I Kissed Shara Wheeler Review

I Kissed Shara Wheeler

Rating ★★★★★

Synopsis

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 the puritanical administration of 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.

Genre

Fiction, Humor, Mystery, LGBTQIA+ Romance

Themes/Trigger Warnings

Mentions of Homophobia

Review

The book that starts my summer reading phase always sets the pace and tone for the rest of the books to come and I can proudly say that I Kissed Shara Wheeler was a great choice for my first book of summer and was exactly what I needed at this moment.

I think I personally enjoyed this book as both Chloe Green (the narrator), Shara Wheeler and I are academic overachievers so I particularly enjoyed the 'academic rivals-to-lovers' trope incorporated in this book. Furthermore, as I have freshly graduated high school, quotes from this book felt like a weight lifted from my shoulders. Chole's mom advises both characters and readers about finding yourself and anxiety for what awaits you post-graduation. They incorporated many quotes I feel like I have been waiting to hear.

Although I primarily go for fantasy, intense action and political conflict literature, I did enjoy this and I am glad the mystery and absolutely lovable side characters kept me hooked.

Casey McQuiston did an amazing job of highlighting all the various aspects of discovering one's sexuality and personal identity.

I appreciated McQuiston's inclusion of the various relationships and perspectives characters have on sexuality and religion. It opened my mind and gave me much to think about.

All in all, I really did love this book and I can already foresee that the beautiful illustrations on the book cover will give me nostalgia. I cannot wait to read more from Casey McQuiston and I hope you give their books a chance too!

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