Getting the Girl: A Guide to Private Investigation, Surveillance, and Cookery- Susan Juby

Publisher: Harper Teen
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 352 pages

Genre: Mystery, Comedy

Sunglasses. Check.

Binoculars. Check.
Notepad. Check.
Mom's pink bike.
Check. Check?

Meet Sherman Mack. Short. Nerdy. Amateur P.I. and prepared to do anything for Dini Trioli. Nobody knows who began it or when it became a tradition, but every girl at Harewood Tech fears being D-listed, a ritual that wipes her off the social map forever. When Sherman believes Dini is in danger of being D-listed, he snatches up his surveillance gear and launches a full-scale investigation to uncover who is responsible. Could it be the captain of the lacrosse team? The hottest girls in school, the Trophy Wives? Or maybe their boyfriends? One thing is for sure: Sherman Mack is on the case. And he's not giving up. Part comedy, part mystery, and with all of Juby's trademark tongue-in-cheek humor, Getting the Girl takes on one of the cruelest aspects of high school: how easy it is for an entire school to turn on someone, and how hard it can be to be the only one willing to fight back.

I actually read this book last year when it was nominated here in Ontario for an OLA White Pine Award (I’ll be writing a post about the 2011 White Pine Awards shortly), but I really wanted to review it here on the GUYde because I think it is an excellent example of a contemporary storyline a teenage guy can relate to.

What blew me away immediately with this one is just how surprised I was with Susan Juby’s ability to write a male character so well. Honestly while reading Getting the Girl and getting to know Juby’s main character, Sherman I can’t remember how many times I thought to myself, “wow he’s just like I was in ninth grade!” Although maybe I shouldn't admit that so freely. No it's true, I couldn't get a date to save my life. Juby does such a great job crafting her protagonist to be both likeable and believable. The further I read the more I seemed to relate to him and the more I wanted to get to know him. Even though Sherman is the star of the show, Juby doesn't slack when it comes to her secondary characters. The plot really wouldn't work without the Trophy Wives, or Sherm's best friends Rick and Vanessa. I found all of them to be exceptionally written and each are vital pieces to the overall story.

Ultimately this is a “who dunnit” story, but it’s laced with a little bit of romance and whole bunch of comedy. There were a few times during this book where I found myself laughing out loud. There is one chapter in particular that involves a stake-out and an open mouth jar (or more accurately, the lack there of) that literally had me on the verge of wetting myself.

When I picked this book up I couldn’t put it down until I was finished. This book is a great read for guys. For guys who like mysteries or detective stories, this one is perfect for you. It‘s a fast paced, quick read full of non-stop laughs. Definitely check this one out if you get the chance.