I don’t TikTok, so I am pretty sure that this hit my radar via Pajiba, and I am so glad it did. It’s a top ten read of the year.
Bryson agrees to a dare whereby he dates the first person to ask him out each Monday, until the end of that week. The wording is nebulous – doesn’t specify a gender – so when Kai gets massively pissed at Bryson, he claims the week’s dates for himself.
This is a sweet story with an edge – Kai’s parents are religious, Bryson’s dad is a dick, and Bryson’s best friend is violently homophobic. But the story unfolds with grace amidst the angst, as well as an undeniable core of lived experience from the author.
So good. I laughed, I cried, I read it in a morning. This goes on to the Required Reading List for the Greatest Niece in Australia.