Fly on the Wall

Gretchen Yee attends Manhattan High School for the Arts, which should mean that she’s “different” and “special” and expresses her individuality whenever possible, right? Wrong. Gretchen feels ordinary, despite her extraordinary surroundings. She’s even tried to fit in by coloring her hair red—an action that proved successful only in pissing off her mother.

Gretchen is the kind of girl who sits alone at lunch, drawing pictures of Spider-Man to avoid being social. She’s got a crush on complex ‘Art Rat’ Titus but refuses to do anything about it, and her best (and only real) friend Katya is always busy. What’s a girl to do?

So one day, Gretchen wishes that she could be a fly on the wall of the boys’ locker room, so she can learn more about those crazy males—what are they really like? What do they really talk about? And are they really such idiots most of the time? But the last thing Gretchen expects is for her wish to come true.

Fly on the Wall, by E. Lockhart is one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in a while. It’s smart, insightful, and laugh-out-loud hilarious enough to keep you giggling long after the last page is turned.