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A review by bookswithlauren
As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
3.25
I am wavering between a 3 star rating and a 3.5 star rating for this final book in the series.
My favourite thing about this series is how well planned and thought out each and every element is across all three books. There is always a connection, a deeper meaning, something to look further into and it is brilliant. However, this book is definitely my least favourite in the series for multiple reasons.
The first half is a slow burn and I really enjoyed it. We delve into Pip struggling with her mental health following the events from the second book and it is real and insightful. We explore PTSD, Anxiety, Addiction and Depression and how these have also had an impact on her relationships between her friends and family. It was well written and I am glad Pip was not just simply fine after everything she has been through.
There are two twists around the halfway marker in this book, one being the identity reveal for a serial killer and the other being what Pip does about it. Up until this point, I had not entirely worked out any of the twists Holly Jackson had written in her books and I enjoyed this uncommon occurrence for me but in this instance, I did work out the identity of the serial killer quite quickly. I did not mind working out a twist before it occurred, what I did mind was a character we have spent two and a half books getting to know and like acting completely out of character. I feel like the second half of the book had a much darker and far fetched tone and I was not a fan. I still finished the book as I wanted to know how the storyline was being played out but it was not the best choice in my opinion. All the characters we have grown to know and love seem to have a complete change in their morals and beliefs, especially Pip and I did not enjoy it. It made the second half of the book unrealistic and far-fetched to me.
The ending also aggravated me, for Pip to drag her friends into everything, for them to be so incredibly loyal to her and for her to just ghost them, not okay with that and not something Pip would have done. I think this particular storyline would have worked more if Pip's mental health had more to do with it but there was never any connections made between her mental health and her actions.
I still really enjoyed the series and would recommend the first two books to anyone and everyone but I feel this third instalment is a bit like marmite, you either love it or you hate it. I have said it in my other reviews and I will say it again here, the audiobooks for this series are incredible, immersive and impressive. Highly recommend listening over reading for sure!
My favourite thing about this series is how well planned and thought out each and every element is across all three books. There is always a connection, a deeper meaning, something to look further into and it is brilliant. However, this book is definitely my least favourite in the series for multiple reasons.
The first half is a slow burn and I really enjoyed it. We delve into Pip struggling with her mental health following the events from the second book and it is real and insightful. We explore PTSD, Anxiety, Addiction and Depression and how these have also had an impact on her relationships between her friends and family. It was well written and I am glad Pip was not just simply fine after everything she has been through.
There are two twists around the halfway marker in this book, one being the identity reveal for a serial killer and the other being what Pip does about it. Up until this point, I had not entirely worked out any of the twists Holly Jackson had written in her books and I enjoyed this uncommon occurrence for me but in this instance, I did work out the identity of the serial killer quite quickly. I did not mind working out a twist before it occurred, what I did mind was a character we have spent two and a half books getting to know and like acting completely out of character. I feel like the second half of the book had a much darker and far fetched tone and I was not a fan. I still finished the book as I wanted to know how the storyline was being played out but it was not the best choice in my opinion. All the characters we have grown to know and love seem to have a complete change in their morals and beliefs, especially Pip and I did not enjoy it. It made the second half of the book unrealistic and far-fetched to me.
The ending also aggravated me, for Pip to drag her friends into everything, for them to be so incredibly loyal to her and for her to just ghost them, not okay with that and not something Pip would have done. I think this particular storyline would have worked more if Pip's mental health had more to do with it but there was never any connections made between her mental health and her actions.
I still really enjoyed the series and would recommend the first two books to anyone and everyone but I feel this third instalment is a bit like marmite, you either love it or you hate it. I have said it in my other reviews and I will say it again here, the audiobooks for this series are incredible, immersive and impressive. Highly recommend listening over reading for sure!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Grief, Rape, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Animal death, Death, Gore, Body horror, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Addiction, Blood, and Torture