May I beg a moment of your appreciation for this truly outstanding cover before I start the review because oh lord, I want this to be imprinted on my soul. Got it? Thanks, let’s go.
Kiss & Tell follows Hunter as he and his band are on their first major tour of North America. As the only gay member of the boyband and just having gone through a very painful breakup, Hunter’s already overwhelmed with everything that’s happening. When private texts between him and his ex leak, his public breakup turns into a public defamation. Scrambling to find a solution to rehabilitate Hunter’s image as the perfect queer role model for teens, the label goes on a bender to make sure Hunter is wearing the right things, saying the right things and acting the right way. But the more they try to fit Hunter into a box, the more he questions what it really means to be public in the queer eye—and how to find love when everyone wants a stake in his relationships. When sparks fly between Hunter and Kaivan, the star of the band opening for Kiss & Tell, things take an unexpected turn for everyone.
From the moment I heard the premise of Kiss & Tell, it became one of my most anticipated reads of 2022. And while I didn’t end up loving it as much as I thought I would, I still think that this will take readers’ hearts by storm. But let’s get to the good stuff first.
One of the things that I thought added a lot to the story—and was a super clever way of letting the audience know more than the protagonist—is the fact that we get snippets and excerpts from interviews from the past in between chapters. Sometimes it’s Kaivan’s comments on pop music, sometimes it’s emails between management about Kaivan and Hunter that they’re not privy to, sometimes it’s other articles that makes you think about the media’s relationship with boy bands. Chances are some of the things you’ll read in these snippets will make your blood boil with indignation (at least, if you’re like me) but nevertheless, they sure make you want to keep reading.
Also, Khorram’s writing is as engaging and down-to-earth as always. Pages fly by as we follow Hunter on his journey to rehabilitate his image after already having suffered the emotional strain of the way his ex treated— and continues to treat—him. It’s a whirlwind of emotions for both the reader and Hunter himself that makes it hard to focus on anything.
Keeping that “focus” in mind, where things kind of fell a bit apart for me was that I got the impression—and yes, that could just be me—that the story didn’t really know what it wanted to be. The blurb for this book states that this is supposed to be a “a smart, sexy story”—but there really isn’t anything sexy about it. Which isn’t to say that’s bad because I actually far more enjoyed that we get to see Hunter dealing with the pressure of being perfect in front of the cameras while he’s literally being dragged through the mud by his ex, but safe to say I went into this book with different expectations. Additionally, there were so many captivating elements that would warrant an entire book on their own but, unfortunately, they are picked up temporarily and quickly discarded in favour of the next great element. This of course is what makes Kiss & Tell such a fast and enjoyable read because there really isn’t time for you to get bored but it also meant that I couldn’t really “take away” anything from the story because I didn’t know what the story wanted me to ponder. For example, the idea that Hunter needs to be the perfect queer kid so everyone can look up to him. Concept? Fantastic. I could have read an entire book just about that, no problem. I’m so intrigued by how queerness is expressed and monetised in the media, and especially when it comes to boy bands. Yet we only get fleeting moments where this is thematised before they’re eschewed in favour of other drama discussions. Let’s put it like this: it’s like you’re at a cake testing getting cut pieces of cake but you’re not allowed more than one bite of every flavour before moving on. Which doesn’t negate how amazing and downright delicious the bites are but it does leave you wanting.
Similarly, the secondary characters could have used a bit more attention. I never really got a grasp of anyone— save Hunter and Kaivan—in this story. For the majority of this novel, I couldn’t tell you who Hunter is in a band with out of a line-up. Traits or quick quips about shared memories are thrown into the novel, but nothing is ever really followed up until the last third of Kiss & Tell. Here, we finally get insight into Hunter’s individual relationship with some of his bandmates and here you can see Khorram’s magic of creating special bonds between characters at work. And I know, Hunter’s bandmates aren’t the focus of this novel, but I would have loved to at least have more of a feel for who he spends—voluntarily or not—his time with.
I felt similar when it came to Kaivan and Hunter. I just didn’t know what exactly the purpose of it all was. Obviously, Kaivan and Hunter end up fake dating to help clean up his image after his ex-boyfriend comes for him on Twitter, but I didn’t really know whether this was supposed to be a commentary on your PR team having a say in your relationships, the pressure to be a virginal, angelic boy band star, or just simply a good reason for a fake dating situation. And again, this storyline could have been amazing but felt super rushed to me because there isn’t that much development between the two of them. We go from insta-lust to insta-love to a fake relationship within two days. For that (and other reasons that I won’t spoil), I had a hard time rooting for Kaivan. Really, I just wanted Hunter to have some time to himself to process everything that happened to him.
What I did really enjoy, though, was Hunter as a main character. Hunter has a lot to deal with and a lot of pressure to succeed as a gay member in a boy band. Hunter thinks that he’s got it the worst in the band, but slowly learns that he kind of gets off easy compared to some of the members of his band who have to deal with racism and other issues. I think it was really cool how Khorram focused on Hunter feeling bad for himself yet slowly realising that he needs to check in with his band members more and not only moan about these problems but create positive change for all of them.
There’s also some resolution when it comes to Hunter’s romantic relationships. To avoid spoilers, I’ll be super vague here. It’s pretty clearly stated that we’re supposed to forgive the character like Hunter eventually does, but after reading almost an entire book hating them, it was difficult not to be resentful of that character’s words and actions (especially if you’re a firm believer in resent and remember like I am). While the resolution of this paired with the public eye pressuring Hunter to be perfect could have done with a few more pages (or chapters), I loved that Hunter’s “meltdown” doesn’t happen off-page and instead is addressed outright. These young people are brought to the brink time and again and Hunter especially has to deal with so much and honestly, Khorram totally delivered on the emotional upheaval that this story promises. I was clutching my e-reader so hard waiting for everything to work out okay for Hunter. And I just know people will find a new comfort character with Hunter to add to their collection.
Exploring important issues like the commodification of queerness in the public eye, Khorram’s Kiss & Tell is a fast-paced read, perfect for fans of Phil Stamper’s writing and die-hard boyband lovers!
Kiss & Tell is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of March 22nd 2022.
Will you be picking up Kiss & Tell? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
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 star of 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.
