This was an ok book with some cute parts. I loved Casey McQuiston other two books but I wasn’t the biggest fan of their first YA book. I will be acquiring this book for the library.

Since Red, White, and Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston is an author that I read ASAP when they publish something new, so I was thrilled to get this on Netgalley! While it was readable and engaging, I didn't find it as enjoyable or original as their prior two novels. This may have been because it's YA, which isn't for me. I also found Shara's character unlikeable and had a hard time getting behind the idea that this is the person who everyone is chasing.

I love the snark of the characters, the mystery, and the overall feel of this book. I hope that Casey McQuiston regularly visits the young adult world.

Casey McQuiston’s books always surprise me. I think it’s going to be a story about a girl who disappears and her friends have to find her with a romance thrown in for good measure but it was so much more. McQuiston’s story revolves around the complicated relationships that are a result of the conservative and punitive community and parents who will do anything to make sure their “perfect” children remain perfect.

McQuiston, you've done it again. I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a wild adventure, a glorious queer romance, and a delightful coming-of-age story. Characters are well developed and evolve honestly. This book was a real treat and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a fast, fun, engaging read.

One of these stars is for the supporting cast alone. They were the real mvps of this story. I can’t begin to explain how disappointed I am. I just really did not like Chloe or Shara and that made it very hard to like this book. It also doesn’t help that this has one of my least favorite tropes, but at least one has a decent explanation for it.

This was fun at many points, but it was fun because of the side characters. I found Chloe stressful and annoying. It was hard for me to sympathize with her.

I still love McQuiston’s writing so I will try their next YA novel if they write one.

This was a fun coming of age ya mystery/romance, in the vein of stories such as Gone Girl and Paper Towns. The standouts to me in this story were the side characters. I loved the relationship that evolved between Smith and Rory so, so much. And Smith's exploration of his gender was amazing to see, and is amazing representation for young queer teens. I couldn't stand Chloe at all, I would've liked the story a lot more without her. But, overall I still enjoyed this story.

Casey never disappoints.
With already having written two amazing best sellers- I had complete faith in them and how this next book would come out.

It’s a fun twist on a teen romance with a slight mystery- all in good fun.
It’s written beautifully to depict high school romances and the feeling of crushes and dances and everything that embodies what it’s like to be a teen again.

Thank you St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange of an honest review!

My first words after finishing I Kissed Shara Wheeler were “Wow, what a book!”

And I’d like to think that encapsulates my feelings pretty well. To be honest, I am not quite sure how I’m supposed to do this book justice in a review. Sure, I could talk about all the things it is on the surface: a fun and twisty YA novel with excellent queer rep, a chaotic and unlikely friend group and all the teenage chaos you’d expect. And that would be accurate!

But to me, what lies beneath the surface of I Kissed Shara Wheeler is much more interesting. Which is fitting because a lot of this book is about expectations and appearances and the wonders that unfold when you dig deeper and look behind the curtain.

Chloe Green, our narrator and resident rebellious queer kid at her Catholic school, knows a lot about appearances. After all, being known for a) having gay moms and b) being queer herself, she’s exposed to a relentless sort of visibility in her community. People think they know her and Chloe has gotten pretty good at playing into and weaponizing those expectations. She thinks she sees through people and has figured them all out, most of all Shara. But beneath Chloe’s confidence is a whole lot of insecurity as things start to look a little more complex than she anticipated — especially Shara.

Truly, none of the characters in this book are fully who we expect them to be. They defy their resident high school tropes with colourful glory (and a lot of queerness). Only as Chloe is forced to band together to find Shara does she allow herself to truly see her peers in all their messy complexity. As a reader, uncovering the characters’ secrets and personalities beyond their appearances was probably one of my favourite aspects of this book. Casey McQuiston masterfully constructs each character with such vivid energy that they seem to jump off the page.

We all know I love a good mystery. So to uncover that I Kissed Shara Wheeler isn’t just a phenomenal YA contemporary but also has a delightful mystery plotline? Reader, I screamed. I honestly expected the whole “let’s find Shara!” thing to be a minor plot point because I’ve been burned by marketing before. But nope, it’s a true scavenger hunt. And I loved trying to figure out the clues and guessing where Shara might be! The mystery aspect kept the pacing fairly quick, so if you’re looking for a “read in a day” kind of book, I Kissed Shara Wheeler might be it!

Additionally, I simply adored all the little mixed media elements! There are Shara’s notes, transcripts of audio recordings, notes scribbled on class notes and so much more. Adding those elements to a book is a surefire way to win my heart and this was no exception. It adds so much texture to the story and I love it!

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is twisted and mysterious and a lot of it is invisible, like roots buried beneath layers of soil. And much like that metaphorical plant, it’s about growth. About growing into who you are, no matter what someone looking at the sprout thinks you should be.

This theme of expectations and identity and the difficulties of finding your place when growing up was explored beautifully. Honestly, even as a 23-year-old, I took something away from it that I wish I had been able to absorb as a teenager. I Kissed Shara Wheeler is utterly affirming in its love for its characters and their messy identities.

Overall, I Kissed Shara Wheeler is delightfully funny and heart-achingly honest, with a mystery element, the most wonderfully complex and messy characters, and queer exploration of all varieties.

“There was this one weekend, a million summers ago, when I sat on the shore drinking a frozen limeade, and I realized the only thing I wanted to look at was the way the sun hit the girls swimming in the lake.
The problem has always been this: When I look at you, I taste lime, and I see light on water.”

When I first found out the newest Casey McQuiston book was going to be YA, I was selfishly a bit disappointed. I love their adult books with my whole heart and just wanted more of the same. Having read this now though, I shouldn’t have worried even for a moment. This book is perfect and I’m so glad it exists for everyone, but especially for young, queer people.

McQuiston continues to write my favorite, funniest, most observant books and I cannot get enough. My queer heart is full to bursting with this one and I cannot wait for whatever comes next.

Every Casey McQuiston book I've ever read had made me feel so inexplicably... safe. And so at home.

I'm glad they're branching out to YA books as well. McQuiston's work is dear and special and so important to young adults finding their way, looking for safe spaces and stories they can live in for a little while, but I think it's also deeply important to extend that haven to younger queer kids as well. This book was so much fun. It made me laugh out loud every chapter. The cast was so full and alive and beautiful. McQuiston has really mastered the art of giving a reader exactly what they want, not quite in the way they expected, but exactly the way they wanted it without even realizing it. You never feel afraid, reading these stories. You can trust McQuiston to give you what you need and that you'll love every moment of it.

I think that's an art that is ridiculously impossible to master. How do you keep me smiling through the whole story? How do you keep me laughing? How do you keep me sighing in satisfaction with every plot twist and reveal? How do you keep me muttering, "Oh my God, this is absolutely ridiculous," without making me set the book aside for being TOO ridiculous?

There needs to be room for this kind of over-the-top fun, for this love letter to queer kids everywhere, this big, wet, sloppy kiss to each and every reader. It's important BECAUSE it's so fun and ridiculous. Queer kids don't have enough of that.

Keep 'em coming, McQusiston. You're doing important work here. I'll do my job as a librarian to help your work on the last leg of its journey, directly into the hands of the kids who need it. Who need somewhere to feel safe, to feel seen. To laugh and grin like idiots. Thank you.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is Casey Mcquiston's YA debut.
Chloe is a senior in high school who is trying to desperately win valedictorian and beat Shara Wheeler. Then Shara kisses Chloe out of nowhere and disappears. While trying to figure out the truth she bands together with Smith and Rory who were also kissed by Shara before she vanished.
This was really interesting and fun. The characters were well-written and the plot definitely kept me guessing what would happen next.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler was everything I love and more in YA. This story hinges on the power of teen organizing, highlighting the ways that youth can and do change the world. I loved this fun mystery and romance combo that confronts queerphobia in the south and the ways that queer folks can also internalize heteronormativity.

It took me forever to finish this book (not because I didn't like it but I've been so busy) but I'm finally finished! This was sooo sweet. I think I prefer her new adult books so far to this young adult one, but I loved that this was kind of part-romance and part-mystery. I wasn't expecting that! It was interesting. I also feel like I've never read a young adult book anything like this before, so that's a plus too! I will definitely recommend this to students.

I haven't read RWARB yet (my TBR is very long), but I've heard nothing but great things about Casey McQuiston's writing so I was really excited for this book. I really enjoyed the character development and the detailed settings. It felt like you back in high school with the characters. The mystery intertwined with Chloe, Smith, and Rory's growth, love, hate, loss and strength, made me really enjoy this book. I wasn't a huge fan of Shara's, but her growth at the end of the book revealed the motivations of why she did things. I will say I enjoyed the first 60-65% more so than the later third, but I wanted to see what played out with the characters.

I'll say it - Casey McQuiston can do no wrong. They're always an author whose books I will pick without having to know anything about the book and that's exactly what I did with I Kissed Shara Wheeler.

When Shara Wheeler kisses Chloe Green at prom she's in utter shock. Not only was Shara the daughter of the principal of their ultra-conservative Christian high school, Chloe's only competition for valedictorian, but she was also the haver of flawless hair and neatly glossed lips - so when Shara kisses Chloe, she's not excited she's pissed at the audacity that Shara would go that far to get in here head (and of course she like the kiss).

I will say, Casey is one of the few people that I can stand to read in the third person, so having to get past was already a challenge. I did find myself more invested in Chloe's circle of friends than in Chloe and Shara as a 'couple' and I had a hard time reading some of the parts where the logic of both their choices seems so illogical so I didn't really find myself rooting for them in the end as much as I thought I would.

Overall, I still would recommend this book to anyone (after I make sure they've read RW&RB).

A solid YA romance that's self-referential to the genre and fun. LGBT characters abound, all in a positive light. Reminds me a little of Meg Cabot YA, in tone and overall upbeat tone. Recommended for collections serving teen and new adults.

I was thinking, “this sure is a lot like Paper Towns by John Green” and was very dubious about a copycat story. But then it was self-aware, and my love for it catapulted through the window to be amongst the stars.

Shara Wheeler is Casey McQuinston's finest of them all... and needs a television series as soon as possible!

Shara Wheeler is the popular chick in high school: everyone flocked to her, everyone wanted to be her, everyone adored her. So what happens when popular girl disappears and leaves "riddled" notes to three friends? Madness and revelations. Chloe, Rory and Smith are in a race against time to find out where Shara disappeared. But will she even want to be discovered?

As with ever other McQuinston book, one can seriously that she put her heart and soul into it. Filled with teenage jabs, will they or won't they ideas and envelopes with hiddenmessages, I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a YA delight.

The perfect book to start my month of LGBT Pride reading. I had been saving this one for the right time and oh man it was definitely the right time! When queer Chloe Green moved from California with her moms to False Beach Alabama her world is turned upside down. The fun California times where she felt so comfortable in her own skin is gone. She has to attend a very christian school and there are rules upon rules to follow. Shara Wheeler is the town's coveted perfect girl. She believes in God, has perfect hair, and a perfect GPA to match. Chloe has spent the entire time she has lived in False Beach hating Shara Wheeler. She's obsessed then comes the kiss that changes everything. This was a super fun read and I suggest it to anyone needing a quick fun book. Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the advance copy.