Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

The girls of Hamilton High School are going on strike.

Sick of the rivalry between their boyfriends' American football and soccer teams, Lissa and her friends are determined that the boys won't see any action from them until they put an end to their immature pranks.

But Lissa hasn't counted on a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first ...

The battle of the sexes in high school - as if there wasn't enough of that going on already! It started out as a way to get their boyfriend's back, but it turned into a fairly feminist, searching for sexual identity sort of thing, which was a nice twist. Especially for teenage girls, as this is when they need that confidence boost, that extra friendship and knowledge.

I really liked Lissa, she was typical teen girl, full of insecurities and troubles at home and odd little quirks. Plus she was surprisingly brave and stubborn; it may have started out to get her boyfriend's attention back but it morphed into something much more important, both for her and her friends. Her best friend Chloe was Lissa's opposite: loud, sexy, confident. She was pure awesome, the girl that might have been getting slut-shamed but the girl we all wish we had her confidence; she just let the insults slide off, plus she had some wicked come backs! The poster girl for modern feminists, Chloe was a great friend and supported of Lissa's cause. 

One of the biggest things in this book that I really loved was the Keplinger didn't shy away from the sex talk. It shouldn't be taboo that teenagers talk about and have sex, especially girls. This funny and truthful story went some way in trying to dispel that stupid archaic notion that girls don't like having sex. What the girls realised about themselves and each other was very real and an important part of growing up, especially in modern society. 

Maybe it was the strong feminist in me but this book was just... pure amazing. Sure, some of the characters were annoying, it made them real, and some of the guys were almost stereotypical in their "jock/sex" lifestyle but it helped the story move along. So it may not have been perfect but it was perfect for me. It was funny and adorable and annoying and sexist but full of truth and learning, on both sides of the battle. 

Published 6th September 2012 by Hodder Children's Books. Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.