Hm…

I don’t really know how to organize my thoughts about this one. I really, really enjoyed the first two novels in this series, so I was excited to dive into As Good As Dead.

This will absolutely be the most polarizing book in this series, and I do recommend reading it and forming your own opinion if you’re a fan of the first two books.

The enormous plot twist around the 50% mark is where I went from really enjoying this one to…”I’m not sure about this.” In addition, I was much less interested/engaged in the second half of this story, and it was SO much different from the first half. It took me much longer to finish it, once I made it through the first half, than it should have.

I feel like I’m left with questions unanswered, in the end.

**Thank you to NetGalley + Random House for providing an advance copy of As Good As Dead for me to review.

I loved the first two books in this series - the story of Pip and her adventures investigating for her true crime podcast. This book was not as enjoyable as the first two, but it definitely was engaging. It treats the subject of PTSD with thoughtfulness and care. It's not a "mystery is over, everything is fine" kind of story. It deals with the repercussions of so many of these stories. The characters are still wonderful and their actions remain consistent throughout the series. It's great for fans of the series, but it would be a harder read for people picking this book up as the first read.

3 stars? 3.5 stars...maybe? I'm honestly still processing how I felt about As Good As Dead here. The disconnect between the second half of this book and the rest of the series was jarring and a little hard to reconcile.

As Good As Dead begins with a bunch of chaotic and confused thoughts from our main character, which made sense considering the PTSD that Pip must be experiencing after everything that went down in Good Girl, Bad Blood. To be fair, though, there was just too much of it, and I started to lose interest before the story even really got started. Pip doing very un-Pip-like things felt off and like too much of a stretch, even despite the circumstances.

Things did start picking up again once we got solidly into researching the DT case, though, and I started to get invested in the story again.

**********SPOILERS BELOW**************

By the time we hit the big twist halfway through the story, everything started to fall apart for me. I actually didn't mind the whole How to Get Away with Murder plotline, but it felt like I was reading about entirely different characters at this point than the rest of the series. I certainly understand that trauma can make you do some very out-of-character things, but this all flipped the script in a way that felt completely disconnected from every bit of character development we'd had up until this point. It was just too much for me...and not enough, all at once.

First and foremost, a HUGE thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book!
Secondly, THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!
I'm going to do my best to avoid spoilers since the book isn't available to the general public yet, so forgive me if it's a little vague.

Reading this book really makes me wonder how long Holly Jackson spent planning the mystery for this series, if it was one huge plan that she always intended to extend to three books or if she thought of ways to add on to the mystery after the fact, regardless of the circumstances, this is an extremely well thought out book series and mystery, I'd put it on the same level as <i> Truly Devious</i> , another three book YA mystery series.
I genuinely could not put this book down! While I'll admit I was able to predict the killer before our main character, I certainly was not able to predict the curveball thrown my way. If you loved the first two books in this series, the third one will NOT disappoint!

This is the last of the Good Girls Guide to Murder and probably the most intense one yet. Pip and Ravi will be tested beyond anything they ever expected, and if they don't pass it could mean life for them. This book has Pip being sued by a rapist and chased by a serial killer. Who will literally run faster and keep their head will win, and who will that be?

This book has action galore and non stop suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat, not to mention being up really late reading way past your bedtime to see what happens next. It is a awesome book and I am sad to see the series end, I really hope maybe Pip can come back during her college years for a bit more guide to murder fun.

This review will appear on my blog on Sept 28th.

So very excited to be continuing this series! Pip and her journey has been exciting and mysterious. This time around it’s a darker tone with Pip dealing with a lot of emotional trauma from book 2. She’s spiraling and need one last case to save Jane Doe because she feels that is the only way to save herself.
This book was a lot harder for me to get into than the previous two. I felt like I couldn’t connect with the story this time. Still an intriguing story full of thrills. Hope to read more by Holly Jackson in the future!

Wow! It wasn’t just the ending: I didn’t expect the beginning, the middle, or the ending. What a powerful end to the trilogy.

This trilogy has been exciting and thrilling from the starting can't wait to see what Jackson writes next!

☆☆☆☆☆ 5/5 I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK!
There's this kind of creepy element this time around and I was so here for it. Not to mention, I got super emotional and bawled like a baby at one point.

I went back and forth between 4.5 and 5 stars for a while. But in the end, I said to myself, "how could I truly rate this anything  less than 5 stars?"

My reasons for almost rating this 4.5 stars was because at one point, Pip was acting out of character and was making decisions that STRESSED ME OUT! Haha. And me thinking this had nothing to do with the fact that my girl was dealing with some serious PTSD following the events of book 2.

My other reason was that, at first, it felt like I was reading two different books. This is such an intricate story with so many moving parts. But it does comes full circle, which was what truly nudged me to rate this 5 stars.

Now, as I've come to expect. The formatting of this book was amazing. Super interactive with spreadsheets, news articles, police sketches and real-life photo evidence. Us reader got a hands-on experience. I loved it!

Um...can we talk about Ravi? I Definitely grew to love him more in this book. Kinda had to. He is THEE definition of a ride or die! I officially love him.

This was definitely my favorite book in the series. Probably because, like Pip, I also happen to be a self-proclaimed true crime aficionado. I really wish that Pip's podcast was real. I would definitely tune in.

And OMG that epilogue! SO MANY EMOTIONS!!!

What a fantastic conclusion to the trilogy! Holly DID THAT!! *round of applause*

This is such a good ending to this trilogy. I feel like as the series went on readers really got to see Pip's growth and change, and how what she's experienced has affected her, and it's very clear in this one that Pip is not unscathed by the events of previous books. There were moments during this one that really veered off of what I had expected to be the course, and the author will keep you hanging until the very last moments.

Really great conclusion to this series! Holly Jackson is a master when it comes to teen thrillers. Pip's character arc has been interesting to read about and there were a lot of unexpected twists in this book. Can't wait to see what Jackson does next.

What an amazing finish to this incredible series 👏🏽

I'm so sad to say bye to Pip and the crew because I would live in Holly's books in a heartbeat.

Although we do find out who the killer is within 40 percent of the book, that second half just, chefs kiss.
The suspense, the drama, the omg moments.
And the final few chapters that were bittersweet and fulfilling at the same time. Ugh my heart.

Everyone, go buy this series for real you are missing out. Especially if you are an armchair detective like myself.

I was both eager and hesitant to continue Pip's story after reading Good Girl, Bad Blood because I was so worried about her! As Good As Dead kept me in suspense from about 1/3 of the way in to the very end. I could not put it down, even though it was incredibly stressful. So I loved the acknowledgment section where Holly Jackson says "thanks, Mum, for telling Dad that you "felt sick" when reading the book -- that's when I knew it was doing exactly what I wanted it to do!"

What I loved: strong female character, intricately plotted series, compelling writing, fast-paced story. I definitely recommend this book series!

I had very clear preconceived notions about AS GOOD AS DEAD, as we left protagonist Pip in a very dark place at the end of GOOD GIRL, BAD BLOOD. In my mind, we were going to follow Pip as she downward spiraled due to the trauma she experienced in the most recent book, and that she would become obsessed with one final case that would either make or break her (that case being who is now stalking and threatening her). And those things WERE touched on in this book, in really well done ways. I thought that Pip's PTSD was portrayed in a realistic and sensitive manner, and I found the slow escalation of her stalker/potential return of a notorious serial killer to be suspenseful and filled with well done twists and turns. But Jackson went one step further and took this book in a completely unexpected, but wholly welcome (and supremely bleak) direction that caught be completely off guard. I am not going to spoil it here because it's so well done and a breath of fresh air from what other series have done, and I want people to experience it going in with no idea that it's coming. What I will say is that I really, really liked it, and thought that it was a whole other level of suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat. It made for a very well done and satisfying final installment into this series.

AS GOOD AS DEAD really stuck the landing for the entire GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER series! I cannot wait to see what kind of thriller Holly Jackson is going to bring us next.

Well... that did not go as expected. 😂 Which... in itself is always kind of cool, right? It's fun to go into unexpected territory... but I don't feel like As Good As Dead quite pulled it off.

I will do my very best not to give away any spoilers... however it may come off like Joey Tribbiani talking in "code" about The Shining. You have been warned.

So at the start of Book 3, Pip is reeling from the events of Book 2 and is NOT in a good place. She falls into another investigation, intricately connected with the last two... and you will probably be able to guess the murderer almost immediately. She and Ravi are still going strong, but... their relationship still feels lukewarm to me (which is consistent from book 1 & 2), but I felt like it affected this book more.

Up until the 50% mark, this book is a perfect continuation of book 2, and I absolutely devoured it, sitting on my couch just reading the day away. And then... we hit 50%, and we pretty much went off the rails. I probably would've been okay with the events, if I didn't feel like they were just two extreme to be plausible for the two MCs. I understand that this had been heavily foreshadowed for Pip, so I'll give her a maybe, but Ravi?! No. Way. Not buying it. And I honestly can't believe Pip called him in the first place.

And all I can say is that if Pip was messed up after the events of Book 2, she will be ROYALLY messed up after Book 3 (as will Ravi, thanks for that, Pip), and I felt like the conclusion tried to gloss over that. Like everything has been righted in the world... and it just felt rather weird and off to me.

So... while definitely an interesting and unexpected conclusion to the awesomeness of Books 1 and 2. I think this one gets a 3.5/5 for me. Honestly, it's definitely worth reading just to discuss. But your satisfaction will 100% depend on if you buy that mid-book plot twist. Still, Holly Jackson's ability to weave an engrossing story is undeniable, and I'll definitely be reading more from her in the future.

This conclusion to Jackson’s trilogy picked up the pace and had me (frequently) worried for Pippa. In a twist on a pathetic fallacy, the pacing imitated Pippa’s mental state as her paranoia began to grow. My students would love this added to our library!

"As Good as Dead" is the final book in the "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" trilogy by Holly Jackson. These books have all featured around Pip, a teenager who is using her podcast to solve murders in her own hometown. The first two books painted Pip as a hero who saves the day. In this book, Pip is now the target of a stalker/murderer as she tries to solve the latest crime. Without giving anything away, I was disappointed in all of the choices Pip made in this book. She is reckless, vengeful, and stubborn. I wish I had enjoyed this book as much as the previous two.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

As Good As Dead has a built in audience (like me!!) who loved the first two books but I also anticipate high demand from adult readers looking for a thriller series to read--and they will love the series and this is a thrilling, fantastic book! I can't wait to see what Holly Jackson does next! ❤

This is the final book in Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series. Pip has solved two mysteries already when she finds herself at the center of another. Is she the target of a local serial killer? She needs to find out to save both herself and her town!

Oof. What a ride. Holly Jackson’s commitment to the core nature of her characters, and ability to stick to that in the most intense of circumstances is impressive. It is weird to say that I *liked* this book, but the experience is it was incredible and these are characters I could read about for thousands of pages to come.

Team Ravi and Pip forever.