Get Dirty (Don't Get Mad, #2)

by Gretchen McNeil

[Amber]

I feel like Get Dirty had middle book syndrome even though it wasn’t the middle book. I don’t know what happened. I loved Get Even, and I have been so freakin’ excited to read more about the gang and to find out who the killer is. Somehow, Get Dirty was completely lacklustre, and I can’t even figure out why.

The stakes are definitely higher in Get Dirty, but somehow the whole book seemed very casual. It was like I was watching everything happen from behind frosted glass. I was totally disconnected from the story, and yet still invested in the plot. Does that make any sense?

I do wonder if my experience would have been different had I binge-read the duology and started Get Dirty right after finishing the first book. I think that the year between books completely killed the buzz that I had for this series, and I didn’t realise until I was already near the end.

I also didn’t like how many characters were introduced or expanded upon in this book. The cast felt too big, and it made the whole DGM situation even more unrealistic because all of a sudden there were a dozen members and more were joining every time I turned the page.

So yeah. I’m more than a little disappointed by Get Dirty after being thoroughly invested in the previous book. It’s a shame, but I’ll definitely be reading McNeil’s future books because I think she’s a talented writer. This book in particular just fell a bit short.