Due to the nature of this book as both a Queer Romantic Comedy in a conservative setting and a mystery novel, please note that some spoilers are unmarked! Shara: But you—you march into school every day like you know everything and you're better than everyone, and that's how I know you're terrified. You have to decide that you're so certain about everything, because uncertainty scares the shit out of you.

Thrown into an unlikely alliance, chasing a ghost through parties, break-ins, puzzles, and secrets revealed on monogrammed stationery, Chloe starts to suspect there might be more to this small town than she thought. And maybe—probably not, but maybe—more to Shara, too. Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: In the I Kissed Shara Wheeler group. Mostly between former best friends Rory and Smith, but Chloe is plenty unenthusiastic with the idea of having to work with both of them to find Shara, even more so when they won’t stop fighting. This is also how Chloe usually describes every past class or assignment that she was partnered with Shara for as. From the New York Times bestselling author of One Last Stop and Red, White & Royal Blue comes a romantic comedy about chasing down what you want, only to find what you need... 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 Marie Claire * Parade * Seventeen * The Washington Post * The Nerd Daily * Buzzfeed * PopSugar * Book Riot * She Reads * Bookish * Bustle * Insider * Goodreads * Epic Reads * and more!

But there’s just one problem, Shara kisses Chloe and then she pulls a disappearing act a month before graduation. 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 I—I, uh,” Chloe stammers. Rory’s entrance startled some of the fire out of her, and now she’s not sure how to explain herself. Her face starts to heat; she wills it to stop. “I heard she ran away last night.”

Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Debut Novel!". Goodreads . Retrieved December 10, 2019. I know when I was growing up, I never saw a school like mine portrayed in media unless it was reinforcing the same narratives that were taught to me at school," McQuiston said. "And so I thought it'd be really, really exciting for me at that age, if I could have read something that both reflected and challenged the kind of experience that I was having growing up. So I hope that this book will do that for someone." Casey McquistonGoth: Chloe apparently used to be one freshmen year. In the present day, she describes her aesthetic as "dark academia". 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

Smith is visibly doing some mental calculations. It’s obvious he and Rory would rather do just about anything than spend another second in each other’s company, which means Chloe’s life is about to be a nonstop tornado of egos, but she can deal with it as long as they get her to a fair victory. Like Willowgrove, it’s a necessary evil. Get It Online As a queer person who also grew up in the south and went to a Christian school, so many of the details in how Chloe is treated really hit home. It felt honest, even in the most frustrating moment. And I also appreciated how McQuiston made Chloe face the idea that not all faith looks like that! It can be easy to paint with broad strokes when the bad guys are religious, but it's important to remember that us vs them mentality isn't accurate or fair. Chloe Green is so close to winning. After her moms moved her from SoCal to Alabama for high school, she’s spent the past four years dodging gossipy classmates and the puritanical administration of Willowgrove Christian Academy. The thing that’s kept her going: winning valedictorian. Her only rival: prom queen Shara Wheeler, the principal’s perfect progeny. I’m working on it,” Chloe grouses. “But there’s no point in finding it if we can’t all agree we’re in this together.” Making Politics Loving Again: PW Talks with Casey McQuiston". Publisher's Weekly . Retrieved May 28, 2019.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) Smith develops an understanding of what it means to be nonbinary with help from Ash, and adopts a more outwardly feminine style for himself. He also realizes he has feelings for Rory and has had them for quite some time. By the end of the book, he’s dating Rory and growing out his hair. When Chloe asks, he says that he’s still using he/him pronouns “for now”. Unseen No More: After the first fifteen chapters are spent looking for her, Shara is found and makes her first in person appearance in chapter sixteen of twenty-five. Then you need us,” she tells Smith. “Obviously this is… some kind of puzzle Shara set up for us, and we all have a piece of it. Once we solve it, we’ll know where she is.”