After talking about I Kissed Shara Wheeler in another post I got really in the mood to finally pick up the eARC I had. And I flew through the book! I was not expecting that to be honest haha. Today I want to share all of my thoughts on this book, so let’s jump in!
From the New York Times bestselling author of One Last Stop and Red, White & Royal Blue comes a debut YA romantic comedy about chasing down what you want, only to find what you need...
Chloe Green is so close to winning. After her moms moved her from SoCal to Alabama for high school, she’s spent the past four years dodging gossipy classmates and a puritanical administration at Willowgrove Christian Academy. The thing that’s kept her going: winning valedictorian. Her only rival: prom queen Shara Wheeler, the principal’s perfect progeny.
But a month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe and vanishes.
On a furious hunt for answers, Chloe discovers she’s not the only one Shara kissed. There’s also Smith, Shara’s longtime quarterback sweetheart, and Rory, Shara’s bad boy neighbor with a crush. The three have nothing in common except Shara and the annoyingly cryptic notes she left behind, but together they must untangle Shara’s trail of clues and find her. It’ll be worth it, if Chloe can drag Shara back before graduation to beat her fair-and-square.
Thrown into an unlikely alliance, chasing a ghost through parties, break-ins, puzzles, and secrets revealed on monogrammed stationery, Chloe starts to suspect there might be more to this small town than she thought. And maybe—probably not, but maybe—more to Shara, too.
Fierce, funny, and frank, Casey McQuiston's I Kissed Shara Wheeler is about breaking the rules, getting messy, and finding love in unexpected places.
I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston
on 03/05/2022
Pages: 320
Goodreads
I loved Casey’s Red, White & Royal Blue but couldn’t really get into One Last Stop. After reading the synopsis of I Kissed Shara Wheeler I was on the fence. While I knew I loved Casey’s writing in at least one novel, I was really scared for another Paper Towns. I didn’t love Paper Towns when I read it and I have even less interest in it now. This is also Casey’s first YA novel and I just didn’t know what to expect.
Turns out this was an amazing read! I was almost immediately grabbed by the story and the characters. The chapters start with a count of days until graduation and days that Shara is gone. And while that’s just a small thing, it is something I enjoy. It’s also an easy way to show how much or how little time has passed between chapters.
Like I said, I was expecting another Paper Towns but this was definitely different. And for me that was mostly in the characters. We have our main character Chloe, secondary characters Smith and Rory and the three of them are chasing Shara. I loved the fact that especially the female characters were quite flawed. This made them so interesting to read about! The male characters were surprising and loved reading about all of them.
I really liked the story, it was surprising and it was executed very well. Apart from it being fun it also touched on interesting topics. The setting is a very Christian school in an Alabaman town. Religion and homophobia are important topics in this story and I thought they were handled well. I’m not religious myself though, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
All in all this was a fun, quick read with interesting characters. I would definitely recommend this to contemporary lovers. If you’re looking for a summer book, this definitely has the right vibes in my opinion!
Have you read any Casey McQuiston books yet? Are you planning on picking this one up? Let me know in the comments down below! I would love to hear your thoughts if you’ve read this one already.
Fun and quick sounds perfect for an upcoming long weekend!