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tencutepuppies's review against another edition
4.0
(4.5) This book felt like a really loving, corny, warm hug except with a cold hard slap of obsessive homoerotic rivalry on the side.
meevees's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
nerdyjanette's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- 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
fallonheartss's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
3.5
lindseyletellier's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
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
3.5
eva_reads_sometimes's review against another edition
1.0
I am getting really tired of the Enemies to Lovers trope
⚠️SPOILERS:
The reason I can’t buy this as a romance is that Shara is awful to everyone around her, especially her supposed love interest Chloe. The things she does in this book include:
•Cheating on her boyfriend with 2 people
•Blackmailing 2 students: one of them to make him help her with her scavenger hunt plan, the other because she didn’t want people to know she’d helped him with something
•Pulling the good old “I’m gonna make the gay girl fall for me because it’s funny and I like the attention” bit
•Staging her own disappearance and the scavenger hunt because she wants to be valedictorian, and she figures the hunt will distract Chloe enough to make her study less and forget assignments
That last one is especially troubling because Chloe is supposed to be her love interest, yet she tries to ruin her life and never seems to regret it after. She never even attempts to apologise. After Chloe gets her to admit to having a crush on her, Shara comes back to school and goes straight to “figure out how to ask Chloe out” and not “figure out if Chloe hates me for trying to sabotage her life”.
The dialogue from one scene (after they get together) is:
C: You know, there’s a lot we still need to talk about.
S: Like what?
C: Do you want to start with the way you full-on staged your own disappearance to sabotage my academic career, or would you rather discuss how you may have sent your dad to federal prison?
S: He has a very expensive lawyer. He’ll be fine.
C: Okay, so the first one, then.
S: I don’t know what else you want me to say, Chloe. Do you really want me to apologize?
Shara never had any intention to apologise for trying to ruin Chloe’s life, before or after becoming her girlfriend. And if she doesn’t even want to apologise to her own girlfriend for something that awful, I doubt the thought of apologising to anyone else for the things she did ever even crossed her mind. She is an unrepentant asshole who hurts the people she supposedly cares about without a second thought. This is not someone who should be in a relationship, especially not with the person she did all that to.
Chloe’s thoughts about Shara at the start of the book are correct: Shara Wheeler is a spoiled rich white girl who expects to get away with anything because that’s what she’s used to. And that’s exactly what happens at the end. She comes back, shows no remorse for the way she treated Chloe, and is rewarded with Chloe’s love and affection. Sure, she gets her redemption moments, but almost all of them are things we’re only told by other characters that she did off-page, and the one thing that isn’t like that has almost nothing to do with Chloe. Shara’s arc isn’t satisfying because there is no arc and her entitlement problem never goes away.
Based on both the relationships in this book, the main relationship in RW&RB, and the fact that this book establishes Chloe as someone who is into those “step on me, evil lady” stories, I think this is just how McQuiston views romance. To them, attraction has to involve 2 people who are mean to each other and mistaking attraction for hatred. And that’s bullshit. Classic “he only hits you because he likes you” bullshit.
I know the Enemies to Lovers trope is really popular, but I just can’t stand it. Especially in cases like IKSW where the “enemies” part takes up 2 thirds of the story and the “to” part takes up half a chapter.
⚠️SPOILERS:
The reason I can’t buy this as a romance is that Shara is awful to everyone around her, especially her supposed love interest Chloe. The things she does in this book include:
•Cheating on her boyfriend with 2 people
•Blackmailing 2 students: one of them to make him help her with her scavenger hunt plan, the other because she didn’t want people to know she’d helped him with something
•Pulling the good old “I’m gonna make the gay girl fall for me because it’s funny and I like the attention” bit
•Staging her own disappearance and the scavenger hunt because she wants to be valedictorian, and she figures the hunt will distract Chloe enough to make her study less and forget assignments
That last one is especially troubling because Chloe is supposed to be her love interest, yet she tries to ruin her life and never seems to regret it after. She never even attempts to apologise. After Chloe gets her to admit to having a crush on her, Shara comes back to school and goes straight to “figure out how to ask Chloe out” and not “figure out if Chloe hates me for trying to sabotage her life”.
The dialogue from one scene (after they get together) is:
C: You know, there’s a lot we still need to talk about.
S: Like what?
C: Do you want to start with the way you full-on staged your own disappearance to sabotage my academic career, or would you rather discuss how you may have sent your dad to federal prison?
S: He has a very expensive lawyer. He’ll be fine.
C: Okay, so the first one, then.
S: I don’t know what else you want me to say, Chloe. Do you really want me to apologize?
Shara never had any intention to apologise for trying to ruin Chloe’s life, before or after becoming her girlfriend. And if she doesn’t even want to apologise to her own girlfriend for something that awful, I doubt the thought of apologising to anyone else for the things she did ever even crossed her mind. She is an unrepentant asshole who hurts the people she supposedly cares about without a second thought. This is not someone who should be in a relationship, especially not with the person she did all that to.
Chloe’s thoughts about Shara at the start of the book are correct: Shara Wheeler is a spoiled rich white girl who expects to get away with anything because that’s what she’s used to. And that’s exactly what happens at the end. She comes back, shows no remorse for the way she treated Chloe, and is rewarded with Chloe’s love and affection. Sure, she gets her redemption moments, but almost all of them are things we’re only told by other characters that she did off-page, and the one thing that isn’t like that has almost nothing to do with Chloe. Shara’s arc isn’t satisfying because there is no arc and her entitlement problem never goes away.
Based on both the relationships in this book, the main relationship in RW&RB, and the fact that this book establishes Chloe as someone who is into those “step on me, evil lady” stories, I think this is just how McQuiston views romance. To them, attraction has to involve 2 people who are mean to each other and mistaking attraction for hatred. And that’s bullshit. Classic “he only hits you because he likes you” bullshit.
I know the Enemies to Lovers trope is really popular, but I just can’t stand it. Especially in cases like IKSW where the “enemies” part takes up 2 thirds of the story and the “to” part takes up half a chapter.
carmenpeerezm's review against another edition
4.0
Red white and royal blue: 4/5
One last stop: 3,75/5
I kissed Shara Wheeler: 4,25/5
Es mi favorito de todos los que ha escrito la autora, sin embargo me siguen sin convencer sus finales.
Alex sigue siendo mi favorito, pero Chloe y toda su gang OMG, la mejor con diferencia (los amo mucho a todos <3).
One last stop: 3,75/5
I kissed Shara Wheeler: 4,25/5
Es mi favorito de todos los que ha escrito la autora, sin embargo me siguen sin convencer sus finales.
Alex sigue siendo mi favorito, pero Chloe y toda su gang OMG, la mejor con diferencia (los amo mucho a todos <3).
missreaderlove's review
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A well written queer YA romance mystery! The characters actually acted and talked like teenagers, and it felt believable. I loved the diversity of the cast, and the overall message of the story - that love is love and we should take time getting to know others. Filled with thought provoking and funny moments, this is a book I’ll be thinking about for a while.
roryxx's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
meggie82461's review against another edition
5.0
You ever read those books where you want to LIVE in them more than you want to read them? This is one of them. I didn’t want it to end!
Here’s the thing- I liked Red, White, and Royal Blue. It was above average. I really liked One Last Stop. But I LOVED this one. Casey McQuiston has steadily improved with each story she writes.
This is a must-read for a queer teenager. It DOES get better And I think it’s a must-read for the rest of us, too. To remember that high school is everything to these kids, and to not minimize their struggles. It’s real to them, and that’s all that matters.
Here’s the thing- I liked Red, White, and Royal Blue. It was above average. I really liked One Last Stop. But I LOVED this one. Casey McQuiston has steadily improved with each story she writes.
This is a must-read for a queer teenager. It DOES get better And I think it’s a must-read for the rest of us, too. To remember that high school is everything to these kids, and to not minimize their struggles. It’s real to them, and that’s all that matters.