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tkhenry99's review
3.0
the book explores some important themes and the format is cool, but i think it tries to tackle too much and there’s poor balance between the scenes of hunter, hunter and kaivan, and hunter and everyone else. the other characters don’t feel important to the story, it’s almost like they’re just there for convenience. so much happens before the book takes place and i felt like i didn’t have a good understanding of why things happened bc it was just summarized for the reader later (literally summarized in the form of interviews). i was disappointed that kaivan’s brothers actually never appear on page (that one 2-line interaction doesn’t count). i also felt like being in the band wasn’t even integral to the story, they could’ve been any other kind of celebrity, bc most of them being a band also happens off-page. also, why did hunter just literally never talk to his friends about anything ever?
tbh it feels like the author set out to write a boyband!AU without making it fanfic and somehow fanfic concepts don’t seem to translate well to regular fiction.
tbh it feels like the author set out to write a boyband!AU without making it fanfic and somehow fanfic concepts don’t seem to translate well to regular fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, and Racism
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Bullying
bookwormbi's review
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I really really hate to give authors of color negative reviews, esp queer authors of color, but I just cannot express enough how upset this book made me. I never believed in Hunter and Kaivan as a couple. There was not a lot of development in their relationship and honestly I don’t think I know enough about Kaivan to really say whether I think they’d be good together. It all felt very instalovey, ESPECIALLY WHEN we saw those interviews where Kaivan was repeatedly insulting Kiss & Tell for no reason </spolier> I was also really surprised at how underutilized most of the characters of color are? I could barely tell Ethan, Ian, and Owen apart (their similar names did not help) and I don’t believe that these 5 are each other’s best friends. I believe Ashton and Hunter’s friendship, but it really doesn’t seem like he even knows the other 3 that well. And honestly, I would have loved to hear from Kamran and Karim!!! I think that could have helped develop Kaivan a little more in addition to just fleshing out the world. I don’t know, the whole thing felt underdone at best and legitimately harmful at worst. like I’m so sorry what MESSAGE does it send to teenagers that Hunter ends up forgiving Aidan? That’s honestly so messed up. Overall, while I could definitely see what Khorram was trying to do with this, I ultimately wasn’t compelled by it. Also, literally BEGGING YA authors to discover the new adult genre and age up their characters to fit the plotlines.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Racism
ginkansas's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Islamophobia, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, and Racism
foreverinastory's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
- 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
Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
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
I was given an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I finished reading KISS & TELL in roughly ten hours, which should tell you just how enthralled and in love with this story I was. Adib Khorram, once again, writes a fantastic novel with amazing characters and vital conversations. I cried several times whilst reading this, excitedly screamed my head off, and mourned the fact it ended. I want more books with these characters! This book is going to be so important to so many people and the conversations had will, no doubt, positively impact the young readers this book gets into the hands of. This is worth so much of your time!!
Content Warnings: Racism, slut shaming, fetishization, homophobia, infantilization, outing, sexual harassment, sexual assault, parental death, grief, burnout, alcohol, car accident.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Homophobia, Outing, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Car accident
melaniereadsbooks's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for an arc of this one.
Hunter is the only queer person in his boyband, and he is feeling the effects. After a messy breakup with his ex of 2 years--also a bandmate's twin brother--Hunter's sexts get leaked and his public persona is entirely changed. Hunter has to change everything about who he is for the public to keep the label and the fans happy, but he has had enough.
This book had my entire heart for....almost all of it. I was so immersed and reading this so fast because I loved it so much. Hunter is a great character and I loved watching him grow. A lot of his struggles made me so frustrated because of the way queer people are always treated. But it was all really important stuff.
I also really enjoyed the focus on having queer friends and how different it is when you are with cishet people all the time. I felt that!
The only thing that really frustrated me with this book is that I felt like nothing was resolve regarding the slut-shaming that Hunter went through. There was a little about it but...apologies needed to be made, and they weren't, and I felt like frustrations were redirected and then it was just swept under the rug instead of really been taken account for. So that sucked.
But I loved the rest of it.
Pub Date: March 22, 2022
Hunter is the only queer person in his boyband, and he is feeling the effects. After a messy breakup with his ex of 2 years--also a bandmate's twin brother--Hunter's sexts get leaked and his public persona is entirely changed. Hunter has to change everything about who he is for the public to keep the label and the fans happy, but he has had enough.
This book had my entire heart for....almost all of it. I was so immersed and reading this so fast because I loved it so much. Hunter is a great character and I loved watching him grow. A lot of his struggles made me so frustrated because of the way queer people are always treated. But it was all really important stuff.
I also really enjoyed the focus on having queer friends and how different it is when you are with cishet people all the time. I felt that!
The only thing that really frustrated me with this book is that I felt like nothing was resolve regarding the slut-shaming that Hunter went through. There was a little about it but...apologies needed to be made, and they weren't, and I felt like frustrations were redirected and then it was just swept under the rug instead of really been taken account for. So that sucked.
But I loved the rest of it.
Pub Date: March 22, 2022
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Racism, Body shaming, and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual assault
tiredcath's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
Kiss & Tell is a great exploration on what it means to be a minority in the public eye. Where you’re forced to be a role model or representative for that community, no matter if that’s how you want to be perceived. Not only does Hunter himself face scrutiny for just being himself, but he has been forced into being a representative for every gay person. It’s especially harder when you’re young.
Khorram does great, little things throughout the novel that put things into perspective. I really loved how Hunter’s problems are real but he’s also put in his place about his own privilege by others.
I can also tell Khorram took great lengths to research fandom culture. That was really endearing to me and grounded the story in reality.
I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did but it slowly began special to me. I don’t know how but suddenly I was messaging my friends about this as if this was a real band! Although, the story is a bit lost at some points. There’s no really a plot structure, not that I minded much. It’s a fun read that makes you think, and those are the best kinds. I recommend, if you can, to buddy read this with someone. It’ll be cool to discuss how things were handled.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Penguin for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, and Outing
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