Kiss & Tell: review

Today I am super excited to post my review for KISS & TELL (ADIB KHORRAM) releasing March 22nd, 2022!

ADIB KHORRAM is the author of DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY, which earned the William C. Morris Debut Award, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature, and a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor, as well as a multitude of other honors and accolades. His followup, DARIUS THE GREAT DESERVES BETTER, received three starred reviews, was an Indie Bestseller, and received a Stonewall Honor. His debut picture book, SEVEN SPECIAL SOMETHINGS: A NOWRUZ STORY was released in 2021. When he isn’t writing, you can find him learning to do a Lutz jump, practicing his handstands, or steeping a cup of oolong. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where people don’t usually talk about themselves in the third person. You can find him on Twitter (@adibkhorram), Instagram (@adibkhorram), or on the web at adibkhorram.com

TITLE: Kiss & Tell

AUTHOR: Adib Khorram

PUBLISHER: Dial Books

GENRE: YA

PAGE COUNT: 384 pages

AMAZON/GOODREADS/B&N/BD

A smart, sexy YA novel about a boy band star, his first breakup, his first rebound, and what it means to be queer in the public eye, from award-winning author Adib Khorram

Hunter never expected to be a boy band star, but, well, here he is. He and his band Kiss & Tell are on their first major tour of North America, playing arenas all over the United States and Canada (and getting covered by the gossipy press all over North America as well). Hunter is the only gay member of the band, and he just had a very painful breakup with his first boyfriend–leaked sexts, public heartbreak, and all–and now everyone expects him to play the perfect queer role model for teens.

But Hunter isn’t really sure what being the perfect queer kid even means. Does it mean dressing up in whatever The Label tells him to wear for photo shoots and pretending never to have sex? (Unfortunately, yes.) Does it mean finding community among the queer kids at the meet-and-greets after K&T’s shows? (Fortunately, yes.) Does it include a new relationship with Kaivan, the star of the band opening for K&T on tour? (He hopes so.) But when The Label finds out about Hunter and Kaivan, it spells trouble—for their relationship, for the perfect gay boy Hunter plays for the cameras, and, most importantly, for Hunter himself.

This book was fantastic and my review for it is going to be a mess, but I will try and be as eloquent as humanly possible for the sake of this book's future readers. Here we goooo!

Netgalley and Dial Books blessed me with an arc!

Reasons to read: such diversity! Queer cinnamon rolls. Heavy-hitting themes are done with respect.

Kiss & Tell is one of the biggest boy bands in the world, but out and proud Hunter's very public break-up with his bandmate's brother seems to dominate the headline more than their North American tour. The Label takes a chance on Hunter and Kaivan's (a member of Kiss & Tell's opening band) blooming relationship to distract the public from the leaked secrets of Hunter's sex life. But the more Hunter falls for Kaiven, the more he begins to feel like he's a fake, and the horror of the public knowing intimate details of his sex life begins to creep into his everyday life, threatening to upheaval in not only his relationships but with the band itself.

There's a ton to unpack in this book. Brought to the forefront are homophobia and racism, but there are sprinkles of bullying and how the media and the public treat queer celebrities and the roles they assign them. I loved all the reps and the discussions about racial profiling.

Hunter and Kaiven's relationship starts out slow as they're trying to navigate their celerity status as well as their own anxieties. But their dates are made to attract the media and they aren't too many quiet moments here to see these two grow. I loved these two even without those moments and I would ship them any day of the week.

What I didn't like:

What I would have loved to see more were Hunter's bandmates. I forgot their names often and they almost felt faceless to me. I was hoping to see both bands come together either in a casual setting or behind the stage, but we don't really see that camaraderie. The story is very laser-focused on Hunter and Kaiven and everyone else kind of fades into the background.

I was also hoping the topic of sexual harassment and slut-shaming would have been addressed with the proper parties punished.

BUT overall, I enjoyed this book SO MUCH and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a great LGBTQ book.