4.5 stars


It's been quite a while since a YA novel has knocked my socks off, but this one managed it!!! It's like a better version of Paper Towns, except it's not weirdly sexist, is queer as heck, and actually has emotional payoff. McQuiston is really talented in how they can write books that feel almost cinematic; I had issue with how they did that in One Last Stop (it was a book that should've been a movie script), but I think they did it SO much more successfully in this book. As a person who grew up in a very religious environment and went to a religious school, I also appreciated that McQuiston dealt with the issues of religious trauma -- this is a book I would've given my right arm for as a teen.

All in all -- I definitely recommend, even if you're not a big reader of YA. It's not a perfect book, but I think it is very well-crafted and emotionally resonant novel.

I'm giving this book 3 stars, but please don't think I hated it!!!

I just couldn't really get the plot? And I kept thinking Shara was so overdramatic and couldn't understand the hype around her. Other than that, I think it's a great book, especially for teens in rural small towns! I loved the characters and it is making me think that CMQ is more of a character-driven writer than plot-driven.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is another knockout book by Casey McQuiston. I was anxious to see what McQuiston would do with a YA book, but I was instantly pulled in by the voice and complex relationships. This is a contemporary YA that isn't afraid to dive into the topics of religion, friendships, and fitting in. I highly recommend it.

Casey McQuiston is just a fun writer to follow - I've yet to be disappointed. If you've enjoyed her other titles, you will likely enjoy this one as well.

What DON'T I love about this book? I mean seriously y'all, this book is the queer rom-com we all deserve. There's great representation of the full spectrum of sexuality as well as complicated and messy characters that reflect the struggles and life-changing moments of teenagers in the real world. Having the absolute pleasure to hear Casey McQuiston in conversation with Becky Albertelli definitely got me wildly stoked to read I Kissed Shara Wheeler and it did not disappoint! READ THIS BOOK!

A very high 3.5 stars, I think! I was a little trepidatious going into this one because while I have really loved both of Casey's adult books, I haven't really been vibing with YA quite as much as I once did. However I am so happy to report that I thought this was a mess in the best, most authentically teenage way and a ton of fun! With that being said I will say, it wasn't perfect for me (I did end up kind of struggling with the John Green™-ness of the plot), but as a whole this was so well written and the characters absolutely leapt of the page and I just *know* that my baby gay teenage self would have made loving this book my entire personality lmao. While this wasn't my absolute favorite of Casey's books, I am eternally grateful to it for pulling me out of a months long reading slump and I am so!!! excited to read anything and everything that they put out next!!

CW: religious trauma, homophobia, cheating

It will surprise no one that I absolutely adored I Kissed Shara Wheeler and its messy, perfectly lovable MCs Chloe, Shara, Smith, and Rory! I was already pretty sure Casey McQuiston could do no wrong, but this really solidified it for me. McQuiston's characters have always been so complex and well-developed (something I often find lacking in YA literature), and these four teenagers are no exception. I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a phenomenal YA novel. It's full of messy teenage emotions, fantastic queer rep, and characters you can't help loving. I would love to see an adult novel that gives us Smith in college because I feel like he's only at the beginning of an incredible journey in this book! I can't recommend this book highly enough! And thanks to @librofm I can say the audiobook really does the story justice! I Kissed Shara Wheeler comes out on May 3rd, so if you haven't preordered this book take this as your sign to do it now!

As always, the narration from Natalie Naudus is immaculate and the audio was so clean -- no awkward pauses, or breaths, or weird swallowing noises you often hear from other narrators. For the book itself, the pacing was a little slow, but that's probably my preference for fast-paced books, rather than a short falling of this book. It was a really fun story with wonderful characters. Another win from Casey McQuiston and Natalie Naudus! 3.5 stars.

This book was literally everything I wanted Paper Towns to be and more. A month before graduation Shara kisses three different people then vanishes. The three people end up following breadcrumbs to solve where she went. This book had lots of positives working for it the representation(though Willow Grove was gross and suppressed it), the trio of characters and Shara Wheeler herself were all perfect. I also loved that you actually cared about why she was missing and what was going on. Also that her being missing also brought other people closer together was well done. I really like Casey McQuiston and can't wait to read what they do next!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

I've said this plenty of times in my reviews -- I'm not a big YA gal (I'm picky!) but I have authors that I'll always pick up -- to which I say...CASEY MCQUISTON WRITE MORE YA!!! This was so fun. It was like John Green meets...well..Casey McQuiston. Loved it.

Not my favorite of her books, but enjoyable.

After Shara Wheeler disappears, Chloe Green finds out that she's not the only one that kissed her. Teaming up with the other 2 guys (including Shara's boyfriend and a neighbor boy with a crush) , they try and figure out where she went. She learns that her valedictorian rival might have more to her then she thought.

Casey's YA debut came with a splash and I think I'm definitely going to be in the minority here. I didn't love this book. But my main reason for loving her previous two books was the characters and how much I loved them. I couldn't find a single character to love or root for in this book. I also wanted MORE of the religious trauma and conversations there. I don't think it went far enough and really just felt like a newer version of Heretics Anonymous.

CWs: some explorations of homophobia, racism, misogyny, religious bigotry, and religious trauma; some mentions of outing; and some instances of underage drinking

Once again, Casey McQuiston has utterly pulled me into a delightful, thought-provoking story with an incredibly memorable cast of characters and distinctive plot points that I won't soon forget.

To start, I have to say that I really respects McQuiston's artistic range as an author in their ability to craft stories that are all completely different from one another, not only in genre but in their message as well. Even though each of their books so far are all very distinctively queer romances, they run the gamut from royal romance to surrealism and now to YA contemporary with a mystery twist. "I Kissed Shara Wheeler", in particular, sets out to really examine a specific setting, which is this deeply conservative religious southern town, and it's asking questions about how this place and atmosphere has very differently shaped each and every character in the story.

That, to me, is the endgame of this story: to show how none of these characters are unaffected by religious trauma, even if they are earnestly devout, simply because that perspective is so inherently pervasive in everything they do and everywhere they go. It’s not possible for them to be unaltered by that specific viewpoint or experience, for better or worse.

Because of that environment, I think the main character, Chloe, starts out feeling like she is very much the lone lesbian at school, that she is the only person who is woke to the ever-present tension between social issues and religious issues, and she feels like anyone who doesn’t respond or think the same way that she does is then part of the problem. But what the story is actually doing is painstakingly revealing, through this collective hunt for Shara Wheeler, that Chloe and her classmates are so much more alike that she initially thinks. They just have different ways of processing and responding to those same experiences.

For Chloe, the way she shows up in the world is to be aggressively out and proud, to be the token in-your-face lesbian, and she wants to live in a way that forces people to confront their discomfort on a daily basis. That outlook is totally valid for who she is and where she is in life, but the point of the story is that she has to realize that not everybody is going to land in the exact same place.

On the other hand, you have someone like Shara, who responds to her own intersection of queerness and religious trauma by deliberately making herself lovable and perfect—because she thinks if you can’t make people accept you, at least they can hold you in high enough esteem that rejection wouldn't be an option.

While on the topic of Shara, I think Casey McQuiston made a really hard job for themself in playing with that Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype, because Manic Pixie Dream Girls are often portrayed as being "unknowable" and emotionally distant, which would be hard to reconcile for a potential love interest as is the case in this story. But I think there’s really something to be said about how the trope of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl is often defined by and characterized by the male gaze, which is purposefully absent and uncentered in this book. Here, that gaze is feminized and queered, which makes the dynamic inherently different.

Casey also really plays with the queer power dynamic of the mysterious girl wanting to be chased by someone. What if the clues Shara left behind were actually love letters? What if it was actually incredibly gay that she has intentionally fabricated all of these opportunities for Chloe to actively think about her, and wonder what she’s doing and where she's gone? There’s an inherent queer yearning that’s constantly underlying every aspect of this mystery as it unfolds, and I think that’s what makes it really interesting.

Overall, I enjoyed this story! The mystery element is compelling, the twists are interesting, the characters are super memorable and fun, and like all of Casey’s other books it’s a story that you just don't want to stop reading. In the interest of full transparency, I will say that I didn't personally feel as attached to Chloe and Shara as a couple, especially compared to the other romances I've read from Casey, but that was definitely not a make-or-break aspect for me. I was still satisfied with the overall trajectory of the story arc and the pairing, so take that as you will.

With all that said, I found this to be an incredibly delightful, remarkable story that I will be thinking about for quite some time, and I would definitely recommend it, especially if you're a fan of queer contemporary coming-of-age stories!

Disclaimer: I work for a bookstore, all thoughts and opinions are my own and not affiliated with the store or company.
Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with a digital version of this book.

I wish I knew how to review this book completely accurately to how I want, but I honestly do not know how to conceptualise all the thoughts I have about this title. So please enjoy my word jumble of a review to follow.

First I do want to acknowledge that my opinion is slightly biassed as I have a previous love of Casey’s writing so no matter what I cannot say for sure if this has affected how I feel.

The main thing that absolutely hooked me about this story was the side characters and their progression with their identity. Smith, Rory and her best friend had my whole heart and I would love to see more side stories relating to their arcs or future. I do wish at times the main character was nicer to her friends however that is just one of the flaws that Chloe has and that she even acknowledges.

As for the main characters Chloe and Shara, I kept going back and forth on how I felt. The scavenger plot line, while fun, meant we didn’t get to really meet shara until way later on into the book and by then I was cautious of her character and struggled to bond. By the end, my opinion had shifted and I was content with the relationship they had and I grew slightly more connected to them together.

I did love the hard topics covered in this book revolving around identity, the brief discussion on sex in queer relationships, religious beliefs and growing up in a place that feels unaccepting. I thought this element was incredibly well done and was another aspect that made this book worth the read.

Overall I still have mixed feelings but I don’t know if I will ever have a definitive feeling. I still recommend this title, especially to members of the queer community as the messages it contains can resonate with a lot of people.

Thank you again for allowing me to read this title.

There was a lot to love about this book. Chloe Green and her moms moved to podunk Alabama to care for her now-deceased grandmother. Despite her lack of religious affiliation, Chloe has set the academic bar high, so she wants the most rigorous education she can get - and that's at uber-Christian Willowbrook Academy. Chloe is in competition for valedictorian with none other than Principal Wheeler's perfect daughter, Shara. But, a few months before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe in an elevator and soon after disappears, clad in her tulle prom dress - leaving a string of clues behind.

As Chloe forms unlikely alliances with Shara's football star boyfriend and others at Willowbrook, she learns that maybe she's judged them too harshly. And, somewhere along the way, they learn that they've been cast into roles that they don't actually want to play.

I can see teens really relating to so much in this book - the pressures to fit in, the struggle to figure out your place, the scariness of navigating the world post-high school. My only drawback is the convoluted mystery of Shara's disappearance. It was clever, but I found it hard to suspend disbelief that a high school senior could be that crafty.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

A fun read. A cute story line with enjoyable characters It managed to perfectly convey some of the hatred and bias that can exist in the world while also reminding us not to judge a book by its cover.

As a diehard "Red White and Royal Blue" fan, Casey McQuiston’s first foray into YA literature, “I Kissed Shara Wheeler,” was one of my most-anticipated new releases of 2022.

And I fell in love with the Pretty Little Liars vibes almost instantly.

Chloe, Smith, and Rory work together to follow the trail of meticulously-placed pink notecards and solve the mystery of Shara Wheeler’s disappearance.

But in the process, secrets are revealed, and relationships are left forever changed.

While the first three-quarters of the novel kept me on the edge of my seat, the story did seem to wind down too early and struggled to keep up the momentum established early on.

Otherwise, the relatable characters and perfect mix of humour and romance (and in this case mystery) are everything I’ve come to expect of Casey McQuiston.

If you enjoyed "Red White and Royal Blue" and “One Last Stop,” you surely will not be disappointed by this romp.

I gave this one a chance but it wasn’t my favourite. The premise is a girl names Shara kisses two classmates, a boy and a girl, then disappears, leaving notes for them and her boyfriend. The teens work together to try to solve the mystery of where she went. Based on the title, I assumed it was going to be more of a rom com or romance type book but it’s more of a mystery. I also felt like the beginning was a lot of piecing together what happened the night before (at prom) rather than just starting the night before, so I wasn’t sold on the writing style from page one. For YA fans who are more interested in aspects of YA other than romance, I think this would be well received. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Chloe Green is at the top of her game. With a month to go before graduation, she’s on the road to valedictorian. The only thing in her way? Her rival, Shara Wheeler, prom queen and principal’s daughter. But then one night, Shara kisses Chloe, then vanishes. On the hunt for answers, Chloe soon realizes, she’s not the only one Shara kissed. There’s also Smith, Shara’s longtime boyfriend and Rory, the bad boy next door. The three have nothing in common, except that they all kissed Shara. Following the notes Shara left behind for them, the three work together to untangle the clues and find Shara before graduation, and just might find an unlikely alliance that will bring each other closer to finding the truest versions of themselves.

Rarely do I read a synopsis before reading a book, so the beginning of I Kissed Shara Wheeler threw me for a loop. It was much different than I anticipated and definitely a departure from other Casey McQuiston’s books I’ve read. The beginning was slow for me, as the groundwork needed to be laid for the mystery of where Shara went, plus the complicated relationships between all the characters. Once I got about 35% of the way in, I was definitely hooked and wanted to know what was going to happen next.

While this is not one of my favorites from Casey, I loved the messages throughout the book. I Kissed Shara Wheeler was about self-discovery and finding love in unexpected places. It’s about standing up for what you believe in and the true meaning of friendship. There is definitely more than what meets the eye of Chloe, Shara, Smith and Rory and I loved following their entangled journeys. I mainly listened to the audiobook and I thought the narrator, Natalie Naudus, was absolutely fantastic. I Kissed Shara Wheeler has amazing queer and diverse representation.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a sweet YA LGBTQIA romance with a light mystery tying the story together. Chloe is on track for valedictorian, only Shara is also in the running. Then Shara kisses Chloe and disappears completely. Chloe must find out where Shara went and finds out she wasn't the only person Shara kissed. Can Chloe find Shara and bring her back in time for graduation? The story is a fun, fast-paced read with a sweet romance. Highly recommended!