Cale Dietrich

Part thriller, part romance, The Friend Scheme is another twisty #ownvoices YA novel from Cale Dietrich, author of The Love Interest. Matt’s father is a criminal with high hopes that his son will follow in his footsteps. His family is at war with another, and Matt’s dad is caught in the crossfire. Matt and his older brother are expected to fight for their family. But deep down Matt has other ambitions—and attractions. When he meets Jason, Matt believes he might be falling deeper than friendship for the first time. The boys keep their connection a secret, and soon Matt suspects that Jason is part of the family that tried to kill his father. The truth, however, is even more shattering, and Matt must decide if he can ever break free and own who he really is and who he is meant to love.

The Friend Scheme

i appreciate the effort and the premise, it could have been such an interesting romeo and juliette-esque story, but. to be honest, it's poorly written, the american teenage slangs and pop culture references are just. cringey. matt and jason aren't really fleshed out to the point i truly liked either one enough and/or rooted for them, and, to be honest, being in matt's head was a disgrace. the dialogue reads weird and goes on forever sometimes. the author over-explains so much and i'm not sure it's a stylistic choice or if it's just. and editing problem, because i mean: he slides his hand under my shirt, until his hand is in the same spot as it was before, but under, so his palm is on my bare skin. like. why. it's just. okay. two stars for the fact it's readable in one sitting.

i feel like this could have worked in a much better way if it had been a graphic novel or a webtoon. just putting that out there.

Part thriller, part romance, The Friend Scheme is another twisty #ownvoices YA novel from Cale Dietrich, author of The Love Interest. High schooler Matt's father is rich, powerful, and seemingly untouchable—a mobster with high hopes that his son will follow in his footsteps. Matt's older brother Lukas seems poised to do just that, with a bevy of hot girls in tow. But Matt has other ambitions—and attractions. And attraction sometimes doesn't allow for good judgement. Matt wouldn't have guessed that Jason, the son of the city's police commissioner, is also carrying a secret. The boys' connection turns romantic, a first for both. Now Matt must decide if he can ever do the impossible and come clean about who he really is, and who he is meant to love.

Chloe C

This book isn't going to be your favorite.

I know what we say about tastes and all, but this one is objectively bad. 

The characters are shallow, the writing is immature and clumsy, and the whole plot is filled with holes. Also, everything that happened comes out of nowhere; the gangsters' war is irrelevant and Matt is just a weak and horny boy.

Well, I liked the plot twist about Jason, but that's about it.

Read it if you're looking for a good wattpad-esque story, but don't expect anything more than a cheesy, awkward, pointless and speedy romance.

Meagan

I adored this book! The build up of romance was adorable and I found Matt super relatable. Not in the mob-boss-father-way but all of the nerdy things he likes, the games he plays, and how he acts with a crush! A perfect book for coming of age and sweet romance. I didn’t know if I should root for the or be superstitious. I’m not superstitious but I’m a little stitious. One of my fave books form 2020 so far and I can’t wait to own a finished copy!

The Friend Scheme

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