Title: Date Me, Bryson Keller
Author: Kevin van Whye
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance, LGBT
Publisher: Random House Books
for Young Readers
Date published: May 19, 2020

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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?

⤖ My Review ⬻

I generally have a thing for the fake dating trope and tend to go for books that promise this trope along with a hint at a happy ending. The cover of Date Me, Bryson Keller, as well as the synopsis, hinted at this for me and this book sounded like something I would enjoy just in general! I’m not a big fan of book covers using real people because I like to be able to imagine the characters on my own and having real models to look at makes that more difficult. But I can objectively still say that it’s a super-duper cute cover. Date Me, Bryson Keller was definitely a rom-com for me. But it was a rom-com that also touched on some important issues involving LGBTQ+ individuals as well as race, which I think is important.

I mean, I would obviously love to read a book where those who identify as LGBTQ+ and people of colour aren’t faced with closed-minded people and their actions, but that would just be unrealistic. We’re just not there yet. All in all, I enjoyed how the plot progressed. The romance went a little differently from what I imagined, but it was different from other romance plots that I’ve encountered, which was refreshing and made me happy. Date Me, Bryson Keller made me laugh, made me cry, and made me think. All in all, I definitely recommend to those who enjoy YA contemporaries and I look forward to seeing what Kevin van Whye will write next!

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Kevin van Whye is a writer born and raised in South Africa, where his love for storytelling started at a young age. At four years old, he quit preschool because his teacher couldn’t tell a story. Kevin’s love affair with stories led him to film school to study script writing. Kevin currently lives in Johannesburg. Find him at: www.kevinvanwhye.com

⤖ Purchase the Book ⬻

⤖ Let’s Chat ⬻

THANK YOU FOR READING MY REVIEW! HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? WHAT DID YOU THINK? AND IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT YET, DO YOU WANT TO, OR NOT? HOW COME? LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS!