Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

High school senior Izzy O'Neill has a "spectacular list of problems" that's about to get longer.The hilariously crass 18-year-old self-proclaimed "aspiring comedian and all-around idiot" is an unapologetic connoisseur of peanut butter cups and sex. When photographic evidence of her love for the latter is posted to a website entitled "Izzy O'Neill: World Class Whore," she finds herself at the epicenter of a national sex scandal, bearing name-calling, judgment, and public scrutiny of her actions and her body. During the following weeks, Izzy tackles double standards, slut-shaming, and male entitlement. The boy who appears in the leaked sex photo is the son of a powerful uber-conservative politician. In their small American town, the school's sex ed program focuses on abstinence and purity—and is taught by a deeply religious teacher. Izzy tells her story via blog entries as events happen. Her snarky, scathing, and irreverent narration is dotted with hilarious parenthetical asides. The shaming and harassment wear down her natural confidence, but she manages to keep her sense of humor even when she truly is the opposite of OK. Whiteness is assumed for most characters, including Izzy. Ajita, Izzy's supportive best girl friend, is Nepali-American, and Izzy's love interest, Carson, is black.Essential for opening and fueling dialogue about a culture that normalizes slut-shaming and promotes toxic masculinity. (Fiction. 13-adult)

ALA Booklist (Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2019)

Raised by her (super cool) grandmother since her parents died, Izzy O'Neill has free rein, and for the most part, she's handled it well: she hangs with her two best friends, she dreams about becoming a comedy writer, and when she has sex, she does it responsibly. But everything changes when she hooks up with the son of a conservative politician and a photo of the two of them starts circulating. At first it's just around school, and while everyone seems to have an opinion, it's nothing Izzy can't handle. But then the scandal blows up on a national scale, and even though there were two people in that picture, it's Izzy that everyone is focused on. When her oldest friend, who recently admitted his (unreciprocated) feelings for her, turns nasty, Izzy feels like she's out of people to trust. With dark humor, Steven dispels the myth of the Nice Guy and examines the stigma still attached to female sexuality. Izzy's wry voice and fierce spirit make her impossible not to root for.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

High school senior Izzy O'Neill has a "spectacular list of problems" that's about to get longer.The hilariously crass 18-year-old self-proclaimed "aspiring comedian and all-around idiot" is an unapologetic connoisseur of peanut butter cups and sex. When photographic evidence of her love for the latter is posted to a website entitled "Izzy O'Neill: World Class Whore," she finds herself at the epicenter of a national sex scandal, bearing name-calling, judgment, and public scrutiny of her actions and her body. During the following weeks, Izzy tackles double standards, slut-shaming, and male entitlement. The boy who appears in the leaked sex photo is the son of a powerful uber-conservative politician. In their small American town, the school's sex ed program focuses on abstinence and purity—and is taught by a deeply religious teacher. Izzy tells her story via blog entries as events happen. Her snarky, scathing, and irreverent narration is dotted with hilarious parenthetical asides. The shaming and harassment wear down her natural confidence, but she manages to keep her sense of humor even when she truly is the opposite of OK. Whiteness is assumed for most characters, including Izzy. Ajita, Izzy's supportive best girl friend, is Nepali-American, and Izzy's love interest, Carson, is black.Essential for opening and fueling dialogue about a culture that normalizes slut-shaming and promotes toxic masculinity. (Fiction. 13-adult)