Book Review: Get Even by Gretchen McNeil

Title: Get Even (Don't Get Mad #1)
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publishing Date: September 16th 2014
Length: 320 pages
Keywords: YA, contemporary, thriller, mystery, romance, friendship, bullying
Source: Edelweiss

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.

Summary by Goodreads

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!

"Bree rolled her eyes. Most days John's geeky instance that there was a Star Wars quote for every occasion was relatively entertaining, but today is was about as welcome as a raging case of the herps." ― p.2

GET EVEN you might enjoy PRETTY LITTLE LIARS by Sara Shepard, THE DOLLS by Kiki Sullivan and DANGEROUS GIRLS by Abigail Haas. There's lots of girl drama and murderous plotting going on in these three books. Perfect for fans of Gretchen McNeil's newest book.

* Have you read TEN by Gretchen McNeil? 

* GET DIRTY, the sequel to GET EVEN is scheduled to release June 2015. 

* Click here to read an excerpt of GET EVEN.

* For more information about Gretchen and her books visit www.gretchenmcneil.com. 

Frankfurt Book Fair 2014 - Book Haul

After my regular book haul and the US book haul, now comes my Frankfurt Book Fair haul. I've got no idea where to put all the books I got in the past month. I need new shelves...haha. I attended the fair on Saturday and Sunday and met a few of my favourite German bloggers. On Saturday we went to an event with Libba Bray who promoted the release of her The Diviners in Germany. She was so funny and signed my (still unread) UK copy of The Diviners. It was a fun weekend and I'm already looking forward to Frankfurt Book Fair in 2015!

Thanks to Libba Bray for signing my copy of The Diviners!

Books, Books Books...

 

 Harper Collins

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

Not A Drop To Drink by Mindy McGinnis

The Taking by Kimberly Derting

Sourcebooks

Gone Too Far by Natalie D. Richards

See Jane Run by Hannah Jayne

 Penguin

Half Bad by Sally Green

Paper Towns by John Green

Sophomore Year Is Greek To Me by Meredith Zeitlin

Harlequin Teen

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

 

Scholastic

Famous Last Words by Katie Alender

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

Books Crossing Borders

Miles From Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams

Winterspell by Claire Legrand

 

Macmillan

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Scotland Publishers

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

Giveaway

The creative writing teacher, the delivery guy, the local Starbucks baristas, his best friend, her roommate, and the squirrel in the park all have one thing in common—they believe that Gabe and Lea should get together. Lea and Gabe are in the same creative writing class. They get the same pop culture references, order the same Chinese food, and hang out in the same places. Unfortunately, Lea is reserved, Gabe has issues, and despite their initial mutual crush, it looks like they are never going to work things out.  But somehow even when nothing is going on, something is happening between them, and everyone can see it. Their creative writing teacher pushes them together. The baristas at Starbucks watch their relationship like a TV show. Their bus driver tells his wife about them. The waitress at the diner automatically seats them together. Even the squirrel who lives on the college green believes in their relationship.

Surely Gabe and Lea will figure out that they are meant to be together....

a Rafflecopter giveaway

* You enter for a chance to win a copy of A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall
* INTERNATIONAL (please check if The Book Depository ships to your country)
* The giveaway starts on October 14th and will end on October 31st
* Enter the rafflecopter form!
* Good luck :) 

New Books On My Shelf #69

Here's what showed up while I was in the US. So many wonderful books. Can't wait to read all of them. I've already started with THE JEWEL.

For review. A bunch of Harper Collins International ARCs. Thank you!!

A limited, signed copy of THE BODY ELECTRIC by Beth Revis. A huge thanks to Beth for sending me a copy for review and for the beautiful swag pack! x

Bought. I had a copy of NOT IN THE SCRIPT pre-ordered that showed up while I was gone. Of course I couldn't resist to get the Divergent Blu Ray and I'm really looking forward to the second season of Grand Hotel. 

Back To Blogging - USA Vacation - New Books

How has it been almost a month since I last published a blog post? I better not start rambling about how time flies. The reason for my blogging silence was a fantastic 3 1/2 week vacation of traveling the US with my two friends Sandra and Sabine. We saw many different cities and places and it was such a fun, unforgettable experience I wouldn't want to miss. Unfortunately, I didn't have any time to read or write reviews. So I'm a bit behind on everything right now. Still catching up. Here's what my vacation looked like and the new books I got.

Miami- Fort Lauderdale

Skyscrapers and tropical beaches. That's how I'll remember Miami. While the humidity was way too high for my taste I really enjoyed relaxing on the beach or swimming in our hotel's pool. Miami Beach and Bill Baggs State Park on Key Biscayne with their crystal clear water were definite highlights.

Las Vegas - Grand Canyon - Flagstaff - Las Vegas

When we arrived at the airport we were greeted in authentic Vegas style. With loud music and big, blinking neon signs.  After a short night we got our rental car and were on our way to the Grand Canyon. Just wow! None of my pictures does this wonder of nature justice. It was so beautiful! We spent the night in Flagstaff and then drove back via parts of the Route 66. I'm not much of a driver, but I loved the open roads and the wide view this street has to offer. Back in Vegas we spent two nights in the Stratosphere hotel and got to go up their tower for free. Stunning view! We toured the casinos at night and my friend Sandra even won some bucks. I really liked Vegas and will come back!

 

Los Angeles

I wouldn't come back to the US with the sole purpose to explore this city. I think that's because we saw some parts of the city that were dirty and scary...more so than we could tolerate. That does not mean we didn't have fun moments in LA, too. One day we drove to Santa Monica beach and the sun set was paradisic. For movie fans the Warner Brothers VIP Tour is an absolute must. They were currently filming Hart of Dixie so we got to tour Bluebelle's town square. Look at the gazebo! Gilmore Girls for ever! We had a treat at the Cheesecake Factory. Aaaaaand on our last day in LA we got to attend a live taping of The Big Bang Theory. WOW! A dream come true. We had to wait all day to get in but it was so worth it because Sandra and I scored first row seats directly in front of the boys' living room. The episode they were filming airs next Monday, Season 8 Episode 5. It was HILARIOUS! It was fun to see how many times they had to film a scene and how they recorded every single laugh of the audience. The cast was so awesome. Kaley and Johnny thanked everyone for coming and they told us that they were filming a behind the scenes special (air date: December 26th). Best experience ever and my highlight of this US trip!

This is Kunal's autograph who stayed a few extra minutes to sign. He's the sweetest guy!

San Francisco - Yosemite National Park

We only had one day to see everything in San Francisco we wanted to see. We took a Cable Car, strolled Fisherman's Wharf, saw the seals at Pier 39, had awesome breakfast in a diner near our hostel. On day two we rented another car and attempted to drive to Yosemite National Park and back on the same day. Unsurprisingly, we didn't have nearly enough time to see all of the park we wanted to see. We marvelled at the giant trees in the Mariposa Grove and drove through the thick forrest and high, stunning mountains. Yosemite is beautiful and I will definitely try to come back with more time in tow. On our long and dark way back to San Francisco we stopped at In-N-Out Burger and loaded up on delicious fries and burgers. Another highlight on this trip was our San Francisco bay cruise. Blue sky, a warm breeze and a relaxing sailing tour under the Golden Gate Bridge. Doesn't it look pretty?

Chicago

Chicago was hands down my favourite city. The parks were beautiful, Lake Michigan gigantic and we had the chance to plan another beach day. The bean, Buckingham Fountain and the Lincoln Park Zoo were some things we saw in our three days there. I even saw Four's ferris wheel, hehe. Didn't get to ride it but I thought of my favourite YA boy. We all went up Willis Tower and sat in a glass box over 100 stories above the ground. We had the best weather and I'm practically planning my trip back to Chicago now.

New York

New York was the city that finally fulfilled my bookish dreams. We saw the Times Square, Statue of Liberty, walked the Brooklyn Bridge, went to Top of the Rock, and spent a fab day in Central Park. But my New York favourite moment was the launch event at Books of Wonder I attended and the time spent in The Strand. So the books get an extra paragraph. After four days in New York we flew back to Germany.

Books and the City

New York was my favourite city when I get to rate all of them by book stores. In Barnes & Noble LA I bought four books, including a signed copy of RUIN AND RISING by Leigh Bardugo.

For the same amout of money I got ten books at The Strand. When I came to The Strand I thought I'd just walk through the store and head to my next destination. I'm not into used books so I was conviced I wouldn't buy a single book. In the end I bought ten. I absolutely LOVED this book store and immediately felt at home between the high shelves and the creaking floor boards. This would be a weekly stop if I lived in the NY area.
You can't imagine my fangirling when I noticed the TFIOS bench in front of the YA section. So much love! I teared up a bit when I read the plaque.

At San Francisco airport I bought a copy of THE ART OF LAINEY. And on October 2nd I attended the launch event at Books of Wonder for Sara Raasch's SNOW LIKE ASHES and Claire Legrand's WINTERSPELL. They were so great and of course I got a copy of SNOW LIKE ASHES signed. Thank you Sara!


The Strand

 Books of Wonder

Book Haul 

San Francisco Airport (The Art of Lainey) & The Strand

Barnes & Noble LA & Books of Wonder ( Snow Like Ashes)

Signed Books 
 

Other Stuff  + tons of clothes that cannot even fit into five pictures, ha!

Blogging Break - Vacation

In the past weeks it's been quiet on the blog. I've been busy with work and preparing for my US trip. I'll be there for a bit under four weeks and I'm so excited! Want to guess where I'm going? Below are books that are set in the cities I'm visiting. Not pictured are Fort Lauderdale, Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon and Yosemite National Park. What should I do in each city? Do you have any special recommendations? Know of any bookish events?

Will post all September reviews in October. The winner of my last giveaway will also be drawn in October and there will be no Behind The Pages post in September.