Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

36 reviews

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I don’t care how inept a police department is, they’re not going to sit around and let an 18 year old girl and her high school friends traipse through potential crime scenes, create search parties, and investigate a possible missing person/murder. It’s wildly unbelievable and yet, somehow, you forget all of that and just pay attention to the fact that Pip has an uncanny way of reading the clues to solve big puzzles no one else can. 

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

i loved this book just as much as the first one. I couldn’t stop reading once i started getting into it. It’s very mysterious but has a bit of romance in it as well, which I love. The plots had me staring at the wall with my mouth open (especially the ending). Would recommend this anytime!

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I have to admit, I didn’t love book 1 of this series. But due to many passionate recommendations for the series as a whole, I decidedly to continue the series… and i am SO GLAD I did. This book was everything the first one wasn’t—emotionally complex with an amazing plot and an incredibly interesting and layered cast of characters. Pip was so much more realistic and I loved her all the more for it. I read this book in a day and I can’t wait to go and read the final installment. 

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective 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: Complicated

This book is as much of a roller coaster of a mystery as the first, if no more so. Holly Jackson swiftly rose to become one of my top 5 favorite authors.

Pips journey through learning about herself is relatable, tense, yet staggeringly inspiring. She sticks to her guns and goals, no matter what. I empathize when she hurts and I celebrate her victories.

No spoilers in this review! You need to read it for yourself! Just know that nothing is as it seems… and the end will make you want to do nothing but turn the page to find out what’s next!

The way Holly does not dwell heavily on her characters past trauma or describing certain intense/dangerous situations happening in Pips present is a tricky balance that she succeeds so well in.

5/5 plot, character development, and pacing *chefs kiss* 100/100 would recommend

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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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

Read. This. Now. 
I'm seriously starting the next book asap. 

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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

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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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adventurous dark funny mysterious 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

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