The Exact Opposite of Okay

"Laura Steven simultaneously destroyed the patriarchy and made me laugh so hard I choked. I will protect Izzy O'Neill with my life." --Becky Albertalli, author of SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA

Bitingly funny and shockingly relevant, The Exact Opposite of Okay is a bold, brave, and necessary read for fans of Louise O'Neill and Jennifer Mathieu.

Eighteen-year-old Izzy O'Neill knows exactly who she is--a loyal friend, an aspiring comedian, and a person who believes that milk shakes and Reese's peanut butter cups are major food groups. But after she's caught in a compromising position with the son of a politician, it seems like everyone around her is eager to give her a new label: slut.

Izzy is certain that the whole thing will blow over and she can get back to worrying about how she doesn't reciprocate her best friend Danny's feelings for her and wondering how she is ever going to find a way out of their small town. Only it doesn't.

And while she's used to laughing her way out of any situation, as she finds herself first the center of high school gossip and then in the middle of a national scandal, it's hard even for her to find humor in the situation.

Izzy may be determined not to let anyone else define who she is, but that proves easier said than done when it seems like everyone has something to say about her.

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.