Wednesday 9 May 2018

Review - The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven




Title: The Exact Opposite of Okay
Author: Laura Steven
Pages: 355
Publisher: Electric Monkey
Release Date: 8th March 2018

Blurb from Goodreads: 

Izzy O'Neill here! Impoverished orphan, aspiring comedian and Slut Extraordinaire, if the gossip sites are anything to go by . . . 

Izzy never expected to be eighteen and internationally reviled. But when explicit photos involving her, a politician's son and a garden bench are published online, the trolls set out to take her apart. Armed with best friend Ajita and a metric ton of nachos, she tries to laugh it off - but as the daily slut-shaming intensifies, she soon learns the way the world treats teenage girls is not okay. It's the Exact Opposite of Okay. 











My Review:

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Egmont Publishing and NetGalley*




Izzy O'Neill is eighteen, has two best friends and lives with her grandma. Her biggest concerns are whether or not she will be able to get a job so that her grandmother can retire, and whether she will achieve her dream of becoming a scriptwriter in Hollywood.
Then everything changes when explicit photos are leaked online of Izzy in a compromising position with a politician's son.
Suddenly everyone is fascinated with Izzy's life and she is being slut-shamed constantly.
Who posted the photos of Izzy?
Will Izzy be able to become a scriptwriter now that her life has been splattered over the national news?


The Exact Opposite of Okay features some very important themes which were thought-provoking.
I liked Izzy, although her humour did annoy me a little at times. She was very strong - there was no way I would have been able to go to school knowing that everyone had seen such a personal photo of me.
I liked Ajita and her Izzy's grandmother, Betty (who is definitely not your stereotypical grandmother).
I found the humour a bit hit and miss.
The plot was interesting and held my attention, but I wasn't gripped.
In the beginning, I wasn't sure if I was going to like the writing style but after a while it grew on me.
While reading this I found myself thinking a lot about how people have different views on sex. I think of sex of something very personal, but I've never really thought about how other people feel about it.
The way that Izzy was slut-shamed made me very angry. Men aren't treated the way that women are when it comes to sex which is very wrong and frustrating.


Overall this was an enjoyable read which explores important themes.





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