Book Review :: DATE ME, BRYSON KELLER

Book: DATE ME, BRYSON KELLER by Kevin van Whye

Genre: Contemporary
Series: N/A
Publisher: Random House for Young Readers / Penguin
Source: ARC via NetGalley!

Where to Buy: Shop local! Find your local independent bookstore at IndieBound!

_________________________________________________________________________________

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!

_________________________________________________________________________________

Goodreads Summary:

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.

My Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Check out my full review after the jump! Click "Read More" below to continue!


I received a copy of DATE ME, BRYSON KELLER from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

First of all, I'M SCREAMING.

I haven't read this fast and prioritized a book like this in SO LONG. I was completely captivated from page 1 (well actually- I was captivated from the premise, but same idea), and it never let me go. I was reading this on my kindle in bed, on my phone in the shower, as I walked around the neighborhood, as I cooked dinner, I literally could not have devoured this book fast enough.

As I took some time to reflect on this book, I realized that for me (and probably MANY other gay men), this book was a day dream I've had all the way since Middle School. There were so many popular "straight" guys at my high school that I fantasized and wished more than anything that something similar to the events of this book would happen between us. Like, drawing our names in hearts in my English notebook, writing pretend love letters to them and imagining what they would say in return (you know, in the off chance they wouldn't call me names or bully me). I can count the amount of out gay guys in my high school on one hand, and the amount that I actually liked or that wasn't bitchy on one finger. This book was my fantasies and daydreams come alive, and it was a very special reading experience for me. I got to see, in greater detail, what my dreams would have looked like had they ever come true.

I found myself highlighting parts of the book on my kindle just because they were SO CUTE. Kevin van Whye's writing in his debut novel is stunning and I can really tell that he put his heart and soul into his words. The character interactions and development really made the novel more realistic and I found myself more invested in these character's past, present, and future. There were moments I laughed out loud, moments I teared up, and moment's that I had to put the book down, smile to myself, close my eyes and process. DATE ME, BRYSON KELLER has officially become my favorite LGBT Rom Com book to ever be published.


If you have reservations about buying this book, don't. Get those thoughts out of your head! This is a definite 5-star from me and probably will be one of my top reads in YA for the year. I absolutely adored this book, and if you are in the mood for a gay Rom-Com, do yourself a favor and pre-order this book! The book releases on May 19th so better act quick!

There are a few minuscule details that also made me love and appreciate this book even more: 1) They are learning The Great Gastby in English class, and are learning Romeo and Juliet in Drama class. Anybody that knows me knows that these are two of my favorite things to teach, EVER! So the fact that not 1, but 2 of my favorite pieces of literature made some sort of appearance made me so incredibly happy.

As a Language Arts teacher, I am SO excited to have already pre-ordered two copies (one for me and one for my classroom library!) so that I can put this in the hands of a student who is just like I was in high school- hopelessly romantic, hopelessly imaginative, and hopelessly and unapologetically gay.

I can not thank Penguin Random House & Netgalley for this review copy enough, I was SO PLEASED to see that I had been approved. A million thank yous!