Who I Kissed by Janet Gurtler Review and Giveaway (USA/CAN)!

She Never Thought A Kiss Could Kill. . .

Samantha is new at school and just recently joined the swim team.  She’s been flirting with one of her teammates, Zee, who invites her to a party and just as quickly dumps her for another girl.  Hurt, but pretending not to care, she turns to his best friend, Alex, and gives him a kiss.  And he dies—right in her arms.  Alex was allergic to peanuts, and Samantha had eaten a peanut butter sandwich right before the party.  She didn’t know.  Overnight, Samantha 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 will have to find the inner-strength to forgive herself for the tragedy.  Critics are already applauding the author’s insight and her ability to make her “character breathe with life” (Kirkus Reviews). Skillfully capturing the raw, honest emotions of her teen protagonists, Janet paints them into a searing portrait of a tragedy that uproots the lives of everyone it touches.


Goodreads Summary

How would you feel if you inadvertently caused someone you kissed to die?  When Samantha kisses Alex, she doesn’t realize that she should have picked a different snack (not the peanut butter sandwich!).  Alex dies literally in her arms and Samantha is left feeling terrible and made into a literal pariah.  As Samantha navigates the stages of grief in isolation, she must figure out how to forgive herself.  Help comes in the form of another boy, one who offers her friendship that could maybe turn into something more.  Is Samantha to blame for Alex’s death?  Or was it an unfortunate accident?


Samantha’s character is very sympathetic.  The reader will likely feel terrible that she is ostracized for something she had no knowledge of-how could Samantha have known Alex had such a terrible peanut allergy?  There are several instances of bullying in the book that some readers may identify with, allowing those readers to feel closer to Samantha right away.  Samantha is a sweet character overall.  She feels so terrible about Alex’s death that she cannot forgive herself.  The book focuses mainly on Samantha, though there are several supporting characters that round out the book.  Zee, Samantha’s best friend and Alex’s friend, has a bit of a bad reaction to Alex’s untimely demise.  His response to Samantha after the incident is both informative and interesting.  Casper, Alex’s friend, isn’t good news for Samantha, but she will take any form of friendship-much to the readers’ chagrin.  The interactions and complicated relationships after a friend’s death make Who I Kissed a fascinating story.  The reader will be rooting for Samantha to forgive herself.  Overall, this book is recommended to young adult/teen readers.

4 Stars

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