I absolutely adored the A Good Girls Guide to Murder series, so I was excited to learn about a prequel coming out. I knew I would read it even before reading the synopsis.

Kill Joy has the same feel as the longer books, but it being a novella, it was a faster read. Pip joins her friends for a Murder Mystery party, which was a super fun plot idea -- especially because my friends and I are going to be doing one at the end of April.

I enjoyed the book overall, but I definitely prefer the main series, and I think other readers agree -- Kill Joy, while rated pretty high, is still about a half star lower for the average rating. I really enjoyed getting to visit these characters again, as well as seeing how Pip got the idea to use the murder of Andie Bell as her senior project.

I was super excited about this book but once I realized it was a prequel I was a little bummed. I loved being back with Pip but I think knowing it was just a murder mystery party there wasn’t as much suspense and knowing it was before everything that happened. I did like the book but it just wasn’t what I was expecting. I hope that if people read this book before they start the original series that it doesn’t hinder their want to continue cause the main series is amazing.

I love a good murder mystery party. Pretending to be someone else for a while, some who may or may not be murderous, sounds fun. Reading about one, is slightly less exciting, but Jackson's writing and twists of suspense make for a good read nonetheless.

This is the type of book that you read because you like the characters and want to know more about them, not the type of book you read randomly. Without knowing the characters, it’s not that thrilling of a story. Especially if you’re wanting a true murder mystery.

Don’t get me wrong, I still quite enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t reread it like I would the others.

Kill Joy by Holly Jackson is a cute novella that I found to be enjoyable but not as good as the rest of the series. As a fan of Jackson's previous books, I was excited to dive into this latest addition to the series. While it was a quick and easy read, I didn't feel like it had the same level of depth and intrigue as the other books in the series.

The plot was interesting, but it didn't quite captivate me like the previous books did. The characters were likable enough, but I didn't feel as invested in their story as I did with the other characters in the series. That being said, it was still a fun read and it was nice to revisit some of the familiar characters.

One of the things I appreciated about Kill Joy was the way Jackson continued to address important themes such as mental health and trauma. However, I felt like these themes weren't explored in as much depth as they were in the previous books, which left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.

Overall, while Kill Joy wasn't my favorite book in the series, it was still an okay read that I would recommend to fans of the series. If you're looking for a cute novella with some familiar characters and a decent plot, then this book is definitely worth checking out.

Thank you Net Galley for providing me with an early access view of this novella!

A prequel to one of my favorite series! I love Holly Jackson and everything she has written. Another 5 star story!

Thanks netgallery for a chance to read this book and offer it my review!
Read the series before starting this small book.
It's a quick and easy ready that you won't be able to put down and you get to know pip and how their mind works.
While solving a murder mystery!
It's kinda like clue in a short book form.
Really great book.

Loved this series and loved this prequel! What a fun way to revisit the characters while waiting for Holly Jackson's next book!

This is a fantastic prequel novella to the Good Girl's Guide to Murder series!! This is a must have for all YA collections where Holly Jackson is popular. Fantastic read!

This was really good on audio! I was worried it might be confusing with all the different characters involved playing other characters, but it was still easy to follow. It threw me off when I first started it because I forgot this was a prequel! It was fun to get back with the gang again!

Thank you PRHaudio for my complimentary audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

It is clear to see why Pip went so hard into the Andie Bell case. She just had to prove that she was right. Holly Jackson always scratches my murder mystery itch.

***You're invited to the murder mystery party of the year! Fans of the hit series A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder will love Pip’s final detective case in this mystery novella from #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Jackson.

Six suspects. Three hours. One murder…***

This Prequal to A good girls guide to murder sees Pip Get her first taste of solving a "Murder" set right before the first book. Holly Gives a little more of Pip and her friends with a Murder mystery that I couldn't solve. it was a very quick and easy read. it was good to see Pip before her life becomes very dark. A great quick read!

Pippa Fitz-Amobi is not in the mood for her friend’s murder mystery party. Especially one that involves 1920’s fancy dress and pretending that their town, Little Kilton, is an island called Joy. But when the game begins, Pip finds herself drawn into the make-believe world of intrigue, deception and murder.

But as Pip plays detective, teasing out the identity of the killer clue-by-clue, the murder of the fictional Reginald Remy isn’t the only case on her mind …

Find out where it all began for Pip in this prequel to the best-selling A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and Good Girl, Bad Blood.

A quick read, it was interesting to watch Pip find her interest in detective work. I was a little thrown off in the beginning because I didn’t realize it was a prequel. I got the impression the characters were young, but were drinking wine? I’m not totally sure this one was needed, but I enjoyed A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder, and it was interesting to see Pip find her interest in detective work. Unfortunately that didn’t happen until the last few pages, and the majority of this read was about the kids and their game.

Absolutely loved this!
Kill Joy is set in the time before Good Girl's, Guide to Murder and it is what gives Pip the push to do the podcast and investigate the murders in her small town.
How you might ask? Well after having a murder mystery night hosted by one of her classmates she realized how much she loves solving mysteries and is set on making that her senior thesis project.

Kill Joy is all about the murder mystery night. We see Pip try and piece together what happens throughout the night, all while having a fun night with her friends. But of course, it wouldn't be Pip without her mostly focusing on the murder and figuring out who did it first. Throughout this night of mystery we get to see many of her friends as well as see how the town was acting before the podcast about the murders that she investigates in the first book.
It was interesting and fun to see what led up to the first book.

I now want to do a murder mystery night, because of how fun this was to read.

Posting on Instagram on 3/8/23

It was so much fun to be back in this world, especially after reading the entire trilogy. There was so many little hints into what happened in the trilogy and it was really cool to see. Not only that, but the premise of this novella was fun! Pip is invited to a murder mystery dinner party with her friends and they all have a character to play, and of course Pip is drawn to taking it very seriously and solving it. Holly Jackson has become an auto-read author for me, and I'm looking forward to reading anything else she publishes.

Just a fun murder mystery party with Pip and her friends. Think of a mixture between Knives Out (except no one 𝓇ℯ𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 dies) and Clue. Also, if anyone wants to do something like this, I’d be down.

I was so surprised at how well Pip’s character developed, seeing as how this novella only has 117 pages. Well done, Jackson! You know you’re a great writer when you can create so much character development in such a short period.

This is the prequel for “𝖠 𝖦𝗈𝗈𝖽 𝖦𝗂𝗋𝗅’𝗌 𝖦𝗎𝗂𝖽𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖬𝗎𝗋𝖽𝖾𝗋“, and I’m kinda glad I waited to start the series after reading this one. I own the rest in this series, and I’m super excited about what’s to come!!

Thank you so much Delecorte Press and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

Pip and her friends have been invited to a 1920s murder mystery dinner party at her friend Connor's house. At first Pip can't concentrate on the game because she's too worried about trying to figure out what she will do for her senior capstone project. As the game progresses, Pip becomes more and more engrossed, to the point where she isn't even sure it's a game anymore. The closer she gets to uncovering the murderer and motive, the more she realizes she's pretty good at this murder mystery stuff.

I really enjoyed this sort of lighthearted backstory of how Pip got herself entangled in the life and death of Andie Bell in the first place. It was a nice breather after finishing the very serious final book in the series, while still staying true to characters. If you liked A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, you'll like this little vignette into Pip's life before the project, podcast, and peril.

I received this ARC courtesy of NetGalley, in return for my honest review.

This was very slow to start.. at first it wasn’t keeping my attention. This prequel was pretty much just a murder mystery game being played by a group of friend. I feel as this book is forsure a YA novel as it didn’t really give me much. Overall, I’m glad I stuck it out as by the time I finished I already wanted to dive into book 1 of this series. Kill joy seems to give some background into why she investigates what she does. I’m excited to see Pips outcome throughout the series

Have you ever wondered how Pip from A Good Girls Guide to Murder got her start? Well then this novella is for you! A prequel to the AGGGTM series in which Pip and her friends attend a murder mystery party. Can Pip solve the crime in time and find a murderer amongst her friends?

This was a fun read. I loved the AGGGTM series so I was happy to read this. I loved how it ended because it gave a good glimpse into the beginning of the series. I would recommend this to anyone who was a fan of the series!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a copy of this work in exchange of an honest review

SPOILERS AHEAD

So I requested this because hello?! It's in the A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series!!! Unfortunately when I requested it I forgot that they had a US version and a UK version, so when I got this I got the UK version. So I don't know if they actually wrote two versions (with updated tests, like SATs instead of whatever the English tests are) or if they only did one version and hoped for the best. So unfortunately the draft that I got only gets 3 stars, which I hate doing, but yeah. Also how dare Pip be wrong?! Ugh!!

I received an ARC of Kill Joy in exchange for an honest review.

First, as a fan of the series, this was a great way to get a little more of a Pip fix! Kill Joy helped provide the “why” as to Pip’s interests in the series.

This was a great and quick read! Novellas are quickly becoming my favorites for the days when you just need a quick read, and this one, especially if you’re considering reading the series, or have already read it, will not disappoint.