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inkandplasma
nobody talk to me im gay
Full review on my blog 18/04/2022: https://inkandplasma.com/2022/04/18/i-kissed-shara-wheeler/
Character - 10
Atmosphere - 9
Writing - 10
Plot - 10
Intrigue - 10
Logic - 9
Enjoyment - 10
Rating: 9.71 / 5 stars
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I KISSED SHARA WHEELER is Casey McQuiston’s first YA romance, and I loved it just as much as their adult novels. In classic Casey fashion, this book was so readable that once I got about 50 pages in, there was no stopping me and I read the whole thing in one sitting. Shara and Chloe are absolutely iconic and have redefined rivals-to-lovers in this glorious rom-com.
Thanks to Macmillan for the eARC of this book. It has not affected my honest review.
I was absolutely giddy by the end of this book because I was just having so much fun. I loved Red, White and Royal Blue so much, and while I absolutely loved One Last Stop I was missing the snarkiness of early Henry/Alex. That sass is back with a vengeance in I Kissed Shara Wheeler and I am completely in love with all of the characters in this book. When I started, I was a little nervous about the Smith, Rory, Chloe thing because I don’t usually like ‘competing for love’ as a trope. Let’s just say that that is not what’s going on here and I should never have doubted Casey McQuiston. Rory and Smith are as much my faves as Chloe and Shara, and I am in awe of Casey McQuiston’s ever perfect supporting casts.
The premise of this book is that Shara Wheeler, popular prom queen and perfect girl, kisses her boyfriend, the boy next door and Chloe, her rival, and disappears. All she leaves behind are cryptic notes with clues leading to more clues all guiding them to find her. And with each clue, there is more of Shara’s hidden side revealed. I absolutely loved it. The notes were fun, I found myself piecing together the clues along with the ‘I kissed Shara Wheeler’ group chat, and I loved the way we got to see more and more of Shara with each page. I think the friendships are my favourite part. Seeing these disparate and cliquey groups come together gave me huge found family vibes, and my queer ass wanted to adopt the entire cast and feed them cookies. Also, Chloe’s moms? Aspirational. Queer icons.
Can’t review a rom-com without talking about the romance, and in this book we’ve got Shara and Chloe. I won’t talk too much about it because this book is best discovered unspoiled, but if you love rivals-to-lovers and snarky competitive girls, you will love them. They’re both disaster queers and I couldn’t help but laugh at their ridiculous teenager antics to outmatch each other at school. I laughed at a lot of things in this book, actually, with classically hilarious Casey McQuiston prose and a lot of jokes and references that had me cackling.
The town, and school, that the book is set in is a small and heavily religious town and Casey McQuiston examines the best and worst parts of small-town life throughout this book, as Chloe is forced to reexamine her assumptions about small town Alabama and the people who live there. Somehow this book made me nostalgic for teenage years – even though I hated mine – while still giving me the fight-the-world feelings that RWRB gave me. It was a heady mix and when I finished the last page I had to lie down for a hot minute and think about my life.
Full review on my blog 18/04/2022: https://inkandplasma.com/2022/04/18/i-kissed-shara-wheeler/
Character - 10
Atmosphere - 9
Writing - 10
Plot - 10
Intrigue - 10
Logic - 9
Enjoyment - 10
Rating: 9.71 / 5 stars
---
I KISSED SHARA WHEELER is Casey McQuiston’s first YA romance, and I loved it just as much as their adult novels. In classic Casey fashion, this book was so readable that once I got about 50 pages in, there was no stopping me and I read the whole thing in one sitting. Shara and Chloe are absolutely iconic and have redefined rivals-to-lovers in this glorious rom-com.
Thanks to Macmillan for the eARC of this book. It has not affected my honest review.
I was absolutely giddy by the end of this book because I was just having so much fun. I loved Red, White and Royal Blue so much, and while I absolutely loved One Last Stop I was missing the snarkiness of early Henry/Alex. That sass is back with a vengeance in I Kissed Shara Wheeler and I am completely in love with all of the characters in this book. When I started, I was a little nervous about the Smith, Rory, Chloe thing because I don’t usually like ‘competing for love’ as a trope. Let’s just say that that is not what’s going on here and I should never have doubted Casey McQuiston. Rory and Smith are as much my faves as Chloe and Shara, and I am in awe of Casey McQuiston’s ever perfect supporting casts.
The premise of this book is that Shara Wheeler, popular prom queen and perfect girl, kisses her boyfriend, the boy next door and Chloe, her rival, and disappears. All she leaves behind are cryptic notes with clues leading to more clues all guiding them to find her. And with each clue, there is more of Shara’s hidden side revealed. I absolutely loved it. The notes were fun, I found myself piecing together the clues along with the ‘I kissed Shara Wheeler’ group chat, and I loved the way we got to see more and more of Shara with each page. I think the friendships are my favourite part. Seeing these disparate and cliquey groups come together gave me huge found family vibes, and my queer ass wanted to adopt the entire cast and feed them cookies. Also, Chloe’s moms? Aspirational. Queer icons.
Can’t review a rom-com without talking about the romance, and in this book we’ve got Shara and Chloe. I won’t talk too much about it because this book is best discovered unspoiled, but if you love rivals-to-lovers and snarky competitive girls, you will love them. They’re both disaster queers and I couldn’t help but laugh at their ridiculous teenager antics to outmatch each other at school. I laughed at a lot of things in this book, actually, with classically hilarious Casey McQuiston prose and a lot of jokes and references that had me cackling.
The town, and school, that the book is set in is a small and heavily religious town and Casey McQuiston examines the best and worst parts of small-town life throughout this book, as Chloe is forced to reexamine her assumptions about small town Alabama and the people who live there. Somehow this book made me nostalgic for teenage years – even though I hated mine – while still giving me the fight-the-world feelings that RWRB gave me. It was a heady mix and when I finished the last page I had to lie down for a hot minute and think about my life.
Full collection review live on my blog 25/04/2022: https://inkandplasma.com/2022/04/25/the-trespass-collection/
THE TIGER CAME TO THE MOUNTAINS has Silvia Moreno-Garcia's signature lush and beautiful prose, and this tale is a beautiful piece about family, love and courage. The loyalty between our narrator and her beloved brother is beautiful to read, and this raw novella made me feel the fierce need to survive. I loved the descriptions, and the insight into surviving a war not on the front lines but behind the scenes, where family and resources are taken by soldiers. I loved the juxtaposition of the realist and the dreamer and how they weren't set against each other but in complement. I pretty much always adore Moreno-Garcia's fiction and this was no exception. A very strong start to this collection.
THE TIGER CAME TO THE MOUNTAINS has Silvia Moreno-Garcia's signature lush and beautiful prose, and this tale is a beautiful piece about family, love and courage. The loyalty between our narrator and her beloved brother is beautiful to read, and this raw novella made me feel the fierce need to survive. I loved the descriptions, and the insight into surviving a war not on the front lines but behind the scenes, where family and resources are taken by soldiers. I loved the juxtaposition of the realist and the dreamer and how they weren't set against each other but in complement. I pretty much always adore Moreno-Garcia's fiction and this was no exception. A very strong start to this collection.
Full collection review live on my blog 25/04/2022: https://inkandplasma.com/2022/04/25/the-trespass-collection/
This was unnerving as hell. I loved it pretty much all the way through. The ending though? It's super vague and open ended, which is okay if you want to interpret the ending however you like but I'll be honest - I listened to the last chapter twice because I thought I'd missed some vital explanation. I think I just wanted a more certain ending. That being said, the writing was excellent and atmospheric, Sam's history was unveiled in little hints that had me eager for the next bit of her mystery to be unravelled. I really felt the isolation and wilderness, and the fear of knowing something wasn't quite right with her neighbours.
This was unnerving as hell. I loved it pretty much all the way through. The ending though? It's super vague and open ended, which is okay if you want to interpret the ending however you like but I'll be honest - I listened to the last chapter twice because I thought I'd missed some vital explanation. I think I just wanted a more certain ending. That being said, the writing was excellent and atmospheric, Sam's history was unveiled in little hints that had me eager for the next bit of her mystery to be unravelled. I really felt the isolation and wilderness, and the fear of knowing something wasn't quite right with her neighbours.
Full collection review live on my blog 25/04/2022: https://inkandplasma.com/2022/04/25/the-trespass-collection/
This was really weird. That generally seems to be my feeling about Stephen Graham Jones's horror. As usual though, the prose was engaging and interesting and I liked the way the story unfolded in an unnerving and curious way. I could not, in a million years, have guessed where this story was going and I enjoyed waiting for understanding to creep in. It wasn't my favourite of the Trespass collection so far, but it was a fun and quick listen, even if I didn't totally understand the ending.
This was really weird. That generally seems to be my feeling about Stephen Graham Jones's horror. As usual though, the prose was engaging and interesting and I liked the way the story unfolded in an unnerving and curious way. I could not, in a million years, have guessed where this story was going and I enjoyed waiting for understanding to creep in. It wasn't my favourite of the Trespass collection so far, but it was a fun and quick listen, even if I didn't totally understand the ending.
Full collection review live on my blog 25/04/2022: https://inkandplasma.com/2022/04/25/the-trespass-collection/
This one didn't really land with me. The ending was kind of interesting, but the tortoise wasn't really the focus. Most of it was on Stan and his relationship history. Which is fine, but not of huge interest to me. The reveal of his past was good, and there was a moment where I thought it was going to go spooky as hell. It didn't, and I was a little disappointed, but this was still an interesting short read.
This one didn't really land with me. The ending was kind of interesting, but the tortoise wasn't really the focus. Most of it was on Stan and his relationship history. Which is fine, but not of huge interest to me. The reveal of his past was good, and there was a moment where I thought it was going to go spooky as hell. It didn't, and I was a little disappointed, but this was still an interesting short read.
Full collection review live on my blog 25/04/2022: https://inkandplasma.com/2022/04/25/the-trespass-collection/
This was strange and very insidious. It started out kind of mild and I didn't think I'd find it that interesting. But it really did build in a spectacular way. It was another open-ended story but to me the character development of Nathaniel, and the way that we saw that through the letters written from Nathaniel to his wife, was the best part of this book. Ultimately, it's Nathaniel that is changed by his experiences, not the town that he came to 'educate' and the way it handled colonialism and slavery in the name of 'progress' was powerful and emotive to read.
This was strange and very insidious. It started out kind of mild and I didn't think I'd find it that interesting. But it really did build in a spectacular way. It was another open-ended story but to me the character development of Nathaniel, and the way that we saw that through the letters written from Nathaniel to his wife, was the best part of this book. Ultimately, it's Nathaniel that is changed by his experiences, not the town that he came to 'educate' and the way it handled colonialism and slavery in the name of 'progress' was powerful and emotive to read.
Full collection review available on my blog, 29/04/2022: https://inkandplasma.com/2022/04/29/the-black-stars-collection/
What a start to this collection. A role-reversal story where a matriarchal society dominates highlighted societal inequalities in stark relief. When reflected this way, they seem completely ridiculous, and yet all of the inequalities are true for women. This story was only 20 pages but I crammed it full of highlights as the clever and emotive text shone an unforgiving light on society. If this is any indicator, I need to read more of Adichie's writing because this was excellent.
What a start to this collection. A role-reversal story where a matriarchal society dominates highlighted societal inequalities in stark relief. When reflected this way, they seem completely ridiculous, and yet all of the inequalities are true for women. This story was only 20 pages but I crammed it full of highlights as the clever and emotive text shone an unforgiving light on society. If this is any indicator, I need to read more of Adichie's writing because this was excellent.
Full collection review available on my blog, 29/04/2022: https://inkandplasma.com/2022/04/29/the-black-stars-collection/
This was incredibly intense. My heart was in my throat for most of this book and I was waiting very anxiously to find out what happened next. This felt like the prologue to something bigger and honestly? I desperately want to read a whole book about this. There's so much to know and so much mythology and mystery twisted together, especially in the last few pages, that I'm hungry for more. The writing was incredibly emotive and evocative, and I could have kept reading it for days without hesitation.
This was incredibly intense. My heart was in my throat for most of this book and I was waiting very anxiously to find out what happened next. This felt like the prologue to something bigger and honestly? I desperately want to read a whole book about this. There's so much to know and so much mythology and mystery twisted together, especially in the last few pages, that I'm hungry for more. The writing was incredibly emotive and evocative, and I could have kept reading it for days without hesitation.
Full collection review available on my blog, 29/04/2022: https://inkandplasma.com/2022/04/29/the-black-stars-collection/
I didn't fall in love with the unique framing of this one like I have with some others. It was good, don't get me wrong, but I found myself a little less engaged and with a short page count, I need to be gripped from the very start. The concept was interesting and unnerving in equal measures and I think if there was an expanded version of this I would absolutely pick it up.
I didn't fall in love with the unique framing of this one like I have with some others. It was good, don't get me wrong, but I found myself a little less engaged and with a short page count, I need to be gripped from the very start. The concept was interesting and unnerving in equal measures and I think if there was an expanded version of this I would absolutely pick it up.
Full collection review available on my blog, 29/04/2022: https://inkandplasma.com/2022/04/29/the-black-stars-collection/
This is my favourite Audible Original Story so far. I honestly desperately want to read this as a prequel to an intense first-contact sci-fi novel. I guessed the twist a little way in, but that didn't in any way lessen the impact. If anything, it made it more impactful because I was so sad as I read. This one I can absolutely see myself coming back to, with cinematic descriptions and a really interesting premise.
This is my favourite Audible Original Story so far. I honestly desperately want to read this as a prequel to an intense first-contact sci-fi novel. I guessed the twist a little way in, but that didn't in any way lessen the impact. If anything, it made it more impactful because I was so sad as I read. This one I can absolutely see myself coming back to, with cinematic descriptions and a really interesting premise.