When I first started Shuffle, Repeat I wasn't sure I was going to like it. But I gave it a chance because I also thought I wouldn't like The Duff and was pleasantly surprised. Also, I actually go to meet the author, Jen Klein, so I really had high hopes. I'm glad I gave it a chance because it paid off. While Shuffle, Repeat wasn't reinventing the wheel with uniqueness of plot, it did succeed in serving up a little ice cream scoop of happiness. And, to be honest, I don't need the wheel reinvented but I always need ice cream. Seriously... NEED IT. But I digress... ice cream has a way of leading me off topic. 
 THE GOOD 
 There was this real feel authenticity here. Everyone's who's been to high school will know that most of the time high school life is pretty mundane. You go to school, you hang out with your friends, date, do homework... etc. High school mostly isn't the high drama escapades that Hollywood portrays. June often comments on how different reality is from the movies she's seen. In addition, all of the kids seem like real teenagers. They aren't so sheltered or as deviant as is often sensationalized. They are all in that happy middle ground. Do they know what sex is and how to do it? Yes. Are they running around banging everything in sight? No. But they have all the uncontrollable angst that, at least personally, is relatable to. 
 There were a number of side characters in the mix as well. Were the side characters fully developed? No. But they were at least fleshed out enough that they all had distinct personalities. I think my favorite was Shaun. I wished there was more of him. My next favorite would be June's mom. They had such a great open relationship. She was that good mix of parenting where she was attentive and present but gave June enough freedom to explore and grow. In a lot of YA fiction the parents are often either over bearing or absent. So it was nice to see a healthy mother-daughter relationship. 
 THE CHARACTERS 
 Our leads are June and Oliver. They are (seemingly) opposites in every way. June is your standard non-conformist and Oliver is the popular Jock. What we find when we get to know these characters more is that at their core's they are far more similar than they know. June hates everything as a way of "putting a moat around her castle." She's so terrified of being disappointed or disappointing others that she entirely shuts out everything that could possibly be real or matter to avoid future pain. The more something matters, the harder she pushes. So many times I just wanted to grab, shake, and yell at her to pay attention to what's in front of her! As a reader it's clear to see her failings and the attempts of others to climb her walls. She's just too busy protecting herself to notice. 
 Oliver, on the other hand, is so open and friendly that he's basically a golden retriever puppy in a teenage boy's body. To Oliver, everything is special and he wants to collect all of these moments. He's a ray of sunshine to June's overcast sky. However, deep down I feel like they are kindred spirits. They both are searching for something real and special. The biggest difference between them is how they present themselves. A lot of heart breaking things happen to Oliver throughout the story. It just made me want to give him a million cuddles. At points, I had no idea why he was even bothering with June since she was impossible at times to get along with. But, in keeping with that whole puppy metaphor, he just wants to play with her anyway besides all the grump. He believes in her. 
 Shuffle, Repeat is a romantic comedy at its heart. The thing is it's not completely about the romance. It's more of a coming of age story. The real emotional impact comes from the characters opening up and growing as individuals... with kissing. 
 WHAT I WOULD CHANGE 
 I wanted to have more of the scenes where a song for the playlist was won. There are a lot of songs on the playlist that we never got to see chosen or what point was made to win the song. Personally, I think the narrative could have been more aimed toward the songs on the list and the points being proven or disproven. Also, the source of June's angst felt a bit underdeveloped. For much of the story, I kept asking why she is like the way she is. It really wasn't clear as to the root of her emotional walls. We only get a little blurb at the end about her absentee dad which didn't exactly count for all of her behavior. 
 I'll leave this review with an exchange between June and Oliver. I think it pretty much sums up the emotional ice cream core of Shuffle, Repeat. 
 "You won the playlist." 
 "I won something better than the playlist." 
 "That's super cheesy," I say, and he grins down at me. 
 "But now you embrace cheesy." 
 "Now I embrace you," I clarify. 
 "That's super cheesy," he says, and then we're swaying back and forth, like Itch and Akemi, like Shaun and Kirk, like everyone else. Because even though this moment is cheesy and weird and antiquated, it means something. 
 It matters.