Reviews

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

marit213's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful 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

3.75

meera_pn's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful 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

2.75

This book is very corny and kinda boring. idk how to explain this but it’s riverdale coded if riverdale wasn’t camp. However I feel like it’s a very accurate portrayal of high schoolers and also those kids are my children actually.

emilynied's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

3.25

I think I prefer Casey McQuinston's adult books over the YA, just because I think they delve a little deeper plotwise and character-wise. I was excited for the mystery here but felt like the stakes just weren't that high considering no other character besides Chloe really cared about Shara's supposed disappearance, not even her parents. It felt like there were easier ways to go about finding her than a trail of cryptic letters signed with XOXO. The side characters here were the highlight for me, especially Smith and Rory (love them). The plot lagged a bit, especially in the middle of the book and the transition from the first half to the back half felt a little weird but all of the happy endings were super sweet. 

McQuinston also begins the book with a preface for some readers who may come from a Southern Baptist or Evangelical Christian background - and the tough experiences queer youth have to face each and every day growing up in that culture. It was thoughtful and considerate and I'm glad it was included. 

meghanhines's review against another edition

3.5

was not planning to read this so quick but i was simply hooked! loved the beginning, got kinda confused with motive and everything as it went on, but then really loved the end once again. this book would have meant everything to me as a confused queer teen but still meant so much to me now and i’m so glad it - and all of the books casey writes - exist <3 this was just such a fun read and a love letter to queerness and gender exploration that i adored

carlisbookshelf's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful 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

4.0

sunlit_rain's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective 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

5.0

ms_spine_breaker's review against another edition

5.0

Let me take you on a small trip down memory lane and the dedication page of this book:

"If you come to this story from the South or from a Southern Baptist or Evangelical Christian background, you may recognise some of the culture discribes."

This story spoke to me. Coming from a hyper Evangelical Christian part of my home country, and outing yourself as queer was an absolute no go.
I loved everything about this book. It was suspenseful and just over all interesting to read. Great job on this one Casey!

annemd94's review against another edition

• 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

3.75

vitalioreads's review against another edition

4.0

AAAA THIS WAS SO GOOD OMFG
Casey can't write a bad book, fight me

mothmans_mum's review against another edition

• 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

4.75

Was this book written especially for me? It’s basically a Mean Girls fanfic with a whole bunch of musical theatre references, especially Phantom. I’m never going to be able to listen to Think of Me without crying, thinking about this book.

With this and Honor Society, 2022 was a great year for stories about academic rivals pulling elaborate Machiavellian plans to sabotage eachother, and also staging a musical.

The only downside is that Chloe is such an awful person for so much of the book that it was really hard to like her. Even though she improved at the end, it was still like, how did Shara forgive her for some of that???