Dietrich, Cale
WORK TITLE: The Love Interest
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.caledietrich.com/
CITY: Brisbane
STATE: QL
COUNTRY: Australia
NATIONALITY: Australian
https://us.macmillan.com/author/caledietrich/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2017061743
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2017061743
HEADING: Dietrich, Cale
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035 __ |a (OCoLC)oca10804764
040 __ |a ICrlF |b eng |e rda |c ICrlF
100 1_ |a Dietrich, Cale
370 __ |a Perth (W.A.) |e Brisbane (Qld.) |2 naf
372 __ |a Young adult literature |2 lcsh
374 __ |a Authors |2 lcsh
375 __ |a Men |2 lcsh
377 __ |a eng
670 __ |a Dietrich, Cale. The love interest, 2017: |b title page (Cale Dietrich) dust jkt. flap (Cale Dietrich; born in Perth and now lives in Brisbane, Australia; this is his first novel)
PERSONAL
Born in Perth, Australia.
ADDRESS
- Home - Brisbane, Australia.
- Agent - Leon Husock, L. Perkins Agency, 5800 Arlington Ave., Riverdale, NY 10471.
CAREER
Writer.
AVOCATIONS:Gaming, pop-punk music.
WRITINGS
- The Love Interest (novel; for young adults), Feiwel and Friends (New York, NY), 2017
SIDELIGHTS
Cale Dietrich made his debut as a novelist with the young-adult work The Love Interest. The story involves teenagers who are trained as spies by a secretive agency, then sent out to get close to influential people by becoming their love interests. Caden, a typical “nice guy” type familiar from YA novels, and Dylan, an equally typical brooding “bad boy,” are tasked with vying for the affections of Juliet, a young science genius. Whoever she chooses will end up spying on her and sharing her expertise with the agency. The one she does not choose will be killed. A complication arises in the scheme, however, when Caden and Dylan become attracted to each other. The story is told from Caden’s point of view.
The book “was very heavily influenced by the feelings I was going through at the time of writing it,” Dietrich told High Lit Books online interviewer Joshua Gabriel. “I’m super wary of those ‘it came to me in a dream’ type things, but the truth is I really did wake up one morning with this idea of a training academy for the dreamy love interests of YA fiction.” He added: “I really felt that people had lowered the bar on their expectations from me because I’m gay, and that made me so frustrated and upset and I kinda aimed those feelings into my writing and the end result was The Love Interest.”
Several critics found the novel charming. “The Love Interest is one of the most engaging books I’ve ever read,” Gabriel observed. “I’m really impressed that this is Cale Dietrich’s debut novel. … It made me have countless moments of nerdy introspection, uncontrollable laughter, and even happy sighs.” A blogger at Adventures of a Bibliophile noted that the story “is a satirical take on some common YA tropes, and I kind of loved that about it. I will admit to occasionally rolling my eyes while reading this book–the corny is dialed way up here–but even with the ultra-drama, the story was fun.” Rachel Wadham, writing in Voice of Youth Advocates, remarked that The Love Interest offers “a sense of playful insight that will appeal to readers who push traditional boundaries,” but it often “strains credibility.” It is hard to believe, for instance, that the spy agency does not recognize that the boys are gay, she said. She also thought the ending rushed and cliched. Gabriel had a similar criticism about the ending, but he termed the book overall “a delightful, powerful and evocative commentary on gender and its accompaniment of stereotypes.” Booklist contributor Maggie Reagan praised the novel as well, saying it has a “Hunger Games vibe,” while “high stakes, well-developed characters, and an LGBTQ slant on the classic spy story make it all the more intriguing.” A Publishers Weekly commentator summed up The Love Interest as “impressive, provocative, and a clever take on well-worn romantic tropes.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, May 1, 2017, Maggie Reagan, review of The Love Interest, p. 36.
Publishers Weekly, March 27, 2017, review of The Love Interest, p. 102.
Voice of Youth Advocates, June, 2017, Rachel Wadham, review of The Love Interest, p. 62.
ONLINE
Adventures of a Bibliophile, https://adventuresofabibliophile.com/ (May 15, 2017), review of The Love Interest.
Books and Ladders, http://booksandladders.blogspot.com/ (November 15, 2016), interview with Cale Dietrich.
Cale Dietrich Website, https://www.caledietrich.com (November 16, 2017).
High Lit Books, https://highlitbooks.wordpress.com/ (March 9, 2017), Joshua Gabriel, “That Deadly Performance Called Love”; (March 20, 2017), Joshua Gabriel, interview with Cale Dietrich.*
- The Love Interest ( novel; for young adults) Feiwel and Friends (New York, NY), 2017
- Cale Dietrich - https://www.caledietrich.com/
Cale Dietrich is a YA devotee, lifelong gamer, and tragic pop punk enthusiast. He was born in Perth, grew up on the Gold Coast, and now lives in Brisbane, Australia. The Love Interest is his first novel.
- High Lit Books - https://highlitbooks.wordpress.com/2017/03/20/q-a-with-cale-dietrich/
Quoted in Sidelights: “was very heavily influenced by the feelings I was going through at the time of writing it,” Dietrich told High Lit Books online interviewer Joshua Gabriel. “I’m super wary of those ‘it came to me in a dream’ type things, but the truth is I really did wake up one morning with this idea of a training academy for the dreamy love interests of YA fiction.” He added: “I really felt that people had lowered the bar on their expectations from me because I’m gay, and that made me so frustrated and upset and I kinda aimed those feelings into my writing and the end result was The Love Interest.”
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Q & A with Cale Dietrich
MARCH 20, 2017
JOSHUA GABRIEL
ARC, BOOK BLOGGER, BOOKBLOG, BOOKISH EVENTS, BOOKS, BOOKWORM, CALE DIETRICH, CONTEMPORARY, FAVORITES, FEMINISM, MACMILLAN, ROMANCE, SCI-FI, THE LOVE INTEREST
12 COMMENTS
This month, I was fortunate enough to get an e-ARC of The Love Interest by debut author Cale Dietrich.TLI
I happily gave it 5 out of 5 stars, and you can know why I did so by reading my review. I am so thankful that I got the chance to have a correspondence with Cale even before I finished reading his book. He turned out to be a nerdy Feminist like me, so I dare say that we get along well. Haha. I am still very happy that he granted my request to have a bookish partnership with him. I hope that this interview will persuade you to read TLI when it comes out on May 16, 2017.
1. Who or what inspired you to write TLI? Is there a special story behind it?
“What a great question to start with! Also I must say I’m super happy to be doing this interview with you, I’m a fan.
“To answer your question, TLI was very heavily influenced by the feelings I was going through at the time of writing it. I’m super wary of those ‘it came to me in a dream’ type things, but the truth is I really did wake up one morning with this idea of a training academy for the dreamy love interests of YA fiction. So that’s how I came up with the plot.
“But I think the thing that makes the book what it is are the feelings I was having at the time of writing. I was feeling very tokenised and sort of shelved – like, because of my sexuality, everybody around me had this crystal clear idea of who I am and what I am capable of, which seemed to undercut the potential I felt I had. It’s hard to explain, but I really felt that people had lowered the bar on their expectations from me because I’m gay, and that made me so frustrated and upset and I kinda aimed those feelings into my writing and the end result was The Love Interest. I like to think of it as my Fight Song. Not sure if that makes sense, but I hope it does!”
2. What made you decide to write the story from Caden’s POV? Is he the character whom you most relate to? (I would also have loved to read from Dyl’s and Juliet’s perspectives.)
“I think it’s about the voice! Caden’s just happened to be the voice that was in my head, demanding to have his story told. As for character I most relate too, I think I can relate to them all to some degree, but Caden and Juliet are in particular so much like me. I think if you mashed those two together you’d get pretty close to what I’m like. And aww thanks!”
3. TLI pokes fun at major tropes and gender stereotypes in YA literature. With that in mind, what tropes and gender stereotypes do you dislike/hate the most?
“It sure does! Believe it or not, I don’t hate love triangles! I’m a fan of them when they’re done well (#teamPeeta for life). I’m not the biggest fan of tropes like the Gay Best Friend, where the gay character doesn’t have agency and just seems to exist to serve their straight friend. I also hate that horrible trend of killing LGBTQIA+ characters to advance a straight character’s narrative, because that’s so messed up. As for gender stereotypes, is it okay to say all of them? I just wish people would chill out a bit and let people be who they want to be.”
4. If you were a Love Interest, would you be a Bad, a Nice, or something in between?
“Omg, I like to think I’d be a Nice, but I’d probably be terrible at it! There’s just no way I could be a Bad, I’m not very brood-ey.”
5. What is the impact of Feminism on your work? Would you describe Juliet as an empowered female character?
“Ohhhhhhh tough one, and I love this question so much. It’s hard to say exactly, because I am a feminist and I feel that just impacts my writing without me even thinking about it. Like with Juliet, I’m getting a lot of comments about her as a feminist character, but it wasn’t a conscious decision to make her who she is, that’s just the way she appeared to me. And I would like to say that she’s an empowered female character (I hope she is) but I think it’s best to leave that up to women to decide, because I’m a man and I’m not the right person to make that call. So, I think it’s safe to say feminism has shaped TLI, but it’s hard to identify exactly how, as being a feminist is just naturally a part of who I am and that influences everything I do, including my writing.
“Btw, you did an EXCELLENT feminist dissection of TLI, and the things you pointed out are all things that matter to me. I like letting readers come up with their own theories about the meaning and stuff, but yeah, I think you pointed out a lot of the things I was trying to achieve re: Feminism.”
6. What did you want to be before you became an author? (Or did you want to be an author since you were a kid?)
“I always wanted to be an author! I’m 24, so I was super lucky to kinda fall into this career pretty much straight out of college. I’ve worked a bunch of retail/hospitality jobs to support myself while writing, but I’ve never had like a serious career outside of this.”
7. TLI is a YA novel, but what would you say to encourage adults to read it?
“Another great question! Hmmn, I’d say that it’s an unapologetically gay novel that is also fun and will possibly make you think a bit. Hopefully that’s a good pitch!
“Thanks so much for such thoughtful questions! They really made me think, and were super fun to answer.”
Fin
14541076
About the author:
Cale Dietrich is a YA devotee, lifelong gamer, and tragic pop punk enthusiast. He was born in Perth, grew up on the Gold Coast, and now lives in Brisbane, Australia. The Love Interest is his first novel.
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12 thoughts on “Q & A with Cale Dietrich”★ BENTLEY ★ says:
What a great interview! I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of this book!Liked by 1 person
MARCH 20, 2017 AT 3:32 PM REPLY
JOSHUA GABRIEL says:
Thanks much, Bentley! I hope that you will love it, too! ❤Liked by 1 person
MARCH 20, 2017 AT 3:33 PM REPLY
BOOK PRINCESS REVIEW (@_BOOKPRINCESS_) says:
This was such a great interview! I loved your questions, and Cale’s answers were so fantastic. Even though I’m so psyched about this book, I think you just made me even more if possible. Wonderful post! 🙂Liked by 1 person
MARCH 20, 2017 AT 5:38 PM REPLY
JOSHUA GABRIEL says:
Thank you for your kind words! I also loved Cale’s answers because they were so honest and thought provoking. I hope that you will enjoy the book! 😀Like
MARCH 20, 2017 AT 10:46 PM REPLY
VERONICA says:
Cale Dietrich seems like such a fun and easy going guy. I’m so excited for his book, it sounds amazing!Liked by 1 person
MARCH 20, 2017 AT 9:25 PM REPLY
JOSHUA GABRIEL says:
True! I can’t wait to read more of his works! Thanks by the way for your message on GR. I also know only a few people who love/like Reign. I’m still sad that Francis…you know. Hahaha. xDLike
MARCH 20, 2017 AT 10:49 PM REPLY
SILVIAREADSBOOKS says:
I was already dying to read this, and this interview made me even more excited for it!Liked by 1 person
MARCH 20, 2017 AT 10:43 PM REPLY
JOSHUA GABRIEL says:
Glad to hear it! 😉Liked by 1 person
MARCH 20, 2017 AT 10:46 PM REPLY
TILDAREADS says:
I was so excited to read this already and the author seems amazing as well, making me even more excited! About to pre-order it right now.Liked by 1 person
APRIL 26, 2017 AT 3:28 PM REPLY
JOSHUA GABRIEL says:
Yey! You won’t regret it! 😉Liked by 1 person
APRIL 27, 2017 AT 10:17 AM REPLY
TONI says:
I currently am reading TLC and enjoying it for the most part! I sure do love Cale Dietrich, he’s so sweet.
Great Interview!!Liked by 1 person
MAY 19, 2017 AT 5:40 PM REPLY
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15.11.16
Interview with... Cale Dietrich!
I'm sure you're all watching with great anticipation for my 2017 Anticipated Releases weekly posts in which I gush over books coming out next year that I'm excited about. But there are some that I am even more excited about than others, so I contacted those authors and asked if I could interview them. Lucky me, they said yes. So I have a bunch of author interviews in November so that you guys can learn more about some super awesome sounding books and add them to your TBR!Without further ado, here is a fantastic interview with the lovely CALE DIETRICH, author of the forthcoming novel THE LOVE INTEREST!
THE LOVE INTEREST
Author: Cale Dietrich
Series: N/A
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: May 17, 2017Summary:
There is a secret organization that cultivates teenage spies. The agents are called Love Interests because getting close to people destined for great power means getting valuable secrets.Caden is a Nice: The boy next door, sculpted to physical perfection. Dylan is a Bad: The brooding, dark-souled guy, and dangerously handsome. The girl they are competing for is important to the organization, and each boy will pursue her. Will she choose a Nice or the Bad?
Both Caden and Dylan are living in the outside world for the first time. They are well-trained and at the top of their games. They have to be – whoever the girl doesn’t choose will die.
What the boys don’t expect are feelings that are outside of their training. Feelings that could kill them both.
Purchase:
Amazon | Chapters | TBDWhat is your writing routine?
Cale Dietrich: It varies quite a lot, so there’s no definite answer for this! It depends on so many things, like, how inspired I am, or what stage of the process I’m at. I’m currently doing NaNo, so I’m trying as hard as I can to stick to some sort of schedule of hitting 2000 words a day. But most of the time, I write when I feel like it, usually with coffee and or snacks.Why do you write for younger audiences?
Cale Dietrich: Ohh good question! I’ve honestly never thought about why I write YA instead of adult or MG. I think I write YA because I love it so much. Seriously, pretty much all of my favourite books are YA books. Plus, I think there’s a lot of enthusiasm in YA and in the YA community, which I really love about it.Describe THE LOVE INTEREST in 10 words or less.
Cale Dietrich: Two spies compete over girl, fall for each other instead.What was the inspiration behind the story?
Cale Dietrich: It’s twofold: the initial inspiration for the plot was the thought: “how cool would it be if there was a training academy for love interests from YA books”. The themes and stuff veer into spoiler territory: but I will say that a lot of it was drawn from my own experiences about something I was going through when I was writing it. TLI is my Fight Song in a lot of ways.Why are Caden and Dylan the best main characters?
Cale Dietrich: Ahh I love this question! I love Caden because he’s so contradictory and complicated. I love Dyl because he’s really smart and is really thoughtful about everything he does. Plus, they’re both kinder than they think they are, and I love that about them.How did you decide on which tropes to use in THE LOVE INTEREST and the ways to flip them?
Cale Dietrich: I researched! I asked a lot of my writer friends about the tropes they’ve noticed, I spent time reading sites like TV Tropes. I read a lot of YA, so some of it came from my own knowledge, but for the most part I determined which tropes to use through research. It was really important to me that I not draw specifically from one particular book, because that would seem like I’m targeting it and would be totally contradictory to the whole point of the book. So I kept it as broad as possible. And it’s hard to know why I decided to flip them the way I did! I think I brainstormed, and then picked what would be the funniest or have the most impact.What books did you read that influenced your book?
Cale Dietrich: So many! Books like PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, THE HUNGER GAMES and SIMON VS were big influences, as were the books I loved growing up (and still love) like Harry Potter. I find inspiration in lots of places though, like music, or shows like The Office (Jim and Pam is the best modern love story) and Veronica Mars.Cale Dietrich is a YA devotee, lifelong gamer, and tragic pop punk enthusiast. He was born in Perth, grew up on the Gold Coast, and now lives in Brisbane, Australia. The Love Interest is his first novel.
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Jamie KramerJamie is a Canadian book blogger who owns more books than she can fit in her room. She mostly reads YA but has a soft spot for all types Science Fiction and Fantasy, so she carries those around with her as well. Jamie typically reads while drinking tea, curled up in a little ball for maximum warmth.
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Quoted in Sidelights: “a sense of playful insight that will appeal to readers who push traditional boundaries,” but it often “strains credibility.”
10/22/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
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Print Marked Items
Dietrich, Cale. The Love Interest
Rachel Wadham
Voice of Youth Advocates.
40.2 (June 2017): p62.
COPYRIGHT 2017 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
2Q * 2P * J * S
Dietrich, Cale. The Love Interest. Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, 2017. 384p. $17.99. 978-1-250-10713-8.
Caden, trained as a love interest his whole life, has finally been matched with his potential partner, a science genius
named Juliet. Sent out with another potential candidate, it will either be nice boy Caden or bad boy Dylan who will
win the job of spying on her for the rest of his life on behalf of the secret organization who raised them. Both boys
know their lives are on the line because the organization does not let losers live, but even facing their demise, the boys
cannot resist their mutual attraction and share a few stolen kisses. As Juliet makes her choice, Caden must face own
feelings and determine if Dylan's love is true because it may not be just his life he is putting in jeopardy as he steps in
to take down those who would prevent him from finding freedom and love.
The premise of a centuries-old organization that trains and engages teenaged spies offers this novel an intriguing
context. Combined with the author's use of stylized romance tropes, this leads to a sense of playful insight that will
appeal to readers who push traditional boundaries. Much of the novel strains credibility, though. That such a powerful,
all-knowing organization could miss the sexual-identity information about their own spies, and that revelations of
betrayal are easily accepted makes what should be threatening seem unsophisticated. The rushed climax and the
epilogue lack the sophistication of a great adventure and rebounds back to a romantic cliche of happily ever after.--
Rachel Wadham.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Wadham, Rachel. "Dietrich, Cale. The Love Interest." Voice of Youth Advocates, June 2017, p. 62+. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA497860312&it=r&asid=f2f8a2576d9707fb00c735e6a7bf1854.
Accessed 23 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A497860312
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Quoted in Sidelights: “Hunger Games vibe,” while “high stakes, well-developed characters, and an LGBTQ slant on the classic spy story make it all the more intriguing.”
The Love Interest
Maggie Reagan
Booklist.
113.17 (May 1, 2017): p36.
COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
* The Love Interest. By Cale Dietrich. May 2017.384p. Feiwel and Friends, $17.99 (9781250107138). Gr. 9-12.
Nice guy Caden is just that: raised by a secret spy organization to be a Nice, carefully sculpted to nonthreatening
physical perfection and full of boyish, bashful charm. Caden is also a Love Interest, trained to make a target chosen by
the organization--in this case, high-school science whiz Juliet--fall in love with him so he can steal her secrets. But
there's a catch: competition in the form of Dylan, a Bad, trained to appear tough, brooding, and a little bit dangerous.
Whoever doesn't get the girl dies. Caden, not as Nice as he should be, hopes that his will to survive will help him win,
even though this means another boy's death. But Juliet turns out to be smart, capable, and kind, and Caden hates
betraying her. Worse, Dylan has started showing up at his window in the middle of the night, and even though they're
supposed to be enemies, Caden feels first camaraderie and then something deeper for him. For Caden, love was never
supposed to be a factor, but it's starting to make all the difference. There's a Hunger Games vibe here to be sure-a
deadly teen-on-teen competition--and this is packed with similar questions of morality. High stakes, well-developed
characters, and an LGBTQ slant on the classic spy story make it all the more intriguing. Stock up--this one has
something for everyone.--Maggie Reagan
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Reagan, Maggie. "The Love Interest." Booklist, 1 May 2017, p. 36. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA495034957&it=r&asid=ad7ae8cfa7f2b4fad93891ca1d67b371.
Accessed 23 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A495034957
10/22/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
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The Love Interest
Publishers Weekly.
264.13 (Mar. 27, 2017): p102.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
Quoted in Sidelights: impressive, provocative, and a clever take on well-worn romantic tropes.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Love Interest
Cale Dietrich. Feiwel and Friends, $17.99
(384p) ISBN 978-1-250-10713-8
In this subversive take on the quintessential YA love triangle, two guys--the clean-cut boy next door and the brooding
bad boy--compete for a girl's affections. But nothing is as it seems: the guys are actually secret agents, trained to
follow a script and fulfill specific romantic roles, and whoever doesn't win his target's love will be killed by his
ruthless employer. Narrator Caden is a "Nice," Dylan is a "Bad," and Juliet is a genius with a bright future ahead of
her. Caden has everything planned out--until he and Dylan fall for each other. As they explore this unexpected desire,
they attempt to complete their mission, knowing one of them will die when Juliet makes her choice. Dietrich's debut is
impressive, provocative, and a clever take on well-worn romantic tropes. The emotional connections among Caden,
Dylan, and Juliet balance out the artificial nature of the relationships forming, while the thriller elements add tension
and numerous surprises. The only downside: the ending and epilogue leave too many dangling threads and
unanswered questions about what happens in between. Ages 13-up. Agent: Leon Husock, L. Perkins Agency. (May)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"The Love Interest." Publishers Weekly, 27 Mar. 2017, p. 102. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA487928222&it=r&asid=f5102c3a0d0c8a91ac000cff26c21a81.
Accessed 23 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A487928222
- High Lit Books
https://highlitbooks.wordpress.com/2017/03/09/that-deadly-performance-called-love/
Word count: 863Quoted in Sidelights: “The Love Interest is one of the most engaging books I’ve ever read,” Gabriel observed. “I’m really impressed that this is Cale Dietrich’s debut novel. … It made me have countless moments of nerdy introspection, uncontrollable laughter, and even happy sighs.”
“a delightful, powerful and evocative commentary on gender and its accompaniment of stereotypes.”
BOOK REVIEW
That Deadly Performance Called Love
MARCH 9, 2017
JOSHUA GABRIEL
ARC, BOOK BLOGGER, BOOKBLOG, BOOKS, BOOKWORM, CALE DIETRICH, CONTEMPORARY, FAVORITES, FEMINISM, MACMILLAN, ROMANCE, SCI-FI, THE LOVE INTEREST, YA
3 COMMENTS
The Love InterestThe Love Interest by Cale DietrichMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Thank you, Feiwel & Friends, for sending me an ARC of this book (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
A Love Interest is who I am, and it’s all I’ll ever be. Questioning that, or letting other people know that I’m questioning it, will result in my death. —Caden
The Love Interest is one of the most engaging books I’ve ever read. I’m really impressed that this is Cale Dietrich’s debut novel. Although it does have a minor flaw or two, I am more than willing to give it five stars because it made me have countless moments of nerdy introspection, uncontrollable laughter, and even happy sighs.
Essentially, The Love Interest is a mixture of YA contemporary and sci-fi. Yes, I this book does have scientific elements; the technology featured in the story is very advanced compared to what we have nowadays. The Love Interest Compound, a secret organization, finds (if not kidnaps) abandoned or unwanted kids, and then educates them in the “arts” of seduction and deception. When the right time comes, these foundlings become spies whose main purpose is to acquire information from particularly special people (e.g. celebrities, politicians, and more). Caden and Dylan, the main protagonists, are assigned to “court”Juliet, a science prodigy. This is not your typical love story, because Juliet can only pick one boy (Tessa Gray of The Infernal Devices might object to this :p), and whoever loses is obliged to prepare himself for the afterlife.
If it still isn’t obvious, I am an avid fan of The Love Interest. Hopefully, this review will still be objective. Hahaha. The reasons why I loved this book are quite nerdy, so I encourage you to brace yourself and put on your thinking cap. I just really want to prove how substantial this book is.
I significantly adore this book’s delineation of two Feminist literary theories: Hegemonic Masculinity and Gender Performativity. The former argues that there are many kinds of masculinity and that society prefers some over others; The latter asserts that gender is literally a rehearsed act or performance. If you don’t have a nosebleed yet, then please read on. xD
The Love Interest affirms Hegemonic Masculinity in that the Love Interest Compound trains its male foundlings to exhibit two kinds of masculinity: Nice and Bad. This is done in accordance to the belief that girls in society (or at least in YA literature) predictably prefer or fall in love with two kinds of boys: the charming “Boy Next Door” (i.e. Simon Lewis) and the aggressive “Tortured Soul” (i.e. Christian Grey). With that in mind, it is possible to see this book as a satirical commentary on our modern gender stereotypes.
In regards to Gender Performativity, this book affirms it by featuring characters who can change their gender roles when it’s convenient or necessary. As Love Interests, Caden and Dylan are trained to perform their masculinity (Nice or Bad) with the primary intention of enticing their Chosen. Consequently, they become skilled at suppressing their real identity/masculinity. They are depicted be themselves when they’re alone, but their gender roles change in the presence of Juliet. In other words, Caden and Dylan are excellent actors. In fact, they even have their own directors and scripts to follow!
Focusing the limelight on Juliet, I must say that The Love Interest is also a positive commentary on femininity. Looking back, I was actually mildly surprised by Juliet’s detachment from powerful, negative emotions, such as anger, bitterness, and resentment. It is a common belief or argument that females are generally emotional, but Juliet’s personality proves otherwise. Her outstanding intellect is also something to be praised.
The only negative thing I have to say about The Love Interest is that its climax seems rushed and disjointed. The first and second parts of the book emanate a YA Contemporary vibe, but the third part suddenly feels like a sci-fi thriller reminiscent of The Terminator. #Incongruous
In its totality, this book is a delightful, powerful and evocative commentary on gender and its accompaniment of stereotypes. I ardently wish for a sequel, though that ending already gave me a sense of closure. Get ready, booknerds. I wouldn’t be surprised if The Love Interest would be a new addition to your shelf of favorite books.
- Adventures of a Bib;ohile
https://adventuresofabibliophile.com/2017/05/15/book-review-the-love-interest/
Word count: 1024Quoted in Sidelights: “is a satirical take on some common YA tropes, and I kind of loved that about it. I will admit to occasionally rolling my eyes while reading this book–the corny is dialed way up here–but even with the ultra-drama, the story was fun.”
BOOK REVIEW | THE LOVE INTEREST
Stephaniereviewbook review, cale dietrich, the love interest8 Comments
the love interest.pngWhen it came time to choose my Book of the Month Club book for this month, one book immediately caught my eye. Maybe it was because I’d seen it around before, or because the cover is so wonderfully spy-thriller-esque (and a little cheesy), but I knew I needed to get my hands on Cale Dietrich’s debut novel, The Love Interest.
synopsis
31145148.jpg(From Goodreads) There is a secret organization that cultivates teenage spies. The agents are called Love Interests because getting close to people destined for great power means getting valuable secrets.
Caden is a Nice: The boy next door, sculpted to physical perfection. Dylan is a Bad: The brooding, dark-souled guy, and dangerously handsome. The girl they are competing for is important to the organization, and each boy will pursue her. Will she choose a Nice or the Bad?
Both Caden and Dylan are living in the outside world for the first time. They are well-trained and at the top of their games. They have to be – whoever the girl doesn’t choose will die.
What the boys don’t expect are feelings that are outside of their training. Feelings that could kill them both.
review
Yes, this is a book about two boys sent on a mission to seduce a girl, and instead, end up falling for each other. Who can resist that premise, right? I wasn’t expecting to love it, but I was looking for a fun, campy read, and that is exactly what I got.
The Love Interest is a satirical take on some common YA tropes, and I kind of loved that about it. I will admit to occasionally rolling my eyes while reading this book – the corny is dialed way up here – but even with the ultra-drama, the story was fun and engaging. I read it in a single sitting the day it arrived on my doorstep. Which has become a pretty rare occurrence for me. The only part I didn’t like was the ending. Without spoiling anything, I really think the ending would have been more successful (for me) if it hadn’t gotten so serious. Everything leading up to it felt a bit tongue-in-cheek, and there was one scene that just threw me off a bit (I honestly didn’t think it was real until I finished the book – I kept waiting for someone to go “oh, wait, that didn’t actually happen”). I also thought the epilogue felt a bit rushed; it didn’t connect well with the rest of the book.
The characters themselves were pretty great, though. I actually really loved Caden and Dylan. Even though they are literally made into tropes, they turn out to be really interesting, dynamic characters. I enjoyed watching them defy stereotypes. And the romantic scenes between them are some of the best I’ve encountered in YA in a long time. I thought the fact that they fall for each other is brilliant, and definitely made this book for me. The girl they’re competing for, Juliet (I still can’t get over her name), is not the typical damsel in distress. Nope, she’s a badass genius inventor, and I instantly fell in love with her. Can I go back to high school and make grenades in a shed in my backyard? Because that sounds so much better than what I was actually doing back then.
I should also mention that while I would categorize this book as diverse, given that the two main characters are gay (actually, one of them might be bi, I’m not sure that gets clarified), I was a bit disappointed with how little other diversity is in this book. There is one black side character, and while she’s awesome, she’s definitely not the leading lady. Both Dylan and Caden are made-over in the beginning of the book, and I was honestly disappointed when Caden’s new “hot” features are revealed to be blond hair, light blue eyes, and a tan. This book might have earned a lot more respect for me if one of the main characters, especially a love interest, was a person of color. It’s just something I don’t really encounter in YA, and something I think definitely needs to be included more often.
rating
★★★☆☆ – The Love Interest wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read, but it was definitely a fun ride, and that’s really all I wanted from this book. There were some cringe-y moments, but I appreciated that this book satirized some typical YA tropes and subverted them by making two of the characters gay. Ultimately, I thought this was a great debut, and I will definitely be paying attention to what Cale Dietrich publishes in the future.
The Love Interest will be in bookstores starting tomorrow – you can get your copy on Amazon now.
You can also get this book by signing up for Book of the Month Club – which is where I got my copy! If you use my link, you can get your first month for just $1, and I get a free book. It’s a win-win! If you sign up now, you can still add The Love Interest to next month’s BOTM box.
To get the audiobook for free, use this link to sign up for a free trial of Audible and choose The Love Interest as one of your two free books!
If you’ve read this book, share your thoughts in the comments below!