Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

68 reviews

emwinters's review against another edition

dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Blood, Child death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders

wynrii's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This book was a solid sequel but I don’t think it did much for the original plot. I did like how, this time; Pip didn’t have a concrete outline of what happened, she had to solve it on her own and test her own skills. A lot of what I’m about to bring up is a little bit nitpicking but the book is good although, it doesn’t live up to the first one.

I was sad at the lack of transcripts in the book. I found that to be the first books charming point and really had me engaged. 

I was disappointed at the fact that Ravi and other side characters didn’t have a bigger part to play in this book. Neither did Connor, and his brother was missing! I felt as if we didn’t get enough time with anyone.

The writing style is pretty easy to pick up when there is about to be a twist, so nothing really is truly whiplashing  of a twist. 

 I did feel like lots of the clues just kinda fell into Pips lap this time. I was looking forward to see what she could find online but a lot of stuff she found just turned out to be kinda misleading. 

I did like how the person behind it all stayed anonymous for majority of the book. Although…(continued in spoilers)

….I did not like how Charlie revealed himself. As soon as he showed up to the house, I knew it is was him. I wanted Pip to discover who truly was “Layla”. While I read; I tried to guess who Layla was, and I was dead set that it was Ant and Lauren. The two seemed so suspicious from not showing up to their friends missing brothers search party + claiming that the missing guy was FAKING IT!??!? Plus they just suddenly became assholes without an explanation and Connor nor Pip even received an apology 😭😭💀. though Charlie being Layla makes sense. I would have appreciated some more interactions with him so I could have at least had him on my raider. I just thought he was some joe shmoe that moved into the neighbourhood. There were very few clues to even try to make a theory.

All in all, it was a solid sequel and don’t let my nit picking deter you from picking up the book. This book does not tarnish the reputation the first book created. Please do give it a try!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Child abuse, and Death

safety_pin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Blood, Abandonment, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, and Hate crime

Moderate: Police brutality, Cancer, Drug use, Misogyny, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal death and Adult/minor relationship

luananki's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

i think i love this one even more than the first book. i‘m so excited for the third one.

i liked the mystery in the first one more but i had so much more fun with the characters in good girl, bad blood - especially ravi and pip!! i live for ravi’s sense of humor, he’s a very comforting character with everything going on.

the ending WOW

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Murder, Blood, Kidnapping, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Child death, Rape, Drug use, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse

Minor: Toxic relationship, Stalking, Mental illness, Cursing, and Medical content

asipofcozy's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I am keeping this review shortish because my brain is blah today! So I enjoyed Good Girl, Bad Blood (GGBB), still not as much as I enjoyed AGGGTM. AGGGTM focused on solving a murder case, and due to my love of true crime, I preferred that over a missing person's case, which is what Good Girl, Bad Blood focused on.

I will admit Holly Jackson does a great job of writing a mystery. Just like in AGGGTM, I really couldn't guess the whole ending. I put together some pieces early on, but that's it, and I am known for guessing a mystery very early on 😬.

Pip and her character development were interesting, to say the least. At first, you think that she has come out reasonably unscathed with solving the murder of Andie and Sal; however, the further you get into this book, you start to realize Pip is not all there, and she is slipping back into old and worse habits. She is so desperate for the truth that she is willing to do anything. However, with that being said Pip believes herself above the law. If someone else commits a crime, they are guilty. If she herself does something it's okay. Towards the end of GGBB, Pip becomes very hypocritical and self-centered.

GGBB could have been done without the "romance". The romance between Ravi and Pip was so silly and out of place. It's more of a best-friend relationship than a romantic one. GGBB isn't focused on romance and is all about mystery. So it's jarring when Ravi comes into a scene and you are reminded, "oh, that's right, they are together," and it happens every time. Also, Pip treats Ravi like trash in GGBB when he enters the few scenes he is in. She care's little for his thoughts and makes him feel like he is out to get her.

Finally, what really irked me about Pip was her taking away the voice of the sexual assault victims. She, herself, was never assaulted yet she makes the Max Hastings trial about her and only her. She pushes the true victims aside and tries to take the spotlight in the whole scenario. She took the victim's voices away, even if it was unintentional. That is NOT okay.

And when she finds out he is not guilty, she goes on this rampage as if her world was torn down around her and not the victims. Destroying his home and taking revenge for herself and not the girls that were assaulted by him.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Stalking, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Rape, and Sexual assault

anna_m16's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence

Minor: Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Rape, and Stalking

lilithreads's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Death, and Blood

Minor: Emotional abuse, Child death, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Suicide, and Stalking

bookish_kori's review against another edition

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Amazingly well-written. Very little could top the first book in the series… but Holly Jackson’s narrative style and knack for Sherlock Holmes-ing the mystery certainly continues in the sequel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Grief, Kidnapping, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Body shaming

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Confinement

I would say definitely less dark than the first book, but there is a pretty rough plot twist at one point that hurts.

lifeofchrstnlvly's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Okay. It's the first time a book left me this speechless. I had a headache (it's not a lie.. my head is still throbbing right now) after I read GGBB.

It's not the best book I read. Just like AGGGTM, some of the chapters in GGBB are unrealistic (again, it's fiction so of course some scenes can be realistic). GGBB has its flaws. But I don't freaking know why I don't know what to say and feel.

I've read a lot of mystery/thriller books. I'm addicted to true crime podcasts. But for some reason, I can't explain what I feel up until now.

This book keeps getting darker and darker - I'm not complaining, though... but it makes me wonder if I want to jump right in and finish the last book in the series (As Good As Dead). I read some reviews saying AGAD is the darkest book in the series. Not sure if I can subject myself to this feeling again (whatever that is).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Gun violence, and Murder

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Rape

_katrinareads_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Murder, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, and Violence