Member Reviews
I was so happy to meet up with the cast of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder since I enjoyed that book so much. The sequel did not disappoint. It had the same twists and turns. It provided the nicely laid out steps to deduction. The characters were developed in such a way that they felt real and fleshed out...flawed and vulnerable with satisfying emotions. I loved the switch between recordings and narrative which really picks up the pace of the book and makes it nearly impossible to put down. The pacing of the story is perfect...just enough action with time in between to contemplate and think things through which makes you realize just how well thought out this complex plot is. Well done...again!
I was so worried going into this book about the dreaded second book syndrome, but I needn't have worried. In my opinion, this book is even better than the first one was. In Good Girl, Bad Blood we pick up with Pip only a few months after the events in A Good Girl's Guide to Murder have concluded. After the dangerous events tied to her first investigation, Pip has promised her family that she will not lose herself to an investigation like that ever again. That promise is tested when someone she knows goes missing and she is approached by the victim's family to help after the police refuse to investigate. The reader really gets a great sense of the mental struggles Pip is going through as she delves into another investigation. So many people are telling her how she should feel and how she should act and are criticizing her for both. The emotional depth to this story far outweighs the first book, in my opinion, and I will definitely be continuing on with the series. I rated it 4 stars and would recommend it for fans of the Truly Devious series and fans of YA mysteries in general.
A fantastic follow-up the A Good Girl's Guide to Murder! And if you enjoy them, the audiobooks of this series are exceptionally well done. I look forward to As Good as Dead (book 3) coming soon. Highly recommend this series!!
This was an amazing follow up to A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and I am dying to get my hands on the last one. The twists and turns of this one were shocking to say the least and I don't know how I, or Pip, will recover from this. I could not put this book down and I was dying to know what was really going on. This series is a masterpiece and anyone who loves true crime, suspense, or thrillers will not be a bit disappointed by these.
I don't know how, but this was equally as good, if not better than, the first book!
Love the slow unfolding of the case, the subtle hints and pieces that fall together at the end. Pip was a lot closer to this case (her best friend Connor's brother disappears), and so we see her trying to find herself as much as she tries to find Jamie through this book. I loved the growth among the characters, and how the romance is supportive and very there, but it doesn't over take the main plot and mystery. And Pip and (redacted) have such a fantastic relationship - very healthy, communicative, and supportive, which is sadly so rare in YA (for some reason??).
We don't stop seeing Andie Bell and Sal Singh in this book though - the trial is happening, people have been found guilty, and we see how some of that impacts this story as well, which is fantastic (the domino effect is strong in this one, and I love it).
Something Holly Jackson does really well too is adding subtle diversity to the town - a random clue behind someone who is Middle-Eastern, the family that moved out with the East Asian last name. Little things like that go a long way, and I appreciated that these details helped build the world and develop the case at the same time.
Absolutely love this series, and I'm psyched to read the next book
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Pace: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
GoodReads: 4.47/5
TW: Murder, Accounts of Sexual Assault with Drugs, Catfishing
eARC received from Delacorte Press/Random House Children's via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars. Absolutely love the first book A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and the second didn't disappoint! I would definitely consider these books to be on the mature end of YA.
I loved the first book and was excited for the next in the series. I was not disappointed. A must read for those who enjoyed book 1.
Pip is back at it again! Even though she’s sworn off sleuthing, she makes an exception when the police refuse to investigate the disappearance of Jamie Reynolds, her friend Connor’s older brother. With the help of Ravi, she pieces together the events leading up to his disappearance, uncovering more secrets about the people in town. With her podcast becoming a viral sensation, will she be able to stay ahead of the case?
Personally, I thought this book was even better than the first. Having read A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, I was already familiar with the town and the people in it. This made the jump from world-building to plot-building much quicker and allowed the story to shine as the main focus. There is an excellent plot twist and the ending was such a shock! There are some scenes that may be considered violent or graphic, so I would bear that in mind. I recommend this series to teens who like Karen McManus, Mindy McGinnis, or other dark mysteries.
A fantastic follow up to the first book. Such a captivating story! The pacing was wonderful and gave total Serial vibes all over agin but better.
Unlike the first book, this took a while to hook me so, while it's good, it's not quite as good. The mystery is less compelling, the twists less shocking, but I continue to love the characters and community built in this series. And I loved the addition of the podcast elements.
Also, Ravi and Pip give me LIFE.
I listened to the first book, A Good Girls Guide to Murder, and adored MCs Pip and Ravi. The teenage true crime detectives are at it again when a friends older brother goes missing and the police don't take it seriously. Good Girl, Bad Blood pulled me in and kept me turning pages as you read transcripts, viewed 'crime scene photos' and read first hand about Pip's determination and following her instincts. As much as I enjoyed this read, the plot twist at the end seemed a bit unrealistic. I would still recommend them both in my library!
Wow, this series really is so different than most YA thrillers that I've tried. The mysteries are really layered and complex and there's a lot of humanity in each case. Of course, like with any thriller, you have to suspend a little disbelief. But Pippa is a main character who makes mistakes, follows the wrong trails, and gets way too invested in what she's doing, and she is just so realistic. She's definitely the kind of persistent kid you'd hate until you needed something from her.
The way Holly Jackson reveals her mysteries is really good, too. You get enough information that you can follow the case, but there's never anything super obvious lying out that Pip misses but you catch, either. Like there was one character in this story who I ended up being a little skeptical of but I still couldn't quite figure out where they fit in.
I'm also obsessed with Pip's significant other (don't want to spoil anything from book one hehe). He is such a patient and understanding boyfriend. He reminds me so much of my boyfriend. The way he encourages Pip and just rides out her different fixations and moods but never seems put out by it in the slightest. She says at one point that she doesn't deserve him, and I guess she sort of doesn't, objectively (this could be me projecting lol), but he doesn't think that, because he doesn't expect anything of her that she's not able to give to him. I think it's a really beautiful and healthy relationship and I'm so happy to see it.
There was also a lot of emotion from everyone involved in certain aspects of this story - I don't wanna give too much away, because some of it is related to the first book, but there's someone missing in this story and you learn a lot about how he interacts with his family and it just feels pretty organic, on top of other things that people go through in this story.
The pacing of the reveals in this story is even and quick, and I also thought the audiobook was SUPER well-done and the slight mixed-media parts were folded in really well using different effects and voices. Overall, I'd recommend both books in this series so far, especially on audio, and I'm really excited about book 3 now.
Good Girl, Bad Blood is the sequel to student favorite novel A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, and author Holly Jackson keeps readers on their toes with a combination of our favorite characters and a twisty turny plot! Some things I liked: returning characters I was already invested in and a unique story with some GOOD twists. Things I didn't love - Ant and Lauren didn't seem to be well integrated compared to other peripheral characters and I knew whodunnit all along. I had students begging to read it the moment they saw a paper copy in my hands. I can't wait to see what happens next! Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to preview Good Girl, Bad Blood. I really enjoyed it!
I love love love this book! After the first book, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, I could not wait for this book to be available! This sequel did not disappoint! Pip says she is not a detective anymore and has started a true crime podcast that has been extremely popular. When someone she knows goes missing and she is asked to help since the police aren't being as aggressive as the family would like, Pip has to decide if she can handle being a detective again or not. I can't wait for the third installment. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Delacorte Press at Random House Children’s Publishing for this arc from netgalley.
Pip has quit the detective path. After going through so much last year, Pip recognizes that she has lost a part of herself along the way. Pip copes with this by releasing a podcast to tell the world just what rocked her small town as well as her own self. Pip is done with sleuthing.
Until another mystery happens.
One of Pip’s friends needs help. His brother, Jamie Reynolds, has disappeared without a trace. Once Pip realizes that police have brushed off a potential missing person, she knows that she is going to have to step in one last time.
Holly Jackson knows how to write a good suspensful book. I loved being back with all these characters and view how much of an impact the Addie Bell case made. Pip is a complex character compared to some YA characters. I appreciate how Jackson is not afraid to explore grief, PTSD, and trauma in general with her characters. It was so heartbreaking yet real to see everything that Pip goes through and feels. I really appreciate this inclusion with the writing.
As for the mystery itself, I was intrigued about just what happened to Jamie. However, I will say it is a little hard to get from point A to point B with this book. In my opinion there is not really a way to guess the ending due to it being too abrupt and kind of random in a sense. While I adore being surprised with twists, the ending play out just did not really make sense for our journey there. I still enjoyed the ending, but I was a bit frustrated at the lack of events and information with getting there. I think if it did not seem as random at the end, I would have given this a higher rating.
I am very excited for the third installment though.
Since I absolutely loved A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, I was super excited to dive into Good Girl, Bad Blood. We got to see how she was affected by the events of the previous book, and I felt it to be very realistic. I was happy that this wasn't glossed over and that Pip was changed by the experience. I also wished that Ravi was more present in the book. Like before, the mystery was very well plotted and felt intricate and real. Unfortunately, I was able to guess a major plot point about 70% through the book, but was still able to enjoy some surprising elements of the ending. I also enjoyed how the book looked at the idea of justice and when we feel hopeless, especially with the justice system. I had a lot of fun reading this book and just had to know what would happen next. I really enjoyed this book! But the first book is definitely my favourite of the two.
Holly Jackson returns after her smash hit, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, with a sequel - Good Girl, Bad Blood. If you thought that Pippa Fitz-Amobi was done solving mysteries after cracking open a long-dead cold case in her hometown last year, you'd be mistaken because this modern-day Nancy Drew is back! This time she is searching for Jamie Reynolds, the older brother of her friend Connor - Jamie has gone missing without a trace, and if anyone can figure out where he has disappeared to and what has happened to him, it is Pip.
Just like with A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, Holly Jackson does not miss a beat in Good Girl, Bad Blood. The book starts off catching readers up on Pip's activities since solving the Andie Bell and Sal Singh cases last year. Although Pip is hanging the hat up on investigation work, she is doing what any super sleuth who stunningly solves a cold case does - producing a podcast about her experience! The podcast is an entertaining and engaging component to Good Girl, Bad Blood, and I thoroughly enjoyed its integration into this story. It helped build this compelling story in an unique and interesting way. While Pip envisions her senior year as a time to work on her podcast and prep for her future studies at Columbia, she is quickly pulled into another investigation (because really, who else is going to get the job done?)
Pip's friend Connor has asked for her help in figuring out what has happened to his older brother Jamie. Jamie has been struggling to find his way lately, which makes his sudden disappearance all the more troubling. Pip is reluctant to take on the case, but she soon finds herself tangled up in a mystery with twists and turns that no one saw coming! Are you ready to fall down another deep & dark rabbit hole with Pip? Buckle up because Good Girl, Bad Blood is one wild ride!
As always, Holly Jackson tells an excellent story. I love how she incorporates interviews, phone calls, correspondence, and in the case of Good Girl, Bad Blood, a podcast, to enhance and develop her novels. Even more exciting, these elements transfer phenomenally over to audiobooks, making The Good Girl's Guide to Murder series an excellent listening choice. (Thank you to Libro.fm for a complimentary audiobook of this novel!) I personally believe that Holly Jackson is a standout in the YA suspense genre and highly recommend her novels to readers who love thrills and chills, and twists and turns.
Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Children's for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
The first book by Jackson was fantastic, and while this book had big shoes to fill, it lived up to the hype. I enjoyed the podcast, case notes, and articles that broke up the narrative. The change in structure keeps the reader continuously interested. The active missing person in this second case added an extra sense of danger and action to the story in comparison to #1.
Pip is a fantastic, bad-ass, girl and I am excited to read the third mystery that she takes on, whenever that may come!
I received an e-arc from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I really love this series. The mystery and crime solving is always so intriguing!! I also adore Pip and Ravi. This second book was such a great addition to the series and I cannot wait for the next instalment.
My main issue was the switching of where Pip lived from the first book to the second. That really threw me off. It didn’t make sense and didn’t need to happen. What also really bothered me what the complete change in Lauren and Ant’s personalities in the second book. They were both awful people here but before they seemed like good friends to Pip. I understand teens sometimes change when in a relationship but this seemed too far.
Overall I love the drama, mystery, and everything about Pip!
There is so much I want to say about this series by Holly Jackson. This is the second novel in her series that started with A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, and I must say that I enjoyed the second one just as much as the first.
Pippa Fitz-Amobi is a high school student who did a capstone project on a local murder-suicide that took place five year prior. She did her project because she felt that the person in question of the murder, Sal, did not commit the crime. Her goal was to see how the media contributed to the case, but in the end she wanted to prove that Sal was innocent. During her project she ended up uncovering so many possible suspects and secrets that many wanted to keep hidden. I will not give out more information just in case you are wanting to read the book.
This book I am reviewing takes place a year after her original capstone and Pip is asked once again to participate in uncovering a mystery. Jaime, the older brother of one of her closest friends, has gone missing. Jaime's family believes that something is wrong because staying away from home for so long without communication is not his style. Pip takes up this favor and realises that maybe Jaime was taken against his will, and hopefully still alive. In addition to following many leads and using social media to help her uncover the events of the night he went missing, Pip also publishes a podcast where she shares insight on her previous mystery experience as well as what is currently going on in the current case.
I had originally seen the first novel at Barnes and Noble when it was the book club pick for the month, but I decided to wait to buy it later. Looking back, I wish I had bought it then and there because it was such a fast-paced book with so many twists and turns that I could not put it down. It was because of this series that I made time to wake up earlier each day to read before work. Although, this second book did take some time to get started with the uncovering of the mystery, but once it did, I again could not put the book down.