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*More of a 2.5*
Alright so... I didn't hate it?? but holy crap there was sooo much wrong with this book. I'm going to do this review in two parts. First the non spoiler review and then the spoilery rant. Cool? Okay, let's get started!
Non-spoilers:
This book had sooo much potential. Like this book could've been so good if only things were done right. The main downfall was that it was just too short. Everything that needed to be accomplished just didn't have enough pages for it to make sense. Also, the dialogue/writing in general was so bad. So bad. I couldn't tell if the dialogue was supposed to be that bad or if it was for realsies (they actually said that at some point. GAG). It was just so stilted and forced. It didn't feel like teenagers or actually people in general talking. The conversations didn't flow at all and it felt fake as hell. Even the MC's interior thoughts made me cringe and roll my eyes.
Next, the characters weren't well developed at all. They were just all surface. They could've been great and lovable if I had had more, but I just didn't connect with them at all because they felt so distant and shallow. Also so much more could've been explored between the whole nice/bad thing. It could've gone more into what truly makes a nice or bad and explore the gray area between that.
The plot had so many holes. The villian aka the LIC was just inherently evil, but their motives were pretty stupid. Also the ending was so fucking convenient and just easy that it seriously ruined EVERYTHING. If the plot could've been stretched into possibly another book or something, it could've had more room to develop and make sense.
Lastly, the fake queerbaiting (I'm not sure if this is the right way to describe it, but oh well.) in this used as a plot device PISSED me offfffff. It was so unnecessary and was literally just used for shock value because it was irrelevant by the end. Same with the death that happened. It literally made NO SENSE.
Okay, now for spoilerssss.
Second, the whole thing with the LIC. Literally nothing made sense!! Seriously what is the point of spying on people for money. I get money is important and all, but that being their one motivation is so stupid. Like who's paying so much money for secrets?? Also the fact that this corporation that has been around for centuries could be brought down in a night by a bunch of teenagers was completely unbelievable. The author obviously ran out of time and decided to speed everything up and tried to make it as perfect as possible. It was annoying. Then he was like shit like I should have someone die that'll make it more believable right? So the stupidest character death happened. Trevor literally jumped in front of Natalie, who was wearing a BULLETPROOF suit, to block her from a bullet and then he died. It was so fucking unnecessary and just plain fucking STUPID.
Next, how are they living such a nice life in the epilogue? The corporation that was paying for their housing and their lives and the lives of many other people is destroyed. There are now a shit ton of homeless kids and teenagers and some adults because of the destruction of this company. What the hell happened to them? Not to mention the fact that there were so little people working for this company. There was one scientist, one boss man, a handful of guards and then I guess there's the trainers. The only thing that was really stopped them from revolting was the stalkers and they just had to kill one guy and the stalkers were deactivated and could never be used again. The Juliet destroyed them with her homemade bomb. Seriously the plot holes in this book are fucking ridiculous. I can't.
Ugh. Long story short, this book could've been spectacular, but it flopped so hard. The whole satire aspect of it could've been great, but it didn't really feel like satire at all. It was just sad. The world building and the character development was so half-assed. I didn't hate it because the concept is still cool to me and I was still pretty entertained, but holy crap this book makes me so angry and annoyed. Tbh, it's actually a pretty solid hate read. Like one of those books that are so terrible that you enjoy reading just cause you like talking shit about it. That's how I feel about this book.
Alright so... I didn't hate it?? but holy crap there was sooo much wrong with this book. I'm going to do this review in two parts. First the non spoiler review and then the spoilery rant. Cool? Okay, let's get started!
Non-spoilers:
This book had sooo much potential. Like this book could've been so good if only things were done right. The main downfall was that it was just too short. Everything that needed to be accomplished just didn't have enough pages for it to make sense. Also, the dialogue/writing in general was so bad. So bad. I couldn't tell if the dialogue was supposed to be that bad or if it was for realsies (they actually said that at some point. GAG). It was just so stilted and forced. It didn't feel like teenagers or actually people in general talking. The conversations didn't flow at all and it felt fake as hell. Even the MC's interior thoughts made me cringe and roll my eyes.
Next, the characters weren't well developed at all. They were just all surface. They could've been great and lovable if I had had more, but I just didn't connect with them at all because they felt so distant and shallow. Also so much more could've been explored between the whole nice/bad thing. It could've gone more into what truly makes a nice or bad and explore the gray area between that.
The plot had so many holes. The villian aka the LIC was just inherently evil, but their motives were pretty stupid. Also the ending was so fucking convenient and just easy that it seriously ruined EVERYTHING. If the plot could've been stretched into possibly another book or something, it could've had more room to develop and make sense.
Lastly, the fake queerbaiting (I'm not sure if this is the right way to describe it, but oh well.) in this used as a plot device PISSED me offfffff. It was so unnecessary and was literally just used for shock value because it was irrelevant by the end. Same with the death that happened. It literally made NO SENSE.
Okay, now for spoilerssss.
Spoiler
SO let's start off with the fake queerbaiting thing. Basically Dyl (the 'bad' love interest) tells our MC, Caden, that he's actually straight and was pretending to like him the whole time cause his trainer told him it would help him win. But then later all their friends are like Caden, Dyl totally likes you he lied. He's definitely gay or bi. Then they end up together so I guess it's truth right? But what the hell was the point of adding the whole straight thing in? He still decided to save him and he didn't even seem that mad at him for it. Maybe if they added it in earlier so that it made Caden question his stance on the competition or something it would've worked? Idk. It was honestly such a pointless addition to the novel and I could've done without it.Second, the whole thing with the LIC. Literally nothing made sense!! Seriously what is the point of spying on people for money. I get money is important and all, but that being their one motivation is so stupid. Like who's paying so much money for secrets?? Also the fact that this corporation that has been around for centuries could be brought down in a night by a bunch of teenagers was completely unbelievable. The author obviously ran out of time and decided to speed everything up and tried to make it as perfect as possible. It was annoying. Then he was like shit like I should have someone die that'll make it more believable right? So the stupidest character death happened. Trevor literally jumped in front of Natalie, who was wearing a BULLETPROOF suit, to block her from a bullet and then he died. It was so fucking unnecessary and just plain fucking STUPID.
Next, how are they living such a nice life in the epilogue? The corporation that was paying for their housing and their lives and the lives of many other people is destroyed. There are now a shit ton of homeless kids and teenagers and some adults because of the destruction of this company. What the hell happened to them? Not to mention the fact that there were so little people working for this company. There was one scientist, one boss man, a handful of guards and then I guess there's the trainers. The only thing that was really stopped them from revolting was the stalkers and they just had to kill one guy and the stalkers were deactivated and could never be used again. The Juliet destroyed them with her homemade bomb. Seriously the plot holes in this book are fucking ridiculous. I can't.
Ugh. Long story short, this book could've been spectacular, but it flopped so hard. The whole satire aspect of it could've been great, but it didn't really feel like satire at all. It was just sad. The world building and the character development was so half-assed. I didn't hate it because the concept is still cool to me and I was still pretty entertained, but holy crap this book makes me so angry and annoyed. Tbh, it's actually a pretty solid hate read. Like one of those books that are so terrible that you enjoy reading just cause you like talking shit about it. That's how I feel about this book.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
At first, I was very disappointed by the ending, but then I realized: THIS BOOK IS A JOKE! But in a good way. It's a parody of YA novels, and a lot of things don't make any sense, but that's what makes it a really fun read.
Just don't take the book too seriously, and I promise you'll love it! I did!
They both have a really cute relationship, and I wish we had more chapters of them hanging out together. I love Caden; he is the funniest main character I have ever read. However, I definitely would like to read Dylan's POV to understand why he acts the way he does.
Just don't take the book too seriously, and I promise you'll love it! I did!
They both have a really cute relationship, and I wish we had more chapters of them hanging out together. I love Caden; he is the funniest main character I have ever read. However, I definitely would like to read Dylan's POV to understand why he acts the way he does.
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Death, Blood
Minor: Body horror, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt
*Spoilers*
TL; DR: Interesting idea but story gets over complicated and illogical, good for a light read but don't get your hopes up with this book.
I felt in my gut, that the moment I read the blurb for this book, that this 2 boy and 1 girl love triangle was gonna end up with the boys being gay for each other. And I was absolutely correct. This book had an interesting premise. An organization sends two love interests to make the targeted person fall for one of them. Whoever doesn't end up with the targeted person gets killed. This book gets some things right and other things not.
1) The plot and the overall idea is interesting. Cale Dietrich took the usual YA trope of the nice-boy-next-doors and bad-boy-with-haunted-past and twisted them in way that was fresh
2) Although initially disappointed that this was revealed within the first 10 or so chapters, I'm glad that Caden's sexuality is explored and not just used as a sudden plot twist. Although this book exaggerates with his point of view a little which did make me roll my eyes once in a while
3) Another fresh thing we experience is the insecurity that Caden feels with his body. Usually I don't see this in a lot of books that have male protagonists/point of view, so even though I wish Cale Dietrich expanded on this more, it was at least touched upon a little.
Now the biggest problem with this book is that a lot of it (especially at the end) makes no sense. There are a lot of illogical points throughout the book such as:
-The organization being portrayed as this almost untouchable group with the power to do almost anything, being bested by 5 teenagers despite having the upper hand with technology and security
-why the stalkers never actually made a true attempt to kill Caden and Co., just followed them around
-how Caden's coach only sometimes hear whats going on in his mind and outside (only when it's convenient to the plot)
As for the writing, a lot of books I read have one or two quotes that make me sit back and go "woah" for a little bit. This book, unfortunately, had none. In fact, the writing made me cringe a little more than I would care to admit. Some of my favorite cringe-worthy quotes include:
“There are so many possibilities and they all suck elephant balls."
“I like you, Juliet. I always have. But I’m not a boy anymore. I’m a man.
All in all, I began reading with high expectations, but the illogicality and chunky writing style made me wonder when this novel would end.
TL; DR: Interesting idea but story gets over complicated and illogical, good for a light read but don't get your hopes up with this book.
I felt in my gut, that the moment I read the blurb for this book, that this 2 boy and 1 girl love triangle was gonna end up with the boys being gay for each other. And I was absolutely correct. This book had an interesting premise. An organization sends two love interests to make the targeted person fall for one of them. Whoever doesn't end up with the targeted person gets killed. This book gets some things right and other things not.
1) The plot and the overall idea is interesting. Cale Dietrich took the usual YA trope of the nice-boy-next-doors and bad-boy-with-haunted-past and twisted them in way that was fresh
2) Although initially disappointed that this was revealed within the first 10 or so chapters, I'm glad that Caden's sexuality is explored and not just used as a sudden plot twist. Although this book exaggerates with his point of view a little which did make me roll my eyes once in a while
3) Another fresh thing we experience is the insecurity that Caden feels with his body. Usually I don't see this in a lot of books that have male protagonists/point of view, so even though I wish Cale Dietrich expanded on this more, it was at least touched upon a little.
Now the biggest problem with this book is that a lot of it (especially at the end) makes no sense. There are a lot of illogical points throughout the book such as:
-The organization being portrayed as this almost untouchable group with the power to do almost anything, being bested by 5 teenagers despite having the upper hand with technology and security
-why the stalkers never actually made a true attempt to kill Caden and Co., just followed them around
-how Caden's coach only sometimes hear whats going on in his mind and outside (only when it's convenient to the plot)
As for the writing, a lot of books I read have one or two quotes that make me sit back and go "woah" for a little bit. This book, unfortunately, had none. In fact, the writing made me cringe a little more than I would care to admit. Some of my favorite cringe-worthy quotes include:
“There are so many possibilities and they all suck elephant balls."
“I like you, Juliet. I always have. But I’m not a boy anymore. I’m a man.
All in all, I began reading with high expectations, but the illogicality and chunky writing style made me wonder when this novel would end.
I wanted to rate this lower, honestly, because there were a few things I didn't like - Trevor's fate, not getting an explanation from Dylan for why he told Caden he was straight (my fanfic-y brain does not care about this at all because it's honestly more fun for me to come up with the why but I also recognize I should probably care about that, lol) - but it overwhelmingly pales in the face of this idea. It's so unique and I honestly can't believe it's not more pervasive in pop culture, and especially in fandom. You know how most people haven't watched The Sentinel and yet there's at least five Sentinel AUs in nearly every fandom? Like, that's what I expect of this idea, it's too good, it matches up with too many characters because it is parodying those characters. It's perfect and I want to see it repeated everywhere, in everything, with all the people. It's really freaking good for that, okay? I originally planned this out to finish in four days and I made it two, and I thought about it the entire night before I finally finished it because I was so invested.
Seriously, though, if you're a fanfic writer? Please read this book and then please plug every character you play with into this scenario because, omg, why hasn't this been done already?
Seriously, though, if you're a fanfic writer? Please read this book and then please plug every character you play with into this scenario because, omg, why hasn't this been done already?
Mis expectativas eran algo bajas después de tener el libro conmigo por más de dos años pero la verdad es que si me gustó mucho, hubo algunas cosas que sentí no se explicaron del todo bien pero disfruté mucho de la historia.
Teenage romantic relationships can be difficult. Even platonic friendships can be a struggle in high school. In Cale Dietrich's The Love Interest the stakes are even higher for securing the affections of one girl for two boys.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Caden and Dyl have been training and cultivating their persona and skills for most of their lives to win the affection of the important girl they're assigned to. The consequences for the one of them that loses are literally deadly. Caden is in the Nice category, making him a caring, boy-next-door type and Dyl is in the Bad category, making him the brooding, dangerous one, although both of them are handsome and nearly physically perfect. While competing for the scientifically genius Juliet's attention, Caden and Dyl spend some time together to be able to talk about the situation with the only people who would understand. Through this time together, feelings develop that could undermine their survival.
The writing is filled with witty remarks and the cultural references it makes are both timely and classic, making it relevant to both younger and older audiences. I am always wary of the whole love triangle aspect, but in subverting the traditional model found in most novels, this version was enjoyable to read (as was a lot of the other ways this narrative embraced other YA tropes so it could poke fun at them). While I appreciate having just Caden's perspective providing insight into this version of the world, it would have been interesting to get Dyl's perspective of the situation and a direct line to his feelings throughout the story.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Caden and Dyl have been training and cultivating their persona and skills for most of their lives to win the affection of the important girl they're assigned to. The consequences for the one of them that loses are literally deadly. Caden is in the Nice category, making him a caring, boy-next-door type and Dyl is in the Bad category, making him the brooding, dangerous one, although both of them are handsome and nearly physically perfect. While competing for the scientifically genius Juliet's attention, Caden and Dyl spend some time together to be able to talk about the situation with the only people who would understand. Through this time together, feelings develop that could undermine their survival.
The writing is filled with witty remarks and the cultural references it makes are both timely and classic, making it relevant to both younger and older audiences. I am always wary of the whole love triangle aspect, but in subverting the traditional model found in most novels, this version was enjoyable to read (as was a lot of the other ways this narrative embraced other YA tropes so it could poke fun at them). While I appreciate having just Caden's perspective providing insight into this version of the world, it would have been interesting to get Dyl's perspective of the situation and a direct line to his feelings throughout the story.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated