The Exact Opposite of Okay

By Laura Steven

A hilarious, groundbreaking young adult novel for anyone who's ever called themselves a feminist … and anyone who hasn't. For fans of Louise O'Neill, Holly Bourne and Amy Schumer. 

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.

Bitingly funny and shockingly relevant, The Exact Opposite of Okay is a bold, brave and necessary read. For readers of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Doing It by Hannah Witton and Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo.

'Funny, unapologetic and shameless in the best possible way, this is a YA heroine (and book) that you've never seen before' – Louise O'Neill, award-winning author of Asking for It

'This book will make you laugh out loud, nod in agreement, cringe with recognition, and stand up and cheer. I adored it' – Katherine Webber, author of Wing Jones

'I LOVED this book! A really smart, relevant and switched-on exploration of teen sexuality, gender and slut-shaming' – Katherine Woodfine, bestselling author of The Sinclair's Mysteries

Laura Steven is an author, journalist and screenwriter from the northernmost town in England. She has an MA in Creative Writing and works at a non-profit organisation supporting women in the creative arts. Her TV pilot, Clickbait, was a finalist in British Comedy's 2016 Sitcom Mission. The Exact Opposite of Okay is her first book for young adults.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Mar 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781780318233

Laura Steven

Laura Steven is an author, journalist, and screenwriter from the northernmost town in England. Her debut novel is The Exact Opposite of Okay. By day, Laura works for Mslexia, a nonprofit organization supporting women writers. She has an MA in creative writing, and her TV pilot Clickbait—a mockumentary about journalists at a viral news agency—reached the final eight in British Comedy’s 2016 Sitcom Mission. Laura’s journalism has been featured in the inewspaper, Buzzfeed, the Guardian, and Living North. She won a Northern Writers’ Award in 2018 for her work in progress—a piece of speculative fiction exploring creativity as protest.

Reviews for The Exact Opposite of Okay

[fionaanne · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A bit heavy-handed with the social justice themes at times, when the story should have been left to speak for itself. Intermittently funny with decent character development and plot but no coherent sense of setting (probably a reflection of the English author not having a clear idea of what small-town America is like).