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? Thank you for saying that. Being an ex-film student that makes me happy! I don’t exactly have a dream cast but I did use certain actors for visual reference. When I was drafting the late Cameron Boyce was my Kai and for Bryson it was a French model/actor Maxence Danet-Fauvel. I also think actor Brandon Flynn gives off some Bryson Keller vibes. With Date Me, Bryson Keller releasing in May, what’s next for you? Are you working on another project already? If so, can you spare a few tidbits with us? 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?

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. Understanding Boyfriend: Bryson beats up his former best friend Dustin after he exposed his private relationship and puts the heavily-closeted Kai in the face of relentless slandering.

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So even though they're friendly on the surface, you weren't really a part of it. And that's what Kai goes through. He's never really been a part of it because his class is different, his race is different, his sexuality is different, so he doesn't fit in. He was always invited as the plus one, as the extra. But this year, thanks to his lab partner, he was invited by name. And that's an important moment for Kai, because in a sea of richness, he was the odd one out. MC: I couldn't agree more. And thank you so much for telling your story and giving us this amazing lesson.

We chat to Kevin van Whye, author of the laugh-out-loud, heartfelt and delightfully cute debut Date Me, Bryson Keller! We got to ask him all about his debut, favorite romcoms and his dream cast for Kai and his peers! Hi, Kevin! So glad you’re joining us! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself? Their interactions were everything and on multiple occasions I found myself laughing alongside them and deeply caring for these two young boys. 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. KVW: Again, thank you to my editor, I keep saying. I remember in one of our first conversations, I was like, "I tried my best with the American stuff, but I'll definitely need your insight on that." And thankfully we got a sensitivity reader who's a queer American, so that also helped get the details right. Just to make sure that it felt authentic to an American teen. But my second book is set in South Africa, that's also exciting.Bryson Keller is captain of the soccer team at Fairvale Academy and the most popular guy in the senior class. He’s never really dated anyone because he isn’t sure he believes in love, and he's afraid of hurting people. 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.

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. 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. PDF / EPUB File Name: Date_Me_Bryson_Keller_-_Kevin_van_Whye.pdf, Date_Me_Bryson_Keller_-_Kevin_van_Whye.epubBut then, what else happens to this kid? He gets outed, multiple times, including to his mother and to his whole school. His mother turns out to be as homophobic as you would expect from a straight Catholic, and needs literal days to come around. Both he and his boyfriend get in fights with homophobes. I also found it far-fetched that Kai's parents didn't have an idea whatsoever given all the telltale signs pointing to his sexuality. Token Trio: Kai (mixed-race and homosexual) and his two best friends Donny (wealthy, caucasian) and Priya (female, Indian) form this. MC: ...You hinted that Kai was a lot of your personal experiences wrapped up into this character. So I totally understand why he would be your favorite and really resonated with you. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

Small Role, Big Impact: Louise Keaton, is mentioned sparingly in the novel but if it wasn't for her spilling soda on Kai's blazer, he would have never been late for drama class, get paired up with the equally late Bryson and initiated The Bet out of frustration.

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. 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. 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! MC: That's really interesting. Another layer that I wouldn't have necessarily considered. I was a public-school student myself. It's just a different world. The other thing that sometimes bothered me was that there where scenes that really made me cringe because of the dialogue. I don't think real people talk like the characters in this book. And I'm usually not bothered by dialogue! But in this book there were some specific ones that really roll my eyes.