Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

182 reviews

rebecathebookworm's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, and Gore

Minor: Bullying and Gaslighting

librarymouse's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious

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

5.0

This novel is a fantastic continuation of the series. The main story line wraps up very neatly in A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, but Holly Jackson did such a fantastic job planting the seeds of future mysteries to be unraveled as the plot developed, that Good Girl, Bad Blood felt like a natural progression of the story. Just now, after finishing the book, it's hit me how short the timeline of the story is. Pip is still a high school student in this second book.

She discovers her best friend's dad (a second dad to her) is the man who murdered his oldest daughter's best friend, solving a five year mystery that the rest of the town had believed to be solved, and nearly dying in the process. In this novel, during the same school year, Pip is forced to reckon with who she has become, beyond the good student she's always been, while searching for her friend's missing brother in a town that thinks he just ran away.

In the prequel novella Kill Joy, Jackson plants the seeds for Ant to show his true colors. He's an asshole, poking fun at the murder of Andie Bell multiple times throughout the murder mystery birthday party they're attending and prank scaring his friends, disregarding his friends' feelings when they ask him to stop. In this novel, he is so wrapped up in his relationship with Lauren and he believes online comments, that he disregards Connor's pain, as does Lauren. He mocks Pip the day Max Hastings is pronounced not guilty, provoking her into attacking him by joking that she's hidden Jamie for more internet clout, calling his disappearance "convenient". I hope they're dropped from the friend group in the next novel.

This sets the stage really well for Ant's dad to be one of the people who protest the funeral. Jackson does a fantastic job depicting the negatives of small towns - the bigotry, and the closing of ranks. Ravi is the blueprint boyfriend, and his willingness to be there for Pip, supporting her through everything, is really beautiful. He understands what she's going through more than most. I'm also glad Pip was able to repair her relationship with Nat DeSilva.

I guessed the killer was Pip's neighbor, about 3/4 of the way through the book, but it was a feature of the clues peppered through the writing, and I'm not disappointed that I was able to guess it. The twist was still satisfying to read. Pip's suffering because of Charlie's actions, killing a man in cold blood, in front of her, is thoughtfully written. Her tenderness for a man she barely knew, and who most would say didn't deserve it, whether it be for his past and apologized for racism, or his part in his father's crimes as a child, juxtapose greatly with the reactions of the townsfolk who new and loved Stanley before his identity was revealed. Pip cares about the truth and the preservation of life, and her coming to terms with her new perception of right and wrong, and who she is as a person make for a very compelling subplot to this novel.

I'm excited for the next book, but I'm sad I have so little time left with these characters.

Great story if you love to read about feminine rage. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer and Confinement

Minor: Drug use

efnelson12's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

5.0

Immensely gripping and will leave you feeling conflicted and heartbroken at the end. A great follow up to the first book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Child abuse

whoever_'s review

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

jana_mn's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Blood, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Drug use, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, and Car accident

wishyouweresober's review

challenging dark sad fast-paced

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

5.0

I don't know what drugs Holly put in this book, but I definitely want them by themselves.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Addiction, Cursing, and Alcohol

sissiemilia's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I prefer the first book, but the ending of Good Girl, Bad Blood was marvelous. I think the third one will be the best. At least the set up is womderful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse and Mental illness

Minor: Cancer and Alcohol

its_katelyn's review

challenging emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Blood, Grief, and Stalking

m0rdred_the_fallen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Agarré este libro porque había oído buenas cosas de la autora, pero no me dí cuenta de que es el 2do en la serie hasta que me metí aquí a Storygraph y pensé en dejarlo para después cuando tuviera el 1ero

Oh. Mi. Titán. 

Que bueno que no lo hice, es de los mejores misterios que he leído, de no ser por mi trabajo me hubiera terminado el libro en un día. A ver, no voy a mentir si es sorprendente donde inician y donde terminan, pero el misterio no está mal hecho, las diferentes tramas son resueltas en tiempo y forma, los giros de trama que tiene van construyendo la expectativa para cuando se revela la verdad del asunto, los temas que trata y la forma en que Pip cambia a lo largo del libro *cheff kiss*

Hay 3 cosas que me gustaría resaltar:

1. El uso del trope No somos tan distintos/somos iguales
   con la revelación de que Charlie Green es el hermano menor de la última víctima del Monstruo de Margate
   porque, en efecto, Pip y él no son distintos,
   Charlie
   incluso le ayuda a Pip a llegar a terminos con su propia forma de ser. Quisiera que usaran así el trope más seguido, que ni tú ni el personaje estén del todo seguros (o bien sepan) que son iguales. Y les apuesto lo que quieran a que Pip no derrama ni una lágrima por Max Hastings.
2. Cuando
   Pip toma la justicia en sus manos o Charlie Green obtiene su venganza
   ni la autora, ni uno de los personajes sale de santurrón con No, esa no es la forma de proceder, debes subirte a este pedestal de moralidad hueca y decirte que eres mejor que eso hasta que te convenzas. Miren no digo que haya que hacer siempre como ellos, pero le tengo un gran respeto a
   Charlie
   por haberse puesto esa meta y lograrlo (A diferencia de Edmond Dantés). Y también me siento orgulloso de Pip por
   vandalizar la casa de los Hastings y que defendiera a Stanley Forbes
   
   
   
3. Que Pip encuentre su sentido de moral propio y que decida vivir según este es de los mejores mensajes que he visto en tiempos recientes. 
   
   Ya auiero leer los otros libros en esta serie 😄😄 
   
   Sobre lo de que
   Max Hastings
   sale libre a pesar de ser un violador en serie comprobado, me encantaria un libro donde la víctima es él. Acusan a Pip del crimen e investiga el caso para limpiar su nombre pero deja ir libre al verdadero culpable, al fin de cuentas es justicia.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Stalking, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Car accident

briannamwolf's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Sexual assault, Blood, Stalking, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Rape