I loved this book!

The LGBTQ+ representation was done in a very thoughtful and respectful manner. The characters reminded me of the movie the Breakfast Club mixed with a mystery element.

I will recommend this book to anyone who loves the YA contemporary genre.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted eARC.

2.5 ⭐️

Let me start my review by saying I absolutely love Casey McQuiston. I will read anything they writes.

With that being said, I didn’t love this one. I’m honestly so upset with myself for not liking it. I feel like I’m betraying them 😅

I found the concept of this book super interesting. Im always up for a story with bisexual rep.

The first half of the book was boring to me. I really wanted to DNF it and had it been a different author I probably would have.

The romance between our MC Chloe and Shara came out of nowhere and was completely toxic. I did not like Shara and never understood why they were searching for her. This just didn’t feel like a romcom which it was marketed as one.

The things I did like about the book.
The writing, Casey has such a way with words.
The rep, almost every character was Queer and I love that.
Rory and Smith were my favorite characters. I wish the book had been about their story.

Overall this book was not for me sadly. I’m still looking forward to Casey’s next book.

Damn it if Casey McQuiston hasn’t done it again! I happened to get an ARC copy of I Kissed Shara Wheeler from NetGalley prior to the official release and I went into it hoping it would be as good as her other works…it certainly was! Casey is able to create a story that is easy to visualize and that’s in part, I think, because the themes of the book are so common to my experiences as part of the LGBTQ2IA+ community. It was a fast read for me because I just didn’t want to put it down once I started it. I highly recommend you put this one on your TBR list if you haven’t yet.

Many thanks to Wednesday Books, St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I had the immense pleasure of hearing Casey McQuiston speak at the beautiful Coolidge Corner Theatre the night after pub day, enjoying hearing more about the behind the scenes of crafting this book.
I had trouble putting I Kissed Shara Wheeler down once I started it - Casey wanted to take all those late 90s/early 2000s teen rom-coms and really turn them on their heads. They even re-read Twilight to bring themself back to their own high school obsession - you know, when you care about things SO much. Working with teenagers I am reminded of this often...
The book's plot brings together students who wouldn't otherwise interact to solve the disappearance of Shara. This queer YA romcom is highly enjoyable and much recommended.
One of things I loved most about the book talk was hearing about how Casey challenged themself to write these 2 very different books after their debut success. I love the mentality behind always wanting to try something new - and succeed. I can't wait for what will be coming next 🤩

Casey McQuiston’s first dive into the YA world gives hope to the future of the genre while making nods to some of the classics that shaped it.

Determined to find out what really happened to Shara Wheeler the night of the prom, Chloe Green recruits two unlikely allies in an attempt to bring back the beauty queen and finally understand why she feels so strongly about beating her in the race for valedictorian. Set in rural Alabama with criticisms on sexuality, gender, and finding one’s place in the modern world, McQuiston has penned a smart look into teenage life.

The first two thirds of this novel are engaging, witty and leave you constantly wondering what the characters are going to find whenever they spot a bright pink envelope. The clues are compelling, the characters are real and sometimes harsh, and the pop culture references are some of the best I’ve encountered in a YA contemporary. However, the large tone/plot shift that occurs during the last third threw off the balance of this well-crafted book, leaving me disappointed. While I understand the attempt to “queerify” very straight elements of typical high school stories, McQuiston fell into the cliche trap and piled on so many tropes in the last hundred pages that the initial story seems long forgotten.

For fans of Becky Albertalli and John Green, this story marries what readers love about new and old YA books, but I only wish we were looking more to creating new works rather than trying to revive the old.

Shara Wheeler disappears. In the last days of the senior year of four students who are enamored with Shara she vanishes. She leaves notes and clues about her disappearance and assures the three who are bereft without her presence that she is alright and they will eventually understand what is going on. It is little comfort to Chloe, who experienced a single kiss from her, and her neighbor who experienced the same. The boyfriend is also confused so the three become an alliance of sorts on a quest to find Shara. The book is interesting, and contemporary, and will keep young readers challenged by the mystery of Shara. It's set in the last days of high school in a private school in conservative Alabama and is a fun muse. The school, run by ultra-conservative adults has a host of not-so-conservative happenings going on with its students. Young adults and teens will enjoy the rebellion, honesty, and plot of this book. Thanks to #NetGalley#IKissedSharaWheeler for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Someone said the novel I Kissed Shara Wheeler, by Casey McQuiston, reminded them of John Green's Paper Towns and I agree.  It is a fun YA read with great characters and quick moving storyline. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

~ ARC provided through NetGalley ~

I've been following this release since it's initial announcement, and I was excited to see how Casey McQuiston was going to handle a young adult fiction. Certain elements of the book--the rich ensemble cast, the smart pop culture references, and the pacing--are consistent with McQuiston's previous two novels. However, what really shines in this book is how McQuiston captures the feeling of being a teenager counting down the days to graduation and all the nostalgia and anxiety that comes with that. Thankfully, I am no longer a teenager, but I can't imagine how important this book would have been for me as a young person. There were several points when I got a little bit teary-eyed reading the ending. If you're part of McQuiston's key demographic--depressed queer millennials--don't get scare away by the YA. This book is for us too.

A fun YA romance that gives me the sapphic romance of my teen dreams. A fast paced novel that may not reach super deep depths but allows the reader to root for the characters!

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston was a fun read.

After being unexpectedly kissed by her high school rival Chloe Green finds herself in a weird situation. Shara Wheeler, the kiss and dasher, disappears leaving nothing but a few clues in her wake. No one can seem to find her, and she has kissed more than her just Chloe. The gang decides to go off on Shara's "scavenger hunt" to find more than just Shara.

This was a great YA story about finding yourself and what it is you want from your life. I loved all the characters and the little bit of mystery was fun too.

I wish I could give my High School self this book.
<i>I Kissed Shara Wheeler</i> is fresh, dynamic, engaging; but it’s also raw and genuine – tender. It does both things simultaneously, managing to be both a bingeable story that gives you that fun post-book rush but also a piece that stays with you long after.
Reading it has the same effect a coming of age movie has. Like a car ride with friends with the windows rolled down and music blasting, like that time at the end of High School when the whole world seems within reach, big and terrifying and full of possibilities. It’s also a celebration of the vulnerable parts of ourselves we hold close to our hearts and are afraid to share. It’s hopeful, uplifting, and as someone who connected deeply with the protagonist, Chloe, it felt like a healing chat with my teen self.
The story starts off with a bang, setting the scene where Chloe is trying to find dirt on her academic rival – Shara – after Shara kissed her out of nowhere, left Prom, and disappeared. Chloe is convinced that Shara isn’t the picture perfect girl-next-door everyone thinks she is, so we meet her as she quite literally sneaks inside her house to look for answers – and instead finds something that only opens up more questions. There’s no slow beginning to get through, no dragging setup or info dumping. Instead, you find a mystery in the very first page that hooks you in and makes the book fun from the start, a dynamic scavenger hunt to follow and find who the characters are along the way.
I had high expectations from the start, given that I’ve read and loved both of Casey McQuiston’s published books and know that the way their characters are written, built up with so much care and dedication that they feel real and complex. And who the characters are in <i>IKSW</i>, what’s beneath the surface and how the found family aspect builds and blossoms, is the main reason this book has stayed with me even a month later.
Chloe’s wit and inner commentary make her a fun POV character, but I liked Chloe because of her flaws. She’s harsh as a barrier against an unwelcome environment; she’s defiant, detached and judgemental of everyone else but her small group of friends – her queer safe space. She doesn’t try to get to know anyone past that, so ready to leave High School behind, and she wants to do that as Valedictorian, with the satisfaction of taking the top spot from Shara’s perfectly manicured grasp. She’s imperfect, she’s not <i>nice</i>, but she is compelling and vulnerable as you get to know her. She makes sense, and I think so does Shara, who plays a big part despite being gone for much of it. The two of them are such forces.
Chloe is forced to collaborate with two classmates, Smith and Rory, in order to solve Shara’s clues. All three have reasons to want to find her, but as the book progresses, they also grow to understand each other and themselves better. The found family aspect in this book is such a delight. Not only between these three (Smith alone could have made this book a favourite!), but involving everyone else Chloe finds herself learning more about. I can’t say much, but the friendships in the book are the most joyful, rewarding part of it. Woven through the lives of the characters are themes of normalised oppression in a religious environment, of queer identity and figuring yourself out, of failing and growing.
Casey McQuiston’s body of work connects with me in a way no other writer I’ve come across yet has. They’ve shown range, with three books that fill completely different boxes plot wise but that all have themes of found family, queer joy and adventure, books you can get lost in and come out of the other side feeling that good book serotonin rush.
The writing style is in a sweet spot where it’s not too flowery that it becomes hard to get through and not too bare-bones either: it’s beautiful, it flows, it’s dynamic and quotable, and it’s layered. It’s also funny, and it reads like the people are actual real teenagers without being jarring or stilted.
Overall, I think whether you’re a teen person and feel a little lost or alone, or you’re like me, at a point in your twenties where you also feel a bit lost in the world, or whether you have your life figured out but connect to any of this, or even if you are just looking to have a fun time with a hybrid between coming of age and clue mystery, I think <i>I Kissed Shara Wheeler</i> is worth picking up.
You might feel like you found a gem. I did.


Thank you to Wednesday Books for gifting me an e-arc of this book!

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston is a YA romantic comedy about Chloe Green, who is just trying to make it through her senior year at Willowgrove Christian Academy. When her rival Shara Wheeler kisses her and then vanishes, Chloe works with Smith, Shara's longtime boyfriend, and Rory, Shara's neighbor, to try to solve the clues that Shara has left behind. Through all of this, Chloe learns a lot about herself and her friends, and she learns how important it is to be true to herself. I really enjoyed this story, and I highly recommend McQuiston's books. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Something about small time lgbtq+ teenagers figuring it out really hit a nerve. I feel like any queer person who was brought up with a sort of religious or conservative background will relate to this story and maybe even envy the teens in this story. A story about first loves, friendships, identity and how those things fit together when it is all said and done.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a fantastic story that is a cross between Pretty Little Liars and The Upside of Unrequited. Protagonist Chloe spends four years fully immersed in the gossipy world of high school after her moms moved her across the country to help an ailing family member. The only thing pushing her through the daily rebellion against the puritanical administration at Willowgrove Christian Academy is her goal to win valedictorian. The one thing standing in her way of accomplishing that is Shara Wheeler. Shara is the prom queen, the principal's perfect daughter, the town's golden girl and Chloe's rival. One month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe then vanishes without a word. Chloe is left furious, confused and determined to find answers which brings her into an alliance with Rory, the boy next door to Shara (who she also just happened to kiss before disappearing) and Smith, Shara's boyfriend. The three of them follow the pink envelopes full of cryptic clues in a quest to untangle Shara's web. The story is full of dynamic characters and surprising twists that leave the reader desperate for answers. This book got my attention from the beginning and kept me engaged until the very end. There is diverse representation throughout the story. The characters cultivate their own support network in a town that wants nothing more than to keep everyone into a cookie cutter "traditional" role. By the end of the story there has been some powerful character development and it is very interesting to see the impact the actions of one person can have on an entire community. I look forward to what Casey McQuiston comes up with next.

Special thanks to Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an enjoyable read with diverse LGBTQ+ characters. McQuiston is great at love/hate relationships and the banter they produce! The mystery genre is new from her and doesn’t disappoint. There were definitely unexpected outcomes!

I loved Red, White, and Royal Blue, but I think it's possible that I don't love Casey McQuiston. Complicated plotting made sense when dealing with a romance between two high-profile closeted men, but it just seems overwrought when applied to high school. Honestly, I enjoyed this novel okay, but I would have abandoned it if I hadn't felt compelled to write a NetGalley review.

This book embodied the annoying nature of the teenage spirit to a T! I could not stand Shara Wheeler for majority of the book nor did I appreciate where the story was obviously headed regarding her and Chloe....and yet, I found myself deeply satisfied by the end. This coming of age story brought to life the most endearing queer characters. No one felt like a side character (except maybe Dixon, but he deserves that) and I found myself deeply invested in their everyday quests for self-discovery. It's a light and thoughtful exposition of the trials and tribulations of being or feeling other. The writing was artfully crafted into a cinematic experience in my mind, possibly because I had media to reference. Isn't that something? I can see this easily becoming the next Netflix hit.

This the kind of book that is so easy to stay up until the early hours of the morning because you've fallen in love with the characters and you have to know what happens next. This is the first Casey McQuiston novel that I've read and I'm really looking forward to reading her works.

Casey McQuiston gets better and more interesting with each book. This one has all the charm of Red, White, and Royal Blue with the fast-moving plot of One Last Stop. Add to it the most interesting heroines I have read in A LONG TIME, and I Kissed Shara Wheeler is one of my faves this year.

This is also the most high school realistic book I have read, maybe ever. It's a time when everything is life or death, and everyone is falling in and out of love. Everyone thinks they know who they are, but actually, they know nothing. Friendships change, Identities are fluid. Nothing is more important than what is going on in the moment because once "High school is over, [...} everything is ridiculous."

Chloe is our main character and narrator and she is sharp like a barbed wire. You respect her because it's clear McQuiston respects her. Along the way, you fall in love with Rory and Smith, two people who travel in completely different circles than Chloe. But do circles even matter? Not when Shara Wheeler, the most beautiful and popular girl has disappeared, and has left a trail of clues and kisses. All the circles converge.

For teens (and adults!) looking to read characters who have diverse gender and sexual identities, they will find many mirrors in this book. I especially love the room McQuiston gives for both folx who are beginning their journeys of figuring out their identities, and those who have worked hard to make a place for themselves in a sometimes really binary world (Chloe's two moms have such a lovely relationship to each other, and as parents to her).

I could go on and on, but you should just read this book. It's a stunner.

Casey McQuiston does it again.

Funny. Touching. Raw. All words I describe the past three hours I spent binging the last 60% of this book. It is unputdownable.

Chloe and Shara are perfectly imperfect, and no one does side characters better than McQuiston. I’m just saying, I’d read the crap out of a book about Georgia, Smith or Rory in college/after high school. 👀

If McQuiston wasn’t already an auto-buy author, this one sold it. A pleasure to read, and one I’ll wholeheartedly be recommending to my high school students.