Review: Get Dirty by Gretchen McNeil

I received this book for free from Balzer + Bray in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The members of Don’t Get Mad 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.

Remember the time when I kept sayingGet Even, the first book of this duology, was better as a standalone?

Well, I now eat my words, because if that book was a standalone, Get Dirty wouldn’t exist, and I would have missed a book that was BAD. ASS. AWESOME. Seriously, guys. I enjoyed this way more than I expected to, and I’m so happy with how everything was written and concluded!

I mean, seriously? It doesn’t only has suspense (I was on my toes the whole time), unpredictability (I swear I couldn’t guess who the perpetrator was… the timing of the clues and how they were laid out and everything made me SECOND-GUESS EVERYONE), girl power (four girls with different personalities being fantastic together and individually), but humor, too! I swear, guys, this one made me cackle like a madwoman drunk on power because of how funny he was.

Olivia threw her arms wide in despair. “We’re never going to figure this out. Bree’s going to rot in jail. She’ll shave off her hair, take over a prison gang, and start calling herself Bitchslap.”

Obviously, this one picks up where Get Even left off – where the stakes have gone higher than ever before and the situation has gone absolutely apeshit insane. A killer is on the loose and they only have dead ends for leads. What’s so special about here is that it doesn’t just include the four original girls now, other people have joined the fray and have decided to combine forces to stop this mayhem once and for all. And oh my goodness, guys, the epicness really goes off the roof, especially with the addition of Ed the Head, the “weirdo” with a penchant for digging up scoops and locating impossible-to-find information. And did I mention he adds a lot of comedic relief? Yes, yes he does.

“Bree trusts him,” Olivia said. “Enough to have him make contact with us. I thought that was a good enough reason to swear him into DGM.”

Ed laughed. “Awesome. I was getting tired of being the only penis around here.”

Kitty narrowed her eyes. “You may not be the only penis, but you’ll still be the only dick.”

I seriously love all the characters. Kitty, Bree, Olivia, Margot… they are all seriously so well-written and portrayed here, all having their own distinct personalities and quirks that make them memorable and special in their own ways. I love how a common goal held them together, solidying a friendship that is so genuine and relatable. It’s definitely a refreshing perspective, considering a lot of YA novels have so much girl-to-girl hate. They all compliment one another and support each other; they don’t just have their own interests at heart but the group’s too, and it’s just so fulfilling to see them do all this and figure out the mystery at the same time.

And the writing! Gods, for me, this book was simply written better than the first one, in which it’s not just the personalities of the characters that jump from the pages, but the atmosphere and emotions, too. It really builds the suspense and mystery well, leaving you hanging in every chapter… I don’t know about you, guys, but this rarely happens to me in the mysteries I read now. It continuously keeps you intrigued throughout each reveal, keeping you on the edge of your seat as you flip pages faster than The Flash can run. 

All I can say, this book was such a fun read and made me remember how mysteries and thrillers can be so enjoyable. I love how despite the fact this was set in a high school setting, the atmosphere still felt so ominous and sinister; its unpredictability makes us pay better attention to the characters and their gestures. 4 stars! Give it a jacket!

4 Hot Espressos

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Giselle

Canadian blogger, wife, mother, coffee lover, and sarcastic at heart! She has had a love for all things bookish since before Amazon and eReaders existed *le gasp*. You can also find her organizing tours and other fun things at Xpresso Book Tours.

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