Casey McQuiston is normalizing the story of LGBTQIA protagonists and capturing the hearts of all readers. She writes relatable characters in funny, charming, and honest ways. I Kissed Shara Wheeler is another great hit that is sure to have new and repeat readers picking her up.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy! I’ve never been more jealous of anyone’s high school experience. I absolutely loved this. McQuiston can do no wrong, even with a debut YA novel. Dare I say I like this better than One Last Stop?!
5 stars!

Fantastic and well-written story. Such a fun story that kept me engaged throughout.

Thank you for the copy in exchange for a fair review.

I didn't love this one as much as McQuiston's previous books, but it was amazing nonetheless!! The all-over rep was spot on as usual and just super entertaining!

A great Young Adult book with Casey McQuiston’s unique style. They perfectly capture the Voice and emotional whirlwinds of Gen Z in a way that inspires empathy and compassion in the reader. The secondary characters were even more endearing than the main character, and really started to shine in the second half. A must-read add to any queer YA shelf.

This book is incredibly intriguing, and has a lot of nuance and exploration of character dynamics for a YA novel—love Casey McQuiston's work.

*Arc provided by Netgalley and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.*

Chloe Green moves from California to a very puritanical Alabama town and Christian academy. With weeks left until graduation Chloe is counting the days until she is hopefully declared valedictorian and can get out of that stuffy place. Only one thing stands between Chloe and her goal, Shara Wheeler the principle's daughter, and resident popular girl. Things seem pretty cut and dry until Shara kisses Chloe then vanishes. Now completely thrown off Chloe teams up with Shara's boyfriend Smith, and her next door neighbor Rory (both people she's also kissed before disappearing) to follow a set of clue's to Shara's whereabouts.

When the opportunity came up to read another Casey McQuiston book I had to jump at the chance as I loved Red, White, and Royal Blue. I Kissed Shara Wheeler though wasn't really what I was expecting. I haven't read John Greene's Paper Towns, but I knew immediately that was the book Chloe references, and that threw me off a bit referencing a book with such a similar plot. I didn't find Chloe to be a likeable protagonist and Shara an even less likeable love interest. This one just wasn't for me unfortunately, I would say it's probably good for Pretty Little Liars fans and most likely fans of Paper Towns.

DNF at 44%. I just didn't care about the characters...they were actually pretty annoying to be honest. Thanks to Net Galley for giving me this in exchange for an honest review.

I was not able to finish this book in time, but my library has purchased it. I hope to revisit and review when I have a bit more time. I'm a big fan of Caset McQuiston's work in general :)

Interesting and unique, I Kissed Shara Wheeler mixes suspense and mystery with teenage romance, as Chloe tries to figure out what happened to Shara Wheeler and why she--and two others--were kissed by her and left with notes.

I LOVE Casey McQuiston, don’t get me wrong… but this wasn’t my favorite of hers. As always, the representation is top-notch and the writing is fantastic. I’m not sure why I didn’t really connect with this one, although I do think it was about 100 pages too long.

I cannot believe Casey McQuiston gave us another amazing book, and in the YA space. Her main characters are messy and complicated, but it was so satisfying to have a teenager think it's all about them and have that teenager be proven right. Even the side characters had a satisfying arc.

Something in this book, something I can't quite place, tugs at my heart.

Maybe it's Chloe Green, driven and cut-throat, obsessed and ambitious and fiercely focused, who never imagined this place could be home but finds it is. Or maybe it's Smith Parker, soft and tentative, with a heart wide open to the world and all its frogs (well, I prefer testudines, but I digress) in it, though nobody quite knows it. Perhaps Rory Heron, in all his yearning, quiet observation, and furtive glances towards something just beneath the surface. It might even be Shara Wheeler, hopelessly afraid of how strongly she feels, apparently perfect but mostly infuriating as she spirals, unsure of what to make of herself.

Discussing I Kissed Shara Wheeler as a love story seems inadequate. It is a messy romance between two high school academic rivals, yes, but it's also a heartfelt quest to unravel smalltown status quo, religious guilt, and homophobia. More importantly, it is the apotheosis of growing up. McQuiston writes intimately about carrying the burden of expectation that teaches you nothing of possibility. They offer us an ode to how we create joy and community for ourselves, pouring ourselves into all the cracks in the systems that try to stifle us. They remind us to revel in knowing our most authentic selves no matter how quietly we live them.

IKSW is a love letter to being your whole queer self, a promise that you deserve the world that is waiting, a validation of how we build pockets of acceptance even in the places that refuse to see us for who we are.

IKSW's strengths are its characters and depictions of queerness, resilience, and high school. Though I am not from a small town, I came into myself in white suburbia in the south, notorious for its notions of old money and status. I didn't dye my hair pink as a coming out, but I did walk into school with a pixie cut halfway through senior year, and this personally significant moment bled into a new manner of being perceived. Even if it feels performative, my school came together and infused me with hope as these characters did. The farewells as we moved our separate ways were as anti-climactic as they were emotionally wrought.

This book didn't change my life, but it made me reckon with who I am, a sopping mess splayed open to take in everything yet to come. I profoundly related to Chloe's outlook and prejudice towards False Beach, AL. When I first arrived in Georgia, right in time for high school, I didn't know if I would ever get out; to some extent, I still don't, but now I can't figure out if I want to. It's not always about finding safe cities, which is often all we can do to be our queerest selves. Sometimes, it's about taking time to build safe spaces in the places that still don't have them. This book speaks of the courage it takes for some queer people to be, and it is enough to know that queerness finds its own everywhere it needs to.

As I said, it's something I can't place. But perhaps you need this: an unbearably light pressure on your chest that imbues you with warmth and adventure and truth and hope, that promises you joy and community and wishes you resilience and affirmation in your journey. And if it is, maybe you'll find it here too.

I've read McQuiston's prveious books and I've enjoyed them to an extent, so I was really looking forward to reading their YA debut. After reading this, it's safe to say, I was quite disapointed.

Getting into the postives first, this was very quick read as I finsihed it in less than a day. I also loved the various amounts of queer represenation within the characters. With having a bisexual MC, lesbian SC, non-binary SC as well as a queer/sapphic love interest.

However, my biggest issue was with Shara as a love interest; like I couldn't understand why Chloe, Smith and Rory were so enmamored with her and why they wanted to find her in the first place. I also found her character to be quite manipulative and selfish. And Shara gave me STRONG Manic Pixie Dream Girl vibes which I'm not a fan of in the slightest.

The mystery aspect was quite disappointing as well. It only goes on for the first 60% of the book, but once Shara is found, the intrigue was lost on me after that.

Overall, this wasn't my favourite read.

This book took a lot of unexpected twist and turns. I REALLY liked the male characters in this book a lot. I thought the mystery element was fun, and I ended up enjoying the romance quite a bit too

This reminded me of Pape towns and 13 reasons why.
it took me months to read. I just really wasn't feeling it.
A+ on the LGBTQIA+ rep though! This author always shines on that!

I loved Casey McQuiston's adult romances, and their YA romance debut was just as engaging! The characters were hard to like, but this only made them feel more real. The teen "drama while thinking you are above high school drama" was so well done. This is one of those books that I think teens will be able to see themselves in and adult readers will be able to see themselves at that age (while cringing, in many cases)

A scavenger hunt and a missing girl will reveal hidden secrets that may cause more harm than good. McQuiston infuses this Young Adult novel with wit and sarcasm that makes the conversation realistic. The witty banter does not add to the depth of the characters and they fall flat, almost on the edge of annoyance. The whole reason for the notes and the final climax was frustrating in its self. The secondary characters where ignored and pushed to the side.

Such a fun author! Her books are such positive representations of LGBTQ characters and love stories. I always recommend her books to others.

This was a great start for McQuistons first delve into YA. While I loved Red, White, and Royal Blue and One Last Stop, this one just needed a little bit more for me to love it. I enjoyed the main character, but felt like I wanted more from the side characters. Overall it was a great read and one I would recommend.