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A review by spearly
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
When you ask people in town what happened to Andie Bell, they’ll tell you without hesitation: ‘She was murdered by Salil Singh.’
No allegedly, no might have, no probably, no most likely .
He did it, they say. Sal Singh killed Andie.
But I’m just not so sure . . .
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder follows Pip, a girl who, for a school project, decides to investigate the riveting case of Andie Bell, a high school student from her small English town who has been missing and presumed dead for 5 years. Everyone thinks they know who did it. Pippa wants to know for certain.
Whew. Well, I flew through this. While it was a little slow to start, I got super into the case, trying to piece things together before Pip did. And I'll pat myself on the back here, because I totally did (mostly - thank god for plot twists).
Even being a little predictable, I still enjoyed the story. The writing flowed well, I loved the additions of Pip's journal entires and interviews (it cut out so much unnecessary fodder!), and I loved the entire cast of characters. Pip was a great anchor for the whole story - loyal, strong, cunning, empathetic, and funny! I felt deeply for Ravi's grief, his reluctancy, then eagerness to help Pip exonerate his brother, and how he was able to read Pip so well. Pip's whole family, especially her dad and brother, were so lovely, and don't even get me started on her pup. Oh, did I love that pup. Justice for Barney.
I'm glad the romance was verrryyy minimal. Hinted at throughout, then confirmed in the epilogue (though I felt this was unnecessary), but the main focus of the story was the mystery, the thrill. Also, usually I don't like age gaps like this (Ravi is 20 and Pip is 16-17), and to be honest, I'm still not stoked about it, but I enjoyed Ravi's character so much that I'm just gonna pretend he's Pip's age instead. Their common goal made the relationship feel very equilibrium.
But still. Authors. Stop making your 20 year old characters date people in high school plz and thx.
And the mystery! I suspected the killer about 25% into the book. I'll admit I did get thrown off by some Red Herrings, but by the time some call-backs to previous clues were reintroduced (and before Pip realized it!) I knew who the (first) guilty person was. Again, the plot twist got me, and I'm glad that I was managed to be surprised at the end. </SPOILER>
Honestly, the most heart-wrenching part for me was the whole sexual assault / rape / roofie storyline. I hated how Andie was complicit. I hated how Max was so flippant. I loved that Pip called him out for it, and still tried to protect his victims to the very end.
I'm curious to see what Jackson will do for the sequel, as this felt like it wrapped up pretty nicely to me, but in any case, I'm excited for it, and it will probably be my next read!
No allegedly, no might have, no probably, no most likely .
He did it, they say. Sal Singh killed Andie.
But I’m just not so sure . . .
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder follows Pip, a girl who, for a school project, decides to investigate the riveting case of Andie Bell, a high school student from her small English town who has been missing and presumed dead for 5 years. Everyone thinks they know who did it. Pippa wants to know for certain.
Whew. Well, I flew through this. While it was a little slow to start, I got super into the case, trying to piece things together before Pip did. And I'll pat myself on the back here, because I totally did (mostly - thank god for plot twists).
Even being a little predictable, I still enjoyed the story. The writing flowed well, I loved the additions of Pip's journal entires and interviews (it cut out so much unnecessary fodder!), and I loved the entire cast of characters. Pip was a great anchor for the whole story - loyal, strong, cunning, empathetic, and funny! I felt deeply for Ravi's grief, his reluctancy, then eagerness to help Pip exonerate his brother, and how he was able to read Pip so well. Pip's whole family, especially her dad and brother, were so lovely, and don't even get me started on her pup. Oh, did I love that pup. Justice for Barney.
I'm glad the romance was verrryyy minimal. Hinted at throughout, then confirmed in the epilogue (though I felt this was unnecessary), but the main focus of the story was the mystery, the thrill. Also, usually I don't like age gaps like this (Ravi is 20 and Pip is 16-17), and to be honest, I'm still not stoked about it, but I enjoyed Ravi's character so much that I'm just gonna pretend he's Pip's age instead. Their common goal made the relationship feel very equilibrium.
But still. Authors. Stop making your 20 year old characters date people in high school plz and thx.
And the mystery!
Honestly, the most heart-wrenching part for me was the whole
I'm curious to see what Jackson will do for the sequel, as this felt like it wrapped up pretty nicely to me, but in any case, I'm excited for it, and it will probably be my next read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Grief, Murder, Racism, Sexism, and Vomit
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Confinement, Drug use, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt