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A review by 1quillb
The Friend Scheme by Cale Dietrich
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.4/5
“Even though I resist it, everyone in my family wants me to be a part of this world.
And that’s kind of the appeal of being a criminal.
Whatever you want, you get.”
Matt is part of a crime family in Florida. He meets Jason one night and immediately they become close friends, and then something more. But when Matt starts suspecting that Jason is part of a rival family, the Donovan’s, things start going downhill.
I really enjoyed reading this! It has a very Romeo-and-Juliet vibe, but is obviously very modern. I love all the music mentioned (The Killers, You Me At Six, With Confidence, etc) and how you really feel like you’re there when you read it. I also found Matt to be a very relatable character, which makes the whole story that much more interesting, even if the plot isn’t very realistic.
I rate this 4 stars instead of 5 because a portion of the book is devoted to Matt being afraid of talking to Jason about his family. This makes sense, but I think it was brought up a little TOO much, even if it’s very important to the plot. Also, the ending was very fast-paced and unfulfilling, and the whole plot of the book is very minimal and character-dependant. This book is less about plot and more about the relationship between Matt and Jason (which I like, but I know many other people find boring).
I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys thrillers, lgbt books, and Romeo and Juliet like books. Also for anyone who is a fan of the All For The Game or Captive Prince series.
Trigger warning for the book include small mentions of homophobia, as well as violence (like setting fires and firing guns).
“Even though I resist it, everyone in my family wants me to be a part of this world.
And that’s kind of the appeal of being a criminal.
Whatever you want, you get.”
Matt is part of a crime family in Florida. He meets Jason one night and immediately they become close friends, and then something more. But when Matt starts suspecting that Jason is part of a rival family, the Donovan’s, things start going downhill.
I really enjoyed reading this! It has a very Romeo-and-Juliet vibe, but is obviously very modern. I love all the music mentioned (The Killers, You Me At Six, With Confidence, etc) and how you really feel like you’re there when you read it. I also found Matt to be a very relatable character, which makes the whole story that much more interesting, even if the plot isn’t very realistic.
I rate this 4 stars instead of 5 because a portion of the book is devoted to Matt being afraid of talking to Jason about his family. This makes sense, but I think it was brought up a little TOO much, even if it’s very important to the plot. Also, the ending was very fast-paced and unfulfilling, and the whole plot of the book is very minimal and character-dependant. This book is less about plot and more about the relationship between Matt and Jason (which I like, but I know many other people find boring).
I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys thrillers, lgbt books, and Romeo and Juliet like books. Also for anyone who is a fan of the All For The Game or Captive Prince series.
Trigger warning for the book include small mentions of homophobia, as well as violence (like setting fires and firing guns).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Homophobia