Laura Steven is an author, journalist and screenwriter from the northernmost town in England. She has an MA in Creative Writing and works at a non-profit organisation supporting women in the creative arts. She has been shortlisted for Northern Writers' Award, and the Sunderland Short Story Award (in association with Waterstones). Her TV pilot, Clickbait, was a finalist in British Comedy's 2016 Sitcom Mission. The Exact Opposite of Okay is her first book for young adults.
2024 YA Book Prize (nominee) : Every Exquisite Thing
Laura Steven recommends
Tempest (2026) (Lyrian Sea, book 1) Victoria Aveyard "A romantic, swashbuckling adventure on the high seas, Tempest is steeped in atmosphere, drenched in intrigue, and stormy with yearning. I had a blast."
The Everlasting (2025) Alix E Harrow "A book so wildly original as to be unlike any other . . . Simply a masterpiece."
Runner 13 (2025) Amy McCulloch "Tense, exhilarating and deeply immersive, I raced through this epic ultramarathon thriller. So good on character, with a layered plot and vivid desert setting-I loved it as a runner, a reader, and a full-of-admiration writer."
Kill Creatures (2025) Rory Power "A YA thriller master class featuring a compelling antihero, vicious teenage girls . . . and an emotional gut punch of a twist . . . Rory Power is at her very best."
Heir of Storms (2025) (Storm Weaver, book 1) Lauryn Hamilton Murray "Bears all the hallmarks of addictive YA fantasy-perilous trials, elemental magic, court intrigue, epic twists, and an electrifying romance-with a stepping-into-your-power character arc that'll make readers stand up and cheer. Fans of Stephanie Garber have found their new obsession-this is going to be huge."
Eat the Ones You Love (2025) Sarah Maria Griffin "Eat The Ones You Love is a masterpiece inventive, intimate, and so incisive on the way class shapes human relationships. Griffin's voice is absolutely singular; scalpel-sharp and deeply lyrical, every word unexpected and yet precise. Simply put, this book redefines the literary horror genre. Fans of Paul Tremblay and T. Kingfisher have found their new obsession."
Fable for the End of the World (2025) Ava Reid "Nobody balances sweetness with brutality, tenderness with violence, quite like Ava Reid. This hit all the nostalgic Hunger Games notes while bringing fresh sapphic blood to the dystopian genre - I inhaled it!"
Old Wounds (2024) Logan-Ashley Kisner "Wholly original, endlessly subversive, and genuinely terrifying, Old Wounds is doing something completely fresh in contemporary horror."
I Will Never Leave You (2024) Kara A Kennedy "Both a twisty horror-thriller and an emotionally complex character study, I inhaled this in one obsessive gulp. If this is Kennedy's debut, we are not ready for the full height of her power."
Compass and Blade (2024) (Compass and Blade Trilogy, book 1) Rachel Greenlaw "An addictive blend of lyrical prose, shimmering magic and whip-sharp pacing - fans of Fable and Daughter of the Pirate King will devour this."
The Bad Ones (2024) Melissa Albert "Albert seamlessly braids the murky past with the pin-sharp present to create a masterful horror-thriller with a bruised and tender heart."
The Invocations (2024) Krystal Sutherland "Lyrical, grotesque and pulsing with feminist rage, this is sapphic horror at its very finest. Sutherland is a luminous (albeit slightly terrifying) talent."
Faebound (2024) (Faebound, book 1) Saara El-Arifi "The most imaginative take on a steamy faerie court I've read in forever, with a cascade of epic twists that will leave readers gasping."
The Night Hunt (2023) Alexandra Christo "Fast fun and filled with Marvel-esque banter this highly enjoyable romp through the realm of monsters will appeal to fans of Not Even Bones and This Savage Song."
Curious Tides (2023) (Drowned Gods Trilogy, book 1) Pascale Lacelle "Rich, immersive and astonishingly layered - I want to sink into this darkly magical world and never leave."
