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Margot Mertz #1
Margot Mertz Takes It Down
Veronica Mars
meets
Moxie
in this hilarious and biting YA contemporary novel following Margot Mertz, a girl who runs an internet cleanup business and embarks on a quest to take down a revenge-porn site targeting the girls in her school.
Margot Mertz is a secret sleuth--okay, not really, but she does run an internet cleanup business helping students and teachers alike clear their internet presence of anything they don't want anyone else to see. From secret embarrassing DM's to viral videos and more, Margot cleans it all. After her parents foolishly lost her college fund, this is the only way she can make it to Stanford.
But when a fellow student comes to her asking her to take down a website that's gathering nude pics of fellow Roosevelt High girls, things get personal. Margot must delve into the depths of her school to take down the culprit. The seedy underbelly of Roosevelt High is not unfamiliar to Margot--but somehow this case is stumping her at every turn--until she figures out that the only way to reach her suspects is to get close to perfect boy Avery Green. His access to every club, volunteer opportunity, sports team, and popular party is the key to solving her case.
When the case takes a shocking turn, Margot's ready to burn the whole world down. No one targets the Roosevelt High girls on Margot's watch. Mertz Clean Your Filth is on the case.
Margot Mertz is a secret sleuth--okay, not really, but she does run an internet cleanup business helping students and teachers alike clear their internet presence of anything they don't want anyone else to see. From secret embarrassing DM's to viral videos and more, Margot cleans it all. After her parents foolishly lost her college fund, this is the only way she can make it to Stanford.
But when a fellow student comes to her asking her to take down a website that's gathering nude pics of fellow Roosevelt High girls, things get personal. Margot must delve into the depths of her school to take down the culprit. The seedy underbelly of Roosevelt High is not unfamiliar to Margot--but somehow this case is stumping her at every turn--until she figures out that the only way to reach her suspects is to get close to perfect boy Avery Green. His access to every club, volunteer opportunity, sports team, and popular party is the key to solving her case.
When the case takes a shocking turn, Margot's ready to burn the whole world down. No one targets the Roosevelt High girls on Margot's watch. Mertz Clean Your Filth is on the case.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published November 9, 2021
30 people are currently reading
3744 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews
December 22, 2021
You guys this was SO.GOOD!!!!! The sleeper hit you didn't know you need to read/listen to! I absolutely LOVED this!!! It made me laugh, it made me angry and it made my heart hurt as high school loner Margot Mertz tries to take down an anonymous revenge porn site with compromising pictures of underaged teen girls.
Perfect for fans of:
- Veronica Mars/A good girls guide to murder
- The 80s movie Hackers with Angelina Jolie
- High school predators getting what they deserve
- Smart, socially awkward heroines working to make people accountable for their BS
- The most adorable misunderstood popular guy/jock hero
- Best friends who get severely tested
This one deserves way more love and attention than I've seen it get so far and I can't recommend it enough!! It was great on audio and a one sitting binge for me.
Perfect for fans of:
- Veronica Mars/A good girls guide to murder
- The 80s movie Hackers with Angelina Jolie
- High school predators getting what they deserve
- Smart, socially awkward heroines working to make people accountable for their BS
- The most adorable misunderstood popular guy/jock hero
- Best friends who get severely tested
This one deserves way more love and attention than I've seen it get so far and I can't recommend it enough!! It was great on audio and a one sitting binge for me.
October 24, 2021
Rating: 2/5 stars
TW: sexual harassment, revenge porn
I don't know if it's because of my mental state right now or something else, but getting through this story was its own struggle. I had to stop about halfway through.
Margot Mertz's college fund is non-existent. So she does what any high school student would do: create a business dedicated to taking down unwanted pictures and information, for a price. However, Margot soon discovers via a fellow student that there is a website dedicated to posting nude pictures of her female classmates, and is set to take the website and its creator down. The catch? She might need to get close to someone she doesn't entirely like to do it.
The concept immediately had me hooked, I won't lie. I thought it would be a great story and discussion about the dangers of sending pictures to people and what can result from it, as well as the darker world behind the screens. However, for me, this story fell flat for a few reasons.
First: the characters. I could not vibe with Margot at all. The story is told in first person from her perspective, and at first she had a kind of snarky know it all voice that I thought was unique, since I hadn't read anything like that in a while. But then it got annoying, to the point where she does some weird stuff, and I mean weird. Example: in order to get the attention of the main love interest Avery so she can get close to her suspects, she dresses like a "bimbo," her words not mine. And it was as awkward as I make it out to be. Second example is when she's in the car with said love interest and realizes that her seat is hot, her first immediate thought is to think she peed herself. What? Who thinks that? Also the conversations between her and Avery were so cringe-worthy.
Sammi was just... there? I didn't think there was anything special about him. Avery was just the typical nice guy but it wasn't enough to make me like him like I should have. Then again, we're seeing him from Margot's POV so that makes sense why we don't like him, because she doesn't. Also the adult figures are written very exaggerated. The parents are all happy go lucky and squealing with joy at some moments. Even Mrs. Blye is just down right annoying. This story just felt like the teens were definitely written by an adult and not in the best way.
I really wish the plot was executed a bit better. It is very fast paced, but I wish we had some more build-up to help add to the understanding and sympathy that these females are having their bodies exposed and how much of a threat this causes. I do like how Margot's anger is handled in response to it, but I'm surprised there wasn't more of a shock factor. A bunch of the girls impacted are just seen crying to Margot or to other people as well as ranting in a group chat that we almost never see. As a result, it didn't really make me sympathize with these victims the way it should have, therefore decreasing the shock value at least for me.
The format was also a bit wonky from my own experience reading it on my kindle. The story has a bunch of footnotes of random side tangents Margot goes on to fill in information gaps that really don't matter to the overall scheme of the story. However, the way these were formatted on my kindle, I sometimes wouldn't receive the text of the footnote until the very end of the chapter, which immediately put me out of touch with the story. Second, at the beginning of a new chapter, there would be these random texts from Margot to some random person, who I'm assuming is a lost friend who moved states as mentioned at the beginning of the story. I know it's meant to come off as Margot still kind of grieving and trying to hold on to the relationship, but it feels so creepy when you dig into it. Imagine if someone from two years ago sends you texts every other day, and they kept being sent even though there's no response. It's SO WEIRD, and I found absolutely no purpose into having them in the story.
Margot Mertz may be for a younger demographic than myself, but regardless is filled with unlikable characters and a messy execution.
I received a copy of this story as an e-ARC from NetGalley and Penguin Teen. Any and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
TW: sexual harassment, revenge porn
I don't know if it's because of my mental state right now or something else, but getting through this story was its own struggle. I had to stop about halfway through.
Margot Mertz's college fund is non-existent. So she does what any high school student would do: create a business dedicated to taking down unwanted pictures and information, for a price. However, Margot soon discovers via a fellow student that there is a website dedicated to posting nude pictures of her female classmates, and is set to take the website and its creator down. The catch? She might need to get close to someone she doesn't entirely like to do it.
The concept immediately had me hooked, I won't lie. I thought it would be a great story and discussion about the dangers of sending pictures to people and what can result from it, as well as the darker world behind the screens. However, for me, this story fell flat for a few reasons.
First: the characters. I could not vibe with Margot at all. The story is told in first person from her perspective, and at first she had a kind of snarky know it all voice that I thought was unique, since I hadn't read anything like that in a while. But then it got annoying, to the point where she does some weird stuff, and I mean weird. Example: in order to get the attention of the main love interest Avery so she can get close to her suspects, she dresses like a "bimbo," her words not mine. And it was as awkward as I make it out to be. Second example is when she's in the car with said love interest and realizes that her seat is hot, her first immediate thought is to think she peed herself. What? Who thinks that? Also the conversations between her and Avery were so cringe-worthy.
Sammi was just... there? I didn't think there was anything special about him. Avery was just the typical nice guy but it wasn't enough to make me like him like I should have. Then again, we're seeing him from Margot's POV so that makes sense why we don't like him, because she doesn't. Also the adult figures are written very exaggerated. The parents are all happy go lucky and squealing with joy at some moments. Even Mrs. Blye is just down right annoying. This story just felt like the teens were definitely written by an adult and not in the best way.
I really wish the plot was executed a bit better. It is very fast paced, but I wish we had some more build-up to help add to the understanding and sympathy that these females are having their bodies exposed and how much of a threat this causes. I do like how Margot's anger is handled in response to it, but I'm surprised there wasn't more of a shock factor. A bunch of the girls impacted are just seen crying to Margot or to other people as well as ranting in a group chat that we almost never see. As a result, it didn't really make me sympathize with these victims the way it should have, therefore decreasing the shock value at least for me.
The format was also a bit wonky from my own experience reading it on my kindle. The story has a bunch of footnotes of random side tangents Margot goes on to fill in information gaps that really don't matter to the overall scheme of the story. However, the way these were formatted on my kindle, I sometimes wouldn't receive the text of the footnote until the very end of the chapter, which immediately put me out of touch with the story. Second, at the beginning of a new chapter, there would be these random texts from Margot to some random person, who I'm assuming is a lost friend who moved states as mentioned at the beginning of the story. I know it's meant to come off as Margot still kind of grieving and trying to hold on to the relationship, but it feels so creepy when you dig into it. Imagine if someone from two years ago sends you texts every other day, and they kept being sent even though there's no response. It's SO WEIRD, and I found absolutely no purpose into having them in the story.
Margot Mertz may be for a younger demographic than myself, but regardless is filled with unlikable characters and a messy execution.
I received a copy of this story as an e-ARC from NetGalley and Penguin Teen. Any and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
October 28, 2021
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was honestly addicting to read. The concept of a teenage hacker girl going after a revenge porn site is incredible. I think it did a really good job of showing the flaws of the characters while also showing the real, raw sides to people. Margot was a (very) imperfect main character but I think that made her relatable and more likeable. She could be selfish, self centered, and honestly rude but also had her heart in the right place and, in the end, learned a lot from her mistakes which I appreciated. I also liked that the ending wasn’t like a perfect happily ever after kind of thing. Things were still messy. It felt real which is very fitting for this book. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it!
January 7, 2022
Margot has a severe case of Not Like Other Girls. Need I say more?
April 9, 2022
4.5 stars for this frank and funny story that celebrates grrl power and its limits. Margot Mertz is like a young Leslie Knope: hard working, ambitious, smart and focused on her goals. Did I say witty? She's also witty. Which is why I enjoyed her first-person narration of this story in which she tries to take down a website the guys at her school are using to post inappropriate photos of girls, without the girls' permission. The story unfolds like a mystery as Margot pursues suspects in her effort to find out who created the website.
McCrossen throws in some personal growth and romantic opportunities for Margot to give the story additional depth and entertainment value. The ending is equal parts reality check and satisfying resolution. I look forward to the next one in the series.
p.s. Bonus points for McCrossen who does a great job reading her own book.
McCrossen throws in some personal growth and romantic opportunities for Margot to give the story additional depth and entertainment value. The ending is equal parts reality check and satisfying resolution. I look forward to the next one in the series.
p.s. Bonus points for McCrossen who does a great job reading her own book.
March 10, 2022
3.75/5 stars
this!! book!!! will not be for everyone but definitely worked for me. honestly I probably loved the premise more than the actual story (if they changed everything just a little I think it could make a PHENOMENAL movie). It takes some level of suspension of disbelief to enjoy this story. This book discusses serious topics in an entertaining way, so you have to be in a very SPECIFIC mood to enjoy it.
Margot is a very unlikeable main character. She's snarky, selfish, and really believes she's ✨not like other girls✨. Her narration is deeply cringey, and there are way too many pop culture references. Sometimes this kind of writing and characterization does not work for me, but it did this time. She goes through some great character growth towards the middle-end of the book, and that made me like her even more. Unfortunately, the side characters lacked depth, and I wanted to love them but there wasn't anything there.
Overall the plot was engaging, and I was invested in all of the side plots even though I don't think they were done very well. The fake dating trope felt half-assed, and the "twist" was not surprising. I mostly enjoyed the main plotline and all her little side-quests to take down the revenge porn site, but I wish it was handled with more care. The tone is mostly light-hearted and funny, but there should have been more emphasis on how Margot should not, as a sixteen year old, be the one to fix it. The ending should have shown more (especially to its YA audience) that taking sensitive information to trusted adults was the right thing to do, despite if they wouldn't handle the situation better.
this!! book!!! will not be for everyone but definitely worked for me. honestly I probably loved the premise more than the actual story (if they changed everything just a little I think it could make a PHENOMENAL movie). It takes some level of suspension of disbelief to enjoy this story. This book discusses serious topics in an entertaining way, so you have to be in a very SPECIFIC mood to enjoy it.
Margot is a very unlikeable main character. She's snarky, selfish, and really believes she's ✨not like other girls✨. Her narration is deeply cringey, and there are way too many pop culture references. Sometimes this kind of writing and characterization does not work for me, but it did this time. She goes through some great character growth towards the middle-end of the book, and that made me like her even more. Unfortunately, the side characters lacked depth, and I wanted to love them but there wasn't anything there.
Overall the plot was engaging, and I was invested in all of the side plots even though I don't think they were done very well. The fake dating trope felt half-assed, and the "twist" was not surprising. I mostly enjoyed the main plotline and all her little side-quests to take down the revenge porn site, but I wish it was handled with more care. The tone is mostly light-hearted and funny, but there should have been more emphasis on how Margot should not, as a sixteen year old, be the one to fix it. The ending should have shown more (especially to its YA audience) that taking sensitive information to trusted adults was the right thing to do, despite if they wouldn't handle the situation better.
July 31, 2022
You know what? There’s something to be said for a light read that just makes you LAUGH. And this did exactly that.
Honestly, though, despite the humor throughout, this book really did highlight the very real gender disparities in a high school setting.
3.8 stars
Honestly, though, despite the humor throughout, this book really did highlight the very real gender disparities in a high school setting.
3.8 stars
January 8, 2022
ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
TW: Sexual assault, not consensual sharing of images, misogyny, bullying, panic attacks, anxiety
First book finished in the new year and to be honest, I had no idea if it was going to start on the right foot.
When I first started reading, I was certain I was probably going to rate this two stars. I couldn't get into the narration and I wasn't relating to Margot's character. I put the book down at page 30 and then got back to it later on, not wanting to DNF.
And I'm so glad I continued.
I must admit, the start was a little rocky for me but after around 50 pages in, I got into the rhythm of the book. I started to get used to Margot's voice and her characterisation. I started to fall in love with the story and all of a sudden, my views on the book were changing.
The story started to pick up and the main plot of the book was revealed where Margot, a teenager with a side business of taking down people's "filth" had to take down a malign website where someone from her school was sharing inappropriate images of her female classmates. Sworn to take it down, Margot decides to bring the maker of the website down one computer at a time.
Like in any book, I thought there were some elements that were done well and some that unfortunately were not. I thought the plot, storyline and pacing were good and eventually, I found the characterisation and characters good too, albeit I wished there was a bit more depth to them. My main issue with the book was with the ending. Without giving too much away, I didn't feel like it did a good enough job of wrapping things up and (without giving away any spoilers) at times I felt like it was too easy of a resolution if that makes any sense.
There also were a few subplots that I didn't think had any real relevance to the story at all. For starters, there was the whole Mrs Blye story that didn't add anything really to the main plot. I'm sure if the authors deleted that part it wouldn't have taken anything away from the book at all.
The other thing that yes, was a nice component but didn't add anything to the book was the romance aspect of the novel. I didn't see why romance was needed in this book to begin with so I think that subplot was used just to appeal to readers more than anything. I felt like the main relationship could've been a platonic one and in fact, it would've made more sense to have ended things platonically than to have continued down a romantic path. Maybe I'm being too picky. I really liked Avery and want to read more about him but I do believe a little pacing could've been amazing to really slow burn the romantic development. I felt like it was a tad too quick for my liking and just like the plot (mentioned before), it felt too easy of a resolution for those two characters too.
Overall though, I did enjoy this book and I would read the sequel. It read well and I loved watching Margot Mertz Take It Down however I think it's just the pacing and the ending that let the book down a little.
ACTUAL RATING: 3.6 STARS
TW: Sexual assault, not consensual sharing of images, misogyny, bullying, panic attacks, anxiety
First book finished in the new year and to be honest, I had no idea if it was going to start on the right foot.
When I first started reading, I was certain I was probably going to rate this two stars. I couldn't get into the narration and I wasn't relating to Margot's character. I put the book down at page 30 and then got back to it later on, not wanting to DNF.
And I'm so glad I continued.
I must admit, the start was a little rocky for me but after around 50 pages in, I got into the rhythm of the book. I started to get used to Margot's voice and her characterisation. I started to fall in love with the story and all of a sudden, my views on the book were changing.
The story started to pick up and the main plot of the book was revealed where Margot, a teenager with a side business of taking down people's "filth" had to take down a malign website where someone from her school was sharing inappropriate images of her female classmates. Sworn to take it down, Margot decides to bring the maker of the website down one computer at a time.
Like in any book, I thought there were some elements that were done well and some that unfortunately were not. I thought the plot, storyline and pacing were good and eventually, I found the characterisation and characters good too, albeit I wished there was a bit more depth to them. My main issue with the book was with the ending. Without giving too much away, I didn't feel like it did a good enough job of wrapping things up and (without giving away any spoilers) at times I felt like it was too easy of a resolution if that makes any sense.
There also were a few subplots that I didn't think had any real relevance to the story at all. For starters, there was the whole Mrs Blye story that didn't add anything really to the main plot. I'm sure if the authors deleted that part it wouldn't have taken anything away from the book at all.
The other thing that yes, was a nice component but didn't add anything to the book was the romance aspect of the novel. I didn't see why romance was needed in this book to begin with so I think that subplot was used just to appeal to readers more than anything. I felt like the main relationship could've been a platonic one and in fact, it would've made more sense to have ended things platonically than to have continued down a romantic path. Maybe I'm being too picky. I really liked Avery and want to read more about him but I do believe a little pacing could've been amazing to really slow burn the romantic development. I felt like it was a tad too quick for my liking and just like the plot (mentioned before), it felt too easy of a resolution for those two characters too.
Overall though, I did enjoy this book and I would read the sequel. It read well and I loved watching Margot Mertz Take It Down however I think it's just the pacing and the ending that let the book down a little.
ACTUAL RATING: 3.6 STARS
November 14, 2021
I loved this so much that halfway through the audiobook I drove to the bookstore to buy my own copy 💯 snarky high school feminist vigilante crime fighting????????? Ya.
June 5, 2021
Ugh I thought this one sounded fun, but this one just did not worko for me. This was a DNF!
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy.
January 16, 2022
Very light spoilers??? Idk
I really loved reading this book. It was super funny and the concept really hooked me in. I will say though some of the big plot twists were kinda predictable. I was hoping to be super shocked but I still got that “betrayal factor” so I’m not mad about it. There was also times where the main character made stupid decisions that annoyed me but I think they did that on purpose so it’s fine . The romance was sweet even though I was severely hoping for more towards the end but I do now realise after reading this that there are more books to come yayy!! As well as the romance part I was also a little disappointed with the lack of “justice”. I can’t fault it though because it was realistic and actually represented what might happen in real life. Anyways this book was great and I hope I don’t have to wait too long to read the next one!!
I really loved reading this book. It was super funny and the concept really hooked me in. I will say though some of the big plot twists were kinda predictable. I was hoping to be super shocked but I still got that “betrayal factor” so I’m not mad about it. There was also times where the main character made stupid decisions that annoyed me but I think they did that on purpose so it’s fine . The romance was sweet even though I was severely hoping for more towards the end but I do now realise after reading this that there are more books to come yayy!! As well as the romance part I was also a little disappointed with the lack of “justice”. I can’t fault it though because it was realistic and actually represented what might happen in real life. Anyways this book was great and I hope I don’t have to wait too long to read the next one!!
August 8, 2021
I really wanted to like this book more, but the predictability and pacing was hard to truly get into.
Margot Mertz Takes It Down has a promising premise- a highschool computer wiz helps take down nudes from fellow classmates- but it failed to get to the heart of the issue for me, and got bogged down by side plots and an overly-predictable ending.
Thank you Netgalley for this ebook arc to review.
Margot Mertz Takes It Down has a promising premise- a highschool computer wiz helps take down nudes from fellow classmates- but it failed to get to the heart of the issue for me, and got bogged down by side plots and an overly-predictable ending.
Thank you Netgalley for this ebook arc to review.
Read
November 24, 2021Dnf
April 23, 2022
Um livro muito divertido de ler, apesar de bem previsível. A voz da protagonista é ótima, e eu li o livro inteiro em pouco mais de um dia. Um Scandal/Veronica Mars teen bem executado!
March 7, 2023
This was SO GOOD! We love a feminist YA! Slaughter them boys Margot!
August 16, 2024
wow what a bad book!! margot really has something going on in her head but the snappy comments don’t mesh well with a serious revenge porn site plot so no sure why that was in there. go usa!!!!
October 12, 2021
I received an ARC from Edelweiss
TW: mentioned sexual assault, slut shaming, mentioned suicide attempt, revenge porn, cheating
4
Margot Mertz is the person you come to when you need something cleaned up- pictures taken down, evidence deleted. But she's just got her most difficult and most important job yet. It turns out there's a new website going around her school, one where guys post the explicit pictures they're received from girls. As the victim's only hope, Margot is willing to play by their rules- that means no authority figures brought into it, and no men helping her. Which definitely makes it harder, because now she's sworn to keep her partner in the dark too, which means not getting to rely on his hacking skills. Instead, Margot's going under cover, as the obnoxiously nice Avery's girlfriend. As the job gets harder and her feelings for the still-unaware-he's-being-used Avery start feeling more than just professional, Margot has to face that this might not be so easy to clean away.
I have some mixed feelings about this book, but what it comes down to is, I really had fun reading it, and I wound up wanting to devour the whole thing. So that's a pretty big success!
This book is unrealistic from the beginning, with the way Margot' teachers are willing to act around her and the lengths they go to put their trust in a teenager. Margot's means also feel sort of unbelievable, as well as the things she goes through for this case. So you do need to suspend your disbelief right away to get through this story.
The footnotes, too, are numerous and can take you out of the story if you aren't careful.
I also felt dissatisfied with Margot's final emotional arc, and I wanted to see more and understand more of her relationship with Sammi. It's a relationship that I really loved- they have a realistic feeling friendship and great banter- but by the end needed some expansion and/or closure.
And the ending as a whole feels anticlimatic, so it was hard to gather up my feelings to decide how I felt overall.
But mostly this book, once you stop over analyzing, is a genuinely good time! Revenge porn aside. The spy theatrics, the tough talking detective exterior in the form of a bulldozing, not that self-aware teenage girl, the dive into the dark web- this is a teen detective-esque story for our time.
Margot is a character that grew on me. I held at arms length in the beginning, but seeing her arc and getting closer to her really made me care about her. It also doesn't hurt that she can be witty and bitingly funny when you least expect it. Is she kind of a know it all and self absorbed? Yes. But that's part of the package! And you get to peel back her layers enough to see the real person at her heart.
The romance was also something I was uncertain about and thought I wouldn't like but man I loved it. Avery is a fantastic character- this book is made of fantastic characters- and his chemistry with Margot was unexpected, impossible to look away from, and perfectly written. The romance was actually my favorite part of this book, which took me by complete surprise.
And the pacing, the use of diving through rabbit holes to finally come to the conclusion, worked really well. This book is easy to get invested in and hard to put down. You truly do want to know everyone's secrets and finally get to the bottom of this whole mess- and the answer is worth the effort.
This book is so much fun, and the characters are all vividly made. I can't wait for everyone to get their hands on Margot Mertz.
TW: mentioned sexual assault, slut shaming, mentioned suicide attempt, revenge porn, cheating
4
Margot Mertz is the person you come to when you need something cleaned up- pictures taken down, evidence deleted. But she's just got her most difficult and most important job yet. It turns out there's a new website going around her school, one where guys post the explicit pictures they're received from girls. As the victim's only hope, Margot is willing to play by their rules- that means no authority figures brought into it, and no men helping her. Which definitely makes it harder, because now she's sworn to keep her partner in the dark too, which means not getting to rely on his hacking skills. Instead, Margot's going under cover, as the obnoxiously nice Avery's girlfriend. As the job gets harder and her feelings for the still-unaware-he's-being-used Avery start feeling more than just professional, Margot has to face that this might not be so easy to clean away.
I have some mixed feelings about this book, but what it comes down to is, I really had fun reading it, and I wound up wanting to devour the whole thing. So that's a pretty big success!
This book is unrealistic from the beginning, with the way Margot' teachers are willing to act around her and the lengths they go to put their trust in a teenager. Margot's means also feel sort of unbelievable, as well as the things she goes through for this case. So you do need to suspend your disbelief right away to get through this story.
The footnotes, too, are numerous and can take you out of the story if you aren't careful.
I also felt dissatisfied with Margot's final emotional arc, and I wanted to see more and understand more of her relationship with Sammi. It's a relationship that I really loved- they have a realistic feeling friendship and great banter- but by the end needed some expansion and/or closure.
And the ending as a whole feels anticlimatic, so it was hard to gather up my feelings to decide how I felt overall.
But mostly this book, once you stop over analyzing, is a genuinely good time! Revenge porn aside. The spy theatrics, the tough talking detective exterior in the form of a bulldozing, not that self-aware teenage girl, the dive into the dark web- this is a teen detective-esque story for our time.
Margot is a character that grew on me. I held at arms length in the beginning, but seeing her arc and getting closer to her really made me care about her. It also doesn't hurt that she can be witty and bitingly funny when you least expect it. Is she kind of a know it all and self absorbed? Yes. But that's part of the package! And you get to peel back her layers enough to see the real person at her heart.
The romance was also something I was uncertain about and thought I wouldn't like but man I loved it. Avery is a fantastic character- this book is made of fantastic characters- and his chemistry with Margot was unexpected, impossible to look away from, and perfectly written. The romance was actually my favorite part of this book, which took me by complete surprise.
And the pacing, the use of diving through rabbit holes to finally come to the conclusion, worked really well. This book is easy to get invested in and hard to put down. You truly do want to know everyone's secrets and finally get to the bottom of this whole mess- and the answer is worth the effort.
This book is so much fun, and the characters are all vividly made. I can't wait for everyone to get their hands on Margot Mertz.
December 4, 2022
The plot was way too predicable and it just made the main character's intelligence seem really unrealisitic - like how do you not pick up on that?
February 27, 2023
3.5 stars. Solid YA feminist fiction with a sleuth that's more my speed than Nancy Drew.
February 11, 2022
2.75/3 stars.
I struggled to start this book, I just kept putting off getting through it but it wasn't as much of a chore as time went on. I struggled to connect with our main protagonist, she is very unique and when she talks about how she has literally no friends, she does nothing about it.
I picked this book up because of the edited phrase "Boys will be boys"
The book should have focused more on the victims, Margot's anger was handled well but we only see the victims talking on a group chat (we never see their messages) and crying to Margot.
If they had more focus, maybe I would have felt more sympathy. Margot's footnotes sometimes go into long tangents and are confusing and not even needed in the story.
Sammi and Avery were meh, Avery was pretty boring, Mr Nice Rich Guy TM. Sammi was just there.
Margot's texts were finally revealed at the end to be to someone who moved away. The texts are creepy, the texts are written like diary entries and no one responded for 2 years, so why continue?
I struggled to start this book, I just kept putting off getting through it but it wasn't as much of a chore as time went on. I struggled to connect with our main protagonist, she is very unique and when she talks about how she has literally no friends, she does nothing about it.
I picked this book up because of the edited phrase "Boys will be boys"
The book should have focused more on the victims, Margot's anger was handled well but we only see the victims talking on a group chat (we never see their messages) and crying to Margot.
If they had more focus, maybe I would have felt more sympathy. Margot's footnotes sometimes go into long tangents and are confusing and not even needed in the story.
Sammi and Avery were meh, Avery was pretty boring, Mr Nice Rich Guy TM. Sammi was just there.
Margot's texts were finally revealed at the end to be to someone who moved away. The texts are creepy, the texts are written like diary entries and no one responded for 2 years, so why continue?
November 2, 2021
I finished this book in under 12 hours. I knew just from the cover that this book was going to be fantastic and I was right. This book is touches on some really dark and sadly real topics, but finds a way to make it fun. Its probably just Margot herself tbh with you there. Margot has got to be one of my favorite MCs I've come across in a long long time. She's so strong and sure of herself (most of the time) and so go get em, it really drives the whole story. She's smart, witty, and sometimes unintentionally funny. She's also blinded by her own desires and her own sense of 'right.' She's not perfect by any means, and that is refreshing. There is a great deal of growth in Margot through the entire book, and at the end... well I just love to see the way her character progressed. I won't lie, I was a little let down by the ending... but it was also very realistic, and sometimes you need that kick of reality.
I love the fact that this book was written by a husband and wife, because some of the topics touched here... I could see how they could cause a fight or two. I love how they were able to come together and write this book. #CoupleGoals
5/5. I've already recommended it to my aunt lol
I love the fact that this book was written by a husband and wife, because some of the topics touched here... I could see how they could cause a fight or two. I love how they were able to come together and write this book. #CoupleGoals
5/5. I've already recommended it to my aunt lol
January 19, 2022
Margot Mertz Takes It Down reminded me so much of Veronica Mars. Margot, the narrator, has a sarcastic tone and hides behind her “fixer” position. I liked that it features a female hacker, but I didn’t like that she left anything technically challenging to her guy friend. The pacing was excellent. It was such a quick read. It handles challenging topics of sexual assault, revenge porn, and harassment and does it well.
October 7, 2024
It was a really interesting book
October 16, 2022
5 stars
“ Veronica Mars meets Moxie in this hilarious and biting YA contemporary novel following Margot Mertz, a girl who runs an internet cleanup business and embarks on a quest to take down a revenge-porn site targeting the girls in her school.
Margot Mertz is a secret sleuth--okay, not really, but she does run an internet cleanup business helping students and teachers alike clear their internet presence of anything they don't want anyone else to see. From secret embarrassing DM's to viral videos and more, Margot cleans it all. After her parents foolishly lost her college fund, this is the only way she can make it to Stanford.
But when a fellow student comes to her asking her to take down a website that's gathering nude pics of fellow Roosevelt High girls, things get personal. Margot must delve into the depths of her school to take down the culprit. The seedy underbelly of Roosevelt High is not unfamiliar to Margot--but somehow this case is stumping her at every turn--until she figures out that the only way to reach her suspects is to get close to perfect boy Avery Green. His access to every club, volunteer opportunity, sports team, and popular party is the key to solving her case.
When the case takes a shocking turn, Margot's ready to burn the whole world down. No one targets the Roosevelt High girls on Margot's watch. Mertz Clean Your Filth is on the case.”
Read, I loved it, to any of the readers, it does like have mentions of sexual assault, which can be a trigger to other readers, so basically about a teenage girl in high school, after she loses her college fund, she then starts cleaning up other people’s mistakes as a job (pictures, videos) after she takes a case of a revenge porn site, and not being able to tell her friend, it’s destroying her, that’s all I think I can say about the story without that many spoilers, but It was a great read, you might cry, it’s a journey, and I am wanting to start the second soon
Thank you Hardie Grant Publishing For The Review Copy!
“ Veronica Mars meets Moxie in this hilarious and biting YA contemporary novel following Margot Mertz, a girl who runs an internet cleanup business and embarks on a quest to take down a revenge-porn site targeting the girls in her school.
Margot Mertz is a secret sleuth--okay, not really, but she does run an internet cleanup business helping students and teachers alike clear their internet presence of anything they don't want anyone else to see. From secret embarrassing DM's to viral videos and more, Margot cleans it all. After her parents foolishly lost her college fund, this is the only way she can make it to Stanford.
But when a fellow student comes to her asking her to take down a website that's gathering nude pics of fellow Roosevelt High girls, things get personal. Margot must delve into the depths of her school to take down the culprit. The seedy underbelly of Roosevelt High is not unfamiliar to Margot--but somehow this case is stumping her at every turn--until she figures out that the only way to reach her suspects is to get close to perfect boy Avery Green. His access to every club, volunteer opportunity, sports team, and popular party is the key to solving her case.
When the case takes a shocking turn, Margot's ready to burn the whole world down. No one targets the Roosevelt High girls on Margot's watch. Mertz Clean Your Filth is on the case.”
Read, I loved it, to any of the readers, it does like have mentions of sexual assault, which can be a trigger to other readers, so basically about a teenage girl in high school, after she loses her college fund, she then starts cleaning up other people’s mistakes as a job (pictures, videos) after she takes a case of a revenge porn site, and not being able to tell her friend, it’s destroying her, that’s all I think I can say about the story without that many spoilers, but It was a great read, you might cry, it’s a journey, and I am wanting to start the second soon
Thank you Hardie Grant Publishing For The Review Copy!
November 1, 2021
In this Young Adult read, we see high schooler Margot Mertz take on the biggest case of her career. And yes, I did say career--Margot has an actual business (that she files taxes on!) getting stuff erased from the internet. Starting out as a favor to stop someone from crying and to pay for college, Margot has grown her business into a small empire in her town, aiding not just other students, but teachers and even the local weatherman. But when one student approaches Margot about taking down a revenge porn site dedicated to pictures and video of the underage girls of her high school, Margot knows this is big. To crack the case, she starts a fake relationship with one of the most popular guys in school, to get her into the circles of her suspects. But soon, Margot is wondering if this may be the case that breaks her, and is too big for her to handle alone.
I really, really enjoyed this novel. It's definitely all about Margot and her quest to take down the mysterious RB website, but there's a little romance with Mr. Popular, Avery. I actually kind of wish this book had *more* romance, I might have even given it a 9/10. Ultimately, I loved this book, and the only thing keeping me from upping its rating. Perhaps more realistic than most, but it felt too unfinished for a novel. Without spoilers, I would have appreciated more of a conclusion romantically and for the investigation.
I could totally see this book getting made into a teen movie. It reminds me in some ways of another YA novel I love--Perfect on Paper--which also has great movie vibes. Fingers crossed it makes it onto the big screen (or, more likely, a streaming service).
Thanks to Penguin Teen for my eARC and finished copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
5 stars - 8/10
I really, really enjoyed this novel. It's definitely all about Margot and her quest to take down the mysterious RB website, but there's a little romance with Mr. Popular, Avery. I actually kind of wish this book had *more* romance, I might have even given it a 9/10. Ultimately, I loved this book, and the only thing keeping me from upping its rating. Perhaps more realistic than most, but it felt too unfinished for a novel. Without spoilers, I would have appreciated more of a conclusion romantically and for the investigation.
I could totally see this book getting made into a teen movie. It reminds me in some ways of another YA novel I love--Perfect on Paper--which also has great movie vibes. Fingers crossed it makes it onto the big screen (or, more likely, a streaming service).
Thanks to Penguin Teen for my eARC and finished copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
5 stars - 8/10
March 12, 2022
I have so many conflicted feelings about this book. On the one hand, there are a lot of things I really like. The plot is pretty well-paced and the characters are nicely developed for the most part. However, there's just something about reading it that feels like the authors don't really connect to the material they're writing about. Like there's a distance from them and their characters. Margot definitely reads as what an adult might stereotypically think a kid who doesn't fit in with any groups at school (and doesn't want to) would think and act like. For example, she's supposed to be this badass, feminist character, but is kinda judgmental of what people (specifically girls her age) wear and how they act (i.e. dressing as what she describes as a 'bimbo'). I also didn't love that Margot hates Avery for no other reason than he's nice, and the fact that he's mixed and she's a white girl saying that is very cringey.
Also, how does a book that covers topics like this not include a section with hotlines or resources to use? The authors' acknowledgement at the end didn't even make mention of actual victims of the things they've just written an entire book about which just seems very strange.
Also, how does a book that covers topics like this not include a section with hotlines or resources to use? The authors' acknowledgement at the end didn't even make mention of actual victims of the things they've just written an entire book about which just seems very strange.
March 18, 2025
The book description says this is a Veronica Mars type book and that’s 100% accurate. I could absolutely see Kristen Bell in this updated roll. The book itself is pretty trendy and puts in a lot of modern slang and references so I don’t know how well it’s going to age in about 10 years, but for now it was fun. Generally, someone at the school makes a revenge porn site and it’s up to Margot to figure out who it is and how to take it down. There was a site like that in my town so the plot is believable. The impact the site has on the girls who are posted on it was believable too because we have middle school sites on instagram pop up a lot. Those aren’t even explicit, but the anxiety it causes the kids to worry someone is taking a picture and posting it without their consent is real. It’s awful and I wish tech companies did more about taking things down but it really is hard to get them to do anything and lots of people could use a Margot Mertz. Because of that, I loved that culprits at least got some just rewards. The sleuthing in the book was fun. Margot sometimes is needlessly mean to her friends and independent just to prolong the plot but it works. I’d read the next book in the series if it was available.
January 12, 2022
This was an enjoyable YA mystery about a high school girl who starts a very successful business where she “fixes” things for her peers and teachers after her parents loses her college find. Think Encyclopedia Brown but more adult topics or Scandal. Most of her cases involves hacking systems and doing some rather illegal activity to achieve the client’s goals.
When someone at her high school starts a website where students anonymously upload nudes of other underage students, Margo is hired to shut down the site and figure out whose behind the website.
Although I enjoyed the book as a whole there were some things that annoyed me and may also annoy other readers. First, Margo is not a very likable character and comes off as a “know it all” or bratty. Second, there are footnotes throughout this book. I actually liked the footnotes but can see how they could be annoying to others. Third, the ending was kind of lackluster, abrupt and doesn’t really tell us what’s going to happen in the future. I’m thinking this is to make way for a sequel but I’m not sure. Fourth, there is a fake dating trope here but is one-sided and I didn’t like that the love interest was used in this way. Fifth, I really loved the woman empowerment and the inclusion of issues women face everyday but I felt like to was a little too preachy for my liking. I felt like certain scenarios were thrown in just so the protagonist could say something about Woman’s rights that really distracted from the overall plot of the story.
Potential triggers: mention of SA, revenge porn and leaking of sexually explicit images, and invasion of privacy via hacking and stalking
When someone at her high school starts a website where students anonymously upload nudes of other underage students, Margo is hired to shut down the site and figure out whose behind the website.
Although I enjoyed the book as a whole there were some things that annoyed me and may also annoy other readers. First, Margo is not a very likable character and comes off as a “know it all” or bratty. Second, there are footnotes throughout this book. I actually liked the footnotes but can see how they could be annoying to others. Third, the ending was kind of lackluster, abrupt and doesn’t really tell us what’s going to happen in the future. I’m thinking this is to make way for a sequel but I’m not sure. Fourth, there is a fake dating trope here but is one-sided and I didn’t like that the love interest was used in this way. Fifth, I really loved the woman empowerment and the inclusion of issues women face everyday but I felt like to was a little too preachy for my liking. I felt like certain scenarios were thrown in just so the protagonist could say something about Woman’s rights that really distracted from the overall plot of the story.
Potential triggers: mention of SA, revenge porn and leaking of sexually explicit images, and invasion of privacy via hacking and stalking
May 1, 2022
Trigger warnings: sexual harassment, revenge porn, sexual assault, bullying, body shaming.
Meh. This was, for me, indescribably slow going and I genuinely couldn't tell you why. Like, I liked Margot as a character. I enjoyed the concept of her business removing the evidence of people's mistakes from the internet. I appreciated her desire to work with victims and help them move on.
But this was SO LONG and it got so bogged down in details at times. It was clearly going for a Veronica Mars vibe, but while it had plenty of sassy footnotes and a protagonist who lives on the bad side of town and goes to school with rich kids, it somehow didn't have Veronica's heart.
Add in the fact that Margot takes on a case for one of her teachers regarding an affair said teacher had, and I was left more than a little uncomfortable. Especially when that teacher is phoning and texting her at all hours, driving her around, and randomly showing up at her apartment?????? Like...ma'am. You are asking to be fired. No.
So I appreciated a lot about this. But ultimately it wasn't for me.
Meh. This was, for me, indescribably slow going and I genuinely couldn't tell you why. Like, I liked Margot as a character. I enjoyed the concept of her business removing the evidence of people's mistakes from the internet. I appreciated her desire to work with victims and help them move on.
But this was SO LONG and it got so bogged down in details at times. It was clearly going for a Veronica Mars vibe, but while it had plenty of sassy footnotes and a protagonist who lives on the bad side of town and goes to school with rich kids, it somehow didn't have Veronica's heart.
Add in the fact that Margot takes on a case for one of her teachers regarding an affair said teacher had, and I was left more than a little uncomfortable. Especially when that teacher is phoning and texting her at all hours, driving her around, and randomly showing up at her apartment?????? Like...ma'am. You are asking to be fired. No.
So I appreciated a lot about this. But ultimately it wasn't for me.
April 6, 2022
Margot Mertz's internet cleanup business takes on jobs from securing your animal related internship by taking down the Instagram picture of you throwing up on a cat at a party, to covering up your extramarital affair proven by a picture of you kissing a man who is not your husband. Margot takes on what proves to be her most challenging job yet when she agrees to take down a revenge-porn site that features girls from her high school. This job requires Margot to interact with her peers in a way she never has before, and in the process, she learns more than she could have anticipated about herself and the people she thinks she has all figured out. This book is informative and important for a generation growing up with the prevalence of social media and the internet, and it is a humorous book despite covering difficult topics. I loved it from start to finish, and am very much looking forward to the sequel!
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