Nate Plus One by Kevin van Whye

​This book is the perfect light feelgood read to get you out of a reading slump. It wasn’t as good as Date Me, Bryson Keller, and it lacked a bit of depth, but it was nevertheless a sweet, fast paced and cute friends-to-lovers romance.

The MC and sole POV is seventeen-year-old Nate, who’s been secretly crushing on his best friend Jai for a long time. He’s afraid to let Jai know how he feels, since his first boyfriend left him heartbroken and confused. But when Jai’s band suddenly needs a new lead singer before a big competition, Nate steps up to take his place, even though he has a huge stage fright. In return, Jai offers to be Nate’s plus one at his cousin’s fancy wedding in South Africa.

I really enjoyed the characters, both Nate and Jai were such sweethearts, and their pining for each other was adorable. I loved their flirty banter and how much they genuinely cared for each other. I also really loved some of the other characters, especially Gemma and Meghan, and how supportive both Nate’s and Jai’s parents were. Another part that I enjoyed a lot was the South African trip and the insights into the dark history, culture and food (even though it was sometimes bordering to a tourist pamphlet) and to get to see how Nate connected with his deceased dad by visiting the country where he grew up.

I would have wished for the music to play a bigger part of the story though. The story plot with the big band competition felt very rushed and it all ended in a bit of an anticlimax. The initial focus on Nate’s stage fright also felt like it got lost along the way. I also would have wanted some more backstory to Jai, or to get his POV in the story as well, not just Nate’s. And I could have done without the drama at the end, it felt quite unnecessary, and only made me like Nate a little less. Overall, there was a little too much going on for such a short book.

But even though some parts felt a bit underdeveloped, I really enjoyed this book a lot! It was such a light, easy and quick read (I binged it all in just a few hours!) and the romance was absolutely adorable. I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for something sweet and fluffy to brighten up the day, and especially if you need to get out of a reading slump! 

Rating:
4 stars

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​Author info:
Kevin Van Whye