Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram | Spoiler-Free Review

    Kiss & Tell is a new release, published on March 22 of this year. With the success I had reading Adib Khorram's other books - Darius the Great is Not Okay and Darius the Great Deserves Better - I knew I really liked his writing, so I went into this book with relatively high hopes. And boy, did it not disappoint. We follow Hunter Drake, one-fifth of a Canadian boy band called Kiss & Tell. He's also the only gay member, and for the past two years the band has been active, he's been dating his bandmate's twin brother. But a few months ago, just before their first ever world tour, they called it quits, and now Hunter is receiving all kinds of backlash for some private messages that were leaked. To keep his image from degrading even more, Hunter is instructed to begin a public relationship with the drummer of their tour opener, Kaivan Parvani. 

    This book is very much about the pressures of fame and how to navigate being gay in a space that is determined to regulate your every move. It's also very much about racism and discrimination in the music industry, but we see that through the lens of our protagonist, who is very much white. However, three of his bandmates are POC (Vietnamese, Brazilian, and ) and Kaivan is Iranian. Throughout the book we see Hunter recognize the privilege that he automatically has, and try to learn from it. 

    One of my favorite things about this book is how authentically messy the characters are. I mean, we're following a group of teenage boys, of course they're going to be awkward and jealous and horny. Khorram doesn't shy away from that. There is a lot of talk about sex, underage drinking, things of that nature. And it is written in such a realistic way that there's no room for it to be cringe. 

    I also really enjoyed the mixed-media aspect. Sprinkled throughout the narrative are interviews, articles, and transcripts from the documentary Kiss & Tell are doing for their tour. Not only is this a fun way to break up the story, but it also gives us a little more information about how the boys are perceived through the public eye. 

    One last thing I have to gush about - this book, like Khorram's others, is so unapologetically queer. There's a chapter in the middle that focuses plainly on the influential queer community of Hunter's world, and it's probably one of my most favorite chapters ever. We're also introduced to a drag queen activist who is definitely my newest fictional crush. Everything about them is perfect. 

"It’s easy to focus on how messy and imperfect people are, but the next generation is already making their voices heard. Pushing for change, demanding inclusion, advocating for radical, transformative justice. And that’s just the loud ones. There are the quiet ones too, who are making powerful statements of their own just by living, just by existing, just by surviving in this system that wants to tear them down. Still they rise. That’s what gives me hope." 

   

    If I had to give a complaint, I think the book could've done without the third-act drama. I mean, I completely understand why it was written that way, but I am the kind of person to avoid drama whenever possible, so it was a little exasperating to read about. But of course, that's just my personal opinion, and not really something that matters in the grand scheme of things. 

    I would recommend this book to anyone who likes boy bands, endearing Canadian references, and messy love between boys.

    I gave this book a four out of five stars, with a CAWPILE score of 7.14.