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elina_st's review against another edition
- 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
I read this book as an audiobook, and I would like to give the team behind the production som credit for why this book was so touching. It felt so real, like you were rigth there trying to solve the missing people mystery along with the characters. I think it is brilliant the way the producers chose to make it a kind of theatrical experience. We got the intro-music to the podcast, and the times where Pip interviewed people (and the recordings would eventually make it to the podcast, but there was no point in us hearing it multible times) it was fantastic to hear the shaking voices of the other actors and background sound we would not experience in a written reading experience. There may be things in this book that are better experienced written than in audio, but me, myself and I am happy that I chose this approach for this book!
Lastly, thank you Holly Jackson for becomming my favorite author at the moment. This is my third book written by you I have read this year (AGGGTM & The Reappearance Of Reachel Price being the to other ones). I am looking forvard to finish the series and the other works you have done. Allways inspiring new authors ❤️
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
gerardthefrog420's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse and Sexual assault
hazychapters's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.5
✩ young-adult, murder mystery, thriller
✩ 417 pages
Sequel to AGGGTM, "Good Girl, Bad Blood" follows Pip in a new investigation after the disappearance of her friend’s brother, Jamie; while learning how to manage the growing hype around her true-crime podcast.
I found the pace of this second book a bit unbalanced. It started really well, but the investigation slowed down, hence the end feeling rushed. The mystery in itself felt a bit far-fetched sometimes. I had my own theories as I was approaching the last chapters (I was wrong, of course), but I felt a bit underwhelmed.
The first book was so busy I could feel the suffocation of crippling anxiety as I was diving into the pages. I didn’t feel the same with this sequel, at least for the first half. But I have to admit, I was taken by surprise by the "Child Brunswick" subplot, even though I’d have appreciated to hear about it earlier in the book so it didn’t appear out of the blue. The same goes for some characters.
The characters and their writing is the strongest aspect of this book. You can really feel connected to them as they are all going through difficulties in their lives: Pip, Ravi, Cara and Connor. They are a very interesting quartet. I’d have liked to see a bit more of Cara and Ravi and how they coped with the events of AGGGTM, so I can’t wait to read more about them in the next book.
However, I have mixed opinions about Pip in this book and honestly, I’m quite scared of what she’s going to do/become in the third book. I was here for her character’s development after the events of AGGGTM, and if I understood her at the very beginning regarding conducting a new investigation or not, I didn’t really feel connected to her by the end. Yes, she’s traumatised by past events and battles her insecurities, but she also has this flaw to never ask for help. I think this is an interesting situation to discuss, but at some point your character should evolve out their flaws. And I don’t know why, I’m pretty sure it won’t be the case in the last book.
In conclusion, mixed feelings for this sequel. It was good, but didn’t meet the expectations I had after the end of the first book. It felt to me like a filler sequel, while waiting for the third and last book of the trilogy (as it is for a lot of second books). I’ll take care to lower my expectations for the finale, even if I heard it was the best of the trilogy.
📌 Content/Trigger warnings:
arson, blood, catfishing, child abuse, death of a child, death of a sibling (past, recounted), drug dealing, drugging (non-consensual), grief, gun violence, kidnapping, murder, rape (past, recounted), violence.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, and Murder
spazzcats's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Death, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Drug abuse, Rape, Suicide, Kidnapping, and Stalking
bookishperseus's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Deportation
staticcarpet9's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse and Sexual assault
epellicci's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, and Sexual assault
Minor: Drug abuse
kim_gzt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcohol
_pauline's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, and Vomit
Minor: Cancer and Car accident
nele_281's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing and Car accident