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A review by kjanie
Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything by E. Lockhart
5.0
5/5 stars
I LOVE LOVE LOVED this book. It was so short and concise, but I was as emotionally invested in the story as I would have been in a full length novel. I was immediately excited to read this book when I read the premise. Basically, a girl is literally turned into a fly on the boys lockeroom wall. What a hilarious premise!! I had such a fun time reading this book and couldn't help but laugh out loud at so mnay points. The narration was witty, very relatable and also sarcastic. This has to be one of my favourite coming-of-age stories as we follow our heroine through her journey. Becoming a fly helps her feel more empathy for those around her, as well as coming to terms with her own identity. I highly recommend this book!! I'm so glad to be leaving 2017 with a bang, as this was one of my top reads for the year.
Gretchen Yee attends an art school, but she's not what you'd imagine. Instead of being considered 'unique' or 'special', Gretchen is just an ordinary teen, and a bit of an outcast. She is just the kind of girl who nerds out about comic books, eats alone at lunch and wonders if boys like her, especially if that boy is Titus. Does Titus like her back? What do the boys think of her? Why are they so much different than girls? Sick of the mediocracy of her life and these buzzing questions, Gretchen states that she'd like to be a fly in the boys' locker room, so she can finally figure it all out. Much to Gretchen's horror, her wish comes true and she is literally trapped as a fly in the school locker room.
I found this book to be unbelievably . I don't know if this book was meant to be a comedy, but I found it to be hilarious. It was such an honest portrayal of teenage life and the absurdity of it. Gretchen was sarcastic, witty and had quite a dry view on life. This was just so fun to read from, especially when she turned into a fly. The chapters when Gretchen was a fly were by far the most comical, as she found out the consequences of her wish. Day after day she had to watch a lot of naked boys, but surprisingly, that helped her figure her life out. This was such a unique and interesting was to tell a coming-of-age story, I loved it!
Gretchen was not a particularly likeable character, but I still enjoyed her point of view immensely. At the beginning of the book I just thought she was kind of pathetic. She constantly worried about what others thought of her, boys and had a negative view on everything. Even though these don't seem like likeable traits, they are honest traits. I remember thinking the same things as her when I was in school, which made Gretchen so relatable to me. She isn't a romanticised picture of a teenager, rather she is the brutally honest truth. Usually I don't go out of my way to pick up coming of age stories because I find them to be cheesy, but this one was honest and had relatable themes. Gretchen didn't change her life drastically throughout the story, but she did mature, and I enjoyed that believable (excluding the becoming a fly thing) character arc.
I also really loved the theme that I found in this book. Through her time as a fly, Gretchen understands that people are just as real as her. Even if she can't see it on the surface, they all have vulnerabilities, insecurities and emotions. It's kind of ironic that Gretchen had to become a fly to realise so much about the people around her. This was of presenting the theme made it flow smoothly with the story. It also didn't make the theme seem obvious or boring, it was entertaining and thought-provoking the whole way through.
On top of this book having a great theme and plot, it was also just an overall feel good book. I don't exactly know why, but I had this sense of giddiness throughout the book, which was especially elevated at the end. This book just makes me so happy. Even if Gretchen wouldn't be my favourite person in real life, she was fun and I rooted for her. I just think this book had a very playful and light tone, which is probably why it brought me so much joy. Also, there is some very sweet friendship and romantic moments that made my heart go crazy. I was overcome with happiness at the end of this book, probably because I enjoyed it so much, found it immensely satisfying and think it is so well written.
I LOVE LOVE LOVED this book. It was so short and concise, but I was as emotionally invested in the story as I would have been in a full length novel. I was immediately excited to read this book when I read the premise. Basically, a girl is literally turned into a fly on the boys lockeroom wall. What a hilarious premise!! I had such a fun time reading this book and couldn't help but laugh out loud at so mnay points. The narration was witty, very relatable and also sarcastic. This has to be one of my favourite coming-of-age stories as we follow our heroine through her journey. Becoming a fly helps her feel more empathy for those around her, as well as coming to terms with her own identity. I highly recommend this book!! I'm so glad to be leaving 2017 with a bang, as this was one of my top reads for the year.
Gretchen Yee attends an art school, but she's not what you'd imagine. Instead of being considered 'unique' or 'special', Gretchen is just an ordinary teen, and a bit of an outcast. She is just the kind of girl who nerds out about comic books, eats alone at lunch and wonders if boys like her, especially if that boy is Titus. Does Titus like her back? What do the boys think of her? Why are they so much different than girls? Sick of the mediocracy of her life and these buzzing questions, Gretchen states that she'd like to be a fly in the boys' locker room, so she can finally figure it all out. Much to Gretchen's horror, her wish comes true and she is literally trapped as a fly in the school locker room.
I found this book to be unbelievably . I don't know if this book was meant to be a comedy, but I found it to be hilarious. It was such an honest portrayal of teenage life and the absurdity of it. Gretchen was sarcastic, witty and had quite a dry view on life. This was just so fun to read from, especially when she turned into a fly. The chapters when Gretchen was a fly were by far the most comical, as she found out the consequences of her wish. Day after day she had to watch a lot of naked boys, but surprisingly, that helped her figure her life out. This was such a unique and interesting was to tell a coming-of-age story, I loved it!
Gretchen was not a particularly likeable character, but I still enjoyed her point of view immensely. At the beginning of the book I just thought she was kind of pathetic. She constantly worried about what others thought of her, boys and had a negative view on everything. Even though these don't seem like likeable traits, they are honest traits. I remember thinking the same things as her when I was in school, which made Gretchen so relatable to me. She isn't a romanticised picture of a teenager, rather she is the brutally honest truth. Usually I don't go out of my way to pick up coming of age stories because I find them to be cheesy, but this one was honest and had relatable themes. Gretchen didn't change her life drastically throughout the story, but she did mature, and I enjoyed that believable (excluding the becoming a fly thing) character arc.
“I love the idea of the big life - the life that matters, the life that makes a difference. The life where stuff happens, where people take action. The opposite of the life where the girl can't even speak to the boy she likes; the opposite of the life where the friends aren't even good friends, and lots of days are wasted away feeling bored and kind of okay, like nothing matters much.”
I also really loved the theme that I found in this book. Through her time as a fly, Gretchen understands that people are just as real as her. Even if she can't see it on the surface, they all have vulnerabilities, insecurities and emotions. It's kind of ironic that Gretchen had to become a fly to realise so much about the people around her. This was of presenting the theme made it flow smoothly with the story. It also didn't make the theme seem obvious or boring, it was entertaining and thought-provoking the whole way through.
On top of this book having a great theme and plot, it was also just an overall feel good book. I don't exactly know why, but I had this sense of giddiness throughout the book, which was especially elevated at the end. This book just makes me so happy. Even if Gretchen wouldn't be my favourite person in real life, she was fun and I rooted for her. I just think this book had a very playful and light tone, which is probably why it brought me so much joy. Also, there is some very sweet friendship and romantic moments that made my heart go crazy. I was overcome with happiness at the end of this book, probably because I enjoyed it so much, found it immensely satisfying and think it is so well written.