I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston was published this week and is out to shake up the queer YA world. I have a complex relationship with Casey’s writing, as they have given me some of my favorite books (Red, White, and Royal Blue & Shara Wheeler) and one of my larger book disappointments in 2021 (One Last Stop). Their most recent book follows the storyline of two girls, Chloe and Shara, in their last semester of their senior year of high school who have been competing for valedictorian for the last four years. Shara, then disappears, leaving a trail of clues for 3 folks to find, the last three people she has kissed. Including her boyfriend, the boy next door, and Chloe.
What starts a little like a more positive Thirteen Reasons Why book, turns into a queer little teen rom-com. The structure of the book allows for the different perspectives of the main characters to show through, the main plot could have easily dragged on, but Casey moves that bad boy along without the need to be overly redundant. Were you worried like I was? Both RW&RB and OLS are spicy. Spicy in a way that you blush while reading. So, I was worried – oh no, will Casey put these poor little teens through explicit interactions and traumatize well intentioned parents all over the US? Alas, Casey has given us a beautiful chaste romance for all the characters, nothing more detailed than kissing.
So, why should you read this book? Because it shows the problems with conservative Christian schools. It’s relevant in 2022 with Nintendo Switches and TikTok trends. It shows the diversity of teens outside of the gender and sexuality binary. It shows the spectrum of inclusivity in the Christian church. It has a main character with two moms who lives their teenage life and having two moms isn’t their defining characteristic. I loved all the characters, even when I was mad at them, I loved them. I loved the side plots, I loved the romance, I loved how gay everyone was. I love the nerdy theater kids and the slight mystery of a missing Shara. Casey is back on my good side and I’m going to yell it off the mountain tops until they hear me.
