Author: Cale Dietrich
What it’s about: Caden and Dylan are Love Interests: teenage spies designed to be the perfect boys (Caden is a Nice; Dylan Bad) to win the hearts of teenage girls. The secret, centuries-old government organization pairs Love Interests with important people so that they can spy and relay secrets and information back to the LIC. The boy who doesn't win the heart of fair Juliet dies: but what happens if the Love Interests fall for each other instead?
What I think (in 500 words or fewer): One aspect of Love Interest I have found that I disagree with other reviewers about is the world-building. The LIC is a secret government organization that has been around for centuries, pairing perfect-designed spouses with important people. The children the institute raise are "taken from families that couldn't care for them," which says a lot without saying much of anything at all. Were the children kidnapped? Taken by force? Who knows?
Readers never do find out, and I think that's realistic. I'm tired of YA novels (or stories in general) in which the main bad guys just "happen" to reveal the history of the mysterious organization they run, like Dr. Evil, or admit everything they did, like in Scooby-Doo. It's realistic that Caden, the narrator, doesn't tell us a bunch of history. He doesn't know it.
I also thought the LIC in general was pretty terrifying. I would have liked more descriptions of the stalker robots that brutally kill the rejected Love Interests, maybe have a character actually killed by them to up the suspense, but this did not seem like a completely incompetent organization that teenagers could outwit and destroy (I realize you have to suspend your disbelief in order to make YA plots work, but sometimes it's ridiculous).
Caden's character growth and realizing his feelings for Dylan were the best parts of the book. Juliet, the supposedly super-smart science wiz they had to woo, was kind of boring, but then at the last minute magically came up with the perfect machine to kill the evil robots. Okay, it was better in the book then it sounds when I type it.
I got the impression that even though the characters kill the main baddie, this organization is like HYDRA and is not completely destroyed. An epilogue showed Dylan and Caden living happy lives together, but I bet the government will "eliminate" them soon.
I was devastated when Dylan at one point claimed that he was faking his feelings for Caden so that Caden would let Dylan win Juliet. The other characters reassure Caden that Dylan was NOT lying, but I needed Dylan to proclaim his love for Caden directly. I mean, it's super implied in the epilogue, but I wanted more.
Love Interest also made me wonder, in the world of this book, which famous spouses were/are "Love Interests?" Mary Todd Lincoln? Possibly. Martha Washington? Nancy Reagan? (I always thought she looked a little robotic, lol). Definitely Melania. And Bill Clinton. 😉
But then there's Barack and Michelle and Beyonce and Jay-Z. Which ones are the Love Interests? Or are they Illuminati? I can't keep up with my government organizations, lol.
This book is on the 2018 Rainbow Book List.
My final takeaway (in 75 words or fewer): This was a fun sci-fi read. Not quite as good as Willful Machines (which I read at the same time as Love Interest), but still worth reading.
My favorite quotes/passages:
- "'I'd like to know why the LIC is so focused on pairing us in high school. Like, wouldn't it be better to send us in when we're a bit older? No one finds the love of their life while they're a teenager.'
'You haven't read any YA novels recently, have you?'" (hardback edition, pg. 32). - "A torrent of blood gushes from the jagged stump of my neck. It falls onto my limp, crumbled body. The blood has drenched my clothes, making my white shirt cling to my muscles, showing the definition of my pecs and my abs" (pg. 89).
- "I guess I thought I was straight because everyone treated me like I was, and no one ever gave me a chance to think otherwise" (pg. 265).
- "I'm the protagonist, f****r!" (pg. 349).
Other reviews: Green Tea Paperbacks and Nose Graze
This book is available in the Greensboro Public Library.
No comments:
Post a Comment