Synopsis | Goodreads
Izzy O’Neill is many things – an aspiring comedian, a poor orphan living with her grandmother and an awesome best friend. But when a sex tape of her and a certain politician’s son starts making the round, there’s only one label she’s stuck with – slut. She can laugh it off all she wants, becoming the center of a national sex scandal is not how Izzy saw her way going. She’s never been ashamed of herself and she won’t be now. But keeping her head up and smiling like everything’s fine isn’t flying either. Izzy has to fight for her voice and her equality, and she’ll do anything in her power to not let herself be broken by this. Cue the marching order for girls to band together!
We’ve rounded up a few reasons as to why this book needs to be in your hands, on your shelves, and in your hearts!
1. The Unapologetic Exploration of Controversial Topics
The Exact Opposite of Okay hits on hard topics, for instance, slut shaming. While the guy Izzy sleeps with is lauded in the press for being a ‘stud’, Izzy gets shamed for owning her sexuality and walking with her head held high. It sheds a light on how society paints this picture that we are supposed to just eat up instead of question it and how men are praised for the very actions women are shunned for. With a lot of humour but also a lot of honesty, Steven tackles the double standards that permeate our society.
2. The Humour
The humour in this novel is outstanding. Certainly, humour is incredibly subjective but Izzy is a firecracker. Self-deprecating like Chandler Bing, fearless like Rosa Diaz, and the kind of friend you’d want in your corner, Izzy O’Neill jumps right off the pages and straight into your heart. Sometimes crass, sometimes really snarky, Izzy does not hold back her opinion and refuses to be silenced just to fit society’s expectation of what she’s supposed to be. She is poor, she is hungry, she is craving to be on top of the world, and she’ll apologise for none of it. That gets her in trouble sometimes, sure, but it also makes for some incredibly hilarious moments – and opportunities for growth.
3. Discussions of the Dreaded Friendzone
Ah yes, a place more feared than the ninth circle of hell: the friendzone – so close to your goal yet so far out of reach. It tackles the question of how much privilege goes into believing that the friendzone is this dreaded existence or whether it even exists and isn’t just another attempt by the patriarchy to make us feel bad for not putting out on command.
Izzy herself knows that as a woman, you’re pretty much damned if you do, damned if you don’t. If she tells her friend outright that she is not interested in dating him, she’s a heartbreaker. If she lets the flirtation go on, she’s a tease. And her friend Danny is ready to pronounce her both of those things and more in this novel. But Izzy will not be sweet-talked into a relationship she does not want. And certainly not guilted into it.
After all, her life motto is: do no harm but take no shit.
4. Family Vibes
If you ever wanted to know what the best grandma in the entire world looks like, just read this book. Betty is the embodiment of supportive grandmothers worldwide – part fairy godmother, part unapologetic guru that gets you where you need to go. Also a woman who discovers the internet and all the fun of dating online in her later years which is truly a blessing to behold. This woman is an absolute powerhouse who deserves an award for most badass, no-holds-barred, will-make-you-regret-looking-at-her-granddaughter-in-the-wrong-way woman of all time.
5. Sex Positivity
You might think that a book that primarily addresses revenge porn and a huge sex scandal would paint sex as an inherently bad thing. The Exact Opposite of Okay does the opposite and turns the tables on you so far that you’ll be the one left wondering why you perceive of Izzy as promiscuous for feeling confident in her sexuality – and begs you to question the double standard. Why should boys be the only ones to enjoy sex, right?
6. Feminism
At the heart of it, The Exact Opposite of Okay could be called a love letter to feminism. Izzy is the embodiment of young, scrappy, and hungry and as she uplifts other women, so do they support and love her. Finding your tribe and people who stick up for you even when they might be in a fight with you is a tough job but it’s always great to have someone in your corner. And the ending of this book drives home just how much female friendships can change your entire outlook on the future.
7. The Sheer Amount of Quotes That Will Steal Right into Your Heart
“What do I want to be now? Bold. Fierce. Honest. A fighter. A revolutionary. A bitch. Because the way the world treats teenage girls – as sluts, as objects, as bitches – is not okay. It’s the exact opposite of okay.”
Honestly, if this book does not make you want to take up a pitchfork or try out for slam poetry, then I don’t know what will.
