Gretchen has a problem. She’s developed a crush on her best friend Sam. And she doesn’t know what to do about it. Should she tell him? Should she ignore it and hope it goes away? Should she just grab him and give him a kiss? She has no idea. Up until this point in her life, dating wasn’t really a priority. But there is good news—it’s New Year’s Eve Eve, and every year on this night, she gets together with her sister and cousin to watch rom coms. She can ask for advice, or at least maybe find some inspiration in the movies she loves so much.
But then the plans change. Her sister and cousin decide they need to blow off some steam and want to go out to some bars. At first Gretchen feels left out (again, I mean she is still stuck in high school while they’re in college), but then her cousin pulls out a fake ID that she can use. With some borrowed clothes, makeup, and a pair of glasses, Gretchen is transformed into Sabrina, a sophisticated woman in her early 20s, and ready to go out.
While Gretchen refuses to drink on their night out, the others do, and when her cousin signs up for the open mic night at the comedy club and then disappears, Gretchen feels the need to get on stage and apologize for her disappearing. But then she goes on to say a few things, and it turns out she’s not only funny, but she can also be funny on stage. It turns out that the open mic was actually a competition, and she made it to the next round. She’s invited back to do it again the next week.
Or rather, Sabrina is invited back.
As the weeks go by, Gretchen finds herself enjoying the comedy. She also enjoys flirting with fellow comic Jeremy. But she also has to deal with high school, getting quotes for the yearbook and helping her friend who is getting ready to apply at Julliard, and deal with her crush on Sam. But Gretchen figures out that she can use some of these problems she has in real life for her comedy act. So her frustrations with her sister and cousin not listening to her? In the act. Her confusion about what to do about Sam? In the act. Her mother wanting to give the family dog a birthday party with a Gatsby theme? In the act. The quirks of living in Portland, Maine? In the act.
And it all goes really well. Until it doesn’t.
When someone inadvertently livestreams some of Gretchen’s act, she has to face the fallout of using her own life for her comedy. Her beloved rom coms won’t save her now. The only thing that has any hope of making everything all right again? The truth.
The Girl Least Likely is the latest YA rom com from author Katy Loutzenhiser, and it is strong in personality and in laughs. Her characters are smart and confident, the dialogue is snappy, and her deep understanding of rom coms is on point. Loutzenhiser’s own experience as a stand-up comic is clear, as she talks us through what it’s like to be on stage and how to write comedy that is personal without being too personal.
I really loved this book. Watching Gretchen grow through her experiences with comedy and just with regular life reminded me of growing up, or what I wish my experience of growing up had been. And while Gretchen and her family are big fans of rom coms and talk about them a lot throughout the book, I kept thinking that this story would make such a great movie. I do hope someone form Hollywood finds it and does it justice. If you like funny YA books with charming characters, then The Girl Least Likely is not to be missed! Read it as soon as you can.
Voice galleys for The Girl Least Likely were provided by Harper through NetGalley, with many thanks.
