I had a very difficult time rating this book. One one hand, I did relatively enjoy it. But on the other hand, it had a few issues that stuck out like an angry throne for the entire duration of the novel. So what does that exactly equate to? A big ol' pot of "meh" for the most part, but not to the extent that I wouldn't recommend the book. 
 When I first heard about MILA 2.0, I was ridiculously excited to get my hands on it. The blurb sounded right up my alley and I expected a lot of action, fight scenes, technology, government conspiracies, etc. And this did happen, which is why I believe it will make a great TV show. BUT, and here's the kicker, it was the awkward romance - that's not really much of a romance - that bothered me the most, along with Mila's internal monologuing that mirrored Tris from Insurgent. *headdesk* Spoiler: That's not a good thing. 
 I do want to point out that writing style and plot were serviceable and enjoyable. Mila is introduced as a 16-year-old girl who has no clue she is an android. Instead she believes she is just moving to a new town with her mother after the loss of her father. After an accident that reveals Mila's truth, she and her mother find themselves on the run from bad guys. Unfortunately, they were later captured and Mila must come to terms with her android self in order for her and her mom to have any chance of survival. Doesn't that sound awesome? The chase scenes and fight sequences are where Driza truly shines in MILA 2.0. She took her time and gave a fair amount of anticipation and thrill for the reader. However, a novel can't rely on that alone. So even though I enjoyed this book overall, I have some big complaints. 
 The Characters: 
 I felt like the characterization could have really used some work. The only character that I slightly cared about was Mila and that's pushing it due to her borderline Mary-Sueness. This is not because they were bad characters, it's just that I didn't feel a connection to them. There isn't a lot of time spent with any one character besides the evil General Holland (and obviously, he wasn't exactly huggable) and another scientist named Lucas (BTW, what are gold-tipped eyelashes??). They all seemed very conveniently placed in the story to help Mila in some way, but in actuality, we know nothing about any of them. Mila's mom was a scientist. Hunter is a new boy at school. Lucas is a scientist that goes to MIT. General Holland is evil. Kaylee is a mean girl. They were nothing more than pawns on a chessboard. I mean, where is the depth? Why should I care about any of them just because Mila thinks about them? Furthermore, the relationships were very flimsy to me. There was no development between Mila and her mom. Or Mila and Hunter. Or Mila and Kaylee. They were just sort of thrown together and the reader is supposed to accept things for the way they are. 
 The Love Interest: 
 Okay, so this is weird for me because I think this is the first time where I actually would have liked there to have been more romance. Not because I wanted romance in the story, but because of the way Hunter's character was introduced and later left completely left out. The beginning is set up so that you believe there is going to be a heavy romantic storyline included between the new guy at school, Hunter, and Mila. Her best friend, Kaylee, also likes this Hunter guy and they end up fighting over him. Now this makes me angry for two reasons: 1. The introduction of the love interest turns a female character into a complete bitch and female stereotype. 2. Mila turns into a complete pushover and never really attempts to repair the relationship until it's too late. All that happens in maybe a week or so. The whole thing felt like such a setup. 
 So by the time Mila goes on the run, she has had a total of three encounters with Hunter (who we know nothing about), including an almost kiss. Yet, she thinks about this guy constantly throughout the entire novel. She thinks about his eyes, his hair, his "lopsided grin." I mean, the loyalty of their "relationship" made no logical sense to me. But I tried to give the novel the benefit of the doubt. I *think* Driza was trying to symbolize Hunter as a metaphor for a certain freedom Mila desired, to be a human with human feelings that didn't just mimic real emotions. The problem is that is his role seemed really random. 
 As I'm reading, I kept thinking that maybe he had a bigger role. Because why would Mila keep bringing him up over and over? I thought it was a bit of poorly used foreshadowing at first. But that wasn't the case here and it just ended up annoying me every time Mila mentioned him. Mila would be in the midst of an action scene and she'd randomly think of Hunter. I felt like I was being pushed to care about a character with no basis. 
 Based on the ending there does seem to be more romance in the second book, but again I don't feel one way or another about Hunter and I'm not sure why he likes Mila or would risk anything for her. 
 The Ending: 
 Predictable. It was about as subtle as a grenade in a bowl of oatmeal. But it does feel like Mila has had a bit of character growth, so I think I may enjoy book two more. And then there is the blurb: 
 ...and a cliffhanger ending will leave them breathlessly awaiting the sequel. 
 There was no cliffhanger. None. I'm not sure why it's advertised as having one. That's not a bad thing, but I was expecting it and the book kinda just ended very anticlimactic. Maybe it's left out of the ARC? 
 All in all, even though I complained through most of this review about things that probably wouldn't bother the average reader, I do think MILA 2.0 will be a popular novel. The storyline is good and I do still plan on continuing the series because it feels like it has potential. I was tempted to rate this book 2.5 stars based on just my feelings of "meh" and disappointment, but that feels too low for it since it's not a bad book. So instead, I'll say it's an okay read for when you need a bit of action on a rainy day, but not an absolute must read. 
 ARC was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss. Thank you! 
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