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3.09 AVERAGE
3.09 AVERAGE
*3.5*
"Hey," says Dyl. He isn't looking at the sky. He's looking at me, smiling that Bad boy smirk of his."I love you." I smile so big it's probably lopsided.
This book definitely had it's issues, like sometimes the dialogue didn't feel like real people were talking, like they were idealistic versions of people. But small problems like that put aside, I really enjoyed this book. It has a nice and sweet love story, a really fascinating premise, and some neat action scenes. One of my favorite thing about this book is how it show that everyone is the protagonist of their own story. I loved it so much when Caden finally came to this conclusion.
And I absolutely love the love and support for the LGBT+ community this book (and author) have, it really shows.
Spoiler
"Hey," says Dyl. He isn't looking at the sky. He's looking at me, smiling that Bad boy smirk of his."I love you." I smile so big it's probably lopsided.
This book definitely had it's issues, like sometimes the dialogue didn't feel like real people were talking, like they were idealistic versions of people. But small problems like that put aside, I really enjoyed this book. It has a nice and sweet love story, a really fascinating premise, and some neat action scenes. One of my favorite thing about this book is how it show that everyone is the protagonist of their own story. I loved it so much when Caden finally came to this conclusion.
And I absolutely love the love and support for the LGBT+ community this book (and author) have, it really shows.
Leaning more towards a 3.5 stars - I liked the story for the most part, but the only thing was that the writing itself just didn't click with me at certain times. Still, I really did enjoy it and finished it in less than a day - I hope to see more from this writer in the future!
And P.S. - thank you for poking at YA while still being a YA, made me laugh.
And P.S. - thank you for poking at YA while still being a YA, made me laugh.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I picked up this book because the premise sounded perfect for a heightened-reality romcom, the kind that you’d find in a really good fanfic (that’s a good thing.) Two boys, trained by a spy organization to become the perfect boyfriends for a female target? The spy organization splitting their assets into Bads and Nices, playing on the idea that all girls are torn between a Nice Guy and a Bad Boy, which is of course not a thing in real life at all but very much is for fictional female protagonists, allowing for fun meta commentary on the teen love triangle trope? The two boys falling for each other instead? There was so much potential for fun shenanigans here!
Instead, Dietrich decided to treat the premise of this story extremely seriously, which was… a choice. Maybe my expectations threw me off, but I spent the first half of this book alternating between disappointed, bored and confused. Caden and Dyl (not their real names, because they don’t have real names, because they are the traumatized products of an organization that takes children from their parents as infants and trains them to be ruthless… uh, romcom heroes) work for a spy group that has only the vaguest of goals but is apparently all-powerful. They are kept under strict control, forbidden family, significant relationships, even candy - after all, they have to keep those love interest abs, a subject raised so many times that I was confused until I realized Dietrich was trying to show the abusive system Caden and Dyl had been raised in. Once released, they are sent to infiltrate a high school and seduce Juliet (yes, really, that’s her name), a super genius who, the organization believes, is ready to select her forever partner, despite the fact that she is still a minor. Caden or Dyl will make Juliet love him, and then spend the rest of their lives spying on her for the organization, which will use the information they gain to, it seems, just make a lot of money. And the boy who fails to win the girl? He’ll be killed by giant robots. In case you were wondering what the stakes of this book are.
Like I said, great premise for a romcom! Or, I guess, a serious thriller about trauma and identity, which seems to be what Dietrich wanted. But the worldbuilding just doesn’t hold up to that. The LIC as an organization doesn’t make any sense. This story is seemingly taking place in the real world - Dyl and Caden’s falling in love with real world musicians once they’re free of the LIC is a recurring concept - and yet no explanation is made for where the LIC is getting these teenagers, what impact their vast conspiracy has on the world, why they think it makes sense to pair people off permanently in high school. (That one, at least, the characters question, but no one gives a satisfying answer.) There is an attempt to explain the giant robots, but that falls flat for reasons I’ll talk about under the spoilers below. Confusingly, even though we’re told failed Love Interests die, there are several of them still alive in the series, and they are treated as tragic characters, not because they’ve spent their whole lives being controlled by a faceless spy organization, but because they missed out on the chance for “true love.” The book itself seems very confused about what it’s saying and it makes it impossible to take it seriously when it starts digging into the impact life as a child spy has had on the characters.
The middle section of the book, where Caden slowly falls for Dyl while wrestling with both his obligation to make Juliet love him and the knowledge that Dyl will die if he succeeds, is significantly better than the rest of the book, probably because Dietrich’s real strength as a writer is creating lovable characters. I didn’t believe for a minute in the circumstances of Caden and Dyl’s lives -or for that matter, Juliet’s; she was my favorite character but she is very much a comic book type genius, building weapons of mass destruction in her backyard for no more reason than that it’s cool - but I enjoyed spending time with them and watching them circle each other. Caden and Dyl are written with good chemistry and the question of how much they can trust each other, how much the facades they present to the world are real, are interesting. I just wish they had a better reason for being like they are. This section also has a perfectly executed twist, one so good that I was shocked. It did the thing where the reader figures out what’s going on only a few pages before the characters do, and yet the clues are there all along. That was cool.
And then there’s the end of the book. In addition to misunderstanding what type of book this would be, I also thought this was the first book in a series, which might have made more sense. But no, the entire plot is wrapped up in a few chapters. There are two problems with the way this book ends. One is in the relationship between Caden and Dyl, where Dietrich mysteriously undercuts all the tension they’ve spent the last half a book developing. And the other is in the plot, whichends with a group of teenagers taking down an entire, centuries-old spy organization in a couple of hours, with no allies and only the help of the devices genius Juliet built in her shed. For what the LIC was built up to be - at one point it looked like the kids were going to get killed because this organization that was after them was invincible - they turned out to have very few members, literally one guy who was controlling all the robots and therefore once he was dead that threat went away, and apparently only one headquarters. Huh. And then the book just ends.
Instead, Dietrich decided to treat the premise of this story extremely seriously, which was… a choice. Maybe my expectations threw me off, but I spent the first half of this book alternating between disappointed, bored and confused. Caden and Dyl (not their real names, because they don’t have real names, because they are the traumatized products of an organization that takes children from their parents as infants and trains them to be ruthless… uh, romcom heroes) work for a spy group that has only the vaguest of goals but is apparently all-powerful. They are kept under strict control, forbidden family, significant relationships, even candy - after all, they have to keep those love interest abs, a subject raised so many times that I was confused until I realized Dietrich was trying to show the abusive system Caden and Dyl had been raised in. Once released, they are sent to infiltrate a high school and seduce Juliet (yes, really, that’s her name), a super genius who, the organization believes, is ready to select her forever partner, despite the fact that she is still a minor. Caden or Dyl will make Juliet love him, and then spend the rest of their lives spying on her for the organization, which will use the information they gain to, it seems, just make a lot of money. And the boy who fails to win the girl? He’ll be killed by giant robots. In case you were wondering what the stakes of this book are.
Like I said, great premise for a romcom! Or, I guess, a serious thriller about trauma and identity, which seems to be what Dietrich wanted. But the worldbuilding just doesn’t hold up to that. The LIC as an organization doesn’t make any sense. This story is seemingly taking place in the real world - Dyl and Caden’s falling in love with real world musicians once they’re free of the LIC is a recurring concept - and yet no explanation is made for where the LIC is getting these teenagers, what impact their vast conspiracy has on the world, why they think it makes sense to pair people off permanently in high school. (That one, at least, the characters question, but no one gives a satisfying answer.) There is an attempt to explain the giant robots, but that falls flat for reasons I’ll talk about under the spoilers below. Confusingly, even though we’re told failed Love Interests die, there are several of them still alive in the series, and they are treated as tragic characters, not because they’ve spent their whole lives being controlled by a faceless spy organization, but because they missed out on the chance for “true love.” The book itself seems very confused about what it’s saying and it makes it impossible to take it seriously when it starts digging into the impact life as a child spy has had on the characters.
The middle section of the book, where Caden slowly falls for Dyl while wrestling with both his obligation to make Juliet love him and the knowledge that Dyl will die if he succeeds, is significantly better than the rest of the book, probably because Dietrich’s real strength as a writer is creating lovable characters. I didn’t believe for a minute in the circumstances of Caden and Dyl’s lives -or for that matter, Juliet’s; she was my favorite character but she is very much a comic book type genius, building weapons of mass destruction in her backyard for no more reason than that it’s cool - but I enjoyed spending time with them and watching them circle each other. Caden and Dyl are written with good chemistry and the question of how much they can trust each other, how much the facades they present to the world are real, are interesting. I just wish they had a better reason for being like they are. This section also has a perfectly executed twist, one so good that I was shocked. It did the thing where the reader figures out what’s going on only a few pages before the characters do, and yet the clues are there all along. That was cool.
And then there’s the end of the book. In addition to misunderstanding what type of book this would be, I also thought this was the first book in a series, which might have made more sense. But no, the entire plot is wrapped up in a few chapters. There are two problems with the way this book ends. One is in the relationship between Caden and Dyl, where Dietrich mysteriously undercuts all the tension they’ve spent the last half a book developing. And the other is in the plot, which
noooot entirely sure how i feel about this book—thus no rating so far. review to follow!
Enjoyed some aspects of the characters, like the search for identity, meaning, and self-actualization.
Didn't enjoy the bizarre dialogue among the characters and the hasty and nonsensical direction of the plot.
Props for the LGBT representation! A decent debut novel--would be interested to see what he writes next.
Didn't enjoy the bizarre dialogue among the characters and the hasty and nonsensical direction of the plot.
Props for the LGBT representation! A decent debut novel--would be interested to see what he writes next.
"Love Interests" are cultivated spies designed to find out empire-destroying secrets from important people. Caden is chosen to be a "Love Interest", but he falls for his rival. Acting on those feelings could risk his life. It's well written, easy to read, engaging and best of all, has a happy ending.
-Connor B., SPL Teen Reviewer
-Connor B., SPL Teen Reviewer
1.5 I was so disappointed by this book, the premise looked so promising but i just found the whole thing so underwhelming. It really didn't build up the characters and their relationships they just fell flat, i did not care about them at all.
This book is not so so bad, but I think I had my expectations so high that I couldn't enjoy it.
l wanted to finish it,seriously, but I couldn't because it was so tedious and I was so angry with the last 100 pages. It's a light/easy book but nothing remarkable. And I was waiting to see if I would finish it and that somehow my opinion would change but no, I can't do it.
l wanted to finish it,seriously, but I couldn't because it was so tedious and I was so angry with the last 100 pages. It's a light/easy book but nothing remarkable. And I was waiting to see if I would finish it and that somehow my opinion would change but no, I can't do it.
I appreciate the effort here, but it was way too...twee.
The dialogue was just stilted...it seemed so off, and even though I know it's a sci-fi type book, and therefore unrealistic by nature, I felt like the author had no idea how real people actually talk. It kept taking me out of the book.
Also, the constant overuse of the words freaking, frigging, and abs was like nails on a chalkboard. I like a lot of YA, but you have YA (like Rainbow Rowell) that can bridge generations, and then stuff like this, which just reads like slightly better than bad fan-fic.
The dialogue was just stilted...it seemed so off, and even though I know it's a sci-fi type book, and therefore unrealistic by nature, I felt like the author had no idea how real people actually talk. It kept taking me out of the book.
Also, the constant overuse of the words freaking, frigging, and abs was like nails on a chalkboard. I like a lot of YA, but you have YA (like Rainbow Rowell) that can bridge generations, and then stuff like this, which just reads like slightly better than bad fan-fic.