Nate Plus One

March 1, 2022
When Jai Patel's band, Infinite Sorrow, loses its lead singer mere weeks before a major indie band competition in Los Angeles, Nate Hargreaves volunteers to take his place. Seventeen-year-old Nate, who is gay, hasn't performed onstage since he froze during an audition 5 years ago, but he's determined to see this through. It helps that band practice means Nate gets to spend more time with best friend Jai, who is bi and on whom Nate has developed a huge crush. He's not rushing to confess, though: Nate's first relationship ended with heartbreak and unanswered questions, and he doesn't want to ruin this friendship. With summer coming up, Nate is also looking forward to traveling with his mother to Johannesburg for his cousin's wedding and learning more about his deceased father. When a scheduling conflict prevents his mother from taking time off work, Jai volunteers to accompany Nate. Jai's interest in Nate--apparent from the start to everyone but him--makes the romance storyline a reassuring matter of when rather than if that naturally builds anticipation. The atmosphere is comfortably positive throughout thanks to Nate's good-natured and snarky narration as well as the unwavering support he receives from friends and family during moments of emotional turmoil and vulnerability. Nate's American mother is described as mixed race; his South African family members are Black and White, and Nate learns about the history of race relations in the country. Hits all the right notes. (song lyrics) (Romance. 13-18)

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May 23, 2022
Seventeen-year-old Nate Hargreaves has spent the past year getting over his secret former boyfriend Tommy Herron, whom he hasn’t heard from since being ghosted. Nate’s infatuation with Jai Patel, 17, his musically gifted best friend and the guitarist of the band Infinite Sorrow, has been a good distraction. Despite his stage fright, Nate even volunteers to be Infinite Sorrow’s lead singer after a bandmate unexpectedly bails weeks before a potentially career-launching band competition. He’s excited to attend his cousin’s summer destination wedding in Johannesburg, until he learns that Tommy will be in attendance as a guest’s plus-one. When Jai offers to escort Nate to the wedding, Nate is elated, but repeated run-ins with Tommy have him on edge. As his emotions become overwhelming, Nate turns to Jai and his supportive family to help him navigate heartbreak and a second chance at love. Though early chapters read as memoir-like, Whye (Date Me, Bryson Keller) uses an empathetic cast, upbeat narrative, and strikingly detailed locale to effectively convey whirlwind wanderlust in this exuberant summer love story. Nate and his mother are described as mixed-race; their South African family is Black and white; Jai is brown-skinned. Ages 14–up. Agent: Robert Guinsler, Sterling Lord Literistic.

May 20, 2022
Grades 9-12 Seventeen-year-old mixed-race Nate has a mad crush on his bi friend Jai. When the lead singer of Jai's band, Infinite Sorrow, deserts it for another, Nate volunteers to step into the role, despite severe stage fright. When Nate's nurse mom is unable to go on a planned trip to South Africa for a family wedding, Jai volunteers to go in her place as Nate's plus-one. Nate is especially glad of this when he discovers, to his horror, that Tommy--an ex who broke his heart--will also be at the wedding. Nate is elated, however, when Jai reveals his attraction to him with a kiss and the two quickly become boyfriends. Their relationship is threatened, though, when Jai sees Tommy kiss Nate; not surprisingly, complications ensue. Van Whye (Date Me, Bryson Keller, 2020) nicely renders the South African setting, and readers, who will root for the likable characters, will be happy to themselves be Nate's plus-one.

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