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adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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:
Yes
I flew through this in 2 days! Unlike the first book in the series, which I read due to watching the recent TV series, I had 0 idea what would happen in this one. It did not disappoint! I loved the podcast format of it, as I listen to quite a few true crime podcasts. The only negative I have about it, and why it's getting 4 and not 5 is that the side characters aren't particularly well developed. This was an issue in the first book too, but since this focuses on the disappearance of a side character's brother, I was a little disappointed that we didn't really know much about Jamie from the first book. However, other than that, it was really good!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Sexual assault
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While not as good as the first book, the continued mystery is incredibly intriguing. Watching Pip’s transition from a naive teenager into something darker was gripping and I look forward to her continued descent in the next book. Ravi stays being my favorite character and the only voice of reason. This book definitely strays from the reality of what a teenage girl can actually do in terms of solving crime but it was good enough that I was willing to overlook it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Sexual assault
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
✩ 3,5 stars
✩ young-adult, murder mystery, thriller
✩ 417 pages
Sequel to AGGGTM, "Good Girl, Bad Blood" follows Pip in a new investigation after the disappearance of her friend’s brother, Jamie; while learning how to manage the growing hype around her true-crime podcast.
I found the pace of this second book a bit unbalanced. It started really well, but the investigation slowed down, hence the end feeling rushed. The mystery in itself felt a bit far-fetched sometimes. I had my own theories as I was approaching the last chapters (I was wrong, of course), but I felt a bit underwhelmed.
The first book was so busy I could feel the suffocation of crippling anxiety as I was diving into the pages. I didn’t feel the same with this sequel, at least for the first half. But I have to admit, I was taken by surprise by the "Child Brunswick" subplot, even though I’d have appreciated to hear about it earlier in the book so it didn’t appear out of the blue. The same goes for some characters.
The characters and their writing is the strongest aspect of this book. You can really feel connected to them as they are all going through difficulties in their lives: Pip, Ravi, Cara and Connor. They are a very interesting quartet. I’d have liked to see a bit more of Cara and Ravi and how they coped with the events of AGGGTM, so I can’t wait to read more about them in the next book.
However, I have mixed opinions about Pip in this book and honestly, I’m quite scared of what she’s going to do/become in the third book. I was here for her character’s development after the events of AGGGTM, and if I understood her at the very beginning regarding conducting a new investigation or not, I didn’t really feel connected to her by the end. Yes, she’s traumatised by past events and battles her insecurities, but she also has this flaw to never ask for help. I think this is an interesting situation to discuss, but at some point your character should evolve out their flaws. And I don’t know why, I’m pretty sure it won’t be the case in the last book.
In conclusion, mixed feelings for this sequel. It was good, but didn’t meet the expectations I had after the end of the first book. It felt to me like a filler sequel, while waiting for the third and last book of the trilogy (as it is for a lot of second books). I’ll take care to lower my expectations for the finale, even if I heard it was the best of the trilogy.
📌 Content/Trigger warnings:
arson, blood, catfishing, child abuse, death of a child, death of a sibling (past, recounted), drug dealing, drugging (non-consensual), grief, gun violence, kidnapping, murder, rape (past, recounted), violence.
✩ young-adult, murder mystery, thriller
✩ 417 pages
Sequel to AGGGTM, "Good Girl, Bad Blood" follows Pip in a new investigation after the disappearance of her friend’s brother, Jamie; while learning how to manage the growing hype around her true-crime podcast.
I found the pace of this second book a bit unbalanced. It started really well, but the investigation slowed down, hence the end feeling rushed. The mystery in itself felt a bit far-fetched sometimes. I had my own theories as I was approaching the last chapters (I was wrong, of course), but I felt a bit underwhelmed.
The first book was so busy I could feel the suffocation of crippling anxiety as I was diving into the pages. I didn’t feel the same with this sequel, at least for the first half. But I have to admit, I was taken by surprise by the "Child Brunswick" subplot, even though I’d have appreciated to hear about it earlier in the book so it didn’t appear out of the blue. The same goes for some characters.
The characters and their writing is the strongest aspect of this book. You can really feel connected to them as they are all going through difficulties in their lives: Pip, Ravi, Cara and Connor. They are a very interesting quartet. I’d have liked to see a bit more of Cara and Ravi and how they coped with the events of AGGGTM, so I can’t wait to read more about them in the next book.
However, I have mixed opinions about Pip in this book and honestly, I’m quite scared of what she’s going to do/become in the third book. I was here for her character’s development after the events of AGGGTM, and if I understood her at the very beginning regarding conducting a new investigation or not, I didn’t really feel connected to her by the end. Yes, she’s traumatised by past events and battles her insecurities, but she also has this flaw to never ask for help. I think this is an interesting situation to discuss, but at some point your character should evolve out their flaws. And I don’t know why, I’m pretty sure it won’t be the case in the last book.
In conclusion, mixed feelings for this sequel. It was good, but didn’t meet the expectations I had after the end of the first book. It felt to me like a filler sequel, while waiting for the third and last book of the trilogy (as it is for a lot of second books). I’ll take care to lower my expectations for the finale, even if I heard it was the best of the trilogy.
📌 Content/Trigger warnings:
arson, blood, catfishing, child abuse, death of a child, death of a sibling (past, recounted), drug dealing, drugging (non-consensual), grief, gun violence, kidnapping, murder, rape (past, recounted), violence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Murder
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Didn’t love this one as much as the first. The podcast element didn’t take up as much space in this book, which was what really drew me to the first one.
This one is we even more heartbreaking and at some times a hard read. Also, the characterization of Pip seemed to me to diverge from the first, which I didn’t love too much. But I appreciate how the trauma of the previous case makes you feel like a live wire and how your reactions are just that much more intense than your normal.
I think the missing person element wasn’t as fast-paced as the first and I just didn’t feel as invested in comparison, but the last quarter of the book really unfurled at a breakneck speed that I just couldn’t put down.
Generally though, I do think this book benefits from having read A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder right before this one because there are many references to the characters in the first book, which is helpful to have fresh in your mind.
This one is we even more heartbreaking and at some times a hard read. Also, the characterization of Pip seemed to me to diverge from the first, which I didn’t love too much. But I appreciate how the trauma of the previous case makes you feel like a live wire and how your reactions are just that much more intense than your normal.
I think the missing person element wasn’t as fast-paced as the first and I just didn’t feel as invested in comparison, but the last quarter of the book really unfurled at a breakneck speed that I just couldn’t put down.
Generally though, I do think this book benefits from having read A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder right before this one because there are many references to the characters in the first book, which is helpful to have fresh in your mind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Mental illness, Kidnapping
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Murder
Moderate: Rape
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Yes
This story had a slow start but picked up during the investigation into Jamie’s disappearance. I loved the reappearance of characters and things we learned from the first book. It made the world feel more cohesive and realistic for things that happened in the past to still be affecting the characters in a way we can empathize with and understand. I picked this up almost immediately after finishing AGGGTM, so I recognized a lot of the information that was recalled throughout this story. The trauma the characters undergo was handled in a way that can make readers feel seen. The writing style is unmatched, and I cannot wait to read the last book in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Kidnapping, Stalking
Minor: Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
This is the sequel to a Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, and I actually think I enjoyed it more than the first. It felt more mature, the characters were definitely more developed, and I felt like the clues came together better at the end. In this one, Pip is a true crime podcaster, taking us along as she (reluctantly) becomes involved in another mystery. She’ll never be Nancy Drew, but she can try! I liked the little “exhibits” included throughout, they really brought the story to life. It touches on some important topics, and ends with a question of the grey-ness of morality… good and bad aren’t so black and white after all. Not something I would re-read (it still has a teen fiction vibe, obviously as that’s the target audience) but it definitely was more of a page turner for me than GGGTM!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Murder
Minor: Drug use, Sexual assault
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Gun violence