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A review by yandichih
As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson
3.5
Rating: 3.5 stars. I hate it here. 😭
I was all hyped up after loving the first two books in this series (my first two 5 stars reviews here), but dang, the final installment just didn't hit the mark. I mean, seriously? It's like they took everything I loved about the series and chucked it down the window. 😭
The characters felt like strangers wearing the skins of the ones I actually liked. And don't even get me started on the main character. What happened to her? It's like the author forgot who she was. Remember the brains of Pip, the charm of Ravi, the fire of Nat, and the whole gang's friendship? Each decision the MC made felt more idiotic than the last. Everyone's acting way out of character. Half the time, I was scratching my head trying to figure out what the heck was going on. It felt kinda rushed, like they were trying to tie up loose ends real quick without much thought.
Compared to the other books, it took its sweet time getting going. It picked up a bit towards the end of Part I, but then it nosedived straight into the ground in Part II; the whole plan, the climax, the ending. And when it finally tried to throw in a plot twist, it was as surprising as finding out the sun rises in the east. I mean, come on, the Person of Interest might as well have had it tattooed on their forehead after that email. Let's just say I wanted something different.
⚠️ Warning: Spoilers ahead! So, if you're not into ruining 'surprises', you might wanna bail out now.
I need to rant a bit. Pippa, what's going on with you, darling? This isn't the Pippa I remember. Sure, I get it, she's dealing with PTSD (RIP Stanley, I liked you), but the way she's handling it isn't it at all. She's brushing off therapy like it's unimportant, acting like she's got it all figured out. Not smart. But what really got me was how she pulled that stunt framing Max Hastings. That was just plain dumb. I get it, she's ANGRY. But the old Pippa, from "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder," would've handled this mess way better. Trying to get away with murder? Involving her loved ones? Her character development felt off, to say the least, and I didn't like this Pippa.
Pip's grand framing-Max-Hastings plan. What the actually f*ck? Like, wasn't there already a boatload of evidence that could've swung her case toward self-defense? We're talking about hair, eyebrows, eyelashes on duct tape, DNA all over the place - in his car, in the storeroom. Let's not forget the messed-up state she was in, with rashes, missing hair patches, the whole shebang. And Jason Bell had this creepy collection of trophies from his other killings, right there in his house. That's like Exhibit A supporting her story, not to mention Andie's email. But nah, Pip decides to go all out with this elaborate scheme. Ok, she managed to escape from him, only to circle back and end up offing him. She could have explain to the police that she thought he was still moving and was a threat, and kept whacking him until he stopped moving. IDK. Instead, she decided to go full-on bizarre and drag Ravi and her friends into this mess. She got so wrapped up in herself that she forgot about the poor guy they wrongly accused of being the DT Killer. It's like she became a whole new person.
Pip resolved murder cases the police couldn't even resolve themselves - as a sleuth. Yet, she couldn't even take a wild guess at who the DT Killer might be after reading Andie's email? That just doesn't fly. It's like, really? Don't get me started on the whole "leaving everyone behind for months" move. It looks suspish AF for someone that's supposedly innocent. 🤷♀️
Anyway... rant over. 😭😂
I was all hyped up after loving the first two books in this series (my first two 5 stars reviews here), but dang, the final installment just didn't hit the mark. I mean, seriously? It's like they took everything I loved about the series and chucked it down the window. 😭
The characters felt like strangers wearing the skins of the ones I actually liked. And don't even get me started on the main character. What happened to her? It's like the author forgot who she was. Remember the brains of Pip, the charm of Ravi, the fire of Nat, and the whole gang's friendship? Each decision the MC made felt more idiotic than the last. Everyone's acting way out of character. Half the time, I was scratching my head trying to figure out what the heck was going on. It felt kinda rushed, like they were trying to tie up loose ends real quick without much thought.
Compared to the other books, it took its sweet time getting going. It picked up a bit towards the end of Part I, but then it nosedived straight into the ground in Part II; the whole plan, the climax, the ending. And when it finally tried to throw in a plot twist, it was as surprising as finding out the sun rises in the east. I mean, come on, the Person of Interest might as well have had it tattooed on their forehead after that email. Let's just say I wanted something different.
I need to rant a bit. Pippa, what's going on with you, darling? This isn't the Pippa I remember. Sure, I get it, she's dealing with PTSD (RIP Stanley, I liked you), but the way she's handling it isn't it at all. She's brushing off therapy like it's unimportant, acting like she's got it all figured out. Not smart. But what really got me was how she pulled that stunt framing Max Hastings. That was just plain dumb. I get it, she's ANGRY. But the old Pippa, from "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder," would've handled this mess way better. Trying to get away with murder? Involving her loved ones? Her character development felt off, to say the least, and I didn't like this Pippa.
Pip's grand framing-Max-Hastings plan. What the actually f*ck? Like, wasn't there already a boatload of evidence that could've swung her case toward self-defense? We're talking about hair, eyebrows, eyelashes on duct tape, DNA all over the place - in his car, in the storeroom. Let's not forget the messed-up state she was in, with rashes, missing hair patches, the whole shebang. And Jason Bell had this creepy collection of trophies from his other killings, right there in his house. That's like Exhibit A supporting her story, not to mention Andie's email. But nah, Pip decides to go all out with this elaborate scheme. Ok, she managed to escape from him, only to circle back and end up offing him. She could have explain to the police that she thought he was still moving and was a threat, and kept whacking him until he stopped moving. IDK. Instead, she decided to go full-on bizarre and drag Ravi and her friends into this mess. She got so wrapped up in herself that she forgot about the poor guy they wrongly accused of being the DT Killer. It's like she became a whole new person.
Pip resolved murder cases the police couldn't even resolve themselves - as a sleuth. Yet, she couldn't even take a wild guess at who the DT Killer might be after reading Andie's email? That just doesn't fly. It's like, really? Don't get me started on the whole "leaving everyone behind for months" move. It looks suspish AF for someone that's supposedly innocent. 🤷♀️
Anyway... rant over. 😭😂