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harmonywilkinson 's review for:
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
by Holly Jackson
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a book that was at times very hard to put down. Truly a page turner. However, I do have some gripes with this book. My biggest gripe being that this book has a US version that takes place in Connecticut. However the originally published version is based in the UK. I feel that parts of this book were not edited well at all. My gripes with this book are petty, but I’ll state them anyways.
1.) This book takes place starting in July. The characters, many of whom are young, are often sitting down for hot coffee. It feel out of place when most American teenagers aren’t sitting down together over a pot of coffee. If anything it would be an iced latte from a coffee shop. Of course, that is just my opinion. The constant coffee drinking just bothered me the more it occurred.
2.) There was two instances, I believe, where characters asked the missing girl to “ring them” so they knew she was okay. I feel like that is another British term that could have simply been edited out. It’s so much more common to hear the term “call me.” This is again, a tiny problem with the book. I did notice it immediately upon reading the sentences in which “ring me/ us” was used.
3.) It is discovered that Andie Bell is selling drugs. The introduction of Howie, her drug dealing partner, is just a tad ridiculous. Not because it involves a teen dealing drugs, that’s the most believable part of the drug plot that takes over the last half of the book or so. The part that is ridiculous is how demonized weed is by the main character. Yes, Pippa is supposed to be a “good girl,” so she likely wouldn’t be an advocate of smoking, but her reaction was way over the top. The book takes place in 2014. That’s the same year states like Colorado legalized recreational cannabis. So with the way marijuana is described is bizarre for America in that year.
4.) It is revealed that Andie was also selling Rohypnol. When this happens it’s a big deal, but not nearly enough of one. It’s like the reader is supposed to believe the jump from selling a recreational drug to one used to aid predators in abusing people is normal. I felt that was poorly handled.
Honestly, I feel like this was a good book that didn’t need to be edited to take place in America. I feel that the original is probably much better. The whole book I kept going, “this doesn’t feel like something an American teenager would do” which is not great when you’re reading a book where the vast majority of characters are teens.
1.) This book takes place starting in July. The characters, many of whom are young, are often sitting down for hot coffee. It feel out of place when most American teenagers aren’t sitting down together over a pot of coffee. If anything it would be an iced latte from a coffee shop. Of course, that is just my opinion. The constant coffee drinking just bothered me the more it occurred.
2.) There was two instances, I believe, where characters asked the missing girl to “ring them” so they knew she was okay. I feel like that is another British term that could have simply been edited out. It’s so much more common to hear the term “call me.” This is again, a tiny problem with the book. I did notice it immediately upon reading the sentences in which “ring me/ us” was used.
3.) It is discovered that Andie Bell is selling drugs. The introduction of Howie, her drug dealing partner, is just a tad ridiculous. Not because it involves a teen dealing drugs, that’s the most believable part of the drug plot that takes over the last half of the book or so. The part that is ridiculous is how demonized weed is by the main character. Yes, Pippa is supposed to be a “good girl,” so she likely wouldn’t be an advocate of smoking, but her reaction was way over the top. The book takes place in 2014. That’s the same year states like Colorado legalized recreational cannabis. So with the way marijuana is described is bizarre for America in that year.
4.) It is revealed that Andie was also selling Rohypnol. When this happens it’s a big deal, but not nearly enough of one. It’s like the reader is supposed to believe the jump from selling a recreational drug to one used to aid predators in abusing people is normal. I felt that was poorly handled.
Honestly, I feel like this was a good book that didn’t need to be edited to take place in America. I feel that the original is probably much better. The whole book I kept going, “this doesn’t feel like something an American teenager would do” which is not great when you’re reading a book where the vast majority of characters are teens.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Grief, Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Toxic friendship
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Vomit