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Don't Get Mad #1
Get Even
The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars in Gretchen McNeil’s witty and suspenseful novel about four disparate girls who join forces to take revenge on high school bullies and create dangerous enemies for themselves in the process.
Bree, Olivia, Kitty, and Margot have nothing in common—at least that’s what they’d like the students and administrators of their elite private school to think. The girls have different goals, different friends, and different lives, but they share one very big secret: They’re all members of Don’t Get Mad, a secret society that anonymously takes revenge on the school’s bullies, mean girls, and tyrannical teachers.
When their latest target ends up dead with a blood-soaked “DGM” card in his hands, the girls realize that they’re not as anonymous as they thought—and that someone now wants revenge on them. Soon the clues are piling up, the police are closing in . . . and everyone has something to lose.
Bree, Olivia, Kitty, and Margot have nothing in common—at least that’s what they’d like the students and administrators of their elite private school to think. The girls have different goals, different friends, and different lives, but they share one very big secret: They’re all members of Don’t Get Mad, a secret society that anonymously takes revenge on the school’s bullies, mean girls, and tyrannical teachers.
When their latest target ends up dead with a blood-soaked “DGM” card in his hands, the girls realize that they’re not as anonymous as they thought—and that someone now wants revenge on them. Soon the clues are piling up, the police are closing in . . . and everyone has something to lose.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 16, 2014
About the author
Gretchen McNeil
24 books2,017 followersGretchen McNeil is the author of the YA horror/suspense novels POSSESS, 3:59, RELIC, GET EVEN, GET DIRTY, and TEN (a YALSA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, a Romantic Times Top Pick, and a Booklist Top Ten Horror Fiction for Youth) all with Balzer + Bray for HarperCollins. Gretchen’s first YA contemporary I’M NOT YOUR MANIC PIXIE DREAM GIRL, also with Balzer + Bray, hit shelves in 2016, and her next novel will be the horror-comedy #MURDERTRENDING for Disney/Freeform in August 2018.
Gretchen’s novels have been published internationally in Chinese, Spanish, Turkish, and Czech. The film adaptation of TEN starring China Anne McClain (Descendants 2, Black Lightning), Rome Flynn (The Bold and the Beautiful), and Callan McAuliffe (Flipped, I Am Number Four), directed by Chris Robert for Rain Maker Films, premiered on Lifetime on September 16, 2017.
Gretchen is repped by Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown, Ltd. You can find Gretchen on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and on her website.
Gretchen’s novels have been published internationally in Chinese, Spanish, Turkish, and Czech. The film adaptation of TEN starring China Anne McClain (Descendants 2, Black Lightning), Rome Flynn (The Bold and the Beautiful), and Callan McAuliffe (Flipped, I Am Number Four), directed by Chris Robert for Rain Maker Films, premiered on Lifetime on September 16, 2017.
Gretchen is repped by Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown, Ltd. You can find Gretchen on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and on her website.
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June 12, 2014
She thrust her right hand forward.*rolls eyes*
“I, Kitty Wei, do solemnly swear, no secrets—ever—shall leave this square.”
Margot was beside her in an instant, her right arm extended.
“I, Margot Mejia, do solemnly swear, no secrets—ever—shall leave this square.”
Let's say you can buy a Dior purse for $50, in a spectacular find on clearance. Let's say you can also buy a knockoff Dior purse for $50. If they're pretty much the same value, wouldn't you want to get something that's more...authentic? Better? Designed and proven to please? That's the case of this book. There's no point in reading it when there is a superior version in Burn for Burn.
The trouble with Get Even is that it's a silly, weak, watered down version of the most excellent Burn for Burn. Furthermore, it's more unrealistic, in the amateur vigilante sort of way. If you just want to be entertained, sure, go for it. If you want a more realistic scenario actually involving revenge...go for the real thing. This is inferior to Burn for Burn in every way.
Furthermore...the premise is rather silly and contradictory. There is a group formed by the four girls in the book. They call themselves "Get Even" (as in...don't get mad...). Their mission is to publicly shame and humiliate bullies...and while nobody likes assholes, doesn't it just bring the anti-bullying group down to the same level of the bullies by humiliating them? I could compare it against the death penalty (and get a lot of flak for it, I'm sure) by saying it's like putting someone to death for murdering someone. I just don't like that sort of message. I feel that Burn for Burn was less blatantly hypocritical in that sense than this book ended up being.
:|
The characters are similar, too...
The Summary: You have four "friends" each as different as can be.
The overweight, socially ostracized, intellectually brilliant Margot.
Margot understood the degradation, the knowledge that every set of eyes was on him, judging his overweight body, murmuring “fat ass” under their breath while they tacitly assumed the obesity was his fault.The popular, beautiful Asian girl Kitty (I guess I should appreciate the diversity, but this still feels like Burn for Burn).
“Now, to introduce a short video presentation by the leadership class, your student body vice president, Kitty Wei.”Politician's daughter, hipster wannabe Bree, who doesn't give a shit about her parents' political ambitions.
John might fantasize about how cool it would be to have a superstar politician and heir apparent to the governor’s mansion for a dad, but for Bree, the reality had been sixteen years of being reminded that she was the black sheep of the family who didn’t conform, didn’t appreciate her advantages, didn’t understand how important it was to maintain her dad’s carefully groomed image as the perfect family man.Beautiful aspiring actress Olivia, with a carefully groomed outer appearance and a secret shame.
Olivia crouched next to her bed and groped around underneath until her hand rested on a large Tupperware container wedged behind some old shoe boxes.So. Four girls who hang out in completely separate circles. What could they possibly have in common? Well, for one thing...they are the four members of DGM.
The smell hit her the moment she cracked the seal on the rubber lid. Sugar.
DGM is the bane of their school, Bishop DuMaine. They're well-known for pulling pranks, particularly on "bullies" who deserve it. Like a coach with a reputation for humiliating his students. His revenge from DGM is complete and utter public humiliation. Like showing a video clip of his audition for a reality TV show in front of the entire school body.
“I’m Richard Creed,” he said, his best shit-eating grin plastered across his face. “But you can call me Dick.” He wore a blue wifebeater two sizes too small, and his bulky arms looked as if he’d oiled them up with an entire tub of Crisco. He jabbed a thumb at his chest. “And I’m here”—he paused and pointed to the camera—“to give you three reasons why I’m going to win America’s Next Fitness Model.”DGM is considered to be such a threat to public safety that there's even a school investigation squad established of handsome young hunks, called Maine Men designated to uncover the culprits of DGM.
Well, all's well and dandy until someone gets murdered, and DGM gets the blame for it.
“‘The apparent murder weapon was found at the scene,’” Margot continued. “‘Along with a moniker for a local organization. No suspects are being held at this time. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call detectives at the Menlo Park Police Department.’”Will the members of DGM be able to get over the silly love triangles omg I'm dating my DGM member's ex-boyfriend omg insta-love omg my best friend might be in love with me drama to coordinate their super secret hand signals in order to find out the whodunnit and get the attention off themselves?
Margot swung around in her chair. “The moniker for a local organization? That would be us.”
The Setting:
All eyes drifted to Kitty. She’d know what to do.
Without hesitation, Kitty drew her hand across her chest, from her left shoulder to her right, giving the signal, then dropped her arm to her side and strode away.
“Ronny’s a predator,” she said. “And we can stop him from hurting someone else.” Kitty thrust out her chin. “Don’t get mad!”The secret super special secret society here just feels fucking silly.Instead of a more serious premise, we have pretty much a club with special hand signals and chants. What the fuck, man?
All three girls answered in strong, solid unison.
“Get even!”
Here's the difference: whereas in Burn for Burn, we get to watch the characters slowly come together in a quest for revenge...Get Even already comes pre-formed, and fuck if it isn't silly as hell. I mean, they have their own special group hand-shake power-chant. They have ALL met before the book. Their secret group of friends (who don't appear anywhere near each other on the high school social ladder) have already pre-formed, and as such, we don't get any of the interesting dynamics that develop between them initially. This book feels shallow and silly and unrealistic.
Burn for Burn worked better. We got to know the characters. We got to really FEEL their need for vengeance, that was why the premise felt realistic. That was why the premise worked. That was why I got fired up for revenge.
This book is not about revenge as much as it is about vigilantism and I can't say I support that. Yes, it sucks that there are bullies in school, and yeah, it sucks if you're a victim, but I am a firm believer that karma works, and I am a firm believer that teachers and authority figures actually know their shit, and yeah, high school sucks. Trust me, I remember it well, but this, too, shall pass, and in my opinion, taking it out on the bullies, while it feels good, takes us down to the level of the bullies themselves.
So that is why I can't fully support nor do I found the premise in this book enjoyable and believable. It just doesn't work for me.
The connection between the girls are hardly there.
“Are you sure,” Bree said drily, “you like your face that way? Because I could rearrange it for you.”They're just people who happened to join together for the same cause. There is no dynamic, no compelling backstory, no true sense of an alliance, above all, no true friendship.
But when it came time to choose an outreach program for the project, all four of them picked the same one—an antibullying awareness group.Womp, womp, womp. It's a dull letdown, and a dull premise that never meshed. I never got a sense of satisfaction from the book, in whatever justifiable (or not) acts of revenge perpetrated within this book.
The Characters: They feel clichéd. Yeah, I know it's a high school book. I know that it should be clichéd to a point, but there's a way of writing characters to make characters feel...real, and this book didn't do it for me. The main characters don't feel real. The people at the school don't feel real. They're more or less standardized high school tropes, like the mean girl Queen Bee.
A commotion rippled through the gathering crowd, as Amber Stevens pushed her way to the front, smiling gleefully in Theo’s direction. “What a pig!”To the evil headmaster, to a druggie whose nickname is...Ed the Head.
“Great,” Mika muttered. “The Supreme Bitch has arrived.”
“Ladies!” A gleam of braces and a whiff of strong and probably needless aftershave were the only harbingers of the skinny sophomore who spun onto the bench between Peanut and Jezebel.A peddler of everything from homework to junk food to running a gambling ring. The jocks are overly jock-y. The cliques are severely defined. There's nothing that feels realistic about this book.
“Hey, Ed.” Olivia couldn’t keep her eyes from lingering on his bulging backpack as she wondered what contraband he was peddling today.
I mean, sure, you could read this book. It's entertaining enough if you don't think about it, but why bother, when Burn for Burn is so much better?
All quotes were taken from an uncorrected proof subject to change in the final edition.
January 30, 2015
Are you looking for suspense,
mystery
, and
thrills
?
Are you looking for a revenge story in a prep school of les rich, complete with a raging, bully-enabling, hypocritical priest at its head?
Are you looking for side characters that are absolutely cardboard cut-outs of the bitch, the jock, the junkie, the minion-of-the-bitch-who-is-actually-miserable-and-feels-happy-when-she-is-complimented-over-the-bitch (wow that was long), the best friend, the snarling physical education teacher - among other "stereotypical" characters - that are absolutely expected now in books like this?
Yes, you get all of these in Get Even. Now, don't get me wrong. The characters may have been written in such a way that was seriously cheesy and mayhaps even exaggerated to the point that it's hard to take any of them seriously, but if you like mindless fun, I have no doubt this would be one of those read now, think later books that a reader would likely enjoy, because despite the one-dimensional characters, everything else is actually really well-written. I mean, take note, guys - this book is almost 400 pages long, and I was able to finish reading from A-Z in a span of four hours. FOUR BLOODY HOURS. That may just be my best personal record (and make that three hours and a half in actual length because I had to take my afternoon merienda somewhere in between. NO ONE or NOTHING can drag me away from my daily snacks!). Only a book that kept me so engrossed can make me fly through the pages like that.
If there's one thing this book does right, it's the pacing and how the plot was managed. I initially had doubts whether or not this book will actually enchant me as I've crashed and burned too many times before, but Gretchen McNeil's writing was really able keep my hearting pumping. There were simply too many clues, too many individuals of interest, too many shady backstories, forming a web of deceit and knives on the back, a web so big it's actually made me fascinated. Fine, yes, most of the characters were one-dimensional, and the secrets were probably even predictable (you need not a telescope to point them out in the distance), but if the writing makes it suspenseful with well-placed "chapter cliffhangers", can you blame me for actually enjoying it? I admit to rolling my eyes every now and then (the "bitch" in this story was laughably evil it was funny), but for me, it was easy to overlook the little things because the rest were truly gripping.
As for the main characters, we have four. There's Margot, an introvert who frequently gets panic attacks who used to be bullied by the school's Queen Bee in Middle School; Olivia, a beautiful, aspiring actress who is the Queen Bee's "best friend"; Bree, a senator's daughter who considers herself the black sheep of the family; and Kitty, the Volleyball captain and vice president of the Student Council. Four highly different, and maybe even nicely characterised characters, with chapters alternating among them. Thankfully, they weren't as limiting as the side characters (who were truly ridiculously one-dimensional... I hope I'm emphasizing that enough because to expect otherwise would only result to disappointment) and their group dynamics were really interesting to read. No, they are not the best of friends. No, their circle of friends are highly different. No, I wouldn't say all of them are on friendly terms with each other, either. But, they gathered together for one cause, one agenda, and that is to exact revenge on people who mercilessly bully others.
I simply just loved how they all had conflicting personalities. What would happen if this group who can barely hold themselves together finally meet "their match"? What would happen if shit gets real? What would happen if finally murder is involved? I loved seeing all the cracks in their "friendships" and how they dealt with it. How they treated other people because of it. It definitely made the one-dimensional side characters easier to bear (oh, fine! I'll stop now!).
All in all, this is a great book with great pacing and well-placed chapter cliffhangers, tons of clues, and tons of shady people you'll keep giving the shifty eyes to. I have a hunch who it could be, but there are just so many factors so it reckon it would be fun for the reader to piece it all together!
Are you looking for a revenge story in a prep school of les rich, complete with a raging, bully-enabling, hypocritical priest at its head?
Are you looking for side characters that are absolutely cardboard cut-outs of the bitch, the jock, the junkie, the minion-of-the-bitch-who-is-actually-miserable-and-feels-happy-when-she-is-complimented-over-the-bitch (wow that was long), the best friend, the snarling physical education teacher - among other "stereotypical" characters - that are absolutely expected now in books like this?
Yes, you get all of these in Get Even. Now, don't get me wrong. The characters may have been written in such a way that was seriously cheesy and mayhaps even exaggerated to the point that it's hard to take any of them seriously, but if you like mindless fun, I have no doubt this would be one of those read now, think later books that a reader would likely enjoy, because despite the one-dimensional characters, everything else is actually really well-written. I mean, take note, guys - this book is almost 400 pages long, and I was able to finish reading from A-Z in a span of four hours. FOUR BLOODY HOURS. That may just be my best personal record (and make that three hours and a half in actual length because I had to take my afternoon merienda somewhere in between. NO ONE or NOTHING can drag me away from my daily snacks!). Only a book that kept me so engrossed can make me fly through the pages like that.
If there's one thing this book does right, it's the pacing and how the plot was managed. I initially had doubts whether or not this book will actually enchant me as I've crashed and burned too many times before, but Gretchen McNeil's writing was really able keep my hearting pumping. There were simply too many clues, too many individuals of interest, too many shady backstories, forming a web of deceit and knives on the back, a web so big it's actually made me fascinated. Fine, yes, most of the characters were one-dimensional, and the secrets were probably even predictable (you need not a telescope to point them out in the distance), but if the writing makes it suspenseful with well-placed "chapter cliffhangers", can you blame me for actually enjoying it? I admit to rolling my eyes every now and then (the "bitch" in this story was laughably evil it was funny), but for me, it was easy to overlook the little things because the rest were truly gripping.
As for the main characters, we have four. There's Margot, an introvert who frequently gets panic attacks who used to be bullied by the school's Queen Bee in Middle School; Olivia, a beautiful, aspiring actress who is the Queen Bee's "best friend"; Bree, a senator's daughter who considers herself the black sheep of the family; and Kitty, the Volleyball captain and vice president of the Student Council. Four highly different, and maybe even nicely characterised characters, with chapters alternating among them. Thankfully, they weren't as limiting as the side characters (who were truly ridiculously one-dimensional... I hope I'm emphasizing that enough because to expect otherwise would only result to disappointment) and their group dynamics were really interesting to read. No, they are not the best of friends. No, their circle of friends are highly different. No, I wouldn't say all of them are on friendly terms with each other, either. But, they gathered together for one cause, one agenda, and that is to exact revenge on people who mercilessly bully others.
I simply just loved how they all had conflicting personalities. What would happen if this group who can barely hold themselves together finally meet "their match"? What would happen if shit gets real? What would happen if finally murder is involved? I loved seeing all the cracks in their "friendships" and how they dealt with it. How they treated other people because of it. It definitely made the one-dimensional side characters easier to bear (oh, fine! I'll stop now!).
All in all, this is a great book with great pacing and well-placed chapter cliffhangers, tons of clues, and tons of shady people you'll keep giving the shifty eyes to. I have a hunch who it could be, but there are just so many factors so it reckon it would be fun for the reader to piece it all together!
October 5, 2014
Rating: 5/5
Get Even is the story of four very different girls coming together to get revenge on the bullies of theis school. Bree, Kitty, Olivia and Margot couldn't be more different, they don't have the same friends or the same interest, but somehow they were brought together and decided to punish those that are cruel to their classmates. So, the DGM was formed, a secret group at their school that targets the bullies. But, when one of their future targets gets killed and a card of DGM is found on his body the group is the first suspect, but the police is not the only thing that has the girls scared, because one of them could be next.
I loved this one so much. Gretchen McNeil has a great writing style that just grips me and doesn't let go until the very end. It was really hard for me to se the book aside in order to do other things. The story of the four main characters is highly addictive. There are so many secrets in this book, besides the main issue of who the killer is, that will have you keep on reading. I really enjoyed them, even though we didn't get to learn who the killer is.
All the characters, main and secondary were brought to life splendidly. From the mean girls to the cool rock band, everyone had their own personality. I really enjoyed reading from all four PoVs. Can't say I was especially taken by any of the girls, but that was mainly because they were really believable. They had their good qualities but also their flaws. Still, I found that I loved all four of them by the end of the book. Each one changed and grew trhoughout the story, making care about what would happen to them in the end.
I can't wait for the next one. I don't know how many books there are going to be but I don't know how long I can wait to find the answer to the big question.
Get Even is the story of four very different girls coming together to get revenge on the bullies of theis school. Bree, Kitty, Olivia and Margot couldn't be more different, they don't have the same friends or the same interest, but somehow they were brought together and decided to punish those that are cruel to their classmates. So, the DGM was formed, a secret group at their school that targets the bullies. But, when one of their future targets gets killed and a card of DGM is found on his body the group is the first suspect, but the police is not the only thing that has the girls scared, because one of them could be next.
I loved this one so much. Gretchen McNeil has a great writing style that just grips me and doesn't let go until the very end. It was really hard for me to se the book aside in order to do other things. The story of the four main characters is highly addictive. There are so many secrets in this book, besides the main issue of who the killer is, that will have you keep on reading. I really enjoyed them, even though we didn't get to learn who the killer is.
All the characters, main and secondary were brought to life splendidly. From the mean girls to the cool rock band, everyone had their own personality. I really enjoyed reading from all four PoVs. Can't say I was especially taken by any of the girls, but that was mainly because they were really believable. They had their good qualities but also their flaws. Still, I found that I loved all four of them by the end of the book. Each one changed and grew trhoughout the story, making care about what would happen to them in the end.
I can't wait for the next one. I don't know how many books there are going to be but I don't know how long I can wait to find the answer to the big question.
February 23, 2015
Gretchen McNeil is one of my favorite teen thriller writers. This woman can not only expertly blend teen drama with blood chilling suspense, she can make it all believable and truly convincing. With her latest literary endeavor being a series (as opposed to the three stand-alones she wrote earlier), I was excited but also just a little bit worried that the books would be a bit more "watered down".
Get Even was not as dark and substantial as her stand-alone books for sure, but it was still captivating, entertaining and extremely readable. I was actually quite surprised by how well plotted and remarkably cliché-free the story was, and the only thing I had a problem with was the ending. Because, let's face it, the ending just wasn't there. Now, I know, I know, this is the first book in a series, but even then there should be some sort of semi-conclusion and at the very least some of the questions should be answered, but instead, we remain completely blindfolded and just as confused as we felt at the beginning. And the book ends in a way that makes you want to pull your hair out. Still, all things considered, this was a great read and I had way more fun with it than I expected.
Bree, Margot, Olivia and Kitty couldn't be more different from one another if they tried. They have zero things in common and belong to different social groups. In public, you will almost never see them together. There is only one thing that links all the girls together, and that is revenge. They're all members of a secret society called Don't Get Mad. DGM is all about getting even and making sure everyone gets what they deserve. Girls stand for social justice, they punish the bullies and the meanies (both students and teachers). They're the judges, the revenge-plotters and the executors, and they've been doing a pretty good job so far. At least until their 'targets' start dropping dead, their signature DGM cards are always planted at the crime scene, and the girls realize that they've become targets themselves, and they can't trust anyone - especially each other.
As usual, Gretchen McNeil does not hold back. People are dropping dead one by one, just like in TEN, crime scenes are reasonably bloody (not too gore to cross the line to a cheap-feeling B-class horror story, but bloody enough to chill your guts), the tension holds up nicely and escalates evenly, and you really have no idea what is going on. In other words, this is yet another solid teen thriller/murder mystery that fans of McNeil's previous work will definitely enjoy. Even with it being book one in a series, Get Even packs a strong punch.
I'm not going to lie, the ending bothered me. I was so invested in the story, I felt a bit let down not to get any answers whatsoever. I kind of regret picking this book up so early, because really, it's a torture to wait for the rest of them to come out. This is the kind of series that I think should be read all at once, without having to wait a year for he next volume to hit the shelves. I don't know if I'll be able to hold off on reading book #2 until #3 is available (probably not), but I'm pretty sure I do want to re-read the entire series at some point, once it's completed.
Get Even was not as dark and substantial as her stand-alone books for sure, but it was still captivating, entertaining and extremely readable. I was actually quite surprised by how well plotted and remarkably cliché-free the story was, and the only thing I had a problem with was the ending. Because, let's face it, the ending just wasn't there. Now, I know, I know, this is the first book in a series, but even then there should be some sort of semi-conclusion and at the very least some of the questions should be answered, but instead, we remain completely blindfolded and just as confused as we felt at the beginning. And the book ends in a way that makes you want to pull your hair out. Still, all things considered, this was a great read and I had way more fun with it than I expected.
Bree, Margot, Olivia and Kitty couldn't be more different from one another if they tried. They have zero things in common and belong to different social groups. In public, you will almost never see them together. There is only one thing that links all the girls together, and that is revenge. They're all members of a secret society called Don't Get Mad. DGM is all about getting even and making sure everyone gets what they deserve. Girls stand for social justice, they punish the bullies and the meanies (both students and teachers). They're the judges, the revenge-plotters and the executors, and they've been doing a pretty good job so far. At least until their 'targets' start dropping dead, their signature DGM cards are always planted at the crime scene, and the girls realize that they've become targets themselves, and they can't trust anyone - especially each other.
As usual, Gretchen McNeil does not hold back. People are dropping dead one by one, just like in TEN, crime scenes are reasonably bloody (not too gore to cross the line to a cheap-feeling B-class horror story, but bloody enough to chill your guts), the tension holds up nicely and escalates evenly, and you really have no idea what is going on. In other words, this is yet another solid teen thriller/murder mystery that fans of McNeil's previous work will definitely enjoy. Even with it being book one in a series, Get Even packs a strong punch.
I'm not going to lie, the ending bothered me. I was so invested in the story, I felt a bit let down not to get any answers whatsoever. I kind of regret picking this book up so early, because really, it's a torture to wait for the rest of them to come out. This is the kind of series that I think should be read all at once, without having to wait a year for he next volume to hit the shelves. I don't know if I'll be able to hold off on reading book #2 until #3 is available (probably not), but I'm pretty sure I do want to re-read the entire series at some point, once it's completed.
March 19, 2015
This book drew me in from the first page and continually shocked me throughout each chapter. The characters and setting were beautifully written, and the suspense built up perfectly. The only thing I didn't like was the cliff-hanger ending; and that's because I want to find out what happens next! Overall 5/5 stars; is it June yet?!
Read
February 7, 2017If you are a Pretty Little Liars fan then this is the new book series for you. I like how the characters in the DGM group don't run in the same circles or acknowledge one another in public. As usual, Gretchen is a master at mystery. I still don't know who done it! Also I need a buddy who sells cupcakes.
January 20, 2018
I am really not sure what to get out of this book. I kinda walked into it knowingly. I did know it was going to be very similar to Pretty Little Liars. Now, I never read the books. All I know about PLL is the TV show, but still... I just couldn't shake off all the similarities and I found myself comparing the two ALL THE TIME. But not just that. I usually don't take a lot of notes while reading, but by the time I finished this book, I had soo many notes that I know already half of them will not make it into this review. The best way to portray how I felt about the book is the likes and dislikes divide, but first, let me tell you a little bit about the story first.
There are four very different girls. They have nothing in common, but one thing. DGM aka Don't Get Mad. They're the brains behind a secret group of people who are revenging those who can't defend themselves against bullies by humiliating their bullies. While some envy them, there are also those who want to take them down and have them expelled or worse. Then, a guy from their school ends up murdered, and the murderer set DGM up. It's up to them to figure out who the real killer is...
What I liked:
The mystery. Yes, the mystery in Get Even was kinda good. There were sooo many suspects that in no moment you could have guessed who the killer is. It's was like figuring out who Gossip Girl or -A is. Anyone could be it, and you have no slightest clue who it is.
The diversity. There were four main characters here, and all of them were different. They all came from different backgrounds and it was exciting figuring out who they are. We have Kitty - she is Asian, and from what I gathered, the beautiful one. We have Olivia - she is the poor one, but also one of the most popular girls in school and her passion is acting. We also have Bree - the rebel one. Her dad is a very important politician, and she couldn't give a fuck about it. At last, we have Margot - the geek. But also one with the problematic parents. She was overweight, she tried to kill herself and she knows everything there is to know about tech.
The romance. Or more precisely, lack of romance. I really liked that this book was not centered around romance. Of course, at times we could see bits of romance, but it wasn't overwhelming.
The cover. I couldn't leave it out. It's just to pretty not to be mentioned. I love the pink/blue/black color mix, and the girls silhouetted in the background add to the mystery.
What I didn't like:
The beginning. The beginning was just SO confusing! We have four girls with different stories, with a different set of friends. It was just too much! My head was spinning around from all the names and things I had to remember in order to keep up with the story.
The Pretty Little Liars. I already mentioned earlier how much it bothered me how similar to PLL it was. I actually had a few notes about how this book just screams PLL. I also noticed that some people compare it Burn for Burn series, but I haven't read it, so I can't say anything about it.
The Don't Get Mad. Okay, so the whole Don't Get Mad - Get Even thing is actually " getting revenge for those who couldn't get it for themselves." They were the anti-bullying squad. They hated it, and that was the only thing they actually had in common. BUT, what they did is nothing else but different kind of bullying. They publicly humiliated every bully they set their eyes on. I didn't like that. It was kinda missing the whole point of the book in my opinion.
The Father Umberti. I think he was a priest. It's a Catholic school, and they call him Father Uberti, so I guess that makes him a priest in my eyes. The thing I don't get is, why is he that coy and cunning and awful? Now, I went to Catholic school myself, our principal was a priest, and I know quite a lot of priests too. I don't get how did Gretchen McNeil get the idea to make a priest the bad guy and not even bother to explain why she did it. A little bit of elaboration would be helpful.
The authority. Another thing that Ashley from Nose Graze described in much detail is the problem with the authority. Everybody is doing what normally should be Police business. But no, everybody else feels that they should take the matter into their hands, and Police is mentioned, like almost never. Father Umberti feels like he should be the one to figure out DGM and the murderer, DGM feels like it should be them, Coach Creed is also lurking around, and not to mention that their friends/boyfriends are also trying to figure it out.
The friendship. Or lack of friendship. Those girls should have become close seeing that they were working together for 2 years on important things, but no. What they did is actually accuse each other of being the possible killer instead of working together on figuring it out. SO FRUSTRATING!
The ending. WTF was that ending? I feel like it was the last straw. But, nevertheless, it kind of helped me in my decision, which is that I won't be continuing this series.
So I guess you figured out there is much more things that I didn't like in this book, then the ones I actually liked. Also, the things I didn't like are much more important in my eyes. I guess, you also figured out that I won't be recommending you to read Get Even, but if you feel you would like to read it, go ahead, maybe you even end up liking it.
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There are four very different girls. They have nothing in common, but one thing. DGM aka Don't Get Mad. They're the brains behind a secret group of people who are revenging those who can't defend themselves against bullies by humiliating their bullies. While some envy them, there are also those who want to take them down and have them expelled or worse. Then, a guy from their school ends up murdered, and the murderer set DGM up. It's up to them to figure out who the real killer is...
What I liked:
The mystery. Yes, the mystery in Get Even was kinda good. There were sooo many suspects that in no moment you could have guessed who the killer is. It's was like figuring out who Gossip Girl or -A is. Anyone could be it, and you have no slightest clue who it is.
The diversity. There were four main characters here, and all of them were different. They all came from different backgrounds and it was exciting figuring out who they are. We have Kitty - she is Asian, and from what I gathered, the beautiful one. We have Olivia - she is the poor one, but also one of the most popular girls in school and her passion is acting. We also have Bree - the rebel one. Her dad is a very important politician, and she couldn't give a fuck about it. At last, we have Margot - the geek. But also one with the problematic parents. She was overweight, she tried to kill herself and she knows everything there is to know about tech.
The romance. Or more precisely, lack of romance. I really liked that this book was not centered around romance. Of course, at times we could see bits of romance, but it wasn't overwhelming.
The cover. I couldn't leave it out. It's just to pretty not to be mentioned. I love the pink/blue/black color mix, and the girls silhouetted in the background add to the mystery.
What I didn't like:
The beginning. The beginning was just SO confusing! We have four girls with different stories, with a different set of friends. It was just too much! My head was spinning around from all the names and things I had to remember in order to keep up with the story.
The Pretty Little Liars. I already mentioned earlier how much it bothered me how similar to PLL it was. I actually had a few notes about how this book just screams PLL. I also noticed that some people compare it Burn for Burn series, but I haven't read it, so I can't say anything about it.
The Don't Get Mad. Okay, so the whole Don't Get Mad - Get Even thing is actually " getting revenge for those who couldn't get it for themselves." They were the anti-bullying squad. They hated it, and that was the only thing they actually had in common. BUT, what they did is nothing else but different kind of bullying. They publicly humiliated every bully they set their eyes on. I didn't like that. It was kinda missing the whole point of the book in my opinion.
The Father Umberti. I think he was a priest. It's a Catholic school, and they call him Father Uberti, so I guess that makes him a priest in my eyes. The thing I don't get is, why is he that coy and cunning and awful? Now, I went to Catholic school myself, our principal was a priest, and I know quite a lot of priests too. I don't get how did Gretchen McNeil get the idea to make a priest the bad guy and not even bother to explain why she did it. A little bit of elaboration would be helpful.
The authority. Another thing that Ashley from Nose Graze described in much detail is the problem with the authority. Everybody is doing what normally should be Police business. But no, everybody else feels that they should take the matter into their hands, and Police is mentioned, like almost never. Father Umberti feels like he should be the one to figure out DGM and the murderer, DGM feels like it should be them, Coach Creed is also lurking around, and not to mention that their friends/boyfriends are also trying to figure it out.
The friendship. Or lack of friendship. Those girls should have become close seeing that they were working together for 2 years on important things, but no. What they did is actually accuse each other of being the possible killer instead of working together on figuring it out. SO FRUSTRATING!
The ending. WTF was that ending? I feel like it was the last straw. But, nevertheless, it kind of helped me in my decision, which is that I won't be continuing this series.
So I guess you figured out there is much more things that I didn't like in this book, then the ones I actually liked. Also, the things I didn't like are much more important in my eyes. I guess, you also figured out that I won't be recommending you to read Get Even, but if you feel you would like to read it, go ahead, maybe you even end up liking it.
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July 20, 2016
Burn for Burn meets Pretty Little Liars, but with less intensity than the former and only half the cleverness of the latter.
Having said that, I'll be the first to admit that this book is very addictive. The pages flew by and I was completely engrossed on what was happening, even though it all was either extremely melodramatic or bordering of silly. Surprisingly, for a book with very little depth to it, I didn't find it particularly dull, which was one of my first concerns when I started reading it. The repetitive and inane high school drama is usually the first thing to turn me off from a YA title, but I will admit that McNeil managed to keep me interested from beginning to end, even when I didn't particularly care about any of the characters and I thought the plot was kind of exaggerated and even slightly absurd.
One of my main struggles with the two McNeil books I've read, - Possess and Ten -, has been the predictability in McNeil's storytelling. While she's great at building tension and atmosphere, her mysteries fell through for me because it was always extremely obvious who the bad guy was or how the story was going to turn out. This time around, though, she managed to keep me guessing all the way through and I still can't say with certainty who the murderer is. Since this is a series, this mystery will be extended and I hope she manages to keep in the sequel the clever way in which she made everyone seem suspicious to the point that it was hard to tell who's responsible. That was probably the best thing about this book.
Some of events in the story, as well as the characterization of some characters, were exaggerated to the point that they were downright silly. The Coach and the 'Main Men and everything that included them was extremely hard to take seriously and affected somewhat the impact the story and the mystery had on me. Moreover, the novel takes a long time planting the seeds of doubt, discord and uncertainty between the girls, some of them out of nowhere and forced like the sudden relationship between the ex-boyfriend of one of the girls and another one of them, for only a slightly over-dramatic confrontation and a very quick reconciliation.
The characters were all stereotyped and cliched, and most of them were shallow and irritating, but, truth be told, it was fun to read about them and get caught up in their silly dramas. True, there was basically no chemistry in the romantic relationships and many of the interactions between the characters were rather stilted, but this book had the same saucy, amusing quality that made me love Burn for Burn and kept me interested in Pretty Little Liars for a whole season.
This is a fun book. Not a particularly deep or original, but really easy to get lost in. I was admittedly surprised by some of the developments, and inane and flawed as some of it was, this was a very entertaining book. I wouldn't say I'm desperate for the sequel, but it's very likely I'll be checking it out to see where this goes.
Having said that, I'll be the first to admit that this book is very addictive. The pages flew by and I was completely engrossed on what was happening, even though it all was either extremely melodramatic or bordering of silly. Surprisingly, for a book with very little depth to it, I didn't find it particularly dull, which was one of my first concerns when I started reading it. The repetitive and inane high school drama is usually the first thing to turn me off from a YA title, but I will admit that McNeil managed to keep me interested from beginning to end, even when I didn't particularly care about any of the characters and I thought the plot was kind of exaggerated and even slightly absurd.
One of my main struggles with the two McNeil books I've read, - Possess and Ten -, has been the predictability in McNeil's storytelling. While she's great at building tension and atmosphere, her mysteries fell through for me because it was always extremely obvious who the bad guy was or how the story was going to turn out. This time around, though, she managed to keep me guessing all the way through and I still can't say with certainty who the murderer is. Since this is a series, this mystery will be extended and I hope she manages to keep in the sequel the clever way in which she made everyone seem suspicious to the point that it was hard to tell who's responsible. That was probably the best thing about this book.
Some of events in the story, as well as the characterization of some characters, were exaggerated to the point that they were downright silly. The Coach and the 'Main Men and everything that included them was extremely hard to take seriously and affected somewhat the impact the story and the mystery had on me. Moreover, the novel takes a long time planting the seeds of doubt, discord and uncertainty between the girls, some of them out of nowhere and forced like the sudden relationship between the ex-boyfriend of one of the girls and another one of them, for only a slightly over-dramatic confrontation and a very quick reconciliation.
The characters were all stereotyped and cliched, and most of them were shallow and irritating, but, truth be told, it was fun to read about them and get caught up in their silly dramas. True, there was basically no chemistry in the romantic relationships and many of the interactions between the characters were rather stilted, but this book had the same saucy, amusing quality that made me love Burn for Burn and kept me interested in Pretty Little Liars for a whole season.
This is a fun book. Not a particularly deep or original, but really easy to get lost in. I was admittedly surprised by some of the developments, and inane and flawed as some of it was, this was a very entertaining book. I wouldn't say I'm desperate for the sequel, but it's very likely I'll be checking it out to see where this goes.
August 4, 2014
BE WARNED! My first reaction upon finishing GET EVEN was "It can't end there!" I got totally sucked into the story of four girls from various backgrounds and with various interests who band together to get revenge for the bullying activities that are going on at the Catholic high school.
Kitty is a the volleyball captain and a student leader. She is also the only Asian at her school who isn't good at math and science. Olivia is the scholarship student from a broken home who is an incredible actress. Bree is a State Senator's daughter who is a school rebel. Margot is the quiet one who is scarred from a junior high suicide attempt caused by bullying. These girls all have their own reasons and their own secrets as they form DGM - Don't Get Mad, Get Even.
The new school year begins with a DGM prank. They insert video of bullying Coach Richard Creed into the beginning assembly which completely humiliates him and makes him an object of ridicule among the studhet body. This just makes him more determined to find out who DGM is and see that they are expelled form school. When they catch sight of a video made by a new student exploiting a friend of one of the girls, they make Ronnie DeStefano their next target. Only someone else has targeted Ronnie too. When Ronnie is found battered to death with a DGM card by his body, the girls know that they have to find the killer before DGM gets blamed.
There are so many possible suspects including Bree's best friend John, Margot's new and first boyfriend Logan, and the bullying coach Richard Creed who is taken out of the running when he is found murdered too. Then there is the mysterious Christopher Beeman who is connected to Bree, Coach Creed and Ronnie DeStefanto. Or maybe it is the school female bully Amber and her boyfriend Rex who are the murderers.
This was a great mystery. The tension was high. The four girls - who really don't know each other well - go through periods when they suspect each other, too. The ending goes beyond cliffhanger. I need a sequel to this book now. It will be fun debating with my students about who the killer really is.
Kitty is a the volleyball captain and a student leader. She is also the only Asian at her school who isn't good at math and science. Olivia is the scholarship student from a broken home who is an incredible actress. Bree is a State Senator's daughter who is a school rebel. Margot is the quiet one who is scarred from a junior high suicide attempt caused by bullying. These girls all have their own reasons and their own secrets as they form DGM - Don't Get Mad, Get Even.
The new school year begins with a DGM prank. They insert video of bullying Coach Richard Creed into the beginning assembly which completely humiliates him and makes him an object of ridicule among the studhet body. This just makes him more determined to find out who DGM is and see that they are expelled form school. When they catch sight of a video made by a new student exploiting a friend of one of the girls, they make Ronnie DeStefano their next target. Only someone else has targeted Ronnie too. When Ronnie is found battered to death with a DGM card by his body, the girls know that they have to find the killer before DGM gets blamed.
There are so many possible suspects including Bree's best friend John, Margot's new and first boyfriend Logan, and the bullying coach Richard Creed who is taken out of the running when he is found murdered too. Then there is the mysterious Christopher Beeman who is connected to Bree, Coach Creed and Ronnie DeStefanto. Or maybe it is the school female bully Amber and her boyfriend Rex who are the murderers.
This was a great mystery. The tension was high. The four girls - who really don't know each other well - go through periods when they suspect each other, too. The ending goes beyond cliffhanger. I need a sequel to this book now. It will be fun debating with my students about who the killer really is.
August 13, 2018
This was a re-read and just as good as the first time! Love me some secret society books!
September 8, 2020
Der Einstieg in die Geschichte fiel mir etwas schwer und ich habe die vier Protagonistinnen zwischendurch durcheinander gebracht, aber als ich mich daran gewöhnt hatte, fand ich es auch immer spannender. Ich denke, das Buch ist etwas für jeden, der gerne Teenager-Dramen liest und es auch nicht zu unrealistisch findet, wenn Schüler versuchen, Morde aufzuklären.
Die vier Mädchen sind keine Freunde, doch schon sechsmal haben sie es den Mobbern an ihrer Schule heimgezahlt und sich damit auch Feinde gemacht. Eigentlich kennen sie sich untereinander gar nicht richtig, aber für ihre gemeinsamen Ziele brauchen sie das auch gar nicht. Zumindest, bis es zu einem Mord kommt, ihre geheime Gruppe DGM verdächtigt wird und sie einander nicht mehr vertrauen können.
Die meist sarkastische, aber eigentlich unsichere Bree merkt schon bald, dass ihr bester Freund sich ziemlich viele Gedanken über DGM macht und gleichzeitig nicht mehr über alles mit ihr redet. Das macht sie nicht nur sehr nervös, sie hat auch Angst um ihre Freundschaft. Olivia versucht, ihre Mutter stolz zu machen, aber die Sticheleien ihrer angeblichen Freundinnen sind manchmal schon schwer zu ertragen. Margot ist eher schüchtern, denn sie war selbst einmal das Ziel fieser Mobbing-Attacken und das hat tiefe Spuren hinterlassen. Kitty ist nicht nur Vizepräsidentin der Schülervertretung, sie ist auch die Anführerin von DGM, was niemals jemand vermuten würde. Als ihr Schwarm ihr mehr Aufmerksamkeit schenkt, ergreift sie die Chance, auch wenn das eher für Probleme sorgen könnte.
Es fällt mir hier schon schwer zu sagen, ob ich eines der Mädchen mehr mag als die anderen, denn sie alle haben ihre guten und schlechten Seiten, was sie wohl so authentisch gemacht hat. So mochte ich Margots Unsicherheit, Brees Blindheit gegenüber ihren Gefühlen hat mich aufgeregt, obwohl ich ihr Liebesdrama auch wieder unterhaltsam fand. Olivias Rivalität mit ihren fiesen Freundinnen war auch spannend. Nur Kitty war mir manchmal zu selbstsüchtig, denn sie zieht die anderen drei Mitglieder ihrer Gruppe mit und redet von Zusammenhalt, aber eigentlich ist sie auch nicht besser, hat ihre eigenen Geheimnisse und riskiert auch Streit in der Gruppe.
Die Schule reagiert schon sehr hart auf die Aktionen von DGM, stellt ihre eigene kleine Armee auf, um den oder die Täter zu finden. Die "Maine Men" und ihre Anführer sind bedrohlich und geradezu fanatisch. Mit den Bloßstellungen und dem plötzlichen Todesfall sind die Schüler sehr aufgewühlt und das sorgt für eine geladene Stimmung und viel Spannung. Auch wenn man aus den Perspektiven der vier Protagonisten liest, hat man das Gefühl, nicht alle ihre Geheimnisse zu kennen, man fühlt das Misstrauen, ihre Angst vor dem Mörder und die generelle Verzweiflung aufgrund der Bedrohung.
Fazit
Insgesamt fand ich "Get Even - Unsere Rache ist süß" spannender als erwartet. Die Mitglieder von DGM fand ich authentisch und die bedrohliche Atmosphäre war auch bei dem Teenager-Liebesdrama gut spürbar.
Die vier Mädchen sind keine Freunde, doch schon sechsmal haben sie es den Mobbern an ihrer Schule heimgezahlt und sich damit auch Feinde gemacht. Eigentlich kennen sie sich untereinander gar nicht richtig, aber für ihre gemeinsamen Ziele brauchen sie das auch gar nicht. Zumindest, bis es zu einem Mord kommt, ihre geheime Gruppe DGM verdächtigt wird und sie einander nicht mehr vertrauen können.
Die meist sarkastische, aber eigentlich unsichere Bree merkt schon bald, dass ihr bester Freund sich ziemlich viele Gedanken über DGM macht und gleichzeitig nicht mehr über alles mit ihr redet. Das macht sie nicht nur sehr nervös, sie hat auch Angst um ihre Freundschaft. Olivia versucht, ihre Mutter stolz zu machen, aber die Sticheleien ihrer angeblichen Freundinnen sind manchmal schon schwer zu ertragen. Margot ist eher schüchtern, denn sie war selbst einmal das Ziel fieser Mobbing-Attacken und das hat tiefe Spuren hinterlassen. Kitty ist nicht nur Vizepräsidentin der Schülervertretung, sie ist auch die Anführerin von DGM, was niemals jemand vermuten würde. Als ihr Schwarm ihr mehr Aufmerksamkeit schenkt, ergreift sie die Chance, auch wenn das eher für Probleme sorgen könnte.
Es fällt mir hier schon schwer zu sagen, ob ich eines der Mädchen mehr mag als die anderen, denn sie alle haben ihre guten und schlechten Seiten, was sie wohl so authentisch gemacht hat. So mochte ich Margots Unsicherheit, Brees Blindheit gegenüber ihren Gefühlen hat mich aufgeregt, obwohl ich ihr Liebesdrama auch wieder unterhaltsam fand. Olivias Rivalität mit ihren fiesen Freundinnen war auch spannend. Nur Kitty war mir manchmal zu selbstsüchtig, denn sie zieht die anderen drei Mitglieder ihrer Gruppe mit und redet von Zusammenhalt, aber eigentlich ist sie auch nicht besser, hat ihre eigenen Geheimnisse und riskiert auch Streit in der Gruppe.
Die Schule reagiert schon sehr hart auf die Aktionen von DGM, stellt ihre eigene kleine Armee auf, um den oder die Täter zu finden. Die "Maine Men" und ihre Anführer sind bedrohlich und geradezu fanatisch. Mit den Bloßstellungen und dem plötzlichen Todesfall sind die Schüler sehr aufgewühlt und das sorgt für eine geladene Stimmung und viel Spannung. Auch wenn man aus den Perspektiven der vier Protagonisten liest, hat man das Gefühl, nicht alle ihre Geheimnisse zu kennen, man fühlt das Misstrauen, ihre Angst vor dem Mörder und die generelle Verzweiflung aufgrund der Bedrohung.
Fazit
Insgesamt fand ich "Get Even - Unsere Rache ist süß" spannender als erwartet. Die Mitglieder von DGM fand ich authentisch und die bedrohliche Atmosphäre war auch bei dem Teenager-Liebesdrama gut spürbar.
May 31, 2021
J’ai adoré ! C’était hyper addictif, un mélange entre Pretty Little Liars et Qui ment, prenant du début à la fin et vraiment bien mené ! Vivement la suite !
January 10, 2015
No, just no. I don't really know where to begin reviewing this book.
Let's start with the characters. This book follows four girls Bree, Olivia, Kitty, and Margot who this story seems to revolve around. They are a bunch who form a group called DGM (Don't Get Mad, if you cannot tell from the title), four girls that just decide to come together and become a secret society that takes revenge on the bullies in their school. This is where it got confusing from the start, because when you have four main characters that don't really differ in personality or behavior in the book and don't have their own chapters – everything kind of blends together. I had a hard time trying to distinguish one from another and somewhere halfway into the book I just kind of gave up and tried to enjoy the rest of the story, which in itself was hard...
DGM is suppose to be this secret society that takes revenge on this nasty people of their private school, but in the actual book they only had one scene of this before the entire thing blew up in their face and suddenly their next victim is dead and they are blamed for murder.
The secondary characters in this book, which I guess was the bullies and the teachers were the worse thing ever. It was easy to hate them, and due to their unrealistic behavior, made it hard to keep reading this book. Father Uberti and Coaches behaviors, the two prominent adults in this book was absolutely disgusting and very unrealistic .I refuse to believe that the private school parents who PAY big money for their kids to go to this school have turned a blind eye on all the bullying, especially since some of it is actually coming from the Father and Coach. I would assume action against them both should have been taken a long time ago. Especially when the Coach gathers up a group of bullies and practically instructs them to beat a confession out of one of their suspects. If bullying is so bad in a private school where parents pay to send their kids, why aren't these rich kids complaining more? Unrealistic, badly executed.
To top off my annoyance at this was the badly written romance, an unnecessary triangle and a really really terrible ending. After everything I went through I was hoping for a resolution to let me know I did not waste my time with this book, no such luck. In fact, it ended in an epic fail cliffhanger that sitting here thinking about it only makes me that much more unhappy with the overall result.
I got a copy of this book for free in exchange of an honest review.
Let's start with the characters. This book follows four girls Bree, Olivia, Kitty, and Margot who this story seems to revolve around. They are a bunch who form a group called DGM (Don't Get Mad, if you cannot tell from the title), four girls that just decide to come together and become a secret society that takes revenge on the bullies in their school. This is where it got confusing from the start, because when you have four main characters that don't really differ in personality or behavior in the book and don't have their own chapters – everything kind of blends together. I had a hard time trying to distinguish one from another and somewhere halfway into the book I just kind of gave up and tried to enjoy the rest of the story, which in itself was hard...
DGM is suppose to be this secret society that takes revenge on this nasty people of their private school, but in the actual book they only had one scene of this before the entire thing blew up in their face and suddenly their next victim is dead and they are blamed for murder.
The secondary characters in this book, which I guess was the bullies and the teachers were the worse thing ever. It was easy to hate them, and due to their unrealistic behavior, made it hard to keep reading this book. Father Uberti and Coaches behaviors, the two prominent adults in this book was absolutely disgusting and very unrealistic .I refuse to believe that the private school parents who PAY big money for their kids to go to this school have turned a blind eye on all the bullying, especially since some of it is actually coming from the Father and Coach. I would assume action against them both should have been taken a long time ago. Especially when the Coach gathers up a group of bullies and practically instructs them to beat a confession out of one of their suspects. If bullying is so bad in a private school where parents pay to send their kids, why aren't these rich kids complaining more? Unrealistic, badly executed.
To top off my annoyance at this was the badly written romance, an unnecessary triangle and a really really terrible ending. After everything I went through I was hoping for a resolution to let me know I did not waste my time with this book, no such luck. In fact, it ended in an epic fail cliffhanger that sitting here thinking about it only makes me that much more unhappy with the overall result.
I got a copy of this book for free in exchange of an honest review.
June 28, 2014
Officially my favorite book by Gretchen. I loved these characters and this story and every single word on every single page. Well, except the use of the f-word. And no, I don't mean fuck.
The girls are all so different and while it's awesome to see them unite to get revenge on bullies, it's even better seeing their secrets unravel. Gretchen's way of peeling back the layers until the big reveal was just delicious.
And the boys? Gah. What a collection. We've got a drama boy, an athlete and a musician, all complete with swoons.
This will be a book I read often and I need the sequel right now. Please.
**Huge thanks to Harper Teen and Edelweiss for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**
Extra special thanks to Gretchen for letting me stalk her a little and get a physical arc.
The girls are all so different and while it's awesome to see them unite to get revenge on bullies, it's even better seeing their secrets unravel. Gretchen's way of peeling back the layers until the big reveal was just delicious.
And the boys? Gah. What a collection. We've got a drama boy, an athlete and a musician, all complete with swoons.
This will be a book I read often and I need the sequel right now. Please.
**Huge thanks to Harper Teen and Edelweiss for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**
Extra special thanks to Gretchen for letting me stalk her a little and get a physical arc.
September 6, 2014
Oh man, this was painful.
January 26, 2016
I received a free copy from the publishers via Edelweiss.
My god, that was awesome.
I had very high expectations of Get Even because I love mysteries and I love revenge stories. It did not disappoint and was strangely addictive. I would definitely recommend to fans of contemporary, and fans of Burn for Burn by Jenny Han.
Margot, Kitty, Olivia and Bree are from completely different social circles. Margot is an overachiever who doesn't have many friends, Bree is a bit of a rebel craving her father's attention, Olivia is a popular drama student and Kitty is the captain of the volleyball team. The four girls share a very special secret - they're all members of the Don't Get Mad revenge group, a group set out to seek vengeance for their peers silent suffering at the hands of bullies. They've managed to stay well hidden until one of their targets ends up dead and DGM are the prime suspects.
I cannot even contains my feelings for this book and I was thinking about it for DAYS after I had finished it. It's one of those books that leaves you with a serious case of book hangover. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it and sorting through the clues and my list of suspects. Get Even is seriously full of suspense and I loved every damn second of this thrilling ride. It's cliché at times, cheesy and overly dramatic, but who gives a damn? Because this was a seriously fun and addictive book that leaves you eager for the next one.
That cliff-hanger though, my god.
Ok, now one of my favourite things about Get Even were the characters. Each had such distinct personalities and I loved each one. Kitty and Bree were quick favourites, with Margot slowly creeping up on me. I honestly didn't expect to love the characters as much as I do. I loved John as well, and Logan and Ed the Head, and suspicious of so many other characters. Just like the girls, I'm having a very hard time trusting them. Rex and Amber I hated, as with the Coach, because they're typical bullies. I know for a fact that bullies get away with it, and this book showed that (melodramatically of course, but did it nonetheless).
I've read some mixed reviews. Some loved it, some not so much. I highly suggest you pick this book up September 16th and find out for yourself whether you'll love it.
DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK. I JUST NEED TO GET MY THOUGHTS DOWN SOMEWHERE. SERIOUSLY, MAJOR SPOILERS.
My god, that was awesome.
I had very high expectations of Get Even because I love mysteries and I love revenge stories. It did not disappoint and was strangely addictive. I would definitely recommend to fans of contemporary, and fans of Burn for Burn by Jenny Han.
Margot, Kitty, Olivia and Bree are from completely different social circles. Margot is an overachiever who doesn't have many friends, Bree is a bit of a rebel craving her father's attention, Olivia is a popular drama student and Kitty is the captain of the volleyball team. The four girls share a very special secret - they're all members of the Don't Get Mad revenge group, a group set out to seek vengeance for their peers silent suffering at the hands of bullies. They've managed to stay well hidden until one of their targets ends up dead and DGM are the prime suspects.
I cannot even contains my feelings for this book and I was thinking about it for DAYS after I had finished it. It's one of those books that leaves you with a serious case of book hangover. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it and sorting through the clues and my list of suspects. Get Even is seriously full of suspense and I loved every damn second of this thrilling ride. It's cliché at times, cheesy and overly dramatic, but who gives a damn? Because this was a seriously fun and addictive book that leaves you eager for the next one.
That cliff-hanger though, my god.
Ok, now one of my favourite things about Get Even were the characters. Each had such distinct personalities and I loved each one. Kitty and Bree were quick favourites, with Margot slowly creeping up on me. I honestly didn't expect to love the characters as much as I do. I loved John as well, and Logan and Ed the Head, and suspicious of so many other characters. Just like the girls, I'm having a very hard time trusting them. Rex and Amber I hated, as with the Coach, because they're typical bullies. I know for a fact that bullies get away with it, and this book showed that (melodramatically of course, but did it nonetheless).
I've read some mixed reviews. Some loved it, some not so much. I highly suggest you pick this book up September 16th and find out for yourself whether you'll love it.
DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK. I JUST NEED TO GET MY THOUGHTS DOWN SOMEWHERE. SERIOUSLY, MAJOR SPOILERS.
November 9, 2014
1.5 stars
I really loathe this book. There is nothing likable about this book at all. I don't even know where to begin, so I'll just highlight a couple things that I especially despised.
1. The love triangle with Kitty, Olivia, and Donte.
I don't think I've read about a love triangle between two girls and a guy up to this point. But this is quite the poorly written one. Olivia is Donte's ex. HE dumped HER. Then Kitty likes him, and they go out, although Kitty knows that Olivia will clearly be hurt by this. She likes Donte THAT much.
Clearly, Kitty didn't watch Mean Girls. Then again, these girls only claim to be friends. As far as I'm concerned, there's no real relationship established. These girls are always bickering.
2. The silliness
The concept itself isn't so bad, but the way that it's executed is VERY SILLY
There's a group cheer sort of thing, the way the girls do things are also very amateur as well-from the walky talky thingy to the stupid title of the group.
In addition to that, their motive is very stupid. These girls aren't targeting people that have specifically been horrible to them, but to others who can't defend themselves. YES, it's a nice act, but pubic humiliation is very shallow. These girls are all at a private school. I would think that they would be better groomed.
3. The characters
Although these four girls are supposed to have different personalities, they all feel the same for me. They also all have a sad story, which I can't bring myself to care about.
The love interests-Shane, Donte, John-are also all the same character, but with different names. The people that they target are also all the same people. They're all dicks and super easy to hate, and by hate, I mean hating in the shallow way. Not a deep hatred.
4. The ending
THE MYSTERY ISN'T EVEN SOLVED!!!! It ends with a cliche cliffhanger. The stupidest thing is that I actually want to know what happens next. So basically, nothing happened if the mystery wasn't solved.
Overall, this was just a silly, poorly-written book. But it's still so bad that it's good in a way.
I really loathe this book. There is nothing likable about this book at all. I don't even know where to begin, so I'll just highlight a couple things that I especially despised.
1. The love triangle with Kitty, Olivia, and Donte.
I don't think I've read about a love triangle between two girls and a guy up to this point. But this is quite the poorly written one. Olivia is Donte's ex. HE dumped HER. Then Kitty likes him, and they go out, although Kitty knows that Olivia will clearly be hurt by this. She likes Donte THAT much.
Clearly, Kitty didn't watch Mean Girls. Then again, these girls only claim to be friends. As far as I'm concerned, there's no real relationship established. These girls are always bickering.
2. The silliness
The concept itself isn't so bad, but the way that it's executed is VERY SILLY
There's a group cheer sort of thing, the way the girls do things are also very amateur as well-from the walky talky thingy to the stupid title of the group.
In addition to that, their motive is very stupid. These girls aren't targeting people that have specifically been horrible to them, but to others who can't defend themselves. YES, it's a nice act, but pubic humiliation is very shallow. These girls are all at a private school. I would think that they would be better groomed.
3. The characters
Although these four girls are supposed to have different personalities, they all feel the same for me. They also all have a sad story, which I can't bring myself to care about.
The love interests-Shane, Donte, John-are also all the same character, but with different names. The people that they target are also all the same people. They're all dicks and super easy to hate, and by hate, I mean hating in the shallow way. Not a deep hatred.
4. The ending
THE MYSTERY ISN'T EVEN SOLVED!!!! It ends with a cliche cliffhanger. The stupidest thing is that I actually want to know what happens next. So basically, nothing happened if the mystery wasn't solved.
Overall, this was just a silly, poorly-written book. But it's still so bad that it's good in a way.
August 8, 2020
I think I definitely enjoyed this book because I listened to it rather than read it. While it wasn’t narrated by a full cast, the narrator DID do an amazing job of changing her inflection, tone, and even accent when speaking for each character in the book. This made it so much easier to listen to and a much more enjoyable listening experience. I’m excited to see what Netflix has done with it!!
August 27, 2016
2.25 stars
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)
I wasn’t sure about this book from the start, and as I got further into it I really lost interest.
I didn’t really like any of the characters in this book. They all annoyed me at some point, and the way they thought so highly of themselves was a joke. Everything they did was a ‘mission’ and they even had headsets to talk to each other with! It’s like they thought they were in mission impossible, and it just wasn’t entertaining.
The storyline just bored me. I didn’t really like the spy stuff, and other things were unbelievable. I just didn’t buy that the headmaster would give them a period off from school to help solve a murder, and asking someone to look at a photograph and work out who took it? I’m not happy about that either.
Another thing that let this book down was the pace. It dragged, and dragged, and there was so much stuff in there that didn’t move the story along and wasn’t really necessary.
There was a touch of romance, but it didn’t interest me at all.
The ending also drove me nuts. After forcing myself to get to the end so that I could find out who the murderer was – we weren’t told! Instead we got left with a cliff-hanger ending, and not even an inkling of who the killer was! Talk about a Pretty Little Liars ending! So not impressed with that! I really don’t want to have read another 400 pages of this poop to find out!
Overall; not impressed,
4.5 out of 10.
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)
I wasn’t sure about this book from the start, and as I got further into it I really lost interest.
I didn’t really like any of the characters in this book. They all annoyed me at some point, and the way they thought so highly of themselves was a joke. Everything they did was a ‘mission’ and they even had headsets to talk to each other with! It’s like they thought they were in mission impossible, and it just wasn’t entertaining.
The storyline just bored me. I didn’t really like the spy stuff, and other things were unbelievable. I just didn’t buy that the headmaster would give them a period off from school to help solve a murder, and asking someone to look at a photograph and work out who took it? I’m not happy about that either.
Another thing that let this book down was the pace. It dragged, and dragged, and there was so much stuff in there that didn’t move the story along and wasn’t really necessary.
There was a touch of romance, but it didn’t interest me at all.
The ending also drove me nuts. After forcing myself to get to the end so that I could find out who the murderer was – we weren’t told! Instead we got left with a cliff-hanger ending, and not even an inkling of who the killer was! Talk about a Pretty Little Liars ending! So not impressed with that! I really don’t want to have read another 400 pages of this poop to find out!
Overall; not impressed,
4.5 out of 10.
August 26, 2014
Don't Get Mad. GET EVEN.
^ A very fun concept, don't you think? Giving the bullies a taste of their own medicine wouldn't just give a great deal of justice to all of their victims but would also give such an overpowering sense of satisfaction.
Bree, Olivia, Margot and Kitty (the protagonists) certainly got my respect. They weren't content to just sit back and let the bullies rule the school - they got their hands dirty and evened out the playing field. Without ever giving up their identities and risking expulsion. Can I get a whoop-whoop for girl power?!
I liked Bree more than the other three. She was such a feisty bad-ass! And the chemistry between her and John... oh gosh. There were times I just wanted to push the murder case aside and focus on their budding romance. Ha. The author had different priorities though.
The ending was bittersweet. I hated that Bree had done what she had done at the end (seriously, Bree, why couldn't you have just let Kitty be the hero?!) but I was also ridiculously happy over the confession she gave John. I'm still no closer to finding out the killer... it's driving me crazy!
An ARC of book two please? *sparkly puppy eyes*
(A million thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review! It was awesome!)
^ A very fun concept, don't you think? Giving the bullies a taste of their own medicine wouldn't just give a great deal of justice to all of their victims but would also give such an overpowering sense of satisfaction.
Bree, Olivia, Margot and Kitty (the protagonists) certainly got my respect. They weren't content to just sit back and let the bullies rule the school - they got their hands dirty and evened out the playing field. Without ever giving up their identities and risking expulsion. Can I get a whoop-whoop for girl power?!
I liked Bree more than the other three. She was such a feisty bad-ass! And the chemistry between her and John... oh gosh. There were times I just wanted to push the murder case aside and focus on their budding romance. Ha. The author had different priorities though.
The ending was bittersweet. I hated that Bree had done what she had done at the end (seriously, Bree, why couldn't you have just let Kitty be the hero?!) but I was also ridiculously happy over the confession she gave John. I'm still no closer to finding out the killer... it's driving me crazy!
An ARC of book two please? *sparkly puppy eyes*
(A million thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review! It was awesome!)
March 3, 2015
At first, I wasn't sure I'd like this, as the beginning was a bit rocky, as no introductions were made for the characters and it begins right in the middle of the action. After that scene, things settled down a bit, and the characters were gradually introduced. Because there are a lot of them, it was a bit difficult to keep track of all of them.
In terms of plot, this has quite a bit of mystery! All of the characters have a dirty secret (which felt a bit unreal at times, I mean, a whole student body having dirty secrets?), and those are used against them. I'm not entirely sure whether I'd be okay with Don't Get Mad's existence in the real world (doing justice with their own hands? Not something I'm on board with), but in a fictional setting, it raises a lot of good points of discussion.
What really, really, really bothered me was
In terms of plot, this has quite a bit of mystery! All of the characters have a dirty secret (which felt a bit unreal at times, I mean, a whole student body having dirty secrets?), and those are used against them. I'm not entirely sure whether I'd be okay with Don't Get Mad's existence in the real world (doing justice with their own hands? Not something I'm on board with), but in a fictional setting, it raises a lot of good points of discussion.
What really, really, really bothered me was
January 3, 2016
A really suspenseful and engrossing read and a thoroughly addictive thriller. It really does get you thinking about who did it and there are so many unanswered questions and clues and I'm really trying to put them together. Starting Get Dirty in 3, 2, 1...
October 31, 2014
Four school girls with nothing in common are secretly a vigilante group known only as DGM: Don’t Get Mad. They retaliate against bullies, but when their latest target is murdered before they can humiliate him and DGM is framed, they realise someone knows their identities, and is coming after them next unless they give themselves up.
Get Even should have been an amazing book. I stayed up until 3am reading it. I don’t even remember the last time I did that with a book. It SHOULD have been amazing because it was a thrilling mystery about four amazing, strong girls with nothing in common who worked as a fabulous team (seriously, put these girls in superhero costumes and they will KICK ASS), it had an incredibly diverse cast, the relationships were all organic and realistic, the plot was interesting, the mystery was mystifying, until… the final page. The VERY FINAL PAGE is where it all went to hell.
Why? How can one book, one which I was sure was going to end up a 5 star read, end up only 3 stars?
I’ll tell you why. There’s a little thing called GENRE CONVENTION. DO NOT FUCK WITH IT.
Let me ask you a question:
~Is a romance without a happily ever after still a romance?
~Is a sci-fi without advanced technology and/or a futuristic setting still a sci-fi?
~Is a dystopian without the violent heroine starting a rebellion still a dystopian? (don’t answer that one, it’s tongue in cheek).
~Is a murder mystery without revealing the murderer still a mystery?
This book is a mystery. It’s a Young Adult Contemporary MYSTERY. There is a mystery. There is a murderer. There is a large cast of characters who are suspects, each with a great motive. There is Hidden Evidence, Inference Gaps, and Foreshadowing. It’s utterly thrilling. And if the book had actually revealed who the murderer was, I could say with certainty that there were a few red herrings.
Unfortunately the book ends before the denouement. The only reason I can think of why someone would do this is to extend the book into a series.
And I really fucking hate being bribed or suckered into reading a series.
I don’t mind cliffhangers. The characters could still have been hauled away. But leaving the biggest mystery unanswered really grind my fucking gears. Especially because I was so engrossed in this book that I stayed up until 3am reading that. Did I mention that? That’s because that NEVER HAPPENS. I feel betrayed by this ending. I feel personally fucking affronted. I’m not smart enough to figure out who the murderer is, and I was really, really looking forward to it being revealed.
BUT NO. I have to buy the NEXT BOOK to find out. Or maybe it’s a series-wide mystery and I need to read ALL THE BOOKS.
No. I need closure. I need satisfaction. Neither of which I got from this horrible, cash-grabbing ending.
I loved, I loved SO MUCH the multiple points of view. I loved the four protagonists. I loved their characters, their motivation, their chemistry together. I loved their friendship, their fighting, their wit. I loved the enormous cast of characters. I loved the sweet love interests for each girl and was rooting for all of them (even the spicy-scented, crooked-smiled cliché). I loved the villainy of the awful adult characters that demonstrated how authority cannot be trusted, especially in the case of bullies. I loved the use of Twelfth Night as the Shakepeare Play of the Book, and I especially loved it being mashed up with The Warriors because omg that fil is amazeballs has anyone else seen it? I loved getting a glimpse into American high school life because I have no idea what Leadership class is. Is there really a class that teaches teenager show to be leaders? That’s awesome.
But most of all, I loved the way this book made me feel, the way it kept e reading way past bedtime with my husband snoring beside me, eagerly flipping pages because I WAS DESPERATE TO KNOW WHO THE KILLER WAS.
I should have flipped to the end to find out that I WOULD NEVER KNOW.
3 stars for the ending alone.
Thanks to HarperCollins Children and Edelweiss for providing a free review copy for an honest review.
Get Even should have been an amazing book. I stayed up until 3am reading it. I don’t even remember the last time I did that with a book. It SHOULD have been amazing because it was a thrilling mystery about four amazing, strong girls with nothing in common who worked as a fabulous team (seriously, put these girls in superhero costumes and they will KICK ASS), it had an incredibly diverse cast, the relationships were all organic and realistic, the plot was interesting, the mystery was mystifying, until… the final page. The VERY FINAL PAGE is where it all went to hell.
Why? How can one book, one which I was sure was going to end up a 5 star read, end up only 3 stars?
I’ll tell you why. There’s a little thing called GENRE CONVENTION. DO NOT FUCK WITH IT.
Let me ask you a question:
~Is a romance without a happily ever after still a romance?
~Is a sci-fi without advanced technology and/or a futuristic setting still a sci-fi?
~Is a dystopian without the violent heroine starting a rebellion still a dystopian? (don’t answer that one, it’s tongue in cheek).
~Is a murder mystery without revealing the murderer still a mystery?
This book is a mystery. It’s a Young Adult Contemporary MYSTERY. There is a mystery. There is a murderer. There is a large cast of characters who are suspects, each with a great motive. There is Hidden Evidence, Inference Gaps, and Foreshadowing. It’s utterly thrilling. And if the book had actually revealed who the murderer was, I could say with certainty that there were a few red herrings.
Unfortunately the book ends before the denouement. The only reason I can think of why someone would do this is to extend the book into a series.
And I really fucking hate being bribed or suckered into reading a series.
I don’t mind cliffhangers. The characters could still have been hauled away. But leaving the biggest mystery unanswered really grind my fucking gears. Especially because I was so engrossed in this book that I stayed up until 3am reading that. Did I mention that? That’s because that NEVER HAPPENS. I feel betrayed by this ending. I feel personally fucking affronted. I’m not smart enough to figure out who the murderer is, and I was really, really looking forward to it being revealed.
BUT NO. I have to buy the NEXT BOOK to find out. Or maybe it’s a series-wide mystery and I need to read ALL THE BOOKS.
No. I need closure. I need satisfaction. Neither of which I got from this horrible, cash-grabbing ending.
I loved, I loved SO MUCH the multiple points of view. I loved the four protagonists. I loved their characters, their motivation, their chemistry together. I loved their friendship, their fighting, their wit. I loved the enormous cast of characters. I loved the sweet love interests for each girl and was rooting for all of them (even the spicy-scented, crooked-smiled cliché). I loved the villainy of the awful adult characters that demonstrated how authority cannot be trusted, especially in the case of bullies. I loved the use of Twelfth Night as the Shakepeare Play of the Book, and I especially loved it being mashed up with The Warriors because omg that fil is amazeballs has anyone else seen it? I loved getting a glimpse into American high school life because I have no idea what Leadership class is. Is there really a class that teaches teenager show to be leaders? That’s awesome.
But most of all, I loved the way this book made me feel, the way it kept e reading way past bedtime with my husband snoring beside me, eagerly flipping pages because I WAS DESPERATE TO KNOW WHO THE KILLER WAS.
I should have flipped to the end to find out that I WOULD NEVER KNOW.
3 stars for the ending alone.
Thanks to HarperCollins Children and Edelweiss for providing a free review copy for an honest review.
September 17, 2014
My thanks to Balzer & Bray for this galley.
This is the third book I have read written by Gretchen McNeil. Ten which I loved so much. 3:59 which I thought in general was nice, but I didn't like that much (I'm not a sci-fi gal.) And now this one. I guess it fell somewhere in the middle because there were some parts I really liked about this book, while at times, not so much.
I liked how the story started, with four girls who wanted to stand up for their schoolmates that being unfairly treated. It was amazing what they could do to get even with the bullies and I wish there were more scenes where they took justice in their own hands.
The ending, albeit touching and sweet, was a bit of a letdown, for it left too many unanswered questions. Beware the cliffhanger!
The story was told from 4 POVs - Kitty, Olivia, Bree and Margot. I liked that all four of them had different personalities made this book interesting. Unfortunately, I can't say any of them stood out. As much as I liked these girls, they seemed forgettable.
Aside from these main characters, there were so many other characters in this book. It was so hard, especially at first, to keep track with all the names. I had to take notes so that I wouldn't confuse one character with another. There were Rex, John, Ed, Shane, Donté, Christopher, Amber, Peanut, Jazebel, Tyler, Mika, Theo... Some characters had active roles in the story, while some were just there or being mentioned. I still don't think it was that necessary to smother the readers with so many characters.
For those who have read Pretty Little Liars series and Burn for Burn series will find this book a little disappointing. Because the resemblances were too obvious to ignore, it is easy to just say this book was lack of originality.
The mystery alone wasn't what I had expected, especially with that ending. It wasn't so bad, though it felt like it should have been so much better. I think it was because there were so many characters that by the end of the book, it felt like I didn't get the whole story, just a glimpse of their lives and what they were going through.
Normally I would say the pace was too slow, but with these many characters, I was kind of glad that it wasn't any faster. With this pace, it was not too much of a struggle to keep up with story.
Overall I think it was a nice and interesting book, though not that original. To some extent, I enjoyed the mystery. It wasn't as suspenseful as I hope, but it wasn't too shabby either.
I'm not going to say the ending makes me looking forward to the sequel. However, I do want to know what is going to happen next. I hope by then I still remember who is who.
Those who like mystery with some red herrings to build up the suspense might enjoy reading this book. There weren't as many misleading clues as in Pretty Little Liars, so it didn't make this book very frustrating.
Blog: The Sweetest Reads
January 5, 2015
THE REVIEW
Mediocre.
If I had to pick one word to describe this book it would be mediocre.
Frustratingly mediocre.
Gretchen McNeil, YA mystery, four girls banding together to fight high school bullies, multiple POVs and secret societies - Sounds like the perfect read right? Unfortunately not in this case.
Get Even started off with a lot of potential but things started going downhill pretty fast. DGM (Don't Get Mad) is born when four girls from completely different social circles band together to get back at bullies through .......public shaming and humiliation. Not only was this sending out the wrong message it was also utterly juvenile. And the worst part? The secret club comes with its own secret signals, oaths and spy gear (I wish I was kidding). As expected the whole DGM affair soon turns nasty when their newest targets ends up dead and all eyes turn to DGM.
Silliness aside, the characters were all well-written. Olivia is an aspiring actress, perfect on outside with a secret to hide. Bree is rebelling against her politician dad who's striving to project the perfect family image. Asian beauty, Kitty is the student body vice president. Margot is a brilliant and overweight techie. I enjoyed reading about the four girls and finding out who they were beneath under their facades. However, this book only gave a glimpse of each girl's life so it was quite hard to form an emotional connection with the characters. Romance thankfully, is not the focus of the story but the interactions between the four girls and their respective love interests was interesting enough.
The portrayal of the villains in Get Even are exaggerated to the point that they looked like one dimensional caricatures. The whole authority-cannot-be-trusted angle was definitely over the top and the fact that the police stood by while the school took matters into its own hands was unbelievably ridiculous.
McNeil maintains an air of suspense throughout the novel and I didn't find it the least bit predictable. The pace was just right for this story and the little reveals that were made along the way had me turning the pages faster.
The pace picks up considerably in the last couple of pages and it ends.
Just like that. Get Even ends with one hell of a cliffhanger - No big reveal and honestly I can't help but feel cheated.
So will I pick up the sequel? Yes. I'm going to abandon caution and pick it up because I need to know who the killer is. Here's to hoping that the sequel, Get Dirty will surprise me.
THE RATING
3 Stars
QUOTE-WORTHY
Mediocre.
If I had to pick one word to describe this book it would be mediocre.
Frustratingly mediocre.
Gretchen McNeil, YA mystery, four girls banding together to fight high school bullies, multiple POVs and secret societies - Sounds like the perfect read right? Unfortunately not in this case.
Get Even started off with a lot of potential but things started going downhill pretty fast. DGM (Don't Get Mad) is born when four girls from completely different social circles band together to get back at bullies through .......public shaming and humiliation. Not only was this sending out the wrong message it was also utterly juvenile. And the worst part? The secret club comes with its own secret signals, oaths and spy gear (I wish I was kidding). As expected the whole DGM affair soon turns nasty when their newest targets ends up dead and all eyes turn to DGM.
Silliness aside, the characters were all well-written. Olivia is an aspiring actress, perfect on outside with a secret to hide. Bree is rebelling against her politician dad who's striving to project the perfect family image. Asian beauty, Kitty is the student body vice president. Margot is a brilliant and overweight techie. I enjoyed reading about the four girls and finding out who they were beneath under their facades. However, this book only gave a glimpse of each girl's life so it was quite hard to form an emotional connection with the characters. Romance thankfully, is not the focus of the story but the interactions between the four girls and their respective love interests was interesting enough.
The portrayal of the villains in Get Even are exaggerated to the point that they looked like one dimensional caricatures. The whole authority-cannot-be-trusted angle was definitely over the top and the fact that the police stood by while the school took matters into its own hands was unbelievably ridiculous.
McNeil maintains an air of suspense throughout the novel and I didn't find it the least bit predictable. The pace was just right for this story and the little reveals that were made along the way had me turning the pages faster.
The pace picks up considerably in the last couple of pages and it ends.
Just like that. Get Even ends with one hell of a cliffhanger - No big reveal and honestly I can't help but feel cheated.
So will I pick up the sequel? Yes. I'm going to abandon caution and pick it up because I need to know who the killer is. Here's to hoping that the sequel, Get Dirty will surprise me.
THE RATING
3 Stars
QUOTE-WORTHY
“Are you sure,” Bree said drily, “you like your face that way? Because I could rearrange it for you.”
Margot understood the degradation, the knowledge that every set of eyes was on him, judging his overweight body, murmuring “fat ass” under their breath while they tacitly assumed the obesity was his fault.
September 10, 2016
It was very PLL, but I was okay with that. I love guilty pleasure books like that. Sometimes I got confused bc there were SO many characters, but eventually I sorted it all out. It was a cool mystery withou being overly dramatic. I had fun reading it.
I have no idea why it took me this long to read this book!! Maybe it's because I readTen and was like MEH. Well, thank you ARC August! This is much improved over Ten. I mean, it isn't my favorite book I've ever read, but I love books like this!! It's a little Pretty Little Liars, a little Prep School Confidential. It's a mystery that's not taking itself too seriously. It's drama without being too much.
My favorite part about this book was that these 4 girls aren't friends. Some of them don't even like each other, but for the greater good, they come together to publicly humiliate bullies. I found the concept (while a tad unbelievable) incredibly interesting. As for the characters-- Kitty is the leader and class VP, Margot is the loner and smart computer girl, Bree is the bad-ass and senator's daughter, and Olivia is the actress and popular girl. They all bring something different to the table and it works... except when they start to turn on each other.
There are a lot of characters in this book. Bree has a bestie named John (who is also main suspect), there's the popular crew, the theater crew, a weird boy named Ed the Head, a new kid named Logan, teachers, parents, suspects, targets, a volleyball team. Several times I had to flip back and figure out who certain characters were (also the names Kitty and Margot weirdly get mixed up in my brain, so there was that).
This book was pure fun and entertainment. I need books like this every now and again and I feel like there's been a void in my life ever since I gave up reading the PLL series. Because of that I had a great time reading this & flew through it pretty fast. I really wanted to KNOW!! But sighhhh, I guess I have to read the 2nd book, Get Dirty, to find out since the answers were not a-coming in this ending.
OVERALL: I love and need more YA Mysteries like this that are fun and suspenseful. I loved the girls (when I could keep them straight), loved that it kept me guessing, and loved the light feel this had to it. Totally recommend.
My Blog:
I have no idea why it took me this long to read this book!! Maybe it's because I readTen and was like MEH. Well, thank you ARC August! This is much improved over Ten. I mean, it isn't my favorite book I've ever read, but I love books like this!! It's a little Pretty Little Liars, a little Prep School Confidential. It's a mystery that's not taking itself too seriously. It's drama without being too much.
My favorite part about this book was that these 4 girls aren't friends. Some of them don't even like each other, but for the greater good, they come together to publicly humiliate bullies. I found the concept (while a tad unbelievable) incredibly interesting. As for the characters-- Kitty is the leader and class VP, Margot is the loner and smart computer girl, Bree is the bad-ass and senator's daughter, and Olivia is the actress and popular girl. They all bring something different to the table and it works... except when they start to turn on each other.
There are a lot of characters in this book. Bree has a bestie named John (who is also main suspect), there's the popular crew, the theater crew, a weird boy named Ed the Head, a new kid named Logan, teachers, parents, suspects, targets, a volleyball team. Several times I had to flip back and figure out who certain characters were (also the names Kitty and Margot weirdly get mixed up in my brain, so there was that).
This book was pure fun and entertainment. I need books like this every now and again and I feel like there's been a void in my life ever since I gave up reading the PLL series. Because of that I had a great time reading this & flew through it pretty fast. I really wanted to KNOW!! But sighhhh, I guess I have to read the 2nd book, Get Dirty, to find out since the answers were not a-coming in this ending.
OVERALL: I love and need more YA Mysteries like this that are fun and suspenseful. I loved the girls (when I could keep them straight), loved that it kept me guessing, and loved the light feel this had to it. Totally recommend.
My Blog:
January 3, 2016
4 stars
(My first book I've read in 2016! Off to a good start!)
As many of you people know, John Tucker Must Die is a cult classic. 4 girls, who are different from each other, uniting together to take down the douche canoe that is John Tucker. (Note: I did not watch John Tucker Must Die but I did google it, so that counts... kind of.) The movie sort of started a trend in people wanting to seek revenge against people who have wronged them. There are TV shows, books, video games, and other forms of entertainment that focus on the subject of revenge.
And Get Even is one of them.
I love revenge. I'm a firm believer that revenge is a dish best served cold. If someone wronged me, hell, I'll find a way to get back at them. Not in the heinous kind of way, but something that will remind them that it is not okay to hurt people. The 4 girls of Get Even, Bree, Margot, Kitty, and Olivia have something in common: They don't like seeing others put down by bullies. And so, this little group started DGM, a secret club that focuses on giving the students who are bullied a chance to not be intimidated by their tormentors.
One thing to keep in mind while reading Get Even, is that the characters do not get along that much. They don't hate each other, but they don't have to be besties and hang out all the time. And that's what I liked about this book. It would be unbelievable if all of them were friends and got along while being in a secret club. They sometimes disagree on some things, some don't get along. That usually happens in a group of people. It's interesting seeing a group not get along with each other because in the back of your mind, you want them to get along. The dynamics between the girls shows more of their personalities and how they interact with each other which makes them interesting. While they may not be the most interesting characters, they still have it in them to find a common goal.
The mystery in itself was also quite fun. In the literal sense, you have no idea just what the hell is going on. Why are these things happening? Who is doing this? Can anyone be trusted? When reading Get Even, I had to second guess a lot of things. One minute I'm sure who the culprit is, the next I'm back at square one. Just who is doing all of this???
The beginning and end were the most entertaining part of the story. The middle was okay, a bit slow at some parts, but thankfully it had a lot of mystery in that part.
If you like revenge, like many others, give this book a try, if you want.
Thanks for reading my review!
-Cesar
(My first book I've read in 2016! Off to a good start!)
As many of you people know, John Tucker Must Die is a cult classic. 4 girls, who are different from each other, uniting together to take down the douche canoe that is John Tucker. (Note: I did not watch John Tucker Must Die but I did google it, so that counts... kind of.) The movie sort of started a trend in people wanting to seek revenge against people who have wronged them. There are TV shows, books, video games, and other forms of entertainment that focus on the subject of revenge.
And Get Even is one of them.
I love revenge. I'm a firm believer that revenge is a dish best served cold. If someone wronged me, hell, I'll find a way to get back at them. Not in the heinous kind of way, but something that will remind them that it is not okay to hurt people. The 4 girls of Get Even, Bree, Margot, Kitty, and Olivia have something in common: They don't like seeing others put down by bullies. And so, this little group started DGM, a secret club that focuses on giving the students who are bullied a chance to not be intimidated by their tormentors.
One thing to keep in mind while reading Get Even, is that the characters do not get along that much. They don't hate each other, but they don't have to be besties and hang out all the time. And that's what I liked about this book. It would be unbelievable if all of them were friends and got along while being in a secret club. They sometimes disagree on some things, some don't get along. That usually happens in a group of people. It's interesting seeing a group not get along with each other because in the back of your mind, you want them to get along. The dynamics between the girls shows more of their personalities and how they interact with each other which makes them interesting. While they may not be the most interesting characters, they still have it in them to find a common goal.
The mystery in itself was also quite fun. In the literal sense, you have no idea just what the hell is going on. Why are these things happening? Who is doing this? Can anyone be trusted? When reading Get Even, I had to second guess a lot of things. One minute I'm sure who the culprit is, the next I'm back at square one. Just who is doing all of this???
The beginning and end were the most entertaining part of the story. The middle was okay, a bit slow at some parts, but thankfully it had a lot of mystery in that part.
If you like revenge, like many others, give this book a try, if you want.
Thanks for reading my review!
-Cesar
Want to read
May 17, 2015Burn for Burn...?
Want to read
July 8, 2021I LOVEDDD THE SHOW
And i dnt think there is going to be a next season :(
So its time to read this series
And i dnt think there is going to be a next season :(
So its time to read this series
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