<i>Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

<i>The Friend Scheme</i> is a Romeo and Juliet type story following Matt and Jason, two teenage boys who start to fall for each other despite being from rival families. As their relationship advances, they must keep secrets from their families and each other as they figure out where their loyalties lie.

I thought this was a super fun, fast-paced story about forbidden love and identity. The romance was great and I liked the characters. There were quite a few twists that kept me engaged. I also appreciated the conversations about being queer. I honestly had a hard time putting this one down!

However, I think <i>The Friend Scheme</i> should have been marketed differently. This was really just a romance. I would have loved to see more of the thriller aspect in this story because I felt like it was really only briefly touched upon. I loved the romance, but if the goal of this book was to be more than a contemporary romance, then I think there should have been a bit more action, emotion, and twists outside of Matt and Jason’s relationship. <i>The Friend Scheme</i> had the potential to be so much bigger.

I also have a feeling that this book is going to be pretty hit or miss based on age group. I personally enjoyed the rather simplistic, short writing and the plethora of pop-culture references, but if a reader doesn’t mostly read YA or doesn’t know most of the shows/movies/bands/songs/video games/etc. mentioned then I could see these aspects becoming a bit annoying. But again, for me personally, I thought this writing style was enjoying.

Overall, <i>The Friend Scheme</i> is a quick story about love and secrets. I’d definitely recommend this to someone looking for something simple, cute, and entertaining with relatable gay representation.

This was a quick read and that truly wasn't great. It lacked depth for me and ended up feeling immature and hollow. The ending seemed to wrap up too quickly and neatly and the MC's emotions surrounding his family business were all tell and no show. Even then, I wasn't convinced by them. He sees some truly horrifying things and none of it really seemed to touch him as much as we were told it did.

Points for queer, joyful boys in love but that's about it.

On a personal pet peeve note: I thought there was an excessive amount of 2020 pop culture references. I understand contemporary stories having some to give a sense of time and place, but there were just so many references to music, games, TV shows, and movies (though the MC's favorite movie is 19 years old) that I felt this would feel instantly dated within 3 years. That works for some people, it's a huge turn off for me.

2.5/5 stars - rounded up.

First, I’d like to give a big thanks to NetGalley & the Fiewel & Friends for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Friend Scheme! All opinions are my own.

Everyone knows the story of Romeo and Juliet; Those star-crossed lovers from rival families who were fated to a tragic end. They’ve become legend in modern culture - all plagued with similar results and themes. Now, take everything you know about Romeo and Juliet and add in epic crime lords, set it in the swamps of Florida, and make it queer - then you have The Friend Scheme. The Friend Scheme is a fun re-telling with some unexpected twists and turns that are a unique take on this age-old story.

This was a decent story that ultimately, and unfortunately, fell flat for me. There were some things that I really enjoyed, however:
** The COVER. When I saw this on NetGalley, I immediately wanted to request it simply because of the cover art design. It all works: from the geometric design, the hollywood movie-esque font, the BEAUTIFUL character models. This is a showstopper and honestly I want it on my shelf just to show off.
** The premise. I mean, COME ON. You take the story of Romeo & Juliet, turn it upside down, make it queer, and add in the Floridian mafia? It feels very much like a Baz Luhrmann remake.
** The discussion of toxic masculinity and familial pressures & expectations. As the son of the cities’ top crime lord, Matt is expected to follow in his father’s footsteps, just as his brother Luke is destined to do. But Matt doesn’t want this life - he likes films and he’s soft; he doesn’t approve of the violence his family partakes in and wants to be done with it all. One thing I really love about M & J’s relationship is that Jason is encourages Matt to do what he thinks is right, even if it’s not what his family wants from him. I think that’s an important conversation that young boys, especially those in high-pressure families, deserve to hear.
** I enjoyed the 2nd half of the book much more than the 1st. Once I got to about 60-ish%, it went very fast.
** THANKS FOR THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM SHOUT OUT!!
** Ownvoices queer rep - always a plus.

There are quite a few things that I found lacking, however, that I can’t seem to get past.

** First and foremost is the writing. It just felt so…immature(?)…at times. Normally, I don’t have a problem with teenagers having informal speech patterns or immature writing if the prose itself is well written and it just wasn’t in my opinion. I can’t really pinpoint what I didn’t like about it, but I just couldn’t get into it. In the beginning, when the author is establishing that Matt is gay, he makes it extremely obvious in just an annoying way. Saying every guy is “hot” over and over again among others. I’m also not a fan of overt realistic pop culture references in stories if they don’t serve a true purpose. I think it’s fine to mention a few “real-life” pop culture things (like the whole thing with Mulholland Drive), but the constant references to TV shows, games, etc. made it almost cringey and certain to feel outdated very quickly.
** This was touted as “part thriller” and it most certainly is not. I would say it’s much more coming-of-age than anything else.
** I didn’t believe the ending at all. I feel like the story ramps you up to believe that it’s going to be a certain way and it’s just not. With how these characters progress, there’s no way that it would or should have ended the way it did. There was no conflict and all of the main problems resolved way too easily. I want more angst in my stories and this just didn’t provide that.

I think part of the problem, in addition to those already mentioned, is that I was just expecting something completely different. I wanted there to be action; For Matt and Jason to run off together on a wild goose chase escaping the violence of their families and I was just left…disappointed. Sure there is *plot* , but it feels one dimensional, like nothing carries any weight. The decisions made and consequences thereof are just filler and serve no real purpose in the outcome of Matt’s life.

I really wanted to love this but unfortunately it just fell a little flat for me. I think it would work much better for readers who are a bit younger than me (maybe in the 14-18 age bracket). I still recommend it to those who are looking for something easy to get through and like familiar themes with fun twists.

Another fun romance with a genre twist from Cale! I found myself rooting for the two boys to end up together while also not trusting it to end well, and was pleased by how it all played out!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

Rating: 3 stars
Rep: m/m romance, gay mc.

"The Friend Scheme" was one of my most anticipated 2020 releases, I've been wanting to read something by Cale Dietrich for a while now so I was ecstatic when I was approved for this eARC!

First up, this book was super fast-paced. I've been in a reading slump the last month and everything I try to pick up is taking me forever to finish, however, I started this book yesterday afternoon and finished it that same night, I was hooked and the writing style was easy.

However, I did have a few problems. One main issue is that I thought this book would be more of a thriller. I love a good romance heavy book as much as the next person but I think it might have been too much here, the romance overshadowed every other part of the plot and the characters, the main character Matt especially, felt flat and undeveloped. I wanted more of a ride, more suspense and more, well, thrillery-ness. Also, for a book focused solely on the romance, I really wasn't a fan of the love interest, Jason, for numerous reasons.

Personally, I thought the last 30% of this book was super rushed, everything tied up way too neatly for me and I had a ton more questions than answers.

I have a few more small issues, but overall, I'm super glad I read this and I did have a fun time reading! And while it wasn't completely my cup of tea, I'll definitely be reading more by this author in the future and I'll be picking up "The Love Interest" very soon!

This was a really fun book that I didn't want to stop reading. It's dramatic and over-the-top and sort of ridiculous, but that's what makes it so much fun. Matt and Jason had such wonderful chemistry and banter - I loved them together and seeing them try to develop such a strong friendship first before romance, and how that foundation meant so much to the both of them was wonderful to see. I thought Matt was a great character - seeing his struggles of family vs duty were well thought out and we never looked down on him or lost sympathy for him which is important for someone in a bad situation. I do think the last third of the book felt quite rushed and easily resolved. I think there easily could have been another 100 pages to flesh out some of the resolutions and really build some tension, but it was still a fun story overall.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was really hoping to like this book because it gave off big Romeo and Juliet vibes.
However, there were a few things that I just couldn't get on board with.

The writing was very short and choppy.
Many parts of the book were written one line after the other.
Or short pieces of dialogue after the other.
In a line.
Like this.
(This did make it quick to read, but I really did not connect with it.)

There were quite a few times in the book, where the love interest wanted to talk to Matt about his feelings, being gay, his labels, his weight... And while this would not normally be a bad thing, it was written in exactly the same way every time and felt like the author was putting in these conversations because he felt that he had to, and not because it was necessary.
I prefer books that include LGBTQ as no big deal. Maybe I have moved on from the more "coming out" type stories, even though I did not feel like this was one.

Now, a semi-spoiler, but a pet peeve of mine in stories. Jason, our love interest, was lying to Matt about himself and his motives. Matt and Jason were in a relationship and decided to further their relationship, but Jason decides not to tell the truth until after Matt is basically in love with him and they had had sex. I really don't like this trope of miscommunication/lying when characters are supposed to be falling in love and then just get over the problems in the end of the story.

I can see why some people might like this story, but it was really not for me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Matt is the son of one of the major crime families in his Florida city with his father who really wants him to get more invested in the family business, but Matt has other ambitions. When he meets Jason, a mysterious boy with a secret, he knows falling in love is a bad move, but the heart wants what it wants.

This book had all kinds of potential for a Romeo and Juliet type love story, but it didn’t reach that potential. A lot of the book read like a normal romance between two boys where they have a minor secret, as if being a part of one of two major crime families in a city isn’t a big deal.

Speaking of, the ball was really dropped on the mob family part of the book. There are about three total scenes where typical mob stuff goes down (beyond just meetings) with the majority of the book being the romance. I feel like there could’ve been a lot of that “juggling illegal activity with being a normal kid stuff,” but for a book marketed as “part romance, part thriller,” I was barely thrilled.

Most of the characters were pretty flat, which led to rough, stilted dialogue. Matt was the most fleshed out character of all of them. That being said, I feel like the chance of character development was dropped. At some point, he starts acting like he wants to be a part of the crime family, but then just as quickly stops doing that, and I think it could’ve been explored better.

Matt and Jason like a lot of the same stuff, like the same exact video games or movies, which kept being pointed out to the point of being slightly irritating.

One thing I will say was positive was Matt’s inner thoughts. I’m sure they will hit some gay teenagers out in the world as he discusses coming out but not being out to everyone and unrealistic body standards.
The book started alright for me, but the last 20% of the book really ruined it for me. Because Matt went from a character I could relate to and even sympathize with to losing all sympathy, I can’t give this more than one star.

I’m not going to fault the author for this, but I have issue with the cover. For the life of me, I never saw any mention that either Matt or Jason were people of color. I highlighted two instances where they were described as “pale.” It was, however, my assumption based on the cover, that one boy would be white, and one would be a person of color.

So here’s my problem with the ending. At the very end, Matt’s dad decides to go through with basically planning a massacre against the other crime family. Matt is, understandably, horrified, and has no idea what to do. He goes to Jason, who by this point, they have broken up because of the cop thing. Jason’s suggestion is to just leave the crime business, which would potentially lead to family members being killed. And Matt goes through with it. Just like that. Even though it was already established that he got angry at the death of a family member he didn’t even like. This felt so out of character for him. The only reason the massacre doesn’t go through is because off page, for no clearly plotted out reason, the dad calls off the massacre and a semblance of peace is established between the two families.

One more thing, Jason explicitly emotionally manipulates Matt into sharing family secrets because he’s the son of a cop. They never really address that part, even though Jason says he is sorry, and it’s just a time skip away that they get back together.

It hurts me to do this, but one star. The ending really ruined Matt and Jason’s character for me.

Im giving this 5 stars by default becausew the formatting for the Kindle is sooo bad! If this wouldn't impact the reading score I wouldnt have to post a review at all

The Friend Scheme by Cale Dietrich is a new gay romance novel targeting the young adult market. Before analyzing the book itself, I want to thank the publisher for allowing me to read this book prior to its publication date. Although I thank the publisher, the following review is not influenced by their generosity.

The Friend Scheme is basically a modern Romeo and Juliet type story with two teenagers. Instead of it being a hatred between the Montagues and Capulets, this story centers on two teenage boys who belong to two opposing mob clans. On one side, you have Matt, the loner, an angsty teen who really isn't too keen on being involved in the family business. On the other, you have Jason, an all-American baseball player type who also isn't too keen on the family business even if he doesn't see a way out.

Without spoiling anything, the two boys meet, and at first, they make an agreement not to talk about their mutual families. One of the boys knows who the other one is, but the other is blissfully clueless. Ultimately, the two fall in love, but when the one finds out about the other and feels betrayed can this relationship stand the test of time?

As a whole, this book is filled with the typical angsty teenage-tropes one would expect to find in this type of novel. Is this novel groundbreaking? Not in the least. Is this novel a fun read? Yes. As a cute and mindless summer read, I would definitely recommend it as a pleasant escape.

I was disappointed by this book, unfortunately. The writing was sloppy and juvenile, the characters were underdeveloped, and the insta-love romance felt forced and unbelievable. I am really struggling to think of anything good to say about this. As appreciative as I am for the opportunity to review this in advance, I feel like it needs to be re-edited and cleaned up. It might have been better as a 3rd person with PoV from both characters after the big reveal of who Jason actually is.

I dearly wish I could say more positive things about this book. The Friend Scheme was poised to be a twisty, dark, crime-filled novel about the son of a crime family, but unfortunately several things about it fell flat for me.

One of the most enjoyable things for me was the Romeo and Juliet, enemies-to-lovers romance. I’m a sucker for this storyline, and I think it’s one of the finest ways to bring out character development. Matt and Jason’s relationship was hindered by Matt’s reticence to reveal anything about his family—being the heir to a criminal society means you spend a lot of time fearing discovery, I suppose. Matt’s relationship with his family was interesting for me—his love for them and his desire to live a more innocent life added tension to the story.

My biggest disappointment was the writing style. The entire book felt flat and bland, with pages of meaningless and hollow dialogue occupying too much space. I wish the story could have been written in a more emotive way, because I think I would have felt more for the characters that way. I don’t want to be too much of a critic of writing style, because some of that is inherent to an author and part of what lends the book individuality, but in this case it seriously inhibited my enjoyment.

I don’t know if I’m a terrible analytic reader, but I genuinely didn’t see the plot twist coming. The narrative had me fully convinced of its honesty, and then did a total 180 that left me reeling (and desperately hoping for Matt and Jason’s love story to survive). Despite being slightly dry from lack of interesting dialogue, I will say that The Friend Scheme is inherently readable. 4/5 stars, and I definitely recommend giving it a try!

I was really intrigued by the premise of this book and SO excited when I got the ARC... But when I started reading, it let me down immediately. It's described as "part romance, part thriller," but it fails to be good at either. The writing is clunky, the dialog meanders, and there's no romantic tension between the leads. The main character feels flat and underdeveloped, and very little happens up to the 30% mark, where I finally gave up reading and DNF'd it. There are absolutely no thriller elements in the part I read, and the "plot twist" I imagine is coming later was very predictable. Maybe the book turns into an amazing thrill ride, but it's not worth the slog in the beginning.

I received an advanced copy of The Friend Scheme from Netgalley so I could share my review with you!

As the son of one of the most notorious crime lords in the city, Matt is constantly lying about who he is. The kids at school don’t know his real name, his father doesn’t know that he hates hurting people, and no one knows that he is gay. Matt has wrapped his identity in so many layers of secrecy that even he can’t quite tell what is the truth and what is a lie. He feels incredibly alone, until he has a chance encounter with a beautiful boy who makes him wonder if there could be a different way to live his life. As the two grow closer, it becomes clear that they aren’t on the same side of this war. Is a shot at love worth sacrificing everything? More importantly, will Matt even survive to make that choice?

You can get your copy of The Friend Scheme from Feiwel and Friends on July 28th!

Cale Dietrich stepped up his game in The Friend Scheme! I loved the push and pull of the storyline and I found the characters to be extremely easy to empathize with. I recently went on a huge Grand Theft Auto V playing streak, so this book found me at just the right time! I’ve never encountered a mafia crime story that I could see myself reflected in, so reading The Friend Scheme was both fun and refreshing! At times the plot did seem to drag for me, but overall I thought it was an enjoyable read.

My Recommendation-
If you have been looking for a high stakes forbidden romance set in a crime underworld, The Friend Scheme would be a good pick for your next read! If you enjoyed The Love Interest, Dietrich’s other novel, this book should definitely be on your to-read list!

It's a fun and tension-filled comedic drama. It's quickly evident that Matt and Jason's meet-cute is going to lead to romance. Yet, it's quickly telegraphed that the road to love is going to be very complicated. There is a little bit of misdirection before you realize what's going on, yet it's worth weeding through to see where the real story is going.

If you like YA novels and appreciate LGBT representation, this is a good story for you.

Sadly, this is a DNF for me. I got through about 30% of the book and I coudn't keep going. I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters and the writing fell flat for me. Keep in mind, this is just my opinion, I can see reasons why others would love this story!

Oh boy, I wanted to like this one. I really, really, REALLY wanted to like this one. The Love Interest was one of my favorite reads from last year, it was silly and stupid and so much fun. I had high hopes for The Friend Scheme, but my expectations were not met even slightly. I always feel guilty giving negative reviews, especially when I like the author overall, so buckle up as I attempt to write down my cohesive thoughts, albeit negative.

I feel a little bit bad for the timing of this release- it’s a love story between a cop’s son and a gangster’s son, the cop’s son being a white kid and the gangster’s being a black one. It felt a little tone deaf because of that, which was hard. I couldn’t shake the feeling of the #ownvoices marketing, when it was just a white gay guy who was writing from the perspective of a black kid who was raised in a criminal empire. Though, this isn’t really me wanting to cause any massive problems, just something that didn’t sit well with me as I was reading.

Overall, a lot of the elements of Cale Dietrich’s writing style that I loved in The Love Interest really didn’t come into play in this book. The characters had very little chemistry, and a lot of the relationships and emotions were spoonfed to the reader. Despite being a high action premise, there was no palpable suspense for me. I had a hard time caring about the characters or the dynamics because the world seemed to be just cookie cutter cliches piled on top of each other. I think if Dietrich had gone the satirical route, like he’d done in The Love Interest, he could’ve made me enjoy the world and it’s plastic appearance a little more, but the book seems like it wants me to find real, hard-hitting feelings in this book where I can’t find any.

I will say that I’m still a big fan of Dietrich’s general sense of humor, and the chapter titles were endearing. If you don’t like this book, don’t write off Cale Dietrich just yet- you might love The Love Interest.

Matt Miller is the son of the city’s most notorious crime boss. Though his father hopes he’ll follow in his footsteps, Matt has other dreams. When his family’s biggest rival comes up with a plan to infiltrate their ranks, Matt has to be suspicious of everyone, including that new boy he met that he might be falling in love with.

YA + organized crime + a gay protagonist = pretty much made for me. I wanted to love this one so bad because it’s honestly such a good premise, but a lot of it fell kind of flat.

It took too long for this one to get going and it felt like about 75% of the dialogue between Matt and Jason was unnecessary, not to mention awkward and stilted. I also had a hard time buying their love story too. Maybe because the dialogue was a little clunky, but I didn't really see them as falling in love the way it was described in the book.

I spent the whole first part wishing there was just a little more focus on the organized crime aspects (I’m a true crime buff), so I was happy to see that pick up in the second half. I found everything with the crime families the most interesting but in the end it felt underdeveloped. I would have liked to have seen more about the Donovan and Miller rivalry and how that was affecting Matt's life and his relationship with Jason.

Also, as a heads up, Jason’s identity is spoiled in the synopsis given on netgalley.

I received this an ARC of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a great modern take on Romeo and Juliet... with a twist.

Matt Miller is the son of a crime boss and he hates it! He loves his family, but while his big brother Luke is made for this life, Matt is made of softer stuff. The feud between the Millers and the Donovans and their respective territories is all consuming. When it has come to the Millers' attention that there is this thing called the friend scheme floating around, in which Donovans and Donovan allies have infiltrated the Miller clan, posing as friends and Miller allies, Matt is devastated assuming the boy he just met, Jason, with all of his beautiful-ness, is actually scamming him, getting close only to get inside information for the other crime family.

This was so much fun to read. I loved the writing and the different twists (some I saw coming, others I didn't). Matt and Jason's relationship was a thing of beauty. They were constantly fighting between what their families would want and what they want, which is without a doubt each other.

There really was nothing about this book that I didn't love. The fade to black love scenes were tasteful and the end?!?!?! It was everything I was hoping for!

***Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing me an ARC of THE FRIEND SCHEME by Cale Dietrich in exchange for my honest review.***

3/5

This book was an entertaining and okay read. I was really looking forward to this book and though I personally do not think that it lived up to the hype, I did still enjoy it. I was personally super excited to read it because of the whole organized crime/forbidden romance plot.

Just like his prior novel, I still felt like there was a rush in the relationship between the two main characters, but that is not my my main issue with this book. I was just kind of disappointed that it is not at all gritty. When I first read the premise on Goodreads I thought that I would be getting into a book about organized crime, danger, morally questionable characters, etc., instead I found myself going "aww how sweet" rather then thinking about bigger topics and ideas that I think could have made this book and its characters more fleshed out. Although this is more of a problem with my expectations and not the book itself, I do think that if you are writing about topics that deal with violence and crime it should be a large part of the story (for example someone was killed in the story and literally the next page the main character was just thinking about his date... I just wanted some type of inner turmoil and reflection)

Writing:
-The writing in this book is okay. I do think that it is a step up from his prior book, The Love Interest, but there is still room for improvement (for me it was hard not to have a lot of description, especially about what the characters and locations look like)

Pacing:
-The pacing in this book was a bit of a problem for me. At times it was faster paced and fun, while at most points in the story I found myself to be kind of bored, I do think that I was expecting a fast faced crime driven novel and this is certainly not it

Characters:
-I really liked the characters (LGBT), but I just wish that we got to know them better

-I will recommend for a fun summer read!!