This one was interesting...

I did like it and enjoy it, but there were just parts that I found, not only tooooo fantastical BUT also jarring. This one had a bit of a mystery, combined with a bittersweet coming out story. The writing and storytelling were on par with what I expect of a Casey McQuiston novel...however,

I sorta hated Shara and never rooted for her in any scene. I also didn't care for how quickly the mystery of her disappearance was wrapped up and the "reason" behind it. It's almost as if the plot arc of the story was off and really affected the pacing of the story telling. Then when she re-enters the picture the readers don't get as much character development as you would think.

It was a simple, yet sweet, sort of story that would fit for a younger girl. I think I wanted something slightly more complex and drawn out from this...but its definitely YA. Not bad, just not one of my favorite things I have read this year.

Wattpad done right. I enjoyed this book and even thoguh there were some cringey things about it, I'm happy I read it and was entertained. Casey McQuiston is one of those love dislike sometimes authors for me but I'll always read her books.

I will always be one of McQuiston's biggest fans and urge every reader to dive into her books. I could not wait to read about Shara Wheeler and gush to everyone about it. I was captivated from page one, and sad when the story was over. I was completely on board for this adventure and self-discovery. My heart hurts that I don't have a new McQuiston book to read so guess I will just have to continue to reread her books.

This was a quintessential Casey McQuiston novel and I loved every second of it.

Shara Wheeler is the perfect girl - blonde, blue eyed, Christian, straight - in a small Alabama town. Chloe Green is the exact opposite. Raised by two moms, Chloe is frequently shunted to the side and penalized by her Christian private school based on her lifestyle, her appearance, and her queerness. But, Chloe has her own posse of weirdos (said in the most loving way) that keep her grounded and sane. When Shara Wheeler goes missing after prom, and after kissing three people (only one of which is her boyfriend), Chloe gets dragged into a cat and mouse game while simultaneously trying to beat Shara for valedictorian.

It's really easy to set a story in Alabama and pick at its low hanging fruit, but McQuiston made the town realistic and inhabited by fully fleshed out, real, flawed people.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

If you like queer stories and Paper Towns, this one is a great combination of the two! While I did enjoy this novel, it was not my favorite Casey McQuiston novel that they've written. It follows Chloe and her feud with the disappeared Shara Wheeler. Shara has plotted and perfected her disappearance and drives Chloe mad in the process. By the end, we learn Shara's secrets and why she chose Chloe at the top of her torture list.

While it is similar in a lot of ways to Paper towns, I also feel like it makes fun of the angsty YA tropes and expands upon them to create deeper character relationships. I enjoyed this mystery but there were definitely points where I was ready for the plot to progress. There came a point where it seemed everything was resolved but there were still 100+ pages left. They were still an enjoyable, valuable 100+ pages but the novel could have definitely been a bit shorter.

I LOVED this book! The writing was excellent, the story itself was funny and engaging. Highly recommend.

I loved Red, White, and Royal Blue so I was super excited to pick up I kissed Shara Wheeler. However, I did not care for Shara or Chloe as characters, I tolerated Shara at best and Chloe annoyed me. As I read and Shara's motivations came to light it helped and I understood her actions better but she still annoyed me greatly. I found her to be highly manipulative. Luckily I found that Chloe's character growth was redeeming enough for me. I loved that she wasnt a perfect character, that she was flawed and messy. I also loved that SHE learns about herself in the process and comes to realize some of her own flaws. I thoroughly enjoyed the friendship that Chloe, Rory, and Smith forged; to be honest that was my absolute favorite part of the story and the reason I kept reading. I loved as these characters became friends and you watched their story unfold as they grappled with who they were and whether or not that was "ok".

I do think this story is important, especially for people growing up and living in the south or any where with a strong stigma against LGBTQIA+ culture. As someone who grew up in Southern California but now lives in the deep south of Mississippi I truly appreciated this story. It rings true and has great heart. I ultimately gave it 4 stars and would recommend everyone give this story a chance.

I think the premise of I Kissed Shara Wheeler is extremely interesting. Truly, who doesn't love a scavenger hunt of sorts, while keeping the plot moving. Of course, the LGBTQIAP rep was fabulous and written in a way that was a great exposure for kids in communities similar to the book setting.

However, around two hundred pages in, I felt the story lagged, and at the same time, Chloe our MC, was extremely hard to root for. My husband and I go round and round on this. I hate unlikable characters in media, whereas he feels it's proof of good writing/acting. We are never owed a likable character, and we all have people in our lives who are hard to love.

While these pros and cons really mentally balance out, there's a big factor I can't critique. It's YA, and I am far, far, far, from a teen.

Any librarian will tell you, teens is by far the HARDEST to program for. By the time you have an idea to advertise, their interests have already evolved. While, I was reading I found there were a ton of current references, including them being the class of '22. I found myself wondering how quickly this will start to "dated" in the eyes of teens, instead of focusing on the book

I like this! I liked it more than One Last Stop but not more than Red White and Royal Blue. I do think I’ve outgrown YA for the most part, but I can see this being very popular and important for younger kids especially those in places where they feel unsafe with being who they are.

This fucking book y'all. First of all, HAPPY PRIDE MONTH! 💗💜💙

I stayed up 'til 2am and missed a morning walk on the beach for this book and I'm not even mad about it. Growing up in a small town, I never heard the word gay unless it was a slur. I was called names and slurs for a week after I kissed a friend on the cheek. Small towns suck. I didn't know I was bi for such a long time because we didn't talk about it. No one was out. No one was openly queer.

I wish I had had this book. The wit and heart that Casey McQuiston pours into this book creates pure queer magic. The romance, the rivalry, the clues, THE KISSES. There is one 💋 that will truly make you gasp and had me cheer/screaming into my pillow. Casey McQuiston won me over in so many ways and with so many perfect pages.

I loved it so damn much. Hopefully you will too. Queer stories are important. We are important. You are important. 🏳️‍🌈

I Kissed Shara Wheeler follows competitive Chloe Green who desperately wants to win valedictorian. Her only competition is Willowgrove Christian Academy’s very own royalty, Shara Wheeler. A month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe, and disappears right before being crowned prom queen. While on a hunt for answers, Chloe discovers that she’s not the only person Shara kissed and dipped, leaving behind cryptic notes on monogrammed pink stationery in her wake — there’s Smith, Shara’s boyfriend and school quarterback, and Rory, Shara’s neighbor with a crush and a bad boy attitude. The three of them team up to decode Shara’s notes, piece the clues together, and find her. For Chloe, finding Shara’s the only way she’ll win valedictorian fair and square.

From the first synopsis, I Kissed Shara Wheeler reminded me of John Green’s Paper Towns, where a boy, Q, pieces together clues to find his longtime crush and childhood friend, Margo, after she disappears. I had my reservations with I Kissed Shara Wheeler for this very reason — I couldn’t connect with Margo in Paper Towns, and I struggled to empathize for why she left, as well as why Q would spend all that time looking for her. Whereas Margo didn’t particularly want to be found, Shara did, and I found her notes and clues to be a little … manipulative.

Where I Kissed Shara Wheeler fell flat for me is simply Shara Wheeler herself. We spend a good half of the book only knowing her as someone who is held up on a pedestal. She’s perfect and untouchable. No one really knows her. She’s gorgeous and blonde and rich and white. It’s all things that we’ve seen before. And so, I simply wasn’t compelled to follow along for why she disappeared, or where she went. I had my suspicions for why she disappeared, but it wasn’t until those suspicions were confirmed that she started to grow on me. Unfortunately, we don’t really get to know Shara for who she is until the halfway mark, which ultimately made it hard for me to connect to her. It’s too little, too late, in my opinion. Shara’s arc not only reminds me of mirrorball, but the Why She Disappeared poem by Taylor Swift. While I Kissed Shara Wheeler is mostly Chloe’s story, I loved reading about Shara standing up for herself, shredding her inauthentic bits, and coming into her own. But even still, there was something about Shara Wheeler that I struggled with — perhaps, it’s simply the privilege that someone could disappear from her life for a month with no consequences.

As our main character, Chloe Green is more tenacious, dedicated and stubborn than I’ll ever be. Chloe, Shara, and the ensemble cast of I Kissed Shara Wheeler were so messy and raw in a way that only high schoolers are, and I truly loved that. Even when they made mistakes, they tried to learn and grow from them. Each character was on their own journey to figuring out who they were, and where they fit into not just Willowgrove, but the world outside of it as well. Something that McQuiston always excels at is writing the most wonderful friend groups. There’s The Super Six in Red, White and Royal Blue, the roommates in 6E+6F in One Last Stop, and Chloe Green’s friends here in I Kissed Shara Wheeler. Whenever I read one of McQuiston’s books, I know that I’m in for a friend group that is simply so comforting. I always end up feeling like I know these characters myself, and that I’m part of their friend group.

I also love how McQuiston incorporates other “media” into their books. Where Red, White and Royal Blue has letters and emails, and One Last Stop has tweets, Craigslist listings, I Kissed Shara Wheeler has letters, transcripts, and clues. I loved getting that insight into the characters’ own lives, and enjoyed seeing how the pieces fit together at the end.

Despite my criticisms of the character of Shara Wheeler herself, I did find myself sucked into the story, and finishing it all in one sitting. Once I started it, I couldn’t put the book down, and was determined to figure out where she was, and what happened next. I truly did find the book enjoyable, and loved reading about Shara and Chloe — I just wish there was more growth, and that we could’ve spent more time with the two of them. McQuiston once again crafts a beautiful and complex love story, filled with charming characters and a story that will capture your heart.

What happens when you cross an 80s high school movie like The Breakfast Club with a teen mystery drama like Pretty Little Liars? You get I Kissed Shara Wheeler, Casey McQuiston’s first teen/YA novel.

I KISSED SHARA WHEELER STARTS AS A FUN MYSTERY BUT ITS REALLY ABOUT A GROUP OF TEENS FINDING LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE IN EACH OTHER

Introducing Shara, Chloe, Smith, and Rory as illustrated by @peaches.obviously on Instagram.
When Shara disappears right after prom, Chloe cannot let it go. With the help of Shara’s boyfriend, Smith, and neighbor, Rory, Chloe dedicates all her energy and free time to hunt down her academic rival before finals week and graduation, an obsession fueled by the notes Shara left for each of them with clues to her whereabouts.

“Why does she care? Because she and Shara have both spent every day of their high school careers dedicated to the singular goal of graduating valedictorian, and the only thing Chloe has ever wanted as much as that title is the satisfaction of knowing Shara Wheeler can’t have it. Because Shara Wheeler has everything else. Because if Shara’s really gone, that’s forfeit, and Chloe Green does not win by default.”

The long and complicated quest for Shara brings to the surface truths and feelings for many of the characters, and Shara’s selfish disappearing act ultimately helps bring people together. But their journey is not only about accepting their truth, it ultimately becomes a fight against the oppressive and conservative structure of a small town catholic school in Alabama. (I was much more into this second half of the story. Love, acceptance, and bringing down oppressive and archaic structures are always my jam.)

A BEAUTIFUL STORY, BUT I STRUGGLED WITH ITS EXECUTION
I could barely make it through the first half of the book. I didn’t like Chloe’s obsession with finding Shara or Shara’s mind games. I only kept reading because One Last Stop, Casey’s previous book, was one of my best reads last year. I wanted to fall in love with each character’s beautiful quirks and funny one-liners, just like I did with OLS. But the truth is I Kissed Shara Wheeler dragged with its overly detailed world-building, multiple plotlines, and numerous characters. It gets better once Shara reappears because this is when we start seeing character development and growth. It’s really almost a completely different story at that point.


However, I suspect this story will resonate with the young adult audiences it’s meant for. Ultimately, McQuiston does a beautiful job creating complex and relatable characters and storylines representative of the teen experience during high school. Much like The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo’s Fire, Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and all those other movies I’ve watched hundreds of times, the story is about belonging and acceptance, and it’s so important for teens coming of age have these stories. I’ll definitely recommend this book to the tweens and teens in my life.

Casey McQuiston is normalizing the story of LGBTQIA protagonists and capturing the hearts of all readers. She writes relatable characters in funny, charming, and honest ways. I Kissed Shara Wheeler is another great hit that is sure to have new and repeat readers picking her up.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy! I’ve never been more jealous of anyone’s high school experience. I absolutely loved this. McQuiston can do no wrong, even with a debut YA novel. Dare I say I like this better than One Last Stop?!
5 stars!

Fantastic and well-written story. Such a fun story that kept me engaged throughout.

Thank you for the copy in exchange for a fair review.

I didn't love this one as much as McQuiston's previous books, but it was amazing nonetheless!! The all-over rep was spot on as usual and just super entertaining!

A great Young Adult book with Casey McQuiston’s unique style. They perfectly capture the Voice and emotional whirlwinds of Gen Z in a way that inspires empathy and compassion in the reader. The secondary characters were even more endearing than the main character, and really started to shine in the second half. A must-read add to any queer YA shelf.

This book is incredibly intriguing, and has a lot of nuance and exploration of character dynamics for a YA novel—love Casey McQuiston's work.

*Arc provided by Netgalley and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.*

Chloe Green moves from California to a very puritanical Alabama town and Christian academy. With weeks left until graduation Chloe is counting the days until she is hopefully declared valedictorian and can get out of that stuffy place. Only one thing stands between Chloe and her goal, Shara Wheeler the principle's daughter, and resident popular girl. Things seem pretty cut and dry until Shara kisses Chloe then vanishes. Now completely thrown off Chloe teams up with Shara's boyfriend Smith, and her next door neighbor Rory (both people she's also kissed before disappearing) to follow a set of clue's to Shara's whereabouts.

When the opportunity came up to read another Casey McQuiston book I had to jump at the chance as I loved Red, White, and Royal Blue. I Kissed Shara Wheeler though wasn't really what I was expecting. I haven't read John Greene's Paper Towns, but I knew immediately that was the book Chloe references, and that threw me off a bit referencing a book with such a similar plot. I didn't find Chloe to be a likeable protagonist and Shara an even less likeable love interest. This one just wasn't for me unfortunately, I would say it's probably good for Pretty Little Liars fans and most likely fans of Paper Towns.

DNF at 44%. I just didn't care about the characters...they were actually pretty annoying to be honest. Thanks to Net Galley for giving me this in exchange for an honest review.