This is one of the best Young Adult books that I’ve ever read! I absolutely loved everything about it. It’s so unbelievably cute with just the right balance between being hilarious and serious. It’s very character driven and kept my attention constantly. The relationship felt real and the characters were well developed. The way sexuality is discussed is perfect and it made me so happy. I loved the way Bryson’s character talked about people loving people. It was honest and beautiful. And I just want to read it again and again.

I feel like I’ve got nothing to say because I have no faults with it. There are many stories out there like this, but this is without a doubt the most well written one I’ve ever read. And on top of that, it’s probably my favourite portrayal of a m/m romance in a book. I enjoyed every second of it, and recommend it to everyone. Absolutely fantastic!

‘Date Me, Bryson Keller’ is a heartfelt boy-meets-boy romance, following Kai Sheridan, a young boy in the closet. Everyone knows about Byson Keller’s dare: Every week he must date the first person who asks him out on Monday morning. He doesn’t care much for it, not having really dated before. That is, until Kai asks him out.

I’m not normally a contemporary person, usually sticking to more of my favourite genres. However, this one struck a chord with me, enjoying the upbeat and lightheartedness that the plot entailed. Needless to say, it gave me all of that and more.

Kai Sheridan was a wonderful protagonist, fulfilling the diverse roles within the story line and telling the story from a point of view that we don’t usually get to see; a mixed race teenage boy in the closet. Kai was curious and brave throughout the story, from beginning to end, and made for an incredibly interesting protagonist. He didn’t make mistakes per say, yet continued to move the story along and engage the reader in other ways.
Bryson Keller was another interesting character, not really being someone who I expected from the first page. Being the most popular guy in school you expect him to fulfil the stereotype, yet Bryson didn’t. He was friendly and heartwarming with his interactions with Kai and continued to impress. They were both characters you could easily route for, and I had no problem witnessing their story blossom. They made for wonderful characters and I didn’t want their story to end.

The writing itself is very engaging, written from Kai’s point of view and continuing to grip the reader in his clutches. He was an extremely relatable protagonist and made the story flow smoothly through the week with Bryson Keller. Whye has a beautiful talent for narrative, feeling as if you were right in Kai’s mind and understanding his struggles and anxieties, you empathised with him immediately and easily. There was no lack of connection between the reader and its characters.

Overall, this character driven novel is packed with substance. It makes you laugh, cry, and feel for those within it’s pages. It was a pure delight to read.

When I read that this book was pitched as What if it's Us meets To All the Boys I've Loved Before, I knew I needed it. Especially if it feels like a '90s romcom. I went into this book expecting a fun contemporary that made me laugh and and left me with a happy feeling at the end. I got that and more. Date Me, Bryson Keller really hit me in all the feels! Kevin van Whye made me connect with these characters and I honestly wish there was more to come!

Our main character Kai has known for awhile that he's gay, but hasn't come out yet and he's not sure how. His parents are really religious and being mixed-race and this makes it so much harder for him to want to announce this. How will his parents react? At school there are some students already out, but it's still not easy. I loved Kai so much. He loves his family and friends and in many ways he's sick of living a lie, but he doesn't know how everyone will accept the news. Kai is creative, sensitive, caring, passionate and shy (he constantly blushes). And Kai is incredibly brave, more so then he thinks!

Bryson is your typical high school jock (star on the soccer team) or so it seems. Except there's so much more to him than meets the eye! He has a bright and bubbly personality, is kind, doesn't even think twice to help someone out and will stand up for what he believes in. His home life isn't perfect, but he loves his mother and sister. Dating isn't something he does (when you read the book you'll understand why), so he go into a bet to date someone every week for a few months. There are rules and he has to be asked out! This has been going okay so far, no big deal.

Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and makes me laugh. I loved that Kai asked Bryson out in a moment of frustration, because he never expected him to say yes. The whole week of seeing them dating and getting to know each other was so sweet! As they go on dates, it's fun to see them connect and feelings grow. I kept on wondering how this would end, because as far as we know at the start, Bryson is straight. That was an interesting point made in this book as well, sometimes you don't question your sexuality or think you need to until you start feeling something. It all felt so natural.

That being said, this book isn't all smiles and fun! There are also some serious subjects talked about. One being, that when people come out they're still harassed, rejected, treated differently, etc. Someone even says in the book, why is this still happening? We shouldn't still be treating people this way. Love is love! Everyone loves who they love and there's nothing wrong with that. This book had me in tears quite a few times, because I really hurt for our main characters. When you read the author's note, it hits you in the feels even more. Date Me, Bryson Keller is an own voices story and it feels that way.

Besides this amazing story, we also get a cast of amazing side characters. Bryson's sister and mom made me laugh and I wish we saw more of them. Kai's sister Yazz is amazing and definitely deserves her own story, I would love to know more! She's the sister everyone should have. Also, Kai's best friend are the perfect squad to have at school. The only thing I wish we learned more about it what happens with the play? And Kai's writing! I wouldn't say no to a book with these two in college, haha. All in all, an amazing read and I won't be forgetting this one anytime soon!

CW: homophobia, forced public outing, bullying.

Mixed feelings on this one but overall, the romance was extremely sweet and my favorite part of the story. If you're picking this up to read some wholesome, mostly angst-free romance, you won't be disappointed. And it's ownvoices, for both the queer and biracial rep.

Sadly, there are things I wasn't happy about:

- The writing style is...not good. Repetitive, clunky and amateurish, if I'm being honest. It's understandable given that this is a debut but it did stop me from fully enjoying the story quite a bit. Dialogues felt super awkward too.

- The characterizations are also poorly done. Side characters barely have personalities and feel like a mishmash of various traits instead.

- This line said by a boy: "I'm so used to being late because of the girls I'm dating." I'm so tired of reading this kind of casual sexism.

- Ugh, the bi-erasure. In the first half of the book, our MC Kai keeps wondering whether Bryson is straight or gay since up till now Bryson has only been seen dating girls. Not once does he consider Bryson being bisexual or pansexual; it's either gay or straight for Kai. This kind of binary thinking is present throughout and was pretty infuriating to read. Sure, Bryson does say it's possible he's bi but it's only for a single moment and then never brought up again. I don't mean to say that Bryson needs to define a label for himself, of course he doesn't, I just wish Kai's problematic thinking could have been more explicitly acknowledged and challenged.

- The ending is WAY too abrupt for me. I would have liked more payoff for everything Kai went through.

Again, the romance itself is great; I loved reading all the cute and sappy scenes between Kai and Bryson and their dates were just too damn adorable. I really liked how uncomplicated and low-angst their romance was; exactly what I was in the mood for. I also loved Kai's dad; his unquestioning acceptance and his use of South African and Afrikaans phrases.

Despite my issues, I'd definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy.

Date Me, Bryson Keller! is a fake dating story between a teen who has been dared to date a new person each week, and a boy who hasn't yet come out for fear of disappointing his family.

Bryson Keller is a sweetheart. I absolutely adored him, but a recurring problem throughout this book was that the characters didn't feel very real. They all felt two dimensional and predictable - nothing about them or the story was a surprise.

The romance was cute, and the plot was sweet. I also loved the message of learning to accept yourself. However, I didn't feel there was anything particularly revolutionary about this book compared to others!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and will be submitted to Amazon after release.

Thank you Penguin Random House and NetGalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I instantly fell in love with this book when I read the description, I love coming out stories and secret relationships and fake dating and this book has it all. I was a little unsure how this would be set up and was worried that it might not work, but it was beautifully written and never felt like any part was forced or a little too convenient. 

Kai and Bryson felt like a strong unite throughout this book which was something that I really liked about it. They weren't always on the same page or in the same place, but I really felt like they communicated their feelings well and always knew that they could rely on and trust each other. They were there for each other through a lot of difficult moments throughout the book.

There was a lot of homophobia from side characters in this story, but this was constantly portrayed as wrong and over-the-top, contrasting with the centre of this story that treated sexuality with complete normality. It showed that coming out is still difficult and scary and that homophobia is still everywhere, but that many people are accepting and that they don't make any issue out of it. Bryson's journey in particular also showed how young people now are more open to the fluidity of sexuality and to questioning themselves and that this doesn't have to be a scary thing.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It definitely had some heavy aspects, but I think it sends a great message that though coming out can be difficult, that it is worth it to be able to be yourself and have the things that you want and that it is okay to be open to these things.

NOOOOO!!!!! I finished that way too quickly! It was such an easy and engaging read. I love Kai he reminds me so much of myself with his anxiety I just want to pull him close and give him a hug.
And Bryson - damn he’s a cool guy. So open and caring and not a popular asshole at all. Both of them compliment each other so well and I am glad I got to read their story.
I wish there was more. It’s so cute but also so important. Because not only do we get a sweet love story we get an insight into what life still can be like for LGBTQ+ teens. There is still this fear of coming out, of what other people think and the assholes who think it’s ok to joke and judge.
This is why it’s important to have books that showcase this and show that love is love and everyone needs to try and accept that.

Notes on the story

Okay, real talk. I enjoyed this book. The story was cute and sweet and tackled some real issues faced by the LGBTQIA+ community today. I usually browse Goodreads reviews before starting a book just to get a general idea of the book. Going in blind isn't always for me. That's when I found some reviews saying this book copied a comic by the name of Seven Days, which also has the whole "popular boy dates people only for a week" thing.

Naturally, I googled it, wanting to see what was up. Because I do not want to support someone who plagiarised (even if the author is a fellow South African). From what I could gather from internet sleuthing, they are the same only in the tropes used. Now I haven't read the Seven Days comic (since comics are ridiculously expensive in SA and I couldn't find it online) so I can't say for sure for myself.

The rest of the Goodreads reviews were generally positive, and the author does acknowledge the Seven Days comic, along with some other books, that was his inspiration for this own-voices story.

Notes on some tropes

Now here's where I get a bit controversial, if I may. There are hundreds upon thousands of books that contain the same tropes and are similar in premise. How many times have you seen the "lost royal" trope, "enemies to lovers", "fake dating", etc? The list goes on. And how many times have you seen a story with the same trope and with straight characters? (I can think of many romance books).

My point is, LGBTQIA+ characters and stories deserve an abundance too. No one person is the same, no one person's story is the same. Give the LGBTQIA+ community hundreds and thousands of different stories because there are thousands of real people who deserve to see themselves in books and have their stories told. Even if the tropes are the same.

Okay, to the actual story

That's my tea. I'm going to encourage you to read this book. It's funny, heartwarming and speaks to some very important issues. The characters are loveable, especially Kai and Bryson, and the diversity is amazing.

It has flaws, like bi-erasure and the unnecessary vilification of characters. However, I'm also going to encourage you to read Seven Days and all of the other stories the author takes inspiration from. And then you can make up your own mind.

This is an own voices story about a dare leading to unexpected results. Bryson Keller has agreed to date whoever asks him out first on a Monday. The catch: the relationship will only last during the school week. This keeps going until Kai, a closeted boy, asks him out on a Monday morning.

The premise seems absurd. Upon further research I found out that it was based on a manga, which also acknowledged in the author’s note. The first half also really reminded me of classic manga or light novels. It was mostly a cute love story that only hinted at more serious topics. In the second half of the book this changes as more serious issues such as homophobia, coming out and racism are addressed. One of the strong points of this book is that everything feels very authentic. The author obviously has managed to weave his own experiences into the story in a way that feels genuine and heartfelt.
The story takes space during a time span of two weeks. During these two weeks so much happens that everything seems a bit rushed and side characters don’t seem properly fleshed out.
This book was blurbed as perfect for fans of Jenny Han’s To all the boys I’ve loved before and I agree with that sentiment. It’s worth a read even though some aspects of this book could do with some more work.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an earc of this book!

This is so cute, I love Kai Sheridan is a great character. Being in his head is a ride. He’s sarcastic and sweet, comfortable yet nervous, the narrative is upbeat and honest. Yet has its intense moments. It was rom-com greatness great with cute moments but some hard hitting moments that will take you by surprise.

I wait for all this while reminding myself that being gay is never a choice. If it were, why would so many of us choose to be shunned and spoken about behind our backs? The answer is simple: it isn’t a choice. It’s all so unfair: because you’re so-called different, you need to stand up and say that you’re so-called different. What makes everyone else normal? Who gets to decide that? Whoever it is can suck it.

The plot was a fun contemporary plot. A secretive relationship is great, adding in diversity with two lovely male characters, a small town, and a love story just makes it amazing and my cup of tea! This was my kind of book because not only was it a fun read it took on a more intense narrative it had me tearing up.

I love Bryson he was a great character and a swoon-worthy love interest. He was not a stereotype in any way he was just as sweet and lovely as Kai and they just work together so well and I ship them so much!!!

The word are just not coming. They’re being held hostage somewhere in my brain, and I don’t even know where to begin to rescue them.

I wish this book was longer, or maybe a sequel so we can spend more time with the characters? I just think it would have benefited from being a little longer. Overall defiantly think you should give this a try.

If I could rate this higher than five stars, I would.

This was the perfect LGBTQ+ YA novel. From start to finish I was immersed in Kai’s story, especially as his story covered two very important topics, sexuality and race. Kai talks of his issues not only relating to being a gay male who is still in the closet, but also as a mixed race person and how difficult being mixed race can be. He talks about how he often feels like he doesn’t really fit, because he’s not black and he’s not white so feels like he doesn’t have a proper place.

I loved the character of Yazz. She’s so clever and strong minded and SO supportive of Kai. I loved that she helped their parents see sense.

There were also characters that made me SO angry, for obvious reasons that I don’t want to mention as they’re spoilers!!

This book is SO important. I read it cover to cover, in one sitting, and have thought about nothing but this book ALL. DAY.

A must read.

Well, this was just a delightful read. Think To All The Boys I've Loved Before, but queer.

Things I loved included:
- reading an #ownvoices book about a biracial character
- reading about a character with a South African parent (I legit got so excited when Kai's dad used Afrikaans and South African phrases!)
- how adorable Bryson was
- (slight spoiler) that, when Kai's parents found out he was gay, it was his white, American-born mom who was freaked out and homophobic, not his biracial, South African dad. This was a really refreshing inversion of how those groups are often perceived
- Kai's sister Yazz was PERFECT, I was sort of imagining her as Diane from Black-ish, if she was more caring and slightly less of a smart-arse
- how homophobia is a real and present issue for Kai at school. Don't get me wrong, I love reading queer YA where characters are out at school and everything is super happy and fine - it's nice to live in that optimistic version of reality - but I felt this was probably a more nuanced and realistic vision of high school for queer kids outside of major US cities.

Things that I wasn't so keen on:
- urgh the bi-erasure whhhhhhyyyyyyyyy? It's suggested once, in a throwaway line, that maybe Bryson is bi or pan but for the vast vast majority of the book only the binary options of gay/straight are ever mentioned or discussed.
- the whole reasoning/logic for Kai asking Bryson to date him is weak af, like it had to happen to get to the good stuff but the author wasn't really invested in that bit (see also, the dare in the first place, which didn't make a ton of sense)
- this is personal considering my own heritage, but I would have liked something more about Kai's dad being a biracial South African married to a white woman. Presuming the book is set around 2019, they'd have met not long after the fall of apartheid and the first democratic elections in South Africa, so it's not NOTHING that his dad is a non-white South African. Kai talks about race in America and specifically where he fits as a biracial person (which was done really well), but doesn't reflect on his South African heritage with regards to race. But like I say, this is probably just me and my South African heritage being greedy to read something reflecting that in mainstream YA!

But these are mere quibbles, it really was a fun and romantic read that I enjoyed a lot.

Alright, I honestly don't know how to describe how I feel about this book so this is going to be a very weak review compared to how I really feel.

First things first...trigger warnings for homophobia, bullying, characters being outed, some violence...the usual.

Second, I wanna say how much I loved this story. It's cute and fluffy and touches on so many issues and I just loved this so much. The main characters are so cute, the supportive side characters are awesome and it was just overall such a great read for me.

We start off with a party and the second main character being dared to date someone else every week. Bryson is a well-beloved guy in school, he's the captain of the soccer team and everyone loves him. However, he doesn't think a lot about dating in high school. He simply doesn't care about that so that's why he got dared and every monday, the first person to ask him to date them, he has to say yes and date them for 5 days. Kai is a mixed race (his dad is south african), gay, closeted boy who shares Drama class with Bryson and they've been put together for an assignment and on the same day, on this monday, Kai, out of a whim, asked Bryson to date him. Bryson, who's always thought he's straight, thought it was a joke first but then realised it wasn't and true to the dare, he said yes. That was the only week nobody knew who Bryson was dating because Kai isn't out yet and Bryson doesn't want to out him, so they use the excuse to meet because of the assignment while dating in secret and this is where the story starts.
First off, I loved Kai as a character, I loved to see how he dealt with dating a guy for the first time and then none other than the most popular boy of high school while actually having a crush on another guy. Second, I loved Bryson. I was honestly so in love with this boy because he's just not what you expected. People think he has it all but it's not all as it seems and I loved to get to know the character and I loved even more how supportive he was of Kai and helping him and defending him and I honestly loved him so much as a character.

This book now holds a special place in my heart and if you like the fake dating trope with cute boys being all fluffy, you'd definitely like this book. If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would.

3.4* rounded up to 4 here

Date Me, Bryson Keller is a light, indulgent addition to the selection of queer YA contemporary romance books out there. While it didn't blow my socks off, it was still a decent read, and I know that a lot of people are going to like it!

The plot of this book was incredibly cliché, and heavily reliant on tropes; however, it suited the tone of the story quite well. It's got fake relationship, it's got friends to lovers, the whole nine yards. Not the most realistic plot in the world, but it worked well. It took place in a fairly short timespan, so it was very fast moving, but I never felt it was too fast moving or rushed. It was absolutely predictable, but in a classic YA contemporary romance way that was still enjoyable, and part of the charm.

However, though it's a cute and fluffy storyline, there were some lows to it too. Kai gets outed several times, and here's definitely a fair amount of homophobia from those around him, as well as internalised homophobia. One of the tropes that I am not a fan of that was present in the story was the 'I'm not like the other, out Gay TM' trope, like in Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda. It just doesn't sit well with my own experiences, and while I completely get that my experiences aren't universal, it still feels a little off. I also had some major issues with the main antagonist but I don't want to spoil too much.

Kai and Bryson made a really cute pair. They were friends before, so there was already some basis to the relationship, which is always something I like. They were both total dorks and it was really sweet to watch them go from working on a play script and breakfast together, to holding hands and being goofballs. Bryson was really nice, both to Kai but also to basically everyone else. And Kai was a massive dork: he's one of those main characters who falls under the 'Awkward gay dork starring in a contemporary' and was overall a fun main character.

One thing that made this book hard to read was the writing style. I found it clunky and slightly amateur, and felt at times that the prose felt like dialogue and the dialogue felt like prose. I honestly wanted to take a red pen to some of it, but that's rude and I didn't want to ruin the screen of my kindle. This is not something that's going to be an issue for everyone, but it definitely impacted my enjoyment of the story as a whole.

I don't want to end this review on a negative note because this book doesn't really deserve that, so I will do a quick shout-out to my favourite character! Yazz is honestly the coolest fictional little sister, she was on Kai's side 100% though it all and channelled the righteousness that almost all children her age had.

This book was not necessarily my cup of tea, but not every book is for every person. However, I think it's a good fluffy read for those who want a cute queer YA story that flows well and wraps up nicely with a Happily Ever After. It definitely had its moments, and is overall a solid YA contemporary romance.

The publisher provided an advanced copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My review will be posted on my blog and Goodreads on Sunday 17th of May, and promoted on and around the publication date.

This book made me smile and it also made me cry. Although it is a very important story to be told with valid points being touched, I feel like some of the teaching moments felt a bit forced. Overall a good book that will help young queer readers.

As a fellow South African, I obviously stan.
I was scared to read this initially because I wanted to love it quite desperately and am happy to report that it didn't disappoint.

Bryson Keller and I hold hands the rest of the way home. And I take my first step into quicksand.

This book is pure fluff. My kindle (whose name is Benjamin) was on the receiving end of constant smiling and some delighted giggling.

To see someone who looks like me, who loves like me, living his life on his own terms has made the band special to me.

Did I mention this book is own voices? It comes through clearly in the writing. The fear of coming out, the injustice of even having to, the ache of having to worry about what other people will think comes through in Kai's thoughts. Representation matters!

This is how I've lived my whole life - hidden and in the shadows. And the longer I stay here, the more tired I'm getting.

There are some parallels to other books, the story line was, admittedly by the author, inspired by an anime. The idea of secretly, fake dating someone was a bit confusing but hey, it somehow worked.

Also, Bryson Keller is clearly not real because goodness was this LI written as perfect and I have no complaints. Such a sweetheart and good guy! I adored him and I could see why Kai fell for him.

Excited to see what this author does next.

Because love is love is love.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I can’t begin to imagine what it must be like to have to think so much about your sexuality, or to be so cautious about your thoughts/feelings. Whatever your views, however, nobody should be forced to come out unless they choose to. Some of the actions in this made me unbelievably cross, and I hate the fact that this will be something people even have to consider.
I’ve read a couple of views criticising this novel for being so similar to some other stories. I can’t comment on that, but I can certainly say how much I enjoyed this story.
Our main character, whose point of view we’re predominantly focused on, is Kai. He knows he’s gay, but hasn’t said anything to either his friends or family. He seems fairly happy in himself, but we learn he’s desperate to head to college so he can be himself. Kai is a character on the periphery of his high school experience, but he finds himself in a rather unusual situation.
This situation involves the school golden boy, Bryson Keller, who’s got himself caught up in what could be a pretty crass scenario. Whoever asks him out on a date each Monday he has to accept, and date them for the week. For reasons I’m still not totally sure about - but it stems from a chance detention and a drama task - Kai ends up asking Bryson on a date. And he agrees.
We follow Kai and Bryson through their somewhat unexpected week. They keep it quiet, and at points I feared this might be because Bryson was going to do something awful. That wasn’t the case, though, and this quickly becomes a tale of two boys finding a mutual love. Almost insufferably cute, it would take a fairly hard-hearted person not to warm to these two.
There’s hints that this will not be plain sailing. I know some might have a worse experience, but when it matters people are generally seen to do the right thing. Kai’s little sister was wise beyond her years and the kind of cheer squad anyone would be proud to have. Plenty to like in this, and I’m grateful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication.

It seems I'm not an Ice Queen after all...this book melted my heart.
Date Me, Bryson Keller is an incredibly sweet and thoughtful YA romance that can be easily read in one sitting. Before I move onto my actual review however I wanted to address some of the bad rep this book has been getting. Some reviewers (who haven't even read it) are insinuating that this book is a rip off of Seven Days a BL manga. The two works do share the same premise and Kevin van Whye acknowledges this in his author's note. In fact he says that a number of stories influenced him:
“I owe a great debt to all of them, including the Norwegian web series Skam (particularly season 3), To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (as well as the film adaptation, Love, Simon), the manga Seven Days: Monday-Sunday by author Venio Tachibana and illustrator Rihito Takarai, and the '90s romcom She's All That. Date Me, Bryson Keller is my #ownvoices take on these prior works.”
YA romances are not renown for their originality so I'm not sure why some are crying 'outrage' without even having read Kevin van Whye's book. His novel reworks the 'popular guy dates different people each week' premise of Seven Days. These two works have very different characters, settings, and themes (also, most BL and yuri mangas do not realistically portray the struggles of those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community).

Anyway, moving onto my actual review: Date Me, Bryson Keller is a delightful and surprisingly heart-rendering read. Kai Sheridan narration is compelling and I deeply felt for him. In spite of his awkwardness he's capable of admirable self-respect. Due to a dare the most popular boy his private school has to date someone new every Monday. The first person to ask him gets to date him for a week. Although Kai wants to keep his head down, and is not ready to tell his friends and family that he's gay, he finds himself asking Bryson out. To Kai's surprise Bryson agrees. Over the course of the week the two secretly fake date. They meet up in the morning, go out for breakfast together, study together, and quite quickly they get to know each other. As Kai's feelings towards Bryson intensify he begins to question whether they are reciprocated.
To begin with this struck me an impossibly cute and lighthearted story. Bryson is an actual Cinnamon Roll™ and it was so refreshing to see his relationship with Kai develop without any unnecessary angst. I also really appreciated Kai's character arc. Things do eventually take a turn for the worst, and Kai has to deal with a lot. Through Kai's story Kevin van Whye dispels this myth that homophobia' no longer exists or that if it does it never originates from young people. Kevin van Whye maintains a wonderful balance between love story and coming of age, and alleviates the more heart-rendering parts of his novel with humour. The interactions between Kai and Bryson had me smiling like an idiot.
I will definitely be reading this again and I'm looking forward to Kevin van Whye's next novel.

A romantic tale of first love and the pressure of getting ready to come out. Kevin van Whye captures all the pleasure and insecurities of first love and at the same time struggling with having to come out. A gentle story to bring back your memories.

"I wait for all this while reminding myself that being gay is never a choice. If it were, why would so many of us choose to be shunned and spoken about behind our backs? The answer is simple: it isn’t a choice." (p. 42)

Date Me, Bryson Keller is a coming-out novel instead of a coming-of-age one. Kai Sheridan is a 17-year-old high school student who's know he's gay for a while now. But he's in a closet, deep and stuck. Even his best friends don't know. He's had crushes, he's had blow-outs about said crushes and he's been ghosted. So he made up his mind: he won't be coming out before he graduates high school.

"It’s all so unfair: because you’re so-called different, you need to stand up and say that you’re so-called different. What makes everyone else normal? Who gets to decide that?" (p. 42)

But then there's one house party, one Bryson Keller and one dare. And everything changes.

Simply put I loved this book. It made me swoon, it made me go aaaaawwww (out loud and at work, mind you) and it actually made me cry. I'm not a 17-year-old gay boy, but still I could relate. I could feel the hurt, the pain, the frustration and the happiness all through this book.

I’m happy this book is coming out soon. I hope it gives hope and light to those who are struggling, to those who are afraid and to those who are questioning. Just know that you are loved, you are worthy and you are perfect.