A review by lucyduller
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-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

If you’ve ever listened to the podcast Serial, you’ve kind of already read this book. If you’ve read the book but not listened to the podcast PLEASE DO LISTEN TO IT! It’s fantastically made and a true story! 
The premise is exactly the same; a teenager of colour has been accused of/jailed for murdering his girlfriend, and someone who believes this may not be true investigates the case. 
 
The difference is this book is fiction and tells the story of the investigator. 
I thought this book was a Young Adult, which I think it might actually be marketed as, but if that is so, I would encourage everyone to disregard that. This book is so accessible, gripping, and interesting. It doesn’t treat its reader like an idiot, there are some really challenging mental jumps it expects the reader to make. 
 
I also couldn’t have predicted the ending whatsoever, and I thought it was really great. Compared to Verity (review will be posted), the ending felt far more adult and complex, despite Verity being actually marketed towards adults! 
 
I was really scared at times, I’m not a big thriller reader, and this book tip-toed on that line for me, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. 
I think if more YA fiction was like this, more young people would want to read books, so Holly Jackson? Keep it UP!
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