Kari Ann Sweeney's Reviews > I Kissed Shara Wheeler

I loved this queer YA/coming-of-age story with big Breakfast Club vibes. Thank you Libro.fm for early access to a highly-anticipated read- 𝐈 𝐊𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀 𝗪𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐑.

It's tender, genuine and thoughtful. It's feisty, funny and nostalgic. It's a love story to being a high school senior in 2021 with a scavenger hunt element that added a fun adventure/mystery vibe.

What I love about Casey McQuiston is their ability to write characters that feel authentic and alive. I love how McQuiston embraces the struggles of their character's queer identities. How it can be messy and beautiful at the same time. How you can find allies and forge new friendships in unlikely places. How a change of perspective can be the beginning of something unexpected.

At first I kept thinking how the experiences of the characters at 2021 Willowgrove Christian Academy in small town Alabama were vastly different from my 1994 high school in smallish town MN. When in truth- they aren't different at all. LGBTQ+ teens have always existed and they certainly did at my high school. But it is so refreshing to see these stories reflected in fiction. Books like this make me hopeful for an even more inclusive future.

I have a print copy on pre-order because I know that at least one of my daughters will gobble it up.

AUDIO: The narration by Natalie Naudus was top notch. LOVED it.