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A review by booksandstrokes
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
5.0
SIMPLY UNPUTDOWNABLE!!
Nancy Drew meets Veronica Mars in this story of a high school girl digging out long-buried secrets about a small-town murder
Pippa Fitz-Amobi, a 17-year-old over-achieving high school senior (never has a character been more relatable!) decides to investigate the cold case of Andie Bell for her Capstone project. Five years ago, Andie, one of the most popular girls at Pippa's school went missing, presumed murdered by her then-boyfriend, Salil 'Sal' Singh, who committed suicide after leaving a confession text.
However, as Pippa works on the case (and her project) with an unlikely ally in Ravi (Sal's younger brother), it becomes clear that things are not what they seem and someone is ready to do whatever it takes to stop Pippa from bringing new evidence to light.
Holly Jackson creates a story steeped in mystery while talking about important social issues like racism, bullying, body shaming, and the rampant drug problems among teens. The novel is written in a third-person PoV, interspersed with transcripts from Pippa's research which enrich the narration and give further insight into the characters. The plot is developed so beautifully, once you get drawn into the secrets and twists, you CANNOT STOP UNTIL YOU REACH THE END! It is also commendable how the author included PoCs but did not make their race/ethnicity the defining aspects of their personality. We need more representation like this!
In one sentence: an exhilarating, suspense-filled, heart-thumping, read that makes you nostalgic about YA crime fiction and makes you finish it in one go!
Nancy Drew meets Veronica Mars in this story of a high school girl digging out long-buried secrets about a small-town murder
Pippa Fitz-Amobi, a 17-year-old over-achieving high school senior (never has a character been more relatable!) decides to investigate the cold case of Andie Bell for her Capstone project. Five years ago, Andie, one of the most popular girls at Pippa's school went missing, presumed murdered by her then-boyfriend, Salil 'Sal' Singh, who committed suicide after leaving a confession text.
However, as Pippa works on the case (and her project) with an unlikely ally in Ravi (Sal's younger brother), it becomes clear that things are not what they seem and someone is ready to do whatever it takes to stop Pippa from bringing new evidence to light.
Holly Jackson creates a story steeped in mystery while talking about important social issues like racism, bullying, body shaming, and the rampant drug problems among teens. The novel is written in a third-person PoV, interspersed with transcripts from Pippa's research which enrich the narration and give further insight into the characters. The plot is developed so beautifully, once you get drawn into the secrets and twists, you CANNOT STOP UNTIL YOU REACH THE END! It is also commendable how the author included PoCs but did not make their race/ethnicity the defining aspects of their personality. We need more representation like this!
In one sentence: an exhilarating, suspense-filled, heart-thumping, read that makes you nostalgic about YA crime fiction and makes you finish it in one go!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Drug abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Body shaming and Racism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Suicide, Car accident, and Death of parent