What happened in The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven

The basics

Title: The Exact Opposite of Okay

Author: Laura Steven

Series: Izzy O'Neill #1

- The Exact Opposite of Okay (2018)
- A Girl Called Shameless (2019)

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Goodreads Summary:

Izzy O’Neill is an aspiring comic, an impoverished orphan, and a Slut Extraordinaire. Or at least, that’s what the malicious website flying round the school says. Izzy can try all she wants to laugh it off – after all, her sex life, her terms – but when pictures emerge of her doing the dirty with a politician’s son, her life suddenly becomes the centre of a national scandal. Izzy’s never been ashamed of herself before, and she’s not going to start now. But keeping her head up will take everything she has...

Here is a spoiler summary of what happened in The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven to help refresh your memory before you read the sequel.

What Happened in The Exact Opposite of Okay?

• Izzy is an impoverished orphan and at the heart of a national slut shaming scandal. Her words, not mine.
• Izzy goes to show Mrs Crannon her completed screenplay. Mrs Crannon is very impressed and wants to take it home to read. They chat about college and Izzy isn’t sure she’s going to go.
• Izzy’s friend Danny starts acting a bit strange, buying her coffee and all sorts.
• Mrs Crannon encourages Izzy to apply for a college scholarship.
• Ajita hears a rumour that Zachary, the son of a Republican, wants to ask Izzy out.
• Carson invites Izzy and co. to a party.
• Izzy wonders if Ajita is into their new friend, Carlie. She also wonders what’s up with Carson, and checks in with him to see if everything is okay at home.
• Izzy attends the party and ends up sleeping with Zachary Vaughan. On a garden bench XD
• Carson kisses Izzy completely out of the blue. She sleeps with him too.
• Danny is really rude when he finds out about this. Izzy tries kissing him because she feels bad but she’s not into it and gets upset.
• Izzy makes the writing competition longlist. She and her friends celebrate, and Zachary congratulates her with a pic that she did not ask for. Izzy returns the favour.
• Carson kisses Izzy in front of Danny, who gets annoyed and punches a locker.
• Someone creates a website shaming Izzy, and they put up photos of her and Zachary on the bench. They also included a lot of information that Izzy hadn’t shared with anyone.
• There’s a sex ed lesson at school and Izzy is ridiculed.
• Danny continues to be an arse. Izzy asks if he is behind the website and he gets very angry.
• Izzy sends quick messages to Zachary and Carson to apologise for the blog and the comments on it.
• A classmate called Meg tries to help Izzy feel better and it’s really nice. Danny brings flowers to apologise but… he’s still an arse.
• Someone leaks one of Izzy’s nudes. Vaughan thinks it’s her. He’s angry because his dad’s angry.
• Danny invites Izzy over and Izzy talks to his mum a bit about college. Danny’s dad acts like a creep and Izzy leaves quite swiftly.
• Danny gets worse and worse. He reads a message that Carson sends and gets annoyed about it.
• Izzy goes to meet with Carson and he’s kind of skeevy too. But is it just teenage boy skeeviness?
• Izzy finally confides in her grandmother and she is very comforting about it.
• Izzy goes to see Carson again and he takes her to his house. She meets some of his family. They chat about all sorts, and it’s really nice.
• Danny offers to pay for a screenwriting course for Izzy, and he falls further into the Nice Guy pit. Izzy declines his offer, quite nicely, and he responds rudely.
• Zachary Vaughan gives some sort of speech declaring that he didn’t have sex with Izzy. Someone records it and sends it to the paper.
• Izzy takes the day off after someone posts poo through the letterbox. Ajita cheers Izzy up a bit. Vaughan apologises for the media situation he caused with his speech.
• Reporters show up outside the next day and start asking tonnes of questions. The kids at school start recording Izzy too. Izzy looks up articles that are talking about her.
• Izzy overhears Carson’s friends talking about her. He doesn’t defend her, which is rubbish.
• Danny comes over to tell Izzy he forgives her and Izzy is understandably outraged.
• Izzy makes the shortlist for the competition!
• Carson sells the story to the media.
• Betty goes to speak to the principal and he’s absolutely useless about sorting out this situation.
• Carlie is talking crap about Ajita so Izzy pours soup over her head.
• Ted Vaughan is using this whole thing for publicity.
• Carson tries to talk to Izzy but he has to talk to her grandmother instead. He tells Betty it wasn’t him who sold the story.
• Izzy finds out that Danny is behind the website. She tries to go over to tell Ajita but she doesn’t want to talk to her.
• Izzy is withdrawn from the shortlist.
• Meg checks in on Izzy to make sure she’s doing okay.
• Izzy intercepts Ajita on her way to school. They make up, and Izzy tells Ajita about Danny. They also confront Carson, who still insists he didn’t sell his story or call Izzy a whore.
• Izzy confronts Danny and ends their friendship. Then she, Ajita, and Meg walk out of class in protest because the teacher wasn’t doing anything to stop the bullying. They go for milkshakes.
• Izzy receives an email from one of the judges from the competition, asking her to hit her up.

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