“How can that be possible, to feel estranged from a place where everyone loves you? To owe your life to a place and still want to run?”
Genre: YA, LGBTQIA
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Content Warnings: Homophobia, religious bigotry, and bullying.
“I Kissed Shara Wheeler” follows Chloe Green as she tries to solve her archnemesis’, Shara Wheeler’s, disappearance. Joined by Rory, Shara’s neighbor, and Smith, Shara’s long-term boyfriend, Chloe is set to find Shara and beat her to Valedictorian fair and square—if only her feelings of burning hatred won’t get in the way.
If you’re only reading this because you liked “Red, White, and Royal Blue”, don’t. Yes, there is queerness in this book too, but the plot is nothing like Casey McQuiston’s debut novel, and I say that as a fact, not as a good or bad thing… just a thing.
I gave this book 4 stars because I liked the writing and the ending, but the getting there was a bit boring and I was never able to empathize with Chloe Green, the main character of sorts. I was tired of the whole Shara-scavenger-hunt when I was 20% into the book but they don’t find her until well past 60%. So I guess you can see how this book was a bit boring for me. I had read the summary of the book but still, I was not expecting Casey McQuiston to write a mystery YA book.
I would recommend this book to actual YA readers, not new adults who read YA. “I Kissed Shara Wheeler” is a bit childish, but it’s entertaining and engaging, so don’t hesitate to grab it off the shelves as its release date is today!!!
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ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Publication Date: May 03, 2022
“Love God first, love Shara Wheeler second.”
“Because this is what Shara does (…) It’s like… little hints. She can’t just let you in. You have to figure out your way there.”
andrea's galley 