Review: I Kissed Shara Wheeler

Casey McQuiston’s YA debut, I Kissed Shara Wheeler, is nothing short of triumphant. Hilarious, romantic, and true to life, the intertwining stories of Chloe and Shara have carved space in the YA canon for queer youth everywhere. 

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.

I’ll talk about the conceptual brilliance later, but first and foremost I need to talk about the execution of I Kissed Shara Wheeler and how it’s just marvelous. Chloe’s narration was sharp, witty, and so headstrong. She’s got so much personality and was developed beautifully. Honestly, all the characters are. The true joy of this book was seeing Chloe’s first impressions of her classmates slowly slip away as she learned more about their situations in life and who they wanted to be, Shara included. Chloe and Shara acted as a pseudo-foil to Smith and Rory, which just made the two relationships better, honestly. All the characters felt real and nuanced, like true teenagers trying to make the best of the life they’ve been dealt. 

The best part of this book, though, is its vibrant atmosphere and tone. The details of everything, from the town and its local haunts to Shara's obsession with pink stationery, just fed into the immersivity of the story. Not to mention how funny it is. I laughed so hard reading this, from the vents scene to upside-down margarita to Chloe absolutely launching Shara out of her bedroom window. I had a genuinely great time reading about Chloe, Rory, and Smith sleuthing around like a modern Mystery Inc. gang. The hilarity that ensues throughout pretty much the entire narrative takes the edge off some of the deeper, more troubling topics the book covers, and only intensifies the bittersweet tone that comes with all graduation stories. This book captures the end of high school so well, giving a strong sense of closure, satisfaction, and nostalgia. 

To start that promised talk about conceptual brilliance, though, I want to start by saying I’ve been a fan of Casey McQuiston ever since Red, White, and Royal Blue got me out of a three-year reading slump. McQuiston’s novels are known for their lively characters, perfect comedic timings, and envy-inducing queer found families. I Kissed Shara Wheeler might be the youngest of McQuiston’s novels, but I honestly believe it’s their best one yet. The thing about this book is that it’s much closer to its audience than Red, White, and Royal Blue or One Last Stop, both of which feature either famous characters or straight-up urban fantastical elements (time-traveling sapphics on the train, anyone?). I Kissed Shara Wheeler takes place in the bible belt, with characters that could be literally any reader. I grew up in suburban Chicago and went to a public school, so religion wasn’t as mandatory as it is at Willowgrove, but I could see myself and so many of my neighbors and classmates in nearly every character. From Smith, Summer, and Rory to Ace, Ash, and Georgia, I felt as if I knew everyone intimately by the end of the book. 

This is not to say McQuistion’s adult novels don’t have the same draw, but there’s something warm and comforting about shining a spotlight on queer youth who live outside of cities. I’ve talked about this in other reviews, but a majority of media outright ignores queer people in rural settings, and if it doesn’t, it tokenizes them and centers queer trauma. I Kissed Shara Wheeler doesn’t shy away from tough topics, but it also recenters queer joy and queer community, while highlighting the efforts of rural queer folk to make changes in their communities (re: Georgia’s “because I can handle it” line). Outside of being a fun book to read, it’s doing actual work, and while that’s not necessary to make a book great, it certainly plays a part in making a book important. 

Casey McQuiston is a New York Times bestselling author of romantic comedies and a pie enthusiast. She writes stories about smart people with bad manners falling in love. Born and raised in southern Louisiana, she now lives in New York City with her poodle mix/personal assistant, Pepper.

You can find more about McQuiston on their website, https://www.caseymcquiston.com/.