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For fans of:
- The family dynamics from To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
- 80s and 90s rom-coms (but make it gay)
- “You’re the One that I Want” from Grease
“I wait for him to turn gay into an accusation— an insult. I wait for him to stop seeing me as Kai and to see me just as gay. 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.”
Review:
*cries happy tears* This was such a healthy representation of discovering your sexuality and I want *slaps hands on table* for this *gives you the puppy eyes* to be turned into a movie so bad *sobs uncontrollably*.
Huh, what’s that? That wasn’t a concise review? Alright, let’s try again.
Date Me, Bryson Keller reads like a queer 90s rom-com and I absolutely lived for it. The cast of characters was exactly what you’d imagine a friends group and family to be. They’re quirky, weird, and funny, but also have a lot of depth to them considering that they’re not in the spotlight all the time (insert here my begging Kevin van Whye to give Kai’s sister Yazz her own spin-off because that girl is going places).
Not to mention the chemistry between Bryson and Kai is off the charts. Their friendship and eventual relationship is so supportive and both of them are incredibly thoughtful and they never turn against each other when the outside is trying hard to tear them apart. There’s no miscommunication and instead the two of them face their coming out together and try to make the process as smooth as possible for the other. Supportive boyfriends who are not afraid to show emotions? Yup, reason number 57 for you to pick up this book.
It also portrayed exploring your sexual identity in such a healthy manner. Bryson never questioned being gay that is, until he spent more time with Kai. And when he starts questioning whether he just always assumed he was straight because of what society made him believe, it’s not this bad thing, instead it’s him just thinking, “huh, maybe I should see where these feelings are taking me”. It was just such a refreshing storyline. Whereas we usually get characters pining, wondering, and fearing (which is all important and I love those books!), here we just have this kid figuring out that, hey, he might be into boys, and that’s cool!
This is also such a small thing, but it just stood out to me: Kai’s anxiety and the way he feels more comfortable texting people, even coming across as suave in words, was so relatable. Kai is overall a blushing cutie-pie whose cheeks you’re going to want to squish on every other page but he also deals with a lot of fears concerning his coming out. Van Whye doesn’t shy away from addressing that coming out and hazing queer people is still an issue even when people think it isn’t but Whye also takes care to make this story as uplifting as it is unflinching. The book screams love is love, kids, and to remember that you’re still you, no matter who you would like to dare-date for a week…or longer.
It also discussed coming out of the closet versus being forced out of it and the fallouts that can ensue when you’re not ready to tell the world who you are. Kai has a lot of love and support but there are (and hopefully not always will be) people who need time to understand this new facet of his – even though it’s nothing that should change the way you feel about him:
“I’m still me. Nothing’s changed. I know that for certain. Yes, I’m gay, but I’m still me. I know what the Bible says, Mom, but I’m asking you to put your faith in me. I’m asking you to put your faith in your son. I’m not any different just because society wants me to be. I’m the same. So please, Mom and Dad, love me just like you always have? Please?”
A poignant, cute queer love story that showers teens with support and shows that the hate will never win as long as we stick together. Delightfully funny and with a lot of heart, this debut belongs on your shelf!
Date Me, Bryson Keller is available at Amazon, Book Depository, and other good retailers as of May 19th 2020.
Will you be picking up Date Me, Bryson Keller? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
What If It’s Us meets To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before in this upbeat and heartfelt boy-meets-boy romance that feels like a modern twist on a ’90s rom-com!
Everyone knows about the dare: Each week, Bryson Keller must date someone new–the first person to ask him out on Monday morning. Few think Bryson can do it. He may be the king of Fairvale Academy, but he’s never really dated before.
Until a boy asks him out, and everything changes.
Kai Sheridan didn’t expect Bryson to say yes. So when Bryson agrees to secretly go out with him, Kai is thrown for a loop. But as the days go by, he discovers there’s more to Bryson beneath the surface, and dating him begins to feel less like an act and more like the real thing. Kai knows how the story of a gay boy liking someone straight ends. With his heart on the line, he’s awkwardly trying to navigate senior year at school, at home, and in the closet, all while grappling with the fact that this “relationship” will last only five days. After all, Bryson Keller is popular, good-looking, and straight . . . right?
Kevin van Whye delivers an uplifting and poignant coming-out love story that will have readers rooting for these two teens to share their hearts with the world–and with each other.
I also enjoyed this book very much, and agree that Yazz should get her own book. She was fabulous!