I loved Casey McQuiston's first two novels and was thrilled to hear that she had a YA book coming out! There's a lot to enjoy in I Kissed Shara Wheeler, but I ended up having mixed feelings overall.

Chloe Green, an LA-transplant attend a VERY Christian High School in Alabama, is ready to get out. With graduation in sight, she's determined to beat out perfect Shara Wheeler for Valedictorian and escape to NYU in the fall with her best friend, Georgia. But her plans come screeching to a halt when Shara kisses Chloe two days before prom and then disappears in a cloud of lip gloss and chiffon. Rumors fly, but only Chloe, bad boy Rory, and Shara's jock boyfriend Smith, have any idea what's going on. Because Shara has left each of them a pink-enveloped letter with cryptic messages about her departure. Chloe begins working with Rory and Shara to follow Shara's trail of clues, eventually discovering that none of them really know Shara at all.

The first half of the book has big Paper Towns energy and I think McQuiston is aware of that - she makes a John Green reference early on. There's some fun in the mystery and it's enjoyable to watch Chloe bond with Rory and Smith. However, she desperately doesn't want to bond with anyone. Chloe is convinced that she's the smartest person in the school, that her friends are the only people worth talking to, and that Shara Wheeler is the Worst. She's sassy and smart, but also pretty mean. This goes on for most of the book. While eventually Chloe realizes that there's more to her town and her school than she thought, it takes a LONG time to get there and I found myself very frustrated with her character. She lets herself get so obsessed with Shara's letters that she misses plans and commitments with her friends and can't quite see her own blindness. THEN, when Shara returns, Chloe hatches a half-baked plan to get Shara to fall for her just so she can reject her. It's just SO mean and petty and not cute. Chloe's growth is a huge part of I Kissed Shara Wheeler, but I honestly couldn't stand her for about 70% of the book.

I love good-intentioned acts of teenage rebellion, so I really enjoyed the last quarter of the book. As soon as Chloe and her friends started planning their protest graduation, I was sold. Seeing the different friend groups bond and come to understand each other was great and I think the ultimate goal of the novel was achieved here.

One final thought is that I wish there had actually been a bit more of Shara herself in the book. While we learn a bit about her through Chloe's flashbacks and her letters, I felt that there was a lot of Shara still to uncover at the end.

Overall: Despite some balancing issues, this story is wonderfully paced with an interesting and diverse cast of characters.

Pros:
Characters. As you can probably tell by now, Casey McQuiston is a clear example of how to do characters of all ages.
Pacing. I feel like the amount of time that the book takes place in gives to a perfect pacing.
Narrator. The audiobook narrator of this one feels believable for the age-range that the story is covering.

Cons:
Balance. It is hard to balance mystery and romantic elements in a story. Without giving too much away, it makes the balancing act in this one a bit harder as well.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is so SO important for today’s youth. I would have given anything to have something like this when I was in middle school. The many diverse characters in this story had me laughing, sobbing, and grinning from ear to ear. I truly believe this should be a requirement to read in school.
It took be until about the half way point to really start loving this book. For a long time it felt like a knock off of Paper Towns by John Green, which I wasn’t too excited about. But then the story progressed, I got more connected to the characters, and couldn’t put it down.

Was it a mystery? Was it a rom-com? A rom-dram? Maybe a mashup of all of the above? At any rate, this super fun YA book made for an enjoyable reading experience. Maybe it just goes to show you shouldn’t try too hard to put a label on something… hmmm… maybe that was part of the point Casey McQuiston was going for here.

So… who kissed Shara Wheeler? Within the first few pages, you’ll probably be asking who didn’t. Shara’s taken makeout bandit to new heights–splitting town after locking lips with not only her boyfriend (Smith), but also her next-door neighbor (Rory) and her biggest school rival (Chloe). After finding out Shara’s left a trail of clues in her wake, the unlikely trio of “victims” team up to find out why she did it, and where she is now. Everyone thinks they know Shara– the picture-perfect prom queen at the top of the class– but each note reveals more and more layers to Shara’s seemingly squeaky-clean character.

Her dad–the school principal at their ultra conservative Willowgrove Christian Academy -doesn’t seem the least bit concerned about her whereabouts. Meanwhile, Chloe, Smith, and Rory are chasing down handwritten notes Shara’s left them around town and sleuthing their way through the mystery. The more they hang out, the more their respective groups start interacting–Chloe’s theater friends, Smith’s jock friends and Rory’s misfits group.

The story is fewer than 10 hours on audio, but packs in so much about deciding and defining who and where you want to be post high school. It tackles gender identity and the sexuality spectrum in SO many of the characters with great care. It’s hard to talk about too many other plot points, because it’s fun to see how things unravel!

The audiobook is narrated by Natalie Naudus, who expertly executed each and every character in this book. She adds such nuance to the narration, and you’d easily be able to distinguish the particular character she was voicing at any point in the story. She infuses so much depth navigating the gamut of teenage emotions running high in the story. She is just really fun to listen to! Thanks so much to Macmillan Audio for an ALC via NetGalley Shelf.

Thank you so much for a copy of this book. I felt the topic was too YA for me, and it was a spin off on looking for Alaska. But I did love the humor and think the author did a phenomenal job at her characters banter!

I have been following the development of this book since Casey McQuiston first announced it and WOW was it exciting to get to finally read this! McQuiston crafts a funny round-about Looking for Alaska meets Gone Girl type romp that, as with her other novels, is driven forward by her charming and interesting characters. While I found myself at times equally frustrated with and invested in the main characters, I think that the book wraps up beautifully and pulls together a genuinely fulfilling ending.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of the e- and audio-book copies of this new novel!

I don’t always love Young Adult but I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Chloe is trying to stay out of the inevitable drama of high school while simultaneously becoming valedictorian over her rival, the perfect Shara Wheeler. Weeks before graduation, Shara kisses her out of the blue and then disappears. Chloe is forced to pair up with Shara’s boyfriend and her neighbor to find her, refusing to win valedictorian by default. The closer she gets to finding Shara the closer they both are to having to admit their feelings to each other, but more importantly, to themselves.

🌈LGBTQ read addressing the journeys and moments kids recognize their identities in light but concise writing
📚Classic HS where everyone is learning to get past stereotypes
💖Fun, relatable, and wholesome

This was a wholesome read that perfectly captures some of the most isolating moments of growing up, despite how many kids have these moments and feelings in common.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this Advanced Readers Copy!

Every high school library needs to have this book! Teens will fall in love with Chloe Green, Shara Wheeler, and all the side characters - Smith, Rory, Georgia, and Chloe’s moms. This book represents everything that wasn't available when I was a teen. And especially in light of our current political climate, these books must stay in our libraries.

I Kissed Share Wheeler is a terrific coming-of-age story for high schoolers.
✨Relatable HS problems - realizing that you're not the only one. Everyone is having a difficult time at this age. And it’s okay not to have it all figured out. No two paths are the same. And neither path is wrong.
✨The need to be seen and heard is powerful. Whether the seen and heard is about personal feelings, problems, or self-identity, teens want to be acknowledged and accepted, not “fixed.”
✨Representation - this book looks more like the climate in HS than ever before. Teens are not one-dimensional as often portrayed in YA books. Athletes can love theater! Young women can crush on other young women! Boys can wear flowers in their hair! Queer representation is a part of every HS. And to deny this is irresponsible on our part!

Since this is an audiobook review, I will add that Natalie Naudus is an exceptional narrator. She captured all the teenage angst, drama, and love perfectly. I highly recommend that audiobook.

A quick reminder to all adults reading this book: remember who the target audience is. While you may find the story a little young, teens will feel acceptance, empowerment, and value, which is so crucial at this age!

I am a big fan of Casey McQuiston’s writing, her story telling is captivating. That being said even though I did enjoy this book, it’s not my favorite book that McQuiston has written. Red, White, and Royal Blue is better written in my opinion and the story unfolds more naturally.

In I Kissed Shara Wheeler there are a lot more frustrations and I found myself getting very annoyed with the main character as well as the character of Shara. Since it is a high school setting, that isn’t a surprise. My frustration was mostly with being able to tell that the main character was in love with Shara, but was in denial with herself. It was painfully obvious.

Anyone who has enjoyed her previous works and/or LGBTQ+ characters will most likely enjoy this story as well. I would still recommend it to customers and friends.

This was a YA romcom debut by the author. This one was based around high school seniors on a scavenger hunt, trying to find their classmate who disappeared, along with finding themselves. This one is a queer coming of age story while struggling with their very Christian upbringing. I did enjoy and appreciate the journey these characters took but found the two main characters unlikable.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Shame is a way of life here. It's stocked in the vending machines, stuck like gum under the desks. Spoken in morning devotionals. She knows now that there's a bit of it in her.

Aaaaaaaah, I love this so much. How dare Casey McQuiston consistently make me love contemporary romance. HOW DARE.

Chloe Green grew up in California with her two moms. Then, they uprooted their lives and moved to a tiny, sleepy town called False Beach in Alabama. About as far from sunny, liberal California as you can get. Add to it, Chloe now goes to a very religious school, and her bisexuality and free thinking makes her stand out amongst the people she feels more than a little superior to.

Chloe's goal is to graduate top of her class, be the Valedictorian, and run like hell. And the only thing in her way is beautiful, blonde, bitchy Shara Wheeler. The two have been battling it out for years to gain that top spot.

Then, on Prom night, Shara walks out of the dance and disappears. Not in a Mystery Thriller Someone Has Been Murdered way, but in an infuriating, Only the Perfect Girl Can Get Away With This way. And no one is sure where she went.

What Chloe does know is, before she disappeared, she kissed her. Why? Well, that's the infuriating part.

We start this book with Chloe being rather annoying, and stalkery. She breaks into Shara's house to find clues of where she went, running into Shara's neighbor, Bad Boy prototype Rory. Together with Shara's football boyfriend Smith, the three of them go on a mad hunt to find the notes left behind by Shara, telling them, in short, to come find her.

This reminds me so much of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, in all the best ways. It's a scavenger hunt, a mystery, and also an Outcast Finds Out the Small Town Kids are Alright feel good story.

I was enjoying this so. damn. much. Then we hit about the 60% mark, and the story absolutely changes.

I was really confused.

But this book is a gorgeous flower. And when it blossoms, it's like rays of gold shoot out and you get even more than you anticipated.

This is feel good and heart cockle warming and justice boner giving and just so good. So, so, so damn good.

I haven't read the book between this and RWRB, but I'm ready to jump on it and get to that one. Because goddamn, does Casey McQuiston know how to write great humans.

I mean, how can you dislike someone who gives you the phrase, "Dodge Truck Month straight"?

💗 I Kissed Shara Wheeler is out today, and you NEED this in your life 💗 Each of McQuiston’s books have given me all the feels and are ones I continuously recommend.

I love how this book showcased just how self absorbed we all are. Especially teenagers. We’re all the main character in our own story, and Chloe and Shara are no exception. This book highlights self discovery, friendship, openness, and acceptance in a way I could have only dreamed for during my high school days.
This story starts with a kiss to Shara's unsuspecting "victims", and McQuiston weaves us through a witty tale of mystery solving to find exactly where Shara has gone, why she left, and what she's trying to say through her trail of notes left for her football star boyfriend, the angsty boy next door, and the girl she wants to beat. This story is set in a Christian high school in a small southern town, and that only adds to the dimension of our main cast of characters. IKSW displays shattered stereotypes, relationship evolution, and comradery amongst the unlikeliest of crowds.
I’m not sure exactly how McQuiston was able to touch on such deep topics while also writing the cutest little rom-com, but boy did she nail it! Get this book and recommend it to everyone 💗 especially the teenagers in your life.

I really liked this book! It’s my first Casey McQuiston read, but I definitely plan on checking out the other two books. The story is about the most popular girl in school who vanishes on prom night and leaves behind hidden letters to the three people she kissed before she disappears. Each letter has clues that lead to another location and letter. If you liked Gone Girl or Pretty Little Liars, this is a book you should check out.

I am not sure what to say about this book. I want to preface this by saying I think that many people will absolutely love this book. It was just absolutely 100% not for me.

Shara Wheeler was very engaging, and I wanted to know what happened to her, but halfway through, I realized I hated every character. The main character was INSUFFERABLE, like truly the worst. It didn't stop me from reading though, I really did need to know, and I liked hearing how they figured out clues.

The main problem I had while reading was that I realized that I am not a fan of the missing unattainable and mysterious hot girl trope at all. This is something I should have remembered that after reading paper towns - and this was very similar to paper towns, just with a happier ending. The big reveal of why Shara was missing?! UGH. Absolutely not. Teenagers don't just do that.

For someone who likes a slightly more outlandish story, this is great. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a funny, slow-burn mystery that turns into a romance! Shara is the most popular girl in school, and she went missing. Right before she did, she kissed Chloe Green, her academic rival. She also kissed Rory, her bad-boy neighbor, and also kissed her long=term boyfriend Smith.
Chloe has hidden clues all throughout their small hometown and it's up to Chloe, Rory, and Smith to decipher what each of them mean and go find her.

When I originally heard about this book, I was expecting just a mystery, but it truly was so much more. Each character had their own journeys and most of them surprised me! Shara's own personality went much deeper than just being the "popular girl". This book dealt with a lot of issues surrounding traditional religious beliefs in the South, especially in regards to LGBTQ+ views. I especially loved the last 15-20% of the book, and was rooting for each and every character and couple.

For the audiobook specifically, I enjoyed Natalie Naudus' narration and felt that she brought life to these characters.

This is a great read for any high school student and also a quick, fun read for any adult!
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I Kissed Shara Wheeler

Chloe Green is obsessed with being the best student, and she has been fighting against the schools popular girl
Shara Wheeler to Win valedictorian, but one night Shara kisses Chloe and then disappears leaving clues for Chloe and two
other students on how to find her.

I honestly don't know where to start with this review because I just have so much to say about this book.
At first this book wasn't interesting to me at all. It just seemed like Paper Towns by John Green , but in a different format. ( I am not really a fan of John Green )
I am happy to say I was to say I was wrong.

This book is the most accurate Young Adult high school drama book I have ever read. Casey McQuiston did a great job at making their characters actually seem like high school students.
Of course there was still the drama and the occasional feeling of …" High schoolers aren't actually like this" but it was very minimal and not a big deal when it did happen.
While there was the main plot point of trying to find Shara I was more invested in the aspects of friendship and the rules of the high school.
As someone went to a southern school where we had to wear uniforms with very strict dress code
and not able to express ourselves through our style or colored hair it was something I could relate to in this book. I also really enjoyed that Casey McQuinston chose to shine a light on the problems of religion in a school like setting.
I personally have never been a religious person, but have been in religious environments. I am not saying religion is bad in general, and neither is this book, but it shows how religion can be used in a toxic way in order to control and have power over others.
I really liked that this book showed that side of being religious.

Lets talk about the characters. I did not like Chloe. She was selfish, narcissistic, and well just mean. She could never seem to take responsibility for her own actions. Always had to blame others and claim that whatever the issue is...
it wasn't her fault ( though most of the time it was). That said she was fun to read from her perspective. Chloe also had some character development and does get a bit better near the end of the story.
I really hate how she treats her friends. It always has to be about her and her problems and as soon they would try to talk to her about their issues she would bail.
The side characters really made this book for me. I loved almost every character that wasn't Chloe. This book did a great job with breaking down high school stereotypes.
I don't want to say much more because learning about the side characters was one of my favorite things throughout the book.

So while Chloe was an unlikable main character to me, all the other aspects of this book made this book a five star read to me.

The audiobook itself was good. I enjoyed the narrator for the most part. There were a couple of character voices that made me cringe but they didn't appear very often.

Don’t kill me on this one, but I found this story boring. I didn’t understand the purpose of the entire book. Shara Wheeler kissed three people, Chloe, Smith and Rory, before she disappeared and sent them on a wild goose chase to find her. Shara left notes and clues for them making it all a game. Everyone was to always play the game of Shara Wheeler. Why did Chloe continue to look for Shara? What was her reasoning? Why couldn’t she just let it go? Most of the story was from Cloe’s point of view. The entire thing was very surface level and never really got into the depth or the core reason behind any action. This book reenforces my thought that young adult books are not for me. I ended up switching my audiobook speed from 1.25 (what I normally listen) to 1.5 just to complete the book faster. There was something lacking from this story, and I can’t put my finger on to exactly what that is. Oh well. On to the next.

"I can’t even explain how I feel, and it feels wrong to say it without the right words so I don’t say it at all but then nobody knows and I’m mad that nobody knows even though I don’t even want them to know."
rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Chloe goes on a bit of a scavenger hunt when Shara Wheeler, the high school it-girl, kisses her just before running away without telling anyone where she's going. Shara left letters / clues around the school, town, and with friends for Chloe to figure out where she was.

the representation in this book was A+++ and the way that Casey McQuiston handled complex topics such as identity crises and LGBTQIA+ exploration was truly masterful. it was endearing to watch these characters go through identity journeys and lean on each other during those processes.

I had to continue to remind myself that this book was a YA book based on high school characters because I found both Chloe and Shara very unlikeable at times. I thought Chloe was very stuck in her ways in her unwillingness to see things from other perspectives, and that Shara was immature in her running away, leaving clues, taunting of / playing with the other characters, refusal to admit the truth, etc. Even so, I found this story to be really special and can absolutely see the importance behind its points.

My other complaint is just that it seemed very long, and somewhat unnecessarily because it got a bit redundant at parts. There were several parts I thought I had already read or that felt familiar based on being similar to previous parts of the book.

Overall, I liked this book for something different and am happy that I read it! This book would be great for people who like scavenger hunts, LGBTQIA+ romance, or high school identity stories!

Synopsis: When Shara Wheeler, the most popular girl in school, goes missing after mysteriously kissing Chloe Green, her rival. Chole becomes obsessed with figuring out where Shara is so she can have answers to why Shara kissed her at school. Shortly after Shara disappears, Chloe starts to find cryptic messages leading her to realize she’s not the only person who Shara kissed. With the help of Shara’s boyfriend and Shara’s stoner next door neighbor, they start dissecting these clues in hopes of finding Shara, always two steps ahead, and finally solving the riddle of Shara Wheeler.

Thoughts:
I am conflicted. I loved the first half of this book and enjoyed the character and the unlikely group camaraderie. I also found elements of this book surprising/unpredictable at times- I would think that one thing was going to happen, only for another clue to pop up and change my mind. My conflict lies with the last 3rd of this book. I think, as the reader, my image of how Shara was portrayed throughout these clues made me form a concrete impression of who she was in a certain light, and then the last 3rd of the book tried to make me disregard all feelings I had formed towards the character and do a 180 spin. Normally, I wouldn’t have an issue with it, but I think I just had a strong dislike for Shara and her manipulation, and I never had any empathy towards her trying to justify the means. I know this is probably an unpopular opinion and I KNOW THAT PEOPLE WILL DEVOUR THIS BOOK!

I did like that this book had a commentary on topics such as religion/God and conformity. This features a group of high schoolers who are starting to realize who they want to be and the uncertainty of exploring their gender, sexuality, and beliefs. With that being said, it does feel very high school with the choices characters make and how everything that happens within this setting feels like it's the end of the world (which I think is an accurate depiction of how high school feels). Overall this is a deep dive into the theme of the expectation that society places on us from a young age to be a certain way vs. the consequences and shame that can arise from grappling with the reality of who we are.

I thought Natalie Naudus did a great job narrating and bringing this adventure to life! It was definitely a fun story to hear with all the clues and mysterious notes. Protip: make sure you eat some Taco Bell while reading this book!

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and Casey McQuiston for this audiobook copy in exchange for my review :)

*will be posting a review on my bookstagram (@bookedatfirstsight), Goodreads, and Storygraph!

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a queer contemporary romance by Casey McQuiston, and her first YA novel. The eBook version is 368 pages. I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at nine and a half hours and is narrated by Natalie Naudus.

Chloe Green wants nothing more than to win valedictorian at Willowgrove Christian Academy. A queer girl with two moms, she was born in Southern California but now lives in a highly conservative city in Alabama. Her biggest rival is Shara Wheeler, the daughter of the principal and recent prom queen. About a month before graduation, Shara vanishes after kissing Chloe. But it turns out that Shara also kissed her long-term quarterback boyfriend, Smith, and also Rory, her rough-around-the-edges neighbor who has a huge crush on her. The three of them band together to figure out what's going on with Shara and all of the cryptic notes she left behind.

I laughed out loud a lot while reading this book. The middle dragged for me a bit, so that's mostly why I'm giving this one four stars. But overall I really enjoyed it!

Tropes in this book include: enemies to lovers, high school, scavenger hunt, bisexual main character, sapphic love interest, nonbinary side characters, queer side characters (bisexual, gay, lesbian), gender-questioning side character

CW: homophobia, racism, bullying, outing someone

Special thanks to Wednesday Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing an audiogalley of this book for me to review. All opinions contained herein are my own. I Kissed Shara Wheeler releases today!