Blog Tour: Nate Plus One by Kevin van Whye (Interview!)

Happy Wednesday and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for NATE PLUS ONE! I’m so excited because today I have an interview with Kevin van Whye to share with you! This book is truly amazing and I’m so excited to for you to find out more about it!

Nate Plus One by Kevin van Whye
Published on May 10, 2022 by Random House Books for Young Readers
Genres: Contemporary, Queer, Romance, YA
Pages: 256
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Author Links: Goodreads, Instagram

Boy plus boy. Two weeks in Johannesburg. A summer of music, adventure, self-discovery . . . and definitely not love. What could go wrong?
Nate needs a date to his cousin's wedding. Jai is Nate's best friend and secret crush. Could Jai be Nate's plus-one--and only?
Nate Hargraves is a behind-the-scenes kind of guy. That's why he dreams of being a songwriter instead of a singer. But things change the summer after junior year as Nate gets ready to fly to South Africa for his cousin's lavish destination wedding. The trip is bound to be epic. Except--Nate just found out that his ex-boyfriend will be at the reception. Ugh. He does not want to face this one solo.
Jai Patel, Nate's best friend (and secret crush), has his own problems. The lead singer of Jai's band, Infinite Sorrow, quit weeks before a contest that promised to be their big break. But Nate rocks Jai's world when he agrees to sing with the band. Even though Nate's not one for the spotlight, he knows this is the kind of stuff you do for . . . friends. In return, Jai volunteers to be Nate's travel buddy around South Africa, a buffer against his ex, and his plus-one at the wedding.
Maybe this summer will be epic after all. Now that Nate's crush is on board, will love crash the party?

What would you do if you spent the day with Nate and Jai? Where would you go to eat, hang out, relax, etc.?

I would love to go to the amusement park with them. I love going on rides so much. Of course, most of the time will be spent screaming my lungs out but fun will be had. And Pizza for lunch because Pizza is the best.

If Nate and Jai were to hang out with other fictional characters, who would they be and why?

I think Nate and Jai would have a blast hanging out with Simon and Bram from Simon vs. the Homosapien’s Agenda (Love, Simon). I just think they would have a fun double date and would be able to really relate to one another. 

If there was one fictional place you could travel to for a day, where would it be and why?

This might be a loophole but the superhero lover in me wants to say Avenger’s Tower, solely for the reason of me meeting the Scarlet Witch. Seriously, I’m such a huge fan of Wanda Maximoff and Elizabeth Olsen’s portrayal of her has simply been amazing.   

If you buried a time capsule with three items inside, what three items would you choose and why?

There’s a cup that my parents bought me with my name on because I like to drink coffee when I’m writing. And though it is chipped and cracked I still keep it as a token. So, I’d definitely bury that.  Not sure how long they’d be buried but I’d also put my two books into the capsule because they’re things I’m proud of. And lastly, family is really important to me, so I would bury a family portrait of us all together.   

What was your favorite bit of research you ended up not using?

There were so many locations that I wanted to use in the book but had to leave them out because they just didn’t fit the story. I had originally wanted to have a few scenes set at the Kruger’s National Park but it wasn’t working, so I left out a lot of it and simply used the game reserve part of it in the book. 

What is your favorite quote, scene, or moment from Nate Plus One?

My favorite scene is Nate vs the goose because I have been there. I had a blast having him run from the winged terror.

What do you think about Nate Plus One? Have you added it to your tbr yet? Let me know in the comments and have a splendiferous day!