A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
Ratings779
Average rating4.2
Pippa “Pip” is doing her senior capstone project on the murder of Andie Bell. Along with Ravie, the younger brother of the person originally believed to have killed Andie, they set out to prove everyone wrong.
I enjoyed this book, it had enough twists and turns to keep my interest. I wanted to know how it ended and I thought it was well written. I don't believe that I will be continuing with the series.
I loved this book! There were so many good elements, serious storytelling, transcripts but also jokes to lighten the mood.
I liked the way the author made Pippa so enjoyable, she wasn't complaining the entire time or only depended on a guy like some other book girls do.
Such a strong female lead, with shocking plot twists and you can discover the story along with Pippa.
4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this! Fantastic, well-plotted mystery, not too much teen angst & romance. It's been a while since I've read a really well-written mystery, and this was exactly what I wanted!
A couple notes on content: there's a good amount of swearing, including some words I'm not used to seeing in YA. There are also some references to sexual assault, rape, drugs, an inappropriate relationship between an adult and a minor (it's a mystery/thriller, so it covers some dark topics, including murder - though nothing too graphic or gory). There's also a lot of teenage drinking, and it's portrayed as just a normal high school thing.
Really enjoyed this and it was a fun and anticipation building read. Twist and turns that were plausible yet surprising. I just realized this is the first in a series, so I hope the next one is as good!
This book was great! Part Pretty Little Liars and part crime documentary this book has a lot of twists and turns and will leave you wanting more at the end!
Holly Jackson deserves a standing ovation because she did the impossible, she has single-handedly made me fall in love with the young adult thriller genre! Before this book I didn't even think it was possible because all the young adult thriller novels I have read before were mediocre at best and the vibe they gave off was too naive and they made me feel super old. Not this book. This book didn't even read like a young adult novel and it kept me guessing until the very end, even when I thought I already knew who the bad guy was and have solved the mystery myself. Well, I was extremely wrong.
The book is about a very good student, Pippa, who decides that the subject of a school project for her will be a murder case that happened a long time ago and as she starts looking into this case and gathering up information for her project, she realizes that things might not be as solved as people in her town believe. I loved every second of this plot. It was intricate and I didn't know where it was going to go at any point in the story, which is usually not the case for me in young adult novels. I loved that it felt raw and real and didn't feel as “schooly” as most young adult novels that take place in schools do for me. The only word I can think of to describe it would be- genius. I also loved the pace at which the story developed and how information was revealed all throughout, not just at the very end or the climax. This made for an addicting read that I couldn't put down because I had to find out who the bad guy really was. I will undoubtedly be reading the other books in these series and any other books that Holly Jackson decides to write, I might even pre-order the second book in this series soon, that's how much I freaking loved it!
Secondly, the characterization in this novel was superb. Pippa is undoubtedly one of my favorite heroines of all time and I loved that she was a good girl, through and through and that she felt the need to fight for what she thought was right. I have always been like that and it was very easy for me to relate to her. Some of the things she did was terrifying but I learned to truly appreciate her for her courage and her strong-willed, albeit very good-hearted personality. What a genuinely good person, we need more people like her in the real world. All the other characters were also amazing in their own way and didn't feel like they were just written in to move the story along and serve as place fillers for the story. Well done!
Finally, the writing was precise and to the point, as I love it to be. It wasn't too simple though, like YA writing style usually is, it was a bit more complicated than that and I was there for it. It was a joy to read through this amazing book and I raced through it, imagining what was happening in the book as I went through the story. I love that it took a young adult thriller and made me feel like I was reading an adult one. I think a wide array of different people and ages will love this story as much as I did.
In conclusion, I had no idea I would enjoy this story as much as I did. It took me completely by surprise and I am glad I gave it a chance, even if it was a YA novel and not my usual adult one. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good thriller, regardless of your age or any other characteristics. I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out and will be pre-ordering it ASAP! I rarely pre-order books but I just can't hide my love for the world and characters that Holly Jackson has created in her novel! Go and read it now, you won't be disappointed!
I really enjoyed this book but first off, I had to knock a star off for pet death. It always makes me really uncomfortable when this is used as a plot point and I'm not sure I've ever seen an instance of it that I really felt was justifiable. I don't think it was warranted here either.
So. It turns out the audiobook I was listening to was an adapted American version, with the original book being set in Britain. I had a look at some of the differences and I have to be honest, it weirds me out and I don't get why they did it. I can only guess that it must have been for marketing reasons but finding out you're reading an adapted version halfway through is jarring. It was also really obvious in places once you know there's something up (words like “fancied”, “cheeky” and “roundabout” were left in). I think the location makes a huge difference so I might reread, except with the actual original version, at some point.
Still, it was a good book and I did enjoy it. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
But sometimes remembering isn't for yourself, sometimes you do it just to make someone else smile.
holy moly, what a rollercoaster. maybe i'm just dumb, but i couldn't predict how everything would work out in the end. i love that. i love that i was not halfway through the book saying: “oh yeah, how obvious, x did it”.
i couldn't get into the story at the beginning, hence why it took me so long to finish this. but i started chapter 10 yesterday evening and i somehow managed to just finish the whole book right now. speaking of a good book if i manage to finish it that quick!
i'm very excited to read the second book in this series!
ALC thanks to Libro.FM: The audiobook was really well done, with a full cast reminiscent of Sadie's podcast-style audiobook. Teens will definitely enjoy this one, and I've heard good feedback from some of my students. Pippa's a bit modern-day-Nancy-Drew, where everything comes too easily to her (everyone just confesses everything to a teenager?!) and there's no real character depth, but the mystery is light and satisfyingly twisty. And I say light, but really there's murder/suicide/drug use/date rape/bullying/animal cruelty, but as nothing is graphically described, and there's no real character development other than Pippa's a good girl/savior type, you're allowed as the reader to kind of float above any bad stuff that would make reading this too realistic (very much unlike Sadie).
5/5 stars
I don't even know how to talk about this book because it completely blew me out of the water. The characters were amazing and I related to Pip so much. The true crime love really came through in Pip. This book casually talked about racial issues and incorporated a blended family.
I was hooked from page one all the way until the end which didn't disappoint. The formatting of this book was amazing. The mixed media was just enough to make it feel unique and not overwhelming.
I honestly cannot recommend this book enough! It is one of my new favorites and I'm so excited for the next in the series.
There was a lot of hype about this book and I must say, it lived up to it. This is the first book I have read with mixed-media and I really enjoyed it. It made the book more interactive and fun. The story captured me from the first page and I couldn't put it down. A must read for YA mystery fans.
High rating for tight plotting and suspense factor. I also really liked the MC, even if her motivations were sometimes unclear. Fast paced with a satisfying conclusion, great for more mature teens who love a good murder mystery. I saw some of the twists coming, but definitely not all of them!
The writer is so clearly British I wonder why they chose to set it in Connecticut for American release. It made the dialogue seem inauthentic at times, because American teens just don't sound like that. If you change the place, you have to change the slang. Also confused about the choice to write the narrative in the third person while the MC's project entries are in first person. The back and forth was a little odd, and I think the novel would have benefited from maintaining a first person narrative throughout.
3.5 rounded to 4
I really got into this book fast. It's definitely an attention grabber and a very quick read.
However that being said, the last few chapters left much to be desired IMHO. I was hyped up, expecting an outrageous ending due to how the story was written so far. Don't get me wrong, the ending is good it's just, to me, some parts are too far fetched.
There were also parts throughout the story that, while meant to sway and lead away from the true ending, were just left there without closure and seemed unnecessarily added. I understand wanting to confuse the reader as to the killer's identity but then go back and close the circle.
Maybe that will show up in the sequel?
3.5 stars.
this was a pretty fun read! I really liked the project aspect of it, especially considering I'm also working on a criminology capstone project. if you like true crime stuff and DIY detective-type stories you'll probably enjoy this!
you really have to suspend your disbelief on this one. a 17 y/o girl solving multiple crimes? cool story but don't think so, and things were a little too easy for her.
the setting was also off for me. I believe this is supposed to be taking place in Connecticut from the towns being mentioned, but there are a lot of British-isms that made it a little confusing and took me out of the story. this also teetered between being a contemporary and a mystery which was odd - parts about the characters would be focused on that felt out of place in the story, but because the focus was the mystery they weren't entirely fleshed out either.
overall, a fun & enjoyable read but a little unbelievable with some minor issues.
This book was really, really good. Very well written mystery with a strong lead. Pip was a great character and I loved her interactions with everyone else.
The mystery unfolded nicely and tripped me a few times. One of the people that I suspected did turn out to be the perpetrator. Although the motives and everything had a lot of triggering stuff.
I just finished Good Girl's Guide to Murder and it was an absolute bundle of entertainment. It was really well written, the characters were developed with thought and consideration and it covered relevant and important issues. I can't wait for more Pip Adventures. Honestly, the best YA/murder mystery I read all year long! Just want someone to make this a TV series now. It would be a shaming hit.
I had picked up a fictional+YA book after a really long time. My last YA read was an Absolutely Remarkable Thing. This was an absolute gripper. I stayed up late to finish the second half of the book in one go. I even loved how the book was written (the collection of various forms, trying not to spoil). Just pick this one up, even if it's for Halloween vibe.
yeah this is a good book but you absolutely cannot ignore the racist undertones that are there throughout and the fact that basically every white character was 100% willing to throw the innocent white boy under the bus to protect all the awful things they did like murder, rape, kidnap, drug dealing and paralysing random people. just absolutely awful what they did to sal.