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mo_elcius's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book as part of a challenge I wanted to do. This book was added to a list of books in my state that are considered controversial and are pending investigation to be banned. Without looking up anything about this book, I wanted to figure out why it would be part of this list and the age group it was meant for.
I believe I have definitely figured out why this book was added to the list, only if the book was being handed to children below the age of 15/16. There was some profanity and a lot of talk, and a lot of thoughts, about the male anatomy. I found it funny and true. Now, I'm not on the school board(s) where this book appeared to be reviewed, but I don't believe that the content in this book was promoting one way of loving, or liking, over the other.
It took me a little minute to really get into the book, but I'm glad I finished it. I was rooting for Gretchen to stop her whining and cynical loathing of the world and the people in it. I kept trying to figure out, "What is the lesson she is supposed to learn by going through what she does?" I think that she needed to learn to look beyond her perceptions/assumptions of others and really see that not all people are the same just because of who they hang with, drive, or even smell like. Also, there are themes and content related to perceived American male masculinity, bullying, and teenage insecurities.
Gretchen came to realize that things are not perfect, she and her art won't always be understood, it's important to speak up for what you want, and you never know what others are going through.
I appreciated the read at the end.
I believe I have definitely figured out why this book was added to the list, only if the book was being handed to children below the age of 15/16. There was some profanity and a lot of talk, and a lot of thoughts, about the male anatomy. I found it funny and true. Now, I'm not on the school board(s) where this book appeared to be reviewed, but I don't believe that the content in this book was promoting one way of loving, or liking, over the other.
It took me a little minute to really get into the book, but I'm glad I finished it. I was rooting for Gretchen to stop her whining and cynical loathing of the world and the people in it. I kept trying to figure out, "What is the lesson she is supposed to learn by going through what she does?" I think that she needed to learn to look beyond her perceptions/assumptions of others and really see that not all people are the same just because of who they hang with, drive, or even smell like. Also, there are themes and content related to perceived American male masculinity, bullying, and teenage insecurities.
Gretchen came to realize that things are not perfect, she and her art won't always be understood, it's important to speak up for what you want, and you never know what others are going through.
I appreciated the read at the end.
bryonymorgan's review against another edition
2.0
A quick read that I had many problems with but had a few cute moments. It just felt misogynistic even tho most of the objectification was of men or rather boys. The writing style was not my cup of tea and I never really got used to it. I felt indifferent about the main character and therefore did not empathise with their POV. It got less problematic as it went on but that doesn’t make up for its earlier offences. Despite this I found a few character interactions to be endearing but these moments were fleeting. I probably wouldn’t recommend it even though it did get me out of my six year reading slump.
cburgbennett's review against another edition
1.0
1.5 stars. I wasn't very impressed with this book. The storyline was interesting and different, for sure, but overall the book had too much swearing and was pretty dirty.
I liked E. Lockhart's Ruby Oliver series, but this book was a definite downward spiral from those. Would not recommend.
I liked E. Lockhart's Ruby Oliver series, but this book was a definite downward spiral from those. Would not recommend.
johnnymacaroni's review against another edition
3.0
This book has an interesting premise...pretty original I think. Intriguing characters.
thewallflower00's review against another edition
3.0
It's short, but doesn't have very much plot. It's supposed to be about a girl who Franz Kafka's into a fly, so she can know what boys are really like, what they talk about, what goes on when girls aren't there turning them into monkey-idiots.
The thing is, it doesn't seem like her big problem is understanding boys, but getting people to understand her. She goes to an arts high school where her teacher frowns on her refusal to branch from a comic book style. Her parents spring a divorce on her, then her mom leaves her daughter behind while she goes on a week-long cruise (this makes it convenient to be a fly for a week). She's not boy-crazy, like I'd expect out of a plot like this.
It's decent at learning about the gendered Other, but doesn't go as far with the idea as it could and uses too much melodrama. The titular "fly on the wall" literally doesn't leave the locker room, and there is a lot more to teen males than what happens there. It's like studying polar bear behavior only in the zoo. There's a significant portion of the text dedicated to discovering boys' "gherkins". Is this a northeastern thing? I've NEVER heard anyone use the word gherkin, least of all as much as she does.
But it's easy and short. I think you'll get something out of it, as long as you're not looking for much.
The thing is, it doesn't seem like her big problem is understanding boys, but getting people to understand her. She goes to an arts high school where her teacher frowns on her refusal to branch from a comic book style. Her parents spring a divorce on her, then her mom leaves her daughter behind while she goes on a week-long cruise (this makes it convenient to be a fly for a week). She's not boy-crazy, like I'd expect out of a plot like this.
It's decent at learning about the gendered Other, but doesn't go as far with the idea as it could and uses too much melodrama. The titular "fly on the wall" literally doesn't leave the locker room, and there is a lot more to teen males than what happens there. It's like studying polar bear behavior only in the zoo. There's a significant portion of the text dedicated to discovering boys' "gherkins". Is this a northeastern thing? I've NEVER heard anyone use the word gherkin, least of all as much as she does.
But it's easy and short. I think you'll get something out of it, as long as you're not looking for much.
mattiebouley's review against another edition
2.0
this book was probably the most ridiculous book i’ve ever read. I found it at goodwill and i recognized the title from tiktok, i knew that the review on tiktok wasn’t good but from $3 i decided to read it for myself because why not. It was horrible. It’s one of those common cases where you are supposed to like the main character but they have no good qualities, like Tori from victorious. For the majority of the book the main character is just in the boys locker room, as a fly, fanning over random teenage boys. I wouldn’t recommend wasting your money on the book.
allib543's review against another edition
1.0
If I could give this book less than a star, I probably would. Everything was fine until Part 2. I could not get over the reference to penises as “gherkins” (unironically) or the fact that the main character spent hours in a boys locker room. She classified, objectified, mocked, and ridiculed boys’ naked bodies, while spying on them. Who thought that was okay?