I loved this short prequel as I’ve already read the Good Girl’s Guide series, It was nice to see Pip trying to solve a mystery even fictional, and how it may have inspired her to look into the Singh case.

Kill Joy by Holly Jackson

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.

I like how the mystery played out and loved the added information cards in the book. It allowed me to play along as well at least that is how I felt. I really like Pippa and her final guess felt right like she actually figured it out but she didn't. I followed along and what Pippa had to say felt right.

I think Pippa's character made this story and now I want to read the whole series so I plan to do that.
If you like the feel of the story clue and game of clue then you will like Kill Joy it has the same feel to it. It made me feel like a kid again trying to solve mysteries. Oh I should say this is a novella and the prequel to A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children for a free copy of Kill Joy for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was the perfect prequel to the AGGGTM series! It did a flawless job setting up how Pip came to choose her senior project in the first book - so clever. Also, Pip at the end of the murder mystery party is exactly how I've felt after finished a few thriller novels... I won't spoil it, but very relatable. I always find Jackson's mystery plots so well thought out and unique. So excited to continue the series!

Loved this prequel to the Good Girl's Guide to Murder series. We get to see a lot of why Pip is the way she is and how she responds in times of chaos and inadequate information. I loved watching Pip piece it all together even when she didn't have all the information.
Great quick read for all lovers of Pip!

I’m back with my third review of a Holly Jackson book. This time it’s for Kill Joy, the prequel novella to the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder trilogy. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m a big fan of Holly Jackson’s books. So suffice it to say, yes, I liked this one a lot. So let’s get into the review.

Kill Joy – Characters
There are several characters in Kill Joy – seven characters that we’ll be dealing with for the majority of the story.

Pip
Pip is our main character. She’s one of those super serious, super studious girls that if you ask her what her idea of fun is, she’ll tell you doing her homework or planning out a project. She’s that annoying girl who has to be right all the time, but yet you still manage to like her. I like Pip – she’s obnoxious, but she’s also a cool character.

Connor
Connor is kind of hard to get a read on. The problem is that he’s in character for most of the book, so you don’t get too much of an idea of what he’s normally like. But for what I was able to see of him in this novella, he’s an OK kid.

Jamie
Jamie is Connor’s older brother. Again, he spends the majority of the novella in character for the murder mystery party, so you don’t get too much of a read on him either. But he wasn’t an unlikable character by any means.

Lauren
Lauren was kind of annoying. We got to see more of her out of character than we did Connor or Jamie. She’s the kind of girl who has to be glued to her phone and in contact with her boyfriend constantly. She kind of grated on my nerves because I don’t have patience for that kind of girl.

Cara
Pip’s best friend. You get some glimpses of her out of character. From what I can tell, she puts up with Pip because she simply knows how Pip is. Then again, that’s kind of the feeling you get from all of Pip’s friends. Cara can be a smart-ass, which is nice to see and balances Pip out.

Zach
Zach is another character who spends most of the novella in character. You get a few shots of him out of character and you realize he’s just that good friend/neighbor that everyone is just used to having around. He’s part of the friend group because why wouldn’t he be? He’s a pretty cool guy.

Ant
Ant is the character that annoyed me the most. He couldn’t keep his mouth shut – he makes a couple of annoying outbursts that just grated on my nerves. He’s the friend in the group that makes you wonder why they’re willing to hang out with him as obnoxious as he is. Not a big fan of him.

Kill Joy – Atmosphere
For a mystery/thriller type book, Kill Joy didn’t really have too much of the spooky, creepy vibe to it. For the most part you’re just in the dining room of someone’s house with the exception of when they get up to look for something or investigate something. Some people might not think it’s a great atmosphere, but for this novella, it works and it works well.

Kill Joy – Writing
By now we should all know that I love Holly Jackson’s writing style. She keeps the plot for Kill Joy moving along and doesn’t let it drag out. Dragging along is one of the things I don’t like about most novellas – too many of them are just a chore to get through. But Kill Joy is easy to read – I think I read it in a couple of hours at most.

Kill Joy – Plot
Ok, the plot to Kill Joy is fairly simple. Pip and her friends are having a murder mystery party and they’re going to solve a “murder” in the course of a couple of hours. It’s a fun, simple plot designed to be a vehicle for how Pip decides to do what she does in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. It’s well written and fun. What more do you want or need?

Kill Joy – Intrigue
So when we start looking at intrigue for Kill Joy, the biggest part of it is wondering about the murder mystery the friends are going to be solving. The game is meant to be sort of a live-action game of Clue. You’re kept wondering what’s going to be revealed next and who committed the murder. I really enjoyed this as you don’t actually see too many books or novellas built around these murder mystery games.

Kill Joy – Logic
Now logic is where Kill Joy kind of loses it – but it is that way to further the story and help set up A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Once you understand that, you realize that there’s a ton of logic in the way the story is set up and the way it ends… it’s just not entirely obvious at first.

Kill Joy – Ending
The way this ends will tie everything together in a nice little package. The ending is what really ties this to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. The murder mystery party is a fun way to set everything up, but the ending really brings it together. I loved the ending to this.

Conclusion
If you’ve read A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, I highly recommend you read Kill Joy. It gives insight into what prompted Pip to take a second look into the murder of Andie Bell. It’s quick, fun read that will leave you wanting to read A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and its sequels.

eARC Review: Kill Joy by Holly Jackson

Release Date: February 28th 2023 (US Edition)

My Rating: 5/5 stars

My Thoughts: I loved this little novella! It prefaces A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder, and we get to see Pip use her detective skills in a murder mystery party she attends at a friends! I loved the story itself, reading this book makes me realize how much I love Holly Jackson’s writing and why I’ll always pick up a mystery from her. I hope she comes out with more soon! I think people will love this novella, and you don’t need to read the other books in order to enjoy it! Get yourself a copy when it’s US Edition is released February 28th 2023!

What a fun prequel novella! I would love to play a murder mystery game like Kill Joy!

I thought this was such a fun way to get a glimpse into roots of Pip’s almost obsessive personality. It was really interesting to see the progression of her compulsiveness with solving mysteries, beginning with a seemingly benign game.

Thank you to Netgalley, Holly Jackson, and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute short story!

While the story was entertaining, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the rest of the series, but I think that’s to be expected! This was a nice little addition to a fun set of books, but not necessarily needed. I loved getting to see where Pip got her inspiration from.

Kill Joy is a quick, fun read that you can finish in just one sitting. I absolutely adored A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and finding the prequel on Netgalley made me so unbelievably excited.

We get more insight on Pip and her ways and it makes me like her more and more. She’s very into school and being a perfectionist which can be annoying for some, but I like how head strong she is. Yes, I think she could enjoy time with her friends a bit more, though. I mean, a murder mystery party? That sounds absolutely wonderful and on the ride there she doesn’t seem the least bit into it.

I loved the murder mystery aspect of this book. I loved that about the first book, obviously. I think Holly Black does a fantastic job of keeping the reader on their toes. This one was exceptionally done because I was a bit clueless towards the end, but it all wrapped up nicely and made sense. I will say though, there’s a moment with Pip where you’re 100% on her side, then something surprising happens.

The thing I loved most about this book were the nods towards the first book in the series. Some things happening that just made you exited to know what they mean. Tidbits that made you feel a bit sad, too. Ohhhh and angry; one part made me want to jump in the book and slap a character, but they deserve much worse.

If you enjoyed the first book in this series, definitely pick this up to read. If you haven’t read the first book, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder then I recommend doing so ASAP.

4 mysterious stars out of 5

Kill Joy by Holly Jackson
My rating: 4/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Anything with Pip, sign me up! I was so excited to see this novella as I love the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series. This was definitely a different feel from the other books, as it was a murder mystery party but it kept me engaged the whole time. I actually didn’t know it was a prequel to the series, so I was a little confused at first! Definitely can be a stand alone story and you don’t need to read the other books before this one. Holly Jackson is a must read author for me so this was delightful! Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

I needed some more app in my life. A quick and short read about Pip playing a murder mystery game with her friends. Enjoyable and I liked that it connected to the first AGGGTM book.

This is such a fun start to the series. As one who already read the trilogy, it was fun to see all the characters, or most, again. To see them before the story began, and to see where Pip’s love for solving crime started in such a fun way. Ultimately the birth of the capstone project. Though the characters mentioned Andie and Sal, I would have loved a little more.

video review on tiktok @madisonreadstoomuch will be uploaded the week of 2/26-3/4

i read this novella hot off the tails of as good as dead. going back in time to what inspired the idea of investigating the death of ravi singh was incredibly interesting and enjoyable. as far as novellas go, this was very good. it kept pip’s voice very well, which i’ve noticed some novella’s fail to do. the characters oftentimes become unrecognizable and do out of character things or have out of character thoughts, this was written AS pip. we knew and recognized the character we love easily. you don’t need to read the trilogy before reading kill joy. it was well written, fast paced (but not rushed), and very fun to see pip in action in a low stakes environment.

minor spoiler: i’m still angry and upset over the ending of as good as dead. i was hoping for more ravi, a conclusion of sorts to their story. if holly jackson decides to come out with another novella featuring ravi & pip, i’ll read it. otherwise, i don’t think i’ll be reading another holly jackson. out of pure anger and frustration over the ending of as good as dead.

As a fan of AGGGTM, i was really excited for this novella and it didn't disappoint.
This was a very compelling and fun read.
I have wanted to attend a murder mystery party since i found out they were a thing a few years ago, but i think this is as close as i'm going to get to one😂.
The plot is twisty and i like that it has no real stakes (that the game is a game).
This novella also shows how Pip got the inspiration to investigate the events of the first book.
I must say, though, that it's a bit weird reading this after the whole series and knowing what happens with several characters and relationships, i wish i could have read this one before.

If you loved or are planning to check out the series, i would recommend picking this one up, too!

✨Quick ✨Entertaining ✨Sneak Peak

Kill Joy is a fun prequel to A Good Girls Guide to Murder. Pip attends a murder mystery party 1920s-style. As Pip and her friends try to solve the whodunnit, the reader gets a sneak peek into why Pip picks her Capstone Project.

Anyone who read AGGGTM or watched Knives Out will enjoy the prequel. Listening time is under 3 hours!

Happy Monday y’all and happy almost release day to Kill Joy by Holly Jackson! Kill Joy is a novella set in the world of A Good Girl’s Guide to murder and it takes place before Pip’s senior year of high school, before she’s even picked the Andie Bell murder as her senior project, so it was a fun, quick little read to see how Pip and her friends do with a completely fake murder! Thank you so much to Delacorte Press and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of this book!

Kill Joy 4/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads:

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…

Pip 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 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 …

This novella was short, but it was so cool to see just how much Holly Jackson was able to pack into such a short story. And the Andie Bell/Sal Singh case was mentioned multiple times, which makes it the perfect tie in if you loved the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder books and want to revisit that world and if you haven’t read those books, it’s the perfect setting the scene novella that leads right into book one! I liked getting to know Pip’s friends better, because I feel as though in the other books, we really only knew Cara. I think the premise of the 1920s murder mystery party was super fun and I loved how much thought Pip put into her answer and who she thought did it and how that sets off a chain of events for the rest of the series. Overall, I think it was a solid novella (and that’s coming from someone who really isn’t super into novellas or short stories), so I highly recommend picking it up as soon as it comes out tomorrow!

A Good Girls Guide to Murder is one of my favorite trilogies so I was super excited to read Pip's prequel story. This is a short one, around 150 pages and was such an intriguing plot.
This novella follows Pip at her friends 1920's themed murder mystery party. Watching Pip discover her love of solving mysteries before all the events of the first book was so cool. And I loved all the sprinkles of what's to come in A Good Girls Guide to Murder, it's just laying the groundwork for the first book. It could definitely be read before starting the series but for everyone who's already read the three books, this was a great look at how our detective got her start!

I'll read anything Holly Jackson writes. I really enjoyed this prequel novella to the A Good Girl's Guide to Murder books. I loved the dinner party and how it prompts Pip's Senior capstone project. This is the perfect introduction to Pip's town, the murder that happened there several years ago, and all of her friends. Makes me want to reread the entire series again!

I absolutely adored this book. As someone who loved the AGGGTM series, I was so excited to dive back into Pip's world. This book gave off such a Clue feel (and considering that Clue is my favorite movie) and I just loved it. I was terrified the entire time that someone was really going to die, and I think that Holly really nailed the light-hearted feel of a non-human-murder-book.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

Kill Joy
by Holly Jackson
Pub Date: 28 Feb 2023

I was so excited to see a prequel to Pippa's world leading to "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder." You could very easily start with this short story and go into the series...or if you are like me, who already devoured the previous 3 books, this is just a wonderful "flashback" of how everything started for Pippa.

This book centers around Pippa and her friends attending a "murder mystery party." It all takes place right before Pippa decides on her senior project. There is fun camaraderie of the group, mystery and some suspense, but the perfection is seeing how Pippa's mind gravitates to a detective role during the game (a natural gift of uncovering murder!) and that is just the beginning. This is the "good girls" origin story!

Gosh, now I want to go back and re-read this series! I missed Ravi in this one...

4 stars