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arthur_ant18's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Bullying, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Outing, Alcohol, and Cursing
Minor: Racism, Infidelity, and Cancer
brynn_books's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I absolutely loved this book! It's definitely one of my favorite books now. I love the themes of figuring out your identity and queer expression. This book is a perfect demonstration of what it's like growing up as a queer teenager in a conservative small town.
I love all of the characters! I love their interactions and seeing them all accept each other for who they are and their own individual identities. It was just so beautiful to read about.
I like how all of the characters are messy. I think if Shara and Chloe were real people I would probably not like them as much. But I think that's what makes them seem real.
It was just a beautiful queer story. I would highly recommend it to everyone.
I love all of the characters! I love their interactions and seeing them all accept each other for who they are and their own individual identities. It was just so beautiful to read about.
I like how all of the characters are messy. I think if Shara and Chloe were real people I would probably not like them as much. But I think that's what makes them seem real.
It was just a beautiful queer story. I would highly recommend it to everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Homophobia
franklola's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, and Religious bigotry
perpetualpages's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
CWs: some explorations of homophobia, racism, misogyny, religious bigotry, and religious trauma; some mentions of outing; and some instances of underage drinking
Once again, Casey McQuiston has utterly pulled me into a delightful, thought-provoking story with an incredibly memorable cast of characters and distinctive plot points that I won't soon forget.
To start, I have to say that I really respects McQuiston's artistic range as an author in their ability to craft stories that are all completely different from one another, not only in genre but in their message as well. Even though each of their books so far are all very distinctively queer romances, they run the gamut from royal romance to surrealism and now to YA contemporary with a mystery twist. I Kissed Shara Wheeler, in particular, sets out to really examine a specific setting, which is this deeply conservative religious southern town, and it's asking questions about how this place and atmosphere has very differently shaped each and every character in the story.
That, to me, is the endgame of this story: to show how none of these characters are unaffected by religious trauma, even if they are earnestly devout, simply because that perspective is so inherently pervasive in everything they do and everywhere they go. It’s not possible for them to be unaltered by that specific viewpoint or experience, for better or worse.
Because of that environment, I think the main character, Chloe, starts out feeling like she is very much the lone lesbian at school, that she is the only person who is woke to the ever-present tension between social issues and religious issues, and she feels like anyone who doesn’t respond or think the same way that she does is then part of the problem. But what the story is actually doing is painstakingly revealing, through this collective hunt for Shara Wheeler, that Chloe and her classmates are so much more alike that she initially thinks. They just have different ways of processing and responding to those same experiences.
For Chloe, the way she shows up in the world is to be aggressively out and proud, to be the token in-your-face lesbian, and she wants to live in a way that forces people to confront their discomfort on a daily basis. That outlook is totally valid for who she is and where she is in life, but the point of the story is that she has to realize that not everybody is going to land in the exact same place.
On the other hand, you have someone like Shara, who responds to her own intersection of queerness and religious trauma by deliberately making herself lovable and perfect—because she thinks if you can’t make people accept you, at least they can hold you in high enough esteem that rejection wouldn't be an option.
While on the topic of Shara, I think Casey McQuiston made a really hard job for themself in playing with that Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype, because Manic Pixie Dream Girls are often portrayed as being "unknowable" and emotionally distant, which would be hard to reconcile for a potential love interest as is the case in this story. But I think there’s really something to be said about how the trope of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl is often defined by and characterized by the male gaze, which is purposefully absent and uncentered in this book. Here, that gaze is feminized and queered, which makes the dynamic inherently different.
Casey also really plays with the queer power dynamic of the mysterious girl wanting to be chased by someone. What if the clues Shara left behind were actually love letters? What if it was actually incredibly gay that she has intentionally fabricated all of these opportunities for Chloe to actively think about her, and wonder what she’s doing and where she's gone? There’s an inherent queer yearning that’s constantly underlying every aspect of this mystery as it unfolds, and I think that’s what makes it really interesting.
Overall, I enjoyed this story! The mystery element is compelling, the twists are interesting, the characters are super memorable and fun, and like all of Casey’s other books it’s a story that you just don't want to stop reading. In the interest of full transparency, I will say that I didn't personally feel as attached to Chloe and Shara as a couple, especially compared to the other romances I've read from Casey, but that was definitely not a make-or-break aspect for me. I was still satisfied with the overall trajectory of the story arc and the pairing, so take that as you will.
With all that said, I found this to be an incredibly delightful, remarkable story that I will be thinking about for quite some time, and I would definitely recommend it, especially if you're a fan of queer contemporary coming-of-age stories!
Once again, Casey McQuiston has utterly pulled me into a delightful, thought-provoking story with an incredibly memorable cast of characters and distinctive plot points that I won't soon forget.
To start, I have to say that I really respects McQuiston's artistic range as an author in their ability to craft stories that are all completely different from one another, not only in genre but in their message as well. Even though each of their books so far are all very distinctively queer romances, they run the gamut from royal romance to surrealism and now to YA contemporary with a mystery twist. I Kissed Shara Wheeler, in particular, sets out to really examine a specific setting, which is this deeply conservative religious southern town, and it's asking questions about how this place and atmosphere has very differently shaped each and every character in the story.
That, to me, is the endgame of this story: to show how none of these characters are unaffected by religious trauma, even if they are earnestly devout, simply because that perspective is so inherently pervasive in everything they do and everywhere they go. It’s not possible for them to be unaltered by that specific viewpoint or experience, for better or worse.
Because of that environment, I think the main character, Chloe, starts out feeling like she is very much the lone lesbian at school, that she is the only person who is woke to the ever-present tension between social issues and religious issues, and she feels like anyone who doesn’t respond or think the same way that she does is then part of the problem. But what the story is actually doing is painstakingly revealing, through this collective hunt for Shara Wheeler, that Chloe and her classmates are so much more alike that she initially thinks. They just have different ways of processing and responding to those same experiences.
For Chloe, the way she shows up in the world is to be aggressively out and proud, to be the token in-your-face lesbian, and she wants to live in a way that forces people to confront their discomfort on a daily basis. That outlook is totally valid for who she is and where she is in life, but the point of the story is that she has to realize that not everybody is going to land in the exact same place.
On the other hand, you have someone like Shara, who responds to her own intersection of queerness and religious trauma by deliberately making herself lovable and perfect—because she thinks if you can’t make people accept you, at least they can hold you in high enough esteem that rejection wouldn't be an option.
While on the topic of Shara, I think Casey McQuiston made a really hard job for themself in playing with that Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype, because Manic Pixie Dream Girls are often portrayed as being "unknowable" and emotionally distant, which would be hard to reconcile for a potential love interest as is the case in this story. But I think there’s really something to be said about how the trope of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl is often defined by and characterized by the male gaze, which is purposefully absent and uncentered in this book. Here, that gaze is feminized and queered, which makes the dynamic inherently different.
Casey also really plays with the queer power dynamic of the mysterious girl wanting to be chased by someone. What if the clues Shara left behind were actually love letters? What if it was actually incredibly gay that she has intentionally fabricated all of these opportunities for Chloe to actively think about her, and wonder what she’s doing and where she's gone? There’s an inherent queer yearning that’s constantly underlying every aspect of this mystery as it unfolds, and I think that’s what makes it really interesting.
Overall, I enjoyed this story! The mystery element is compelling, the twists are interesting, the characters are super memorable and fun, and like all of Casey’s other books it’s a story that you just don't want to stop reading. In the interest of full transparency, I will say that I didn't personally feel as attached to Chloe and Shara as a couple, especially compared to the other romances I've read from Casey, but that was definitely not a make-or-break aspect for me. I was still satisfied with the overall trajectory of the story arc and the pairing, so take that as you will.
With all that said, I found this to be an incredibly delightful, remarkable story that I will be thinking about for quite some time, and I would definitely recommend it, especially if you're a fan of queer contemporary coming-of-age stories!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Homophobia
Minor: Misogyny, Alcohol, Outing, and Racism
decklededgess's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
trigger warnings: homophobia, bullying, missing child, religious trauma, emotionally abusive parents, underage alcohol use, cheating mention, sexism, sexual harassment, outing
This was the book that finally made it click that I in fact do not relate to every tiny thing in YA books anymore. Like...I've officially outgrown them which is nice. I can relate to a lot of the emotional turbulence in a retrospective way but I cannot relate to any of these kids and their wild ass behaviours. Maybe that's also partly due to me being a teacher.
Oof this book was heavy on the closeted "went to caltholic school" queer kid trauma and that really hit close to home. A lot of the emotional epiphanies were a sort of balm to my younger self which was wonderful.
On the flip side I have never been more pissed of at a bunch of kids. I kept yelling at them to Not Do That but then we wouldn't have a book so that's neither here nor there. I really appreciated the unreliable narrator aspect, it led to a lot of moments that required reflection and critique but also empathy towards the 17-18 year olds making the choices in the book and towards Chloe who was running herself ragged on her own lack of objectivity.
This was a fun little mash up of Paper Towns, Booksmart, and Never Have I Ever. I loved how aspects of all three were blended into a uniquely Southern Queer Kid experience of high school.
Super fun!
This was the book that finally made it click that I in fact do not relate to every tiny thing in YA books anymore. Like...I've officially outgrown them which is nice. I can relate to a lot of the emotional turbulence in a retrospective way but I cannot relate to any of these kids and their wild ass behaviours. Maybe that's also partly due to me being a teacher.
Oof this book was heavy on the closeted "went to caltholic school" queer kid trauma and that really hit close to home. A lot of the emotional epiphanies were a sort of balm to my younger self which was wonderful.
On the flip side I have never been more pissed of at a bunch of kids. I kept yelling at them to Not Do That but then we wouldn't have a book so that's neither here nor there. I really appreciated the unreliable narrator aspect, it led to a lot of moments that required reflection and critique but also empathy towards the 17-18 year olds making the choices in the book and towards Chloe who was running herself ragged on her own lack of objectivity.
This was a fun little mash up of Paper Towns, Booksmart, and Never Have I Ever. I loved how aspects of all three were blended into a uniquely Southern Queer Kid experience of high school.
Super fun!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Outing, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
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