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A review by dianasaur8
Shut Out by Kody Keplinger
3.0
I'd like to begin with the fact that this entire book is filled with rants about how guys get away with having a lot of sex, whereas girls are called sluts and whores if they do the same. I have to admit that it is a really good point, one that most people in society realize (I think), which is why it stuck with me throughout the entire book. What annoyed me was that Keplinger repeated this so many (too many, if you ask me) times throughout the book.
Also, I don't think Cash was very well developed. He's a soccer player whose family is going through financial troubles and he's the school tease. That's it. That's all I got from Keplinger. I know he's supposed to be likable, much more so than Randy, but there wasn't enough of him for me to like. Even though Randy ended up being an asshole, he did some really sweet things. (On a side note, what the hell happened to Randy? Why don't we get to find out? I need closure! Ugh.) Because he was more developed and I had more of an insight to him, I wanted the main character to somehow (even though Keplinger was right not to allow it to happen) make up with Randy.
This book had so many similarities to The Duff (Keplinger's first novel) to the point where I felt like I was reading two books with the same exact theme in the same exact setting.
Similarities:
- Characters from both books are from Hamilton High School and there are numerous references to Oak Hill and the Nest (what the hell is the Nest? It wasn't even explained).
- Both characters were slightly stuck up with overly preppy and school-spirited friends
- Both books referred to Atonement about a million times
- Lack of a mother figure (sort of)
- Good father-daughter relationship, but the dads have a flaw (wheelchair/recovering alcoholic)
- Ice cream with chocolate swirls are mentioned a lot
- Junk food seems to be the food of choice
- Girls who are overly sensitive to sex or their own body parts (why are you afraid of your own anatomy, people?)
- References of characters to books (this book was based off of Lysistrata, whereas the other referenced Wuthering Heights a lot)
- The boys in both books took the girls to a tiny Italian restaurant in Oak Hill
WHERE WAS THE VARIETY, KODY? WHERE? Change the setting, at least. I got tired of hearing how the girls are from a small town and how Oak Hill is the place to be. I don't care. Change the setting. I got so frustrated reading the same things in both books. Then again, I read them back to back so that might have made it even worse for me. I think sophomore novels should be distinguishable from the first one. I seriously don't even want to begin reading her most recent book, A Midsummer's Nightmare, because I'm expecting the same exact theme/setting/references as the first two books.
This book, as well as The Duff, is a really easy and fast read. I finished it within 2-3 hours (then again, I read fast, so don't mind me). I have to say aside from the underdeveloped characters and ridiculous amount of similarities from her other book, it was a enjoyable. I'd recommend the book, but I wouldn't say that it is a particularly good one.
Also, I don't think Cash was very well developed. He's a soccer player whose family is going through financial troubles and he's the school tease. That's it. That's all I got from Keplinger. I know he's supposed to be likable, much more so than Randy, but there wasn't enough of him for me to like. Even though Randy ended up being an asshole, he did some really sweet things. (On a side note, what the hell happened to Randy? Why don't we get to find out? I need closure! Ugh.) Because he was more developed and I had more of an insight to him, I wanted the main character to somehow (even though Keplinger was right not to allow it to happen) make up with Randy.
This book had so many similarities to The Duff (Keplinger's first novel) to the point where I felt like I was reading two books with the same exact theme in the same exact setting.
Similarities:
- Characters from both books are from Hamilton High School and there are numerous references to Oak Hill and the Nest (what the hell is the Nest? It wasn't even explained).
- Both characters were slightly stuck up with overly preppy and school-spirited friends
- Both books referred to Atonement about a million times
- Lack of a mother figure (sort of)
- Good father-daughter relationship, but the dads have a flaw (wheelchair/recovering alcoholic)
- Ice cream with chocolate swirls are mentioned a lot
- Junk food seems to be the food of choice
- Girls who are overly sensitive to sex or their own body parts (why are you afraid of your own anatomy, people?)
- References of characters to books (this book was based off of Lysistrata, whereas the other referenced Wuthering Heights a lot)
- The boys in both books took the girls to a tiny Italian restaurant in Oak Hill
WHERE WAS THE VARIETY, KODY? WHERE? Change the setting, at least. I got tired of hearing how the girls are from a small town and how Oak Hill is the place to be. I don't care. Change the setting. I got so frustrated reading the same things in both books. Then again, I read them back to back so that might have made it even worse for me. I think sophomore novels should be distinguishable from the first one. I seriously don't even want to begin reading her most recent book, A Midsummer's Nightmare, because I'm expecting the same exact theme/setting/references as the first two books.
This book, as well as The Duff, is a really easy and fast read. I finished it within 2-3 hours (then again, I read fast, so don't mind me). I have to say aside from the underdeveloped characters and ridiculous amount of similarities from her other book, it was a enjoyable. I'd recommend the book, but I wouldn't say that it is a particularly good one.