I really enjoyed Shut Out, I thought it had a great concept the books with the battle of the sexes themes are always fun, I will say that I liked The Duff more but this was still really good as well. I thought Lissa was a good character if a bit annoying at times, Rndy was a douch and Chloe was a lot of fun, then there was Cash I thought he was relaly cute. Overall a great book but like I said I liked The Duff more. :0)

While I do have Kody Keplinger's debut book DUFF, I have yet to read it. I don't know what made me read Shut Out first, but I did and I really liked it. I am not sure just how realistic a sex strike is, not to mention one amongst high school students, but it was an interesting premise. It took the idea of sex being a weapon in a whole different direction. In this book, sex was a weapon used to bring about change. Or at least that is how it started, but alas, 'the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry'. The girls, who believe they are holding all the power, are in for a bit of a rude awakening. What I really liked about this book was not the sex strike, but rather the dialogue that sex strike provoked amongst the kids involved. These were kids like any others and they assumed that they were all having sex, when they weren't. The sex strike brought about several interesting conversations and realizations among both the guys and girls. These were conversations really brought home the message of being true to yourself in all ways. Shut Out was a good book and a very easy read. It's one of the few books out there that I have read recently that has a pretty decent characterization of high-school students, their attitudes, and dialogue.

More reviews at http://dazzlingreads.blogspot.com/ 4.5 maple leaves!! Since I read The Duff I have always believed that there is no other teen who could writte better for teens than Kody Keplinger herself. Now, after reading Shut Out, I have to say that that belief still as hard as the iron! Kody Keplinger absolutely stunned me with this contemporary retelling of Lysistrata. And, saying that I enjoyed this book is a huge understatement! I love the way Keplinger uses the "sex strike" not only as a means to an end, but also as a way of self-discovery for all the different teenager girls we meet in Shut Out. There are many issues, taboos and prejudices related to girls' sex life that apply for girls in her teens. However, I think those themes could easily be related to adults too. Shut Out is a book full of hormones and testosterone; Girls against guys in a war that will help them to better understand where they stand. I love the intention of the book and how Keplinger uses Lysistrata (the Greek play where woman go on a sex strike to incite their husbands to end the war) because, in a fancy way, Shut Out achieved more than the single message of ending a conflict. The girls, with this strike, are hoping for the rivalry between sports teams to end but in the end, they all learn much more than I could have expected. The character's growing is outstanding! Lissa, our main character, goes through a hell of a time and all these harsh moments, in the end, are the reason of her becoming someone to admire. Keep strong to your word and don't look back, there is always something better waiting for you. I should have read this book when I was a teen, too bad Kody Keplinger was probably in elementary school and had no idea about these themes back then when I was a teen. I really enjoyed this book. Shut Out was written for teenage girls and I would strongly recommend them to read it. As I said, there are themes such as prejudices related to girls' sex life that I think are really relevant in the book. This was an un-putable-down read and I can't wait to know what Kody Keplinger will put on the shelves next time!

http://lovesbooksreviews.blogspot.com/ In Kody Keplinger's new novel Shut Out, which is about rivalry between two teams of the same schools: football and soccer. I started this yesterday, and I was already 100 + pages in. It was different than other books I read. Each character had their own reason to want to end this rivalry between the two teams. Lissa the main character felt like she wasn't number one with her boyfriend Randy, who is a douche in my book after all the things he did to Lissa.Like in Aristophanes' play Lysistrata, Lissa comes up with a plan to without any sex from the boys until they stop fighting against each other. The plot was one of the things that draws you into reading. Some of the scenes were funny, when the boys go the the girls houses. Cash Sterling.... one word- HOT, he is every girls dream boy! I felt like I was in love with him during some point of the novel! His character was very important in the process of this rivalry. He is on the soccer team, but he is one of the good guys, no flaws or anything. He is Lissa puzzle piece. I just loved him throughout the whole novel. from the first time he sat with Lissa at a party you knew he was her match (not Randy) they have lots in common, and even he was wanting for the perfect girl to be with, which made my heart flutter. It was adorable how they interacted with each other. Randy- he was a jerk to Lissa, and didn't treat the way Cash does. He only cared about himself, and what he did at homecoming was no excuse! He had his moments but that was it. Lissa's family also is important to mention because they are also there to help her during some of these crazy moments during her high school experience. Her brother and father are there to support her, even after what happened to her mother. The ending was pretty self explanatory, and it was a great ending that hopefully these characters will be happy with one another. Overall a great read, with some great moments of laughter. Lissa's friends are always there for her, Cash is just yum, I just loved the telling of battle of the sexes, it is a must reads in my books!

I really enjoyed Kody Keplinger's debut novel The DUFF last year and when I heard about her second novel, I knew I just had to read it as well! With lots of entertainment and drama, plus teenage hormones completely raging, Shut Out completely captured my attention the entire time I was reading it. I really have no idea why Lissa was dating Randy in the first place when those two were polar opposites. Besides Randy being kind to Lissa's family, there really wasn't too much charming about him. However, as soon as we met Cash Sterling, the chemistry between him and Lissa became ever so apparent with their flirty bantering! I think waiting for them to finally be together in the book was half the fun! And with the ongoing hookup strike, Kody Keplinger was able to once again tackle the topic of sex in Shut Out in ways that might open your eyes wider to the sometimes uncomfortable questions teens have about it. There was also something very empowering about Lissa leading the group of girls to bring them all together! For some reason, a small part of me did feel a little let down when I finished the book. The ending and the way Lissa resolves her problems felt eerily similar to The DUFF, and I wanted to see some more originality in the approach. Once again, the main character has a revelation about her actions and thinks more rationally about the situation instead of instantly drawing to conclusions. And I think it would have been sweet to see some more results of the rivalry and the pranks between the football and soccer players, instead of so much talk about sex. I was just hoping for a little something more, I guess, in that regard... but overall, I'm happily satisfied enough with what we got. Kody Keplinger's Shut Out is a fun novel if you're looking for some high school drama and romance in a contemporary setting! It's a fast-paced, quick read... and with a mix of light and serious moments, I'm sure you'll be finished the novel in no time at all. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for what Kody Keplinger has in store for her readers next! You can also read this review at: http://midnightbloomreads.blogspot.com/2011/09/shut-out-by-kody-keplinger.html