Who I Kissed by Janet Gurtler

Who I Kissed by Janet Gurtler
Release Date: October 1, 2012
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 320

Summary: She never thought a kiss could kill…
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 better 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.

My Thoughts: Samantha didn’t know any better. She didn’t mean to do what she did. It was an accident pure and simple.

Those are the words Samantha needs to hear herself say. One night she is trying to make another boy jealous named Zee whom she likes when she kisses his best friend Alex.  His best friend has a severe allergic reaction and dies. All of this because of a peanut butter sandwich?

Samantha is horrified. She’s given up on swimming, she’s given up on her friends (the few she had because she’s at a new school) and basically her life. Why should she have a happy life when he can’t?

Who I Kissed was an amazing novel. I really enjoyed learning about Samantha’s struggle and seeing how everything turned out.  It was an intense beautiful novel.

This novel is very emotional and a definite struggle to read. While on one hand I wanted to keep reading, I also felt kind of depressed because I felt bad for everyone involved.

And, the ending, the way things happened, crazy.

Wow, what a novel. This is one you need to read this year.

Overall: Crazy, intense, real.  Oh Samantha, Zee, and Alex I loved hearing your story.

Cover: Like it! It would make me pick it up!

What I’d Give It: