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 After interviewing Ten author Gretchen McNeil, I decided to read another of her books--this time, the first of the Don't Get Mad series, the second book of which comes out in a few months--I can't wait!
This book is dark and suspenseful, almost more so than Ten, in fact, because it's set in such a nonchalant setting instead of a stormy, dark island with no one around. I enjoyed that it was set in a Catholic school, though a bit cliche at times. I think the characters in this book are a little bit static, but overall pretty relatable and their emotions were conveyed nicely through Gretchen's writing style. Fabulous job :) As for plot, it actually moved a tad slowly in the middle, but really fast at the beginning and the end. There seemed to be a lot of unrelated subplots that occasionally distracted from the overall goal, which can get frustrating, but my suspicion is that these subplots tie in to later books--oh, and definitely don't read this if you don't like cliffhangers! Can't wait to see how this one is resolved. However, as far as this book goes, it's a solid eight out of ten! Read on for further commentary/some spoilers! Thanks for reading! -Mallory
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It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury. But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine. Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine? I first want to mention that this book takes place in our (the Bibliomaniac's) high school, so we're all familiar with the places mentioned in the book.
This novel is definitely suspenseful and keeps you at the edge of your seat. The first time I read it, I was alone at home and it was raining outside and I. was. freaking. out. To think that these events were happening to my fictional classmates and were at a place that I was familiar with. The book is very fast-paced and the people are dying one after the other so you're never bored. The second time I read this, I searched and found all the Easter eggs and references that I didn't the first time around and made all the connections that the reader doesn't make until the end of the book. So overall, reading this book was enjoyable for me both times around. -Alise Read more for a small Q&A with the author and to know why I would give this a 7 out of TEN! "Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did." So begins the story of Lily Casey Smith, Jeannette Walls’s no-nonsense, resourceful, and spectacularly compelling grandmother. By age six, Lily was helping her father break horses. At fifteen, she left home to teach in a frontier town--riding five hundred miles on her pony, alone, to get to her job. She learned to drive a car and fly a plane. And, with her husband, Jim, she ran a vast ranch in Arizona. She raised two children, one of whom is Jeannette’s memorable mother, Rosemary Smith Walls, unforgettably portrayed in The Glass Castle. Lily survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depression, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy. She bristled at prejudice of all kinds—against women, Native Americans, and anyone else who didn’t fit the mold. Rosemary Smith Walls always told Jeannette that she was like her grandmother, and in this true-life novel, Jeannette Walls channels that kindred spirit. Summary from Amazon I read one of Jeannette Walls's other books, The Glass Castle, last summer and I really enjoyed it--plus there are a lot of hidden "easter egg" connections between her books in this one! This is a story that, at its core, represents coming of age and survival in a world that even though it's not our own modern-day world, the lessons Lily learns in it still hold true. Okay, now that we have our daily sentimentality out of the way... Lily is amazing. She's such a powerful character, and a kind of character I like to call "work-in-progress-statue" characters. That means that she's a dynamic character, who changes throughout the book, but it goes deeper in that she is "chiseled" by each of her experiences; Jeannette Walls conveys Lily's changing attitudes and virtues perfectly. It really surprised me; I had to look back at the front cover of the book to make sure that Jeannette was really the author, not Lily. Overall, this book has great character development, a simple but still intriguing plot line, and a great batch of settings that take you back to your childhood dreams of living on a ranch. I'd say a 7/10 for this book--it's exceptionally well written! Read on for more + some spoilers! -Mallory What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them…all at once? Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control. Amazon Summary This was recommended to me by my fellow bibliomaniacs, and it does not disappoint. Lara Jean (love the name, by the way) is a very well-developed character that is very family-oriented but still becoming of a normal high school girl.
This sounds a bit like a gushy romance, but I can assure you that it is not--it is written from a very realistic point of view and the main characters are all very relatable. This book is cleverly and amazingly earmarked by its complexity and the emotional depth of the characters. Overall, I'd say around an 8/10 for this book. I am very much looking forward to the sequel, P.S. I Still Love You, coming out May 26th, 2015! Read on for spoilers! -Mallory "I live in the in between. Between what if and what is. It’s how I manage. It’s the only way I know. Everyone has their way. This is mine." When high school cell phone disruption forces a classroom ban, the words on a Post-it note spark a sticky romance between two unlikely friends. Transfer student Talia Vanderbilt has one goal at her new school: to blend in with the walls. Lagan Desai, basketball captain and mathlete, would do just about anything to befriend the new girl. One Post-it note at a time, Lagan persuades Talia to peel back her heart, slowly revealing her treasure chest of pain—an absent mother, a bedridden brother, and an abusive father. In a world where hurt is inevitable, the two teens search for a safe place to weather the storms of life. Together. Amazon Summary ALL THE FEELS for this one. ALL OF THEM. This book really hits it out of the park; it's one of the only book with flashbacks that I actually enjoyed. Most of the time, those drive me out of my mind but the backstory in this book was quite enjoyable, and not distracting but rather revealing of the plot. The romance in this book is PERFECT: slow and ALMOST so slow you want to scream but then beauty returns to the world! And it's so unlikely and random that you feel like it's real life. It's a great new twist on realistic fiction that I loved! Can't wait to read Seeing through Stones, because we find out more about Talia's brother, Jesse. Read on for spoilers! -Mallory :Each night at precisely 4:33 am, while sixteen-year-old London Lane is asleep, her memory of that day is erased. In the morning, all she can "remember" are events from her future. London is used to relying on reminder notes and a trusted friend to get through the day, but things get complicated when a new boy at school enters the picture. Luke Henry is not someone you'd easily forget, yet try as she might, London can't find him in her memories of things to come. When London starts experiencing disturbing flashbacks, or flash-forwards, as the case may be, she realizes it's time to learn about the past she keeps forgetting-before it destroys her future. Amazon Summary Okay, so I reviewed another of Cat Patrick's books, Just Like Fate, the other day and figured that this is now the only one I haven't yet read I might as well read it. I was NOT DISAPPOINTED again, because obviously Cat Patrick is amazing and my favorite author. She knows how to weave suspense into a story. I think London is awesome, and quite quick-witted. Luke and she are probably some of my favorite of Cat Patrick's couples, after Sean and Lizzie in The Originals. I honestly think that Cat Patrick's debut novel is one of her best because it's really bold. And I love how, in the back, it gives you the source of inspiration. I think that the romance in this story is very well written because even though it's evidently essential to the plot it is still not THE ONLY THING IN THE BOOK like it has been in other, similar books I've read. Overall, this book is a 9/10 for me! Read on for spoilers! -Mallory Forgetting was only the beginning. When seventeen-year-old Sia wakes up on a park bench, she has no idea who or where she is. Yet after a week of being homeless, she’s reunited with her family. At school, she’s powerful and popular. At home, she’s wealthy beyond her dreams. But she quickly realizes her perfect life is a lie. Her family is falling apart and her friends are snobby, cruel and plastic. Worse still, she discovers she was the cruelest one. Mortified by her past, she embarks on a journey of redemption and falls for Kyle, the “geek” she once tormented. Yet all the time she wonders if, when her memories return, she’ll become the bully she was before…and if she’ll lose Kyle. Summary via Amazon I bought this book for a whopping ninety-nine cents, and so I didn't have...high expectations, to tell you the truth. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the characters, although lacking in exceptional depth, were very relatable and believable as the people they were chosen to represent. The romance plot in this book was very nice, but felt like an afterthought. The description stresses the romance's importance to the plot while it's not the most important element in reality, but overall it still serves its purpose. At times it seems a little unreasonably fake, like it's SO HARD to incorporate romance for this author that he just kind of... placed it there. It wasn't at all woven into the story like good romances are, but hey, it's not a romance book, right? Click Read More to see some spoilers and my opinions on some of the plot points! -Mallory Caroline is at a crossroads. Her grandmother is sick and, like the rest of her family, Caroline’s been at Gram’s bedside since her stroke. With the pressure building, all Caroline wants to do is escape—both her family and the reality of Gram’s failing health. So when Caroline’s best friend offers to take her to a party one fateful Friday night, she must choose: stay by Gram’s side, or go to the party for a few hours? The consequences of this one decision will split Caroline’s fate into two separate paths—and she is about to live them both. Friendships are tested and family drama hits an all-new high as Caroline attempts to rebuild old relationships and even make a few new ones. If she stays, her longtime crush, Joel, might finally notice her, but if she goes, Chris, the charming college boy, might prove to be everything she’s ever wanted. Though there are two distinct ways for her fate to unfold, there is only one happy ending… Summary via Amazon I want to say is that I love this author. Cat Patrick is amaze! I love The Originals and Revived and all her other novels, so when I saw this and I saw her name on it I instantly had really high hopes. I wasn't disappointed. This book is told from the two different perspectives of "GO" and "STAY" and was incredibly well written. I will say, however, that I had to frequently remind myself which perspective I was reading. Still, very enjoyable. I most certainly recommend this to you if you are a science fiction nerd who wants to read realistic fiction; this is the perfectly low-key mix of the two. Caroline is very decisive and all-or-nothing, and overall a great character, with lots of believable depth. If I had one note, I think that if you're looking for something solid and formal and, well, normal, you're probably out of look. But I'm not complaining! This book is a great combo of romance, social drama, and parallel universes. I believe this book to be just a really nice twist on the classic high school drama story, something along the lines of college boys and blah.... but not with Cat Patrick and especially not with Suzanne Young; they put a whole new spin on it, and seamless transitions provide a great basis for romance, friendships, and family drama to unravel. Overall, as the two stories come together near the end, I was left pretty much 100% breathless and stayed up hours after I normally go to sleep just to finish! One thing--if you're all about the ending, you're out of luck. We are left forever wondering which path she actually chose. But it's all up to imagination, right? Thanks for reading! -Mallory |
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