Title: Get Even (Don't Get Mad #1)
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Publication date: September, 16, 2014
Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemporary/Mystery)
Source: Edelweiss
Format: ePub
Pages: 320
Follows the secretive exploits of four high school juniors - Kitty, Olivia, Margot and Bree - at an exclusive Catholic prep school.
To all outward appearances, the girls barely know each other. At best, they don't move in the same social circles; at worst, they're overtly hostile.
Margot Mejia – academically ranked number two in her class, Margot is a focused overachiever bound for the Ivy League.
Kitty Wei – captain of the California state and national champion varsity girls' volleyball team, she's been recruited by a dozen colleges and has dreams of winning an Olympic gold medal.
Olivia Hayes – popular star of the drama program, she's been voted "most eligible bachelorette" two years running in the high school yearbook and has an almost lethal combination of beauty and charm.
Bree Deringer – outcast, misfit and the kind of girl you don't want to meet in a dark alley, the stop sign red-haired punk is a constant thorn in the side of teachers and school administrators alike.
Different goals, different friends, different lives, but the girls share a secret no one would ever guess. They are members of Don't Get Mad, a society specializing in seeking revenge for fellow students who have been silently victimized by their peers. Each girl has her own reason for joining the group, her own set of demons to assuage by evening the score for someone else. And though school administration is desperate to find out who is behind the DGM "events", the girls have managed to keep their secret well hidden.
That is until one of their targets – a douchebag senior who took advantage of a drunk underclassman during a house party, videotaped it on his phone, and posted it on YouTube – turns up dead, and DGM is implicated in the murder.
Now the girls don't know who to trust, and as their tenuous alliance begins to crumble, the secrets they've hidden for so long might be their ultimate undoing.
This book. Just. Oh my god. To recap the ninja long synopsis, Olivia Hayes, Kitty Wei, Margot Mejia and Bree Deringer are completely different people. Olivia: The Socialite. Kitty: The Sporty Chick. Bree: The Punk Rock Loner. Margot: The Super Smart Nobody. Not similar in any way, right? Wrong. These girls are part of a secret group called Don't Get Mad, or DGM to everybody else. DGM right wrongs. They get revenge on the bullies who pick on defenseless kids. But when one of DGM's targets is murdered with a DGM card in his hand, Don't Get Mad is on high alert. Tension begins to tear the girls apart, but the real question hangs in the air. Who killed Ronny DeStefano?
I was perpetually hooked on this book since page one. I loved every single minute spent reading. I was actually so engrossed in this book that I didn't realize I finished it until I saw the acknowledgements. I loved how the book flowed from character to character, with all four girls stating their opinions and even the stupid love interests. There were parts in the book where I was going "Awwww..." and other times I was like "(S)He likes you, don't be so ignorant, like, seriously, are you blind, character?" Which was aggravating in it's own amazing way. But you know what irked me? The ending. A terrible cliff hanger. And I mean terrible as in "Wait. It's over? No, no, nonononononooooooo." I was in shock. I cannot wait for the next book in the series, and I recommend this book for people who like Pretty Little Liars (♥) and Burn for Burn. Hopefully you'll enjoy this book as much as I did.
Title: Beware the Wild
Author: Natalie C. Parker
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: October 21st, 2014
Genre(s): Young Adult (Fantasy/Paranormal)
Source: Edelweiss
Format: eARC
Pages: 336
It's an oppressively hot and sticky morning in June when Sterling and her brother, Phin, have an argument that compels him to run into the town swamp -- the one that strikes fear in all the residents of Sticks, Louisiana. Phin doesn't return. Instead, a girl named Lenora May climbs out, and now Sterling is the only person in Sticks who remembers her brother ever existed.Sterling needs to figure out what the swamp's done with her beloved brother and how Lenora May is connected to his disappearance -- and loner boy Heath Durham might be the only one who can help her.This debut novel is full of atmosphere, twists and turns, and a swoon-worthy romance.
Sterling Saucier's big brother, Phin, ran into the swamp. He did the one thing everybody in Sticks, Louisiana, knows not to do. You see, the swamp is dangerous. Only the fence surrounding the town keeps the things, the monsters, in the swamp out. Sterling waits, and finally, somebody emerges from the sticky murk of the swamp. It's not Phin. A strange girl named Lenora May clambers over the fence, and nobody has second thoughts. Lenora May Saucier takes the place of Phin in everybody's memories. Not one person in Sticks remembers Phin, except Sterling, and she's going to do whatever it takes to get her brother back.
This book was one of those books where I get sucked in, but it doesn't take me more than two seconds to put it down and do something else. You can decide if that's a good thing or not. I definitely liked this book though. Sterling is a great character, although I don't understand something about her. She doesn't eat. Not because she thinks she's too fat or something like that, but because her brother is going off to college, and that makes her mad. I don't understand why she chooses not to eat, because not eating isn't going to stop your brother from getting further educated, but maybe one of you guys will relate. Sterling and Heath's relationship seemed a bit forced, and even though I liked it, I kind of wished we got a little bit more background before they started dating.
The plot was a bit fast paced at some points, but not too fast. I think that some parts were left a bit loose ended (Spoiler- highlight if you want to read it: Like the part with the cherry. If Lenora May ate the cherry, she'd be dragged back into the swamp with Fisher, and she'd never be able to leave. So why is it that when Sterling ate the cherry, all it did was enhance the glow of the shine?). Also, there wasn't really any parents in the book. They were there, but they weren't mentioned even as their kids left in the middle of the night or vanished for hours. Even though there are a few faults in this book, it's still a great read for anyone in the mood for a little dash of paranormal. Recommended for teens ages 13-18.
I'm very much looking forward to read Get Even. I really enjoyed the author's book Ten. I'm glad it was a hit for you. I have yet to decide if I will read Beware The Wild. :/
ReplyDeleteKay @ It's a Book Life
I couldn't get into the PLL series, but I did love McNeil's other book Ten (I honestly flew through it!) so I might have to give Get Even a go. :)
ReplyDeleteOh I SO want to read Don't Get Mad. It's been sitting on my shelf since June looking at me :( I also LOVE PLL and the Burn for Burn series, so YAY!!
ReplyDeleteGet even sounds like a perfect book for October :D It sounds very good. I know exactly what you mean about Beware the wild. Those books are confusing, because once you are busy reading it's nice, but it's also not hard to just leave it alone. I snagged this one from Edelweiss. By the way, something went wrong with your spoiler tag! :)
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