The first half of this book was a little too slow for me, I felt like we didn't have enough context to who Shara was and so I couldn't root for Chloe properly. Until around 75% of the way through the characters remained fairly one-dimensional leaving them feeling superficial. I think it could have been valuable to read more from Shara's pov early on - this could have been just by fleshing out her pink notes more - as I wanted to understand her better. However that aside I really enjoyed the book!

Loved the explorations of religious education systems and even though I'm lucky to have never experienced the trauma myself, I felt I understood what they were going through due to the writing. There was a good amount of different topics discussed including generational trauma which was valuable.

Smith and Rory's dynamic was so loveable and I enjoyed the overall banter between side characters. The use of 'gen z' dialogue was appreciated as I felt as though I was hanging out with my friends. The author has researched/immersed themselves in this well!

The ending was a nice touch, it tied everything up well and had such a feel good factor - that brought my rating up overall.

a huge huge huge thank you to casey mcquiston for letting me read this arc, it was such a joy to read!!!

so - i kissed shara wheeler, a whirlwind of a read and an emotional roller coaster. casey mcquiston genuinely makes these characters SING and this makes the whole book. even though i didnt like some of the characters at the start (sorry chloe) the development of every single character (especially chloe’s) thanks to the nuance and backstory, was amazing, and made me love and root for this group of queer, messy, chaotic group of teenagers that much more!! i also really loved shara herself, and she was probably my favourite character, she is so much more than she seems and the complexity of her makes me absolutely adore her (although i might be alone in loving her).

the representation in this was also so beautiful, alongside the found family aspect of it this makes it so enjoyable and wholesome to read (although there is religious trauma and homophobia) i don’t think i can emphasise enough how happy this queer joy made me and seeing a main character so unapologetically themselves. CMQ writes at the end how we deserve to have lgbtq+ romance just as much as straight romance and this book delivers this to such a high quality.

casey mcquiston is an incredible writer, i knew this when i fell in love with red white and royal blue and i kissed shara wheeler is exactly the same. as the age of the main characters in this book, i genuinely feel like it portrays the messiness of school, not knowing what the hell to do next and being expected to know what to do about life and yourself.

this book deserves the hype so so much and i hope people love reading it as much as i did!!

{AD|GIFTED} Casey McQuiston's first YA novel takes the humour, unforgettable characters, and warmth of her adult books and transplants them to a conservative Alabama high school. The author has given us two more main characters to obsess over - Chloe Green and Shara Wheeler. These girls are incredibly fleshed out and spark off each other perfectly. They might not be 'nice' characters but they're authentic, real and messy.

A lot of the story revolves around the strict Christian high school these characters attend and its stifling atmosphere of homophobia and racism. However, the author is keen to show that this is not representative of the red states. There are places just like this but there are also places full of love and acceptance.

The side characters in this book were my absolute favourite and I adored them all. They all have such sheer potential and promise. It's an amazing thing that children today have books like this to help them feel seen and I hope this reaches as many of them as possible. Old fans will be sure to love this story whilst new fans will soon be obsessing over their new favourite author.

My review for i kissed shara wheeler (thank you netgalley for the arc and libro for the audio arc)⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I absolutely adored this book from the amazing main charater ( shara ,smith,rory,chloe) to the mystery element and more, while this book has some of the most heartfelt relationships including the childhood friends to lovers and academic rivals to loves it focuses on so much like important conversations on gender and queerness to growing up in a conservative and often homophobic/racist town and coming to terms with figuring out who you are , the whole way through i could not stop grinning from ear to ear at how much i loved this book , it even made me tear up at times with how much i related to and cared for the characters .

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One of the most enjoyable things about all of McQuiston’s work is the characters. They always feel original, relatable and most importantly, are fun to read about.

This book has a slight mystery theme running throughout it, and from that aspect, it’s my favourite of this author's work. The plot threads throughout tie beautifully together at the end and the journey that these characters are taken on resonates with me.

Based in a small Christian town, the themes of homophobia that are mentioned throughout, the lack of representation the characters see, and how this affects how they understand themselves (leading to their drastic actions) is something I relate to and also is on point with what is happening in the world right now. This book has come at a perfect time for young potential LGBTQIA+ people, and I hope they find comfort in it like I would’ve done all those years ago.

That being said, YA is something I am growing out of, and this definitely shows when comparing the author’s works so far. I would definitely have preferred this as an adult book or even a new adult, would’ve added a little more for me and made this a five star.

Actual rating: 2.5

First of all, I want to preface this review with saying I love Casey McQuiston so this was one of my most anticipated reads this year. I loved RW&RB and OLS is firmly one of my absolute favourite reads ever! So the disappointment was absolutely real when I realised I didn’t like this book 😭 I wanted to DNF it but I gave McQuiston the benefit of the doubt. I should have just stopped reading if I’m honest. This book is basically Mean Girls meets Paper Towns - but not in a good way.

Chloe and Shara are horrible people and I honestly didn’t care what happened to them. I didn’t understand why anyone was even following Shara’s notes, which were clearly a game to her. I did find myself liking Rory and Smith as characters once their backgrounds were developed through the storyline. Overall, I found myself much more interested in the side characters and their relationships. They seemed more rounded and interesting than Chloe at least. Alas the book is called I Kissed Shara Wheeler, and they did not, so they remained side characters.

One thing McQuiston does so well is the idea of queer found family. It’s present in RW&RB and one of the main themes of OLS but it’s non-existent in this book. Chloe is a theatre kid with a lesbian best friend and other queer friends but she keeps ditching them to go find notes from Shara, her sworn rival. This is in like an obsessed with Regina George way. Ugh. Chloe is the worst. And Shara is too. They both suck.

I get that McQuiston is trying to explore internalised homophobia and growing up in a homophobic Christian community but I just don’t think it was executed well. I've cancelled my pre-order of this book and I'm honestly gutted.

“Sometimes it feels like I’m gonna explode, like everything I’m feeling is the first time anyone’s felt it, ever, in the history of the universe, and then I get so angry when people don’t understand that.”

I Kissed Shara Wheeler follows Chloe Green, a California girl who after moving to small town Alabama finds herself as the only ‘out’ person in the entirety of her *very* Christian school. One day just before graduation the most popular girl in school, Shara Wheeler, grabs her and kisses her - completely out of the blue. Before Chloe can get a grip of what’s happened, Shara disappears.

It turns out Chloe isn’t the only person Shara has kissed and she has left notes to each of them with clues to her whereabouts, at this point in the book it feels similar to Paper Towns - and is probably my least favourite part of the story, it’s a bit slow but once it get into its rhythm it’s truly such a great book.

IKSW explores identity and coming to terms with who you really are and who you want to be when you’re a teenager. There is also a really great scene where a character explains what it’s like to be non-binary - it was such a simple explanation but such an important moment and I wish i’d had a book like this when I was younger - to explain things without being judgemental or patronising.

IKSW is a romance at its heart, it’s a bit cheesy and would work perfectly as a film but that’s why I loved it. There is such an absence of LGBTQ+ romance books that don’t contain trauma or abuse or huge age gaps - this is a sweet age appropriate romance that shows the reader that everybody deserves to be loved no matter who you are.

Casey McQuiston is perfect at charming, sweet queer romcoms. They always feature a main character with a ragtag band of excellent friends, willing to follow them to the bitter end. The problem with this book is not only that the MC is kind of a jerk but also the “mystery” with Shara Wheeler is not just ridiculous and over the top (which is fine! It’s a book! It’s allowed to be silly!) but also a bit confusing and underwhelming on first read. But with hindsight actually a lot of the flaws that I originally noticed are actually probably intentional - yes it seems a bit over the top that half of the kids in this incredibly conservative Christian school are queer but, actually, half of the kids at my very normal non-religious school are queer too, so it’s really not totally out of left field - and really this book is for them. So, with caveats, I enjoyed this book, and it is definitely one I’m going to purchase for the school library.

Expertly written, I Kissed Shara Wheeler is another example of Casey McQuiston's skilful prose and deep understanding of young generations through witty banter and the construction of multifaceted characters.

However, her more recent YA novel doesn't quite hit the mark, losing momentum for its intense similarity to John Green's Paper Towns. Part romance-part mystery the book starts after Willowgrove's sweetheart Shara Wheeler goes missing. We discover that prior to the disappearance she kissed three different people, her boyfriend and popular jock Smith, her broody neighbour Rory, and her nemesis Chloe Green. She leaves them interconnected clues that spearhead them on a wild scavenger hunt to find her.

As the clues start lining up, confessions start pouring in and the social structure of their high school is affected by the unlikely trio now united towards the same goal.

The plot does eventually shift quite strikingly from Paper Town's, but the unoriginality at the beginning takes its toll on the reading experience. And, although both Smith and Rory are interesting likeable characters, both Chloe and Shara are too obnoxious, competitive and petty. It's hard to root for them when their motivations are often unclear and childish.

IKSW is not a bad book, it's just not one that can live up to McQuiston's previous works. Or maybe I have too high expectations for YA novels nowadays and it's difficult to feel captivated by them.

Unfortunately I found that this book didn't live up to my expectations. I preferred it to Red, White, and Royal Blue, but didn't enjoy it as much as One Last Stop. I found the plot to be lacking in exposition, it felt as if the only reason we had to care about Shara Wheeler was that eveyone said so. I enjoyed the final scene the most but felt that a significant amount of the other scenes did not feel tied together in a logical way. In fact, a few weeks after having finished it I find that I can't recall many particularities of the first three quarters of the book.

The characters. on the other hand, were where McQuinston shines. The four primary characters were worth rooting for and, more impressively, the secondary characters were also dynamic and memorable. If you're a character-driven reader rather than a plot-driven reader I would recommend this to you.

I'm a big fan of McQuistons' previous books, ONE LAST STOP and RED, WHITE AND ROYAL BLUE. So this book was an automatic 'must-read' for me.

I honestly didn't realise that this was classed as YA and the previous books were classed as adult - I thought they all came under the YA category. Saying that, I thought it was very well written for a YA book from someone who's only written for an adult audience.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this book as I expected that I would.

I thought that Shara was an absolute bitch at the start, but when the reasonings were revealed, I started to like her more. My favourite was Chloe though - I loved her no-nonsense personality and her need to protect her friends. I loved her friendship group - I just wanted everything to work out in the end and for everyone to be happy!

I didn't realise how big of a part the religious bigotry and homophobia would play in this story. It was such a fun, joyful read despite this heavy topic.

Probably more of a 3.5 than 4 star, I enjoyed it but wanted a little more. I found our main character to be a bit irritating and when Shara does eventually make an appearance it was a little anticlimactic. Just a few little tweaks and I think it could have been a lot stronger. Having said that the thing I loved most about this book was the side characters, Smith and Rory especially. I loved those two but also the larger background characters were brilliant too.

I do recommend reading it but perhaps be aware Chloe and Shara herself are a little grating sometimes.

Casey McQuiston has absolutely done it again. Red White and Royal Blue is one of my all time favourites and I loved One Last Stop too. I Kissed Shara Wheeler definitely lived up to the expectations I had from the previous 2 books!

I loved all the elements of this book, the mini mystery, the characters (I especially loved Smith and Rory), the diversity in the cast of characters, the fact that I couldn’t work out how it was all going to end and who was going to end up with who until much further into the book than I normally am when I figure that kind of thing out.

It was a such a fun, easy read dealing with figuring out your identity, crushes and growing up in a small town where it’s hard to be honest about who you really are but taking a risk anyway.

I loved it and if you’ve read any of McQuiston’s previous books I think you will too. 100% recommended.

3.5 stars rounded up. While it didn't blow me away like RWRB, I had a lot of fun reading this. It very much fell into the 'books I wish I had as a teen' category. It follows Chloe, Rory and Smith who are from different groups but work together to find Shara after she disappears. Chloe has had a fierce rivalry with Shara, Rory's had a crush on her and Smith was dating her.

The dynamics here are entertaining, I enjoyed the play with that. Unfortunately the romantic pairing didn't really do it for me. I just didn't think they were great for each other, as much as the tension build up was great. I found myself drifting a little as the ending played out. It just didn't have that little spark - too much rivalry and not enough showing the connection.

But aside from that, it's one I'd recommend especially to the usual YA demographic. I liked reading about this whole cast of characters, Chloe was a good protagonist and Rory and Smith both have a place in my heart. So not quite the win I was hoping for from this author but still thoroughly decent.

Thanks to Macmillan for the ARC, I was lucky to get my hands on it!

“It can be hard, when all the rules claim to be good and moral and godly, to feel like you can challenge them without admitting something bad and wrong about yourself”.

My rating - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

This is my first Casey McQuinston novel, and their first YA novel, and it didn’t disappoint! It’s a mystery, with links into the romance genre - finding a missing girl through the clues she left behind.

I LOVED the exploration of religious trauma, growing up queer in a religious household/community, and the perception of different identities within these communities. The variety of characters with different backgrounds and experiences really fleshed out these topics.

It was the side characters I truly fell head over heels in love with - in particular Smith and Rory, but especially Smith. With the characters, I just adored how much they’d support each other no matter what. That support network they built up as the chapters went on was such a highlight for me.

However… this was a 3.75-4 star book for me until the end. The main reason I felt that way is because the characters felt a little one dimensional, and underdeveloped. It felt like there were attempts at complexity, which ended up making them seem a little flat and superficial. I didn’t really care for the protagonists Chloe and Shara until the very end. I found Chloe a little … annoying, and I didn’t really care for Shara as she was so underdeveloped that I felt I barely knew her at all? The characters were all very promising with a lot of potential, but for me personally they fell a little flat.

I really enjoyed the writing of this book - I found it super easy to read and super easy to get hooked into so I read it in a short span of time. The romances were definitely the thing keeping me hooked (obviously. I’m addicted to romance 😖), and I wanted more from them, but they were still so adorable. I found the ending of this book satisfying and nicely tied up, so it definitely ended on a positive note for me.

So, a little more development would be ideal for me but this was still a super solid, sweet book!

- Lara <3

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a hilarious and heartening YA escapade full of searching for answers about belonging, identity and sexuality, whilst showcasing the power of friendship and popular culture to help make sense of everything.

It explores the anxieties surrounding what comes next after high school, the weight and influence of popularity and the challenge of breaking and moving on from enforced stigmas through religion in a religious school setting. Moreover, it champions respecting and loving ones self, and prioritising joy in defiance of shame.

McQuiston never fails to deliver gleaming jewels of queer positivity. In all of their books to date, each cast of characters are loveable, and I Kissed Shara Wheeler is no different. Chloe Green warranted an immediate soft spot when I discovered she was a fellow Monster Fucker lover, as well as her resistance to conform to her school’s ugly rules. Shara is a complex character, who for a good portion of the book, I wasn’t keen on. This was part and parcel due to the fact she was largely a passive character through others opinions and feelings, until the second act. Nevertheless, by the end she won me over with her unapologetic authenticity.

I felt Chloe and Shara had an intoxicating dynamic through their academic rivalry, where both were clearly obsessed with everything the other did, even if they were both in serious denial. And naturally, it posed the question, is the obsession something more?

Further to Chloe and Shara, McQuiston is exceedingly talented in crafting show stealing support characters, which Smith and Rory undoubtedly are. There are others, like Ash and Benjy, but Smith and Rory were my favourite characters, truth be told. Smith is the athletic guy on track for a scholarship, whilst Rory is the musical stoner. These two were once best friends, before high school cliques pushed them apart. And now they’re forced to confront their problem with each other… Every scrap and sentence about them, I devoured.

Chloe, Shara, Smith and Rory all together: I really cherished the muddied emotions surrounding these four, as it captured that confusing time of first crushes and grappling with sexuality. It was all very messy but entirely perfect. I especially loved the growing friendships Chloe had with Smith and Rory; two people she’d never have entertained being friends with, if it weren’t for Shara’s mystery.

I really, really, really enjoyed how much of a role mystery played in the story. Shara leads the three on a scavenger hunt adventure in search of clues to where she’s disappeared. I couldn’t help but be caught up in it all: where has Shara gone? What will the next clue be? What does the clue mean? As well as this, I was questioning what Shara’s motives were and where it would all lead. It had me entirely enthralled, turning page after page…

However, my favourite part was how McQuiston wielded pop culture references and exceptionally witty humour. I laughed and smiled so much. For my fellow Star Wars lovers, check this one out:

”Like, what do hot guys with long dark hair even have to be that upset about? Get a clarifying shampoo and suck it up, Kylo Ren.”

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a delightfully queer positive coming-of-age story. It shines a light on many questions and feelings young adults face, all wrapped up in an enjoyable mystery with dazzlingly real characters. I think fans of Heartstopper are going to love this.

Thank you kindly to the publishers for an eARC in exchange for this honest review.

DNF @ 50%

I just couldn't with this book. I devoured the first part, I was invested, but that quickly changed. The characters were annoying and selfish, I didn't care for any of them. I felt like I was missing something as they were finding and solving the clues effortlessly whilst I was still utterly confused. None of it really made any sense to me.

I am however in the minority here because everyone seemed to love it. I'd recommend picking it up yourself when it's out and forming your own opinion

Thank you for my eARC of this book! I was so looking forward to this book but I ended up not finishing. I got about half way, and although I loved the writing style, the pace was far too slow to keep me engaged.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and Casey McQuiston did not disappoint. If you know their previous work you know that where they really thrive is in their characters. This is no exception. I loved this group of loveable but messy characters. The discussions of religion and sexuality/identity were really nuanced and well handled. The central mystery was ridiculous but in the best possible way. The romance(s) were perfect. I really loved this book!

I don't normally rush to read YA novels but as a new fan of Casey McQuiston I was really excited about this one! I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed this mystery/romance.

The mystery part of the story, gave me '13 Reason's Why' vibes with carefully plotted out clues that draw in more people as things unfold. The pacing was really good and the hunt for each clue was elaborate enough that it was exciting without being too unrealistic.

The romance evolves later in the story and it's testament to the authors writing and humour that I was rooting for the MC Chloe. She's an incredibly self-involved and prickly teenager but I was so invested in her and really enjoyed reading her realisations about her own attitude and behaviors.

There is a religious aspect to the novel as it's set in a small town in the Bible Belt. What I thought McQuiston did really well was to show the trauma that can be caused to young adults living in a town with oppressive views on gender, sexuality and race that are forced upon them in school, church and every aspect of their lives; without being disrespectful or condescending to the religious culture.

I love the representation in this novel and as a rom-com reader and lover, I really enjoyed the diversity of characters that you rarely get in these books.

Can't wait for whatever comes next from Casey McQuiston!