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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.
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.
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Violence and Fire/Fire injury