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A review by alibrarymouse
Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
This book really makes you love Holly Jackson. Her writing style is so creative, her characters engaging, and the themes/tone of her work is so real.
Good Girl, Bad Blood is a sequel that actually got better than the first in the series and I can say it’s largely due to the fact Jackson doesn’t shy away from the nitty gritty. She wrote YA, but she doesn’t gloss over tragedy, heartbreak, or all the ways people can be awful to each other. At the same time, she writes empathetic villains who turn out to maybe not be the villain at all, redemption stories you don’t expect, and the reality of exactly what’s left behind once the mystery is solved. And I LOVE that. I love that she plays with the intricacies of human emotion because nothing is black and white, but even the grey is often sanitized. But this is the grey unapologetically at its smudgiest.
Overall, I also really enjoyed that Pop has that moment where she realizes she doesn’t have to be likable to be herself. It’s a hard lesson, but amazing development. 10/10 would recommend this whole series so far.
Good Girl, Bad Blood is a sequel that actually got better than the first in the series and I can say it’s largely due to the fact Jackson doesn’t shy away from the nitty gritty. She wrote YA, but she doesn’t gloss over tragedy, heartbreak, or all the ways people can be awful to each other. At the same time, she writes empathetic villains who turn out to maybe not be the villain at all, redemption stories you don’t expect, and the reality of exactly what’s left behind once the mystery is solved. And I LOVE that. I love that she plays with the intricacies of human emotion because nothing is black and white, but even the grey is often sanitized. But this is the grey unapologetically at its smudgiest.
Overall, I also really enjoyed that Pop has that moment where she realizes she doesn’t have to be likable to be herself. It’s a hard lesson, but amazing development. 10/10 would recommend this whole series so far.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, and Murder
Minor: Mental illness, Fatphobia, Child abuse, Child death, and Panic attacks/disorders