As the title suggests there will be mild spoilers ahead so tread carefully. Nothing too big, just vague references and such. I’ll mark them down as I get into it so don’t worry. Going into this book completely blind is the best way to go.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson is a book full of mysteries and suspense as we follow our main protagonist Pippa Fitz-Amobi (mostly known as Pip) as she investigates a murder-suicide that occurred in her small town five years ago for a school project. Allegedly, high schooler Andie Bell had been killed by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself.
As Pip digs through this case with Sal’s brother Ravi, who seeks to learn the truth, she uncovers more secrets about her little town than she could have ever imagined, and that Sal might have been innocent. Yet there is someone out there who doesn’t want her poking around and soon her own life could be in danger.
You know that one question? “If you could read/watch something over again for the first time what would it be?” I’ve had a difficult time answering this until now. This series single handley brought me out of my reading slump and then some.
What can I even say about it? The mystery throughout the first book is already entertaining and full of surprises, but surface level little details suddenly spring up in the other two books that go so much deeper than is previously thought. You can follow Pip and try and figure out the story alongside her, or you can take my route and completely shut off your brain so you can be pleasantly flabbergasted. I made the mistake of reading the series during my first period when I had free time. The amount of times I had to push down my reactions was truly unfair, I didn’t have the luxury of gently slamming my book down and pacing around my room/kitchen in distress as I commentated to an invisible audience ( or in some cases, rant to my confused but dubiously supportive parents as they’re trying to do literally anything else).
Pip as a character is very relatable. (She’s literally me, I love her.) One of the things I was so impressed by was the slow and casual transition from Book 1 Pip to Book 2/3 Pip. She grows and changes so much as a character that it’s strikingly obvious if you ever compare but the process is subtle and natural and makes sense. Oftentimes, a character changes and it’s a bit jarring to the reader because it’s like they jump from point A directly to point B with no build up in-between to make it seem real.
(!And here is where it gets mildly spoiler-y!)
Pip’s reactions and personality after the first book may seem over-the-top but my girl is literally traumatized and understandably so. My favorite thing about her is when she laments the loss of her “good girl” status later on, as that is what she is known for, and I’m staring at her incredulously as she completely disregards the guidelines of her project regarding privacy, blackmails a drug dealer without hesitation, and constantly lies to get what she needs. This wasn’t very “good girl” behavior in the first place Pippa. Honestly, what a girl boss.
Another thing I absolutely love is the romance. It isn’t very prominent in the beginning and it doesn’t appear to be built up well, but that’s regarding an editing thing I’ll talk about in a bit.
Ravi Singh is perfect book boyfriend material. His dynamic with Pip plays off so well, whether it be as crime-solving partners, friends, or more, they have the sweetest chemistry. His nickname for Pip, “Sarge”, is so cute. Cute little nicknames that only they know the origin about are my weak spots. Their ending though…almost ended me. I won’t get into it too much, just know I was appropriately devastated (it’s all good in the end though, for those of you who snooped through here anyways). However, their romance is more a subplot and never quite the main focus, which I liked because the real story was with Pip anyways.
I will admit the build-up to their romantic relationship seemed a bit choppy. Not even bad writing choppy, there were scenes that suggested another scene was going to happen later on to establish something but then it never happened and all of a sudden we’re just supposed to accept that a certain detail had already happened (e.g. Ravi asking Pip to be his girlfriend). I thought this very odd until I found out I had the severely cut U.S. version of the book. The original UK version is apparently vastly different in terms of writing style, scenes, and character interactions (I will admit the writing style did seem very simplistic to me at first). So although I haven’t read the UK version, I suggest starting with it anyway. We’re going to have let the British win this one I’m afraid.
Overall, I think Holly Jackson does a phenomenal job at building up a story and characters that are relevant and interesting throughout the trilogy. Trust me, by the end you’ll realize how some fun little throwaway detail actually had a bigger relevancy to Pip’s story than you initially thought. I will limit myself to giving this trilogy a reasonable 10/10.
And if you end up reading it and decide it’s overrated and that I definitely over exaggerated its brilliance, no you didn’t <3.
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Book Review: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (Spoilers!!)
Evanie Adame, Copy Editor/Reporter
November 3, 2023
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