Nate Plus One

Praise for Nate Plus One:

"Hits all the right notes." —Kirkus Reviews

"[An] exuberant summer love story." —Publishers Weekly

"Readers, who will root for the likable characters, will be happy to themselves be Nate’s plus-one." —Booklist

Praise for Date Me, Bryson Keller by Kevin van Whye:

"I can't tell you how much joy [Date Me, Bryson Keller] brought me. One of the most adorable, big-hearted, charming books in existence." —Becky Albertalli, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

"A sweet romance and exploration of the ways we can accidentally fall in love. Adorable and authentic." —L. C. Rosen, author of Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) and Camp

“[A] fantastic love story . . . Uplifting.” —BuzzFeed

"A poignant, cute queer love story that showers teens with support and shows that the hate will never win as long as we stick together." —The Nerd Daily

“An adorable featherlight romance.” —The Guardian

"A fun, feel-good story that shows the importance of having a strong support system, that love is love, and that everyone deserves to love and be loved." —School Library Journal

"This #ownvoices debut is scrupulously romantic . . . A solid blend of swoon-worthy moments and minor injustices." —Kirkus Reviews

"[Kevin van Whye] writes a coming-out story with authority and empathy . . . The execution is appealing, and readers, too, will want to date Bryson." —Booklist

"Debut author van Whye uses the dare to set up a book filled with good-natured sweetness." —Publishers Weekly |

1

Jai Patel looks sexy when he is onstage.

Or in this case, standing in Lauren Hall’s living room and plucking the strings of his guitar to one of the Weeknd’s songs. It’s Saturday night, and we’re at Lauren’s house for her birthday party, which is always the event of the year.

Jai’s band, Infinite Sorrow, gathers around him as the lead singer, Ross Sherman, belts out the song that has been overplayed on the radio these past few months. Infinite Sorrow is great, as always, but tonight my eyes are only on Jai.

His black, shoulder-length hair is down, and he’s wearing a T-shirt with ripped sleeves and skinny black jeans, also ripped. Sweat coats his warm brown skin as he sways to the rhythm of the song.

“If you stare any harder, Nate, Jai will be permanently burned into your retinas,” whispers Gemma Roth, one of my two best friends. She is an aspiring fashion designer, and this party has provided her with the perfect opportunity to showcase her work. She’s wearing a two-color jumpsuit that stands out against her pale skin. The front is red, the back black. Her ink-black hair is tied into a bun, revealing her ears and eight piercings--five in her right, three in her left.

My jeans and Final Fantasy T-shirt pale in comparison to Gemma’s well-thought-out, flashy outfit. Some people are born for the spotlight, like Gemma and Jai, whereas I’m more of a behind-the-scenes kind of guy. It’s why I dream of being a songwriter instead of a singer.

“This is me just supporting my best friend and his band,” I whisper back with a wink. “It’s totally innocent staring.”

Maybe in the past Gemma would have believed me, but we both know that Jai also happens to be a boy who, more and more, is starting to make me feel certain things. It wasn’t always like this. At first he was simply a friend--a close one. But over time my feelings have grown into something more.

I can say with certainty that I have a crush on Jai.

“Sure,” Gemma says. “And I’m secretly a princess who will be swept off to a fictional European country by my posh estranged grandmother.” Gemma made me binge-watch most of Anne Hathaway’s filmography over one weekend last summer, which of course included The Princess Diaries. Ever since Gemma discovered the old but never-out-of-style masterpiece that is The Devil Wears Prada, Anne Hathaway has become her favorite actor. She has seen the movie more times than I can count. It should be noted that “Anne’s very unsupportive boyfriend was and will always be trash.” Gemma’s words, not mine.

“Here,” Gemma says. She hands me one of the two red Solo cups that she’s holding. I take a sip. The beer is warm and sour. I’ve never been much of a drinker, and I skipped Lauren’s party last year because he’d been too busy to go.

I take a large gulp of beer to chase away the bitter memories. I would rather not spend my night thinking of him. In my haste, I swallow hard and end up choking.

“Easy there, tiger.” Gemma pats me on the back. “We have work tomorrow, remember?”

I shoot her a death glare. “I was all for skipping tonight,” I remind her. “You wanted to come.”

“And aren’t you happy you did?” Gemma says. She tilts her head toward Jai, in the throes of the song he’s playing. “You would have missed this.”

Touché.

Gemma rests a hand on my shoulder. “You know, a crush stays a crush unless you actively do something about it.”

I can’t say anything to that. And I don’t need to, because judging by the knowing smirk on Gemma’s crimson lips, she understands she’s won. Sometimes best frie