I finished I KISSED SHARA WHEELER a few days ago, but I had to sit on it for a bit before I even attempted to describe what this story meant to me. Thank you to Casey McQuiston for writing this fantastic YA debut, and thank you to Wednesday Books for sending me an early copy.

This book feels like falling in love for the first time. It feels like the smell of warm days and open car windows on long drives and reluctant hometown nostalgia. This book feels like the odd comfort of finding an unexpected place to belong with people you never saw coming.

I KISSED SHARA WHEELER is a love letter to young queer communities - the ones that aren’t always able to exist in daylight, but still find a way to sprout between the cracks and bloom into something beautiful. IKSW is a love letter to the annoying kids who think they know everything and try too damn hard. I wish I had this book as a teenager, yet as an adult I was still able to see myself on every page.

I could go on about the ~vibes~ forever, but I will stop there and say that this was a beautifully crafted novel. The writing was immersive and heart warming and hysterical - truly everything I now expect from a CMQ novel. The pacing was spot on for me; I could not put it down.

And of course as always, Casey’s pack of lovable misfits stole the show. I loved our narrator Chloe and her stubbornness, quirks, and honest heart. I LOVED Smith, Rory, Georgia, Ace, and the rest of the gang. And I also loved uncovering who the real Shara Wheeler was alongside Chloe. The plot has a mystery element to it, but I think the real mystery was Shara as a person… which was so creative and well done on Casey’s part.

Casey McQuiston has done it again, and I cannot wait to see the incredible career they have ahead of them. I KISSED SHARA WHEELER is truly a knock-out of a small town adventure queer coming-of-age rom-com.

An enormous thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and of course, Casey McQuinston for providing me with an eARC of this book. I am voluntarily leaving a review, all opinions are my own.

I was dying to read this book the moment I heard about it, especially after having read One Last Stop, and I have to say I definitely enjoyed this one. This was such a great coming of age story with a great cast of characters, with a focus on realizing how little you truly know about those around you and truly learning and accepting who you are yourself.

The mystery factor behind everything and the trial of clues had me sucked in right away, then you begin to get all the little human aspects- Chloe really having her eyes opened to the humanity and true stories of her classmates. Chloe went through quite a big shake to her reality, and I can honestly say that her reactions to everything felt real and legitimate, no matter how much they bothered me in the moment.

This book cemented the fact that I will be reading whatever McQuinston writes from this point on, I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

I love horrible nightmare girls!!!!!!

I feel like this book is going to be DEEPLY personal to a lot of people who grew up in ultra-religious circumstances. I love it when people's preconceived notions about each other are challenged, especially when characters who haven't had access to the same safe spaces & community finally get a chance to discover themselves and grow. I loved the humour and the dialogue, and highlighted a metric ton of one-liners because as always, CMQ's characterisation and ability to make characters sound like your absolute funniest friends SPARKLES.

High school contemporary isn't usually my thing but when Casey does it .... yes!!!

I absolutely loved this story, The characters were great and I really enjoyed getting to know them. The plot was equally compelling. I highly recommend this book.