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Get Even

(Don't Get Mad #1)

Gretchen McNeil (Goodreads Author)

3.79 · Rating details · 2,007 ratings · 342 reviews

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 priv ...more

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Kindle Edition, 320 pages

Published September 16th 2014 by Balzer & Bray

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Apr 05, 2014 Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies rated it it was ok

Shelves: high-school, mystery, revenge, ya

She thrust her right hand forward.
“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.”

*rolls eyes*

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? ...more

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Jun 18, 2013 Veronica Morfi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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 ...more

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Jan 30, 2015 Faye, la Patata rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, best-friends, awesome-bitches-fight, multiple-povs, suspense, mystery, girl-power, espionage, conspiracies, fun-narration

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 ed 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! ...more

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Feb 10, 2014 Evie rated it it was amazing

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 capti 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. ...more

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Mar 01, 2015 Colette rated it it was amazing

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?!

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Jan 20, 2017 Colleen Houck added it

Shelves: bullying, chbc-author, death, high-school, risk-taking, revenge, secrets, crime, contemporary, murder-mystery

If 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. ...more

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Mar 24, 2014 Anatea Oroz rated it did not like it

Shelves: young-adult, mystery, romance, love-the-cover

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 ...more

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May 23, 2014 Rayne rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller, school-life, young-adult, contemporary, there-s-romance-in-there-somewhere, mystery, better-than-expected

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 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. ...more

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Sep 16, 2015 Bridget rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya-contemporary-romance, whodunnit, mystery, didn-t-see-that-coming, fave-series-book-one-only, horror, revenge, a-mccneil-gretchen, 00-08-tbr-august18, narrator-amazing

This was a re-read and just as good as the first time! Love me some secret society books!

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Aug 03, 2014 Kathy Martin rated it it was amazing

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 actre 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. ...more

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Feb 10, 2014 Lauren ✨ (TheBookishTwins) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: edelweiss, contemporary, favorites, highly-anticipated-2014, fav-2014-reads, owned, mystery

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 ...more

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Dec 08, 2014 Lily (Night Owl Book Cafe) rated it it was ok

Shelves: reviewed, young-adult, challenge-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 mai 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. ...more

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Apr 29, 2014 Sarah Elizabeth rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: r2r-complete, netgalley-edelweiss, contemporary, young-adult, mystery, read-2014

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 th ...more

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Apr 04, 2014 Tati rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary-realistic

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 b ...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Stacee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: theyre-tattoos-not-ink-or-tats, will-read-this-authors-grocery-list, all-of-the-stars, read-in-2014, edelweiss, use-of-the-other-f-word

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 music ...more

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Nov 02, 2013 Melanie rated it it was ok

Shelves: romance, bleh, young-adult, could-have-been-so-much-better, death, e-arc, books-i-own, contemporary, f-a-i-l, mystery

Oh man, this was painful.

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Feb 10, 2014 Nemo (The Moonlight Library) rated it liked it

Shelves: source-edelweiss, sts, publisher-5-harpercollins, audience-young-adult, genre-contemporary, format-ebook, first-world-problems, books-i-own, rich-white-girl-problems, series

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 b ...more

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Feb 28, 2014 Gisbelle rated it liked it

Shelves: arc, contemporary, series, young-adult, high-school, young-adult-contemporary, first-in-series

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 w ...more

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Oct 16, 2014 Nuzaifa - Word Contessa rated it liked it

Shelves: physical-arc-owned, harper

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 g ...more

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Feb 10, 2014 Michelle (Pink Polka Dot Books) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: tbr-2014

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' 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.

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Apr 17, 2014 Faye rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, 2014-reads, love-triangle, so-bad-its-good, abandoned-series, 1-star, annoying-mc, bad-ending, rich-people, awesome-covers

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 ...more

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Aug 23, 2014 Adrienne rated it really liked it

Shelves: alternate-povs, book-boyfriends, mystery-suspense, arc, series, ebooks

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 r ...more

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Aug 22, 2014 Megan (thebookishtwins) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, contemporary, mystery, reviewed, read-in-2015, diversity, own

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...

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May 23, 2017 Melissa Veras rated it it was ok

Meh.

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Jul 31, 2014 Ruthsic rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, contemporary, thriller

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, th 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.

Ah, my reading slump has ended thanks to this brilliant book. Get Even hooked me right from chapter 3, when I got past the introduction of the new characters, and things got into play. The story is pretty fast-paced, even though it takes place over a timeline of barely a few weeks. The plot-line is akin to that of the ABC show ‘Revenge’, only the girls of Don’t Get Mad (the title of the series and the name of the main girls squad) have people on their revengenda in an somewhat altruistic manner. Think Totally Spies meets Revenge.
There is Kitty, the leader of the group and the one who keeps the peace between these girls. Bree is the field agent, who does the reconnaissance and the grabbing of dirty laundry. Olivia is part of the popular girl squad, but she feels haunted by a mistake she made a few years ago when trying to impress her peers. Margot, the geek of the group, has her own reasons to take down the head bitch, but first she wants to get revenge for others. So, basically four girls from different parts of the school, who secretly organize revenge pranks on the bullies, including a coach who was hard on a student. They are in the line of fire, thanks to a principal who suddenly wakes up and realizes his school is not the teen utopia he thought it was. Making matters worse, their next intended target is murdered, and all fingers point to the DGM, which indirectly puts the girls in peril, as they now also have higher stakes is keeping their secret.
Someone, though, figures out who they are, and a-la ‘A’ fashion, sends them information that drives a wedge into this power group. While juggling a normal teenage life, a stressful and dangerous school time, they also look into the investigation of the crime. So, overall, it is a well written murder mystery, but that’s not even the best part – it ends on a cliffhanger. Yep, no idea who the killer is, not even at the end of the book. I was going crazy, suspecting every secondary character, like I would during an episode of Pretty Little Liars, and I don’t even know if I am close. It made me go WTF, but then I was even more excited for the next. The writing is addictive, and the characters, so defined and constructed. I loved how the idea was executed and what awaits us in the next. Definitely a must read.

Received a free ARC from Balzer+Bray via Edelweiss. This does not affect my opinions or review. ...more

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Feb 10, 2014 Erin Arkin rated it liked it

Shelves: series, bea, 2014-real-book-challenge, edelweiss, galley-arc

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 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. ...more

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Jan 01, 2016 Cesar rated it really liked it

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 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 ...more

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Oct 27, 2013 Miss Page Turner rated it really liked it

Kitty, Margot, Bree and Olivia couldn't be more different. Olivia is the theater girl, Kitty the sporty type, Margot the tech pro and Bree is the daughter of a Senator. They are in the same high school and know how hard trying to be oneself can be. It is not friendship that connects them, but something bigger, something stronger. Revenge and justice.
The four girls formed the group DGM in order to protect other students who have become victims to bullying and oppression. Together they have to wi Kitty, Margot, Bree and Olivia couldn't be more different. Olivia is the theater girl, Kitty the sporty type, Margot the tech pro and Bree is the daughter of a Senator. They are in the same high school and know how hard trying to be oneself can be. It is not friendship that connects them, but something bigger, something stronger. Revenge and justice.
The four girls formed the group DGM in order to protect other students who have become victims to bullying and oppression. Together they have to withstand an accusation of murder themselves and find out who killed bully Ronny. This constellation kind of reminded me of Pretty Little Liars. But in comparison GET EVEN would make a much better Tv show since Gretchen McNeil's girls are stronger, smarter and more independent than Aria and her friends.

While GET EVEN is about proving the girls' innocence, Gretchen McNeil throws in hints, clues and evidence that make you suspicious of all four girls in some way, too. Very sneaky!
The story switches back and forth between all four girls and their perspectives. Bree was by far my favourite person to follow around with her best friend John and her growing feelings for him. Friendship becoming romance, yes, I really liked that and the way Bree started to realize her true feelings at some point. The other girls have interesting romances and friendship stories, too.

I am so glad that Gretchen McNeil decided to bring out the girls' story as a duology, with the first book releasing in September 2014 and the second in summer 2015. This way there was much writing space to form a believable story background, and especially with a murder investigation going on. Gretchen considered love stories for each girl and one big part of GET EVEN is about the possibility of them becoming friends in the end despite the big differences between the girls.
It was hard to put the book aside when it ended and now wait a few months until I can pick up its sequel. Hope that it starts right where the first ended. There are still a few questions and problems to solve so I'm looking forward to the second book.

4/5 **** GET EVEN - Gretchen McNeil's best book so far!

The words "dying for the sequel" really fit in the case of GET EVEN. Bree and John's relationship is by far my favourite and the way things ended for them was so mean. It's been a long time since I read something so suspenseful and with so much teen drama. I can't wait for GET DIRTY! ...more

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Mar 22, 2014 Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) rated it liked it

Shelves: kindle-books, arc-book-read

Sometimes I just need a really good YA read and when I can find one from an author that I already love, it is even better. Throw in a well written story, a thought out plot line, a mystery, slight romance and relatable characters and you have seriously just hit the jackpot.

McNeil's debut blew me away when I read it so of course I wanted to read whatever she happened to dabble in next so it was without hesitation that I picked up Get Even.

If her first book NIL taught me anything it was that I jus Sometimes I just need a really good YA read and when I can find one from an author that I already love, it is even better. Throw in a well written story, a thought out plot line, a mystery, slight romance and relatable characters and you have seriously just hit the jackpot.

McNeil's debut blew me away when I read it so of course I wanted to read whatever she happened to dabble in next so it was without hesitation that I picked up Get Even.

If her first book NIL taught me anything it was that I just knew I was going to be in for a crazy ride. One where no clear answers are out there in the open and one where you will be left guessing at every single thing that happened from who did it to even who are really the good guys and who weren't. Who can be trusted and who is as guilty as all get out.

There are no clear answers to anything but instead of frustrating you (okay it might still very well frustrate a lot of you) and making you want to chuck the book across the room, you are left with even more curiosity with where the author is going to go next and eager to learn more and maybe even a little disappointed when it comes to the end of the book and you realize you ended up with way more questions than answers hoping the next book delivers then all.

This turned out to be a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. Friendships being established, broken down and then rebuilt again. With four girls coming together over a common bond and goal. Four girls who couldn't be more different in every single way possible. Learning how to trust one another and get past their insecurities and distrust for others to hopefully accomplish something great in the end, to get justice for those that have been bullied and wronged.

Was this book perfect? Not at all, in fact I would even wager to believe there are a lot of people out there that will dislike it strongly, but if you go into this without any expectations and an open mind to have a good time with the murder mystery aspect and all the conspiracies and vigilant antics, I think you will have a good time and be able to enjoy it, I know I did.
...more

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Apr 30, 2014 Zemira (Kylo Ren fangirl) Warner rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, edelweiss, thriller, mystery

Rather boring. Characters were unrelatable and the plot was questionable, as in, there was no plot besides the killing and framing.

Hope book two will be better.

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Crazy for Young A...: Pair 12: Maria and Kathy (March 2018)	6	14	Mar 24, 2018 08:27PM
YA Buddy Readers'...: Get Even by Gretchen McNeil - Starting 3rd March	15	19	Mar 07, 2015 05:07AM
YA Today Book Club: Discussion #34 - Get Even	2	6	Jan 26, 2015 09:09PM
YA Today Book Club: January 2015 Pick	4	7	Jan 25, 2015 04:19AM
Buddy read time xx: Get even, oct. 2014	4	6	Nov 07, 2014 08:33PM
Crazy for Young A...: Get Even by Gretchen McNeil → Start Date: September 24, 2014	43	25	Oct 07, 2014 09:10PM

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About Gretchen McNeil

Gretchen McNeil

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Gretchen 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 shelve ...more