A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
Ratings777
Average rating4.2
i genuinely wanted to cry in the final action sequence in the end and then you hit me with that speech
sal singh is so tragic i genuinely cant get over him , i genuinely cant , i absolutely cant , he was the brightest kindest guy ever
pipa is now my model of not procrastnating love her
this book is awesome
Asesinatos de adolescentes, es lo que uno puede imaginarse.
Es un libro entretenido, que se lee rapido. Esta bien.
4.5 Stars
Wow. Okay. That was awesome.
Some of you may had seen my update at about the 20% mark, in which I said, “ten chapters in and I don't think this is really clicking for me :(( gonna keep reading a little longer and see if it gets any better.” Well, I think the universe has a very funny sense of humor, because in the following two chapters after I posted that update is when Pip finds her first ominous, threatening note. It was very hard to put this book down after that.
I haven't read many mysteries in my lifetime, especially ones in the young adult genre, but in my experience with the only one I can think of at the moment— E. Lockhart's We Were Liars— I had made myself believe that all YA mysteries were predictable and boring. I think I went into this book with those expectations, and it's safe to say that I've been left mind-blown. While I had suspected pretty much everyone, even Ravi, the culprit being Mr. Ward was the perfect, very well-thought-out case. And then the twist of Andie's real murderer being her sister was not what I was expecting at all.
I talked with my co-worker, who is currently watching the show, and she's planning to pick up the book now. I'm going to be watching the show as well as reading the sequels soon— I already have Good Girl, Bad Blood on my Kindle... so I'm gonna go take a peek at that now and try not to read it all in one night.
So, let's be real. I had this book on my shelf for what felt like an eternity, and it wasn't until I saw Netflix was dropping the adaptation that I finally picked it up. And wow, I sped through it! I love a good murder mystery, and this one didn't disappoint.
Despite being convinced I knew who the killer was from the get-go, the story kept throwing me curveballs. I was pointing fingers left and right, convinced it was one of three characters – and guess what? I was wrong. My initial guess wasn't even a blip on my radar by the end. Talk about a rollercoaster ride!
The book hooks you from the beginning and is surprisingly easy to follow, which I appreciate in a good mystery. It's a pretty fun read, with twists that kept me guessing and second-guessing myself until the very end.
Now, mix that with the buzz about the Netflix adaptation set to release this Thursday – yes, mark your calendars – and I couldn't be more thrilled. The BBC series adaptation is hitting Netflix on August 1st, and it's a date! I cannot wait.
Applause! Applause! Applause! This book had me hooked the moment I laid my hands on it. I'm still recovering from the ride – my nails have seen better days, and I'm both confused and dizzy, but smiling with joy. The storytelling is on point, the plot keeps you glued, and the character development is top-notch. The pacing? Fast and heart-pounding. The ending? Satisfying.
Pippa, our heroine, is amazing – think Nancy Drew meets Veronica Mars with a sprinkle of modern-day tech skills. She's smart, nerdy, funny, and brave, making her an engaging and relatable protagonist.
The plot revolves around Andie Bell, who went missing five years ago. Sal Singh, who confessed to her murder before committing suicide, was presumed guilty. But Pippa isn't buying it. For her school project, she dives into the case, teaming up with Sal's brother, Ravi. What starts as a simple project turns into a mission to clear Sal's name and find the real killer.
Andie's character is complex – she's a bully, drama queen, drug dealer, and blackmailer all rolled into one. It's weird feeling such strong emotions toward someone you're not even sure is dead, but Andie's personality does that to you.
The book keeps you guessing: Who really killed Andie? Is she even dead? Who framed Sal? And why is someone trying to stop Pippa's investigation?
I devoured this book, and my detective skills failed me until the very end. Holly Jackson always stayed ten steps ahead. It's emotional, enjoyable, nail-biting, mind-bending, and thrilling. Highly recommend it!
I liked the idea of this book... But. I knew who the killer was. And unfortunately the author failed to surprise me... I read the text and knew in advance what would happen next, and unfortunately, this is not what I like in detective stories...
But overall, it`s nice. I enjoyed my time with this book.
This book threw me into a reading slump. Several people told me that this book was amazing and I needed to read it. I genuinely do not understand why. The writing, the plot, and the pacing were unenjoyable. Pip was annoying. The awkward almost romance with Ravi was not it for me. I'm really not okay with what happened to Barney. The fact that every person interviewed just said everything to this random high schooler. Then Pip would overlook super obvious clues and then jump in to catch the murderers with not enough clues. I knew what was going to happen every step of the way. I understand that it was written for the young adult demographic, but that doesn't mean it doesn't need to be clever. Even the characters themselves were so bland. Pip likes doing schoolwork so much that it's her whole personality. For what? I feel like I'm getting more upset about this book as I write this review, so I'm just going to stop here.
very captivating book and very well written was stretchy at some points but I enjoyed it
3.5/5 ✧･ﾟ
i have finally finished this and i'm not sure entirely how i feel - i think i'm going to give it 3.5 stars for now? i definitely enjoyed it, but the ending was a little... i don't know maybe i wasn't following as closely as i should of?
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╰┈➤ Plot:
This was overall enjoyable, it was YA so I didn't feel a gripe in my stomach (but I did in Five Survive). The stakes didn't feel that high - this is for sure more murder mystery than thriller. It was very addicting though and did not see the first big plot twist coming at all. A lot of the points Pip (the main character) though ‘oh that's suspicious!' - I think a normal person wouldn't have thought that and all. I get that's the point of her character, she ‘overthinks', finds leads and chases them down like a bloodhound. To me, whilst this book discusses some really important topics, I didn't find it thrilling. I also didn't guess who did it, but I was hoping Sal would have a bigger part to play, considering how him and Andie's relationship is pictured?.
I know I've just trashed on the plot so you might be wondering why it's still such a high rating -
╰┈➤ Characters:
All the characters were loveable. Pip is your typical quirky and super intelligent female YA MC. She grows on you, especially her relationship with her family. She started to annoy me in some parts - and she seemed to have a bit of plot armour . Ravi is so incredibly sweet and funny I could picture the flirting in my head.
We didn't see too much of any other characters, but it all felt like typical high school to me.
╰┈➤ World/Setting:
This... was OK. I could kind of picture the different places she was talking about, the places of interest - it wasn't particularly like amazing or adding a sense of dread. Compared to Five Survive, the world didn't feel as vivid. It does the job though.
╰┈➤ Pacing:
This is where the book really shines. Holly Jackson is so good at creating addicting page turners. I couldn't put it down, even if some points frustrated me at times and I cringed at others.
╰┈➤ Enjoyment:
I'm not the target audience for this book, so I didn't expect to give it 5 stars here. However, I did enjoy this book a lot. To me it felt like a fun detective story, I wasn't trying to solve anything because too much information was being thrown my way. The banter between Ravi and Pip is really cute, and I did enjoy reading about her family.
Overall, I would recommend this!
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reading log ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ
12/05/2024 10:32am ୨ৎ
okay listen i'm at 91% and i did not expect this i thought it was all wrapped up
12/05/2024 8:07am ୨ৎ
good morning everyone - time to finish this book! it's very addicting and i'm invested in the ending, i truly have no idea who's going to be the culprit
11/05/2024 7:34pm ୨ৎ
alright i keep flipping the pages, but with so many ‘suspects' im starting to get lost
11/05/2024 11:58am ୨ৎ
okay so i'm trying to figure out who fits into the everything is not what it seems category and so far my guesses are ravi & cara honestly - just because i've heard so many people rave about the plot twist
10/05/2024 9:12am ୨ৎ
oh this is has racist idiots in it
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pre-reading ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ
hello! this has been sitting on my shelf for the longest time and I thought I'd finally buy into the hype after absolutely loving five survive - i need to know what all the fuss is about.
may tbr:
ಇ. salt to the sea
ಇ. powerless
ಇ. house of earth and blood
ಇ. everyone in my family has killed someone
ಇ. bride
ಇ. listen for the lie
ಇ. she's not sorry
ಇ. love on the brain
ಇ. the familiar
ಇ. a court of wings and ruin
+ a good girl's guide to murder
ngl i was struggling so bad to get thru the first like 100 pages but oh my god. it was so much better than i thought literally so good
I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either. I didn't love that the main character took so many risks and did some illegal things only to be congratulated for a job well done. I didn't love the rushed and convoluted ending. I thought the ending speech was a bit cliche. I did like the overall mystery and the romance was alright even though it was a bit cliche as well.
for some reason i thought the whole series would be about andie and sal's case...
BUT AMAZING!
Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
was recomended this seriesa by a friend.
so captivating, i didnt want to put the book down even when I had to
THIS BOOK IS LITERALLY THE BEST!!!! It's witty and exciting and very mysterious. And also Pip is the person I aspire to be.
I was so invested in this story and main characters that I managed to read this book in mostly one sitting. Pip was such an enjoyable protagonist and I loved her type A personality and it made me reflect on my time as a student and made me miss academia. The reason I couldn't give this book 5 stars was partially because I guessed part of the twist pretty early on, so instead of an ‘OMG' twist it was more of ‘I knew it!' moment. I think aging up the characters would have lended to a more high stakes outcome as it felt at time pretty unbelievable the risks a 17 year old was willing to take. Also the amount of time it took characters to literally reveal all their deepest darkest secrets after very little probing from Pip, further added to the unbelievability of the story. Overall, this is a highly recommended read and I will be continuing the trilogy.
GRANDIOSO, NO HAY MAYÚSCULAS MAS GRANDE.
mientras más lo leía menos quería soltarlo, el desarrollo de la trama y de los personajes es ASOMBROSO
animal death TW I listened to the audiobook. I really liked this as someone who gets sucked into tiktok true crime detective work. It definitely kept me on my toes. The writing was fast-paced and easy to read. It did not need to be 433 pages, and I could have done without the death of an animal, that shit really messes me up. Pippa was kind of annoying and made some seriously questionable decisions where I was like, “really???” and eye rolling... and I had to keep reminding myself that she is like 17. Great read if you are into true crime and want an easy read. I definitely got emotional at the end. Took off a star for my minor grievances.
Alright.
This was a nice read and I recommend it for people looking for a YA thriller.
What I liked about it:
- Fast paced (for the most part) read;
- Interesting plot, full of twists (like, really, so many);
- Very nice formatting of the book - I thought the visual representation of the different types of documents and records was an awesome touch.
What I didn't like:
- The main character wasn't well developed and I pretty much didn't care about her at all;
- Some things were a bit over the top and I couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to allow me to enjoy it fully. Like, how everyone gave this girl all the information for no reason. Or our main character's action at times. I just couldn't buy it all.
Ultimately, the book is great for younger readers who are more inclined to perceive unrealistic events and circumstances as plausible. It would appear that I have, unfortunately, been infected with the skepticism that comes with age and experience, and as such enjoyed it only marginally.
“A Good Girl's Guide to Murder” by Holly Jackson not only rescued me from a reading slump but turned out to be a thrilling escape. The multitude of theories I formed about the murderer kept me engaged, but the unexpected plot twist in the last few chapters had me glued to the pages well into the early morning hours.
Pip and Ravi, the main characters, felt likable and realistic, navigating their roles with authenticity. Despite the author being white, the representation of People of Color in the book was well done. I'm eager to delve into the next book in the series, anticipating what's next for Pippa's investigative journey.