There’s also a strong supporting cast of friends and family members, some of whom are quite perceptive, some oblivious. They’re well-drawn, and even the “villains” are more than caricatures. Although I do not like the device of a conniving teenage girl making trouble for the gay guys, at least in this case she wasn’t motivated by jealousy or spite. Well, maybe a tiny bit of spite, but she was mostly driven by ambition, which made her more credible, and less of a stereotype. Extremely Short Timespan: Other than the prologue which happened two months before, the entirety of Kai and Bryson's relationship, and the drama that comes with it, takes place over the course of about two weeks.

Date Me, Bryson Keller is a contemporary upbeat and heartfelt gay romance. At Fairvale Academy, there’s a dare. Each week, Bryson Keller must date someone new, the first person to ask him out on a Monday morning. Not many people think he can do it, but Bryson has been consistent with the dare. That is, until a boy asks him out, and everything changes. This was a read-in-one-night kind of book—which are far and few between for me these days, and subsequently deserves all the stars for entertaining me so completely. MC: “Oh no. What next?” And one of the things I love about all of these rom-com tropes is they are so fun, they're so lighthearted, but at the same time, they're pivotal moments for the characters themselves.I love a good trope, and have spent countless hours on tvtropes.org. Three of my faves are first and foremost the fake-dating trope. I also love “Oh no! There’s only one bed.” Another trope that I adore is ‘enemies-to-lovers’. I love it in all its shapes and forms. Your debut novel had a very cinematic feel to it! If Date Me, Bryson Keller were to get the big screen treatment, who would be your dream cast for Kai and Bryson? the narrator's voicework is all over the place and can be distracting, the writing is clearly that of a newer author and while it is an enjoyable story, there are a lot of genre and YA cliches that make the story feel like it was written in the late 90s instead of the present. the romance is cute and honest, and works well, and the protagonist is likeable enough, but the ending feels rushed. it could/should have been two or three chapters longer in my opinion to give a bit more weight and closure to the storyline. the ending is nice, sure, but also contextually abrupt. I absolutely adored and devoured this sweet, funny and heart-warming LGBT themed YA book. Featuring relatable characters and telling a fun and romantic, but also very poignant and relative story, Kevin van Whye has delivered a wonderfully memorable debut here—one that might just take the cake as my favourite YA release of the year. I’m so glad he was the narrator because, as I stated in the title of this review – the last ten chapters make the book.

Their interactions were everything and on multiple occasions I found myself laughing alongside them and deeply caring for these two young boys. KVW: And especially making them queer, which is something a few years ago we couldn't possibly imagine. And now we're pushing forward. I'm so glad there's so many writers out there willing to tell their stories. Big Damn Kiss: What really cemented Kai and Bryson as an Official Couple was the tender yet passionate kiss between them after The Graces concert.MC: I couldn't agree more. And thank you so much for telling your story and giving us this amazing lesson. No voy a indagar más en este tema por no cabrearme, pero vamos, me parece muy fuerte que el/la autor/autora pase esta historia como propia, cualquier lector de BL sabrá de qué estoy hablando. VERGONZOSO. KVW: Yes, that was important to me. Right off the bat, I was glad that... Actually, what happened was, my audiobook producer sent me a list of potential narrators, and he recommended Vikas. And he said he doesn't usually, but having read the book and knowing the narrator, that he would be a perfect match. And when I first heard his audition, I was like, "Yeah, that's Kai, that's who I want to tell the story." So it was a perfect blend of everything. Third Wheel: Shannon unknowingly but irritatingly interrupts Bryson and Kai's dates at several points of the book as she wants to become closer to the former. Kai calls her by the trope when she tries stalking Bryson at The Graces concert even though she isn't a fan.

It's about this teenage boy, Kai, who is in the closet, he hasn't tell anybody that he's gay. Then there's this guy, Bryson Keller, who is very popular and is currently on a dare in which, each week, he has to date a different person. The most important rule is that the person has to ask Bryson to date them, and he has no choice but to agree. But Kai Sheridan never expected Bryson to say yes to him. 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? The attention to detail on that front helped with Bryson Keller, to make him the dreamboat. I remember when I sat down to write Bryson Keller, I wanted a queer Peter [Kavinsky] from To All the Boys. I wanted that for the queer community, and for me as a teen. And I think I've gotten pretty close with Bryson Keller, to making him my own dream. Everyone knows about the dare: Each week, Bryson Keller must date someone new--the first person to ask him out on Monday morning.KVW: Yeah, he came to life. It was such a weird experience the first time I heard it, because it was all on my screen, all in my head, and then all of a sudden it was real. MC: I definitely agree. This feels just like one of those '90s rom-coms, which, who doesn't love them? Para qué voy a leer Date me Bryson Keller? Si quisiera releer Seven Days, voy a la estantería y cojo mis tomos de la obra de Venio Tachibana y Rihito Takarai (de la que hay hasta un live action), no me pongo a perder mi tiempo con una novela que es un plagio. Porque, querid@s mí@s, esto, es un plagio, por mucho que una vez que han pillado al autor con “el carrito del helao” ahora hable de “inspiración” y que mejora los aspectos del manga y tal.

The tone is very preachy, as mentioned before, but also basic and not nuanced at all; sounds more like an adult telling the story. The most important part of writing YA books is nailing down teens’ voice and this book failed at that miserably. It’s cringy and embarrassing, and takes a lot of effort to get through. That Steve Buscemi “How do you do, fellow kids?” meme? That’s exactly this book’s energy. I did not know how Bryson and Kai would spend their week together. I let the story carry me there. I had little events that I hoped to include and built the story around them. What I did know from the get-go was that this story went beyond the week of the dare. Because I wanted to explore the after and the fallout of it all. Kai’s sister, Yazz, was a total show stealer for me! She’s supportive and funny and spot-on in the way she sees people. Any chance you would ever return to her character – or maybe anyone else from this charming story (I’m sorry, I’m a bit obsessed with this cast of characters)? In a word, in a phrase? It’s a preachy bulshit. If you’re looking for a light, cute gay romcom, you should keep looking. This book is not it.

The premise was quite fun and interesting, but what really did it for me were the two main characters, Bryson and Kai. I just liked them so much! Even though this book takes place in just two weeks I appreciated how Bryson and Kai's relationship started and then developed. Also, I was surprised to see that to me it did not feel rushed, it felt quite organic actually.