Reviews with content warning for Xenophobia - Asesinato para principiantes

I devoured this book, I was so inside of the story that I couldn’t stop myself. I loved the characters so much and Holly Jackson’s writing is immaculate, the way she doesn’t forget about any detail, as small as it may seem, to get you tangled into her story.
Every part of this book felt so real, it had me at the edge of my seat at all times, wondering and asking myself questions constantly.
The banter between Pippa and Ravi was excellent, and I may have even laughed out loud at one of his jokes, bad as they were.
This book scared me and made me laugh, and I can’t wait to see what’s next. 4.75/5⭐️

Content Warnings

kingkiller99's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This book was such an intense journey. I ended up reading this in one day because I could not put it down. I was stressing along with Pip and Ravi to find out who really killed Andie Bell. There were so many twists and turns that were fascinating to read, and I am so glad I read this book. It actually got me back on a crime binge again—I m already hoping to get the next book.

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hiba45's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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bookishevy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

As much as I love spicy summer romances, they don't hit like summer mystery thrillers. This one delivered.

Everyone in Fairview believes popular high schooler Andie Bell was murdered five years ago by her boyfriend, who then killed himself, even though Andie's body was never found. Now, high school senior Pip is re-examining the case for her final project, because she can't believe someone as good as Sal could do such a thing. Pip's objective was to simply cast doubt on the closed case, but when she discovers a trail of dark secrets and blackmail, Pip realizes she could actually prove Sal is innocent.

I listened to this entire book in one go at 1.5x speed because I couldn't get to the conclusion fast enough. I was deep in the trenches with Pip adding people to my own list of suspects, because it seems like everyone she interviews is hiding something that connects to Andie.

I loved that Pip doesn't give up on Sal, even though there are times it doesn't look good for him. And she stands up for him and his family, who are the only Indians in town because, naturally, the entire family is ostracized and treated like they're diseased while trying to grieve in peace. But little do the townspeople and press know, precious Andie wasn't perfect and did questionable things that led to her disappearance.

So, is she still alive? And, if not, who really killed her? Whoever is involved doesn't want Pip snooping around. The more she digs, the closer she brings herself and loved ones to danger. I had an inkling who the killer was, but that twist at the end had me on the edge of my seat.

I ran straight to Netflix to binge the series after finishing the book, but, not surprisingly, the adaptation pales in comparison to the audiobook, which is performed by a talented full cast.

Content Warnings

turidt's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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

erinmasterson's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad 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

2.0

So clearly a British author writing about an American town/high school. Very awkward dialogue, both intentional and unintentional. So much of it is so unbelievable. The language the characters use (“cheeky” and “fancy” when they’re supposed to be American), the poor attempt at grasping what high schoolers are actually like (what “cool” crowd would call parties “calamity parties” and then apparently forget only 5 years later). Just bizarre to read about high schoolers from the perspective of someone who clearly hasn’t stepped foot outside in several years.

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devonmikayla's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

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