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A review by justagirlwithabook
Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
Pip is back on a new case with this fast-paced sequel of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. After the events of the previous book, Pip goes on to publish her story in the form of a podcast and gains notoriety for her sleuthing abilities. Now, a friend s brother, Jamie, has gone missing, and Pip (with the help of her sidekick and now sort-if boyfriend, Ravi) agree to take on this new case.
What I loved:
- The author’s attention to small but accurate details that make this whole story is much more realistic (Pip asking people to send pictures or stories or posts from IG/Snapchat from a particular night to get more evidence; Pip having to relocate to a better spot in a cafe to get better audio quality while doing an interview for the podcast). Little things but noticeable things.
- I ADORE the multimedia aspect of this book, the seamless incorporation of different types of mediums - docx files, wave files, flyers, emails, Reddit threads, etc. These make the whole story more of an experience (multi-layered, really) and makes the plot even more fast-paced.
What I didn’t love:
- The author seemed to step it up a bit more on the use of language in this one compared to the first (significantly more f*** and s*** than I recall in the previous book). As a junior high librarian, this is really unfortunate to me because the plot and characters are SO great and I know so relatable to even my 7th and 8th graders. They get so sucked in to these kind of stories. Much of the language wasn’t necessary and wouldn’t have taken away from the story or characters. Sure, the characters are seniors in high school and nearly 18, but taking out some of the language wouldn’t have made them any less realistic or believable.
Ultimately, this one IS a page-turner and as an adult reading it, I thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn’t put it down! Supposedly there will be a third installment, and I’ll likely be reading that one as well!
What I loved:
- The author’s attention to small but accurate details that make this whole story is much more realistic (Pip asking people to send pictures or stories or posts from IG/Snapchat from a particular night to get more evidence; Pip having to relocate to a better spot in a cafe to get better audio quality while doing an interview for the podcast). Little things but noticeable things.
- I ADORE the multimedia aspect of this book, the seamless incorporation of different types of mediums - docx files, wave files, flyers, emails, Reddit threads, etc. These make the whole story more of an experience (multi-layered, really) and makes the plot even more fast-paced.
What I didn’t love:
- The author seemed to step it up a bit more on the use of language in this one compared to the first (significantly more f*** and s*** than I recall in the previous book). As a junior high librarian, this is really unfortunate to me because the plot and characters are SO great and I know so relatable to even my 7th and 8th graders. They get so sucked in to these kind of stories. Much of the language wasn’t necessary and wouldn’t have taken away from the story or characters. Sure, the characters are seniors in high school and nearly 18, but taking out some of the language wouldn’t have made them any less realistic or believable.
Ultimately, this one IS a page-turner and as an adult reading it, I thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn’t put it down! Supposedly there will be a third installment, and I’ll likely be reading that one as well!