I Kissed Shara Wheeler
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- Create Date：2022-04-27 07:19:38
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Casey McQuiston
- ISBN：1250244455
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Summary
From the New York Times bestselling author of One Last Stop and Red， White & Royal Blue comes a debut YA romantic comedy about chasing down what you want， only to find what you need。。。
Chloe Green is so close to winning。 After her moms moved her from SoCal to Alabama for high school， she’s spent the past four years dodging gossipy classmates and a puritanical administration at Willowgrove Christian Academy。 The thing that’s kept her going: winning valedictorian。 Her only rival: prom queen Shara Wheeler， the principal’s perfect progeny。
But a month before graduation， Shara kisses Chloe and vanishes。
On a furious hunt for answers， Chloe discovers she’s not the only one Shara kissed。 There’s also Smith， Shara’s longtime quarterback sweetheart， and Rory， Shara’s bad boy neighbor with a crush。 The three have nothing in common except Shara and the annoyingly cryptic notes she left behind， but together they must untangle Shara’s trail of clues and find her。 It’ll be worth it， if Chloe can drag Shara back before graduation to beat her fair-and-square。
Thrown into an unlikely alliance， chasing a ghost through parties， break-ins， puzzles， and secrets revealed on monogrammed stationery， Chloe starts to suspect there might be more to this small town than she thought。 And maybe—probably not， but maybe—more to Shara， too。
Fierce， funny， and frank， Casey McQuiston's I Kissed Shara Wheeler is about breaking the rules， getting messy， and finding love in unexpected places。
Chloe Green is so close to winning。 After her moms moved her from SoCal to Alabama for high school， she’s spent the past four years dodging gossipy classmates and a puritanical administration at Willowgrove Christian Academy。 The thing that’s kept her going: winning valedictorian。 Her only rival: prom queen Shara Wheeler， the principal’s perfect progeny。
But a month before graduation， Shara kisses Chloe and vanishes。
On a furious hunt for answers， Chloe discovers she’s not the only one Shara kissed。 There’s also Smith， Shara’s longtime quarterback sweetheart， and Rory， Shara’s bad boy neighbor with a crush。 The three have nothing in common except Shara and the annoyingly cryptic notes she left behind， but together they must untangle Shara’s trail of clues and find her。 It’ll be worth it， if Chloe can drag Shara back before graduation to beat her fair-and-square。
Thrown into an unlikely alliance， chasing a ghost through parties， break-ins， puzzles， and secrets revealed on monogrammed stationery， Chloe starts to suspect there might be more to this small town than she thought。 And maybe—probably not， but maybe—more to Shara， too。
Fierce， funny， and frank， Casey McQuiston's I Kissed Shara Wheeler is about breaking the rules， getting messy， and finding love in unexpected places。
Reviews
Jennifer Cox
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If Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska had a baby。 But 🌈 and a happy ending。
Celia
，
RTC
Julia
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I don’t know what was more unlikable， these characters or this audiobook narrator。
ash
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I have so much to say about this book！！ First， I would just like to say I didn’t get sent an arc of this。 I just got lucky and it was on sale at a book festival I went to。 Being able to read this book and have it signed before it even released is a dream come true。 Since the moment Casey announced this book I have been excited to read it。 I will read anything Casey writes but what is special about this book is that it makes me feel like they wrote it for me。Chloe Green is a girl who strives off I have so much to say about this book！！ First， I would just like to say I didn’t get sent an arc of this。 I just got lucky and it was on sale at a book festival I went to。 Being able to read this book and have it signed before it even released is a dream come true。 Since the moment Casey announced this book I have been excited to read it。 I will read anything Casey writes but what is special about this book is that it makes me feel like they wrote it for me。Chloe Green is a girl who strives off academic validation。 She is very competitive and always needs to be the best。 Sometimes when she is really caught up in something， she will neglect other things including her friends。 She is just trying to do everything because she feels like she needs to。I love that Chloe can be relatable to girls who feel like they’re annoying while all they do is try， try try。 Going through Chloe’s journey of figuring out what she’s doing in life and also just the lives of all of the other characters figuring out who they are is exactly what a lot of teenagers need today。 I will forever be grateful to this book for making me feel validated and I hope everyone enjoys this book as much as I do。 If you read this whole thing， thank you and sorry i’m not good at reviews。 。。。more
Samantha Harlow
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Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy！ This is my third book by Casey McQuiston and it was just what I needed。 Chloe is forced to move to Alabama with her moms to attend high school at a conservative， Christian prep school。 Shara is Chloe’s nemesis on the path to valedictorian， and one days kisses her and disappears， leaving notes for all of the people who she recently kissed to help find her。 The story that follows is a journey of self discovery for Chloe and many students at Willow Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy！ This is my third book by Casey McQuiston and it was just what I needed。 Chloe is forced to move to Alabama with her moms to attend high school at a conservative， Christian prep school。 Shara is Chloe’s nemesis on the path to valedictorian， and one days kisses her and disappears， leaving notes for all of the people who she recently kissed to help find her。 The story that follows is a journey of self discovery for Chloe and many students at Willowgrove high school。 McQuiston is a great writer and knows how to write complicated and beautiful teenagers; she shines portraying queer young people， finding their way， in different settings。 This book made me laugh and cry， and it really wrapped up with a great ending。 I was worried this book might not get the nuance of growing up queer in the South， but I was wrong。 I think McQuiston really nailed the complications of growing up in a conservative， small town and finding friends that become family。 One of the things that I really appreciated about this book is the idea of misconceptions， first impressions， and finding friendships with people who you put in one category， to find out they’re messy and complex and worthy of love。 As a mother of young children and really just a human being， reading these kinds of romantic young adult stories make me feel hope and joy， thinking about the inclusive representation that now exists in these kinds of stories。 I recommend this book for lovers of queer young adult stories， romance， and portrayals of growing up in the South。 。。。more
Claire
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Listen， I wanted to love this one， but I just couldn’t。 I thought the plot was good， but I just feel like I’ve read it before。 I also didn’t like the main characters， Chloe and Shara。 I was more invested in the secondary characters like Smith， Rory， and Georgia。 I felt for most of the book that we were building up to something， and then it was kind of anticlimactic。 I definitely prefer McQuiston’s other books to this one， her YA debut。 RWRB is my favorite， with her other books dropping a star wi Listen， I wanted to love this one， but I just couldn’t。 I thought the plot was good， but I just feel like I’ve read it before。 I also didn’t like the main characters， Chloe and Shara。 I was more invested in the secondary characters like Smith， Rory， and Georgia。 I felt for most of the book that we were building up to something， and then it was kind of anticlimactic。 I definitely prefer McQuiston’s other books to this one， her YA debut。 RWRB is my favorite， with her other books dropping a star with each。Audiobook narration: fantastic！！ Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for my ALC copy。 I Kissed Shara Wheeler is out May 3rd！ 。。。more
adventuresinabookshop Jo R
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I loved Casey McQuiston’s previous books so I was very excited when I got the opportunity to read an ARC of her new YA release。An interesting premise for a teen romance， Chloe attends a Christian high school in Alabama where she is the only member of the student body who is openly out as bisexual。 The only was she feels able to challenge the very conservative rules at the school without threatening her chance of getting into a good college is by minor violations of the dress code。 But when the d I loved Casey McQuiston’s previous books so I was very excited when I got the opportunity to read an ARC of her new YA release。An interesting premise for a teen romance， Chloe attends a Christian high school in Alabama where she is the only member of the student body who is openly out as bisexual。 The only was she feels able to challenge the very conservative rules at the school without threatening her chance of getting into a good college is by minor violations of the dress code。 But when the daughter of the headmaster （Shara） kisses her and then disappears she is thrown into a mystery she is determined to unravel。Chloe discovers that many of the other students are also struggling with the rules and having been told something about them is intrinsically ‘wrong’ and something they need to be ashamed of and hide。 As she follows the clues left by Shara to try and find where she is， she realises that appearances can be deceptive and that she has a lot more in common with some of the other students than she’d realised。Although it took me a while to get completely gripped by the story， the final quarter of the book was fantastic。 The character development was very good， and I found myself really routing for them。 Seeing LGBTQ+ issues in a different light such as the way they affect students at a conservative Christian school was very enlightening。 Having grown up in a similar environment I found it particularly easy to relate to the students struggling to find who they really are and how to express themselves。Overall this was an enjoyable read with an intriguing mystery and some delightful， sometimes unexpected romances。 。。。more
kats_bookish_opinions
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I Kissed Shara WheelerThis book。 This goddamn book。 I read this book throughout the chaos that is a high school tech week， and nonetheless it still hit on a deeply profound and emotional level。If Red White， and Royal Blue and One Last Stop’s are letters to the queer community and to queer history， Shara Wheeler is a love letter to the before， to the coming to terms with your identity， to the hidden queer friend groups of theater and band kids， and to the kids who don’t feel ready to come out。 It I Kissed Shara WheelerThis book。 This goddamn book。 I read this book throughout the chaos that is a high school tech week， and nonetheless it still hit on a deeply profound and emotional level。If Red White， and Royal Blue and One Last Stop’s are letters to the queer community and to queer history， Shara Wheeler is a love letter to the before， to the coming to terms with your identity， to the hidden queer friend groups of theater and band kids， and to the kids who don’t feel ready to come out。 It’s a beautiful story of acceptance and discovery that I think only Casey McQuinston could deliver。 It exemplifies what YA can deliver， especially for young people on the edge of their adult lives。 Learning to live with yourself and learning to either escape or embrace the world you grew up in。 I Kissed Shara Wheeler gives the reader all of that and more， it’s a quintessential modern queer coming of age。Our lead， Chloe is an incredibly compelling character who I felt myself immediately drawn to despite the facts that we had almost opposite tracks in life （california girl to southern， and then the reverse for myself）。 You’re immediately drawn into her story from the first page， and she narrates an absolutely thrilling high school mystery and romance。 She’s not perfect， by any means， none of the characters are， but I think that’s what makes them so good as teens， excuse my language， are really fucking stupid and we make so many mistakes， especially when we’re on the verge of something that’s terrifying。 The side cast and characters are also so just goddamn good， especially the titular Shara， and I would’ve loved to see more of her。 I Kissed Shara Wheeler is just an incredibly substantive and satisfying read that I think any queer kid or… basically anyone who ever felt different in high school will deeply relate to。 。。。more
Anderson Elizabeth
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"Saved by God first and her god complex second"AKA a diverse Looking for Alaska with a happy ending。I cannot explain enough how much I love and adore Casey McQuiston's writing。 They just *get it*。 I've enjoyed both of Casey's New Adult books but they're also killing the game with YA。 I LOVE the found family trope that Shara Wheeler has。 Each of these characters felt like such real people and I wanted to give each of those goons a big ole hug。 I really appreciated the way that Casey approached re "Saved by God first and her god complex second"AKA a diverse Looking for Alaska with a happy ending。I cannot explain enough how much I love and adore Casey McQuiston's writing。 They just *get it*。 I've enjoyed both of Casey's New Adult books but they're also killing the game with YA。 I LOVE the found family trope that Shara Wheeler has。 Each of these characters felt like such real people and I wanted to give each of those goons a big ole hug。 I really appreciated the way that Casey approached religion in this book。 I feel like oftentimes （in the past） authors have presented religion in a very negative or positive light whereas this book tackles different sides to Christianity。 I felt seen in that Casey validated the fact that the Church can cause a lot of harm to many people， but there are also churches that are kind， caring， and supportive。I genuinely cannot recommend this book enough。 I was sending my book best friend texts of me spazzing out throughout listening to the audiobook （obviously without spoilers） and I am so excited for other people to be able to read it so I can talk about this book。 Casey McQuiston knows how to write a coming-of-age story， specifically queer coming-of-age stories in ways that are so validating and loving while also making the characters well-rounded， flawed， and realistic。 。。。more
Clare
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I don't usually read much YA， but Casey McQuiston is the best and that shows through in this book。 The kind of book I wish had been around when I was in high school， but that I am also very happy to read now。 I don't usually read much YA， but Casey McQuiston is the best and that shows through in this book。 The kind of book I wish had been around when I was in high school， but that I am also very happy to read now。 。。。more
Lizz （literary_lizard）
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Yes hello， here is another book that I am just *screaming into the void* about because it was so good， I can’t possibly string together a coherent sentence about it。 But let’s try because that’s the joy of reviewing books！This was the first book by Casey McQuiston that I read， and while I’ve only heard amazing things about their previous books， I didn’t want to hype myself up too much。 Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but … THIS BOOK DESERVES ALL THE HYPE！！！The story follows high school senior Yes hello， here is another book that I am just *screaming into the void* about because it was so good， I can’t possibly string together a coherent sentence about it。 But let’s try because that’s the joy of reviewing books！This was the first book by Casey McQuiston that I read， and while I’ve only heard amazing things about their previous books， I didn’t want to hype myself up too much。 Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but … THIS BOOK DESERVES ALL THE HYPE！！！The story follows high school senior Chloe Green， the only openly queer student at her super religious， Conservative school in Alabama。 She moved there four years previously with her moms， but has big dreams to attend NYU next year。 She has the perfect grades， the perfect plan， and just needs to be picked as class valedictorian。 The only issue？ Her rival， the perfect， Jesus-loving Southern sweetheart， Shara Wheeler。 That is， until Shara kissed Chloe （！！！） and then disappears。 Even her Dad， the high school principal， won’t admit that he knows where Shara went。Finally， with Shara out of the way Chloe can focus on finishing school。 That is， until she finds a note left by Shara that sends her on a scavenger hunt to figure out what the hell is going on。 Soon enough， Chloe finds out that she wasn’t the only person Shara kissed before disappearing， and she’s also not the only queer kid at school。Sure， they eventually find Shara， but while putting all the pieces together they also discover some shady secrets the school’s administration has been hiding。 That， paired with all the homophobia and bullying， sets these students over the edge。And what happens？ The best Gay Reckoning I’ve ever read。Yes， there are a lot of deep， important， timely themes explored in this book， but the writing is also so FUN that it balances out nicely。I absolutely loved this book。 My only gripe was that on audio， there was one narrator for a cast of characters， which made it difficult to keep track of at times。I can’t wait for more people to pick up this book and play along with Shara’s game and see how this group of teens takes over and shakes up their school， and their hometown’s way of thinking。 Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this book on audio， via NetGalley， in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Brenna Clark
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Thank you so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Casey McQuiston’s newest triumph。 I have been an avid fan of hers since ‘Red， White and Royal Blue’ came out— and with each release， I love her work more and more。 I Kissed Shara Wheeler hit me where I live in the most beautiful of ways。 As a queer woman from the middle of nowhere in Alabama， I felt as though this story was written for me。 Chloe’s experience and my own differ in so many ways， but our hearts are the sa Thank you so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Casey McQuiston’s newest triumph。 I have been an avid fan of hers since ‘Red， White and Royal Blue’ came out— and with each release， I love her work more and more。 I Kissed Shara Wheeler hit me where I live in the most beautiful of ways。 As a queer woman from the middle of nowhere in Alabama， I felt as though this story was written for me。 Chloe’s experience and my own differ in so many ways， but our hearts are the same。 It was from the very first page that I was bound to the narrative， and that bond only strengthened as I made my way to its end。Chloe Green has her life uprooted when her two mothers （Mom and Mama， as she calls them） move back to her mama’s hometown of False Beach， Alabama。 Her mama was the talk of the town as a budding high school lesbian， and Chloe— already having discovered that she’s bisexual— enters into the same Bible-based school system。 She finds a group of friends who support her， and she is wholly and unabashedly herself， much to the chagrin of the principal。 While Chloe is unbothered by him， she is suddenly enraptured by his daughter— Shara Wheeler。 This seemingly perfect girl corners Chloe and kisses her… right before she goes missing。 We follow Chloe， Shara’s boyfriend， and the boyfriend’s ex-best friend as they attempt to decipher notes that Shara has left behind to lead them toward her final destination。 This opens up all three of them to new experiences and unexpected relationships。I Kissed Shara Wheeler explores sexuality， high school trauma， and the pros and cons of living in a small Southern town。 Near the end of the novel， Casey writes， “But she also knows Alabama is more than Willowgrove。 And if that’s true， maybe faith can mean more than Willowgrove， too”。 I find this to be one of the most important lessons within these pages。 People are so quick to write off the South because they think they are all close-minded conservatives。 In the same vein， other people are ready to treat all persons of faith as though they are one of the few who use the written word of their god as an excuse to hate others。 Humanity， such as the characters in this novel， is varied and more than you can see at a glance。 I want to use Chloe’s tale to be kinder， to judge less。 Because as Casey says in her Author’s Note， “There’s room for the good parts and the bad， the funny and painful and everything in between”。 We contain multitudes， and Casey highlights this beautifully。 。。。more
Rebecca
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Loved this book as a YA， coming of age， quirky and funny read。 It is very High School and well placed with Chloe （a young lesbian） moving to a Christian School in False Beach， AL with her Moms。 There she encounters her nemesis， Shara Wheeler， and the unraveling begins。 This book was sweet， kind， and so very very Senior Year！ Casey McQuiston does it again！！ ❤️❤️
Laney Estel
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Review Coming
Dani
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"Shame is a way of life here。 It's stocked in the vending machines， stuck like gum under the desks， spoken in the morning devotionals。 She knows now that there is a bit of it in her。 It was an easy choice not to go back in the closet when she got here but if she'd grown up here， she might not have come out at all。 She might be a completely different person。 There's so much to it here， so much that nobody tells anyone about。" I started reading this book like "Ha！ Can't get me this time McQuiston！ "Shame is a way of life here。 It's stocked in the vending machines， stuck like gum under the desks， spoken in the morning devotionals。 She knows now that there is a bit of it in her。 It was an easy choice not to go back in the closet when she got here but if she'd grown up here， she might not have come out at all。 She might be a completely different person。 There's so much to it here， so much that nobody tells anyone about。" I started reading this book like "Ha！ Can't get me this time McQuiston！！ This book is too cheesy， with a too-annoying MC， an antagonist that I don't even care about， in a setting that doesn't appeal to me at all。" And McQuiston just smiled at me through the pages and waited until the inevitable moment that I realized， to my own great shock， that I was once again charmed and delighted and absolutely enthralled by this book。 This one is firmly a YA novel， but such a unique， endearingly weird， and of course wonderfully queer story that it ended up warming my heart in exactly the way I have come to expect from McQuiston。 I love the way that so many characters defy the social， familial， and peer expectations that are imprinted upon them。 I love the solidarity between folks who know what it feels like to be different and misunderstood。 I LOOOOOVE Chloe's moms， and boys wearing flowers/sparkly makeup， and how the queer community in an ultra-conservative Christian school come together and say NO THANKS to bigotry and injustice。 Ooo this equation of mystery + enemies-to-lovers + coming-of-age = a whole lot of 😍🥰🥳🤗 from me。 。。。more
Jessica Austin
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Thank you netgalley for a chance to read this for a honest review。 I don’t know if I can’t get into YA lately or what but this was a lot like paper town which I wasn’t a huge fan of。
Justine || themaritimebookworm
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Okay， so this is difficult because teenage me would LOVE this book and honestly wish it was available to me as a kid。 But adult me was so annoyed by these kids。 I think this is such a great book for teens， Casey knows how to make people feel seen in their books and kids needs to hear the words in this book。 I will be buying this for my teenage queer sister in law。 I think this is a book they need。
Maddie
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Definitely a different vibe than RWRB and One Last Stop because this really is YA， but still has the delightful cast of characters Casey McQuiston is known for。 I’m 24 and in most ways have outgrown YA （particularly set in high school） but this is a book I really wish I had in high school as a queer teenager in the south。 Love the rep for the annoying mean sapphics as well haha
Mai-Anh
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LA Times Festival of Books panelist
Shelf Blame
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Casey McQuiston's first foray into YA was a huge success for me， giving us sapphic enemies to lovers set against the backdrop of the deep south。 It's messy and funny and so incredibly heartfelt。 I Kissed Shara Wheeler finds Chloe Green， an Alabama transplant from California who's desperate to get out of the south and the stifling oppression she and other queer students face from all sides - a Christian-based school， a small-minded town， and a student body that thrives on gossip。 Key to her succe Casey McQuiston's first foray into YA was a huge success for me， giving us sapphic enemies to lovers set against the backdrop of the deep south。 It's messy and funny and so incredibly heartfelt。 I Kissed Shara Wheeler finds Chloe Green， an Alabama transplant from California who's desperate to get out of the south and the stifling oppression she and other queer students face from all sides - a Christian-based school， a small-minded town， and a student body that thrives on gossip。 Key to her success: beating out all around Queen bee and town darling Shara Wheeler for valedictorian。 When Shara decides to kiss Chloe and run， leaving notes behind for her and two others she kissed a ditched （boyfriend Smith and friend Rory）， Chloe is determined to solve the mystery to make sure her status as 'better-than-Shara' is kept safe。 There's something Casey McQuiston does so well in all of their books so far， and that's combining emotion and funny banter into this special mix of stories that always leaves me attached to the characters。 This book is no different。 Chloe is an absolute mess of pride in her queerness and the need to remain absolutely perfect in her image as top of the class， better than you， rule breaker。 When the notes start to appear and the I Kissed Shara Wheeler group text starts with Smith and Rory， Chloe is absolutely consumed。 What follows is a hilarious and sometimes emotional scavenger hunt to find the girl she hates。The thing that I really loved about this book is the character growth of every single character。 There's a really great array of identities here。 Chloe， bisexual， surrounds herself with a group of queer friends that just get it。 There's a lesbian character， a non-binary character， a gay character - and on top of this， there are characters that get to explore what their identities are for the first time。 Smith especially has a gorgeous storyline full of wonder at someone being able to proudly be who they want to be。 I'd love a book of just Smith， honestly！ Each of these characters adds something important to this story。 Chloe's own growth and coming to terms with the fact that Alabama may not be the actual worst is one of my favorite parts of this whole book。 I'm from the deep south。 Alabama is a second home。 People forget sometimes that for all the negative out there about Southern states we actually have the second most diverse population in the country， both racially and sexual orientation-wise。 Chloe learns to recognize that not everyone is taking the same journey as her。 Some people get here slower， especially in an environment that's hostile towards the queer community。 I really felt it in my gut when she takes a moment to reflect on how other kids like her might navigate things when they feel like there's no other choice but to be what people expect them to be。 This is the sort of book I wish I'd had in high school。 One that's affirming and recognizes both the parts of the South that rightly give us that bad name， but also the good parts that take root in us regardless of how we feel about it。 Overall， I really loved this book。 Casey McQuiston does it again！ 。。。more
Laurie A Friedman
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This was a lovely YA novel， the first from adult author Case McQuiston。 Three high school seniors are drawn together in a sort of scavenger hunt for their classmate， Shara Wheeler， as she kissed each of them （though to be fair one WAS her boyfriend） and then disappeared。 As they hunt for the clues Shara has left behind each for the， Chole， Smith and Rory， are drawn out of their usual high school roles and forced to interact with different people （especially Chole， who has steadfastly refused to This was a lovely YA novel， the first from adult author Case McQuiston。 Three high school seniors are drawn together in a sort of scavenger hunt for their classmate， Shara Wheeler， as she kissed each of them （though to be fair one WAS her boyfriend） and then disappeared。 As they hunt for the clues Shara has left behind each for the， Chole， Smith and Rory， are drawn out of their usual high school roles and forced to interact with different people （especially Chole， who has steadfastly refused to see much good about her small town since her forced move there several years earlier）。It's a lot of fun seeing them open up to each other， and realize that they are not alone in how they see things （again especially Chole！）The only bit I disliked was the fact that Chole refused to discuss her "quest" with her best friend Georgia， and how it came between them。 Her search went on for a month or so， and in that time they NEVER？ had time together？ I get that she was spending time with her new friends and her search。。 but still。。。 it just seemed strange that the only interactions we have between the two are brief moment where Chole cuts Georgia off and runs off to pursue Shara's clues。 But despite that， I really enjoyed this wonderful， sweet story！Thank you to NetGalley for providing this E- ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lucy Pettigrew 💘
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how did I manage to get a proof of casey mcquiston’s new book？？？ how is this my life？？？at this point， I would read casey mcquiston’s to-do lists， grocery lists， literally anything that would give me more of their writing。 I found the slight change in narrative voice （this is their first ya novel） just as endearing as her adult novels， which I also adore 🫶🏻one thing I love in books is the exploration of religious trauma and I think this one does it really well。 the characters are confronted with how did I manage to get a proof of casey mcquiston’s new book？？？ how is this my life？？？at this point， I would read casey mcquiston’s to-do lists， grocery lists， literally anything that would give me more of their writing。 I found the slight change in narrative voice （this is their first ya novel） just as endearing as her adult novels， which I also adore 🫶🏻one thing I love in books is the exploration of religious trauma and I think this one does it really well。 the characters are confronted with religious guilt around being queer and self-discovery， often feeling like they can’t escape what they’ve been told their whole lives by their christian community。 I really liked how the queer characters started to understand themselves with a religious backdrop， bringing up lots of difficult and important emotions that lots of queer people experience 🏳️🌈I also felt like shara wheeler was me as a teenager。 not quite sure of herself， not embracing her queerness because she was terrified of being out （not only in her religious community， but in the school setting as well）。 luckily， I’ve never had to deal with religious trauma like shara， but the fears of being openly queer， especially at school， really hit home for me。I LOVED the non-binary rep in this book as well; it’s something I haven’t seen enough of in any sort of literature so it was really great to read about。 the way a character is confident in their gender and how another questions their gender in this book was so well handled; it wasn’t made to be a big deal and everyone was chill about it WHICH IS WHAT IT SHOULD BE LIKE。 truly so good， and I thought it was done perfectly！！！if you’re looking for a new queer ya novel for the summer then this is absolutely the one for you - it comes out on the 12th of may and I know you’ll all love it 💘 。。。more
Bethany
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This is my first Casey McQuiston book and I really enjoyed it。 I loved listening to our characters find themselves， pursue their interests， and find love in unexpected places。 I didn't attend a religious school so couldn't relate to some of the concepts， but most were universal high school concepts。 Natalie Naudus does a fantastic job voicing the variety of characters with individual voices that sound like she is a whole cast of people。 Very well done narration and fantastic writing。 Thank you t This is my first Casey McQuiston book and I really enjoyed it。 I loved listening to our characters find themselves， pursue their interests， and find love in unexpected places。 I didn't attend a religious school so couldn't relate to some of the concepts， but most were universal high school concepts。 Natalie Naudus does a fantastic job voicing the variety of characters with individual voices that sound like she is a whole cast of people。 Very well done narration and fantastic writing。 Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing company for allowing me to review this book。 。。。more
Kiki Moore
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4。75⭐️💋💌Casey McQuiston has give us another great one！I loved the mystery/scavenger hunt elements of the story and how all the main characters are all connected in some way that may or may not have to do with 💋Shara💋。 I connected with their experiences in a strict Private school on a personal level。 The only thing that seems a bit unrealistic is the wide range of representation that is present within the small group of main characters placed within such a small-town environment。Casey McQuiston i 4。75⭐️💋💌Casey McQuiston has give us another great one！I loved the mystery/scavenger hunt elements of the story and how all the main characters are all connected in some way that may or may not have to do with 💋Shara💋。 I connected with their experiences in a strict Private school on a personal level。 The only thing that seems a bit unrealistic is the wide range of representation that is present within the small group of main characters placed within such a small-town environment。Casey McQuiston is now an auto-read author for me！ XOXO KM 💌💋Thanks to @netgalley @macmillan。audio @stmartinspress @wednesdaybooks for the Audio and Ebook ARCs 。。。more
ReadingTilTheBreakOfDawn
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Story…4 starsNarration…。5 stars。 Well， this story was unexpected。 I knew when I saw that Casey McQuiston had a new book coming out， I was going to read it no matter what。 I didn't read the blurb and knew very little about what to expect except that it was a YA book。 How was McQuiston going to mix their quirky queer characters in a high school setting and make it fresh and new？ I Kissed Shara Wheeler is set during the last few weeks of senior year of high school。 Shara Wheeler goes missing and Ch Story…4 starsNarration…。5 stars。 Well， this story was unexpected。 I knew when I saw that Casey McQuiston had a new book coming out， I was going to read it no matter what。 I didn't read the blurb and knew very little about what to expect except that it was a YA book。 How was McQuiston going to mix their quirky queer characters in a high school setting and make it fresh and new？ I Kissed Shara Wheeler is set during the last few weeks of senior year of high school。 Shara Wheeler goes missing and Chloe Green is set on finding her。 But not for the reasons you may think。 While these were the two main characters and we were experiencing most of the story through Chloe's POV and through the letters Shara left， a couple other characters were involved in the search for Shara and became favorites of mine。 Rory and Smith were 2 characters that also kissed Shara （along with Chloe） right before she went missing and they are all now wondering their connection to Shara and where she could be。I really liked that Casey McQuiston turned this queer YA romance on it's head and made this story more into a high school mystery with queer characters。 Characters that are discovering themselves and figuring out who they are， all while searching for Shara and coming to the end of their senior year with high expectations。 None of the characters were perfect and they were all messy and flawed。 Just like any 'normal' high school kid。 But in the end， they all come to realize who they are in the most fabulous of ways。 Overall， this was an entertaining book that moved at a steady pace and had some pretty fun high school antics throughout。 Sometimes it lulled and I wasn't always connecting with the characters， but the narration by Natalie Naudus always brought me right back in and invested with where the story was going to go。 Shara wasn't my favorite character and actually kind of bothered me， but when she came clean and figured herself out， she grew on me。 Chloe was a bit much， but I liked her competitiveness and how open with who she was。 She wasn't always the best friend， but she was so singularly focused on one thing and that hindered her。 But who won me over in the end was Smith。 There's just something about a jock that turns out to be what you least expect。 Coming of age stories are fun and Casey McQuiston gave us a fresh spin on it with the mystery tie in and all the other characters that shared 'the stage' with our main cast。 Add in the fact that the audio narration was fantastic and we have another book by this author that represents the LGBTQ community in a positive light for people of all ages。 Representation matters！ 。。。more
Beth
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Thank you to Netgalley & Macmillan for the audio-arc！ The plot follows a group of teens who try to locate Shara Wheeler （that they all kissed recently） through a series of clues left by Shara。I appreciated the setting - Alabama， somewhat religious admin at a high school - and the development of queer teens throughout their time at high school。 The first 2/3 made me think of As Simple As Snow by Gregory Galloway。When Chloe， the main character， finds Shara， I almost put the book down。 It was antic Thank you to Netgalley & Macmillan for the audio-arc！ The plot follows a group of teens who try to locate Shara Wheeler （that they all kissed recently） through a series of clues left by Shara。I appreciated the setting - Alabama， somewhat religious admin at a high school - and the development of queer teens throughout their time at high school。 The first 2/3 made me think of As Simple As Snow by Gregory Galloway。When Chloe， the main character， finds Shara， I almost put the book down。 It was anticlimactic given the tension/mystery that was built up。The last third， however， really came out of left field and was interesting。 All in all， I love Casey McQuiston's work， but this wasn't my favorite。 Give their other stuff a try， though！ 。。。more
Miranda
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Oh my gosh， the way Casey McQuiston's books make me feel should be illegal。 It literally feels like magic spun onto paper that you have the privilege of diving into headfirst。 Oh my gosh， the way Casey McQuiston's books make me feel should be illegal。 It literally feels like magic spun onto paper that you have the privilege of diving into headfirst。 。。。more
Thushara
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This is honesty not it。 More thoughts to come
Kelly
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Does what Paper Towns wanted to do in breaking down YA tropes， including the manic pixie dream girl， and it's very queer and very funny。 A thoughtful exploration of religion and bigotry， too， without belittling faith or folks in the Bible belt。 I loved Chloe as the main character and how smart she is--and yet， she's completely imperfect， treats her best friend terribly， and cannot resist the lure of someone as complex and confused as Shara （despite Shara giving a wholly different impression of h Does what Paper Towns wanted to do in breaking down YA tropes， including the manic pixie dream girl， and it's very queer and very funny。 A thoughtful exploration of religion and bigotry， too， without belittling faith or folks in the Bible belt。 I loved Chloe as the main character and how smart she is--and yet， she's completely imperfect， treats her best friend terribly， and cannot resist the lure of someone as complex and confused as Shara （despite Shara giving a wholly different impression of herself）。 Just delightful all around。 。。。more
Michelle Hansen
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Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review！I just want to preface this by saying that I’m not the biggest fan of YA books so that could very well be the reason why I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book。 I have heard great things about this book so it’s most likely that this book and the format weren’t the right fit for me。The audiobook narration intent was done well I just think that changing the voice for every character would have a better effect if there weren Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review！I just want to preface this by saying that I’m not the biggest fan of YA books so that could very well be the reason why I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book。 I have heard great things about this book so it’s most likely that this book and the format weren’t the right fit for me。The audiobook narration intent was done well I just think that changing the voice for every character would have a better effect if there weren’t so many characters in the book。 I found myself enjoying it for the first 60% of the book due to the mystery and the search for the letters but after it just felt like it lost it’s charm。 I found myself not caring about the characters or even how the book ended。 The pop culture references throughout the book became too much。 It was funny and quirky in the beginning but then it just felt forced。 It was also hard to relate as I read when the characters were all teenagers。 In the beginning， I enjoyed Shara’s calculated and determined character。 On the other hand， within 60-70% of the book， I do feel like she did turn to be a little obsessive。 However， despite all this， there were a couple of things that I really enjoyed。 I enjoyed the dynamics between characters in this book and the friendships throughout the book。 I liked the premise behind the book and the first half of the book absolutely had me enticed。 There were a ton of great secondary characters and important topics covered， but I didn't particularly like or connect with Shara or Chloe。 Again， maybe it was the format of the book that made it difficult？It pains me not to rate it higher， because it it wasn't a bad book。 It was just missing。。。 something for me。 The connection to the main characters？ The romance？ I'm not sure。 There were some things I enjoyed， but other parts it just felt like something was lacking。 With all this being said， I would still recommend checking this book out when it comes out。 It may not have been my favorite， but this might be a better fit for you:） 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=I Kissed Shara Wheeler
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=I Kissed Shara Wheeler&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft