A review by elwirax
The Friend Scheme by Cale Dietrich

lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

*1.5/5

What initially interested me in the synopsis of this book was the mention of criminals and mobsters as I'm an absolute sucker for such premises. I quite liked the Romeo and Juliet- esque dynamics what with the family rivalry and thought the m/m romance was a nice twist to the traditional trope. Truthfully , I was wanting a bit more of the criminal aspects. Much of this was overshadowed by the romance (which i thought was a wee bit insta lovey and didn't have enough substance to have me convinced). That being said, although I didn't really care for any of the main characters I did like Luke as he seemed to be the only character that had any decent depth. 

I hate to say that the ultimate downfall of this book was the writing. It felt unrefined and rather juvenile especially the dialogue which didn't come naturally at all. However, I think Cale Dietrich has potential and I definitely think their writing will develop in future works. 

As a whole, I think this book had so much potential but the execution fell flat. Really quite dissapointing.
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