TITLE Who I KissedAUTHOR Janet Gurtler
PUBLICATION October 1st 2012 by Sourcebooks Fire
READ September 15 - 16, 2012
She never thought a kiss could kill…After the Edmonton Book Blogger love fest that took place last week at the Smart Chicks Kick it book tour I was excited to get into a conversation with author Janet Gurtler on Twitter and find out that she is from Alberta! How cool to find so many bookish people near me. What was weird about it, was that I went to my shelf and grabbed Who I Kissed to start reading it and checked my phone and there was a tweet from her. It was quite the cowinkidink. So anywho, I read it, and I really enjoyed it. It's a quick read that I easily finished in two sittings and at no point did I ever feel bored or that the story was in any way lagging. Sam is an avid swimmer and after relocating to a new school she joins the swim team and quickly has eyes for senior swimmer Zee. She gets invited to a party at her friend Taylor's house and is overjoyed when Zee seems to be coming onto her and takes her outside. Well, things don't go quite as planned and one of Zee's old fling steps right between them and snatches his attention away. Out of the dark comes a boy who had been checking Sam out a lot lately, Alex. She decides in the moment to kiss Alex to make Zee a little jealous. She didn't think anything about the peanut butter sandwich that she had eaten as a snack prior to the party.... and Alex drops dead. Mid-kiss.
Samantha didn’t mean to hurt anyone. She was just trying to fit in...and she wanted to make Zee a little jealous after he completely ditched her for a prettier girl. So she kissed Alex. And then he died—right in her arms.
Was she really the only person in the entire school who didn’t know about his peanut allergy? Or that eating a peanut butter sandwich and then kissing him would be deadly? Overnight Sam turns into the school pariah and a media sensation explodes. Consumed with guilt, abandoned by her friends, and in jeopardy of losing her swimming scholarship, she’ll have to find a way to forgive herself before anyone else will.
I had expected Who I Kissed to be a bit more funny than it was. Weird I know. To think that a book about a boy dying mid-kiss due to an anaphylactic peanut allergy would be funny, but I did. I hadn't expected to connect with the characters as much as I did. I felt so bad for Sam, she was the new girl at school and had no idea. Alex was pretty popular and everyone but her knew about his allergy. She goes into a depression and stops doing the one thing that she loves because she knows that Alex will never be able to fulfill his dreams so she feels as if she shouldn't be able to either. It was crushing to see how ruined she was after the incident, knowing that it was in no way her fault, and there was no way she could have known. I was pretty mad at Zee for holding it against her even though I could see what would make him do that. Sure it was her kiss that did the deed, but she had no idea about the allergy and it was an honest mistake. I have to say that my favourite character was Sam's aunt Allie. Her free spirited way of life and her patience and understanding for those around her was really admirable. She was the perfect cooky aunt!
While this book definitely goes to an extreme with the issue, I have noticed the peanut issue becoming rather important. I remember being in school and you could eat what you wanted, when you wanted. Your mom could make cupcakes for you to take to school on your birthday and hand out to the other kids in celebration. But now that my daughter is in school there are strict regulations, it is a peanut free zone and we can't even bake cupcakes or cake for them to take in. It has to come pre packaged with the Peanut Free symbol on it. This story tackles that issue through the plot of course but also through the news stories that Sam watches. It's shocking how serious a nut allergy can be, and I'll admit, I hadn't realized it myself.
I was so happy to have enjoyed this book as much as I did and I will definitely be looking out for more books by Janet and supporting my fellow Albertan!
A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I passed on this because it sounded really sad. I don't read many sad books. Peanut allergies can be very serious! When I was young I loved peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and them for lunch everyday. My co-worker told me that peanuts were not allowed at school so her daughters take nutella sandwiches. I couldn't believe it! I guess better safe that sorry but like you said it was never such a big issue when I was in school. I know it is not her fault and she had no idea about his allergy but I would feel really guilty as well. That is something you would never be able to forget. Very sad.
ReplyDeleteoh I didn't know this was about peanut allergies and such. This does sound interesting!
ReplyDeletegreat review
- Juhina @ Maji Bookshelf
Wow, I totally thought it would be funny too. That plot is just so ridiculous-sounding to me, which is why I wasn't interested in this particularly. Well, that and the cover. That model is duck-facing like her life depends on it. I'm glad you ended up enjoying it and got to enjoy the Canadian-ness!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a really wonderful story! I like that it tackles guilt from an incident that is innocent but mixed with a bit of angst and jealousy. Awesome review, Jenni!
ReplyDeleteI actually expected this one to be funnier, too! I thought it would be a much lighter book. BUT, it was still a great read and one that left me thinking.
ReplyDeleteAnd yay! I love that Janet's from Calgary! Awesome to find a wonderful author in the province!
I have been really wanting to read this book. It sounds really great. I totally get what you mean about the funny thing though. When I first read the synopsis I found it a bit funny. I know that sounds horrible, but you know what I mean lol! Obviously not that the kid died, but that it was from a peanut butter kiss. Anyways, rambling... great review hon!!
ReplyDeleteHuh, I was so sure that this would be a funny, light read. I'm happy you liked it, Jenni! It sure sounds interesting, but I don't know if it'd be for me. I figured there would be some depressing elements due to the death by an anaphylactic peanut allergy, but I didn't expect the depressiveness to overshadow the funny elements. Amazing review as always, hun!
ReplyDeleteWow, this sounds like a great story. It's so scary that this could actually happen . I I'll definitely be adding Who I Kissed to my tbr. Great review , Jenni!
ReplyDeleteI actually convinced the library to order this in for me. I look forward to reading it and supporting a local author
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of this one, but it sounds great! The story is so interesting and realistic. Food allergies are quite popular in my family, so we are all very careful what we touch and whom we touch. I can't wait to read it and tell my family about it. Thanks for the recommendation!
ReplyDeletes @ Oh! Paper Pages
Wow - this book sounds really good and I'm intrigued by the topic. That would be a horrible thing to have happen to anyone, let alone people so young. I will have to add this to my TBR - plus, I think it's really cool too that the author is local! Most local author's I know of write *boring* stuff lol ;p
ReplyDeleteWow! This looks amazing and you wrote an awesome review. Allergies are such a hot topic these days and they SHOULD be. I like that people are being more careful, but I have to wonder if by bringing attention to the issue like we are that we are giving kids more ammunition to be cruel? Probably doesn't make much sense, but I just remember High School and had I had a peanut allergy there were people who would have made sure I got peanuts one way or another.
ReplyDeleteOh wow! What an interesting turn of events! I agree, I'm not that certain about the actual impact of a peanut allergy either, but..poor guy... I've seen this one around, but haven't decided whether to read or not. It really sounds like a super enjoyable read, though! Glad you enjoyed it, and I hope I'll get a chance to check this one out soon! Thanks for sharing your lovely review, Jenni!POOF!
ReplyDeletehi everyone. did any of you come across Lauren Henderson's Kiss Me, Kill Me series?? I am not very sure of the whole story here but the synopsis are the same..hmmm
ReplyDelete