Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Kiss & Tell

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Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram

30 reviews

this_momma_is_booked's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted fast-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

3.0

I don't remember a whole lot about this book seeing as I read it months ago, so here's what I do remember based on a conversation I had with my friend about it immediately after:

It was cute, but I struggled throughout the entire book with something that irked me and I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.
I think part of the reason I didn't love this book is that everything felt very surface level. We didn't really dig deep into the feelings or situations present.
It was never really explained why Hunter was into Kaivan, other than he was the only other gay guy in the vicinity. He was defensive the entire book about it NOT being a rebound when it so clearly was.
The book just...ended. Like, there was no closure or explanation about everything that happened. It just ended.
Hunter experienced a literal breakdown and the story glossed over it like, "he had a lot of bottled up emotions." Like what he experienced is entirely normal and a healthy part of growing up.
The author himself is Iranian-American but the book is written from the perspective of the white guy in the relationship. Now, I'm not saying that just because the author is of this particular identity he has to write from the perspective of the other POC in the relationship - but there were so many instances of veiled racism in the text that were simply not explored BECAUSE it was from Hunter's perspective. I feel this is a missed opportunity.
Basically this read as very surface-level One Direction fanfiction.

If this is the kind of story you're looking to read, I would suggest reading If This Gets Out instead.

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infinitefandomstrash's review against another edition

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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

2.75

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sadie_g's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I enjoyed this book, it was a quick read that kinda read like a fanfic. I liked that the author did call out Hunter on his privileges as a cis white gay man, and that it also explored all the problems and discrimination he and other people in the bands went through. Im still not sure whether I like Hunter as a character through, he did have growth as a character but it was near the end of the book. And Im not sure whether I liked the end of the book just because it seemed like all the problems got wrapped up really fast, which lead to a bit as satisfying ending.

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love_bookswillbetheendofme's review against another edition

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emotional 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

4.0

Hunter is a fairly self absorbed character, but that isn't unexpected considering he's 17 and has spent the last few years in the spotlight. I feel that a lot of the news articles consistently forgot the fact that he's still a child. That said, I do feel like he was able to grow up a bit during this story.

Kaivan didn't seem to do as much growing, but I felt that his relationship with Hunter was genuine and sweet.

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jeanniea's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted 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

4.5

A fun read! Rly spoke to the teenage me. Felt that the ending and character conflicts were a bit rushed, but enjoyed the format of the story telling.

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davidbythebay's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.5

As with Abid Khorram's Darius duology, this book has LGBTQ+ characters. Ans as in the Darius duology we get a Persian (Irani). But thats kind of where the similarities end. Well, one more is the fantastic writing style and tone of the piece, but subject matter ends with those two similarities.

Our main POV throughout the narrative chapters is a gay boy in a boy band, Hunter. We do get emails, texts, interviews, and other things from various people showing other perspectives. The main focus, however, is Hunter. Hunter is dealing with being a celebrity at only 17 years old. His every move is to maintain a particular image. Things go off the rails, on the rails, and all around the rails.

This is more adult in its content. There is talk of sex and there is a lot of more adult themes of becoming a beacon of good in the world. A bit of mental health discussion. But nothing like in the Darius duology, which I loved and read both last year.

Of great note is the FANTASTIC use of the LGBTQ+ spectrum! There is a nonbinary drag performer and activist who sort of briefly mentors Hunter. There is a young gay country music star. The spectrum of gender identities and sexual orientations are present here, even in passing characters in the bands meet and greets with fans. And that is what brings a huge smile to my face.

Romance is not a big focus here. The focus is living your life authentically by your rules, not the rules of others. Hunter talks about how his record label dresses him to appeal to the public for ticket sales by "meeting their expectations" of what a gay person dresses like. Then when the scandal hits, they rework him to be that particular subsect of the gay community's stereotypical posterchild. Heck! The band is making a documentary and the filmmaker actually asks Hunter yo act more gay, and especially more feminine gay. It's these harmful microaggressions and stereotypes that persist. It was wonderful seeing them called out.

I loved this book. My one drawback is this: I wanted more. I don't mean simply that I could have continued in this story. Yes, I could. What I really mean is there were a few things introduced that just scream for more time. The nonbinary drag performer and activist, Masha Patriarki, is one of them. The story of Kaivan (the Irani gay boy from the tour's opening band) is another. The ending left me with questions. I'll leave it at that. I think this would do well with a sequel or a companion short story collection. I want to know about Hunter and Kaivan! This is all in the description. I just want more. And I want more of the other boys.

This cast was diverse. The boy band Kiss & Tell is 5 Canadian friends, each with different backgrounds. And Khorram treats race with the same reverence as gender identity and sexual orientation.

Because I was left a little with a "that's it?" Feeling at the end - and I do mean a little feeling of that - I can only give this a 4.5 stars. It is a fantastic novel. Abid Khorram's a favorite author of mine, to be sure. Each of the three novels I've read have just been handled so wonderfully and written beautifully. I absolutely recommend this to anyone, especially if you are seeking some LGBTQ+ content that includes some representation beyond the white gay/lesbian representation books often see. I will read everything Abid Khorram writes.

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internationalreads's review

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

3.5

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anil's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

there I go trying to read something non hockey related and then it's a book about a former hockey player who's had a career ending injury. AGAIN.

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dododenise's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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

This book was really fun! It tackles all the bits one would expect from a book about gay singer in a boyband: expectations of fame, pressure, homophobia, loneliness, stereotypes and being formed into something you’re not.
Next to it blossomed a beautiful romance. Those were the bits I enjoyed most with great dialogues that were so much fun and could get into some other themes. Really enjoyed the conversation about racism and privilege throughout.

I would have wished the other characters to be more fleshed out. I feel like I barely know anyone but Hunter and Kaivan. There were just glimpses of the others. Ashton and Ethan a bit more, but I really wanted to get to know the band a bit better.

Overall a really enjoyable read!

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wrensandroses's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

5.0

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