mezu_641's review
3.0
I have a lot to say about this book.
ok so, first off lets talk about the good stuff.
1) Had a good and interesting plot - the perspective of an innocent suspect
2) completely shocking plot twist that caught me off guard
3) Characters were realistic, not 2D
However, there were some problems.
1) The plot could have been executed better. The book wasn't gripping enough for me to look forward to reading it. To be honest, things only started picking up in the last two or three chapters.
2) The writing is very basic. Soo many short sentences.
3) It just felt very meh and bland which is disappointing because I could really tell the author had great potential when I read those last two chapters. But the rest of the book? I thought this was a murder mystery? Why so slow paced?
So overall I would say that this book could've been amazing but it left me quite unsatisfied. It was like so much was going on yet the way it was written made it feel very uneventful. I chose this book because I wanted a thriller however I found this to be very much the opposite. A boredom simulator?
But as I have said before, the last two chapters were good. If only that sort of thrill and excitement could have been there throughout the WHOLE book.
I would say A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is the type of thrill and expectation this book should have had.
ok so, first off lets talk about the good stuff.
1) Had a good and interesting plot - the perspective of an innocent suspect
2) completely shocking plot twist that caught me off guard
3) Characters were realistic, not 2D
However, there were some problems.
1) The plot could have been executed better. The book wasn't gripping enough for me to look forward to reading it. To be honest, things only started picking up in the last two or three chapters.
2) The writing is very basic. Soo many short sentences.
3) It just felt very meh and bland which is disappointing because I could really tell the author had great potential when I read those last two chapters. But the rest of the book? I thought this was a murder mystery? Why so slow paced?
So overall I would say that this book could've been amazing but it left me quite unsatisfied. It was like so much was going on yet the way it was written made it feel very uneventful. I chose this book because I wanted a thriller however I found this to be very much the opposite. A boredom simulator?
But as I have said before, the last two chapters were good. If only that sort of thrill and excitement could have been there throughout the WHOLE book.
I would say A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is the type of thrill and expectation this book should have had.
lawbooks600's review
3.0
Trigger warnings: Death by poisoning, murder, death of a child
6/10, what a snooze-fest of a book and I really wish it was better but alas I did not enjoy this one. The main character Ruby was ok and I think she was one of those characters that people call morally grey since she wasn't the best protagonist ever when she killed a person called Hannah by pushing her off the slide when she was young but that was such a long time ago. The plot all began with a note that said I Know You Did It, the plot was slow at times but it got better towards the end. Towards the second half of the book two students died, Isaac died when the tampered weights crushed his neck and Monique died when she drank from her tampered water bottle which poisoned her.
I knew the killer was Mara because she appears to have nothing to do with the incidents and the school since it's the person who people would least expect but I expected her to be the killer and I was right which made the twist quite predictable. There weren't any red herrings which was a nice touch and usually red herrings frustrate me when reading crime novels like this. In the end the killer was arrested, her accomplice, Georgia, poisoned herself and after that Ruby got over Hannah's death and that's the end of the book. If you like an easy crime/thriller YA novel this is the book for you.
6/10, what a snooze-fest of a book and I really wish it was better but alas I did not enjoy this one. The main character Ruby was ok and I think she was one of those characters that people call morally grey since she wasn't the best protagonist ever when she killed a person called Hannah by pushing her off the slide when she was young but that was such a long time ago. The plot all began with a note that said I Know You Did It, the plot was slow at times but it got better towards the end. Towards the second half of the book two students died, Isaac died when the tampered weights crushed his neck and Monique died when she drank from her tampered water bottle which poisoned her.
I knew the killer was Mara because she appears to have nothing to do with the incidents and the school since it's the person who people would least expect but I expected her to be the killer and I was right which made the twist quite predictable. There weren't any red herrings which was a nice touch and usually red herrings frustrate me when reading crime novels like this. In the end the killer was arrested, her accomplice, Georgia, poisoned herself and after that Ruby got over Hannah's death and that's the end of the book. If you like an easy crime/thriller YA novel this is the book for you.
tales1803's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
preetam's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
aya_h's review
dark
emotional
funny
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Why…just WHY!?
ren_333's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
didn’t like the characters at all, too much teenage drama for my taste, pretty good ending
zaharar_deserted's review
1.0
Painfully predictable , put me into a reading slump , ppl didnt die until halfway.
mehsi's review
5.0
A girl, a secret, a new school… and murder! This was a really great thriller and I enjoyed it a lot!
I am always on the lookout for a new YA thriller to read and when I saw this one I knew I had to pre-order it and read it. I flew through the book, it was just so good that I didn’t want to stop reading.
Meet Ruby, a girl who, when she was small made a wrong mistake and that haunts her for all time. She is now at a new school and we see that things are OK in the beginning (well, except that annoying clique featuring Monique and Isaac), but quite soon things spiral down and the past is dug up again. We see all that happens and it is A LOT. But really, you aren’t prepared for happens next, and that is murder. I found Ruby a great MC, and I really felt for her. At times I just wanted to reach out to her and give her a big hug. Because she could use that. So much happens in her life and it was just too much.
I wasn’t always agreeing with how Ruby solved situations. I mean, if people already think you are a bad egg, maybe don’t use violence back? I mean, in some cases self-defence, but in some part it was just over the top. And that also made me wonder if Ruby was truly so innocent as she said she was.
The murders? Well, while they were shocking, I don’t know it also missed something as we are never near when they happen. We just hear that x person has died. I also had expected more murder given the blurb. That is all I will say. While I found it heartbreaking for Ruby that people point fingers to her as she was near those people before they went, I did think it was well-written how the murderer made sure that Ruby was nearby, that the cameras weren’t working, and others. I mean, dang. That is some next level revenge plan. Yes, I say revenge, because hello, why else would someone try to frame Ruby? I just didn’t know exactly who was making the plans. But I had ideas, and as the story continued I could see a clearer image on who it could be!
What happened when Ruby was younger? It was horrible, and so sad. BUT, I also couldn’t see why everyone was so hurtful towards Ruby. I mean, yes, she caused the death of a kid and that is HORRIBLE. But she was also barely 4 years old. She made a mistake. She did something that she shouldn’t have, but it was an accident. It was just heartbreaking to see how she feels constantly guilty. Is constantly afraid someone may find out and that the pain and hurt will start. People will hate her. I mean, that is just no life. At times it just seems too much in my eyes, and throughout the book I kept also waiting for that twist, because given how people reacted each time it just felt like there was more to the story than that Ruby told us. That it wasn’t an accident or something. But I will just say it, no. Hannah kept pushing and Ruby just pushed back. Sadly… a real push and in the wrong way.
I wasn’t a fan of Ruby’s sister. She constantly kept calling/constantly texting. And one time, well I just wanted to shake her. Ruby is having a hard time at school and her mom helps her out a lot, which is normal if you kid is 15-year old. Instead of being supportive the sister tells Ruby to not do things because their mom has troubles at work for all the free time she has to take due to Ruby. WTF? Your sister is bullied at school, things are going WAY wrong, and you say that? I mean really? If it was for something silly, sure, but this is serious, and it seemed like the sister didn’t give a damn.
The romance that is in this book? I loved it. It gave some light-hearted moments to the book and I was happy for those reprieves. I was definitely shipping the two together and hoped that they would get dating.
The ending was OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY, and I really loved it. It was exciting and a perfect ending to this story. I do hope that in the future people are a bit kinder to Ruby. Less judgmental over a mistake she made years and years ago. I would highly recommend this fast-paced and exciting read to all.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I am always on the lookout for a new YA thriller to read and when I saw this one I knew I had to pre-order it and read it. I flew through the book, it was just so good that I didn’t want to stop reading.
Meet Ruby, a girl who, when she was small made a wrong mistake and that haunts her for all time. She is now at a new school and we see that things are OK in the beginning (well, except that annoying clique featuring Monique and Isaac), but quite soon things spiral down and the past is dug up again. We see all that happens and it is A LOT. But really, you aren’t prepared for happens next, and that is murder. I found Ruby a great MC, and I really felt for her. At times I just wanted to reach out to her and give her a big hug. Because she could use that. So much happens in her life and it was just too much.
I wasn’t always agreeing with how Ruby solved situations. I mean, if people already think you are a bad egg, maybe don’t use violence back? I mean, in some cases self-defence, but in some part it was just over the top. And that also made me wonder if Ruby was truly so innocent as she said she was.
The murders? Well, while they were shocking, I don’t know it also missed something as we are never near when they happen. We just hear that x person has died. I also had expected more murder given the blurb. That is all I will say. While I found it heartbreaking for Ruby that people point fingers to her as she was near those people before they went, I did think it was well-written how the murderer made sure that Ruby was nearby, that the cameras weren’t working, and others. I mean, dang. That is some next level revenge plan. Yes, I say revenge, because hello, why else would someone try to frame Ruby? I just didn’t know exactly who was making the plans. But I had ideas, and as the story continued I could see a clearer image on who it could be!
What happened when Ruby was younger? It was horrible, and so sad. BUT, I also couldn’t see why everyone was so hurtful towards Ruby. I mean, yes, she caused the death of a kid and that is HORRIBLE. But she was also barely 4 years old. She made a mistake. She did something that she shouldn’t have, but it was an accident. It was just heartbreaking to see how she feels constantly guilty. Is constantly afraid someone may find out and that the pain and hurt will start. People will hate her. I mean, that is just no life. At times it just seems too much in my eyes, and throughout the book I kept also waiting for that twist, because given how people reacted each time it just felt like there was more to the story than that Ruby told us. That it wasn’t an accident or something. But I will just say it, no. Hannah kept pushing and Ruby just pushed back. Sadly… a real push and in the wrong way.
I wasn’t a fan of Ruby’s sister. She constantly kept calling/constantly texting. And one time, well I just wanted to shake her. Ruby is having a hard time at school and her mom helps her out a lot, which is normal if you kid is 15-year old. Instead of being supportive the sister tells Ruby to not do things because their mom has troubles at work for all the free time she has to take due to Ruby. WTF? Your sister is bullied at school, things are going WAY wrong, and you say that? I mean really? If it was for something silly, sure, but this is serious, and it seemed like the sister didn’t give a damn.
The romance that is in this book? I loved it. It gave some light-hearted moments to the book and I was happy for those reprieves. I was definitely shipping the two together and hoped that they would get dating.
The ending was OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY, and I really loved it. It was exciting and a perfect ending to this story. I do hope that in the future people are a bit kinder to Ruby. Less judgmental over a mistake she made years and years ago. I would highly recommend this fast-paced and exciting read to all.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/