This book is honestly one of the best teen fiction texts of our time. Truly inventive, hard-hitting and relatable.
This book is honestly one of the best teen fiction texts of our time. Truly inventive, hard-hitting and relatable, Laura Stevens has crafted the character Izzy O’Neill to be broken down into pieces and built back up again. However, don’t think that by the genre it’s going to be guy gets the girl and that’s how she’s fixed. Judging by the title, it’s not her health either - she has highs and lows like the rest of us and due to the circumstances you don’t blame her for most of her actions. Her journey is more based upon a critical point of view many of us see in day to day life – sexual inequality. “The sexual double standard: boys will be boys, and girls will be sluts”.
Laura Stevens deals with many modern issues in this book, ranging from sending nudes, to a political sex scandal, two one night stands, friend zoning and political issues going on in our world (Donald Trumps presidency, ISIS, legality’s of revenge porn in the UK and the USA). This book is more than just a sexualised teenage frenzy, prudes do not fear – this book is hilarious. The plot and characters work so well, creating diversity in higher and lower class society. Izzy shows by rejecting her friend Danny that no matter how much money he spends on her, he can’t buy her love or her body.
Izzy is an orphan and lives with her grandma Betty who has the biggest support for Izzy’s lifestyle, sexual antics and she says the best jokes. Izzy’s friend Ajita is as good as any friend could be in the situation, her friendship ranges from star wars onesies to cheer up a bad day to being thrown under the bus to remove attention from the scandal. As for the boys in this book they vary from the witty painter, basketball player Carson, to the friend zoned higher class Danny. Then there’s Vaughan, the main source of Izzy’s problems, his political father seizes the opportunity and the picture of Vaughan and Izzy on a garden bench and turns it into all that is wrong with Americas woman. “The good old days when woman were classy and respectful and served their male masters like quiet mice servants with no personality of their own”. However although these guys each in turn try to charm Izzy, their individual methods and personality. They makes being a genuine nice person something to be payed for, Izzy documents “if you’re nice because you want something in return, you’re probably not that nice at all”. Whether it’s a date, a picture or for no involvement in the scandal, that’s created around Izzy, all the boys in this book have an ulterior motive. I would however, like to know why (apart from political presence reasons) Vaughan gets away with the scandal with no punishment or later involvement? Unlike Izzy. Also what happens with Carson – does he end up with Izzy properly and not for her body or do they go their separate ways?
This book was such a good read as it felt relevant and relatable, you feel like your reading into Izzy’s mind, and she doesn’t hold much back. Her secrets are told using jokes or are a part of her script writing, she almost uses them as a coping mechanism. Her personality works its way into creating a strong, feminine individual who goes through traumatic struggle and heartbreak
The idea around sex, or sexual acts that men are rewarded or proud of the events and woman, through forces of society, are forced into being sex shamed and regret their decisions. This is not ok, if we can fight against racism and homosexuality in this book and in real life, we should be able to fight for the woman we are or are around- fight for people like Izzy O’Neill and stand up for such injustices. Don’t end up like Izzy feeling like “nothing more than a grainy filter and a pair of tits…a mere sex object”