beckyyreadss's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
When I bought this series as a boxset, this book was included in it - I thought it would be set after the events of As Good As Dead due to the cliffhanger and how there was a lot of loose ends, so I was a little disappointed to find out this took place before the events of the first book in this series.
This book follows Pip who we’ve come to love during this series. She is not in the mood for her friend’s murder mystery party. Especially one that involves 1920s fancy dress and pretending that their town, Little Kilton, is an island called Joy. But when the game begins, Pip finds herself drawn into the make-believe world of intrigue, deception and murder. But as Pip plays detective, teasing out the identity of the killer clue-by-clue, the murder of fictional Reginald Remy isn’t the only case on her mind.
This book was so fun, and you learn more about why Pip decided to investigate the case that started it all. This book also shows you the personality of the side characters and already tells us who we are going to like and dislike in the series (Ant, I'm looking at you, you need a personality transplant). I love that you see Pip’s interest into stuff like this and how she gets so involved and then that leads her to want to investigate the case of Andie Bell.
I missed Ravi, again I thought it was placed after the events of As Good as Dead and it wasn’t, but it was a good, little story overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Terminal illness and Cancer
whosgina's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Cancer, and Terminal illness
Minor: War
giulianalb99's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Great intro to the GGGTM trilogy. Was it necessary? Nope. Was it good? Yes, but it could’ve been better.
Although it’s not obligatory to read it (because this is just Pip playing a mystery game with her friends), in this short novella of less than a hundred pages you can take a peek of how the main character likes to solve mysteries and how/why she decided to solve the case of Andie Bell for her school project (which is the main plot of the first book). It was a really fast read so I recommend it to anyone who wants to start these books.
Although it’s not obligatory to read it (because this is just Pip playing a mystery game with her friends), in this short novella of less than a hundred pages you can take a peek of how the main character likes to solve mysteries and how/why she decided to solve the case of Andie Bell for her school project (which is the main plot of the first book). It was a really fast read so I recommend it to anyone who wants to start these books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Infidelity, Blood, Murder, Death, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Cursing, Terminal illness, and Cancer
amynaaaa_'s review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Terminal illness and Cancer
laurenevlyn's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
What a cute little prequel to one of my favorite series of all time (from my favorite author of all time)! I found so many little Easter eggs to the main series. I was almost annoyed about the ending (Pip finding the right answer with a bit too much speculation thrown in), but what happened instead was a wonderful subversion of my (and the genres) expectations. Holly Jackson is a master storyteller and I can’t wait for more of her work!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Blood, and Death
Minor: Incest, Terminal illness, War, and Toxic friendship
itsheyfay's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Infidelity, Medical trauma, Terminal illness, Drug use, Gaslighting, Drug abuse, and Medical content
carolinec_19's review against another edition
challenging
funny
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Classism, Terminal illness, Cursing, Incest, Alcohol, and Blood
haylzno's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
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
5.0
A solid novella that gives us a chance to jump back into the AGGGTM world and reveals how Pip was inspired to choose the murder of a local girl as her senior project.
It was nice to get to be able to be with all of these characters again and see the "hints" that allude to the future events in books 1-3. I'm now feeling the urge to re-read the series!
I almost gave this 4 stars because I was so let down at the "murderer reveal" - but after some thought, I can see how that was purposeful and added to our beloved Pip's inspiration.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!
It was nice to get to be able to be with all of these characters again and see the "hints" that allude to the future events in books 1-3. I'm now feeling the urge to re-read the series!
I almost gave this 4 stars because I was so let down at the "murderer reveal" - but after some thought, I can see how that was purposeful and added to our beloved Pip's inspiration.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Murder, Violence, Cursing, and Terminal illness
kjm_x's review
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Terminal illness, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Infidelity, and Murder
maiyaanne's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Blood
Moderate: Terminal illness