I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is self-aware but not self-conscious, and it never condescends to its readers. The result is a messier and more grounded take on contemporary YA fiction that will appeal to current and former teens alike. Likewise, Chloe, Shara, Smith and Rory push against the outlines of their archetypes. I Kissed Shara Wheeler, the first YA book by adult romance sensation Casey McQuiston, brilliantly deconstructs many tropes common to teen novels published during the first decade of the 21st century, including popular yet troubled girls, outsider heroes and scavenger hunts, complicating them by incorporating queerness, religious trauma and a deep interiority. With only the memory of vanilla-mint lip gloss and an increasingly convoluted string of clues to follow, the unlikely trio reluctantly band together to track down Shara-who may not want to be found. Star quarterback Smith Parker, Shara’s longtime boyfriend, and Shara’s next-door neighbor, bad-boy Rory Heron, have both been “kissed and ditched” like Chloe. With weeks left until graduation, Chloe is determined to find Shara, but she’s not the only one looking. Things get even stranger when Shara vanishes in the middle of prom, leaving the prom king without a queen and the school buzzing with rumors.

So when Shara corners Chloe in an elevator at school one day and kisses her, questions arise.

Chloe is a queer former Californian with two moms and a mean streak Shara is the principal’s daughter and the de facto princess of Willowgrove. Chloe Green and Shara Wheeler have nothing in common except their goal of beating each other in a ruthless race to become valedictorian of Willowgrove Christian Academy, the best school in their small Alabama town.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston