Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

I had the pleasure of seeing Kody Keplinger a couple of times at BEA.  I was even lucky enough to have made it to her signing.  She is wonderful and SO funny.  I wasn't really sure what to expect from Shut Out because I haven't read The DUFF yet so I was completely new to Kody's work.  I have to say that I loved this book- it was so funny and real.  Here is the Goodreads blurb:

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.

This book is just excellent.  I really enjoyed it.  Shut Out is one of those books that is fun to read and hours go by before you realize just how long you've been reading.  I love that Lissa finally realizes a number of things through her "sex strike."  She learns about the importance of female friendships, honesty, and being true to yourself.  Lissa also learns about the power in being a woman and not just the power she thinks she is gaining by striking.  Cash is a really great character.  It takes Lissa a while to realize how she feels about him and that her boyfriend may be a total idiot.  It is so sweet that Cash keeps trying to show Lissa how he feels and is kinda romantic and she keeps.... not getting the hint.  Or worse, she misinterprets the hint.  Overall, I really enjoyed this book.  It was a nice, upbeat and super funny read that flew by in the blink of an eye.  I highly recommend this one for readers over 14 as there are (obviously) sexual references.  But this book would be a great read for any high school girl.

You can find out more about Kody by checking out her website and you can follow her on Twitter.  Click here to add Shut Out to your Goodreads.

Shut Out earns 4 Fairies for a sex strike and a great retelling of a classic story.