Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My actual rating of this book is 4.5 stars. I had an unexpectedly fun time with this book! While I loved McQuiston's two previous books, I was a little less sure about this one going in because these days I am not too interested in reading books set during high school. However, it was easy for me to reconnect with the magical feeling of being about to graduate and so ultimately I wasn't too bothered by the high school setting in this book. This book so nicely captures various aspects of the difficulties of being young and queer in the American South and how religion can be an intimate part of the experience whether one is religious or not. I think fans of McQuiston's previous books will enjoy this book as well!

Casey McQuiston's YA debut is full of charm and wonderful writing. The characters are unique and fresh, and the romances are well done!

Absolutely could not stop reading this book, once again this author has found a way to touch on real world issues with humor and characters who you really root for.

A total delight. I will read anything McQuiston writes and this is my favorite of theirs so far. Funny and sweet and a little subversive without giving me unpleasant flashbacks to my own traumatic high school experiences. Exactly what I want out of a YA read.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book.
As soon as I finished this book, my first thought was "I can't wait for this to get banned in public schools."
McQuiston held nothing back when tackling huge topics like religion, sexuality, and societal expectations. Her biggest accomplishment is how she managed to tackles those topics with kindness and humor. McQuiston has a gift for making sure you fall in love with every single character, no matter how minor. I wish I had been given this book when I was in high school. Character development 10/10
My favorite quotes:

"But you work backwards from what you have."
"Moral of the story... Sometimes you're the toxic bitch."
"I'm in love with a monster turducken."

This book feels like a love letter to queer teens growing up in conservative towns, small towns, towns with completely unchecked homophobia and transphobia. This book is an extension of empathy and understanding to queer teens who have been told there is something wrong with them, who feel like they will never be able to come out to their families, who have never seen hopeful possibilities for their futures if they were to be open about themselves, and for queer teens who haven’t even realized the truth about themselves because they have never been given the language, the freedom, and the unconditional love to wonder about and explore who they are.

In that sense, I am very grateful this book exists. I think if this book had existed when I was a teenager, I would have loved it. As it stands, reading it as an adult, I can wholeheartedly appreciate the message and the impact this will have on queer teens, but it doesn’t quite hit home for me anymore the way it once would have. That’s okay. I’m not the target audience. But there are countless kids in small towns right now who need this book, and so I’m grateful to Casey McQuiston for writing it.

The strongest part of this book for me was the message, but unfortunately aspects of the plot didn’t work for me. I found the culmination of the scavenger hunt to be anticlimactic (maybe it was supposed to be?), and the romance was not one I particularly rooted for because mostly I needed a better hashing out at the end between the characters about how they were actually feeling (without anymore lying and manipulation!).

That being said, the side characters were the highlight of this book for me. By the end, I really loved all of the side characters and found myself wondering what a book featuring each of them as the main character might look like.

Not my favorite Casey McQuiston book, but I did appreciate it for what it was doing.

CAUTION: SPOILERS!
I've had to sit on this review for a while after reading the book. I was OBSESSED with Red, White, and Royal Blue, and then really loved One Last Stop. This one did not hit me like they did. But that's not to say it wasn't a good story. It really shows readers that if you stick with your gut, you can make a difference. It had a lot of fun and fast paced storytelling. I loved the Paper Towns feel with the notes. I liked the characters making others get out of their comfort zone. I liked the side characters alot. Particularly Smith. He was definitely my favorite character.
A few things that didn't sit well with me: I really didn't like the main character. In previous books I've connected with the main characters and it made me love the books that much more. I also didn't like that literally everyone in the school came out at the end. I'm sorry but there's no way everyone in the Catholic school in a Southern community are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. It was like they were just swapping relationships or something.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a fun contemporary young adult novel full of the trials and joys of being a high school senior figuring out yourself and your place in your community and the world at large. While I wouldn’t consider the novel being solely about being queer or coming out, queer themes and characters are present throughout the book, and their presence made I Kissed Shara Wheeler stand out from similar YA novels. Had I Kissed Shara Wheeler been out when I was a teenager, I think it would have been a really important book for me to read.

This book is fun and unpredictable, the reasons I enjoyed it!

This book is one of my most anticipated reads of 2022 because, Casey McQuiston. That name just gives us all chills because we love the author so much, and because Red, White, and Royal Blue is ICONIC and I adore that book!

I was so excited when i heard she was releasing a new YA book and also, that cover?!?!? Gorgeous!!

The premise seemed like a super fun read with a wild goose chase, finding new friends in unexpected places, and finding love where you least expected to find it in a place you didn't think you liked.

This book was one big question mark for me and I was just along for the ride of the lives of these high school students, dealing with society, school, religion, and their identities. I love the different representations in this book, and the different relationships that are shown and formed.

You already know that a book by Casey McQuiston will be enjoyable and even though this book is way different from her other two, it shows how McQuiston can keep her audience, while also giving them something new! And considering I'm not the biggest YA fan, this one was still a fun book for me to enjoy!💕

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the earc in return for an honest review.

A fantastic new YA book from an equally fantastic author. The focus of the book may be figuring out where Shara Wheeler has disappeared to and why, but the forging (and reforging) of friendships between Chloe, Rory, and Smith really shines as well. Highly recommended for queer teens and anyone who likes a romance with a bit of a mystery.
NetGalley provided me with a digital ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

It's a queer masterpiece. You get it all - a John Green inspired scavenger hunt, so many coming of age stories, and a rom-com subplot to end all rom-coms. I loved Chloe's quest for valedictorian and how it's so quickly derailed by her hunt for answers. The cast of characters is vibrant and diverse, each contributing their own personalities and perspectives to the story. There are just so many things going on in this book that it could be easy to lose a character like Georgia (for example), but Casey McQuiston does an excellent job of weaving each character into the story at critical junctions. And Shara Wheeler, OH SHARA WHEELER... She's no manic pixie dream girl. I don't want to spoil anything, but this book is a can't miss, quintessential book for the LGBTQIA+ community.

*Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

I’m officially giving up on this author. I’ve read all their books now and just don’t like any of them. I completely skimmed the last 10% because I just couldn’t do it anymore. The characters all sucked which is how I feel about all their books I don’t understand why people want to read about all these people who suck so immensely. I also didn’t buy any of these relationships. No one felt like they actually liked each other at all. I don’t know I’m sure this book will do well it just didn’t work for me at all. I actually did like the mystery that started in this book then abruptly ended at like 60% in. After that it was downhill for me.

A bit Where Did You Go Bernadette with a dash of Paper Towns and a sprinkle of If We Were Us, this was a great read about a girl, and a town, whose impact reached further than they knew.

With "I Kissed Shara Wheeler", McQuiston has finally found their stride as an author. McQuiston's books thus far have all focused on a queer love story, and this one is the best of the bunch. It's protagonist and antagonist are both fully fleshed out characters and you find yourself rooting for both of them at separate times throughout the story. The best part of the this book in particular, is that the voices of each supporting character are strong. They're not like the characters in "One Last Stop" which to me, felt like caricatures of trying to check off diversity boxes. In "I Kissed Shara Wheeler", the company of revolving characters is what makes the book so good, as we're given a clear picture into who they are, and WHY they are that way. It's rare for me to read a book in a 24 hour period and frankly, I'm so glad that this book captivated me so much that I just couldn't put it down! Couldn't have asked for a better first read for 2022.

I struggled with the first part of the book- the side characters were awesome, but the main characters came across as pretty selfish. That being said, their personalities were definitely accurate to teenagers (which was probably the frustrating part for me). The last quarter of the book was phenomenal and made up for the very “John Green” vibes from the start. It came together beautifully and I ended the book feeling pretty satisfied.

⭐️ 5 Pink Stars ⭐️

First and foremost a HUGE thank you is due to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

Shara Wheeler has kissed three people before deciding to vanish off the face of the Earth. The only trace of her left behind: little pink envelopes, the lingering kiss on their lips and a hurricane of gossip that the Willowgrove student body has created leaving everyone dying to know what really happened to the perfect prom queen that everyone loves 😱.

Well, almost everyone...

Chloe Green is probably the one person that does not fall for Shara's charm, but Chloe still wants to know why Shara kissed her in the first place and to have her one true competitor back to win the spot of valedictorian fair and square. Chloe ends up teaming up with the other two people that Shara has kissed, Rory, the delicious bad boy next door who has a crush on her and Shara's longtime boyfriend and Willowgrove's star quarterback, Smith. The three of them are so immensely different that it's hilarious and yet mind boggling to them on why Shara would just kiss them and leave. Regardless of their feelings, they have to put those on the back burner and put their minds together to find Shara and finally get the answers they desperately deserve from her.

Will Chloe, Smith and Rory be able solve the clues Shara left behind before their graduation or will time run out and questions remain unanswered??

Overall, I'm truly excited to see what Casey McQuiston has in store for all of us next time, but until then I will never be able to fully separate pink envelopes and gorgeous blonde hair from Shara Wheeler ever again 💌 .

The only reason I didn’t finish this in one sitting is that my Kindle battery died. I still love RW&RB more, but this has all the Casey McQuiston hallmarks I love (and, frankly, need 2 years into this pandemic): main characters you root wholeheartedly for, a lovable ensemble cast every one of whom you want to hug, and a deliriously happy ending where everyone gets their just deserts. It’s so dang winsome and compulsively readable that I willingly suspended my disbelief over the number of the cool kids at this Christian private school in Alabama who discover they’re nonbinary/gay/bi in the last month of their senior year. Pure, delightful escapism.

A great first attempt at YA for Casey McQuiston. A Paper Towns-esk enemies to lovers high school southern drama which gives you the feels only Casey can. I loved seeing everything from Chloe's point of view but getting to know all her friends and classmates. There's such a representation of people surviving. in the southern conservative town that I just love. I cannot wait for Casey's next book, and would love if it was another YA novel.

I loved loved loved Casey McQuiston's YA debut! Part mystery, part romance, I KISSED SHARA WHEELER is smart, funny, warm. The way Chloe has to learn to navigate her caustic attitude towards her Southern hometown as a matter of self-preservation (and where the limits of that lie) is a queer coming of age masterpiece. I will read anything McQuiston writes, ever.

Casey McQuiston writing queer romcoms is amazing, but Casey McQuiston writing queer MYSTERY romcoms? Even better. This wild scavenger hunt is full of McQuiston’s signature wit, messy relationships, and an insightful examination of the lives of queer people in religious communities. I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a masterpiece and one I’ll be reading again and again!