Date Me, Bryson Keller

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I went into this #Ownvoices book with high hopes and was so, so worried it wouldn't live up to my internal hype. Friends, it totally held up. WOW, I ADORED this book.

Okay, first up, I love the premise. It is corny and sweet the fact that Bryson has to date a new person every week up to Spring Break. I went in hoping for the corniness though, so I ate it up. The fact that the drama teacher is so stereotypical added to the whole corny situation.

The characters... Bryson Keller & Kai Sheridan. Bryson may in fact be the best boyfriend in the world. Does anyone like him actually exist in this world? He is a jock, so I was expecting cocky and narrow-minded– way to show me my biases. Bryson is sweet, adorable, understanding, open-minded, romantic, and not afraid of his emotions. How could Kai not fall in love with him? Kai is also adorably cute and so easy to love. He is shy, but confident, he sticks up for those he loves, and can be silly. Bryson and Kai are the absolute best to read about.

The relationships in this book are great. There is open communication, allowing people space, the normalization of fighting/arguing in a relationship, and nothing is over the top dramatic. We see both positive and negative aspects in a parent-child relationship. The friendships are a little... they are very much in the background, but we see some good bonds there too. It is also nice to see siblings getting along!

This book is super, super cute and fun to read.
That being said, there is more to it. See, Kai is in the closet and his family attends a church that believes being gay is a sin. Kai isn't ready to come out – asking Bryson out is a spur of the moment thing and a chance for him to live as himself for once. Kai is only mix-raced with his dad being from South Africa, so there are mentions of race policing and racism along with homophobia.
While there were many moments that had me squealing from cuteness and smiling in joy, I was also misty-eyed over some of the trials these boys face.

Honestly, this might be one of my favorite books so far this year. I will definitely re-read this one.
I recommend this book to people you like cute romances with a slice of real-life.

TW: homophobia, racism, forced outing, bullying