Book Nerds Across America: Gretchen McNeil

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Book Review: Get Dirty by Gretchen McNeil

Goodreads Overview:

The members of Don’t Get Mad (DGM) aren’t just mad anymore . . . they’re afraid. And with Margot in a coma and Bree stuck in juvie, it’s up to Olivia and Kitty to try to catch their deadly tormentor. But just as the girls are about to go on the offensive, Ed the Head reveals a shocking secret that turns all their theories upside down. The killer could be anyone, and this time he—or she—is out for more than just revenge.

The girls desperately try to discover the killer’s identity as their personal lives are falling apart: Donté is pulling away from Kitty and seems to be hiding a secret of his own, Bree is under house arrest, and Olivia’s mother is on an emotional downward spiral. The killer is closing in, the threats are becoming more personal, and when the police refuse to listen, the girls have no choice but to confront their anonymous friend . . . or die trying.

Jacque's Review:

I have read several murder mystery series and they are usually independent stories. You could pick up any book in the series and follow the mystery from beginning to end without any difficulty. That certainly is not the case with this series. Get Dirty is a continuation of the story that began in Get Even. We were left completely hanging at the end of the first book with multiple dead bodies, no suspect, and a main character on the brink of death.

This book picks up pretty much where Get Even left off. Bree is in juvie/house arrest and Margot is in a coma for most of the book. With the loss of Bree and Margot's skill sets, Olivia and Kitty decide to recruit some additional DGM members to help solve the cases. Nobody knows who to trust and it appears the school and the police don't want to look any further than pinning the murders on the members of DGM. They just don't know who the members of DGM are. Their only hope is to solve the murders before the evidence stacking up against them becomes insurmountable.

I really enjoyed the characters and the story, but I didn't feel like it gave readers a realistic opportunity to solve the mystery. There were some crazy revelations at the end that pulled everything together, but I honestly can't think of many clues along the way that I should have picked up on that would have shed much light on the situation.

Overall, I gave both books 4 stars and was entertained by the story, but it would have been better if it had been condensed into one book. Some of the events in the second book were a bit far fetched and in my opinion could have been eliminated. In contrast, the first book had me sitting on the edge of my seat in anticipation. I stayed up late to read the final few chapters because I simply HAD to know who the perpetrator was. This could have been a 5 star mystery if everything had concluded there. As it was, I felt like the additional time invested in reading a second book to solve one mystery was a bit more than I had originally bargained for and detracted from the overall enjoyment of the story.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Book Review: Get Even by Gretchen McNeil

Jacque's Review:

Everyone knows the school bullies, mean girls, and in the case of this book, a psycho teacher, who make life at school a living hell. Don't Get Mad, DGM, is tired of their antics and decides to take matters into their own hands and "Get Even." The book takes place at an elite prep school where the administration has let bullying get out of hand. The Principal even set up his own group of enforcers known as the Maine Men, who only perpetuate the problem.

The four girls in DGM, Bree, Olivia, Kitty, and Margot all have their own secrets and decided to join the group for very different reasons. They appear to have nothing in common, but as the story unfolds, we can see how their lives are entwined and can tell they are forming genuine friendships despite their differences.

When the target of one of DGM's recent pranks is found dead, with one of DGM's calling cards in his bloody hand, the girls realize they are in trouble. Nobody is going to believe they weren't involved. The school's administration, along with the Maine Men, set out on a witch hunt to find the members of DGM and bring them to justice. The girls decide they need to solve this murder before they take the fall.

This was a very entertaining murder mystery, but I had no idea this would have a "to be continued" type of ending. With a few chapters remaining, I was sure we were going to get to the bottom of everything, but we were left just as clueless as ever. I figured Get Dirty, the next book in the series, would be a companion novel, but it is actually a continuation of this same story.

I read a lot of murder mysteries and don't think I have ever run into a book or series in which the crime wasn't solved by the end of the book. I can only imagine how stressful that would have been to readers who finished this book shortly after it was released. They would have had an agonizing wait for the next book to be released and no clue if the crime they had just invested their time in would ever be solved, until the description for the next book was released.

I have a few other books that I need to read first, but I have already requested a copy of Get Dirty from the library. I desperately want to know who is behind the events that have taken place before I forget all of the details and clues that have been uncovered so far.