Kiss & Tell

I have to admit that this cover is what attracted me to this book--it's so adorable! Then when I read this premise I knew I had to read this book. Here's what I loved about my time with Kiss & Tell: 1) the diversity of the characters and how each had to deal with being public figures and the unfortunate racism and negativity that sometimes seems to overshadow the love of adoring fans, family, and friends, as well as the love of performing. 2) the writing style was fun and the media posts (interviews, articles, tweets) dispersed throughout strengthened the thought-provoking topics of racism, homophobia, and critical eyes constantly surrounding celebrities. 3) sex positivity--the author clearly wanted readers to view sex as natural and not a shameful act. What left me wanting more, however, was the lack of getting to know Hunter's band mates. They felt flat to me, with the exception of the occasional interactions with Ashton, Hunter's best friend. Even Hunter's growth arc needed more, whether it be a longer book, or quicker insight into his own true flaws. The insta-love between Kaivan and Hunter didn't feel authentic to me. I never believed they truly cared for each other as much as they claimed. I found myself rooting for more interaction between Hunter and Aiden as both had so much emotion to deal with to earn their character growth. I was so hoping for more scenes with Hunter and his mom and sister who the reader was at least told supported and loved Hunter unconditionally and only wanted what was best for him. Kiss & Tell is not a "boy band" as they play their own instruments and write their own songs. I was so hoping this aspect was going to be developed more as the band members interacted with their fans and the media. I did enjoy Hunter's struggle to write lyrics, and hoped he'd channel his pain into his music as a way to figure things out; getting his raw emotions on paper may have added emotional depth to his lyrics. Overall, I enjoyed this book and am happy I got to be "part" of the tour.

Hunter Drake is an openly gay teenage member of Kiss & Tell, a boy band. He has recently gone through a breakup and, while his band is on tour, his ex-boyfriend leaks a bunch of intimate private texts about their relationship and sex life. This is painful and humiliating for Hunter and causes a PR crisis for The Label, which represents his band. During the tour, Hunter starts dating Kaivan, a member of Kiss & Tell's opening band comprised of three Iranian American brothers. The story is told from Hunter's point of view, but interspersed throughout are articles, tweets, interviews with other characters, documentary script, and emails between the band's manager and the record label. This literary device enhanced character development and plot, provided perspective and shed light on how awful the music label was in trying to curate Hunter's image and manipulate his relationship with Kaivan. Hunter faces unique challenges in being the only gay member of the band. He gets sent harassing, homophobic messages and his dating life is scrutinized far more than that of his band mates. At first Hunter is somewhat selfish and can only see his own problems. As the story progresses, he realizes that Kaivan and some of the Kiss & Tell members deal with racism, stereotypes and microaggressions. Hunter grows throughout the story as he learns to recognize that, while he faces homophobia, he also experiences white privilege. He learns to reach out to, and be honest with, those who are there to support him when he needs help, instead of bottling up emotion and subsequently lashing out. With three BIPOC members, the diverse rep in Kiss & Tell was great, but I wish we had seen more of their histories, lives and perspectives. These characters were unfortunately underdeveloped. Overall, I really enjoyed Kiss & Tell, even though I am not the target audience for the the book (or the band!). The writing was fast paced and energetic and the story was fun while also addressing some serious issues. #BookishFirst

I really enjoyed the way author Adib Khorram incorporated news articles, texts, tweets, documentary transcripts, and so on. While most of the story's told in prose, the other elements fleshed out the story; for example, literally showing how some want (expect?) Hunter to be a virgin, and others want him to be outspoken for sex positivity. All at the age of 17. A fun book (amidst the serious themes) -- think part road trip, part teenage crush.