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A review by witcherswife
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Title and Author: “A good girl’s guide to murder” by Holly Jackson. The book has a UK and a US version. I have read the UK version.
- Genre: YA Crime Thriller
- Main Theme: Small-town murder mystery
- Setting:Little Kilton, UK; 2017
- Brief Overview: Pippa Fitz-Amobi, an A-grade senior at Little Kilton Grammar School, chooses a five-year-old murder case for her final year project. The case involves Andie Bell, allegedly murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh. While the town and police believe Sal guilty, Pippa is convinced of his innocence. She teams up with Ravi, Sal's younger brother, who is certain his sibling is blameless. Determined to uncover the truth, Pippa pursues every lead, knocks on every door, and compiles a list of suspects. Despite receiving threats from the apparent killer, she persists. She constantly puts her life at risk but she won't rest until she proves Sal's innocence and brings closure to the Singh family.
Personal Reflection (Contains Spoilers):
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It’s a gripping tale that keeps you hooked throughout, although at times I felt the pace was a bit slow. I loved playing detective alongside Pippa, with her list of persons of interest, and I found myself adding my own suspects too! The book kept my brain engaged the whole time. Pip is not just another nerd—she’s funny, smart, determined, and very meticulous. As she says, “Who do you think I am, an amateur?” I also loved the Pip-Ravi duo and their banter, though the transition from friendship to romance felt a bit off and lacked depth. It didn’t feel like a smooth progression, and I wasn’t sure if they were officially in a relationship by the end. I mean, Ravi kissed her at the end, so they are practically dating, right? To me, they still felt more like partners than a romantic couple.
Pip has a large friend group, but most of them are irrelevant except for Cara. One thing that bothered me was how one of the guys in her group seemed to have a crush on her, but that was never pursued or brought up again, which seemed odd. The story could have done without the large group of friends, except for Cara, for obvious reasons. What purpose do these characters serve? Absolutely nothing. Introducing so many characters only confuses the readers, and I had to make a mental tree to keep track of who was connected to whom.
Pip’s fearlessness is admirable, but it often lands her in dangerous situations. I hated how she would deliberately put herself at risk with potential murderers, especially when she followed Howie and then called Ravi to barge into his house. The leverage she had over Howie seemed almost comical. He’s a drug dealer—you don’t just walk into a criminal’s house, threaten them, and come out alive. The fact that Howie let her go made me question whether he was poorly written or just a very dumb drug dealer.
The book’s structure was interesting. Part 1 was fast-paced and engaging, with plenty of leads and possibilities. I loved the diary entries and little diagrams scattered throughout. However, Part 2 felt slower and a bit repetitive—they were going in circles, and it could have been shorter in my opinion. Part 3 picked up the pace again, but the ending felt rushed. I was surprised by the twists, especially the revelation about Becca, although I had my suspicions. The family dynamics gave clues: one sister is praised for her looks, while the other is criticized. I thought Becca and Daniel might have been involved together in the murder, but I was wrong. Daniel was brought up far too many times, along with Stanley, and their connection with Howie was left unresolved. Even Nat’s involvement felt incomplete, but since I haven’t read the other books, this might be a setup for future instalments, which is clever in a way. It leaves questions unanswered, making me eager to read more.
One thing that felt unrealistic was how a 17-year-old girl and a 20-year-old boy were able to solve one of the town’s most mysterious cases without being seriously questioned by anyone—except the killer, who periodically sent threats. Ravi’s parents, for instance, should have been questioning him, and they should have been introduced earlier in the story, not just at the end when everything was already resolved. Also, Pip was handed a lot of information very easily. How is it that everyone agreed to be interviewed, even people she stalked on Facebook and had no prior connections with? It felt unrealistic, but since this book is written for a young adult audience, I’ll give it a pass.
What I can’t overlook is how Andie was portrayed as a horrible person throughout the book, making it difficult to sympathize with her or feel bad about her murder. I felt worse for Becca, and the fact that her storyline was rushed left me unsatisfied with the ending. Additionally, Cara and Naomi suffered major losses due to Pip’s investigation, yet there wasn’t much focus on how it impacted them or how Cara and Pip repaired their friendship. Cara was massively overlooked, even though she was a very important character. She lost her mother at a young age and then had to face the possibility of losing her sister and ultimately her father. That’s deep trauma that deserved more exploration. Considering Cara was supposed to be Pip’s best friend, her part should not have been rushed.
The overall writing and pacing of the novel were good, and I loved how it touched on various social issues like racism, bullying, drug use, drink spiking, and sexual assault. The mystery was well-maintained throughout, and I enjoyed how Pip’s mind worked as she pieced things together.
Would I read it again?: I’m not sure. But since it has been adapted into a Netflix series, I’m definitely eager to watch it and compare the two.
Who would I recommend this to?: Teens and young adults who are relatively new to mystery thrillers will likely enjoy it. However, readers who binge-read thrillers for fun might have read more compelling works and might not find it as appealing.
Rating: 3.5/5
- Genre: YA Crime Thriller
- Main Theme: Small-town murder mystery
- Setting:Little Kilton, UK; 2017
- Brief Overview: Pippa Fitz-Amobi, an A-grade senior at Little Kilton Grammar School, chooses a five-year-old murder case for her final year project. The case involves Andie Bell, allegedly murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh. While the town and police believe Sal guilty, Pippa is convinced of his innocence. She teams up with Ravi, Sal's younger brother, who is certain his sibling is blameless. Determined to uncover the truth, Pippa pursues every lead, knocks on every door, and compiles a list of suspects. Despite receiving threats from the apparent killer, she persists. She constantly puts her life at risk but she won't rest until she proves Sal's innocence and brings closure to the Singh family.
Personal Reflection (Contains Spoilers):
Pip has a large friend group, but most of them are irrelevant except for Cara. One thing that bothered me was how one of the guys in her group seemed to have a crush on her, but that was never pursued or brought up again, which seemed odd. The story could have done without the large group of friends, except for Cara, for obvious reasons. What purpose do these characters serve? Absolutely nothing. Introducing so many characters only confuses the readers, and I had to make a mental tree to keep track of who was connected to whom.
Pip’s fearlessness is admirable, but it often lands her in dangerous situations. I hated how she would deliberately put herself at risk with potential murderers, especially when she followed Howie and then called Ravi to barge into his house. The leverage she had over Howie seemed almost comical. He’s a drug dealer—you don’t just walk into a criminal’s house, threaten them, and come out alive. The fact that Howie let her go made me question whether he was poorly written or just a very dumb drug dealer.
The book’s structure was interesting. Part 1 was fast-paced and engaging, with plenty of leads and possibilities. I loved the diary entries and little diagrams scattered throughout. However, Part 2 felt slower and a bit repetitive—they were going in circles, and it could have been shorter in my opinion. Part 3 picked up the pace again, but the ending felt rushed. I was surprised by the twists, especially the revelation about Becca, although I had my suspicions. The family dynamics gave clues: one sister is praised for her looks, while the other is criticized. I thought Becca and Daniel might have been involved together in the murder, but I was wrong. Daniel was brought up far too many times, along with Stanley, and their connection with Howie was left unresolved. Even Nat’s involvement felt incomplete, but since I haven’t read the other books, this might be a setup for future instalments, which is clever in a way. It leaves questions unanswered, making me eager to read more.
One thing that felt unrealistic was how a 17-year-old girl and a 20-year-old boy were able to solve one of the town’s most mysterious cases without being seriously questioned by anyone—except the killer, who periodically sent threats. Ravi’s parents, for instance, should have been questioning him, and they should have been introduced earlier in the story, not just at the end when everything was already resolved. Also, Pip was handed a lot of information very easily. How is it that everyone agreed to be interviewed, even people she stalked on Facebook and had no prior connections with? It felt unrealistic, but since this book is written for a young adult audience, I’ll give it a pass.
What I can’t overlook is how Andie was portrayed as a horrible person throughout the book, making it difficult to sympathize with her or feel bad about her murder. I felt worse for Becca, and the fact that her storyline was rushed left me unsatisfied with the ending. Additionally, Cara and Naomi suffered major losses due to Pip’s investigation, yet there wasn’t much focus on how it impacted them or how Cara and Pip repaired their friendship. Cara was massively overlooked, even though she was a very important character. She lost her mother at a young age and then had to face the possibility of losing her sister and ultimately her father. That’s deep trauma that deserved more exploration. Considering Cara was supposed to be Pip’s best friend, her part should not have been rushed.
The overall writing and pacing of the novel were good, and I loved how it touched on various social issues like racism, bullying, drug use, drink spiking, and sexual assault. The mystery was well-maintained throughout, and I enjoyed how Pip’s mind worked as she pieced things together.
Would I read it again?: I’m not sure. But since it has been adapted into a Netflix series, I’m definitely eager to watch it and compare the two.
Who would I recommend this to?: Teens and young adults who are relatively new to mystery thrillers will likely enjoy it. However, readers who binge-read thrillers for fun might have read more compelling works and might not find it as appealing.
Rating: 3.5/5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Car accident
Minor: Violence and Sexual harassment