Review: Shuffle, Repeat by Jen Klein

Title: Shuffle, Repeat

Author: Jen Klein
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Published: May 3, 2016
Pages: 327
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Ebook

When Harry Met Sally for YA romance readers. This opposites-attract love story is perfect for fans of Huntley Fitzpatrick, Stephanie Perkins, and Jenny Han.

June wants high school to end and real life to begin. Oliver is soaking up senior year’s glory days. They could have coasted through high school, knowing about—but not really knowing—each other.

Except that their moms have arranged for Oliver to drive June to school. Every. Single. Day.

Suddenly these two opposites are fighting about music, life . . . pretty much everything. But love is unpredictable. When promises—and hearts—get broken, Oliver and June must figure out what really matters. And then fight for it. 

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MY REVIEW

Warning: This review MAY contain SPOILERS.

This was a darling little "opposites attract" young adult romance story. It was absolutely adorable and heartwarming. It touched upon insecurities, friendships, personal principles, falling in and out of love, and navigating the unpredictable atmosphere of high school. 

I really adored the characters in this book. June and Oliver were wonderful and I loved the chemistry that they had with each other. I liked that they had a loose background since their mothers are best friends. They didn't really run in the same circles at school, but they knew each other. I loved watching their friendship grow. At first, Jen came off as snotty towards Oliver because he was a popular football player and was friends with a foul boy that she couldn't stand. Oliver was always gracious with her and they quickly ease into a friendship while he drives her to school each morning. I loved the cast of side characters as well. We get to see June's group of friends and also Oliver's group of friends and then June and Oliver mingle into each other's friend groups as time goes on. June's character growth in the book is refreshing. At the beginning, she is closed minded and set in her ways about high school not having any meaning. Oliver opens her up to new experiences and a new perspective and June changes her outlook, though she fights it.

The plot of the story was decent. I would have liked a little more conflict, but overall I enjoyed it. A bet was made between June and Oliver at the beginning to see who could prove their point about high school having meaning (Oliver's side) or not having meaning (June's side). Each time one of them would prove their point throughout the school year they would get the honor of adding a song to their joined playlist for their ride to school. It was pretty competitive, at least at first, since they listen to completely different music and can't stand the others' taste in music. And at this point in the book, they need this playlist because the conversation in the car is awkward on the long drive to school. 

The one thing that I felt needed more in this book was better reasoning or more evident reasoning why June feels the way she does about high school not having meaning. And also why she would not learn to drive. We find out the reason for not driving by the end of the book, but I would have preferred it a lot sooner in the story so that I could have connected with June better at the beginning. While I never disliked her character, it was sometimes hard to understand why she felt the way that she did about high school being meaningless. I just felt that there needed to be more there. 

The romance was a severely slow-burn romance. Most of the book was a buildup to the romance. Both Oliver and June have significant others throughout most of the book so it really focused on their growing friendship for most of the book. June gradually starts to realize her feelings for Oliver after she breaks up with her boyfriend, but he is still with his girlfriend and she almost feels like saying something wouldn't be worth it because of her belief that things in high school don't last or matter in the end. They don't actually come together until the very end of the book. It's beautiful, of course, but the actual romance in the story is a blip on the radar compared to the build up. 

Overall, this was an adorable book that I could not put down for a moment. I think that this book is very relevant for kids in high school because of the contrasting viewpoints regarding the meaningfulness of high school and its experiences. This book also carries other important themes. Like finding out that your parents aren't who you think they are. Like having a popular cheerleader not be a bitch. (I felt like this was huge for a young adult high school story.) There is sex-positivity. (It's good to see a parent not only talking about these things with their child but being supportive.) There is a diverse cast of characters. There is so much to love about this book. I would recommend this book to anyone that is a fan of young adult high school romance stories.

THIS BOOK CONTRIBUTED TO THESE 2018 READING CHALLENGES

- Beat the Backlist Challenge
- Tackle My TBR Challenge
- Contemporary Romance Challenge
- Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge

Check out my 2019 Challenge Page to see my progress!

I adore stories that have "enemies to lovers" or "opposites attract" romances. This story really surprised me. What are some of your favorite books with these tropes? If these tropes aren't your cup of tea, then recommend something for me to check out!