Get Even
By Gretchen McNeil, 2014
Young adult, Realistic fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 👻👻👻1/2 (3.5 out of 4 boos)
“Bree Deringer, Olivia Hayes, Kitty Wei, and Margot Mejia 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.
But 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.
As the unlikely group searches for the killer, they also uncover secrets and lies that rock their tenuous friendship to the core. Soon the clues are piling up, the police are closing in . . . and everyone has something to lose.”
What’s the main character like?
The four main characters share equal time as the book moves through their third-person perspectives. Each character has interesting flaws and backstories, but I’ll focus on Margot, the girl who previously struggled with her weight and the bullying that came along with it. Intelligent, witty in a quiet way, and eager (also in a quiet way) to begin doing normal teenage things that her strict parents would frown upon, she is an engaging character with an interesting struggle.
How scary is it?
This book is exciting and thrilling but not scary. There are references to sex and murder, and there are scenes in which teens fight.
Who might like the book?
There are a lot of obvious connections here (multiple main teen characters, revenge plots, unlikely friendships) that should be good news for fans of Pretty Little Liars, One of Us is Lying, and Burn for Burn. And, of course, fans of the Netflix show Get Even should appreciate this book! Funny story. The exact day I finished this book, I was scrolling through Netflix and came across the show. Until that moment, I had no idea it had been made into a show.
What did I like best?
Having written a book like this myself in which four misfits get stuck battling a ghost together, I must say I am usually quite happy to read multiple-point-of-view young adult books. Get Even provides a fun blend of four very different girls’ perspectives.
What wasn’t my favorite?
With that being said, in the beginning I was having a hard time remembering which girl was which. I had to wrap my head around their differences and then match the right name to the right girl. But this didn’t take too long. I think it’s a common occurrence with multiple perspectives.