Publishers Weekly
★ 03/21/2022
In her YA debut, McQuiston (One Last Stop, for adults) spins a multifaceted plot narrated by sardonic high school senior Chloe Green. In False Beach, Ala., bisexual Chloe, who has two moms and moved relatively recently from L.A., is the only out person at Willowgrove Christian Academy, a school that she attends for its AP program and theater budget. The action is set in motion when Shara Wheeler—the beautiful, universally beloved daughter of the overbearing principal, and Chloe’s rival for valedictorian—suddenly kisses Chloe, then, during prom, disappears. The departure kicks off a scavenger hunt that embroils Chloe; Shara’s boyfriend, quarterback Smith Parker; and Shara’s neighbor, stoner Rory Heron, all of whom Shara kissed before splitting. Chloe spends the last weeks of high school ignoring her close-knit friend group and responsibilities to puzzle together the clues. Slowly, the teens’ high school hierarchy–subverting alliance helps break down barriers created, in part, by the school’s particular brand of shame culture and prejudice. In a novel brimming with classic YA plotlines, crisp writing, humorous asides, and fully fleshed characters and relationships—many queer—keep things fresh, leading to a genuinely hopeful ending that centers themes of authenticity and autonomy. Chloe and Shara are white; Smith has dark brown skin; Rory is biracial (Black and white). Ages 13–up. Agent: Sara Megibow, KT Literary. (May)
From the Publisher
Praise for I Kissed Shara Wheeler:
*INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*
*INSTANT #1 INDIE BESTSELLER*
*INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER*
A Stonewall Young Adult Honor Book
A SIBA 2023 Southern Book Prize Finalist
The #1 Spring 2022 Kids’ Indie Next Pick
One of YALSA's 2023 Best Fiction for Young Adults
A Rainbow Book List Pick
One of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Summer
One of People Magazine's Best Books of the Summer
Good Housekeeping's May Book Club Pick
Now & Gen's May Book Club Pick
One of USA Today's Best Rom Coms of 2022
One of Indigo's Best Teen Books of 2022
One of Publishers Weekly's Best YA of 2022
One of BookPage's Best YA of 2022
A Top Ten 2023 Texas Tayshas Reading List Pick
A Most Anticipated Book of the Year for–
Marie Claire * Parade * Seventeen * The Washington Post * The Nerd Daily * Buzzfeed * PopSugar * Book Riot * She Reads * Bookish * Bustle * Insider * Goodreads * Epic Reads * and more!
“I Kissed Shara Wheeler is an unfettered joy to read. It’s a love story starring two brilliant, ruthless queer girls who fight for what they want, and woe to any unjust authorities that stand in their way." - The New York Times
"McQuiston has done it again… A YA novel with a swoon-worthy romance readers have come to expect from their first two triumphant works.” -USA Today (4/4 stars)
"This one has it all: rivals who share a shocking kiss, a mysterious disappearance, an unexpected alliance and the kind of page-turning drama that makes McQuiston one of the best in the game. You won't want to miss this one." - Good Housekeeping
"Casey McQuiston has become the go-to author for all-the-feels queer summer romance." - Entertainment Weekly, "12 sizzling summer reads to heat up your beach days"
"[A] charming queer romance...Like Dua Lipa once sang, one kiss is all it takes." - E! News
"Funny and compassionate." - Time
"An absolute must-read." - Book Riot, "10 Queer Romcoms That Will Make You Swoon"
"Get me to a beach because I'm ready to pick this book up and not put it down." - Genevieve Padalecki
"I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a love letter to all of us queer kids who were high schoolers in the ’90s. Especially those of us who lived in small towns and whose social scenes revolved around Friday night football games and church on Sunday. [An] unexpected mystery and love story all in one." - Bust
"McQuiston says that love is indomitable, and when I’m lost in their worlds, I really believe it." - Autostraddle
"Chosen family and LGBTQIA+ elders are given weight to the central romantic story lines in this thoughtful meditation on LGBTQIA+ identity, pride, popularity, academic success, jealousy, and idolization." - Booklist (starred review)
"I Kissed Shara Wheeler assures readers that although hurt is real, love is complicated and friends can let you down, the world is wide and nothing is impossible." - BookPage (starred review)
"Brimming with classic YA plotlines, crisp writing, humorous asides, and fully fleshed characters and relationships—many queer—keep things fresh, leading to a genuinely hopeful ending that centers themes of authenticity and autonomy. " - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"The most impressive accomplishment in McQuiston’s first YA book is complicated Shara Wheeler herself." - BookPage, "Best YA Books of 2022"
“This is a teenage Harriet the Spy – complete with romance, angst, rebellion and Taco Bell. In a year when LGBTQ youth and their families have faced intense political attacks, this book feels like a warm embrace." - NPR, “Best Books 2022”
"...a delightful, heartwarming, accessible-for-all read...It made me smile and think back on how a book like this could have changed my whole life when I was 17." - Newsweek, "Newsweek Staffers' Favorite Books of 2022 for Everyone on Your Gift List"
"...classic and familiar, and yet, something genuinely new and exciting all on its own...the perfect recipe whipped up into a movie-ready story." - Joey from Joey's Nook, Buzzfeed
"In every possible way, I Kissed Shara Wheeler is the perfect YA novel...If future YA novels read anything like I Kissed Shara Wheeler, I can assure you I will be reading them." - The Michigan Daily
"Chloe is a wonderful protagonist, whip-smart, determined, flawed, but bold enough to be fully herself even in unwelcoming circumstances... Since reading I Kissed Shara Wheeler, I’ve found a new place in my heart for YA novels."- Susie Dumond, Book Riot
“Crisp, smart writing, fun twists, and a genuinely charming mystery surrounding the search for a missing prom queen.”- Paste Magazine
"Electrifying... a perfect summer read." - The Buffalo News
"I really can’t wait for this one...I can already see [a] movie being made." - Betches
"Raise your hand if you’ve been personally victimized by this funny, weird, razor-sharp, intensely compassionate, subversive, sweet, electrifyingly romantic knockout of a book. Casey freaking McQuiston, you’ve done it again.” - Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Kate in Waiting and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
"The master of meet-cute yet empowered romance novels that delve deep into the LGBTQ+ experience, McQuiston creates swoon-worthy, funny stories that should appeal to every reader. I am a sucker for coming-of-age novels, and this book — McQuiston's first young adult novel — feels like The Breakfast Club meets Election." - Emily Giffin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Something Borrowed and Where We Belong
"In their first YA novel, Casey McQuiston brings their A-game once again." - Cosmopolitan
"The author of Red, White & Royal Blue and One Last Stop brings their whip-smart rom-com sensibility to the young adult genre." - Bitter Southerner
"...will keep ya hooked until the last page." - the Skimm
"Quirky, fun, revealing. Lesson: everyone can learn; everyone can grow." - Lavender Magazine
Praise for One Last Stop:
"Absolutely brilliant." - The New York Times
"One Last Stop is an earnest reminder that home - whether that means a time, a place, or a person - is worth fighting for." - New York Magazine
"The story of August and Jane's chance meeting is swoony, thoughtful, and one of those big-hearted romances you'll gush about long after finishing." - Hello Sunshine
"This delightful love story is everything you need for a feel-good day of beach reading." - Elle
"Casey McQuiston has done it again." - Hypable
"One Last Stop is an electrifying romance that synapses into the dreamy "Hot Person Summer" kind of story you wish you were a part of. McQuiston is leading the charge for inclusive happy-ever-afters, radiant with joy and toe-curling passion, and bursting with the creative range to make anything from electricity to social activism sound sexy." - NPR
"A dazzling romance, filled with plenty of humor and heart." - Time
"A funny, modern, and entertaining novel, One Last Stop will have you rooting for love that makes people feel free to be their truest selves." - Shondaland
Praise for Red, White & Royal Blue:
"[An] exquisite debut... It’s hard to watch [Alex] fall in love with Henry without falling in love a bit yourself with them, and with this brilliant, wonderful book." - The New York Times Book Review
"[A] fireworks in the sky, glitter in your hair joyous royal romance that you’ll want to fall head over heels in love with again and again. A+" - Entertainment Weekly
"A rivalry between the son of a U.S. president and the Prince of Wales turns into a whirlwind romance in this charming story about true love." - Us Weekly
"[An] escapist masterpiece... It’s a truly glorious thing to live inside the world of this book and to imagine it becoming reality, too." - Vogue
"The super specific love story you never knew you needed." - Cosmopolitan
"Effervescent and empowering on all levels, Red, White & Royal Blue is both a well-written love story and a celebration of identity. McQuiston may not be royal herself, but her novel reigns as must read rom-com." - NPR
School Library Journal
01/20/2023
Gr 9 Up—Shara Wheeler has disappeared, and Chloe Green, her long-term arch-rival for valedictorian at their conservative Christian school, is determined to find her. In Chloe's mind, Shara is pulling this stunt just to mess with her, but apparently Shara wants to be found: she left clues with Chloe; Shara's popular boyfriend, Smith; and Rory, Smith's ex-best friend who has pined after Shara for years. Turns out that all three have kissed Shara, and they spend the last few weeks of senior year furiously searching for her. Chloe belatedly realizes that her most precious friendships and relationships have suffered because of this hunt, that not everyone is as they seem, and that she must decide how Shara fits into her life now that she can grow beyond Willowgrove Christian Academy. The cast of characters is racially diverse, and many are LGBTQIA+, including a gender nonbinary friend of Chloe's. Chloe herself has two moms, and everyone is individually processing how to survive and thrive in small town Alabama within the confines of its conservative worldview. McQuiston deftly uses humor to communicate these struggles without dismissing religion. Her characters are well-rounded and relatable, especially Chloe, who admits that she uses surliness as a shield of protection against the world. The hunt for Shara stops just short of being madcap, and the story morphs into a more standard—yet sharp and enjoyable—"last goodbye" plot as Chloe and her friends figure out what life will look like after Willowgrove. VERDICT A worthwhile investment for public and school libraries that features humor, friendships, romance, and the confrontation of bigotry and hypocrisy. Highly recommended.—Christine Case
APRIL 2022 - AudioFile
Natalie Naudus brings a sardonic tone as high school senior Chloe Green. Queer Chloe, who moved from California to Alabama with her moms, chafes against the repressive rules at Willowgrove Christian Academy even as she competes for valedictorian against her nemesis, “golden girl” Shara Wheeler. When Shara kisses Chloe and then disappears just a few weeks before graduation, Chloe becomes obsessed with unraveling the cryptic clues Shara leaves behind, and her friends and schoolwork take a backseat to solving the mystery. Some of Naudus’s voices sound more like caricatures than real people, but she distinguishes the many characters and excels in scenes with groups of chatty teens. All of the pieces of this twisty audiobook come together in the last couple of hours, leading to an uplifting conclusion and an optimistic message about finding belonging. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2022-02-09
A romance with solid queer representation set against the backdrop of an Alabama Christian school.
Chloe Green is the only one who sees through Shara Wheeler’s goody-two-shoes act, and now that Shara’s pulled a disappearing act right before being crowned prom queen, she makes it her business to find her. This means teaming up with unlikely allies like Smith Parker, Shara’s jock boyfriend, and Rory Heron, the brooding boy next door, both in love with Shara, just as Chloe claims she is not. What brings the trio together is a series of notes Shara has left them, along with the awkward fact that she kissed all three of them before vanishing. McQuiston’s YA debut starts off as a fun page-turner with a rich cast of queer characters but ultimately disappoints with its predictable plot twists and protagonists whose journeys feel lackluster. In a story that uplifts the importance of friendship and found family, the main character’s tunnel vision and indifference toward her friends’ problems make for an ending that doesn’t feel earned. Rather than coming across as a complicated but earnest love interest, Shara feels superficial and narcissistic, raising the question of why so many people drop everything to pursue her. Shara and Chloe are White; Rory has a White mom and Black dad, and Smith is described as having dark brown skin. Bisexual Chloe has two moms.
An engaging, fast-paced story let down by character development. (author’s note) (Romance. 14-18)
