I have so many feelings about this book, its a tragedy that I have to wait for it to come out so I can talk with my friends about it! It's got all the warm and fuzzy feelings I love in my YA and I already feel like it's going to be a book I return to again and again!

I enjoyed this read. It was quick,cute and adventurous all at the same time. The book was pretty much what I expected from it's description, so really not to many surprises or suspense. I think it's a good read for those into LGBT+ stories. The spy type story isn't something I've seen to often in that genre. Overall I think it was a good story, and it will be added to my library.

NO SPOILERS

The Love Interest is a book that has been on my mind for months because its concept is completely original and it sounded so much fun, so I already knew which book I had to pick up in May.
And I read it as planned. However, my feedback isn't the one I thought I would have.

And before anything, let me tell you this: I liked The Love Interest. It was an overall good book that worked around this fantastic idea that there's an organization that locks people away - so they can work to be the best physical version of themselves - and then assigns them to become close with important people, or even their loved ones, and share the secrets that they gather. It's like they're spies. And at this point, everything's good, but the book complicates things.

So, first let's talk about what I liked more about The Love Interest.

The organization itself was an incredible and well-done concept. The author came up with an original and complex idea of an organization that profits from secrets that are shared though relationships that were manipulated from the very beginning.

The LGBT romance between the main characters - Caden and Dylan - was another amazing quality, not only because of the diversity aspect, but also because they're both spies who are trying to make a girl fall in love with one of them, so the perspective of them falling in love with each other instead sounds so much fun! Regarding Caden and Dylan's relationship, I really liked them together - until I stopped enjoying the story, because nothing made sense anymore.

So, what happen? There's a point in the book where the story changes its direction completely and goes off into something that - for me at least - doesn't make a lot of sense with what the author wrote in the first half of the book. And I don't think that that sudden shift worked well for the book itself.

There was something else that I also didn't liked: after the sudden shift, the story takes off at an incredible speed. Everything happens so fast, and what should have taken longer is actually what happens in a couple of chapters. That didn't work for me, since it made the climax seem unrealistic.

So, briefly The Love Interest could have been an easy 5 stars book, if it hadn't shift completely from the plot and if it hadn't finished the story prematurely.

WITH SPOILERS

I don't have much to talk about the first half of this book, so let's talk about what made a 5 stars into a 3 stars book, shall we?

Caden's - and every other character that suddenly knew about the mission - idea of taking down the entire organization and releasing hundreds or even thousand of boys into the streets was so premature. First, there was no world building before this! Nothing prepared us to even the idea of the characters doing that. And secondly, was I the only person who felt that their plan and 'assault' was too easy? Five teenagers decide to take down a well-organized organization, they get in, kill a bunch of people, one of them dies - still not over that! - and then they are out, that's it: the organization is over. (WHAT?)
So, suddenly this book became a dystopian cliche. Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared to be disappointed.

And what happened to all of the boys that were released? And what about the organization? They freed one establishment, but there were more establishments in different countries, what about those?
So many questions and an incongruous climax left me so frustrated!

The last chapter also annoyed me a bit. It's 5 years after the 'organization take-down (not really, but okay!)' and it doesn't even clarifies us regarding Caden and Dylan's (did they change their names after the take-down??) relationship, or what happened to all of the other characters... There was no relevant information in that chapter, so its existence is also questionable.

Overall, The Love Interest was a bit of a disappointment. Sure, the first half of the book was great, but I can't give 5 stars to a book that wasn't great until the very end. Not only that, a book that shifted completely from its main focus and just decided to change even its genre, from YA Contemporary to Dytopian!
I was so sure I would love this book, and even if I had good moments with it, the ending ruined my overall experience.

This book was pretty much un-putdownable for me. If that’s even a word. This is how contemporaries always work for me. I’m sucked into the story and I have to see how it all ends. I read this book in like two days, I was so engrossed in the plot. That’s always a good thing to see in books, it pulling you in and keeping you along for the ride.

What I liked about this book was the characters. They were all so real and had such great and well developed voices. I loved all of them and almost wished I had a POV for the whole gang of them. Especially a Dylan point of view!! I would have LOVED to see inside his head. Even Juliet’s – she was so smart and extremely interesting.

This was one of those light and easy reads that can get you out of a slump. I’d been having a lot of trouble trying to get into books but when I received this e-arc, I dove right in and pretty much didn’t stop until I finished. I have no doubt in my mind that this book will do the same to any readers. It’s just so good, and keeps you interested and anxious for what will happen next.

I have to admit this book had me on edge a lot. I was so frustrated with the weird love triangle that was going. I wanted both of the boys to win because I didn’t want either of them to die. It also brought me quite the emotional pain, so don’t go into this book thinking it’s all fluff. The author really knows how to make a reader frustrated, let me tell you!

My only negative thoughts, and some criticism on the book is how it all ended. The book had great pacing, in my opinion, up until the very end. Things went downhill and concluded so fast that I didn’t really have time to understand what was going on and get a chance to think over what was happening. So if anything, I wish the ending was dragged out a bit more. I feel like more time to defeat the bad guys and come to an epic conclusion would have been beneficial to the story. Perhaps that will be fixed in the final copy, as I did read an e-arc. Maybe even extending the novel to a sequel could have changed things.

I actually really would look forward to a sequel in this world, because I thought it was really interesting, the whole spy agency. I want them to continue to fight The Love Interest corporation. I want to see more of Juliet and her brilliant inventions, more of the boys and their complicated love. After the epilogue, though, it seems like the story came to a close. Overall though, I did adore this story. It didn’t disappoint as an anticipated novel of this year. I just wish there had been more!

**Live 5/12**

I knew as soon as I read the synopsis for The Love Interest it was a book I had to read. I think we all figured out what “feelings that are outside of their training. Feelings that could kill them both” was alluding to, and that concept in this setting was enough make me obsess about this book, despite it sounding like it has a Love Triangle. (I hate Love Triangles.)

I did have one complaint about the story, before we get into all the good stuff. I would have loved to read more one on one scenes between Dyl and Caden. Caden’s pursual of Juliet seemed to take precedence, which makes sense since the story isn’t really about Caden’s being gay. It was more about how he’d get past his programming, or his need to win as a Love Interest, because winning meant surviving. Falling in love with your rival was not the way to win. That concept made Juliet a very important part of the story, with a role equal to Dyl. I just wished, since they were what I was excited about, we’d gotten more sweet moments between Dyl and Caden and less between Caden and Juliet. It made the love story feel rushed, and then it made the ending feel rushed. That’s it, my only complaint. Not too bad, right?

There was so much good going on! For instance, I loved fluid concept of Nice and Bad. One of the things I wondered, before I started reading, was if Caden and Dyl would be stereotypical good guy and bad boy. It would have been fine, in a satirical way (which is what I imagined). What we got was more of the idea that real people aren’t Nice or Bad. They’re usually a little of both. Caden could be mean, and had to hide it his whole life. And Dyl, he was actually really sweet. It flipped my perspective, what I’d been expecting, in a really great way.

I also loved all of the pop culture references Cale Dietrich threw in. I’ve heard including relevant pop culture references dates your book and isn’t a great idea for the long term, but all I know is every single time I read one I would chuckle or smile. Probably also because the references were all things I recognized. They made me feel included, and they made Caden easy to relate to.

Finally, Dyl and Caden themselves, their friendship was definitely my favorite part of the story. I loved that even though the game was to manipulate and lie, they wanted to be honest with each other. They had nobody else to be honest with. That made everything so much sweeter and softer. My love for what was developing between them is exactly why I wanted so much more. I wanted to revel in their romance.

If this is Cale Dietrich’s debut book, I definitely can’t wait to read what he writes next. His maiden voyage was already as good as I’d expected, and I have a feeling he’s capable of even more.

Boy meets girl. Girl meets boy. Boy meets boy. One of them has to die.

😩

You’re all incredibly beautiful young men and you should relish the chance to show everyone how handsome you are.

Ok so it's a little more complicated than that. Imagine Alias meets The Bachelorette, where two boys are tasked to make a girl fall in love with himself and the loser gets a one way ticket out of this world. Yikes. All for the name of spying and political gains. Add a little complication in that the boys are more interested in each other than they are the girl...And maybe more than living.

I loved this book. The way Cale created the characters and made you fall in love with them as they fell in love with each other. You're watching and you're wondering how it's going to end with such high stakes. You're hoping for some loophole. You know it doesn't work that way.

Part of the charm of this book is how Cale pokes fun at tropes and crushes them at the same time. The Love Interest manages to create an original story from tales as old as time.

Do the nice boys always finish last? Guess you'll have to read and see.

The way Cale wove pop culture and music into the story made this fangirl's heart sing.

2.5 stars

I liked the premise and the romance, but unfortunately I wasn't very into the execution of everything. The world-building lacked a lot, I didn't quite like the characters or connected to them. Overall it kind of felt like it didn't know whether it wanted to take itself seriously or if it wanted to be a satire. So. Not for me, but I did like the romance.

A fast paced, entertaining romp that plays heavily on some worn-out YA tropes, reimagining them in a new and fresh light. The Love Interest has a likable cast of characters--though occasionally they feel constrained by the tropes they're subverting or upholding and it makes them feel rather flimsy--and a fun romance.

I'm a bit disappointed. Just a little. This book wasn't terrible by any means, but there were some things that I wanted to happen or I just wanted more of, and it sucks, because I wanted to give it five shiny stars, but then I wouldn't really be honest with myself! But let's actually get on to the review!

First up, the stuff I loved! The characters were absolutely brilliant and all three-dimensional and wonderful. We have our main character, Dylan, who was so funny and I just loved being in his head and hearing all his thoughts. He's basically assigned to be a Nice, but he doesn't really consider himself that way (which I definitely feel because I don't think I'm a nice person, but maybe other people feel differently). We also have Caden, the boy that Dylan's competing against, who's supposed to be a Bad, BUT IS SUCH A SWEETHEART OH MY GOD. I wanted to hug him so hard. Then there's Juliet, the girl they're fighting over, who is super smart and wants to be a scientist when she grows up and literally has MADE HER OWN INVENTIONS AND WEAPONS because why not? I didn't expect to care about her so much, but it was so wonderful to see such a smart girl at the helm of a book! We also have Natalie and Trevor, who dressed up as Hazel Grace and Gus from TFIOS, so they immediately win everything in my books.

The world was also so, so creative! I just loved the way this book continually addressed cliches and the whole background of how everything worked and why it was done was just so well done. Also, in my opinion, this book definitely didn't suffer from any horrible info-dumps; the world was continually built on as the book went on, and it was just so nice to learn more about the inner workings of the world and the mini details.

Also, this book was hilarious. I'm not one to laugh too much while reading books - funnily enough, the most times I laugh are while watching Youtube videos; go figure - but this one was just so funny and natural while doing it; there was no sort of forced humor. Dylan is just a naturally hilarious character, and the fact that it's so clever at making fun of YA tropes I'm sure we're all tired of is what makes it so great.

Now on to the things I didn't love so much. I know this might be hard to believe for some of you guys who've been around here for a while, but...I actually wanted more romance. Yep, I said it; I wanted more of a romance in a YA non-contemporary book. I mean, was this a kissing book? Duh, of course it was (and the kissing was amazing, by the way). BUT, I just wanted WAY more of it. This is more of a slow-burn romance - and I'm a huge fan of that sweet, sweet slow-burn - so I thought a lot of it was more focused on the bonding and the friendship and not the actual romance. But, then again, romance is completely subjective for every reader, so it might be different for you!

Also, I felt like the ending moved way too fast. I had the same sort of complaint with Gone Without a Trace, which was also a thriller - a domestic thriller instead of a spy thriller, though - but Part 1 and 2 of The Love Interest were a bit slower-paced and had more of a contemporary feel, I'd say, and then Part 3 comes along, and it turns into more of a dystopian/spy thriller, and without a smooth transition between the two, the change of pacing and such was quite jarring for me. A lot of stuff happens and a lot of things are revealed and it just has such a different feel than a large majority of the book that, to me, it felt a bit all over the place.

But, the book did make up for itself a little bit just for the simple fact that the epilogue was TO DIE FOR. Excuse me while I casually drown in all the feels it gave me and flail all over the damn place.

Overall, though this one didn't live up to my expectations, this is totally a subjective viewpoint, and you might think differently. I would actually still recommend this book to anyone who wants to read it because it was definitely entertaining!

When I first requested this book from Netgalley I was expecting a YA version of
"This Means War". But I was extremely pleased to be wrong.

The Love Interest is essentially a satire of every love triangle YA trope, and it is gloriously aware of that. It also subverts the love triangle in that, our narrator, who is the "Nice Boy" of the love triangle, falls for the "Bad Boy" rather than the girl whose affections they are meant to be competing for.

The romance was impossibly cute. It's well executed, and doesn't feel campy. I thought its pacing was good - definitely didn't feel like instalove. Caden is an adorably awkward, out-of-his-depth narrator, who constantly feel for Dylan's seduction tactics intended - theoretically - for Juliet. I loved the friendships in the book as well.

The pacing of the book is fast, but well balanced - it stays exciting without getting ahead of itself. The setting remains contemporary, and the romance is of heavy focus, but the book also plays heavily on action tropes and contrived scenes common in YA fiction.

It had its flaws of course, sometimes it felt too caught up in the tropes/satire. Sometimes I got frustrated that, despite everything, Juliet still often felt at times like a plot device, the lack of ability to communicate feelings for most of the book (which plagues most YA) was still present, etc.

But towards the end, there was this whole "Dylan's isn't gay" thing going on that has Caden equivocating on whether he loved Dyl or Juliet and the whole thing was utterly unnecessary, not really used to further the plot, it was just annoying to add drama to an already rushed end.

But over all, I LOVED it. I definitely recommend it.

Overall, I found this to be a nit embarrassing. None of the characters really acted like teens and they'd have these loooong paragraphs with their feelings and whatnot, and honestly, most of it was sort of embarrassing to read.

What an interesting take on the spy novel! This is the story of Caden and Dylan (Dyl) who have been recruited as Love Interests. Their primary job is to be a perfect match for a woman who the organization feels will have important information in the future to sell (spy games). Told from Caden's perspective as he is given his first assignment, the reader watches him realize that things might not always go the way they are expected to go. When he meets Dylan there is an immediate connection. The problem is they are competing as a "nice" and "bad" for the same girl, and the loser will be killed. The premise was interesting but what made this is a great story was the relationship between Caden and Dyl. So many YA novels miss the mark on their attempt to write a believed romantic story between two boys, but this book does it. I believed in them and I was rooting for them. The last 25% of the book surprised me in the choices that the author made for the story to go, but I really enjoyed it. I look forward to more from this author!

You guys remember the This Means War movie? With Chris Pine and Tom Hardy fighting over Reese Witherspoon only to realize they're in love with each other and live happily ever after? No? Not quite like that ending, well this book is exactly like that ending. Except it's so much more—more intricate, more intense, much darker, much different.

The Love Interest is a book we all didn't know we wanted, much less needed. I love the plot to it, how you never know quiet how we got there, to this point, to this plot. I'll admit that I've read a lot of the LGBTQ+ specifically the gay YA releases of 2017 and I'm a bit disappointed because the main couple, the main pairing gets together until the very end. Like if I wanted that I would stick with telenovelas. Despite that I enjoyed it, and I can't wait for everyone to enjoy it!

This was a really fun, fast read! I loved the concept, and by the end, I really enjoyed all of the characters! I wish the LIC organization had been fleshed out a little bit more, but besides that, my only "issues" have to do with the occasionally odd transitions and the fact that all the characters use one another's names constantly in dialogue, a pet peeve of mine. But those are really small things in the scope of all there is to love here! The story went to some places that surprised me near the end, and I liked that! It did wrap up a bit quickly, but I admire the fact that the author didn't try to drag this into a trilogy or anything like that. I think 'The Love Interest' would be a great film, and I think it'll be an enjoyable read for anyone who is wanting a fast, cute, meta gay read with an original premise. Its strengths are ironically all of the cliches! While this isn't an absolute favorite of mine, I do feel like I need to reread it at some point, which is something rare for me! I also would definitely recommend it to anyone with my same reading tastes! It's a good time! 4.2/5 stars from me!

This book was just not for me. I was intrigued by the concept of love interests but once the guys were out in the real world it was too much. I was not engaged in the story and did not finish the book

This book sounded absolutely amazing, the concept had me from the very beginning. There was one issue that I had was that it seemed a little rushed. This was one of the most engaging books I read this year, I was really impressed with this book. I highly recommend this book, It's a mx of contemporary and Science Fiction and it just was perfect. Where has this book been all of my life?

A fun twist on typical tropes. This book is enjoyable and features a gay relationship, which is such a positive thing for YA these days.

I loved the idea of taking the love triangle trope and turning it on its head.
There were some spy-novel elements too with the whole corrupt agency kidnapping and training children to become the perfect love interest for select individuals that have potential to be super successful, so that the big guy in charge could then gain intel and information on these powerful figures from their love interests.
The story was overall fun and fast-paced.

I liked the main cast of characters, but looking back I didn't feel very attached to any of them.
It's clear from the novel description that the big twist is that our two love interests actually begin to fall for each other rather than for their chosen girl.
(There were other twists too, but most of them were rather predictable, unfortunately.)

I felt like the romance was actually one of the weakest points of the novel.
It made me sad because I really wanted to root for them to be together, but most of the descriptions we got felt more like surface-level attraction and we didn't get much deeper understanding besides their being able to connect over the fact that they were brought up and currently stuck in a really screwed up situation.

I think this probably was a result of the pacing of the novel. There was a lot in there that couldn't all be fully fleshed out in the allotted space; when I was three quarters of the way done I could hardly see how the plot would be resolved in a completely satisfying way. This meant that the ending ended up all squished together and pretty rushed.

I'm happy with the storyline overall, I just wish it was organized with a more natural pacing and I think that would have helped with the characterization and chemistry between the couples.

I would recommend this book to anyone who reads a lot of YA because I think it would be immensely entertaining, despite its flaws, because it is really a clever idea for a novel.

Current release date: May 16, 2017

I received an e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

If you've ever found yourself falling in love with someone who seems a little too perfect, consider the possibility you've been matched with a Love Interest.

Love Interests are young men and women who are trained in the art of seduction at a secret compound, the LIC. It's all very hush-hush, including how they obtain the children they train in the first place. Boys are divided into Nices and Bads. When the LIC obtains a high profile female target, they send in one of each to act out a perfectly choreographed YA contemporary love triangle. The winner gets the girl, and the opportunity to live out his life in the real world, as long as he continues to spy on her and share all her secrets with the LIC. The loser gets incinerated.

Juliet is a teenage science prodigy. The LIC sends in a Nice, Caleb, and a Bad, Dyl, to compete for her affections. Each boy gets a backstory crafted to tug at Juliet's heartstrings, and a coach to help him woo her. Caden thinks the incinerator sounds unpleasant, and is determined to win the competition... even though it means he'll never get to be his true self... even though he starts to develop feelings for Dyl instead. But then falling in love with your competitor in the spy business is tricky. Caden can't trust whether Dyl has genuine feelings for him; it could all be part of the game.

I loved the first 3/4 of this book. I was rooting for Caden and Dyl and started to ship their romance. The last section of the book, however, took a turn from poking fun at YA romance tropes and dived into "teenagers take on the system." It was difficult to suspend the belief necessary. The more I read, the more I became convinced Juliet got a bum deal. She almost seems like a plot device to push Caden and Dyl together, rather than a real character. There's also a twist near the very end that ruined the book for me a bit. It's a major revelation that changes so much about the story, but it's quickly brushed aside. Not a fan of how that was handled. All in all, this is a fun book that's worth the read.

https://magical-reads.blogspot.com/2017/04/review-love-interest.html