I was extremely hesitant to read this book after I read The DUFF (which wasn't my favorite). So when my BFF asked what to get me for Christmas, I told her this book. That way I wouldn't feel cheated if I'd paid for it myself (awful, I know). I couldn't give up on Shut Out just yet because I love sporty guys. I love high school rivalries, especially with sports. I had to give this book a chance. 
 And I'm so glad I did! Someone else already said this, but I agree with her. "This is exactly the kind of book I would have wanted to read in high school." I was Lissa in high school. I was the girl who had friends who talked about their sex lives, and I felt like there was something wrong with me for not wanting to make that decision yet. So many times I felt like I was the outcast for NOT sleeping around. This book made me feel like I wasn't alone. This book was the friend I needed when I was 16 rather than 26. But I'm so glad I read it, and I'm glad it will be there for other teenage girls in new generations. 
 I really love the sports rivalry in the book. Our high school rivalry was with another town more so than within the school, but I still related to a lot of the incidents in the book and how out of hand things can get with wild teenage boys who piss each other off. The characters in Shut Out were more developed than in The Duff. I also LOVED Lissa's relationship with her dad and brother. YA needs more family relationships, and this was an awesome example of family units and how you don't always have to have angsty family arguments and parents who don't understand. 
 (view spoiler)[Also! I loved how, throughout the book, Kody didn't make Randy look like an ass. She did later on, when all the truths and secrets came out, but until then, it really felt like Lissa was torn between her history with him and her sexual tension with Cash. (Oh, how I adored Cash Sterling!) Most books pinpoint the jerk early on, and Kody did a great job of hiding it from us, even though that gut feeling is still there. (hide spoiler)] 
 Overall, I adored this book. :)