I own a fair number of zines and I don’t usually write reviews for them, but I’m making an exception because a) this one’s pretty long and substantial as zines go (if it had a spine instead of staples I’d have no qualms about calling it a book), and b) I want to talk about it.

Surprisingly OK really resonates. I’ve read it cover-to-cover twice now, and I know I’ll be coming back to revisit certain chapters/passages when I feel the need to do so, because these are words I needed to hear and no doubt will need to hear again in the future. Some of the author’s observations are ones I’d already made myself, but having them corroborated and spelled out is always assuring. Others seem obvious to me in hindsight, because they ring true, but having them revealed to me made me go “oh!”
I feel like... maybe this is silly, but I feel like I’ve been given permission to know what I know to be true, to be curious, to put the work in to become a better version of myself, and to treat myself with the kindness and compassion I (do!) deserve.
Honestly, this zine is a relief.

CONTENT WARNINGS: trauma; the author is careful not to go into detail about traumatic events/experiences, though they do discuss loneliness and self-loathing and shame, with mentions of abuse and self harm