Reviews tagging 'Grief'

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

627 reviews

jhshugh's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

bourbonsot's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

I read this book as a recommendation from, and to bond with, my younger teenage sister. It was an easy to read murder mystery with a little romance. It was a quick and enjoyable read, and had some pretty decent twists and turns with characters and plots revolving around the main plot of the story. I believe it’s part of a trilogy, I haven’t read the other books, and this book can, in my opinion, be read as a stand alone novel. It was the first mystery/crime type novel I’ve read. If you’re looking for something easily digestible with a casual amount of tension and crime solving, you’d probably enjoy this book. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death, Violence, Grief, and Murder

herald_of_cupcakes's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This is one of the most terrifying books I have ever read, because a lot of it hits very close to home.  Do not read in the dark.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

sielke's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Grief, and Murder

pam_'s review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Worth the hype. I cried multiple times. The final 70 pages or so were a WILD ride. The writing style was beautiful. I loved how fast-paced and unpredictable this was. I did not see the ending coming at all.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Rape, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault, Car accident, and Death of parent

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Sexual content, and Alcohol

ballousclues's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

“You go around asking dangerous questions, girl, you’re going to find some dangerous answers.”

"A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" strongly reminded me of "Pretty Little Liars." While I never finished the show, the book's suspenseful atmosphere and intricate web of secrets evoked a similar feeling. It also shares some thematic similarities with "13 Reasons Why," as we gradually uncover the hidden roles of various characters. Overall, ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars for me.

I recommend reading the book before watching the show. The show, unfortunately, doesn't do the book justice. Had I watched the show first, I doubt I would have picked up the book.

The writing style is decent, and the plot, though somewhat predictable, remains engaging. However, I found the characters to be a bit one-dimensional. Despite these minor shortcomings, I enjoyed the classic whodunit aspect of the story.

I would recommend this book to those who ask, but I wouldn't actively tell others to read it. It's a solid, enjoyable read, but not a groundbreaking masterpiece.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = This book was phenomenal and very difficult to put down. The characters were lovable, the plot was great, and the writing was strong. Definitely have a book hangover. I know this will be a story I think about for a long time. Highly recommend to everyone! 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = This book was very good but I was able to put it down for the night. The characters were good, the plot was fine, and the writing was good. I’ll recommend this book to others. There were definitely moments from the book I really liked, maybe even loved, and there were some parts that may have some room for improvement. I definitely recommend giving this book a try! 

⭐️⭐️⭐️ = This book was fine. The characters, plot, and writing were all okay, but nothing extraordinary. I may have had an issue with some pieces in the plot or the writing. I may recommend this book to some people but not everyone I run into. It was a good book - it just wasn’t a favorite of mine. 

⭐️⭐️ = This book was okay but far from a favorite. There may have been some moments that I liked, but overall, I may have had a bigger issue with the characters, plot, or the writing. I don’t plan on recommending this book to most people, or anyone at all. Just wasn’t for me. 

⭐️ = This book I actually disliked. Definitely wasn’t my cup of tea and there wasn’t anything I enjoyed about it. I actually had a tough time getting through this book and may have not even finished it. I may have had major issues with the character, plot, or the writing. I do not recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Drug use and Sexual assault

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol

This book has similar themes to "Pretty Little Liars," and "13 Reasons Why." If those types of stories don't bother you, this book should be fine.

ginny_hob's review against another edition

dark inspiring mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

Adored this book as someone that dreams of doing something within the criminal psychology field. It got me out of a terrible reading slump and I was hooked from the start!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Grief

Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Blood

jules_110's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Drug use

Minor: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Rape, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, and Murder

letters_from_gabriella's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.75

So many plot twists, I would not have guessed the ending

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Gore, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Cursing, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Dementia, Car accident, and Sexual harassment

kittkat's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

also ich hatte sehr viel spaß beim anhören :) interessante, echt spannende prämisse und dadurch dass es YA ist, war es auch nicht zu heavy. eher cosy und auch gut einfach zum nebenbei anhören. 

kleine synopse: popular girl andy ist vor 5 jahren verschwunden und wurde wohl von ihrem freund sal, der danach suizid begangen und seine tat in einer letzten nachricht gestanden hat, ermordet. pippa glaubt nicht, dass das die wahrheit sein soll und startet als schulprojekt ihre eigenen ermittlungen.

für mich sind’s halt “nur” 4 sterne, weil die figuren schon echt sehr cringe YA sprüche rausgehauen haben und es hat auch einfach nicht immer gepasst, dass die autorin krampfhaft versucht hat, die story lighthearted zu halten… die themen und ereignisse sind trotzdem sehr ernst und die entspannte, witzelnde einstellung der charaktere hat mich dann schon paar mal gestört. 

aber das format fand ich super interessant. pippa hat nämlich eine art tagebuch über die ermittlungen aufgenommen und im hörbuch haben wir dann diese tagebucheinträge, die interviews mit den beteiligten und eben noch die eigentliche handlung.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Suicide, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Vomit, and Kidnapping

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, and Death of parent