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susiep87's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
plumpaperbacks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.5
Once again, Jackson has written a completely mind-boggling story that I never once knew what to expect from. Not only did she manage that, she also made me care about Pip, which is significant because my biggest issue with the first book was with our protagonist. I still don’t like her that much, but I empathized with her, especially in the final chapters of the book.
My other issue with the first book was the way Pip and Ravi ended up romantically interested in each other in the end. I felt that there was no development leading up to this, that it was random, and I wasn’t interested in it whatsoever. I loved Ravi—still do—and his friendship with Pip, but was adamant that they only ever seemed like friends. It seemed like Jackson turned their friendship to a romance just for the sake of having a romance in her story. I wasn’t a fan.
Now, I still stand by that opinion, but I’m ever so slightly less sure of it. Their couple banter is as amusing as their friend banter was, and there was one scene in the second half that was vaguely cute. I’m also glad that Pip has Ravi, someone outside of her family that loves and supports her unconditionally. Maybe the next book will fully convince me that they’re a good couple; to be determined.
I just quickly want to put put into the world that I love Ravi. He’s my favorite character out of all of them in both books (second only to Barney, RIP) because he’s honestly so sweet and fun and funny. Jackson really did a great job writing him, as well as some of the other side characters. I knew I liked Cara, but the Reynolds family was great and, surprisingly, so was Nat. There was one other person who surprised me, but to say who would be a spoiler. (Child Brunswick. If you know, you know.)
And on that note, on a new, spoiler-free note, it’s seriously impressive to me that Jackson created a new, separate true crime case to use in her book’s mystery. I did some googling and couldn’t find anything to prove the Child Brunswick thing is real, although I could’ve missed something. I don’t know. But whether it’s real or not, the use of a totally separate case in the case Pip was solving is brilliant. I’ve truly never seen anything like it before. Kudos to her for not only doing it, but pulling it off.
There’s not much I can say without spoiling the biggest twists, but wow. This book is intense, even more so than its predecessor, which in my opinion says a heck of a lot. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder was majorly intense, and somehow, Good Girl, Bad Blood topped it. The note Pip found in her locker felt repetitive, seeing as she found a nearly identical one in the same place in the first book, and her knack for putting herself in dangerous situations lowkey makes me want to hit my head on a wall. (Though I didn’t actually do that.)
At first, I wasn’t sure if I’d read the next (last?) book in the series, but now I know I definitely will. In fact, I’m looking forward to its release, and hoping to read it as soon as possible afterward.
((Last little thought: I don’t think we ever found out who that body belonged to and I want to know. I really do. Poor random dead guy.))
Representation
My other issue with the first book was the way Pip and Ravi ended up romantically interested in each other in the end. I felt that there was no development leading up to this, that it was random, and I wasn’t interested in it whatsoever. I loved Ravi—still do—and his friendship with Pip, but was adamant that they only ever seemed like friends. It seemed like Jackson turned their friendship to a romance just for the sake of having a romance in her story. I wasn’t a fan.
Now, I still stand by that opinion, but I’m ever so slightly less sure of it. Their couple banter is as amusing as their friend banter was, and there was one scene in the second half that was vaguely cute. I’m also glad that Pip has Ravi, someone outside of her family that loves and supports her unconditionally. Maybe the next book will fully convince me that they’re a good couple; to be determined.
I just quickly want to put put into the world that I love Ravi. He’s my favorite character out of all of them in both books (second only to Barney, RIP) because he’s honestly so sweet and fun and funny. Jackson really did a great job writing him, as well as some of the other side characters. I knew I liked Cara, but the Reynolds family was great and, surprisingly, so was Nat. There was one other person who surprised me, but to say who would be a spoiler. (Child Brunswick. If you know, you know.)
And on that note, on a new, spoiler-free note, it’s seriously impressive to me that Jackson created a new, separate true crime case to use in her book’s mystery. I did some googling and couldn’t find anything to prove the Child Brunswick thing is real, although I could’ve missed something. I don’t know. But whether it’s real or not, the use of a totally separate case in the case Pip was solving is brilliant. I’ve truly never seen anything like it before. Kudos to her for not only doing it, but pulling it off.
There’s not much I can say without spoiling the biggest twists, but wow. This book is intense, even more so than its predecessor, which in my opinion says a heck of a lot. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder was majorly intense, and somehow, Good Girl, Bad Blood topped it. The note Pip found in her locker felt repetitive, seeing as she found a nearly identical one in the same place in the first book, and her knack for putting herself in dangerous situations lowkey makes me want to hit my head on a wall. (Though I didn’t actually do that.)
At first, I wasn’t sure if I’d read the next (last?) book in the series, but now I know I definitely will. In fact, I’m looking forward to its release, and hoping to read it as soon as possible afterward.
((Last little thought: I don’t think we ever found out who that body belonged to and I want to know. I really do. Poor random dead guy.))
Representation
- side characters of color (includes Nigerian and Indian-American rep)
- sapphic side character
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Sexual assault
Minor: Kidnapping, Confinement, Animal death, and Terminal illness
Sexual assault and animal death are tagged because they’re references to events of the first book. Neither occurs on-page in this book. Child abuse and child death are tagged because they occurred prior to the either book and are referenced in the last third of the book. Terminal illness is tagged because there’s a vague mention of it a couple of times on-page, as well as mention of a brain tumor.
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