Kiss & Tell

By: Adib Khorram

Narrated by: Pete Cross, Fajer Al-Kaisi, Hannah Choi, Shimali De Silva, Mehr Dudeja, Michael Levi Harris, Huy Nguyen, Eileen Noonan, Lee Osorio, Javier Prusky, André Santana, Elaine Wang

"Kiss & Tell is a total rush! Perfectly sweet and swoon worthy. I loved every page!" – Julie Murphy, New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin’


A smart, sexy YA novel about a boy band star, his first breakup, his first rebound, and what it means to be queer in the public eye, from award-winning author Adib Khorram

Hunter never expected to be a boy band star, but, well, here he is. He and his band Kiss & Tell are on their first major tour of North America, playing arenas all over the United States and Canada (and getting covered by the gossipy press all over North America as well). Hunter is the only gay member of the band, and he just had a very painful breakup with his first boyfriend--leaked sexts, public heartbreak, and all--and now everyone expects him to play the perfect queer role model for teens.

But Hunter isn't really sure what being the perfect queer kid even means. Does it mean dressing up in whatever The Label tells him to wear for photo shoots and pretending never to have sex? (Unfortunately, yes.) Does it mean finding community among the queer kids at the meet-and-greets after K&T's shows? (Fortunately, yes.) Does it include a new relationship with Kaivan, the drummer for the band opening for K&T on tour? (He hopes so.) But when The Label finds out about Hunter and Kaivan, it spells trouble—for their relationship, for the perfect gay boy Hunter plays for the cameras, and, most importantly, for Hunter himself.

Terrific characters and plot developments

The author puts the main character through a lot of pain, which starts with the actions of a jealous ex-boyfriend. The ex's attempt at revenge when he thinks Hunter might be dating someone else is pure evil. It makes the reader instantly sympathize with Hunter as he deals with the fallout and other pressures of being gay in the public eye of a society that is not as accepting as it likes to think it is. This is a truly outstanding novel that, as soon as I finished it, made me immediately look for and download other titles by the same author.

These Are My People

I felt for Hunter. He’s only 17 and his entire life is on display simply because he’s chosen to share his talent with the world. Kiss & Tell is a look into how toxic fandom really is. Hunter is torn to shreds on social media and in traditional media… for existing. Khorram forces you to look at how social media is weaponized against a group of teenage boys, and we let it happen. Make better choices.

A Unique Listen.

I enjoyed the way that this YA LGBTQIA+ text was written. The author wove the straight narration from the point of view of the characters in with interviews and social media posts and emails to help tell the story. The narration is very well done, and the voices of the characters are spot on.

I want to hear some of the music from both of the bands!

cute but fixed nothing

This was a cute story and all but pretty much none of the issues brought up in the story like Racism, sex shaming, micro aggressions, Stereotyping, and the revenge leaks were really addressed. There was no like interviews with the band about everything they go through, or the ex making a public apology and setting the record straight. We don't see the meeting with the manager and the table where she puts her foot do for what's best for the boys. Nothing addressed/ fixed other than friendships and a relationship when there was a chance to addresses so much more.

A fun, sparkling and touching ride

This was a terrific listening experience, full of fun, heart, creativity and the twisting tangles of love and career angst. I imagine I’m not exactly the target audience (thus 4 stars) but my teenage self was buzzing, engaged and delighted. Framing devices kept the narrative rhythm interesting - and the tango between business and art offered believable and palpable tension.