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Love Interest
Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
150 posts | 100 read | 3 reading | 68 to read
A thrilling YA debut about teen spies disguised as "love interests"--whoever gets the girl lives; but the one she rejects, dies.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.From debut author Cale Dietrich comes a fast-paced adventure that is full of both action and romance and subverts common tropes.Praise for The Love Interest "This sci-fi young adult novel is the answer to all of our clich love triangle woes. . . . If you're looking for something funny, action-packed, and romantic this summer, then this is your next read." --PBS Newshour"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." --Booklist, starred review "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. . . . Dietrich's debut is impressive, provocative, and a clever take on well-worn romantic tropes. . . . while the thriller elements add tension and numerous surprises." --Publishers Weekly"Caden is a spy. . . . His competition is Dylan, a dark-souled Bad who's the dreamiest boy Caden's ever seen. . . . Caden doesn't intend to lose--but no one prepared him for the way Dyl makes him feel. . . . fans of spy fiction and LGBTQ titles will find the novel worth reading." --School Library Journal
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Read4life
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Here are my April #ReadOrDonate books.
They‘ve both been on my shelves for a long time. The Love Interest was one of my March #Roll100 books and I won‘t get to it.
I moved an unread February #Roll100 book (another book that had been on my shelves for a long time) to March‘s #ReadOrDonate and completed it. I like this process for books I‘ve had for years.

julieclair Yay! So glad this is working for you! 8mo
PuddleJumper Amazing! 8mo
41 likes2 comments
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Sharanya
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Pickpick

I was expecting something a little bit snarky & a little bit cute. What I got was a Whole Lot of Cute...with a side of dystopian thriller! Caden & Dyl had believable traits that made them well-rounded inversions of their assigned tropes, & a romance that was both swoony & sweet. Plus, the girl characters weren‘t simply props or shunted to the side. The plot felt a little rushed, but still: a heartfelt look at whose stories get told & how. ★★★★☆

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Sharanya
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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#currentlyreading | bahaha a YA story that pokes fun at the love triangle trope while inverting it? *claps hands gleefully*

8 likes1 stack add
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Skeeterisme
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Pickpick

Interesting

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bibliobard
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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You know you are reading too many novels with spies in them when a student asks you “What was the title of that spy book you were telling me about the other day?” And you have to pause and almost ask “Which one?” 😅 #spyreads #teacherlife #booklove

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dustys_bookshelf
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 This was a pretty quick, easy read for me that I really enjoyed. 🙂

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bibliobard
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Mehso-so

The Love Interest was an interesting twist to the spy thriller genre. While I enjoyed the ride, there wasn‘t a lot of depth or backstory to the organization or some of the main characters. Ironic considering this is about breaking stereotypes like “love interest”, “Nice guy”, or “antagonist.” It felt a little flat still and the ending was rushed. #vhsreads #viloniareads

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bibliobard
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
This post contains spoilers
show me
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“He said he likes girls, Juliet.”
“Maybe he‘s lying; he‘s done it before...or you know, he might be bi. He totally could likes girls and you...He might also be in denial. The world is getting a lot kinder, but coming out is still a big thing...” p 327 #lgbtreads #pridemonth #vhsreads #viloniareads #yalit

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bibliobard
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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“I like him. The realization crystallizes in my mind, making every encounter I‘ve had with him make so much more sense than it previously did.” p. 128.

Popcorn seemed like an appropriate snack for this spy thriller meets romance. #vhsreads #viloniareads #spies #lgbt #ya

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Jennick2004
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
Pickpick

This book started out so oddly for me...I thought “too much fantasy, too weird” but I totally got into it and LOVED it!!

PS it isn‘t even 7 a.m. and I‘ve had 2 cups of coffee and finished my book...onto the next!

Lindy Go you! ☕️🚀 (edited) 6y
23 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Jennick2004
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Reading while my son is in with the dentist...and holy curveball, Batman! Didn‘t see that one coming!
#curveball #plottwist

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Jennick2004
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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This book is strange, confusing, captivating...and becoming extremely interesting.

And check out the sign of spring in my yard!

tpixie Gorgeous!!!! 6y
tpixie We have a ton of irises that will be coming in about a month but I sure wish that we had crocuses and daffodils and tulips also! 6y
Jennick2004 @tpixie I have daffodils and tulips too but no buds on those yet 🌷 6y
tpixie @Jennick2004 soon!!! Fun!! 🌷 6y
Dragon Love the colour of those flowers! 6y
49 likes5 comments
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beyondbookish
Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Today‘s hate to love recommendation! #tropestagram

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Jennick2004
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Got the book I won from @TheLibrarian !! Thank you so much 💜

TheLibrarian Glad you got it!!! 6y
41 likes1 comment
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beyondbookish
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Two books that need more love!

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Sara_Planz
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Pickpick

I loved the original idea of the love interests being used as spies and I absolutely loved the love triangle trope being used this way. Hot book!!

33 likes1 stack add
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Sara_Planz
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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This has been recommended to me by my fellow bookstore managers so I guess it‘s time to get to it.

41 likes1 stack add
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forevermint
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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My spiky reading buddy 🐉 thought I would share my bearded dragon with you all 💛 any one else with pets? 😊

lildeb_8 We have a guinea pig, a gecko, and a puppy. 7y
PenguinInFlight I have a cat and a dog. 🐱🐶 7y
wanderinglynn I have a dog & a cat. 🐶🐱 7y
See All 41 Comments
forevermint @lildeb_8 oh nice! Geckos are so cute 😍 7y
forevermint @PenguinInFlight cutee! Do they get along? 7y
forevermint @wanderinglynn that seems to be a popular combination lol, sounds fun though! I want a kitty one day 😍 7y
lildeb_8 The puppy would love to play with the gecko and guinea pig nit judging by what he did to the centipede in the house the other day we keep them apart. 7y
blondie SO CUTE. I wanted a bearded dragon so bad. I have a cat and a gecko though. 7y
wanderinglynn 👍🏻 Cats are so fun! They are the best entertainment (at least mine keeps me laughing) & super snuggly. ❤️🐱 7y
Soubhiville He‘s neat! I have a dog and two hairless cats. 7y
ladym30 He is adorable!! 7y
forevermint @lildeb_8 oh gosh, that sounds like my brother's dog. She's always curious about my little dragon but she's known to be a vicious one when it comes to small animals. They definitely have to be kept apart too 🙈 7y
forevermint @blondie They're the best! This little guy is only 8 months old and I've had him since he was a baby ^^ cats and geckos are fun though, what kind of gecko do you have? 7y
PenguinInFlight @forevermint They do! Twinkle is my dog, she‘s a Basset Hound mix and will be 10 in August. Oliver is my cat, and he is 2. He‘s an orange tiger cat and kind of a jerk, LOL. But a loveable jerk. ☺️ 7y
forevermint @wanderinglynn haha yes it definitely seems like it! I can't wait to get one! ❤ 7y
forevermint @Soubhiville thank you! That's a lot of pets ^^ I'm currently dogsitting 3 dogs and they're such a handful lol 🙈 7y
forevermint @ladym30 thank you 😊💕 he's quite friendly despite his spikes and claws haha 7y
PenguinInFlight @forevermint How large do bearded dragons get? He‘s a handsome guy! 7y
forevermint @PenguinInFlight oh wow that's great! Haha cats seem to be loveable no matter what they do 😅 Thank you!💕Haku is about 17 inches right now and he's only 8 months old. I think they can get up to 24 inches though ^^ 7y
InBooksILive He is awesome! I've always wanted one ❤ cause who wouldn't want something that has dragon in its name?! 🐉 7y
InBooksILive Oh and I have a dog haha Taz, a husky/chow that'll be 6 years old on the 28th this month. 7y
Centique How cool! We have a restaurant here that has a pair of bearded dragons as pets and my kids love seeing them. Hi there Haku 👋👋 7y
forevermint @InBooksILive haha exactly!! I love calling him my little dragon 😂 and Taz sounds like the cutest! 7y
forevermint @Centique oh wow that's awesome! I cant wait until Haku is older and calmer so I can take him out more lol. The first time I saw a bearded dragon irl I didn't think it was real 😅 7y
EmeraldSorceress Awwww! That little guy is awesome! Great picture! 7y
CSeydel Bearded dragon here! 7y
DebinHawaii Very cool! 🐲💚 7y
forevermint @EmeraldSorceress thank you!😊 7y
forevermint @CSeydel omg yay! I don't know many ppl who also have a beardie so it's always fun meeting another dragon owner 😊 7y
forevermint @DebinHawaii thanks! 💕 7y
Maria514626 I love him! This photo is great! No dragons here but there is a silly, sweet dog named Pele. 7y
forevermint @Maria514626 sweet dogs are the best 💕 my brother has a dog named Macy but she's a feisty little thing lol 7y
SledgeReader Last bearded dragon I was associated with peed all over our youth services librarian during a program. Good times! 7y
jfalkens I have 3 cats(Danica, Joban and Pickle) and an eastern box turtle(Murphy). All 4 are girls lol 7y
the.bookish.valkyrie He‘s gorgeous! 7y
forevermint @SledgeReader LOL oh no! I hope the youth services librarian wasn't traumatized after that. Also does that mean you work at a library? 😍 7y
forevermint @jfalkens ooo so many cats! That's awesome ^^ and turtles are the best 💕 7y
forevermint @ValkyrieAndHerBooks thank youuu! I cant believe how big he's gotten in just 7 months haha 7y
SledgeReader @forevermint Hey! I do work in a public library. It‘s the best! #litsypets #librariesrock #ihave2dachshunds 7y
forevermint @SledgeReader that's awesome!! Hoping I can work there one day too 😍 I would love to be the librarian known for having a little book dragon haha. P.S. Dachshunds are sooo cutee! 7y
134 likes41 comments
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johnnie_cakes
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Pickpick

Dyl and Caden are Love Interests. They're assigned a girl. It's their job to get to fall for them. The winner gets the girl. The loser dies. But what if they don't want the girl? #TheLoveInterest is a super fun, fast-paced thriller. It's a great twist on the YA love triangle trope, and also deals with coming out and discovering your sexuality in a genius way. #lgbtreads #gayya

17 likes1 stack add
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OriginalCyn620
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Pickpick

The concept is interesting: unwanted or stolen children are trained by a secret spy organization to be Love Interests to people believed to be “important.” The Love Interests gather secrets of the important people, which are then sold off to the highest bidder. Throw in some death and killer robots and you have a pretty entertaining read! #mounttbrreadathon

BibliophileMomma Finished first one! 🤘🏼🤘🏼 7y
51 likes1 stack add1 comment
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OriginalCyn620
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Starting #mounttbrreadathon! This is my stack, all old #BOTM picks that I haven‘t gotten to yet. I know I won‘t get through it all, but any progress is good! Beginning with the tagged book because it‘s the oldest!

Mdargusch Pretty photo. Have fun! You have a lot of good books to work with! 7y
Cinfhen Oh this pile makes me feel good about my neglected BOTM books 😊❣️🙏🏻 7y
JenlovesJT47 Yay! Have fun! ❤️ 7y
See All 7 Comments
BibliophileMomma Yay! Happy Reading! 7y
MallenNC Have fun! I can't start reading until late tonight but I'm going to read as much as I can. I've read The power! 7y
YouReadMyEyes I have so many past BOTM books as well. I hope I can knock out a few this weekend. 7y
72 likes7 comments
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dylanisreading
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Here's one of the books on my #24in48 tbr stack. Another is an ARC that Carina (love them) approved today. I'm going to need an #audiobook for Sunday because after the morning service at the spiritual center my roommate and I go to I'll be looking at two houses for my dad who's moving here in March!

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BOTM.BookSwap
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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@Cityofamber has an eclectic stack for trade. Interested in any? Comment and tag @cityofamber with your offers.

#botm #BOTMBookSwap

kamoorephoto What ones are hoping for? 7y
Cityofamber @kamoorephoto I‘m willing to look at what extras you have, I can‘t even think of all the BOTM the sounds interesting 😂 some That come to mind right away are: The Power, the rules of Magic, and Little Fires Everywhere. 7y
kamoorephoto I‘ll trade you Behind Her Eyes for The Power!! 👍🏼👍🏼😻 7y
See All 14 Comments
kamoorephoto My email is scriptkat@hotmail.com 😊 7y
kamoorephoto @Cityofamber It‘s ready to go! I‘ll mail on Tuesday after the holiday 👍🏼 7y
TheLibrarian @Cityofamber For “And We‘re Off” would you be interested in trading for any of the following: Red Clocks, Lucky You, American War, or The Most Dangerous Place on Earth? 7y
Cityofamber @TheLibrarian I would be interested in American War. Want to email me at amberboston1@gmail.com :) 7y
TheLibrarian @Cityofamber Great! I sent you an email. 7y
TheLibrarian @Cityofamber Mailing yours out tomorrow! 7y
Cityofamber @TheLibrarian I dropped yours off a few hours ago :) 7y
Jess7 I‘m interested in The Blinds 7y
Jess7 I‘m interested in The Possessions if you‘re still looking to trade @Cityofamber - anything you‘re looking for? I have a few botm thrillers I could trade 7y
Cityofamber @Jess7 I‘ll have to look if I still have it or not- I‘m not looking for anything specific ;) 7y
Jess7 Ok, thanks. Just let me know. I have several of the botm thrillers. @Cityofamber (edited) 7y
60 likes14 comments
review
sarahs.thoughts.on.books
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
Mehso-so

Enjoyed. Quick read (well, if you don't misplaced the book). Abandoned/forested children are raised by a corporation to become the love interests of people that the corporation feels is important. The love interests are the beautiful people. Was not a fan of the Caden/Juliet plot or the love triangle as a whole. wish there was more to Caden/Dylan.

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Nitpickyabouttrains
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Mehso-so

Cute ya which makes fun of the genre and love triangles. Fun and quick. But not very unique in terms of characters.

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JamieArc
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
Mehso-so

While the premise of this book sounded promising, it just did not deliver for me. Not a total waste of time, but it could have gone so much further and done much more exploration into the themes it presented. An opportunity lost, I would say.

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JamieArc
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Has anyone read this? It's next to read, but I have so many in TBR waiting that I'm afraid it's not worth it. #toreadornottoread (right now)....?

Yeah_I_Read I was very disappointed with this 😕. The premise seemed very interesting but I found that it was overly simplistic and super predictable. 7y
sarahs.thoughts.on.books It's a fast read, but there's so much more potential. 7y
20 likes2 comments
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beyondbookish
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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My book stack in honor of#nationalcomingoutday 📚❤️🌈

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aroc
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
Pickpick

Couldn't stop on our roadtrip. Not what I was expecting but I enjoyed it!

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aroc
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Road trip! On our way home from the woods. #puremichigan #ya #youngadult #roadtrip

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Siannalyn
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Itls time to read something published this year, yay!

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AnniesJournals
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Megaled
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Pickpick

I finally read this one- I got it a billion months ago from #BOTM and I really enjoyed it! I found premise intriguing- a company that basically manufactures Love Interests for those people they have targeted as having future influence; and of course like every good triangle the interests are either a "Nice" or a "Bad." I loved watching Caden&Dyls relationship grow- totally turning trad ❤️triangles on its head! Loved it!

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bookandcat
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Pickpick

Book 13 of #vacation was a knockout! So much fun and a great beach read. Thanks #botm for the great pick! I loved the spy story concept, the fact that it had LGBTQ protagonists, and that it used so many pop culture references and played off of overused tropes to make a fast paced, unique and amped up story 😍 #weneeddiversebooks

13 likes1 stack add
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Katiedabookworm
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Pickpick

I was a bit skeptical of this book after reading all the reviews of it on here, but quite honestly, this book is not bad at all. The only complaint is that towards the climax, the dialogue got a little forced, but I've definitely read worse. Otherwise, this book as well executed and fulfilling, and I had to pry myself away from it. If you're anybody aside from a critic, it's a fantastic read.

Reviewsbylola I didn't hate this at all. I thought it was pretty typical for YA and I appreciated that it tackled LGBTQ issues. I am so over YA at the moment though. 7y
8 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Katie.Zick
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
Pickpick

YA novel with a love triangle twist. Predictable, but couldn't put it down and loved the ending. #quickread #youngadultnovel

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eekabook
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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...is this a thing? Do people actually wear underwear under their swimsuits??

Chachic Yeah, I think some guys do! The guy friends I had beach trips with wore Speedos under their board shorts. 7y
eekabook @Chachic Huh! 😯 That's good to know. It's definitely not something I've ever run into before, so this whole scene made me scratch my head. 7y
Chachic The guys I know would never wear just swim trunks haha they would think those are too revealing. Board shorts are common because they're loose. 7y
eekabook @Chachic That's true, board shorts are pretty loose! I think what threw me was that the character's swim trunks were described as "tight" and form fitting so once the underwear was added in, I was just picturing this super attractive character walking around with underwear lines during his super sexy swim scene. ? 7y
6 likes4 comments
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kpelli73
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
Panpan

Cool idea not such a great book. #litsyatozchallege

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Hrhadrienne
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this one! Major action points!! No shying away from the big scenes here!

1 comment
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eekabook
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Okay so I figure this is just another way of saying his posture is good? But I can't help but imagine him with his arms extended just like clotheslining people he walks by. 😂

bethanysea 😹😹😹😹 7y
3 likes1 comment
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eekabook
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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I've been using this book as my #lunchread book at work! The one thing that stands out to me about The Love Interest is how... incompetent every one of them is so far? ? Like Kaylee being totally tone deaf, and Caden's "parents" actively antagonizing him?

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Cberbs
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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I have barely started this one. I'm apprehensive. It seems like some of the text is so obvious. It's a #botm pick from a few months ago. I'm hoping I'll like it better once I get into the story a bit more.

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Chasing_Pages
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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#sideprofiles #jubilantjuly
I love the shadow side profiles/silhouettes, and I've read and liked both of these!

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Purple_and_Company
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Mehso-so
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everylastword
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Dyl is literally the biggest baby I've ever met. So much for being a bad.

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everylastword
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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I swear Caden, overconfidence will be your downfall 😒

7 likes2 stack adds
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everylastword
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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"'There is one thing that's always bugged me,' I say. '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?'"

no caption necessary. Just the quote.

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missberlyreads
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Mehso-so
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CleverBaggins
The Love Interest | Cale Dietrich
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Panpan

The idea of this one was interesting. A rom com taken to the extreme with a bit of sci-fi horror thrown in. Only the writing is incredibly terrible. It was practically impossible to read terrible. The dialogue alone was painful but I was trying to cut the author some slack since and though maybe they were trying to write how they think teens talk. But there's no emotion to it. Making a character say I was scared doesn't cut it. Skip this one.