Why did I listen to I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston?
I Kissed Shara Wheeler has been on my to-be-read list for a really long time. With it being pride month, I decided now be the perfect time to read it. Plus, it gave me the opportunity to work on my summer office decorations while listening to the audiobook.

What's the story here?
Prom queen Shara Wheeler is missing and the last three people to see her were Rory, Smith, and Chloe. Now the three of them are searching for answers and where she may have disappeared to. Shara has left them clues and the trio is suddenly spending an unexpected amount of time together learning there may be more to people than what is seen on the surface.

How Did I Like I Kissed Shara Wheeler?
I Kissed Shara Wheeler started off a little slow for me but with time I found myself completely invested in finding what happened to Shara Wheeler. The dynamic between the characters of Rory, Smith, and Chloe was fun to watch. There is a very strong character development for all three characters. All three of them are teenagers seeking their true identities. One the surface, Rory appears like the typical bad boy next door; Smith is the likable high school quarterback; and Chloe is the broody lesbian/girl who is originally from a big city, not a small town. Shara also has much more to her than the daughter of the school president, perfect A student, and prom queen. She has created an adventure with her mystery disappearance that changes the entire course of their lives.

Setting the book in the south helped provide an opportunity for Casey McQuiston to throw religion into the mix. Growing up with two mothers in a larger city, Chloe approaches life in Alabama cautiously. Everything seemed outside the "normal" is viewed as a negative. This includes queer relationships, queer individuals, and any kind of promiscuity/reckless behavior. The church governs the town and its best to not get in their radar. This is why Chloe does her best to law low and tries to find the space where she fits in. I thought the religious component was executed well and that the author also did a good job at creating a high school environment of awkwardness and the struggle to survive. I was invested in their stories and the way the possibility for change often seems right on the brink.

How Was The Narration?
I Kissed Shara Wheeler is narrated by Natalie Naudus and is 9 hours and 25 minutes in length. I listen to it at 1.75 speed which allowed me to focus but also work on my decorations. As I mentioned at first I had difficulty getting invested with the story but the narration definitely helped pull me in. I really enjoyed all the aspects of the story - the search for Shara; the budding friendship between Chloe, Rory, and Smith; the way romance was entangled with everything; and the questioning/evaluating of religion within the town. I thought Casey McQuiston did an excellent job of creating this story with all these different pieces and the pulling everything together in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

2 STARS

This book didn’t captivate me as I had hoped; the plot felt a bit forced and lacked the depth I was expecting. The characters seemed one-dimensional at times, making it hard to connect with their struggles or growth. While it might resonate with some readers, it ultimately wasn’t for me.

I wanted to read this because I read Casey McQuistan's romance novels. I did enjoy it, but not to the degree of her adult offerirings.

Honestly I haven't really been into YA and also haven't been listening to audiobooks as much. Also while I enjoyed One Last Stop and loved Red, White Royal Blue (is that right?) One last stop's ending was not for me. I fully appreciated being granted this audiobook ARC but at this time not something I am interested in.

I wasn't expecting to like this but I absolutely need to be on the pulse of every single queer hot book of the moment. Casey McQuiston is a Wattpad writer in the best way possible. I love everything they write even if I roll my eyes at it a little bit. Obsessed with this story.

DNF, could not get into this. I don't hold anything against this but about 25% in I knew it just wasn't going to be my cup of tea.

This book tackled some heavy issues —struggles in finding and accepting your identity, homophobia, and my first take was that I didn’t love it but I think the reality is that it showed a very real look into these characters and high schoolers loved. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t expecting to feel the way it made me feel which was a little sad about what likely is the reality many face. I definitely loved the mystery component and I’d say overall while it wasn’t my favorite C McQ it was still a great read.

Alright, so I just wrapped up listening to "I Kissed Shara Wheeler" by Casey McQuiston, and let me tell you, it's a wild ride full of twists, turns, and tons of heart.

The story is about Chloe Green, who's super determined to be valedictorian of her high school. But then, Shara Wheeler, her rival and the principal's daughter, kisses her and vanishes, leaving behind a trail of cryptic notes. Chloe's mission? Find Shara and figure out what's going on. It's like a teen mystery with a side of romance and a whole lot of sass.

The narrator of this audiobook nails it. They capture Chloe's determination and confusion, plus the distinct personalities of the eclectic crew she teams up with. It's like listening to a super cool, diverse group of friends figuring out life and love together.

Casey McQuiston's writing is just fun. It's witty, it's snappy, and it's got this energy that keeps you hooked. The dialogue is hilarious and spot-on, making the characters feel like real people you'd totally want to hang out with.

What's great about this book is how it's not just your typical high school drama. It dives into deeper stuff like identity, self-discovery, and the complexities of relationships, both romantic and platonic. Plus, it's super inclusive and just feels fresh and relevant.

The pacing is on point, balancing the mystery of Shara's disappearance with Chloe's own journey of self-discovery. And the romance? It's sweet, it's messy, and it's real. It's not just about the sparks but also about understanding and accepting each other.

I kissed Shara by Casey McQuiston exceeded my adjusted expectations with its engaging storytelling, trademark humor, and diverse, colorful characters. Set against the backdrop of conservative America, it beautifully explores the struggles of queer teenagers navigating identity and societal expectations. The tension between the main characters is immaculately crafted, keeping readers guessing until the end. McQuiston's writing style is brilliant, and the book, reminiscent of '90s high school movies, delivers a refreshing and heartwarming contemporary YA experience.

I received this Arc from Netgalley. Thank you for the chance to read this book early. My review is honest and 100% my own thoughts about the book.

I enjoyed the Mystery of this book. Casey Mcquiston wrote this amazing book. It’s more on the ya side then Mcquiston’s usual New adult writings. It made me want to continue listening to the audio book. Natalie Naurus made the writing even better.

Casey McQuiston's writing is funny, sweet, and wonderful. Her queer love stories are instant classics for me. I really loved reading this book, and I am so happy I got to download an audiobook version because the narrator was engaging and talented. I love how the story unfolds, and the characters are loveable and relatable.

I enjoyed the mystery aspect, but Shara really doesn’t deserve all this admiration.

Narration: I’m glad to see Natalie Naudus back for another Casey McQuinston title.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the chance to review.

I think that this book had such an interesting premise, there was something so healing about Chloe going from feeling sort of alone and isolated to really brought together through unusual circumstances. In a lot of ways Shara felt a little bit like Alaska from Looking for Alaska in the sense that she seemed to leave broken and confused hearts in her wake, but I think that with that being said this story was also uniquely its own. I was a little nervous going into this book, as I find myself not always the target demographic for Ya, but I definitely think that this was amazing. I loved the fact that this book didnt feel like a stereotype, and it can be used to comfort queer readers no matter how they identify. I think that this was the perfect mixture of a coming to age novel, with a mixture of interesting adventure. I think even more than the romance I loved the friendships that were formed throughout this story. I think that almost every reader can find themselves within this story as each character was uniquely their own with their own flaws and complications that they had to work through to even further find themselves. I think this book is the perfect mixture of a coming to age story while also being the perfect hug to every queer individual who might feel lost but is hoping to find themselves through stories.

"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.
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 never have come out at all. She might be a completely different person."

I really enjoy Casey Mcquiston's books. I kissed Shara Wheeler was good, though maybe not my favorite by her. I feel like teens and younger adults may enjoy this one a little more than I did.

I received an eArc audiobook of this text from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book skewed more toward Young Aadult than McQuistion's usually New Adult writing. I would say it is appropriate for upper middle school and older. This was a fun mystery with a heavy dose of queer high-school rom-com energy.

Very cute! A great use of your time, and the audiobook narrator knocked it out of the park. I don’t think this is the strongest work out of McQuiston, but it is still good!

I really enjoyed the southern Christian school setting here. Reminded me so much of my own background.
I know people don't love this one as much as Casey's other work, but it felt special and human to me in the way they always write — this was just very obviously YA! I thought there were fun dynamics between characters, who were all annoying but lovable in their own ways, like your own friends growing up. The book definitely had Paper Towns vibes, though they were updated for the modern era. And that worked for me! My eARC was an audiobook, which I would highly recommend — accents and all. Just felt like a fun time hanging out with friends, frustrations and sweetness included.

This book was a serious rollercoaster ride. I loved Shara Wheeler; I made a note in my phone that just said “fuck Shara Wheeler;” I wanted everything to blow up in her face, and I wanted everything to work out perfectly for her. Casey McQuiston knows how to write a queer gaggle of pals and the nonbinary exploration in this book spoke to the deepest depths of my lil soul.

Four years after her moms uprooted her from their life in Southern California to attend school in Alabama, high school senior Chloe Green is closer to victory than ever before. Attending a conservative high school hasn't been easy, but competition with Willowgrove Academy it-girl, and her fiercest rival Shara Wheeler, has propelled her to success and they are all but tied for high school valedictorian. Chloe is so close to beating Shara, but on the weekend of the senior prom, Shara kisses Chloe and then vanishes. All that's left behind are a series of letters left for Chloe and the two other people she kissed, Rory, the boy next door, and Smith, her quarterback boyfriend. Drawn together by their ties to Shara, an unlikely alliance forms that will have them crashing parties, breaking and entering, and uncovering clues to Shara’s whereabouts in the most unexpected places. Holding out for the next pink envelope and Shara’s elusive clues, Chloe begins to realize that there's more to Shara than she initially thought and that maybe, just maybe, she can carve out a place for herself in this town after all.

This book reminded me of Paper Town by John Green but with an LGBTQ+ twist. McQuiston is known for being talented at laying out interesting books with characters having identity crises. This book was no different. It was fast-moving, with characters you both loved and hated, at different times during the book. It was interesting to unravel the levels of the mystery and watch these teens come to terms with their own identities.

This is a definite recommendation for many teens!

The audiobook was easy to listen to, which is always most important to me. The characters were easily identifiable by the narrator. The narrator was clear and used appropriate accents, since the book took place in the south.

Such a great read. The characters Drew me in and I loved the storyline. Definitely recommend this one to read.