McQuiston’s use of pop culture and clichés not only gives the book a ‘teen movie’ feel, but it adds to their witty and comedic writing: “Like, what do hot guys with long dark hair have to be that upset about? Get a clarifying shampoo and suck it up, Kylo Ren.”

But things take a turn when the plot line switches to a double enemies-to-lovers trope, where jock falls for bad boy and prom queen realizes her feelings for long-time academic rival.Īlthough it sounds funny to boil things down to TV show references, it’s fairly fitting of McQuiston’s writing style - jam packed with allusions to everything from “The Legend of Korra” to Taco Bell to Timothée Chalamet. The entire adventure is very Pretty-Little-Liars-esque, complete with little pink slips and spicy blackmail. However, Shara - who bears a striking resemblance to Sara Cameron from Netflix’s “Outer Banks” (down to the iconic upturned lip) - spices things up when she makes out with Chloe in the elevator and then stages her own disappearance, leaving Chloe to team up with her classic-jock boyfriend and her obsessed-with-the-girl-next-door/bad boy neighbor to solve the mystery. She makes it her singular goal to become valedictorian, her only real competition being the most popular girl at school, Shara Wheeler. “I Kissed Shara Wheeler” follows protagonist Chloe Green, who moves to Alabama and is one of the only students at her intensely Catholic high school who is openly queer. Also integral to these plot points is how these places help McQuiston’s characters learn more about their identities. Indeed, McQuiston’s characters often find themselves isolated in new, strange places (which could be towns, countries, even timelines) and are lucky enough to find someone who changes everything for them, for better and worse. In “I Kissed Shara Wheeler,” McQuiston’s latest foray into the world of young adult romance, readers meet another set of couples grappling with much of the same challenges as those in “One Last Stop” (2021) and “Red, White & Royal Blue” (2019). With two New York Times Bestsellers already under their belt, author Casey McQuiston’s latest book released to much anticipation.

I kissed shara wheeler casey mcquiston