McQuiston's debut YA is everything I love about contemporary YA novels—a good cast of characters, coming-of-age, and discovering yourself, even the parts you may not like. I devoured this novel, and fell in love with every single character. They all grew into beautiful humans ready for their new lives, embracing themselves for who they were. It was amazing.

I love Casey McQuiston’s body of work. This was no exception- it was very entertaining and an easy read. Great characters, and a mystery that was not easy to solve, but keeps you along for the ride!

I was hooked from the premise of a pair of academic rivals with unresolved feelings for one another plus a Paper Towns-esque mystery, and I really loved how it was executed.

Chloe is a great protagonist, and McQuiston doesn't shy away from her flaws, instead embracing them and building upon them to provide a satisfying character arc as the story progresses. I've loved Casey McQuiston's other books as well, and find the ensemble casts to be just as endearing and lovable as the main characters. It can be easy, with larger casts of characters, to lose some development, but the side characters stood out and had their own unique journeys throughout the book that I was thoroughly invested in as the reader.

Something I wasn't expecting but ended up really enjoying was the way the setting was woven into the story, it felt like a really authentic view of a small, very Christian, southern suburb, and what it means to grow up there as queer teens both trying to be themselves, and trying to figure out who that person is.

Overall, this book gave me a lot of nostalgia for the types of YA books I grew up on, and I think it will definitely be a mainstay of the YA contemporary genre going forward. I would absolutely recommend this book, and I can't wait to read what Casey McQuiston writes next.

Okay, well Casey McQuiston can't write a bad book.

I loved IKSW so much. It was one of those stories that propelled itself chapter after chapter. If I'd been less busy, this definitely would have ended up a one night sitting type of book for me.

But first let's talk characters:

I'm obsessed. Chloe and Shara and Smith and Rory have my entire heart. They were funny, contemplative, reflective, and just as dramatic as I'd expect any graduating senior to be. Chloe going through a final bit of self reflection before graduating felt all too familiar. For high school seniors and recent college students, I think this book will absolutely resonate.

It's also such a clever story. When you break down each part, it's so cleverly plotted that there are hints on hints on hints. This is a book you can read and reread and still find something new.

IKSW was so much fun and reminded me just how good YA can be when it's done right.

I was honored to receive an ARC copy of I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston. In 2022, she has become one of my favorite authors over the course of One Last Stop and, my very favorite, Red White and Royal Blue. When you roll CMcQ together with YA romance and add a light dusting of missing person mystery, the combination is a delicious and vanilla minty combination even non-YA regular readers like myself will absolutely love. As a high school graduate of the ancient year of 2004, seeing how the Willowgrove students of 2022 navigate the highs and lows of their existence made me envious - it's not like it used to be, and for the better - though I wouldn't likely trade my experience a diverse, liberal-leaning Michigan high school for the narrow, uber-religious and uptight Alabama private school of Willowgrove.

In summary, I Kissed Shara Wheeler begins with a caper, uniting three different students - our heroine, overachiever Chloe, Shara's boyfriend and quintessential jock (so it seems) Smith, and rebellious song writer who also happens to live nextdoor to Shara - looking for Shara after she disappears into the night in her almond pink dress following a school dance after kissing Chloe. What follows is more than just a mystery but a journey of teenage self discovery for all involved. Is this summary weak? Probably, but why spoil the fun and excitement of what comes after? Come on you guys - you're just going to have to do your summer reading this year.

I identified more with Chloe in feeling smarter than everyone, on an elevated plane of existence in high school, excelling as quickly as possible at academics and after school activities as a means to move on to greener pastures, but think there's a bit of Shara Wheeler - literally escaping without a trace in order to be found and FEEL found - in all of us at that time, but who actually gets to live it? Many thanks to Macmillan and Wednesday books for the advanced copy - the only thing that could have made it more delightful was if it had been presented in a sealed, crisp, pink envelope.

Casey McQuiston once again created such a clear and real-feeling group of friends and lovers. I Kissed Shara Wheeler is funny, heartwarming, and an instant favorite. Our titular character is more of a looming presence in the book with the story focusing on other people in her life - who start off as enemies to each other. This book is about found family, which has become a theme we can rely on from Casey McQuiston.

This was a book that I did not want to put down. I will admit that I was skeptical of it at first, but as the story continued and it went in new directions, I found myself being pleasantly surprised and wanting more and more. Overall, a very satisfying read and something I would definitely recommend.

I really liked this book, but not nearly as much as I loved McQuiston's other books. It was very slow to start. I didn't quite get the payoff, and Shara was a little "manic pixie dream girl" for my taste. It reminded me of Paper Towns by John Green. As usual with McQuiston's writing, the side characters are *chefs kiss*. As a Northerner, I appreciated the realizations the main character comes to about the South. It was fun and right for a young adult audience and queer representation is always appreciated, especially in YA.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58756420-i-kissed-shara-wheeler" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="I Kissed Shara Wheeler" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1644433190l/58756420._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58756420-i-kissed-shara-wheeler">I Kissed Shara Wheeler</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17949486.Casey_McQuiston">Casey McQuiston</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4414051740">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this earc. My opinions are my own.<br /><br />This book feels like it is right in the center of YA, taking place in the last few weeks of senior year at a point when all of the characters are assessing their pasts, their legacies, and their futures. It is very much a book about figuring out where you're from and where you want to go next (and given that that high school, Willowgrove Christian, is a particularly unpleasant and repressive institution and all the characters are queer and many have other complex identities, there's a lot to figure out. Even for the characters who aren't obsessively trying to track down Shara Wheeler.) Like all of Casey McQuiston's books, the characters are a strength; they are diverse, interesting, warm, and believable, even the ones we only see see briefly. (The pile-up of characters and the way people keep turning up in unexpected places also feels very true to the last few weeks of senior year.) The plot relies a little too much on the narrator Chloe Green's focus (she is both single-minded and oblivious to what's going on with other people's lives), but perhaps that makes the ending even more satisfying for the reader.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/7264737-mihiret">View all my reviews</a>

I want to start by thanking the publisher for giving the opportunity to read and review this arc. I love Casey McQuiston, but this book just did not do it for me. I really liked the concept, but the book was a little too choppy for me. It also tried to pack way too much into one book. It was cute but I found it kind of tiresome to read and just wanting it to be done.

This is the southern queer mystery coming of age we've all been waiting for, 5⭐️

Summary- Chloe wants to be valedictorian of her strict evangelical high school and wants to beat Shara Wheeler fair and square to get there. But Shara kissed her and disappeared- and if she's not there to come in second, then what was the POINT of their ridiculously competitive academic rivalry? Chloe follows clues with Shara's boyfriend and also her neighbor that show her more about Shara, herself, and the school as a whole.

It's giving Paper Towns vibes but it's BETTER. The mystery is so good, the character development is an utter delight, there's little moments that are just so genuine and heartbreaking about the baby gay experience in the south.

I think Chloe is supposed to be an unlikeable narrator or just supposed to be an intensely annoying teenager, but I think I liked the other characters more than her for a large part of the book.

The chapters are intercut with documents- notes between people, meeting minutes, unfinished assignments, that sort of thing- to help bring more of the characters to life or explain some back story. I love the details. It feels super similar to the documents about Jane worked in One Last Stop, or the emails in Red White and Royal Blue, but in the moment I didn't think about it and it didn't feel repetitive.

Overall, can't recommend it enough. I hope high schoolers get the chance to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest review

I wish there had been LGBTQ stories like this when I was young-it's a fun YA romance that talks about queer issues in a honest way and is full of great characters.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler has all the fun rom-com we expect from Casey McQuiston and so much more! Cheeky humor? Check! Love story with a slight problemo? Check! A senior class finding out that their classmates are not that different than them and maybe they can work together to help each other be their happiest, authentic selves? I'm not crying, it's allergies. This is such an enjoyable read. Highly recommend to all!

4.5 stars rounded up

A wonderful queer YA romantic comedy that is really more about teenagers recognizing who they are and who other people are.

Chloe Green and her two moms moved to False Beach Alabama where Chloe started at Willowgrove Academy, a conservative Christian high school, where she’s seen as “the weird queer girl from LA”. There has only ever been one out student at Willowgrove, Chloe’s mom, Valerie.

Chloe and the most popular girl at the school (and daughter of the principal), beautiful Shara Wheeler are competing for valedictorian. So when Shara kisses Chloe and disappears after prom, Chloe feels obliged to find her so she can win conclusively. Following a trail of clues and puzzles planted by Shara, Chloe and new friends QB Smith (Shara’s boyfriend) and rebel Rory (Shara’s neighbor who has a crush on her) try to track her down. But Shara isn’t just trying to be found, she is also showing her true self and wants these three to see that too.

High school is a time where children turn into young adults and the influences of their families, communities, and peers can start to clash with who they feel they are themselves. Willowgrove is beautifully drawn as a school where “shame is a way of life”, and Shara has lit a fuse that will result in an explosion of identity recognition.

It’s not just about how Chloe sees herself, but also about how Chloe sees other people. Being the cool kid from California, she has found her people but never looked beyond them, dismissing the other students as willingly stuck in the mold that the school creates for them. It is only with Shara’s oblique assistance that other people, even her own friends, come into focus for Chloe.

Though the novel tips a nod to John Green’s Paper Towns plot wise, I found the writing and style of it to be happily reminiscent of both Maggie Thrash’s We Know It Was You and Stephanie Tromly’s Trouble series: a little weird, definitely quirky, and stylized without losing its touch with reality. Most enjoyable and highly recommended.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

After reading Casey McQuiston's last two books, which ended up being personal favorites of mine, I could not wait to read this one.

This one is a Young Adult book and it is very well written. I didn't love this one as much as the other two but it was still fantastic! Very happy about the different LGBTQ+ representation.

A 3.5 rounded to 4 stars. McQuiston delivers another solid LGBT story with a variety of characters and a bit of a mystery with sexuality at it's center. I enjoyed this one more than One Last Stop but not as much as Red, White and Royal Blue. I felt that IKSW was a bit more on the YA side with lots of teenage banter and none of the spiciness seen in her other books. Overall, the story was fast paced and I loved the self discovery journey that many of the characters go on. I struggled a bit getting into the high school scene but I'm pretty sure that has more to do with me being older and not the book itself. If you've enjoyed her others, I think you'll enjoy this one too, just know that you're not getting the steam that you might be expecting.

Not quite what I expected from this one. Title character very much a "Gone Girl" vibe that I hated. However, I loved some of the other characters figuring out their sexuality/gender throughout the book and learning to be comfortable in their skin. Not too many books show the journey without it being TrAuMaTiC so that was nice.

Another great read from Casey McQuiston (Red, White, and Royal Blue). Though it doesn’t involve suicide, it did remind me of 13 Reasons Why, as high school student Chloe searches her small Alabama town for clues to where her arch nemesis may be. Secrets are spilled and unlikely relationships are formed in this story filled with great YA LGBTQ characters.

“It has to be an act, is the thing. Obviously, Shara Wheeler is fine. Shara Wheeler is not missing. Shara Wheeler is doing what she does: a doe-eyed performance of blank innocence that makes everything think she must be so deep and complex and enchanting when really, she’s the most boring bore in this entire unbearably boring town.

Chloe is going to prove it. Because she’s the only one smart enough to see it.”

What can Chloe—a feminist, bisexual California girl—really have in common with anyone at her strict, Christian Alabama high school? A lot as it turns out starting with a manic devotion to the queen bee herself, Shara Wheeler. Shara disappears at prom leaving three kisses that turn into clues for her academic rival, Chloe; jock-boyfriend, Smith; and punk outcast neighbor, Rory. The three unlikely teens butt heads as they work together to follow the trail of clues left on pink cards. The seniors uncover far more than a missing classmate in this GONE GIRL meets MEAN GIRLS young adult debut for Casey McQuiston.

I KISSED SHARA WHEELER highlights the difficulty of discovering yourself and the complexity of queer identities amidst a narrow southern Christian backdrop. The author warns readers of the religious trauma that makes an appearance throughout the story. McQuiston’s sharp wit and engaging narrative helps the reader to become every other student at Willowgrove Christian Academy: simultaneously hating Shara and falling in love with her. And wondering if we’re Chloe Green and just a tad too chaotic to see it.

If you liked John Green’s Paper Towns…. this is better (and to be clear, I love Paper Towns)! The mystery, the clues, the forming of unlikely aliens, the perfect queer representation! Aside from being an absolute joy of a book that I would recommend to anyone - I Kissed Shara Wheeler reminded me so much of my experience being the queer outsider at my little Christian school in Texas that it was almost uncomfortable to read - but I LOVED this book. Representation matters and I hope this book finds its way into the hands of all the kids who feel like they don’t belong within these kinds of schools across the south (and beyond).