I kissed Shara Wheeler

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)

Shara has been Chloe’s academic nemesis since the day Chloe started at Willowgrove Christian Academy in False Beach, Alabama. Chloe refuses to feel at home in False Beach, where she and her moms moved to care for Chloe’s grandmother and win valedictorian over Shara, the principal’s daughter. But then Shara kisses Chloe and disappears, leaving behind one clue to her whereabouts. Shara also kissed her boyfriend, football player Smith; and her next-door neighbor Rory. As Chloe, Rory, and Smith begrudgingly work together to find Shara, the three peel back the layers of who she really was, doing the same with themselves in the process. McQuiston’s YA debut is a compassionate look at what makes people who they are and what’s left of us when we take away everyone else’s expectations. Chloe and the supporting cast of witty, lovable characters are given the necessary space to be flawed and imperfect teenagers, and False Beach is a character itself, with Chloe discovering the ills and joys of what it’s like to grow up in an Alabama suburb. 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. A must-read for fans of dark academia with a hopeful spin on the premise that students can create real change in their environment.