Date Me, Bryson Keller: TikTok made me buy it!

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The story all started with a dare to Bryson Keller, famous star athlete at Fairvale Academy. According to the dare he has to date the first person who asks him out every Monday morning until Friday. In short, different person every week. What happens when a guy named Kai Sheridan asks him out? The proverbial Bad Guys here turned out to be an overly-privileged, entitled, rich girl who wanted Bryson for herself, willing to go to any lengths to get him, and another person close to Bryson. I may or may not have wanted to light them on fire by the end of the book. Allegedly.

The reader] says he actually teared up because it reminded him so much of his own experience. I think that's the amazing thing of having the story out there, having readers tell me that what I've written resonates with them. And having the story described as wish fulfillment, because for so many queer teens, this probably will never happen. Having this chance to escape into a world where anything is possible, it's exciting to hear that I gave them that, because Bryson Keller is wish fulfillment, escape, and where everyone gets to date the dream guy in high school. 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. Another thing that I liked about this story was that, in spite of the fact that it was a YA Coming Out tale, at least for me, it did not read like a preachy " How To Be Gay" manual, for which I was extremely grateful. If you know me you are aware that I’m not much of a television watcher. Especially since the invention of subscription services - mainly because I’m terrified that I might become one of these people . . . .MC: I couldn't agree more. And thank you so much for telling your story and giving us this amazing lesson. The most significant weakness, for me, was the nature of the big crisis near the end. There’s simply no way that particular action could have happened outside the realm of adult supervision. I couldn’t suspend disbelief, and I was sad to see the story stumble that late in the game. Still, overall this was a treat, and it made me glad I hadn't given up on reading contemporary YA, like I’ve so often sworn I would do. Ironic since this story bursting at the seams with social justice issues one of which being how queer kids never get the romcoms, HEAs and the like, instead being relegated to the funny friend or killed off. So I was surprised that not only was Date Me, Bryson Keller not funny but Kai, our protagonist, was put through the gauntlet.

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. Even though I had fun reading this book, I think the writing definitely could’ve been better. It was like someone was telling me a story word by word.

Have you ever seen a movie or a tv show where there are two people (like two girls or two boys) and there is this sexual tension everybody probably feels between them? 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? Date Me, Bryson Keller is a love letter to the 90’s/early 2000 Rom-Coms that I grew up on. It’s the story of seventeen-year-old, gay-but-not-out Kai Sheridan, who asks popular Bryson Keller out on a date as part of a dare, which changes both their lives forever. The book is best described as a coming out story but with a rom-com sensibility. Readers can expect a tale of first love. There will be trials and tribulations, you may cry but you will also laugh, and I promise that this gay love story has a happy ending. Date Me, Bryson Keller feels nostalgic for the 80s/90s romantic comedies but with a very needed queer twist. I couldn’t put it down! What inspired this fun story? And do you have a favorite romcom? Seven Days: "It is rumored that Touji Seryou, one of the more popular boys at school, would go out with anyone who asks him out on a Monday morning." (published in 2010) Michael Collina: I'm Audible Editor Michael Collina, and I'm so excited to be speaking with Kevin van Whye about his debut novel, Date Me, Bryson Keller. Thank you so much for joining me today, Kevin.