I think I liked this one way more than the first. I felt too many emotions, I loved so many characters and hated some others. If you read Yours for the taking and had mixed feelings I recommend you to read The Shutouts!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback. An interesting sequel, I appreciated the expansion of the world from the first book, even if it took a bit to adjust to the amount of POV characters.

I don't understand why this is being marketed as a standalone novel when it's very much a sequel. It's not just set in the world of Yours for the Taking - if you read The Shutouts without that context, you're missing out on a lot of backstory. With that being said, I enjoyed The Shutouts. It was lighter on the dystopian aspect, and more of a journey/survival story. I also appreciate that it's very very queer.

This had an intriguing premise and moments that really pulled me in, but overall it didn’t pack the emotional punch I was hoping for. Still, the themes and ideas were interesting enough that some readers may connect with it more than I did.

This was a worthy follow-up to Korn's "Yours for the Taking." This book will be great for readers who prefer leisurely paced books with excellent world building and character development.

I really enjoy Korn’s books, always - fiction and nonfiction! I read this in a single sitting, which is always a good sign. Overall really enjoyed this. Wasn’t a top read for me, but I would continue to read anything she writes.

The TWISTS! GASP out loud! Shook me. Loved the ending.
Excellent found family, leaving home, dystopian and queer.
At times the timeline confused me - and keeping with all the characters. I could have used a graph lol.
Edit R

I had high hopes going into this especially after loving the first book. While the premise was interesting, this one ended up being a slower read for me. It didn’t quite pull me in the same way her previous work did.

The Shutouts is an emotional slow-burn that lands hard in the realm of intimate, queer sports romance. Gabrielle Korn crafts Hanna and Em’s relationship over shared love of hockey and shared trauma, weaving in enough tension to keep you riveted without tipping into melodrama. They’re imperfect, sometimes unreadable, but entirely human—and that authenticity carries the novel.

What I loved most was the authenticity of the sports setting. Hockey isn’t just window dressing—it's the engine powering trust and conflict. Korn nails the adrenaline of the rink, the flick of a puck, the ache in bodies bruised by physical strain and emotional guardrails. It’s tactile without becoming inaccessible to non-fans.

Hanna is prickly and smart; Em is patient and devoted. Their chemistry simmers—too slow for impatient readers, maybe, but for everyone else, the buildup pays off. The dialogue sparkles with grit, humor, and longing, and the quiet moments—like sharing a locker room pizza or old playoff footage—feel affecting and real.

The pacing occasionally falters. A few chapters linger longer than needed, revisiting internal doubts or relationship cycles that we’ve already mapped emotionally. A faster trim would have sharpened the impact without sacrificing the core arcs.

Still, Korn weaves in class and queerness with care: Hanna’s working-class insecurity contrasts against Em’s more privileged background, and neither posturing feels token—it’s all tied into their growth and tenderness. The secondary cast—teammates, family, friends—are supportive, grounded, and help the central relationship feel layered rather than insular.

In the end, The Shutouts scores where it matters: in realistic tension, emotional honesty, and both the triumph and vulnerability of queer love. It’s a well-played centerpiece for anyone who’s wanted their romance sweet, real, and a little bit bruised.

I love dystopian fiction and the shutouts did the genre a justice. The world building could have been a little more in depth for me to feel more invested in the characters but a solid effort in my opinion.

If you are looking for a dystopian like story centering around climate change and the effect on our future world, this story is for you, especially if you are looking for LGBTQ representation in your stories. You don't have to ready Yours For the Taking first because this story absolutely can stand alone but reading it will definitely give you some serious insight into the characters, most especially Ava. Hear how the resistance and those left behind after the "special" people were brought to Inside to live and how the Winter Liberation group got started. Full of scary thoughts about what our current climate issues can steamroll our world if left unchecked (no worries, this is absolutely Fiction but I can easily see how it could get there in 2078 where much of this story is told). I enjoyed the story and the conflict the characters faced with trying to save the world and later, themselves.

This is definitely a sequel/follow up to Yours For the Taking, which is not how this book was marketed. Luckily, I'd already read Yours for the Taking and found the world interesting enough to explore for another book. If you ever want to read Yours for the Taking, definitely wait to read this until after because there are some pretty big spoilers in this one.

That said, I enjoyed all the plot lines we were following. I particularly liked the letters from one character's mom. These letters made up about half of the book and I found her story quite compelling. She was kicked out by her parents at 17 and tells her daughter the story of the events that led to their parting.

I feel like Gabrielle Korn always has interesting takes about what the world could look like in the near future. Plus, there's always a great diverse set of characters. Queerness is very normal in these books in a refreshing way.

I am having a hard time rating this one as I came into it not realizing it was the second in a series, or at least set in the world of the first book. Perhaps because of this I had difficulty keeping track of the characters, and it took me awhile to figure out what’s what in the setting. While this somewhat works as a standalone, I strongly recommend reading Yours for the Taking first.

The Shutouts does a fantastic job of making you really think about climate change without it feeling forced or like a college lecture. I really appreciated the diverse characters and the strong LGBTQ+ representation. Overall, an intriguing read that is great for fans of dystopian fiction.

Big thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted eARC!

A well done dystopian that hits very close to home. I had some minor grievances with the writing style at times but nothing I couldn't get past.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

This started off strong, but by the last third I didn’t really care about the characters anymore. I really liked the idea, but the execution fell short for me.

The author described this as both a prequel and sequel - of course I was intrigued! An immersive and imaginative world. I look forward to what's next!

While The Shutouts is definitely a sequel, it deals with a completely different aspect of society as the Yours for the Taking. The storylines alternate between Kelly Green in 2041 and more familiar characters in 2081, living in a climate change dystopia. I enjoyed this book even more than Yours for the Taking. Living in a world destroyed by dangerous storms was interesting, and the story carried hope that was encouraging and inspiring.

Beautiful. Dystopian. Romantic. Unnerving. All valid descriptions of this story. In a world where women’s rights and climate change are challenged to the detriment of society, we find a cast of characters simply trying to navigate love and existence. I often get distracted by the overly political stance, but know how important it is to have these voices in our literary world.

Thank you NetGalley, St Martins Press, and author Gabrielle Korn for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

St. Martin’s Press eARC
I have mixed feelings about this book. It’s definitely a sequel, so if you haven’t read Yours for the Taking, go back and read it first. I liked seeing a bit more of the outside world, since the first book was focused on the Inside. But there was a lot going on here, and sometimes I had a hard time keeping everyone straight. But it’s definitely a novel that will make you think about climate change and what’s going to happen once the point of no return is hit.

I requested this for consideration for Book Riot's All the Books podcast for its release date. After sampling several books out this week, I decided to go with a different book for my review.