Scan barcode
A review by renee_c
I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston
1.0
Not even close to Red, White, Royal Blue.
Why do many high school relationships revolve around the main character treating their friends like trash in favor of a god-like love interest?
Shara Wheeler was the worst caricature of a person. Chloe and Shara were both incredibly unlikeable, and both exhibited majorly psychotic behavior. The side characters, Rory and Smith, were slightly more sweet but their queerness (as well as the queerness of everyone in the book other than Chloe) felt forced. How many times can an author pull a "Surprise! They're gay!" before it gets old?
I definitely have a lot of issues with this book. Chloe lives for nothing but Shara, dropping her friends just to hunt for this mythical unicorn that is Shara Wheeler. It was very difficult to read half a book dedicated to nothing but extravagant praise for Shara Wheeler. And then once we find her, we discover that Shara is absolutely unhinged, possibly just as must so as Chloe. And then there is still HALF the book left! At which point, McQuiston tries to make this political. I could not read any more of Shara and Chloe's painfully cringey interactions or preachy teen emotions. These scenes tried to be reminiscent of Alex+Henry's Texas lake scenes, but because McQuiston never showcased any in-person interactions between Shara and Chloe, the attraction and chemistry is not there-- it's just plain awkward.
Would not recommend. I'd rather reread RWRB for the fiftieth time.
Why do many high school relationships revolve around the main character treating their friends like trash in favor of a god-like love interest?
Shara Wheeler was the worst caricature of a person. Chloe and Shara were both incredibly unlikeable, and both exhibited majorly psychotic behavior. The side characters, Rory and Smith, were slightly more sweet but their queerness (as well as the queerness of everyone in the book other than Chloe) felt forced. How many times can an author pull a "Surprise! They're gay!" before it gets old?
I definitely have a lot of issues with this book. Chloe lives for nothing but Shara, dropping her friends just to hunt for this mythical unicorn that is Shara Wheeler. It was very difficult to read half a book dedicated to nothing but extravagant praise for Shara Wheeler. And then once we find her, we discover that Shara is absolutely unhinged, possibly just as must so as Chloe. And then there is still HALF the book left! At which point, McQuiston tries to make this political. I could not read any more of Shara and Chloe's painfully cringey interactions or preachy teen emotions. These scenes tried to be reminiscent of Alex+Henry's Texas lake scenes, but because McQuiston never showcased any in-person interactions between Shara and Chloe, the attraction and chemistry is not there-- it's just plain awkward.
Would not recommend. I'd rather reread RWRB for the fiftieth time.