GET EVEN

A new series aiming at the Pretty Little Liars sweet spot kicks off.

Bullies run rampant at prep school Bishop DuMaine, ignored by principal Father Uberti. That is, until a group called Don’t Get Mad begins giving the worst offenders their just deserts. No one knows who is in DGM—no one would suspect it’s four very different girls with no apparent ties of friendship. Student body vice president Kitty initially brought together actress Olivia, invisible Margot and rebellious Bree after a freshman year class project, and since then, they’ve successfully neutralized some of the worst offenders at Bishop DuMaine. But then their latest target ends up dead—holding evidence that implicates DGM in his death. With the sadistic Coach Creed and the ’Maine Men, a “school-sanctioned goon squad,” determined to reveal DGM’s members, the team’s bonds begin to fray, especially when they begin receiving anonymous photos that hint at the girls’ secrets. Will they be able to discover the murderer’s identity without revealing their own? That question is regrettably left unanswered. Although some characters are well-rounded—Kitty and Margot and some minor characters—others are less successful. Bree’s rebelliousness exists only to exist, it seems. The plot slowly and inexorably increases the tension, only for the cliffhanger to act as an unwanted pin in the balloon.

A compelling contemporary thriller for readers who don’t mind waiting for Volume 2.