StoryDragon reviewed Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram
Enjoyable
3 stars
Kiss & Tell was a nice book to read, though it did not fit me hundred per cent.
Hardcover
English language
Published March 22, 2022 by Dial Books for Young Readers.
Kiss & Tell
by Adib Khorram
4 stars
(4 reviews)
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 …
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.
Tsundoku reviewed Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram
Very thoughtful book about intersections of privilege
5 stars
Content warning CW: Sexual Harassment, Racism,
If you just see "Boy band" or "Fake relationship" and stop reading the blurb to borrow the book like I did (lol) you will assume this is a fluffy book. It is NOT a fluffy book.
It is a very thoughtful book, like Khorram's previous works.
The protagonist is a white gay boy in a boy band struggling with both his privilege and tokenism.
the problem being: He's so far up his own ass he's forgetting everyone else in his band may be straight, but they all deal with racist crap.
Basically this story is one of "I'm alone, no one understands me" and people going "Well actually, I can kind of understand that, but from a different angle" and "NO! I said NO ONE understands me!"
If you can tolerate the self-centered troubles of the protagonist (and I want to be clear: he has extremely valid problems, and he is doing the best he can at the time to deal with them) you should read this book. I think it could be a good way for young people to recognize the intersections of privilege.
