The Exact Opposite Of Okay
Laura Steven
337 pages
My Rating ★★★★★
This book deals with a lot of themes such as revenge porn, slut-shaming and victim blaming. This book is almost everything what a YA contemporary should be. This book is provocative, challenging, sad, serious and hilarious!
Izzy O’Neill becomes a victim of revenge porn when a website dedicated to slut-shaming Issy, shares private and very personal photos and information about her. Through The Exact Opposite of Okay, we follow Izzy’s struggle with this website and what it brings of consequences to her life. The worst of times through TEOOO Izzy’s struggle is devastating but at other times Issy makes it into something quite funny. You might be wondering how something this serious can be funny but with Izzy as a narrator, it can. Even if it is just an escape from reality.
TEOOO is written as a personal blog, almost like a diary but very detailed. I liked the format with specific dates and time. This way you really got to know Issy very well and very fast. I actually believe that Izzy is one of my favourite main characters ever. She felt so real/alive and she was so good at expressing herself, and at the same time, she was not, due to her personality. She seemed so human, with flaws like everybody else, but in a genuine way. I don’t think I have found a character this likeable. I mean I usually like all the main characters I read about but in some way, they seem plain and blur together. Izzy really stands out. But I must admit that her constant joking and trying to be funny all the time, can be a bit tiring at times. But it never really annoyed me. I think is due to her self-awareness. She knows herself well and she knows that her jokes are both one of her qualities but also a bad habit.
However, Izzy’s humour was also one of the things I loved about TEOOO! She is such a hilarious girl! I laughed out loud several times. When dealing with such a serious matter there is the need for some humour!
Another thing I liked about Izzy was her approach to sex. Girls/women can have casual sex and girls/women can sleep with more than one guy without being a slut or being “easy”. I was actually quite shocked at how the other students reacted to the website. That no one found Izzy to be the victim! It shocked me that people reacted that way but it also made me really sad and angry. I really wanted to help Izzy, give her a hug and tell her that everyone was acting like d*ckheads. (I apologize for my language).
It also surprised me the level of attention the whole “Izzy scandal” got on regional and national media. I don’t know whether it was realistic or not. Was it? I Denmark where I live I wouldn’t find it realistic but maybe in America, it would be? I mean America has a tendency to be “body-frighten”. On movies and such “inappropriate” things get blurred. So maybe it is realistic that high school sex scandal could get on the news. Anyway, I felt so bad for Izzy! She was the victim here, hello!
I am not gonna spoil anything but when it was discovered who had created the website I was so appaled and disgusted. What is wrong with that person?! I am glad Izzy cut ties with that person. No one should put up with such demolishing behaviour.
I am so happy I read this book. It reminded me of all the things we should quit doing and the things we should change. We should quit seeing women as sexual objects and their bodies a public property. They are not! Women cannot be bought or owned. Women are independent individuals! We should also stop the slut-shaming. And here I believe girls are at least as bad as buys on that matter. Instead, we should see all genders as equals and let one be as one wants to be. We should liberate each other.
I am sorry for all this feministic blabbering. I just really loved this book. And I find it very important. If you want to read something contemporary with a feministic touch but still fun – this is the book for you!
Nicoline <3
Have you read TEOOO? What was your thoughts? Have you read other feministic novels?
Looks like a very good book. And Izzy seems like a great character as well
I found it to be :))
Great review! I haven’t read this (although it is on my TBR) so I can’t quite speak to the news coverage, but as an American I don’t think a high school sex scandal would make it on the news unless it somehow became a legal issue (involving a teacher, etc).
Thank you! And you should totally read it :)) Okay I guess then it is a bit unrealistic… but maybe Steven did it to make a point
Literally saw this book on insta a while, knew nothing about it but the cover was pretty so I screenshotted it and now I feel like I need to read it. It sounds like my cup of a tea and a book that should be both powerful and moving. Have you read The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed? It’s a book dealing with rape culture, I’ll link my review and discussion below for you, but I found TNG to be powerful, moving and a book that does reflect our society which is sad. Loved the review though! Good job 🙂
https://bookdragons247.wordpress.com/2017/11/30/nowhere-girls-amy-reed-review-discussion/
(it was my first go at a review and discussion so I apologise beforehand, about the messy formatting etc)
Yeah the cover so sooo pretty! No, I haven’t but thank you for your recommendation I will check it out! It sounds like something I would enjoy. I just read your review/discussion and it is really great!! You are really great at expressing your opinions!
Thanks :))
Ah thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I am so glad you were able to love this book! I haven’t read it before or heard much about it but it sounds like it deals with some really intense and meaningful topics. It sounds really catered to the YA audience and I am glad it is fun as well. Great review 😀
My recent post: https://oliviascatastrophe.com/2018/06/may-wrap-up/
Thank you!! If you are up for contemporary YA I would definitely recommend it! 🙂