erinarkin20's review against another edition
3.0
Get Even by Gretchen McNeil is the first in the Don’t Get Mad series and I did enjoy it. I do have to admit, there are quite a few characters and I felt like that although the story moved forward, not one thing was resolved in this book of the series. I’m pretty sure everyone knows how I feel about that but with that said; I still think the story was very well done.
Bree, Olivia, Kitty, and Margot are the main characters and have nothing in common…except for DGM. Through a twist of fate – or just school assignments – these four ended up working on a project together, which led to them collaborating on more than just homework. They ended up forming Don’t Get Mad (DGM) to get revenge on those that deserve it. It works out beautifully that they are not even remotely connected as it allows them to avoid drawing attention to themselves and being considered as the perpetrators.
I really liked how McNeil tied these characters together. She also made them seem real – they are in high school and acted like they were which I appreciate. Also, while there were a number of characters introduced, I thought all added value to the story. In addition to the array of main characters in DGM, there are some great secondary characters that fill the roles of best friend, boyfriend, and ex-boyfriend. McNeil did a great job of creating a group of students that cover the breadth of backgrounds you would see in a typical high school setting which was great.
As for the story, when one of their classmates ends up dead and holding a DGM card, things start to get serious. Now the girls need to find out what is really going on and who is trying to pin this murder on them. As they begin to dig into what is going on, they find out their identities may not be as secret as they thought and because of this, they need to find out who knows about them…and is trying to frame them for something they didn’t do. While it is true that there is no resolution (or even a clue) as to who is behind anything that is going on, I’m not sure it would have been possible for McNeil to give us a hint. With that said, I am impatient enough to say that I really do wish I would have gotten something that clued me into who may have “done it”. I can honestly say, I have absolutely no idea who it is at this point. Besides - I wouldn't tell you anyway...so I will stop here and just encourage you to check this out when you can!
If you’re looking for a mystery that introduces some solidly built characters, definitely check this one out. I flew through this one and will definitely be checking out book two when it comes out.
Thank you to the Publisher and Edelweiss for the review copy.
Bree, Olivia, Kitty, and Margot are the main characters and have nothing in common…except for DGM. Through a twist of fate – or just school assignments – these four ended up working on a project together, which led to them collaborating on more than just homework. They ended up forming Don’t Get Mad (DGM) to get revenge on those that deserve it. It works out beautifully that they are not even remotely connected as it allows them to avoid drawing attention to themselves and being considered as the perpetrators.
I really liked how McNeil tied these characters together. She also made them seem real – they are in high school and acted like they were which I appreciate. Also, while there were a number of characters introduced, I thought all added value to the story. In addition to the array of main characters in DGM, there are some great secondary characters that fill the roles of best friend, boyfriend, and ex-boyfriend. McNeil did a great job of creating a group of students that cover the breadth of backgrounds you would see in a typical high school setting which was great.
As for the story, when one of their classmates ends up dead and holding a DGM card, things start to get serious. Now the girls need to find out what is really going on and who is trying to pin this murder on them. As they begin to dig into what is going on, they find out their identities may not be as secret as they thought and because of this, they need to find out who knows about them…and is trying to frame them for something they didn’t do. While it is true that there is no resolution (or even a clue) as to who is behind anything that is going on, I’m not sure it would have been possible for McNeil to give us a hint. With that said, I am impatient enough to say that I really do wish I would have gotten something that clued me into who may have “done it”. I can honestly say, I have absolutely no idea who it is at this point. Besides - I wouldn't tell you anyway...so I will stop here and just encourage you to check this out when you can!
If you’re looking for a mystery that introduces some solidly built characters, definitely check this one out. I flew through this one and will definitely be checking out book two when it comes out.
Thank you to the Publisher and Edelweiss for the review copy.
tsuxis's review against another edition
3.0
very lukewarm 2.5 rounded up.
i love stories set at schools. hands down my big guilty pleasure. but uh... this one was so painfully tropey it kind of distracted me from anything else. every single character in this book was just an archetype with no attempt at giving them a deeper personality.
i love stories set at schools. hands down my big guilty pleasure. but uh... this one was so painfully tropey it kind of distracted me from anything else. every single character in this book was just an archetype with no attempt at giving them a deeper personality.
wilshaw12's review against another edition
5.0
Plot twist after plot twist as a group of teenagers take on bullying and get revenge on all the people who mistreat others.
toodoorcc's review against another edition
1.0
It had a good premise but I just couldn't really get into it. I eventually gave up at about page 160.
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars! Don't Get Mad! Get EVEN!
I have been looking forward to this series since it was announced on Twitter, and did it live up to the hype? Yes, yes it did. I really can't wait for the second book, to get some answers to my questions. Answers to who really wanted to Get Even!
In this book we have 4 main characters. Four girls who couldn't be more different but who have one goal, to help people in need and Get Even! At the time we hit the book they have been doing it for years already, and while it always went right, their clients got the satisfaction they wanted, and they got Even now however something is wrong when the dead body is found with a card with their group's initials on it.
I loved how after that the group just tried to stick together, but slowly disintegrated, slowly losing the trust they had in each other, slowly falling apart. You would say 4 people like this, who have been together for so long, that shouldn't go that fast? Well, if those 4 dear people have all kinds of secrets that they don't want anyone, not even their friends, to know, and things happen that those secrets are going to leak, then it is bye bye friendship and hello do everything by yourself and don't trust anything.
I still found that a bit stupid, I think it would have been much better had they trusted each other from the get-go. Haven't they been together for years? Even though not as real friends, but I am sure there must have been some level of friendship somewhere and that one was broken so easily. There was so much mistrust, and I think that if they stuck together they could have found out who was torturing them with messages, photographs and other things.
The characters were awesome though. They all seemed so perfect in the beginning and then when everything start going down, you really get to learn them. See their faults, see their lives, see their friends and also see how different they are from each other. From invisibility to popularity these 4 girls couldn't be more different, and yet they formed a group.
It was really interesting to see all the cracks form in the girls. Cracks we didn't see until the murder.
The POVs switch every chapter, though there have been a few times that it switched mid-chapter, which was kind of annoying because you would be in the middle of one person and suddenly that person changed.
We also got some great side-characters, all of them suspicious, all of them having secrets and lies. I liked that even they got a bit of spotlight through the interactions with the main characters. For example, I loved Ed. He was totally awesome character, I really would love a novella just with his POV.
One thing I would love to have? Maybe something like a prequel, with the beginning of DGM, with the beginning of all the revenge things. I would love to see the girls getting together, and I want to see more revenge plans. Because I loved the one we had in the beginning, that they found some tape from the coach and totally embarrassed him. It was brilliant.
Of course there is a cliffhanger. Come on people, what else did we expect? We are getting a book 2 in June next year, so it was to be expected that it would end on one. And what a cliffhanger it was. Dang, so many things happened, so much things went wrong and it was awesome. And sure while I am now like: "GAHHHH hurry up with the next book!!!", I am also applauding Gretchen McNeil for this awesome ending.
Would I recommend this book? Um, yes, hell yes, I would. This one is packed with drama, mystery, murder, a dash of romance and a whole lot of secrets. Maybe for the ones who don't like cliffhangers or waiting it is better that they wait for the next book and make sure there isn't a 3rd book coming before they start with this one. But for the others? Read this epic book of awesomeness.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I have been looking forward to this series since it was announced on Twitter, and did it live up to the hype? Yes, yes it did. I really can't wait for the second book, to get some answers to my questions. Answers to who really wanted to Get Even!
In this book we have 4 main characters. Four girls who couldn't be more different but who have one goal, to help people in need and Get Even! At the time we hit the book they have been doing it for years already, and while it always went right, their clients got the satisfaction they wanted, and they got Even now however something is wrong when the dead body is found with a card with their group's initials on it.
I loved how after that the group just tried to stick together, but slowly disintegrated, slowly losing the trust they had in each other, slowly falling apart. You would say 4 people like this, who have been together for so long, that shouldn't go that fast? Well, if those 4 dear people have all kinds of secrets that they don't want anyone, not even their friends, to know, and things happen that those secrets are going to leak, then it is bye bye friendship and hello do everything by yourself and don't trust anything.
I still found that a bit stupid, I think it would have been much better had they trusted each other from the get-go. Haven't they been together for years? Even though not as real friends, but I am sure there must have been some level of friendship somewhere and that one was broken so easily. There was so much mistrust, and I think that if they stuck together they could have found out who was torturing them with messages, photographs and other things.
The characters were awesome though. They all seemed so perfect in the beginning and then when everything start going down, you really get to learn them. See their faults, see their lives, see their friends and also see how different they are from each other. From invisibility to popularity these 4 girls couldn't be more different, and yet they formed a group.
It was really interesting to see all the cracks form in the girls. Cracks we didn't see until the murder.
The POVs switch every chapter, though there have been a few times that it switched mid-chapter, which was kind of annoying because you would be in the middle of one person and suddenly that person changed.
We also got some great side-characters, all of them suspicious, all of them having secrets and lies. I liked that even they got a bit of spotlight through the interactions with the main characters. For example, I loved Ed. He was totally awesome character, I really would love a novella just with his POV.
One thing I would love to have? Maybe something like a prequel, with the beginning of DGM, with the beginning of all the revenge things. I would love to see the girls getting together, and I want to see more revenge plans. Because I loved the one we had in the beginning, that they found some tape from the coach and totally embarrassed him. It was brilliant.
Of course there is a cliffhanger. Come on people, what else did we expect? We are getting a book 2 in June next year, so it was to be expected that it would end on one. And what a cliffhanger it was. Dang, so many things happened, so much things went wrong and it was awesome. And sure while I am now like: "GAHHHH hurry up with the next book!!!", I am also applauding Gretchen McNeil for this awesome ending.
Would I recommend this book? Um, yes, hell yes, I would. This one is packed with drama, mystery, murder, a dash of romance and a whole lot of secrets. Maybe for the ones who don't like cliffhangers or waiting it is better that they wait for the next book and make sure there isn't a 3rd book coming before they start with this one. But for the others? Read this epic book of awesomeness.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
greergreer's review against another edition
4.0
Ok, so this book was good till it wasn't but I will still give it four stars because It sucked me in and I finished it in one day. But really? What's up with that ending? Poop!!!! I really thought this was a stand alone. Obviously I'm very wrong.
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, such a fantastic book! Loved how they fight back, and yeah, can't wait for the next book!
calamitywindpetal's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Blood, Death, Murder, Self harm, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
nataroni3's review against another edition
1.0
Man, I'm on the losing streak with these books....hopefully the next one I chose won't suck!!! The characters were lame, I couldn't distinguish one from the other. The story was hard to get into and painful to read. Better luck next time...