Let's get this out of the way. I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a delight. Initially, it seemed that this was going to be a sapphic version of Paper Towns, which I didn't love. Instead, I was treated to a story about self-discovery, religious trauma, and community woven together with a mystery.

The characters are three-dimensional and Casey allows us to see how some of the struggles of growing up in a small, religious community lead to making decisions in the name of self-preservation. There is a generosity towards this community that isn't often found in YA. Yes, there is a romance, but what I loved is that the romance doesn't overwhelm the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance recording of the audiobook.

I finished this book early this morning and since then have been pondering over the ratings and what to say in this review. I’m a huge fan of Casey McQuinston and their work! I loved both Red White & Royal and One Last Stop and even though I’m not a huge YA Contemporary reader anymore, was excited to read this one! And overall, I feel like I had positive and negative thoughts on the story overall.


Things I liked:

• THE FRIENDSHIPS! I had so much fun reading the interactions between Chloe and her friends, new and old. I feel like that is one thing McQuinston shines on; writing strong friendship, with fun banter and overall funny dialogue. This was my favorite part of the book, to be honest.
• I feel like this ties in nicely with the first point, but another thing I loved were the side characters. They were all so lovely and really added so much life to the story. I think my favorite one was Smith. I loved the twist on his character. Normally jocks dating the most popular girl in school are trash: sexists, homophobic, racist… honestly all of it… and Smith was just such a cinnamon roll of a character and it was refreshing to see! I also loved his little “plot” in the story so much.
• the representation! I love that most (if not all, actually, now that im thinking about it) of these characters are not straight. It’s always the opposite in books so I always love that in Casey McQuinston books! We need more books with diverse LGBTQIA characters not just one or two side characters.
• I listed the o the audiobook and I loved the narrator! She made the characters come to live and gave them even more personality! She narrated each character speaking so specifically that I knew which character was talking before it was actually said in the text. It was so good!

In Between:

• I created this section because I don’t really know where to put the main romance. I really thought they were cute, I loved the academic rivals thing so much, it was so well done in this story, but I feel like due to the nature of the plot (aka the fact that for most of the story Shara wasn’t even on page, just mentioned or in small flashbacks) there wasn’t much development. I am glad that she didn’t just show up in the last 10 pages and then suddenly they are together after all the rivalry between them (even though it was obvious it was because they liked each other) but at the same time I feel like I wanted more? So I don’t think they fit in the “things I didn’t like section” but I also feel like they don’t fit in the “things I liked” if that makes sense because I felt like they lacked some development in some areas! They were so adorable and I just really wanted moooore!

What I didn’t like:
• honestly… the plot. I reminded me so much of Paper Towns by John Green (without the road trip) and I hated that book with a passion. I do feel like the plot of the “girl disappearing but leaving clues of where she is for the main character to find” plot was way better executed in this story than the John Green one so I didn’t fully hate it but it just isn’t a favorite of mine overall.. I find it kind of silly? I’m not sure. But I’m glad this caused Smith, Chloe and Rory become friends and well… the other things that Shara masterly orchestrated. Iconic behavior tbh.
• Sometimes Chloe was a little bit annoying lol! She wasn’t a terrible main character but some of her inner monologue sometimes made me roll my eyes. It was like… I understand you but I also don’t know if I fully like you? It was weird haha.


Overall, this had its ups and downs. Honestly, I would still recommend it to any YA reader that is looking for a diverse story with super fun friendships. It was good, just not amazing for me!

Shara Wheeler is the most popular girl in school. A Christian school in False Beach, Alabama. I loved that the author put content warnings in the beginning. Shara Wheeler goes missing after prom. Chloe her nemesis, Rory her nextdoor neighbor, and Smith her boyfriend. They end up finding pink envelopes written by Shara and find out they all kissed Shara Wheeler. While finding the letters they learn more about Shara and themselves.

I loved this book.

Full of great queer teen characters trying to reconcile their sexual identities while living in an extremely Christian, small town Alabama community. This story made me feel all the feels and root for those young queer teens trying to figure out their sexuality in a world that is not receptive to anything considered wrong or outside the "norm."

I loved everything about this book. From the scavenger hunt style search plot to the extremely talented narrator. This is an excellent book I would HIGHLY recommend to any teens getting told #dontsaygay !! The bi and queer representation was amazing and the narration by Natalie Naudus was unparalleled! Much thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for my ALC!!

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a fast-paced and wry high school mystery romance with outstanding lgbtq+ representation.

As the only known lesbian at a small conservative Christian high school in Alabama, Chloe is constantly in trouble for her progressive ways but is still on track to become valedictorian, until her rival and nemesis Shara Wheeler disappears.

I loved the clue hunt mystery of this book. Much like Veronica Mars, Chloe is drawn to find out what happened to her frenemy, even more so after she finds a pink envelope Shara left with hints to her location.

All of the characters in this book are relatable, flawed, and three-dimensional, and no-one knows what they're doing. It was a delight to follow Chloe and the people she gathers find out what is going on with Shara and, along the way, push through some of the seemingly insurmountable barriers separating high school social groups.

I listened to the audio version of this book, and Natalie Naudus is a fabulous narrator. She does an amazing job with both the characters and the emotions of everyone in this book.

A big thanks to Macmillan Young Listeners, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing access to an audio review copy of this book.

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for providing me with this ARC.

This was my first Casey McQuinston novel and I LOVED it!! There’s mystery, queer romance, high school drama, and academic rivals to lovers, to say the least. This is the kind of book I wish I read in high school. The personal growth stories are amazing!

3.5 stars. As soon as you read the synopsis of this one it becomes clear this book was influenced by John Green's Paper Towns. But I think it has been kind of toned down? The mystery of where is Shara feels less so than Margo (in Paper Towns). I found myself really like the side characters in this book. I always think McQuiston's writing is so easy and just flows so well. Like you kind of forget you're reading.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator. She did different voices that separated the different characters. It was a fun mystery that I couldn’t stop listening to.

Pretty much the entire book has Chloe, Smith, and Rory searching for missing Shara Wheeler 24 hours after she kissed them all.

You spend the majority of the book going back and forth between now when Shara is missing and the past which shows the characters relationship with Shara and how it evolves. As the book progresses, they discover that she had left them clues to her disappearance. The tension is built well throughout the book however the reveal as to Shara’s whereabouts and her reasoning were lackluster.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the chance to review the audiobook version of I Kissed Shara Wheeler, the new YA novel from Casey McQuiston. (book published by St Martin's Press). This is a wonderfully engaging story, one that has layers and wonderfully developed characters and themes on inclusion, identity, and just the complexity of navigating the end of senior year in high school.

At the start IKSW may seem deceptively straightforward in terms of appearing at first to be an homage to John Green's Paper Towns and the manic pixie girl tropes from recent years; as the narrative unfolds though it moves into an thoughtful and well executed examination of not Shara and where she was (she is missing!) but becomes more about the story of the three not friends who seem tasked by Shara to "find her". The self growth and reflection that is conveyed through mostly Chloe's story but also Rory's and Smith's stories, and from Shara 's story a bit too should connect with many YA readers, and particularly adolescents themselves. I have to admit that I was most moved by Smith and his story, it was such a subtle gentle story and it written with a deftly gentle touch.

three stand out things I liked
1. Inclusion. This book has a lot of representation but it is also a book that isn't just about representation, even though the main character is bisexual and has lesbian parents, it is about figuring yourself out, learning to handle relationships and change and transitions and perhaps moving out of the typical, and healthy, adolescent egocentrism (personal fable) and into a more solid sense of self and future self. Casey McQuiston offers a lot of space to allow her characters to grow and expand, to become more themselves and she writes their stories with care and affection.

2. The busting and expanding on high school YA tropes: this book has a lot of common YA themes, high school musicals, the football quarterback, the popular beautiful everyone likes her character, the competition for valedictorian, the fighting best friends who have to face what it means to go away to college. I love these themes, they are common for many reasons. BUT IKSW has these themes and they manage to feel a bit new, like they got a coat of fresh paint and new lens in place to view them. These plot points are used more to underlie the coming of age vibes, the self discovery, versus having these themes and tropes dominate and dictate the plot.

3. The pacing. The audiobook was well narrated by Natalie Naudus and the plot overall never dragged. The pacing of the story was even with the development of secondary characters and the weaving in of depth to Chloe's story. At times the book becomes more internal with Chloe's reflections but the story is always moving forward and bringing the other characters back in to keep the narrative flowing.

I am a big fan of Red White and Royal Blue and appreciated the chance to hear Ms. McQuiston's wonderful voice in a story that I think will be most welcome by YA readers (readers should keep in mind that this is the target, this is a story about high schoolers and a great one at that). If you liked Felix Ever After or Ashley Woodfolk's When you were everything... this one might be for you!
There are also John Green vibes of course with Paper Towns and Searching for Alaska but I also felt this was very much it's own story.

THIS BOOK! OMG, I got an audiobook ARC from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review, so a massive thank you to them! I literally screamed when I got the approval email! I loved Red, White, & Royal Blue (as did the majority of those who read it) and thought One Last Stop was okay (a less popular opinion), and I Kissed Shara Wheeler was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022 and Casey McQuiston absolutely knocked it out of the park! I was way wilder and funnier and sweeter than I imagined and I am already dying to get my hands on a physical copy and give the ARC a re-listen!

I enjoyed how insane and extra Shara's whole letter clue game was (I was literally listening to this while grocery shopping and had to stop myself from laughing out loud and gasping) and getting to see both Shara and Chloe realize that their whole academic rivalry was really feelings the whole time. I also loved Rory and Smith so much! Casey McQuiston once again proved that they write some of the most interesting and fun side characters! The setting was also a highlight of the book, seeing Chloe be herself so unforgivingly in a religious town in the middle of bible belt and realize that there are probably more people like her than she thought/saw is a great reminder/message. To avoid spoilers, I'll just say those last few chapters were beautiful and just so perfect!!

I love Casey McQuiston and this queer senior year of high school coming of age story gave me soooo many John Hughes movies vibes!

Full of great queer teen characters trying to reconcile their sexual identities while living in an extremely Christian, small town Alabama community. This story made me feel all the feels and root for those young queer teens trying to figure out their sexuality in a world that is not receptive to anything considered wrong or outside the "norm."

I loved everything about this book. From the scavenger hunt style search plot to the extremely talented narrator. This is an excellent book I would HIGHLY recommend to any teens getting told #nottosaygay !! The bi and queer representation in this book was amazing and the narration by Natalie Naudus was unparalled! Highly, highly, recommended!!

I LOVED this so much! I absolutely tore through this book, finishing it in one day - it really is one of those books for me! It's such a fun story set at the end of our character's senior year of high school. Finding yourself, finding a family, and fearing the future - it's something we've all experienced. I described this to my friends as a more intense Paper Towns (also shoutout to Casey for the literal John Green shoutout) mixed with your favorite John Hughes movie. Hijinks, secret letters, and vanilla mint. What a perfect intro to the Young Adult genre for Casey!

3.5 Stars rounded up!

I loved this narrator. Her voice was perfect for this book!

First and foremost, I love McQuiston’s writing. For every book I’ve read, I’ve really felt the emotions and internal struggles each character has, whether I see myself the characters or not. This book was no different.

With that being said, this story is so different than RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE and ONE LAST STOP. Maybe it’s because it’s YA, but there was something different about it. I think the biggest thing I noticed is that this book seems to be in three parts. It’s not written like “Part 1 - 3,” but there were three clear plot points that didn’t weave together very seamlessly. In a way, the beginning plot was a little odd.

Although I found the first plot point to be odd, I think it built up the ending and what the true meaning of this book is. I think anyone, of any age, struggling to love themselves as who they are would benefit from this book.

Content warnings: religious bigotry, homophobia, bullying, emotional abuse, outing, racism

All of these characters are messy, but messy in the “teenage, high school” kind of messy. Every reader can relate to this no matter what high school experience you had. I adored the evolution these characters experience but low key loved the side characters more than Chloe and Shara.

TW: religious trauma and homophobia

Rep: bisexual MC with two moms, lesbian and gay SCs, questioning queer SCs, (questioning) enby SCs

Shara Wheeler was kind of a wild ride! Chloe is a big chaotic mess of a bisexual queen who is able to kill you with a stare. But when her nemesis, her arch enemy Shara disappears after kissing her(!!!) and these weird letters keep appearing …she has to investigate. But Chloe wasn’t the only one getting kissed and left in shock. So a perfect A student, a stoner and a jock go on a mission.

I love books where completely different characters, who would never in a million years talk to each other - much less become friends, get thrown together and are forced to work together. As a team!
The best thing is when they realise they’re all not that different from each other and have more in common than they would have ever thought. The bestestest thing is when they actually become friends. 🥺
I loved these three together! For me the scenes with them were the best part of the book honestly. Fuck the romance.
I also really loved Georgia, Chloe’s best friend, I wish there would have been more scenes with her! All in all Chloe’s usual friend group takes up very little space in this as Chloe is very focussed on finding Shara and I would have wished so badly to get to know them a little better too.

This book takes place in a very christian, conservative, closed off community. Everything you do is analysed, scrutinised and judged. Being yourself in an environment like that must not be easy, especially when you’re a queer teenager. It’s not a place where you feel save and supported.
Yet of course Casey McQuisten again manages to write the queerest book ever. Never question them. It’s a beautiful story of people finding themselves and finding their people, forging amazing friendships with people who accept and support them no matter what. A place to feel save in. We get amazing rep and wonderful discussions about gender. And of course a lot of side characters to fall in love with.

For me the plot was a little too over the place. With the whole finding Shara thing the big reveal was very underwhelming and didn’t quite fit to the rest of the book that was coming after. Also I would have wished for a few more scenes with Chloe and Shara together. Them interacting and talking more, I personally always need more of an actual dialogue to feel the romance.

I bet this book will resonate with a lot of people out there and I liked how it didn’t just show one side of religion also.
The narrator was also amazing, perfect for feisty Chloe!

I wasn't aware of the triggers going into this but there is an authors note at the beginning saying the triggers are homophobia and religious trauma and its heavy and consistent throughout so this isn't a book ill be able to read/listen to. Based simply on the authors previous books and their popularity and the reviews on netgalley i will still recommend this to people but ill give them the warnings before they go in blind.

This was a solid coming of age, and coming of age as queer, book with a great mystery to start out and through the first 2/3 of the story. I enjoyed the characters and the narrator and how the author addressed being a teenager. The turn that the book takes as the end was jarring and to me didn't feel like it fit with where the story was going from the beginning.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the copy of this book.

I loved this YA story. First of all, the amazing characters. You get very invested in each of the four main characters. It's was great getting to see the journey of each one of them. You could feel the transformation as it was happening. The emotions I went through was like nothing I had experience before. I was worried, then angry, then felt sympathy, it was crazy. I really enjoyed this book, it had humor, romance, friendship, mystery. Highly recommend.

Another amazing title from McQuiston. Once again, there is an amazing ensemble cast that you just want to hang out with. Because McQuiston's characters tend to feel so youthful, their writing style translates super well to YA fiction.

It's full of tender and hilarious moments, and know exactly when to add in a pop culture reference without it being overbearing.

The audiobook narrator was fantastic and really made each character feel unique.

This was a great enemies to lovers story! I LOVED all the LGBTQIA+ representation. If you have religious trauma, I think you will feel very seen reading this. I will definitely be picking up a physical copy of this book when it releases on May 3rd!

More like a 3.5 out of 5, but this was super super cute! Chloe is kind of annoying, but I also understand getting so obsessed with something you kind of block everything else. Smith Parker, my beloved. My main complaint is that from 50-75% of the way through the book, it just felt… kinda flat to me? Like, super unbelievable, kind of dumb, and made me think “oh no… will this end badly? Will I hate this?”. But the last 20% of the book or so saved it (still cheesy and hokey, but cute for a YA novel). I wish there had been more of a “mystery”/hunt aspect, but still a very enjoyable read.