This is such a delightful, satisfying, and enjoyable story. I loved the characters and the setting, the mystery of Shara, and the sensitivity of the handling of the characters' challenges and triumphs. A thoroughly entertaining book with a big heart.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a young adult mystery that fans of Casey McQuinston’s previous books will love. The premise of the book was good but it felt superficial and surface level in execution. The character development was lacking but I did enjoy some of the character relationships and Smith as a character. The first half of the book was great and I would absolutely recommend for fans of her previous books.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC version of this book in exchange for my honest review.


Casey McQuiston is a master storyteller and this book is no exception. I think I fall in love with her cast of characters in every novel—it is about the main character, but there’s clear themes of friendship and community, and I love that. Also, they read like genuine, relatable human experiences and it’s a breath of fresh air.

This book connected with me at a level I didn’t expect. I attended a Christian private school in a little southern town for many years, and I could relate to Chloe’s friends SO MUCH. The mindset, it was really accurate for me. I’m really glad books like this are being written.

The plot was exciting—I really wanted to solve the puzzle, just like Chloe—and the ending was perfection.

More books from Casey McQuiston, please!!

Chloe Green’s moms move her from California to small town Alabama at the beginning of high school. Her new town is not only small but very religious. To Chloe, it’s downright puritanical as well as intolerant. She goes to a private Christian school because it offers the best academics but it is also a very different world than she is used to. She finds her purpose in focusing on academics and trying to best the school’s golden girl, Shara Wheeler, who also happens to be the principal’s daughter. Shara is beloved by everyone…truly everyone, except Chloe. And then right before graduation, she disappears…what’s Chloe to do? Find her of course.

A cast of fleshed out and diverse characters accompany Chloe on her quest to find out what happened to Shara and to discover things about herself and her town as well. The author included trigger warnings are homophobia and religious intolerance.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The middle lagged a bit and the quest got a bit overly complicated but overall, it was a definite hit. The characters were wonderful. The main characters were fully realized and even the secondary characters felt real. There were so many versions of queer representation in this book and I appreciate that so much.

Casey McQuiston does it again with this new book, making it appealing to both adults and teens. We open on prom night, and just as Shara Wheeler is announced as prom queen, everyone discovers she is missing. The last three people to kiss her last (her jock boyfriend, her rebel neighbor, and Chloe, her academic nemesis) discover a trail of clues she has left behind. As they team up so search together, they discover the stereotypes and assumptions they all had for each other are wrong, and they set out to not only find Shara Wheeler, but to forge a new path where more than one type of teenager is accepted and even celebrated. McQuiston creates a cast of characters that have depth and who the reader will love to root for.

A little over a month before graduation, Chloe Green's archnemesis (the beloved Shara Wheeler) kisses her in an elevator, hands her a bright pink envelope and disappears. Chole, a queer theatre nerd at heart, finds herself teaming up with Shara's boyfriend (Smith Parker, star football player) and Shara's neighbor (Rory, part of the bad boy skater crowd) to solve the mystery of Shara's disappearance.

On the surface level, McQuiston's latest novel reads like a John Green style quest (very, very reminiscent of Paper Towns; there's even a brief reference to the whole thing being kind of John-Green-like in book). However, in John Green's novels, the 'quest' reveals that the main character has been chasing an idealized version of a person; in I Kissed Shara Wheeler the opposite is true. Each clue seems to confirm what Chloe thought from the beginning-- that Shara is unkind, abrasive, not the perfect angel that all of False Beach seems to think that she is. I'm sure there are other parallels and reversals between the two books that I missed since it's been years since I've read Paper Towns, but I eagerly await think pieces on how McQuiston deftly queered the concept.

The setting is also beautifully done. McQuiston is able to capture so intimately what it feels like to grow up in a small town where you don't necessarily fit, and loving it anyway. (Like it's so well done that I immediately was like McQuiston has to be from a small-ish town in the South and the answer was yes, she is). False Beach feels so perfectly rendered down to the smallest of details (removed confederate statues, wandering around Walmart as entertainment, dates at Sonic, having the fanciest restaurant in town be some sort of chain, etc.). She really captures what it feels like to be queer or 'other' in that environment, the weight that that carries, and the ways in which you can feel simultaneously connected to and isolated from your environment, and how you can find joy and build community.

There were other aspects of the book that made it difficult to read at times. I'm a likeable characters kind of girl and neither Chloe nor Shara are particularly likeable all the time (of the style that I was physically wincing at different moments). This is made more bearable by a dazzling supporting cast of friends and community members that are hard not to adore, but still if you're hypersensitive to that beware, this book is about dynamic, bold teenage girls who are still learning and are not always gentle or kind or warm.

I would strongly recommend this book, especially to folks who want to immerse themselves into what it feels like to be young and queer in the South. One of my favorite reads so far this year :)

The main character in this book was infuriating but I think she was supposed to be. Overall, another great book from Casey McQuiston though I didn't enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed their past two novels. YA Contemporary just isn't for me anymore and I'd usually never pick it up, which is probably why. However, this one was well written and definitely tackled some tough subject matter that I would've loved to read about as a teen. Even though this wasn't my favorite personally I'm so glad there are books out like this now for queer YA readers.

Chloe is a cool, queer Cali girl who is trying to survive a hyper Christian high school in Alabama. She has somehow found a few other LGBTIA+ friends to help make it easier until graduation and NYU. However, all is not what it seems.
While following a series of clues planted by the school’s beautiful, perfect, idolized by all, possible Valedictorian, newly disappeared, Shara- pretty much everyone turns gay. Okay, not really but there are quite a few HEAs which may not be realistic, but it makes for great reading.
This book is funny and has a million really specific pop culture references. One thing that I didn’t understand was why so many characters were wearing “undershirts”??? If this is a Southern thing, it makes no sense because people are already sweaty.
I do love how the author showed that there can be more to the Bible Belt than just a bunch of cliches.

******Spoilers*****



Obviously, Chloe and Shara together is the ultimate HEA. What elevates it over most Teen romance is that they are stated as endgame, not the usual, “ we’ll go off to college and see what happens “. I found that swoon worthy.

#NetGalley

I feel incredibly honored to have read Casey McQuiston's newest novel, I Kissed Shara Wheeler. Having read her previous books, I'm familiar with her writing style, and one thing I heavily appreciate from her is her ability to make things real. She places her characters in remarkable situations, and yet is able to ground them, make them real to the reader, give them complexities that is hard to achieve. Especially for her high school characters in I Kissed Shara Wheeler, it's easy to try and pin everything in black and white--But we get to watch as Chloe Green realizes that there isn't just a gray area, there's so many colors, mixing and overlapping and making everything beautiful and complicated. This was a phenomenal book, and I will definitely be recommending it to anyone and everyone.

I loved this book. I thought it was a nice change from Casey's usual romance books. but they're gay and they're into musical theatre, what could go wrong?

I Kissed Shara Wheeler finds three characters thrown together in a scavenger hunt-esque situation when their classmate, Shara Wheeler, disappears. The last anyone saw Shara was at Prom right before she was crowned Prom Queen, but she never arrived to take her crown. In the days following, Chloe, Shara's academic rival, Rory, Shara's next door neighbor, and Smith, Shara's boyfriend, all find letters leading them on a hunt to find the next envelope with their next clue to where Shara went.
The book is very intriguing and keeps the reader interested. I loved the ongoing discussion of being queer in a very small, conservative town and in a small, Christian private school.

McQuiston's writing was propulsive and really engaging here, but I really didn't like her central characters. Both Chloe and Shara didn't work for me fully, though many of the supporting characters were utterly delightful. This made the book way more of a slog than it would've been otherwise.

An absolute delight. I couldn't love this story any more than I already do!

Shara and Chloe's story is a highly original story that is heartwarming, compelling, and also steamy.
The characters are interesting and dynamic and compliment each other so well.
Readers connect to these leading ladies effortlessly and comfortably.
Chole and Shara are real and relatability in every way, and their romance is nothing short of heartwarming and wonderful.
The premise is so unique and intriguing; The entire novel is very vivid.
A glorious book that has sweet tender moments, funny situations, messy and heart-wrenching lovable scenes, mixed with amazing amount of romance.
This book literally has everything I come to look for in a McQustion novel!
This is quite possibly one of the most incredible books I have ever read.

Wednesday Books,
Thank you for this eARC!
I will post my review to B&N, platforms, blog and Waterstone close to pub date!

Casey McQuiston's debut YA novel served everything that we wanted—funny oddball characters who come to know and love themselves better as they also come to know and love each other better—and then some! This story's exploration into what it means to be different in a religious small town will leave readers feeling hopeful and heart-warmed.

Just before Chloe Green is going to have the outright win she most wants, her compeition disappears during prom night. Chloe has been vying with Shara Wheeler for the top academic spot of valedictorian their entire high school careers. Following prom, Chloe is sent on a mission with unlikely companions Smith and Rory to follow clues and find out where Shara went.

Because of the way the book's plot is laid out, I felt like there were two story lines: one trying to find Shara and the other with what happens after finding Shara. I loved both of them, but it was a little bumpy transitioning between the two. Both parts of the story were needed to create the important lession that self-discovery, especially in terms of queerness, looks different on everyone. There are those who quickly embrace and show themselves off to the world. There are those who are in denial and run at any thought of facing their true self. There are so many reactions to have, and so many characters in this book who represent the many different paths. This book was something I needed in high school. Not that my school was cultish, but it was rigidly Catholic. I'm don't think I would have gone to the car dealership then, but today I would. I love the friendships in this book. I love the subtle ways these high schools learned about queerness and developed their own ways of embracing it all the while protecting themselves at Christian private high school in Alabama.

I am obsessed with everything Casey McQuiston does. She has an ability to write characters like NO OTHER writing right now. “I Kissed Shara Wheeler” is her first foray into YA, and her teenage characters are just as developed. I love the mystery; the “Looking for Alaska” manic pixie dream girl trope (that is even addressed!); and how teenagers feel so deeply while realizing everything is fleeting.

If you loved “Red, White, and Royal Blue” or “One Last Stop,” you will love this one too! Promise.

Thanks to McQuiston, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

What a fun read. I’m already a big fan of Casey McQuiston’s books. So glad I got to read it in advance.

Chloe was a fierce and strong character. From the beginning she thought she knew what she wanted. She was confident in herself, didn’t care what others thought and pushed the limits. But even she grew and changed as a character. The relationship between Rory and Smith was my favorite because it really made me think about the stereotypes in the world. It makes you think about the battles everyone is fighting. It was a bit of a slower read but definitely a must for everyone.

This book was not in any way what I imagined and I think it was better for it. I assumed it might be an angsty yet bubblegum-like teen look at romance, but I was so much more.

McQuiston's take on this high school experience is so spot on it is scary. Living and teaching in the south right now, I could picture students feeling and acting the way Chloe, Smith, Rory, Shara, etc. were because they are fearful of the community consequences of being themselves. I enjoyed how the author explored many different types of relationships--love, friendship, authority, etc--and allowed each character to experience something a little bit different. Perhaps the intention was to get sucked in to the mystery of the pink cards, and for some that might be the best part, but along the way I cared less about finding Shara and more about watching these characters some together as they realized there differences were in fact not that large.

I hope that high school libraries purchase this and teachers buy it from their classroom shelves as the story really takes the time to explore how hard it can be growing up in the world right now--and it's all wrapped up in the mystery of finding Shara Wheeler! The only thing that threw me was the mini-arc at the end, but thankfully there was not too much of a focus on it.

This is a must read for teenagers and their parents.

Three thoughts about this book:

1. I would die for Smith Parker
2. Enemies to lovers is such a good trope it will never get old
3. CASEY HAS DONE IT AGAIN

I absolutely devoured this book. It was such a fast paced read even though it’s of substantial length, and it was extremely enjoyable. As someone who is queer and grew up in the south, this book represented exactly what it’s like to try and figure things out when it seems like the odds are stacked against you. I loved the mystery aspect, the beautiful established and new friendships, and the great small town life rep. 10/10 recommend!!