i kissed shara wheeler by casey mcquiston

He tried out for the school play and snagged the lead, and Chloe’s group of artsy, queer, nerdy friends assumed Ace did it as a joke. However, each of those kids is nuanced, and the groups can overlap.įor example, Ace plays on the football team with Smith. Hebron, Class of 2015, what’s up!). The different social circles are often based on interests and activities – student athletes, band kids, and theater kids. I Kissed Shara Wheeler incorporates student group dynamics in a way that feels realistic and reminds me of my high school experience (Mt.

When it comes to stories set in high school cliques, I often proverbially roll my eyes, unconvinced that heavy-handed stereotypes of jocks, nerds, goths, prom queens, and such represent the average teen experience. By spending time with Smith and Rory, and their respective friend groups, Chloe realizes that the way she’s looked at many of her peers has been flawed. However, the more time they spend together, the more the dynamic shifts, and the more they learn about each other and themselves. They don’t appear to have anything in common, aside from a connection to Shara. What made me fall in love with the story, however, is the friendships that Chloe develops with Smith and Rory.Ĭhloe, Smith, and Rory come from different tiers of the Willowsgrove High hierarchy.

The rivalry and frustration Chloe feels regarding Shara – really a mask for their magnetic attraction – is high-grade narrative fuel. However, the set-up of the novel makes it pretty clear that this is an enemies-to-lovers type of situation. Shocking mostly because Shara – little miss perfect, daughter of the principal, and “it girl” of their small Alabama town – is, as far as anyone knows, entirely straight. Chloe Green, academic rival of Shara and protagonist of the novel, wants nothing more than to bring her back in time to see Chloe win valedictorian – because what’s the point of winning without a worthy competitor?įor better or worse, Shara left behind a trail of clues designed specifically for the three people she kissed before disappearing – her quarterback boyfriend Smith, the boy-next-door Rory, and quite shockingly, Chloe. Popular girl Shara Wheeler has the audacity to pull a disappearing act a month before graduation. I previously shared a review for Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop, and I’m happy to report that their YA debut, I Kissed Shara Wheeler, is an absolute pleasure to read as well.Ī contemporary coming-of-age story with a mystery twist, I didn’t want to put down this temptingly readable book once I was pulled into the story.

I kissed shara wheeler by casey mcquiston