NATE PLUS ONE

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.