I KISSED SHARA WHEELER by Casey McQuiston

Drink pairing: Southern Sweet Tea (duh!)

This pairing was so fun for me because, A. I love sweet tea, and B. I was craving it the entire time I read the story!

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Review: I’m totally a Casey McQuiston fan girl so you can only imagine how excited I was to receive an e-ARC for “I Kissed Shara Wheeler”! This book was one of my most highly anticipated releases for this year, and it did not disappoint!

Casey McQuiston has such a talent for putting together amazing storylines with even more amazing characters. Somehow though with every single one of her books I have read I end up falling more in love with side characters than the MC 😂 They add so many amazing layers to the story and honestly are what make it so special to me.

This book was basically if “Paper Towns” by John Green was full of representation and was actually laugh out loud funny, and was also a rom-com. I mean come on, a mystery where you have to solve clues on a disappearance + academic rivals to lovers + found family/Breakfast Club vibes = immaculate.

I only wish that the story had been told through multiple POVs because I would have loved, loved, loved to get Shara’s POV when she is missing, I would have LOVED to get Smith’s POV as he’s discovering himself, I would have lovedddddd Geo’s POV when she’s sneaking around and making huge life decisions - I could go on and on. I would have even LOVED some flashbacks from Chloe’s moms meeting or when her mama was in Willowgrove herself. Don’t get me wrong, I love Chloe too and she was a great MC but I just think there was so much to dive into and explore there!

“I Kissed Shara Wheeler” hits the shelves tomorrow so I highly recommend you binge-read it ASAP for a feel-good and original story with the most lovable characters you will meet.

Paper Towns but make it queer.

Shara Wheeler kissed Chloe, Rory, and Smith before she went missing on Prom night. The three of them have to work together and follow a series of clues that Shara left them in order to find out where she went. As they go on this journey together they learn more about each other and develop an unlikely friendship.

This is not a romance. It’s a coming-of-age story about accepting your true self. This book is full of complex and interesting characters that will resonate with a lot of people.

Casey McQuiston has a magical way with words and I will continue to read anything that they write.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this novel and waited in anticipation to read Shara's notes. Once Shara was found, the book started to slow down. I found the story to be a bit boring up until Shara exposes her father for his involvement in the college admission scandals. All the pop culture references were fun, I laughed when Chloe said that Dixon has Logan Paul hair. I would purchase this for my classroom library and it was a wholesome sapphic romance and I loved the representation. I though Smith and Rory's relationship was sweet.

Reading I Kissed Shara Wheeler made me so nostalgic for such a specific time in my life: the end of senior year. You know where you are going to college, and you are trying to keep up your GPA but your brain is in full on cruise control mode. The excitement of college seems slightly dulled at the prospect of not going to school with all of your hometown friends… it’s an overwhelmingly emotional time.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler follows Chloe Green navigating the end of her high school career. She is smart, determined and the only thing standing in her way of valedictorian is Shara Wheeler- her academic rival. The same Shara Wheeler who kissed Chloe out of the blue. The same Shara Wheeler who disappeared on prom night and now is leaving Chloe mysterious notes all over town. With the help of two unlikely allies, will Chloe be able to track Shara down before graduation?

I Kissed Shara Wheeler reminded me why I love YA so much. The humor was a perfect mix of sarcasm, silly antics and truly smart wit. I loved the southern small town setting and the group of queer kids who were fiercely true to themselves. Chloe has such a distinct presence that even with a strong cast of secondary characters, she truly shines. I also loved the representation. I may been in high school a lifetime ago but I learned so much from this young, vibrant story.

A huge congratulations to the author on the publication of I Kissed Shara Wheeler. It was truly a privilege to read this story! I am certain this will be one of the standout books of Spring!

Casey McQuiston has written an inventive story that blends several themes brilliantly. You have the importance of friendships blended with discovery of who you truly are and having the ability to love freely. All of this is combined with a mystery and intense academic rivalry. .

Chloe Green and Shara Wheeler have been in competition for valedictorian their entire high school career. Chloe has watched Shara float through her seemingly charmed existence as the daughter of the principal, the girlfriend of the quarterback and the girl everyone basically idolizes. All Chloe wants is to win valedictorian and she focuses on it all four years. But towards the end of their senior year, Shara throws a curveball by kissing Chloe and then disappearing. What ensues after that is Chloe's obsession with finding Shara and uncovering the mystery behind not only her kiss but several of Shara's other last minute actions before she left.

Along the way, Chloe befriends and gets to know several people she otherwise probably wouldn't have and helps them find some answers in this situation too. The character development was wonderful. You definitely had a sense of everyone's personality and could connect to them. I thought the way McQuiston handled this entire storyline was quite clever. She wrapped and twisted things in a way that surprised you on one hand and yet made total sense. I did think a high school senior just vanishing on her own for a time period was a bit far-fetched. Especially given who her father was. But it definitely worked for the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

I feel like I can’t even begin to put into words how much I loved this book.
There’s something about the way Casey writes her stories and her characters that makes me feels so connected to them and makes me feel seen in a way I don’t always feel with other books. I think that’s what makes RW&RB so special to me, because I can see parts of myself in the characters and often easily relate to things they go through, and it’s exactly the same with the IKSW characters.
I had so much fun reading everything that Chloe, Smith and Rory got into while trying to figure out why Shara mysteriously disappeared after kissing both Chloe and Rory. It was so entertaining to see just how invested Chloe got in finding Shara, even after Smith and Rory stopped being as involved. And I thought the mystery aspect was so much fun. I loved the obviousness that finding Shara was never just about who was going to be valedictorian to Chloe. Nobody works that hard to find a missing person just so the chances of winning valedictorian were truly fair, right?
I thought Casey did an excellent job at finding the right balance of deeper and more emotional content as well as the fun lighthearted content. It made the story flow really nicely and kept me interested the entire time.
I can’t do this review without mentioning two of my most favourite moments from the book. The first one was mid-book when one of the character asks another character about being nonbinary which sparks a whole conversation about it between the two, and I absolutely LOVE the way the character explains being nonbinary. I also loved seeing the shift in one of the characters as they began to process things they hadn’t let themselves think about before.
The other moment was the speech that Chloe’s mom gives one of the characters about it being okay to leave your hometown and that the place you grow up isn’t the whole world. She explains that it’s okay to leave if you have to be something besides who you really want to be. “You’re allowed to exist” is honestly one of my favourite quotes ever.
I couldn’t have asked for a better YA debut from Casey, and I’m honestly just so glad this book exist.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the arc

I love Casey McQuiston and once again she knocked it out of the park with this one. Chloe, Smith, and Rory, alongside all of the characters feel very well developed. The plot, though predictable, is truly charming. She’s got a knack for making stories come to life.

My only criticism, if you can call it that, is that this feels very similar to some other popular YA books - boy meets boy, paper towns, and perks of being a wildflower. However, I find that YA is a genre full of books that remind you of something else. I can imagine we’ll see some complaints there. Personally, I have no problem with that when it’s well executed. There’s so much value in positive queer representation and I love that for this genre.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler, Casey McQuiston’s third book and first foray into YA, is proof that McQuiston can do books for and about teens just as well as those for adults. Full of heart and humor and all the huge emotions that make up teenagehood, it’s more a coming-of-age tale than a romance, though the relationships are just as rich and engaging as I’d hoped and expected. Shimmery as lip gloss without ever shying away from darker places, ultimately uplifting without dismissing the sometimes awful realities and nuances of being a person in this world - specifically, being queer in a small Bible Belt town - it’s a charming, compulsively readable, optimistic story about finding and being your truest, best self.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

You'll find yourself equal parts obsessed and charmed by McQuitson's I Kissed Shara Wheeler. With characters fully formed and real, it's a story about love, identity, and the scary realizations of growing up.

One thing I absolutely love about author Casey McQuiston’s novels is how they build their characters.

I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ll probably always say it: McQuiston is a master at writing characters. Each of the main and side characters in I Kissed Shara Wheeler leaps off the page as they are fully formed, flesh and bones, and all the feelings and energy of a modern day teenager. From Chloe to all of her friends, each have these layers and layers of complexities, insecurities, and desires that make them so utterly relatable and human.

Teen readers will fall in love with McQuiston’s story about obsession, jealousy, identity, self-worth and love, and finding that someone who knows and loves you for you.

Funny, quirky, and filled with a bit of mystery, McQuiston’s YA novel, I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a book not to be missed.

Happy Reading ~ Cece

“Shame is a way of life here. It’s stocked in the vending machines, stuck like gum under the desks, spoken in the morning devotionals. She knows now that there’s a bit of it in her.”

With I KISSED SHARA WHEELER, McQuiston has taken a sapphic knife to my ex-evangelical heart and flayed it right open (twice, since that’s how many times I’ve already read this book). It’s equal parts shenanigans, romance, and the enduring gut-punch of hypocritical homophobic piety, and I loved it even more the second time, because of (not despite) how tender it felt to read. For a seemingly light-hearted book - billed as a young adult romcom with a pair of sapphic academic rivals-to-lovers at the center, compared with PAPER TOWNS for the treasure hunt and “Saved” for the absurdity of fundamentalist Christianity - it has an intense, striking core that gripped me and hasn’t yet let me go.

McQuiston nails two things, absolutely: the ways that we hide our vulnerable, soft parts to protect ourselves in spaces that won’t accept us, and how that hiding, that deflecting, looks different for each of us. The insidiousness of shame in these contexts is that it keeps us from knowing each other, and sometimes even from knowing ourselves, a tool that evangelicalism and other oppressive systems have so readily capitalized on to keep us in line. I loved how McQuiston combines this with the more traditional high school trope of different groups of teens - jocks, nerds, theater kids, stoners, student government types - realizing that they are each constrained by the stereotypes about them and finding the common threads laced between them. It was so lovely to watch these characters begin to untangle the messy webs of internalized homophobia and how those have translated into actions, to see past where they each fall in the high school food chain and unite against their shared adversaries.

McQuiston’s characters always make me want to fall into their fictional worlds and befriend them, and this story is no different. There are so many delightful, well-rounded side characters, and not one but two compelling, slow-burn queer romances. It’s hard to write a story where both the main character (Chloe) and her love interest (Shara) are oblivious to their feelings for each other, where they don’t spend time physically together in the present until two-thirds of the way through the book, while setting the stage for the reader to root for them as a couple, but McQuiston manages this, and masterfully so. On that note: two smart girls torturing each other academically to avoid discussing their feelings is definitely my kryptonite. Rory and Smith are absolute favorites, both as complex individuals and as a pair; I was cheering them on from the beginning and I adore how tenderly their second-chance romance unfolds. This book is also bursting with McQuiston's signature witty banter and enough humor and hijinks to balance out the heavier parts of the story.

As a former evangelical and graduate of a Christian college who’s now queer, who has both resented and felt the loss of the faith communities I was once a part of, it's immensely meaningful to see some of my experiences represented so accurately in the journeys of Chloe, Shara, Rory, and Smith. I’m grateful, again, for McQuiston’s writing and for Wednesday Books for the review copy of this inimitable YA novel. And finally, a message for my past, present, and future selves, and for all of you: “Show them you’re not someone to fuck with.”

Content warnings: homophobia, bullying

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a YA novel by Casey McQuiston. The author is not afraid to explore sensitive topics in this coming-of-age story, complete with humor and drama.

Chloe Green is a senior in high school. Her last goal for her senior year is to be valedictorian of her class. Chloe's rival for the honor is Shara Wheeler. Shara is a hoity-toity girl that always seems to come out ahead. In an odd turn of events, Shara kisses Chloe and then mysteriously disappears. Chloe is not at school or any of her usual events. Shara's friends are very concerned and follow clues left behind in an unusual game of "catch me if you can."

This book takes readers on a hilarious scavenger hunt. The writing is quirky, mysterious, and intriguing. The competition between Chloe and Shara feels like a real catfight with lots of teenage tit for tat. Rory and Smith's supporting characters round out the cast by adding a whole new element to the plot. The book is for young adults aged 12 and above.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is available on May 3rd. (4.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for allowing me to review this book in exchange for my honest opinion. It is a laugh-out-loud read for young adults.

This book is another win for Casey McQuiston and an excellent YA debut, really letting the teenage experience shine. By far the part that impressed me the most was the author’s ability to write teenage dialogue and Chloe’s inner monologue in a realistic, witty, and angsty-yet-still-mature way. Writing believable dialogue can be one of the most challenging aspects of Young Adult fiction, as it can be easy for it to sound juvenile or two-dimensional. This was never a problem with this book; instead, we get a hilarious and heartfelt book with just the right amount of teenage frustration.
While this book dealt with some tough topics surrounding small-town politics and religiously-centered homophobia, I personally felt that it was handled in a respectful and realistic way. Christian and non-Christian characters alike are able to condemn homophobic actions and sentiments, and the author does a solid job of navigating those waters.
Where I struggled with this book was the sheer amount of characters involved. The main group felt developed, but there were quite a few side characters with sometimes similar names (Ash and Ace especially) that made certain scenes a bit confusing.
Overall, this is a fun and heartfelt read that also adeptly handles relevant social issues. I’m already looking forward to reading whatever this author writes next!

This book was not what I expected.

To start, I would consider the content to be on the low end of the teen spectrum. When they say "Kissed", they mean it. That's as much action as you'll see, so if you're looking for smut, look elsewhere.

Next up are the characters. The friend groups are AWESOME! I honestly wish that the book was about some of them and not our MCs. This is because the MCs are not the kind of people I'd root for. Selfish, petty, and destructive are not a good look on anyone.

I will give the story credit, though, for some excellent messaging and a decent mystery/scavenger hunt of sorts.

In the end, it was a decent read, but nothing to write home about. 3 stars.

I really adored this book in how it gave me all the feels at the end. It was definitely YA and for a younger audience, but very sweet!

Once again Casey McQuiston has brought us a complete joy of a book. They've had me completely under their spell since my first read of Red, White & Royal Blue (and through many subsequent re-reads). McQuiston has a knack for bringing us uplifting queer stories with universal appeal. I was beyond excited for this, their first foray into YA literature, and I was not disappointed.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a wonderful enemies-to-lovers tale against the backdrop of a small, ultra-conservative Christian high school. Our main character, Chloe, was transplanted four years ago from her life in Southern California to the hometown of one of her moms, deep in the heart of Alabama. But over the years Chloe has adapted to being the only openly gay student in her very repressed and homophobic high school, and now has her sights set on being the valedictorian of her class. The only person standing in the way of that goal is her mortal enemy, Shara Wheeler. Shara is pretty and popular, prom queen and girlfriend of the star quarterback. And she's smart, always keeping Chloe on her toes in their battle for being number one in their class.

Shara unexpectedly kisses Chloe one day and then mysteriously disappears from prom the next. What follows is a scavenger hunt, with Shara's location as the final prize. Following a series of clues left by Shara on her signature pink stationary, Chloe joins Shara's boyfriend, Smith, and neighbor, Rory, as they try to solve the mystery that is on everyone's mind: where did Shara go?

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is billed as a rom-com, but that's not completely accurate. The two people we are supposed to be rooting for to get together are actually both kind of unlikeable. I was far more invested in the developing romance between Chloe's compatriots than I was in her changing feelings for Shara. This story is part mystery, part romance, but mostly it is a lovely coming of age tale about finding love, finding your identity, and finding your tribe. It features a dazzling array of spectacular supporting characters, and I want each of them to get their own book. Especially Smith. I love Smith with my whole heart. With his flowers (the flowers!) and his journey of identity and his emerging feelings...I just wanted to wrap him in a big mama bear hug and tell him how beautiful he is.

I definitely recommend adding I Kissed Shara Wheeler to your TBR if you're looking for something with humor and heart, but be aware of some content warnings before you do. This book deals with a lot of homophobia, as well as religious trauma. Definitely be sure you are prepared for that before diving in.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Wednesday Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This being my first Casey McQuiston novel was such a treat. Not only did they write in such a fun and interesting way about Alabama (my home state) but what its like growing up queer there and on the outs. There were certain moments that made me laugh at the cheesiness, in a fun "rom-com" style (I use that loosely) while also packing a punch as the days count down towards Graduation and tally up how many days Shara Wheeler has been leaving a trail. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

This author has a unique storytelling style and it worked really well with her YA debut. Fun, diverse cast of characters and I honestly had no idea where this story was going to go. Kept me interested and entertained the entire book.

Quesadillas & silk scrunchies
Author Casey McQuiston has a signature style, that’s for sure. For one, they love to write in third-person POV, present tense, which is not something you see a lot. That always takes me a little bit of time to get used to, but ultimately, I like it!

Like McQuistion’s other books, I Kissed Shara Wheeler pays an inordinate amount of detail to seemingly mundane details, as well as pop culture references. I really got a kick out of how much Taco Bell these kids eat. Takes me back to high school.


Southern hospitality
I didn’t grow up in the American South, but I was born there. In a way, Chloe and I lived the opposite trajectory. I was in Louisiana until the age of five, at which point I moved to California. Chloe lived in California until age fourteen, at which point she moved to the South.

Of course, I still have a strong familial connection to the region. So, I’m curious how I Kissed Shara Wheeler will resonate with people who aren’t as familiar with the South.

McQuiston does a great job balancing poking fun at and criticizing the very true harm misusing religion can cause. However, they also show the other side of things. I’m particularly glad they pointed out that it’s OK not to want to leave your tiny, conservative town. If you do, how will it ever change?

Trading in stereotypes
Chloe isn’t exactly the most likable character, and that’s fine, that’s the point; it’s actually great. She has to learn not to judge a book by its cover (a lot of this novel is set in a book shop).

Readers’ expectations are also subverted. No one is as they first seem. No one is just one thing. It’s a good lesson and something we all have to realize at some point. However, I did spend a great deal of time worrying about how the book was dealing with mental health. Let’s just say my post-book headcanon is free therapy for everyone!

Book review: I kissed Shara wheeler. Photo of author Casey McQuiston
Casey McQuiston. Photo Credit: Sylvie Rosokoff
Building a mystery
I loved McQuiston’s Red White & Royal Blue so much that I preordered One Last Stop, which isn’t something I often do. And when I heard about I Kissed Shara Wheeler, I knew I wanted to review it. I wasn’t disappointed, exactly, but this book feels a little more paint-by-the-numbers than their first two. It’s McQuiston’s first foray into young adult fiction and I suspect that’s why.

The novel felt about 15 percent too long, due to a lot of over-explaining. McQuiston made a pretty cool choice in revealing the actual mystery at just past the halfway point of the book, making it anti-climactic, which was absolutely the point. It worked for me.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler isn’t about the mystery. It’s about growing up. There’s an especially poignant moment at a graduation bonfire when Chloe realizes she’ll probably never see some of the people there again. It’s such a bittersweet recognition along the way to adulthood. Perfect.

Should you read it?
If you love Mean Girls, Southern queers and/or teenage angst, absolutely! It’s a fun summer read that’d probably be good for the beach or by the pool. Just don’t expect I Kissed Shara Wheeler to become your next comfort read, à la McQuiston’s first two books.

Content warnings: abusive parents (emotional), bullying, religious trauma, outing, sexual harassment, queerphobia.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is out May 3. Pick up a copy at your local indie bookstore or library. 📚

Every single Casey McQuiston novel is like a warm hug to me, and I Kissed Shara Wheeler was an absolute joy to read. I didn’t want to put it down and I wanted to savour it at the same time because it was just so good. I loved Rory, Smith and Chloe’s dynamic together and how they all got to know each other (or relearn things about each other) and support one another throughout the progression of the novel, and the tensions that needed to be resolved between Chloe and Georgia were extremely realistically written. The depiction of small-town religious rural areas resonated with me and I found myself seeing my own high school experience in what the characters were going through many times. The mystery at the centre of the book was compelling because of the characters that played a part in figuring it out, and nuances of these characters and their relationships (alongside how their secrets and deeply-buried truths were revealed) made them so real and loveable. I will always be a fan of Casey McQuiston and her writing, and I Kissed Shara Wheeler proves that she can write in any genre and it will be phenomenal.

4.25 Stars. I think I might have found one of my new favorite authors. Casey McQuiston has another excellent book in her bibliography. This one is a YA rivals to lovers with one of them wooing the other from afar. Its also very much more than that, as it deals with complex themes of identity and generational expectations and how it can really mess with kids. It also does such a great job with how friendships evolve and are formed as you move through high school.

Chloe is an outspoken, out queer kid in a town that is effectively run by the wealthiest, most Christian individuals. It revolves around the power they have in the town's private, prestigious high school, Willowgrove Christian Academy. Chloe has a bit of a rivalry going with the town's queen bee, Shara Wheeler until she suddenly disappears after senior prom, and kissing Chloe. Shara leaves without a trace, with the exception of clues left in pink envelopes for Chloe, Shane, and Smith. Shane is the bad boy next door, and Smith is the shiny quarterback to Shara's prom queen. While Chloe dives more and more into the clues left behind by Shara, she learns how truly messy and complex Shara's relationship to the town that warships her is.

This mixes a whole bunch of things together, creates complex leads and side characters, with messy relationships. Its about how two seemingly different people can be almost exactly alike and not know it. Its about parents and adult expectations and how their children navigate it. And of course, its about relationships. So much comes together in a fun mystery with a hint of romance that culminates in a satisfying ending.

If I had one complaint, it is that it takes a little too long to get to the end of the mystery, because for me, the mystery was a bit of a courtship dance that Chloe and Shara were performing, and when they finally ended it, I wish that I could read about them interacting together with their new found awareness. But it is only a small issue, and I do not think that it impacted the story that much.

Read this book, people. It is sweet, dramatic, and surprisingly funny with some of the best dialog for a YA high school book I have seen in a while. The kids are alright.

*I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.