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caidyn's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Homophobia, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Racism
shamelesslyash's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Khorram doesn't shy away from what it's like to be young, gay, and famous. He brought out the truth and how it's not all sunshine and rainbows. I really like that Khorram also doesn't shy away from mental health in this book. I know in his Darius books there is talk of depression, so I wasn't sure if this book would also talk about mental illness, but it is brought up. Along with racism and some homophobia.
I really enjoyed this one. It's one of my top reads of the year.
Moderate: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcohol, Bullying, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Death of parent, and Eating disorder
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
One of the things that works so well for this book is the news articles, blog posts, email chains, and text conversations between chapters. Not only does it help provide context for Kiss and Tell's success as a band, but it also provides the reader with what's happening in the broader pop culture elements of their world. We also get character growth in these articles, and they're just so clever.
And the characters! If there's one thing that Khorram excels at it's writing characters. Yes, Hunter is messy and a bit self-centered and a boy who thinks he has to take everything on by himself. The dynamic he has with Kaivan evolves and it's quite adorable, honestly. They had great chemistry as a couple.
Underneath the boy band drama of the book, Khorram also touches on important issues, like society's expectations for gay people in the spotlight, racism in the music industry, and the tolls of a public persona. While I do wish that some of the race stuff was explored a little more, Hunter does grow a lot in this aspect. By the end, I do feel like he realizes he has privilege in ways that his band members do not.
I do wish that there were maybe like 30 more pages in the story? I just wanted a bit more resolution at the end, to see a little more after all that goes down with Hunter and the band. Plus, I wanted to see Hunter and Kaivan's relationship expand a little more there at the end.
All in all, this is a fantastic addition to Khorram's already fantastic books, and I can't wait to see what he does next!
Graphic: Homophobia, Body shaming, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Alcohol, and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent, Car accident, and Fatphobia
rey_therese07's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Racism and Homophobia
Moderate: Alcohol and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content, Vomit, and Sexual harassment
aus10england's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body shaming, Outing, Alcohol, Racism, and Sexual content
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual harassment, Racism, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
kayladaila's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Dysphoria, Homophobia, and Alcohol
Minor: Bullying, Sexual harassment, Fatphobia, Cultural appropriation, Car accident, Abandonment, Death of parent, Hate crime, and Racial slurs
sarahmreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This story is very much authentically raw in its portrayal of marginalized communities within the public eye and the impacts on those marginalized and it really leaves an impact with you long after you finish. There were a few parts with Hunter being handled in ways he didn't approve of by fans that was so painful to read and I was convinced I couldn't get through it. Other parts included some hate speech even unsolicited pictures, and it really goes to show the brutal reality of being a member of a marginalized community while also being very much in the public eye.
There were a few really important discussions highlighted over the timeline of the main discourse of the story, that being how you can authentically be yourself when there are so many societal expectations pushed on you? The label that the boys play for (which is literally called The Label, could have had a better name) kept trying to force Hunter to be more feminine in his attire, or even present himself in an entirely different light just so the label and the band wouldn't go under. All the while, people from the LGBTQ+ community in various articles express concern that Hunter isn't owning his queerness, although he donates seats for each show to LGBTQ+ shelters. It really emphasizes double standards, and we even see that in Kaivan's story as a recently out gay with Iranian-American heritage. I can't speak to the accuracy of that representation as I am not of this ethnicity, but it was a really good discussion to be had.
Furthermore, Khorram isn't afraid to put it bluntly that white people don't need to be saviors for people of color or even attempt to fight their battles for them. POCs face much more difficult struggles that white people can't even comprehend, and it's up to them to figure out how they can be a good ally while also not stepping on their toes. It was wrapped up a bit too nicely at the end, but I'll get to that later.
The characters are messy, but they also work really well throughout the story when it comes to the overall plot. Hunter is definitely working through a lot, and at times has a tendency to focus on himself and shut out the rest of his friends and even his ex. While he was not the cleanest character I've read, I still really liked him through his struggles and his passions. It highlighted the best and worst parts of him, and that's why I liked him so much. I do wish we saw some more of the other band members, however, since a lot of the time is focused on Hunter's "relationship" with Kaivan and Hunter dealing with all the things the world expects of him.
Some things I was a bit iffy on while reading. First, the ending was too neat, as in it ended on a high note but absolutely no clue as to what happened after the end of the last chapter. We know the epilogue is them still on tour, but that's it. There's no clue as to what The Label (I'm sorry it's such a dumb name) is doing to make up for what they've done, or the band, or what happens between Hunter and his love interest. Yeah it circles back to the very beginning, but give us a better idea of the outcome of the story.
Next, some conversations about self-pleasure were had, primarily through Hunter's perspective, but it was kind of just forced at the beginning and not really talked about since? For me, it could have been a discussion on positive reinforcement and normalization of masturbation but read as another typical teenage boy needing to get off. I know it adds to Hunter's messy character, but it was uncomfortable for me to read.
Despite its flaws, Kiss & Tell is a fast-paced and beautiful story that my former One Direction fan self fell in love with. It's brutal and honest and passionate and absolutely addicting.
I received a copy of this story as an e-ARC from NetGalley and Penguin Teen. Any and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Graphic: Cursing, Racism, Racial slurs, Outing, Homophobia, and Bullying
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content
Minor: Hate crime and Alcohol
foreverinastory's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5/5
This was really great! I feel like it could've been longer to really explore some of the discussions presented. Kiss & Tell follows the incredibly popular boy band "Kiss & Tell" and Hunter Drake, the only gay member in the band. Hunter has been an icon for queer youth everywhere, but after his breakup with his boyfriend and texts are leaked, his image is put into question. Hunter never wanted to be the Label's perfect queer kid, but navigating the line between keeping the Label appeased and being himself is hard enough without thousands of fans and parents talking about his actions like they know him.
Then there's Kaivan, the drummer of PAR-K, the opener for Kiss & Tell on their North American tour. Hunter and Kaivan start a flirty friendship when Kaivan comes out to him. Hunter thinks this could develop into something romantic, but when the Label gets involved, Hunter doesn't know what to do.
This was such a great story about the pressure of being in the spotlight and how that affects people. Hunter is a white cis gay boy and he has a lot of privilege. It was very interesting to see all the things he dealt with and how he centers himself. Three members of Kiss & Tell are BIPOC, but when Hunter finally talks to them, he realizes that he's not the only one dealing with stereotypes and microaggressions. Hunter is a bit selfish and closed off in the beginning of this, but we see him start to come out of his shell and begin to listen. I wish this book was longer so we could've seen more action from Hunter as he comes to all these realizations.
I do wish Hunter had taken a bigger role in educating himself. Maybe it's because he's Canadian, but I think it stems more from being white. But Hunter is constantly educated by the people of color in his life and I can't imagine how tiring that was for them. I do like that by the end he's finally more receptive to what their saying and how racism is different from queermisia, but is still just as damaging.
I did like Hunter's character. He's only a teenager and he doesn't have everything figured out. Plus with private texts leaked by his ex, he's dealing with a lot. His image and reputation are in question and Hunter doesn't know how to navigate this, especially as a gay boy. The Label wants him to become more of a femme/twink persona even though that's not him. He spends a lot of time internally debating how to navigate this and what he should do.
I really enjoyed Hunter and Kaivan's friendship/relationship. Kaivan was so cute and I wanted more of him. The past interviews with him definitely made me worried. I liked how he did eventually talk to Hunter about all of it. There was so much interesting presence about heteronormativity, and toxic masculinity. We do get some discussions of it and I was glad for that. I would've loved more, but ultimately, I really enjoyed this book.
Last thing I'll say is that this cover is RUDE and screams pansexual vibes and then there was no pan characters and I was sad. Oh well :(
Rep: white Canadian gay cis male MC, Iranian-American gay cis male side character, white Canadian gay cis male side character, white Canadian cishet male side character, Vietnamese-Canadian cishet male side character, Brazilian-Canadian cishet male side character, Indian-Canadian cishet male side character, Black queer nonbinary drag monarch side character, white American gay cis male side character, various queer & BIPOC side characters briefly mentioned.
CWs: Body shaming, slut shaming, homophobia/homomisia, racism, sexual harassment. Moderate: alcohol consumption, sexual harassment, sexual assault, outing, consensual sexual content, grief, past death of parent. Minor: Car accident.
Graphic: Body shaming, Racism, Sexual harassment, and Homophobia
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual assault, Grief, Outing, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Alcohol
Minor: Car accident
armontheroad's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Racism, Homophobia, Outing, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Car accident