The Worst Thing I've Ever Done

by Clare Stephens

A timely debut novel from an exciting new voice in women's fiction about cancel culture and appearance versus reality.

It's an ordinary Tuesday morning when Ruby Williams' name starts trending online.

She's uploaded an interview that has outraged journalist Felicity Cartwright, a social media personality who has built her profile by policing exactly what women are allowed to say and how they're allowed to say it. Ruby is at the centre of a brutal public shaming, watching on in horror as her reputation is torn apart.

At first Ruby thinks she can get on top of it if she can just explain herself better. But she soon realises she'll never be able to placate the tsunami of strangers baying for her blood.

The vitriol pouring in through her phone cracks open a visceral, personal shame from her past that she's refused to face. Because the worst thing Ruby's ever done is not defined by this interview, but by a single, chilling scream.

With skilful empathy, Clare Stephens holds a mirror to online personas versus actual lives, exploring what is truly important in a noise-ridden world competing for our attention.

'As compulsive as any app. Clare Stephens creates a cautionary tale for our times, full of wit and nuance.' JANE HARPER, author of The Dry and Exiles

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Book Club, Ebooks, Feminism

Audible Audio

Published October 10, 2025

Reviews

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some serious themes around the insidiousness of social media addressed here but the self indulgent whining of the main character is exhausting. The vitriol directed towards Ruby is so exaggerated it’s hard to believe. Felicity’s jealousy and pure hatred of Ruby was also so over the top that it was hard to take seriously. I also felt that each character’s tragic back story was included to somehow give them permission to behave in such a hateful fashion. The last section of the book was unrelated to all before it and pointless in terms of the plot line. The book had many thought provoking and important themes however the execution was average.

[EmG ReadsDaily · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous debut novel!

Ruby Williams works at an online publication and wakes one day to realise her name is trending online (for all the wrong reasons). Soon her phone is filled with vitriol and people tearing apart her reputation. She is forced to face her personal shame, and navigate her long-buried struggles.

This story cleverly explores public shaming, social media pile-ons and outrage culture, while highlighting the discrepancy between online appearances versus reality. This was a quietly observed and nuanced story, very applicable for the time we are currently living through.

I was drawn into this story, despite the frightening relatability, the concerns about our digital footprint, and the perils of working in the media landscape.

4.5 stars (rounded up)

[Emily Michele Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was dark, twisted, sad, traumatic and infuriating in parts.
It was not an enjoyable story
(I don’t think it was meant to be).
But it was a good and fast paced read.
It was insightful and ick at the same time.

Big congrats to Clare on her debut novel.
I knew it would be an engaging page turner and in that aspect it delivered.
It’s always hard to know what you want out of a fictional read. Sometimes I like misery, and reading about miserable people. Cancel culture and online pile ons definitely hits misery.
It’s so anxiety inducing watching it happen every day to the same people over and over again (mostly women).

Reading the high school chapters towards the end was horrible. It’s such a crazy comparison of adulthood vs school bullying which evidently some people don’t grow out of. It’s alarming to spectate online and I hate it here.

Forever blows my mind that grief and trauma can turn some into a person with a huge amount of empathy, integrity, insight, understanding etc or into a an absolute bitter twit dementor of an adult.

Here’s to living a quiet bystander life ahaha 💔

[Bree Lush · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was 🤌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼
Fast paced, well written and had me hooked from page 1.
Didn’t expect the ending and think it was a super interesting way to finish.
My best read of 2025 so far

[Ellie (What Ellie Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone that has enjoyed listening to her commentary in podcast form, I was excited to see that Clare Stephens had published her first novel.

Drawing on (I expect) her own experiences working in media, Stephens explores the dark side of social media and how the further you climb means the further you have to fall.

Ruby Williams is a senior editor at a feminist media company when one of her articles gets torn apart by a prominent journalist. What follows is a public shaming and deliberate destruction of Ruby’s reputation, where nothing she can say or do is accepted by the court or public opinion.

I’m conflicted in what to say about The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done, because I enjoyed the premise, but the pace of the writing was a little inconsistent. The book is split into three parts, and to be honest the first third of the book was a tad slow. As Ruby tries and fails to repair her reputation, the writing was a bit repetitive and sluggish getting to the point. The mid-point of the book picks up the pace and felt much more compelling and engaging to me; it’s also where we learn a little more about Ruby’s story and background.

The end of the book also threw me a bit, where we jump ahead into the future to understand the lasting impact of Ruby’s ordeal years after her reputation was so damaged.

The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done explores cancel culture in an interesting way, I just wish that the pacing at the start had been a little more gripping. I also struggled to empathise with the main character, Ruby, finding her pretty self-centred and irritating at times. All in all, it just fell a little flat.

I’m certain there will be others who will enjoy this book more than I did and I hope it finds its audience!

3 ⭐️

Thank you to Allen & Unwin for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

After being given a much anticipated arc of this book I really wanted to like it, but it was very heavy on different aspects of journalism and the processes and consequences of internet posts and articles which slowed down my reading and enjoyment. Also, to be honest, I didn't like the main character at all.
I think a lot of fans of the Mamamia group will like it, but this one simply wasn't for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and Allen & Unwin for the arc for review.

[Craig and Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big thanks to Allen & Unwin and Atlantic Books for sending us a copy to read and review.
The online and digital world has swept the world like a tsunami and often the debris causes both emotional and physical havoc.
The easy access, the ability to troll and the cruel cancel culture make for a cut throat world.
Keyboard warriors that don’t have the interpersonal skills or courage to say it face to face can destroy their victims.
Ruby Williams is passionate and dedicated to her digital media career.
Articles that cause controversy and inappropriate photos to get clicks, followers and interest create misery as a barrage of hate comments are directed at her.
Tumultuous staff relationships fester in the foreground and the vitriolic campaign among readers create a personal hell for Ruby.
The relief from having no phone illuminates the freedom and sanity restoration.
Everyone has a backstory and harbours shadows from the past.
Ruby has unresolved history that needs reconciliation in addition to her crumbling career.
A fascinating spotlight on an industry we all engage with and utilise.
A great story with characters that are well written.
The intensity, drama and the humanity element catered for an authentic and entertaining read.

[Sean Szeps · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done is a wonderful debut.

I’ve been a fan of Clare’s writing for years, so I picked this up with high expectations. I expected wit and personality. And while it absolutely delivered on those fronts, what really surprised me was just how propulsive this story turned out to be. It felt like a snowball rolling down a hill, gaining size and speed with every chapter.

It’s not hard to make a reader laugh. Nor is it particularly difficult to pull at their heartstrings. But to transmit anxiety and make a reader’s chest tighten as a character’s life unravels in real time takes something special. That takes skill. And Clare absolutely nailed the brief.

As someone who deals with anxiety on the regular (and who works in the digital spotlight as a creator) this book struck a very specific nerve. It felt like I was being transported into the mind of someone caught in the crosshairs of cancel culture. Every twist and turn felt earned, every reaction painfully believable. This wasn’t just a story about being cancelled, no. It was a multi-layered exploration of accountability, perspective, identity and the grey areas that live in-between right and wrong.

What Clare does so brilliantly is offer the full picture. We get the drama, of course. But we also get empathy. We see both sides of the story, some that rarely make it to the headlines. She acknowledges wrongdoing while also exploring love, friendship, the insidious nature of the media machine and what it means to be human in a very unforgiving digital world.

If this is her debut, then I can’t wait to see what comes next.

[Kim Truong · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly forgot what happened as soon as I finished the book. It was mediocre and the reason why the protagonist was “cancelled” was really not that bad - maybe that was the point? The protagonist just seemed really self absorbed and unlikeable.

[Amy Lee Corr · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s no one to blame but myself for choosing a book on how infuriating and unfair the internet is as a break from too much time on the internet

[kaitlyns_library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book dives into the dark side of social media and how people’s opinions can really harm others. This book provides so many perspectives throughout and does a few time jumps to really get the picture. Stephens’ use of language to connect a story further down the track was really well done. I was hooked from the get go and had to take mini breaks because of my emotional response to this book (because it was done so well). I was confused towards the end of this book as to why the story wanted to focus on Ruby’s life a year after Felicity ruined hers online. However, with its progression, it made sense how everything connected.
This book is a reminder that hurt people hurt people and that everyone’s got their own lives and perspectives. Don’t just look at what’s in front of you.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

[Maddy]

DNF at 200 pages. Lost interest and felt fatigued with the drama because I used to work in media.

[Deborah (debbishdotcom) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Worst Thing I've Ever Done by Clare Stephens, the former Mama Mia editor-in-chief is certainly well-written, offering an insightful commentary on the online world today. Stephens knows that world and is well-placed to reflect on it... warts-n-all. In fact it means we get to go behind the scenes of the world of clickbait headlines and regurgitated stories featuring the royal family or B list celebrities.

This book would be great for bookclubs as there's a lot to process, asking ourselves what we would have done under the same circumstances, or whether we can relate to the haters. And of course, Stephens offers readers a sense of closure giving this a somewhat bittersweet (rather than satisfying) conclusion.

Read my review here: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...

[Jacki (Julia Flyte) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is SUCH an unsettling read about cancel culture.

Ruby is an online journalist with “a savant-like ability to predict what an audience would care about, the kind of headlines they’d click on, the posts they’d like”. Her career is flying high. Until she publishes an interview that could have been worded better and it leads to an internet pile on. Public outrage is swift and it is brutal. Ruby’s life is upended.

I could completely feel everything that Ruby was going through. At times it was hard to read because I was completing sharing her outrage, disbelief and despair.

It’s not perfect, there are parts where the pacing is uneven or it feels repetitive, but honestly it is just SO unnerving and thought provoking. The way the shaming keeps ramping up and up. The judgement from people who know nothing about her. Her attempts to address the situation and the way they backfire. Her well meaning family and friends who think she just had to ignore it and it will pass. The way we depersonalise people online. So much to think about. All of it was fascinating.

The author was editor in chief at Mamamia, an Australian media company, and you can tell how familiar with that world she is.

[Ruby Lay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this was experiencing the feeling of “I need to stop reading and do XYZ” then getting to the end of a chapter and continuing anyway because it was so juicy. A fascinating insight into what’s happening beyond our screens and an important reminder that something that might seem black & white online often isn’t. Really liked this book!

[Meghan Coomber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn’t put this one down! Almost not enjoyable because I was stressed the whole time but I also couldn’t stop. Very zeitgeisty and I had low expectations because of that, but really held up

[Georgia Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book enraged me but it was a great read! It’s crazy the lengths some people will go to tear down a person they don’t know through social media. It’s a riveting read on the dark side of social media, pile on culture, and its all consuming toll on the person at the heart of the scandal.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Vibes: Girl Lit, Social Media Storm, Emotional Ride

- - -
Long time followers will know that a book that gives me all the feels is usually a sure fire 5 star rating. And that’s exactly what Clare Stephen’s debut did. This story had me laughing one page, tearing up the next and reflecting long after I closed the book.

Clare tackles the messy, dangerous side of social media with sharp insight. From public shaming, pile ons, criticism and the way online hate can spiral until it chips away at a person’s sense of self. She doesn’t shy away from heavy themes either weaving in grief, child loss, trauma and the sting of teenage social exile with sensitivity and depth.

Sounds heavy right? But here’s the magic. Clare balances it all with humour, wit and laugh out loud one liners that had me snorting into my coffee. Side note - Chapter 41 deserves its own standing ovation for the description of scroll stopping brilliance.

The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done is as entertaining as it is thought provoking and it left me rethinking the way I scroll, comment and consume online content. For a debut, this is powerful, fresh and unforgettable. I cannot wait to see what Clare does next.

Thanks to Allen and Unwin for the sneak peek ahead of release later this month. I feel very lucky to have read this one early.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the idea, but hated the execution.

[Bridgette Chisnall]

I feel scared to criticise this book because of the subject matter, but I would say about 70% of the book made me cringe. The random trauma side plot didn’t really add anything to the overall narrative and just gave the protagonist an annoying victim complex. I understand what the author was trying to do here but it just didn’t work for me. Will say that it was an easy read on a long-haul flight, so had that going for it at least.

[Fiona Lansdown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t believe I have the honour of being first to review this! I was so keen to read this being a big fan of Clare and her sister Jessie from their podcasts, but wasn’t sure if a book about online bullying, cancellation etc would be that interesting to me. But this was an amazing read. I had the rare luxury of a day off so pretty much read this in one go. Beautifully written, thoughtful, and shows empathy for all the characters.

[Tara McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

LOOOOVED this. Anything set in a sydney newsroom always hits the spot and I love anything that explores online cancel culture. Reading the hate comments kinda made me anxious though even though it was about a fictional character. The only thing I was confused by was the MSN of it all. I don’t think Gen Z did msn

[Alysse Balkwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and took a lot from it! So relatable & nostalgic (hello, MSN!) It was clever, insightful, and encapsulated a lot of my thoughts and feelings about the internet as of late. It feels very relevant and I think everyone should go and read this book. Makes me want to get off my phone for good!

[Bella Hosking · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book - real insight into what it would look like to be cancelled. Timely reminder just how harsh the internet is, how viscous people can be when given anonymity and how at the end of the day ultimately everyone is just human.

[Katelyn Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking and uplifting, such a great read. Really fitting with how I’ve been feeling around consuming too much rubbish on social media.

[Sara Garrity · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Claudia Siron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clare is such a talented writer! I absolutely loved her debut novel. Already keen for the next one!

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book soooo interesting with the way explored cancel culture and the dark side of social media. Would recommend!!

[Rachel lay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love reading about ‘cancel culture’ and the narrative hooked me. Disappointing to find the conclusion was that actually, it’s just girls being jealous haters. Without a doubt a page turner.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was an interesting premise and a very timely take on cancel culture and the power of social media. That said, I struggled to connect with Ruby as a main character, she often felt unlikeable, though I wasn’t sure if that was intentional or not. I also found myself wishing the story relied more on showing rather than telling. So much of the messaging felt spoon-fed and overly direct, which made the reading experience less engaging for me. Still, the themes were thought-provoking and relevant, even if the execution wasn’t quite to my taste.