Reviews tagging 'Rape'

The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich

1 review

nmcannon's review

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adventurous mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

The Love Interest has been on my to-read list basically since it came out. In the sea of Young Adult duologies and trilogies, The Love Interest stands testament that a story can be told in one volume, and it can be told well. Ish. 

In a boring dystopia (i.e. our world), a secret organization profits. Using all sorts of nonsense available to those with terrifying spyware, this organization finds the brightest stars of the upcoming generation and sends in their spies. Theses spies, or “Love Interests” seduce the target, and, under the guise of a loving relationship, find out and funnel the target’s secrets to the organization, who turns around and sells these tidbits to the highest bidder. The Love Interests are groomed from birth for their role in a facility. The organization’s studies have shown that a high school love triangle scenario is the most effective method to long-term cement the Love Interest in the target’s life, so, when a target is identified as ready for romance, two spies are sent. The pair compete for the target’s heart, and, once the target chooses their long-term partner, the leftover spy is unceremoniously killed. Usually by robots that resemble the Guardians in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. 

Still with me? Good, because here’s a further twist: Love Interest Cayden is gay, and when he’s sent to woo budding engineer whiz Juliet…he falls for the other Love Interest, Dylan. Oops. Survival is so complicated, friends. 

Besides one glaring plot hole, I liked The Love Interest a lot more than I thought I would. I’m not usually one for thrillers, but The Love Interest is, as my wife described it, a “thriller-lite.” The book still has the fast pace and action, but it manages to also take time to dwell on character growth. The subversion and analysis of YA romance tropes are fantastic, especially the objectification of teenage boys and their bodies. Meta, meta, meta: I eat it up. How men suffer under patriarchy’s expectations is a needed conversation. I was reminded of how many fans (and often older adult fans) asked Taylor Lautner to do professional interviews shirtless so they could ogle his abs. Or how Zac Efron cried when he ate pasta for the first time in years, since his diet forbade him from carbs. 

Other reviewers struggled with the believability of the premise, but, and maybe this is just “I read this in 2021,” but an organization that exploits children and spies on world leaders doesn’t stretch my belief, giant robots aside. My suspension of disbelief stretched thin when Cayden explained that the organization had run for centuries, but Dietrich dodged my main quibble in Illuminati stories like this one. If there is a secret organization controlling world events, why would they make the boring dystopia world we live in? If there was central leadership, why on earth would they let COVID-19 get so bad, or climate change, or the global rise of fascism? These miseries are much too destructive and chaotic to control. Instead, Cayden and the other Love Interests simply sell secrets to whoever has money, which freely lets the world be awful in the way it naturally is. 

So why did I only give this 3 stars? The answer is Trevor. What happens with Trevor is spoiler-y and upsetting, so I’m blurring it.
Trevor is one of Juliet’s best friends. Prepped to join the Olympic swimming team, he also has a Love Interest, Natalie, who “won” her competition (and gave me goosebumps over sharing my name). After he qualifies for the Olympic trials, he suddenly breaks up with Natalie, and she’s distraught because she legitimately loves Trevor and the organization will kill her. Obviously not wanting that to happen, Cayden confronts Trevor over the break-up. Trevor reveals that he “cheated” on Natalie. After qualifying for the Olympic trials, a reporter followed him in the lockers, cornered him in a bathroom stall, and performed fellatio on him. It’s implied that Trevor consented, but he also describes the whole thing as an out-of-body experience. Like, his fight-flight-or-freeze response triggered, he froze, and he started dissociating. The issue of consent is a little moot, however, as Trevor is 17. He’s a minor. The reporter is an adult woman. That’s statutory rape.


Nobody in the novel recognizes this rape as rape. Maybe it was supposed to be a commentary on how children are not expecting to be raped, so they don’t know when it’s happening? But it seems worthy of some raised eyebrows, especially after sections detailing how the organization’s minions sexualize and objectify the Love Interests. Cayden, Trevor, Natalie, Juliet, and Dylan all frame the incident as “cheating,” and Natalie “forgives” Trevor for his actions. I’m stunned and baffled. In an otherwise self-aware book, this major incident is glossed over.
 

So besides that dumpster fire, I like the book. It’s good. If you want to interrogate the cliches of the YA romance genre, if you want to ask questions, if you want a thriller with solid character moments, pick up The Love Interest. 
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