Name: Anything But Okay
Rating: 4 (2 reviews)

Sarah Littman

Life has suddenly turned chaotic for high school student Stella since her brother, Rob, got home from his second tour of duty in Afghanistan: her school is on edge with ethnic tensions and her brother seems to be suffering from post-traumatic stress but will not talk about it. But when Rob's anger finally spirals out of control, Stella realizes she has to find the courage to take a stand against the forces of hate in her hometown.

Anything But Okay

Sarah Darer Littman

When lines are drawn how do you find courage in the face of hate, and what does it truly mean to take a stand?

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this book via KidLitExchange. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Rating: 4/5

Publication Date: October 9th, 2018

Genre: YA Contemporary

Recommended Age: 14+ (PTSD, racism, violence, mature scenes)

Pages: 352

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Synopsis: Stella and Farida have been best friends forever, but lately things have been tense. It all started when Stella's brother came home from his latest tour with the US Marines in Afghanistan paranoid and angry. But Stella won't talk about it, and Farida can tell she's keeping something from her.
Desperate to help Rob, Stella thinks she just needs to get him out of the house. She definitely didn't expect going to the movies to end with Rob in handcuffs for assaulting one of her classmates after his anger spiraled out of control.
When a video of the fight goes viral, everyone has an opinion of Stella and her "violent vet" brother.

The entire school takes sides, the media labels Rob a terrorist sympathizer, and even Farida is dragged into the mess despite not being there. As the story continues trending, Stella will have to decide just how far she's willing to go for the truth, even if it means admitting her own failures.

I thought this book did really good with showing PTSD, how vets are different when they come home, and racism, although I’m not a person who experiences either so please don’t take my statement as fact and seek out reviewers who do experience these things. I also thought the character development, plot, and writing were all really well done.

However, I do feel that the pacing was a bit slow at times and I felt a disconnection between the relationship of the two friends Stella and Farida. It didn’t really feel like two teen girls and their relationship just felt off to me.

Verdict: A great story with some tough topics.

Anything But Okay

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