Thursday, March 18, 2021

The Girl Least Likely by Katy Loutzenhiser

Synopsis (via Goodreads): To All the Boys meets The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (with a dash of Dumplin’) in this funny, romantic, and heartfelt coming of age story about a teen stand-up comic learning how to be her truest self, from the author of If You’re Out There.

Gretchen has always been more of a “least likely” than a “most likely” kind of girl. So how does she somehow find herself living out every trope from her favorite rom-coms…?

The Best Friend Crush: Why is it suddenly so hard to act normal around her childhood BFF, Samuel? Must be time for a—

Makeover(!): Black leather pants and some red lipstick are apparently enough to lend Gretchen the bravado to do an impromptu set at a comedy club, and catch the eye of—

The Roguish Bad Boy: Jeremy, the alluring young comic who thinks her name is Sabrina. It might just be—

The Perfect Cover: A funny-girl alter-ego that frees Gretchen to explore who she really is—and what she really wants. But as rom-coms have taught her, leading a double life can only last so long.



I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I absolutely loved The Girl Least Likely! I devoured the audiobook despite the synthetic voice (which weirdly worked for me this time), and cannot wait to purchase a physical copy for my shelves. Also, if I enjoyed a computer-generated narrator, then I can only image how good the actual audiobook is going to be (which says a lot about the story itself)! Loutzenhiser has created a remarkable story with relatable characters that I would love to be friends with. Gretchen and Sam, Jeremy and the rest of the comedians, Ethan and Natalie - all of them were wonderfully well-written and left lasting impressions.

Gretchen had a seemingly predictable teenage experience... pretended to be someone else while waiting for the other shoe to drop. However, Loutzenhiser adds a few unexpected twists to the story that I did not see coming, and those small additions completely changed the story for me. Gretchen knew her secret identity couldn't last forever, but she enjoyed the anonymity while doing stand-up comedy. She could be anyone - say anything - and it wouldn't directly affect Gretchen. She was wrong of course, because pretending to be someone else was bound to backfire eventually, but she also learned a lot about herself along the way. I really enjoyed following Gretchen's journey and felt like I was a part of her story. I also liked seeing how her character evolved over the course of the book - everything felt authentic and sincere.

While there are multiple love interests in The Girl Least Likely, it never felt like a love triangle. One is an unrequited love, while the other is new and unpredictable. Gretchen uses comedy to sort through her thoughts and feelings - making jokes about her life and those involved - and learns a lot about her family, friendships, and her own pessimistic perspective. Stand-up gave her an opportunity to say her thoughts out loud and express emotions she would normally bury. She didn't feel the need to hide when she was behind a microphone or in front of strangers in an audience, and I thought it was a clever outlet for her fears and insecurities. It was wonderfully unique and so interesting to read about. I love comedy and stand-up specifically, so it was fun to see a character explore those in a YA book. 

I'm 85% sure all of the comedians mentioned in this book (the ones that were characters themselves and not just references) were fictional, but I really wish they weren't. Loutzenhiser manages to be funny and write jokes for multiple people. We don't just see Gretchen being funny on and off the stage, but the other comedians participating in the competition, as well as a famous comedian that Gretchen loves. The author manages to write unique stories for each secondary character, while also making them funny in their own way. I loved how diverse their material was, and that each person had a different way of doing comedy. Really, really well done. 

I thought I knew how this story was going to play out, but I was happy to be wrong! The conflict was wholly believable and not at all cringey (no annoying tropes here). I hate when a story unfolds in a cookie cutter way, so I was pleasantly surprised when Loutzenhiser veered off course and made Gretchen's experience something totally new and completely unforgettable. If you're looking for a book that will make you laugh, keep a perpetual smile on your face, and has characters you'll love to root for - definitely add The Girl Least Likely to your TBR! 

Side note: I loved the references to Samantha Bee (Full Frontal) and Parks & Rec. 

39 comments:

  1. I don't think I've ever read a book about stand-up comedians; that's great that the author was able to capture so many comedic voices!

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    1. It was a first for me too! I really enjoyed it. :)

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  2. I love the sound of this one! It is a true testament to the writing that even a generic narrator could make you fall in love with the story!

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    1. Right? It was so good, Ethan! I thought it was going to have a predictable conflict, but I was wrong. The author managed to surprise me several times throughout the story. I also want to listen to the audio again when it's properly narrated, just so I can see the difference.

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  3. You are way ahead of me here (I am only reading April releases). I am excited about this book. The author had improv in her last book, so I am not surprised to hear about the comedy being part of this story too

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    1. I may have skipped several April and May releases to start this one, but it's one of the few audio arcs I have. I'm able to listen to those while waiting to pick my kid of from school, after work when we're cleaning, etc. It's harder to find time to sit down and read these days.

      I haven't read her other book, but I definitely want to! You saying it has improv only makes me want to read it more. <3

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  4. I haven't heard of this book before, but it sounds like so much fun! And standup comedy in a book is also a first for me too, I haven't read one with that aspect. Romance and humor seemed to be a win in this story, fabulous review!
    Jen @ Star-Crossed Book Blog

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    1. The romance was tricky in this one - very subtle! It wasn't at all what I was expecting. The setting just made everything better. :)

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  5. Oh, I love the sound of this one. I couldn't imagine a computer generated narrator though. I think that the humor in the book would really appeal to me. Thanks for putting this one on my radar.

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    1. Synthetic voices for audiobook arcs definitely take some getting used to, but they're really not as awful as I initially thought they would be. They don't sound robotic or fake. It's just that they speak slowly and without any inflection, so you lose some of the character's personality, I think. It's also hard to tell who's talking unless you're paying really close attention.

      A really great book though!

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  6. I do love an unexpected twist. This sounds good.

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    1. It is! I don't think it's quite as steamy as what you're used to, but it's still good. ;)

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  7. This sounds great fun, you had me at dash of Dumplin’!

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    1. I haven't read Dumplin' but I did see the movie! How did they compare (if you've seen it)?

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  8. I am so loving the sound of this one. Thanks for sharing, I will definitely be adding this to my wishlist.

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  9. I am going to request this one right now if it is still available!

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    1. Were you able to get approved for this one? Was it still available? I hope so! It was such a good book. Amazing story, lovely characters, funny... :)

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  10. Oh how awesome that it's a female comedian, and just about comedy in general because I love stand-up comedy. It's a testament to the author's ability that she can write jokes for various characters.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. Yes! She doesn't do entire sets for the other characters, but we see snippets of their materials. I liked how different they were, and think the author did really well with their individual voices and styles. Stand-up comedy has always been hit-or-miss for me, but I really like it overall. :)

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  11. I don't think I've ever done a computer generated narrator before, and I'm curious. Glad to hear it was a hit for you Lindsi! :)

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    1. They've been using synthetic voices for audiobook ARCs on NetGalley! The voices have been pretty varied, so I'm curious how they choose which computerized voice to use for each book. For example, I listened to Pride and Premeditation and the narrator (a synthetic voice) had a British accent. The only real downside is the sameness of all the character's voices. If you're not paying attention, it's easy to lose track of who is talking.

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  12. Synthetic voices? Wow, it must have been a REALLY good book if that didn't impact your listening!

    Also, this one has such a fresh premise.

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    1. I think this was my third audiobook arc with a synthetic voice, and they're really not that bad. They sound like normal people, there's just no inflection or change in the character's voices. Ethan sounded like Gretchen sounded like Sam sounded like... everyone sounded the same, so you really have to pay attention to what's being said.

      Loved the premise! I was so happy with how everything played out, too.

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  13. This sounds like a lot of fun! And this - "She could be anyone - say anything -" I can see where this would be fun to explore too. Glad this was amazing. :) The computer generated narration has me really curious too... and not being predictable or trope-y is awesome too.

    Thanks for stopping by!

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    1. Exactly! I really loved seeing Gretchen grow throughout the book. Doing stand-up made her realize things about herself and her life that she hadn't previously noticed. Her jokes were personal - things about her family and friends - and saying them out loud was almost therapeutic for her. It made her see things in a different light, too. I thought the whole thing was really well done.

      Synthetic voices are WEIRD, but it wasn't terrible.

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  14. I am so glad you enjoyed this one despite the narrator! I like the sound of it looking like the usual story but then including some unexpected twists. And I am glad that even if there is more than one love interest it doesn't branch into a love triangle. Wonderful review!

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    1. I honestly thought the conflict was going to be predictable, and I just kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. When the shoe finally fell, I was NOT prepared! I actually rewound the audiobook a little to make sure I heard everything correctly. I love it when an author is able to really surprise me. <3

      Yes! No love triangles here. Multiple love interests... sort of. ;)

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  15. OH this sounds really good, I am so curious

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  16. I tried my first NetGalley ARC with a computerized voice and was suprised by how okay I was with it. I thought the voice they chose was perfect for the book and worked really well.

    This book sounds great!! I love the comedy aspect - I'll definitely have to check it out.

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. I felt the same way! I was really hesitant about a synthetic voice, but I also didn't realize they had so many different computerized voices to choose from. I've listened to three so far, and they've all been vastly different. One was even British! It's crazy what technology can do. It's still not the same as listening to a book read by someone that's alive and breathing, but it wasn't terrible. ;)

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  17. To All the Boys meets The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (with a dash of Dumplin’)? That sounds pretty perfect to me. I also love that it's about stand-up comedy since that's not something I typically read about in books. I almost requested the audio gallery of this but decided against it because I haven't had the best of luck with those synthetic voices. I may have to reconsider.

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    1. Which books have you tried with synthetic voices? I think I've just been lucky with mine. They've all worked really well for the story, despite being flat and unchanging. The stand-up aspect was incredibly unique and really well done. I'm so happy the book didn't end the way I thought it would. :)

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  18. Definitely something different and worth looking into.
    Synthetic voices? Don't think that will work so well for me!

    Lovely review!

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    1. I didn't think they'd work well for me either, but I was pleasantly surprised. You just have to give them your full attention. :)

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  19. The book must be really good if you enjoyed it with a computer generated voice! I always love the voice acting, especially in English books. So you've definitely made me curious.

    The synopsis that gives a little hint towards To All The Boys is definitely a hit for me because I just finished reading that series!

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    1. I love listening to audiobooks, so I miss the warmth and vibrancy of a typical narrator, but it's really not terrible to listen to. I haven't read that series, but I have seen the first movie. Aren't there three now?

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    2. There are! But I've not decided yet if I want to watch them because I just loved the books... I don't want the movies to spoil it, you know.. LOL.

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― Marissa Meyer, Heartless