Shut Out
by Kody Keplinger
Published by Poppy
Released September 5, 2011
Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part, Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention.
Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: she and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. And Lissa never sees her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling, coming.
Inspired by Aristophanes' play Lysistrata, critically acclaimed author of The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) Kody Keplinger adds her own trademark humor in this fresh take on modern teenage romance, rivalry and sexuality.
Even though I do own Kody Keplinger's debut, The D.U.F.F., Shut Out is the first book that I have read by her. Having said that, I went in with very little knowledge on the author (other than knowing people sing their praises for her debut) but finished the book with much respect for the author.
I like Lissa as a main character because she's very easy to relate to, yet there was something there that held me back from absolutely falling in love with her. I can't quite put my finger on what it is, though I'm pretty sure that it has to do with something that can't be mentioned anyway because it would be slightly spoiler-ish. She has the right idea in the book though and she executes it seemingly well with the help of some of the other female characters. I actually kind of like all of the girls that was part of the group in the book because they do develop a sense of camaraderie throughout this whole debacle that they've put themselves into when they normally would probably never get along. It was... sweet. I'm also probably going to be one of the only girls to review this book and say this, but I really don't think that Randy was as bad as Lissa made him out to be. She did break promises to him and any normal guy would be a little ticked, even though those promises should have never been made in the first place. Cash is obviously very swoon-worthy, so there's no need to spend unnecessary time singing his praises - just trust me when I say he's a great character.
While I normally cringe at books that have themes like female empowerment, this book was sprinkled with just enough to where you know it's there but it's not completely extreme nor overwhelming. I'll also be honest and say that I expected to see more dealing with the strike itself... or at least, I wanted to see more that dealt with the strike and the battle that followed.
I like Lissa as a main character because she's very easy to relate to, yet there was something there that held me back from absolutely falling in love with her. I can't quite put my finger on what it is, though I'm pretty sure that it has to do with something that can't be mentioned anyway because it would be slightly spoiler-ish. She has the right idea in the book though and she executes it seemingly well with the help of some of the other female characters. I actually kind of like all of the girls that was part of the group in the book because they do develop a sense of camaraderie throughout this whole debacle that they've put themselves into when they normally would probably never get along. It was... sweet. I'm also probably going to be one of the only girls to review this book and say this, but I really don't think that Randy was as bad as Lissa made him out to be. She did break promises to him and any normal guy would be a little ticked, even though those promises should have never been made in the first place. Cash is obviously very swoon-worthy, so there's no need to spend unnecessary time singing his praises - just trust me when I say he's a great character.
While I normally cringe at books that have themes like female empowerment, this book was sprinkled with just enough to where you know it's there but it's not completely extreme nor overwhelming. I'll also be honest and say that I expected to see more dealing with the strike itself... or at least, I wanted to see more that dealt with the strike and the battle that followed.
Overall, this was a great read that deals with real life issues not always touched on in the Young Adult genre. Although it's loosely based on a Greek play, it most definitely stands strong with its own plot and voice. If you like a good YA Contemporary read, you'll want to pick up Keplinger's Shut Out.
Rating: ★★★★✩
Source: Purchase
3 comments:
Great review! I didn't know it was the same author as the book D.U.F.F. I have both on my TBR list I should get to them soon.
Giselle
Xpresso Reads
I haven't read D.U.F.F. yet, but I plan to, and I plan to read this one too! It sounds super fun and interesting, and something a little different from what I've been reading lately. I'm dying to get my hands on it :) Awesome review!
Oh I confess that I didn't even read the synopsis of this book, but finally maybe I was wrong. It sounds like a really nice story ! Thanks for the review
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