moving and make the book pretty hard to put down. 
 There are a lot (A LOT) of fun references to 1980's pop culture -- not just video/arcade games, like you'd expect with a title like Ready Player One, but also tabletop games, movies and TV, music (lots and lots and lots of music), and technology. 
 My only real complaint is the unnecessary amount of exposition, especially at the beginning of the story. And listen, I'm normally one of those readers who loves exposition. I can't resist a carefully built, detailed world, and I don't do well with stories are so plot-centric that they have barely a sketch of a setting/history. So, you know the exposition must be pretty excessive if even Louise is getting tired of it. The first quarter or so of the book is like 90% infodumping!