Who I Kissed

by Janet Gurtler

[Kim Deister]

Right from the beginning, Who I Kissed is unexpected and amazing! This book was deeply emotional and moving from just about the first page. Same is the new girl, an swimmer, and your average teen age girl struggling to fit in. Zee is the cute guy on the swim team and the guy she is crushing on. When she goes to a party, just to see Zee, she unexpectedly ends up making out with another guy, with disastrous results.

That moment sets the stage for the entire book and it was a moment that was tragically and emotionally sad. There are so many layers to this book that I have a hard time writing this review because I want to give none of it away. There is not only the struggles of being new, of being a teen girl, but the struggle within herself to cope with what has happened.

This is an amazing story of love, friendship, forgiveness, and choices. The cast of characters, from the main to the supporting, is rich and varied and endlessly fascinating. There were times that I laughed and times that I cried, but it was a beautiful story. There is so much depth, and while this could fall under the category of "contemporary romance," I listed it as "contemporary fiction" as well because there is so much more to the central plot than romance. If anything, the romantic elements just add layers to the true focus of the story... Sam's journey.

Things to love about Who I Kissed...

--Everything. I loved the characters. I loved the plot. I loved the theme. I loved the depth.

My recommendation: An absolutely moving story that needs to be read to be fully appreciated!