Book review // A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

⚠⚠ SPOILER FREE REVIEW ⚠⚠

Hello and welcome back! Today’s post is a book review of A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson. This is the …um … first book review I’ve ever written, so, yeah- I never really know what to say in these kind of posts, so please bear with me.

By the time I’m writing this review, I’ve already read all three books in the series. I might do a review for the other two books as well~ anyway, let’s get into it!

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~Synopsis~

Everyone in Fairview knows the story.

Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.

But she can’t shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?

Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn’t want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.

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Title: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
Author: Holly Jackson
Age Group/Genre: Young Adult/Thriller Mystery

Links // Goodreads & Amazon 

Publication Date: May 2, 2019
Trigger Warnings: Animal death, bullying,kidnapping, murder, racism, verbal abuse.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟.

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My Review

I literally could not put this down once I started reading. I read this book in one sitting and I have no words for it.😩 There were a lot of twists, and this book was so unpredictable – it’s crazy how the plot twists were planted in the first book – that all made sense when you reach towards the end of the series. and the author did an amazing job at building the suspense.📚 I think I might have found my new favourite YA Mystery/Thriller series.

“But sometimes remembering isn’t for yourself; sometimes you do it just to make someone else smile.”

Holly Jackson, AGGGTM

The characters

I loved Pip’s character SO much. She’s extremely clever, and has a great sense of humor. Also, Pip’s approach to solving the case and getting people to talk about Andie and Sal, etc. helped solidify that this book was the real deal and not just about a kid who happens to …..like, luck into solving a crime.

Pip’s got a serious calling for true crime. She was so dedicated to clearing Sal’s name. Even if the investigation might have taken over her life, I like that we still got to see the…… other sides of her. A loving big sister and daughter along with a loyal and caring friend. (and a dog owner!) You could see that she would do anything for those she loved.

“They were each other’s crutch to lean on when life got too much to carry alone.”

Holly Jackson, AGGGTM

Pip and Ravi are so underrated?? When Pip ends up bringing Sal’s younger brother, Ravi, along in her search for truth, I thought that was an amazing pairing. Ravi was definitely my favourite character – the slow-burn romance between him & Pip was cute and I enjoyed their interactions😄 The representation & diversity in the book – Jackson also dealt with the hardships that Ravi and his family faced as a brown family in a mostly white town such as racism..

Pip’s friends Cara and Naomi, and Connor too. Her family, especially her father Victor, was such a fantastic character. They were always so encouraging and supportive of her aspirations and they always cared for her.💜 One thing I didn’t like about this book was animal death… I really wanted to stop reading when that happened. It really, really upset me – even more in the last book of the trilogy😔

“Pip wished she was strong enough, but she’d learned that she wasn’t invincible; she too could break.”

― Holly Jackson, AGGGTM

Writing Style

I don’t think I’ve read a book like this, written in multi – media format with diary-like entries speaking in first person and then in third person. I think that was really clever – it was a bit strange, if I’m honest, and it took me a bit longer to adjust to the writing style, but I loved it. I feel like this writing didn’t make it hard to picture the sequences that were happening , and characters in the book.

Plot

Okay, now let’s talk about the mystery itself. It was so well planned out. I did not see that end coming – It wasn’t who I suspected AT ALL – and the end left me awe-struck. Like, I thought it all ended with (spoiler) BUT THEN, someone else is brought into the picture- like- ?? wow. I’m still processing how the author managed to seed in the details that later helped Pip solve another mystery in book #3. This was such an incredible read & I would love to see a movie adaptation of it.

“I’m not sure I’m the good girl I once thought I was. I’ve lost her along the way.”

Holly Jackson – AGGGTM

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Whew, that review’s a lot longer than I expected. Maybe I should start writing more book reviews, so I can get better..at..reviewing books??👀😂 Thank you so much for reading, let me know if you’ve read AGGGTM – and if you have – what did you think of it?

I’ll see you later! Have a great day.💕🌷