Scan barcode
A review by asourceoffiction
As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson
dark
emotional
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
3.0
One of the first things I loved reading this was how raw Pip's emotions were after the events of Good Girl, Bad Blood. The way her PTSD and deteriorating mental state are written is so vivid, and heartbreaking.
This series has always had a streak of realistic humour through it, particularly in the characters' interactions with each other. But this felt darker from the start, and I could appreciate that it fit with everything they had been through.
As well as being more emotional, this book managed to up the creepiness too, which I loved. I felt so tense at times and the writing was brilliant for leaving me in suspense at the end of a chapter. For the first half of the book I was getting the awesome vibes that I so loved in the first two and I loved it. But then...
I wouldn't dream of saying that I know a character better than their writer, but I just could not gel with the second half of the story. I fully appreciated the effort that went into justifying Pip's actions and I could see the reasoning behind everything, but it just didn't work for me in the same way the rest of the series had. The writing was still fantastic and some of the plotting is incredibly clever, but I couldn't suspend my disbelief enough for it to work.
Sadly I had similar feelings about the end. It felt a little anticlimactic but by that point I think the hole had been dug, and that's where we were stuck. I wanted to love it right to the end because I've so enjoyed the whole trilogy. And I'm glad I've finished it but I really wish the end of the book had kept the power and momentum I felt in the first half.
This series has always had a streak of realistic humour through it, particularly in the characters' interactions with each other. But this felt darker from the start, and I could appreciate that it fit with everything they had been through.
As well as being more emotional, this book managed to up the creepiness too, which I loved. I felt so tense at times and the writing was brilliant for leaving me in suspense at the end of a chapter. For the first half of the book I was getting the awesome vibes that I so loved in the first two and I loved it. But then...
I wouldn't dream of saying that I know a character better than their writer, but I just could not gel with the second half of the story. I fully appreciated the effort that went into justifying Pip's actions and I could see the reasoning behind everything, but it just didn't work for me in the same way the rest of the series had. The writing was still fantastic and some of the plotting is incredibly clever, but I couldn't suspend my disbelief enough for it to work.
Sadly I had similar feelings about the end. It felt a little anticlimactic but by that point I think the hole had been dug, and that's where we were stuck. I wanted to love it right to the end because I've so enjoyed the whole trilogy. And I'm glad I've finished it but I really wish the end of the book had kept the power and momentum I felt in the first half.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Kidnapping, Violence, and Stalking
Moderate: Sexual violence and Drug use