I know right! Two books in the space of two weeks! What is this craziness? I ordered this one at the same time as Paper Avalanche, as well as its sequel, and I devoured it in a few days. What a fab read and one I will be shoving in the face of any Year 10 girl that I think could learn from it.
Izzy is our narrator – she lives with her Grandma Betty, who still works long shifts and long hours at a diner, after her parents were killed when she was young. Izzy dreams of being a screenwriter as well as a performer. Her personality shines through every word and she’s a completely endearing and enjoyable narrator. Told through a series of blog entries, so we read as if we are following that, Izzy’s story unfolds. What happens to her is something that could happen to anyone and the resulting fallout is a real eye opener.
Izzy goes to a party with her best friend Ajita and her other best friend Danny, who it would appear has declared his undying love for Izzy through a series of gifts and it is certainly not requited. While at the party Izzy does what many unattached 18 year olds may do – she has sex with two boys. One is Zachary Vaughan, son of a senator, and the other is Carson Manning, a guy Izzy already has a crush on. Now it’s not behaviour that should be condoned but by the same token there’s nothing technically wrong with this. And this is a key theme of the book – they both have sex, not just Izzy. Both of them behave in this way; both of them have a one night stand; both of them are having a good time. What happens afterwards however does not evoke the same response. Izzy is a victim of ‘revenge porn’ – her photo is on the internet within days, showing her having sex with Vaughan on a garden bench, The title of the website? World Class Whore. Wow. Following this, a nude picture Izzy sent of herself to Vaughan is also leaked on the internet. Everyone sees it: her friends, people in the street, her teachers. All Izzy works for comes crashing down; texts messages get leaked; personal information comes out. She is disqualified from a screenwriting competition she has worked so hard for and is essentially slut shamed by everyone.
Throughout the book you follow Izzy as she gives her commentary on what’s happening. Seeing and reading your narrator go from feisty and funny to ashamed and depressed is difficult to read, particularly as she is such a great character. The responses from others in the book are completely believable: as a teacher I would absolutely expect this sort of reaction. It is the attention thrown on her and not the male in question that makes this all the more truthful. Izzy fights back against this sort of behaviour and attitude and it is to be absolutely applauded. Steven has approached an issue that is very real in this day and age, as well as the age old attitudes towards women and girls that just don’t seem to have moved on very far at all. It is totally feasible that this is exactly how people would behave towards an 18 year old in this situation. As a teacher and hearing some of the stories I do it stuns me to think that people still throw the blame on the girl – as if she should be ashamed of behaving in the same way a male would be applauded and slapped on the back for.
The way Izzy has to confront the fact someone she loves as a friend is now in love with her is both hilarious and sad at the same time. Danny and Izzy have been friends for years yet suddenly the dynamic completely changes when it becomes clear he is in love with her. It is not an easy thing to cope with and I totally got how Izzy handled it! Someone you know who has seen you in all states imaginable and who knows you so well then starts seeing you in a way you don’t feel comfortable with, and know you can never see them back in the same way, can destroy a friendship. Izzy doesn’t help herself by sharing a kiss with Danny but soon this tells her all she needed to know: it would never work. This is when things all start to fall down for her.
Being slut shamed and having intimate images leaked online is, happily something I have not experienced due to the fact I was old enough to know better once technology came about! I am, however, wholly aware of the problems faced by many young girls in my role as a teacher. Knowing what I know about the behaviour of some girls and indeed the demands made by some of the boys, this book hit home a lot. The pressure on young girls, the fact that girls are still seen as slutty yet the lads seen as heroes by youngsters, and how social media can be used in a bad way is still very present. How easily and quickly something like this could spread is utterly terrifying and knowing how much something like this can affect your future and career aspirations is an issue that needs bringing up as often as possible: as a parent I will absolutely be doing this when my son is older. I am almost glad we didn’t have this when I was at school; I can only imagine the appalling things some of the people I knew would have done!
The idea of ‘revenge porn’ is also well handled.
I cannot wait to start the next book (it is unfortunately 4th in the queue now and I am trying to be a stickler due to the backlog I have created for myself!) and see where this story goes. This book was funny and heartfelt at the same time. My only criticism was how American it sounded and yet the writer is English. It felt like a book version of the Netflix show Sex Education – all American in appearance but not necessarily created by one. That’s my only one – I loved reading this so much! I want to be friends with Izzy or at least have her in my class.