A review by brookeisbusyreading
Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram

emotional lighthearted tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I absolutely loved the extras!
The news articles, interviews, e-mails - all of it really elevated the reading experience. And it was just fun!
The balance of flaws between characters was well done too. Ashton and Owen were my favorite side characters!

One of the things I was most curious about when I started reading was the insider look at celebrity life. I’ve always been interested in how real life celebrities go through their lives. Seeing an example of that, even in fiction, was really neat. Also, Khorram has a clear tone and makes everything flow so smoothly. I breezed through the book, which gets an A+ in the “I’m so glad this book didn’t trip me up at all” category. 

The diversity rep did feel a little all over the place at times. Within the context of the story, I didn’t dislike it or take off any stars though. It makes sense, is relevant to the struggles the characters face, and used in a way that doesn’t get lost or overshadowed in the book. And Aiden’s role in everything was an interesting choice! It was cool to be able to understand why he did what he did, his growth (or regression), and how Hunter changed as a result. The twin thing was another interesting element.

There’s a lot I could unpack in Kiss & Tell, but I’d need to re-read it to really do it justice. But after enjoying this book…I did pick up Darius the Great Is Not Okay!

[*Side Note: I was a little surprised to come across quite a few typos. I normally don’t point it out or let it affect my reading experience with self-published books. But, this was published by Dial Books, which of course is a company and has a team behind it. There was a paragraph in particular that seemed at first like it had a few typos in it, but I think maybe it was supposed to reflect a character’s voice? Anyway, I get one or two typos, even in traditionally published books, but it struck me as odd that there were more.]