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jcpdiesel21's review against another edition
4.0
An enjoyable mix of The Breakfast Club and Ocean's Eleven for today's generation. While not as laugh-out-loud funny as anticipated, it is an extremely fun read. Max is a great, relatable protagonist, and his fellow Water Tower 5 members are fleshed out to the perfect degree and add plenty of flavor to the story through their distinct personalities. I predicted several twists along the way, but I like how Dinan skillfully holds back pieces of information from his readers only to surprise them with it later, and pulls tricks from up his sleeves right until the very last page. The various pranks pulled within this book are meticulous, creative and sometimes downright devious. Although the ending is nearly flawless, I was left craving even more from these characters and world.
nglofile's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. High jinks and humor. It had been so long since I read a book cover-to-cover in a single day. What fun.
Joe Schreiber calls this novel "Ocean's 11th Grade," and that is a rather brilliant way to capture the draw in three little words. A motley group of uncool kids are set up by a secret society known as the Chaos Club, but rather than retreat in their notoriety, they use it to band together and instigate a prank war. The teen characters are relatable, smart yet flawed, and the action is fast-paced and near cinematic. Unofficial leader Max is a devotee of heist films, and his invoking of pop culture touchstones gives the reader just enough to tease the inventiveness without stealing any of the enjoyment.
With short chapters, high energy, and the mix of shadowy conspiracy with underdog tale, this is a winner for a variety of teen and adult readers.
Joe Schreiber calls this novel "Ocean's 11th Grade," and that is a rather brilliant way to capture the draw in three little words. A motley group of uncool kids are set up by a secret society known as the Chaos Club, but rather than retreat in their notoriety, they use it to band together and instigate a prank war. The teen characters are relatable, smart yet flawed, and the action is fast-paced and near cinematic. Unofficial leader Max is a devotee of heist films, and his invoking of pop culture touchstones gives the reader just enough to tease the inventiveness without stealing any of the enjoyment.
With short chapters, high energy, and the mix of shadowy conspiracy with underdog tale, this is a winner for a variety of teen and adult readers.
snazzyreader's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
5.0
mfortunak's review against another edition
3.5
I would have rated this at least a star and a half higher if the main character/author didn’t make the mc the worst kind of teenage boy
sweetdreams_sunshine's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Even though this had it's flaws this book was so much fun! Also the twist at the end definitely surprised me. Even though there were hints I did not realize they were there until Max makes the discovery. It was definitely a clever and interesting choice to end the book.
I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys John Hughes films as I definitely think the comparisons are accurate.
Even though this had it's flaws this book was so much fun! Also the twist at the end definitely surprised me. Even though there were hints I did not realize they were there until Max makes the discovery. It was definitely a clever and interesting choice to end the book.
I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys John Hughes films as I definitely think the comparisons are accurate.
kaylakaotik's review against another edition
3.0
Rating 3.5 stars
Don't Get Caught was a pretty good book. I can certainly see why the reviews pre-publication are as positive as they are (4.59 stars on Goodreads in early February).
Here's the thing, this book has a lot going for it. It's got pretty great writing. The story is packed full of action. There's no lulls or parts that could have been eliminated for a better book. The characters are all interesting. The pranks are funny. It's an enjoyable book.
My biggest problem with it (my only problem really) is that I never felt fully engaged in the story. I must say that it felt sort of strange. It had everything a person might want in a book like this, but somehow I still felt a bit disconnected.
Even feeling that disconnect from the story, I can tell Don't Get Caught is going to be a big hit.
* This book was received from Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *
Don't Get Caught was a pretty good book. I can certainly see why the reviews pre-publication are as positive as they are (4.59 stars on Goodreads in early February).
Here's the thing, this book has a lot going for it. It's got pretty great writing. The story is packed full of action. There's no lulls or parts that could have been eliminated for a better book. The characters are all interesting. The pranks are funny. It's an enjoyable book.
My biggest problem with it (my only problem really) is that I never felt fully engaged in the story. I must say that it felt sort of strange. It had everything a person might want in a book like this, but somehow I still felt a bit disconnected.
Even feeling that disconnect from the story, I can tell Don't Get Caught is going to be a big hit.
* This book was received from Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *
bookhawk's review against another edition
3.0
Don’t Get Caught was a very fun book and centered around a great idea. The characters were interesting and each brought something to the story. This was a 4 star book until the very end which eschewed the predictable ending somewhat at its own peril. Recommended reading if you want a quick romp of high school prank stories.
resslesa's review against another edition
5.0
Hilarious! I love the many innuendos and puns throughout the novel (written by a fellow English teacher clearly) and the voice of the teen boy protagonist is so on point! Fans of Don Calame's Swim the Fly series and David Lubar's Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie series will love this one.
pranjallives's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0