There's little I like more than friends-to-lovers, but this book was just alright. Definitely thought it was sweet, and I love that both boys are Black. I feel like that's rare in YA romcoms.

Honestly, I've put this review off for far too long, and I am still not sure how I felt about this book. Overall, I just wasn't feeling it. I wasn't really buying the romance or the conflict, or any of the story line. So much of the story felt forced, even the conflicts themselves, so I had a hard time staying generally present throughout the story.

Nate Plus One would be good if it was a first draft that the author threw all their ideas down into before going in and tightening here and fleshing out plot points and characters, but this is a “finished” book so, I'm just not feeling it. Definitely needs more edits, and a rewrite in a lot of different places. Just wasn't up to what I was expecting. I had hopes but this just wasn't it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This YA book was enjoyable, friends to lovers as the basis but also finding family and story and travel and music, it's all good!

A positive romance with an HEA. I loved all the main characters. Nate and Jai's friendship is wonderful and friends to more is such a great trope. The setting is wonderful too.

This queer YA romance novel, highlights a friends to lovers relationship between Nate and Jai. Nate has recently been ghosted by his first love and is reeling from feeling of inadequacy and rejection. Jai is in a band and looking for someone to fill in for an upcoming competition. So Nate a Jai make a deal - Nate will fill in for the band competition, if Jai acts as a plus-one for Nate's cousin;s South African wedding where his ex-boyfriend will also be attendance.

This story didn't excite me as much as others I've read. Several aspects felt forced and the characters often felt more immature than the plot had established. I did appreciate how the author addressed the generational connection of discrimination, whether about race, gender, or sexuality.

TW: homophobia, racism

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Looking for a sweet, friends-to lovers rom-com? What about Nate Plus One?

Nate was a fan of Jai’s band before he knew who Jai was. Now they’re best friends, and Jai helped Nate through heartbreak when his boyfriend ghosted him.

But lately, Nate can’t seem to get Jai out of his mind. He finds himself thinking about what it would be like to date him, but he’s afraid telling Jai how he feels might ruin their friendship. So when Jai’s band loses its lead singer as they’re prepping for a huge competition, Nate agrees to sing for the band, even though stage fright has kept him more behind the scenes than in the spotlight.

Nate is getting ready to go to South Africa for his cousin’s wedding. He’s excited to spend time where his late father grew up. But when he finds out that his ex-boyfriend is going to be at the wedding, he doesn’t think he can handle that alone, so Jai agrees to be his plus-one.

South Africa is amazing, and Nate and Jai keep getting closer and closer. Should Nate tell Jai how he feels and risk their friendship? And will Nate’s ex complicate things further?

I really enjoyed this. It was great to have main characters of color where there wasn’t crazy crises or racism, and South Africa was a terrific setting. Sure, it was predictable, but that was part of its charm!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House for the advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!

Honestly, this wasn't a slam dunk for me. There were elements that I thought had potential but were never explored with any kind of depth. It seemed like a lot of 'telling, not showing' and the whole thing was super short.

While I loved Date me, Bryson Keller this one was just not for me and I think that’s okay. Kevin is great at writing fluffier books but I was hoping with this one he would dig a little deeper with his characters. This had a lot of potential to be something amazing but it just fell a bit flat.

I did enjoy it for what it was though and would recommend it to ya readers regardless.

I thought this was a good coming of age queer story about a young boy named Nate who is in love with his best friend Jai and is getting ready to spend two weeks in South Africa for his cousin's wedding. When he finds out that Tommy his ex boyfriend will be there he freaks out, but one of his best friends Jai says he will go with him. I also like how music is incorporated into the book and how the relationship between Nate and Jai is very organic. I also love how this story touches on family and how important it is. I love how Nate was able to go to the place where his father grew up.

Nate Plus One is a M/M young adult contemporary romance, set in high school. Nate is dealing with a breakup with his first love, which was a secret because he wasn't out. He also has a crush on one of his closest friends, but doesn't think there is any chance there. When Jai needs a fill in for his band for an upcoming competition, and Nate needs a plus one to his cousin's wedding in South Africa ... where his ex will be as well - they make a deal. But spending that much time together unsupervised can change everything.

This was short and sweet, an easy read if you're just looking for a sweet romance. Do check the trigger warnings, there are a few scenes with homophobia and discussing the death of a parent. The writing was solid and I enjoyed my time with this book. I think the romance was adorable and it was definitely more of a slow burn than some, plenty of tension and lingering looks before the inevitable kiss.

The third act conflict was fairly telegraphed and predictable, but that's also to be expected within this genre. There also is a bit of an unsatisfying ending, but not in regards to the romance.

**Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

Thoughts and Themes: When I first started listening to this book I was quite worried that I wouldn't enjoy it but I decided to keep listening since it was such a short book and I am so glad that I did. There were several moments in which I was listening to this book that I had to stop to take in what was being said.

This book is a cute rom com but it is so much more than that. I really enjoy how this ook talks about coming out, being a Queer Person of Color, Racism, and more. I like the way that this book puts all these things together and still manages to tell a cute best friends to lovers story. I also really enjoyed how this book takes place in South Africa for the majority of the story and how we get to see this portion of Nate's family and life.

Characters: In this book you get to meet several characters through their interactions with Nate. You get to meet some of his family members, the love interest, Jai, his ex-boyfriend, Tommy, and more.

I really enjoyed the relationship that Nate has with Ouma Lettie who is his grandmother. I love the way she accepts him for who he is and also how she explains how her past affects her attitudes towards Nate being gay. There are so many moments that Nate has with Ouma Lettie that I highlighted in the book because of how impactful they are to the story.

I also really enjoyed the relationship that Nate has with Jai and how that differs from the relationship that he describes with Tommy. I like how we see Nate describe a relationship in which he was closeted and how that differs from this relationship. I also like how Jai is immediately immersed into Nate's family and how he just seems to fit in.

Writing Style: This story is told in first person through the perspective of Nate. I really enjoyed that everything was told from Nate's perspective because there were moments that we needed to be inside of his head. I really enjoyed that we got a chance to hear what Nate thought about everything and then when things fell apart we only get to see his thoughts and actions.

This was a neat book for high school students. I think the traveling aspect of it would be interesting to students. The friends to lovers trope felt a little off in this as far as character chemistry.

Nate Plus One was a fun quick YA! I really enjoyed this book. I liked both main characters a lot and loved learning more about South Africa. I do wish we could have gotten Jai POV because I think it would have fleshed out his character more. I felt like it ended a little abruptly and wished we could have gotten a little more at the end. This was such a fast read for me and I read it one day which I don’t do very often. Overall, this was a 4.5 for me!

Nate Plus One was the cute, fun and SQUEEE, allll the feels moment I needed. The characters were sweet and adorable, but I would have liked to see a little more character development. The plot was a little predictable but what rom-com isn't nowadays. Super easy quick read and I'm looking forward to reading more from Kevin van Whye.

It’s a quick read! It’s certainly YA! It’s friends to lovers, it’s a romance, both main characters are Black musicians, it’s very sweet. It’s good! It’s just not that deep. Four stars.

*3.5 stars
This was a cute friends-to-lovers story that never really reached past the surface, I think due to its shorter length with the amount it's trying to tackle. While I liked it, I didn't love it like I did his first book, [book:Date Me, Bryson Keller|52739801] because I didn't feel especially pulled to the characters or their relationship. It's not the first m/m romance I'd recommend, but it's definitely not the last!

'Nate Plus One' is a super quick and sweet YA queer romance. The friends to lovers trope is in full force here which I adored! I loved how both of the characters were Black musicians. The parts about that are very entertaining as well. The romance feels easy and realistic and I loved followed the main characters..

When Nate's mom cannot attend a family wedding in South Africa at the last minute, his best friend--and secret crush--Jai volunteers to go. Jai is there to support Nate during his first visit to his father's homeland and as Nate encounters his ex, who is also a guest at the wedding, for the first time since their breakup.

This YA queer romance is a quick read full of sweet friends-to-lovers pining and stolen glances. Since they are both musicians, there are charming moments centered around songwriting and performing as well. The two boys have sparks, and there is a fade-to-black scene. I enjoyed reading the book, and once Nate and Jai arrived in South Africa, the story really picked up for me.

CW: homophobia, discussions of racism and apartheid, divorce, deceased parent

Thank you to Random House Children's and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Review opinions are my own.